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Xbox Kinect Interactive Puppet Prototype, from Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille (design.io) & Update on Funky Forest

Xbox Kinect Interactive Puppet Prototype, from Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille (design.io) & Update on Funky Forest

Xbox Kinect Interactive Puppet Prototype, from Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille (design.io) & Update on Funky Forest

Posted: 20 Nov 2010 12:27 AM PST

I came across the following video on a post on the  Creative Applications blog about the Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille's  recent work with OpenFrameworks, Kinect, and an interactive puppet prototoype:

Interactive Puppet Prototype with Xbox Kinect from Theo Watson on Vimeo.

I'm not surprised that Theo Watson and Emily (design.io) decided to experiment with the XBox Kinect. I can't wait to see what they will create for Kinect in the future, based on their previous work --   A couple of years ago I wrote a post about their enchanting interactive installation, "Funky Forest":  OpenFrameworks & Interactive Multimedia:  Funky Forest Installation for CinKid. 


You can see from the video of their Funky Forest installation (2007 CinKid) that they create engaging interactive applications:

Funky Forest - Interactive Ecosystem from Theo Watson on Vimeo.
(Information from Theo Watson's Vimeo site)
"Funky Forest is a wild and crazy ecosystem where children manage the resources to influence the environment around them. By using their bodies or pillow "rocks" and "logs", water flowing from the digital stream on the floor can be dammed and diverted to the forest to make different parts grow. If a tree does not receive enough water it withers away but by pressing their bodies into the forest children create new trees based on their shape and character. As children explore and play they discover that the environment is inhabited by a variety of sonic life forms and creatures who appear and disappear depending on the health of the forest. As the seasons change the creatures also go through a metamorphosis."
Credits:
Theodore Watson
Emily Gobeille
Project Page:
muonics.net/​site_docs/​work.php?id=41
zanyparade.com/​v8/​projects.php?id=12


Note:  A version of Funky Forest, Moomah Edition, is permanently installed in New York City at the Moomah Children's Cafe. This version includes interactive environments related to the four seasons of the year, including an interactive particle system with falling leaves and snow.


FOR THE TECH-CURIOUS
Libfreenect for OX, by Theodore Watson

XBox Kinect running on OS X ( with source code ) from Theo Watson on Vimeo.
The following information and links were taken from the Vimeo description of the above video:  
"This is a port/adaptation of Hector Martin's libfreenect for OS X made by Theodore Watson.
Hector Martin's Libfreenect project page is here:  git.marcansoft.com/​?p=libfreenect.git
Most of the code is unchanged but there are some changes to libusb which was needed to get it running (and a few extra libusb commands) as well as some tweaking of the transfer sizes.
It should be self contained and you shouldn't need to install libusb (the app links it directly ).
Grab the Source Code:
UPDATE:
(Tested on OS X 10.6.3 - 32bit now and with fixes)
theo.tw/​deliver/​kinect/​001-libfreenect-modded-osx-updated.zip
ofxKinect for OF users - thanks Dan!
openframeworks.cc/​forum/​viewtopic.php?p=24948#p24948
Tips:
- Try both usb ports.
- Try not to have too many other devices plugged in (or any)."


(Check the Vimeo website to see if there are updates)


OpenFrameworks Forum
http://www.openframeworks.cc/forum/


RELATED
Presentation about Funky Forest  (ThisHappened)

Emily Gobeille & Theo Watson talk about Funky Forest from This happened – Utrecht on Vimeo.
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

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Raymond.CC Blog - Sysprep for Windows 7

Raymond.CC Blog - Sysprep for Windows 7

Sysprep for Windows 7

Posted: 17 Nov 2010 11:00 PM PST


In the previous post, I mentioned about how to prepare your system using Sysprep and received a few requests for information on how to perform Sysprep in Windows 7. Here I would like to share the steps and the information on how to Sysprep your Windows 7. Surprisingly, I noticed the process of new Sysprep [...]

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Serious Games in the K-16 Classroom: Google Tech Talks Video, via Jonathan Brill

Serious Games in the K-16 Classroom: Google Tech Talks Video, via Jonathan Brill

Serious Games in the K-16 Classroom: Google Tech Talks Video, via Jonathan Brill

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 04:53 AM PST

In the following video, Victoria Van Voorhis discusses educational software and the Serious Games in Education movement:




Thanks to Jonathan Brill for the link!


SOMEWHAT RELATED
Below is a presentation I gave at the 2008 Games for Health conference:


Descriptions, stories, and links related to the screen shots of the first slide of the above presentation: (Some of the links may need to be updated.)


The science screen is an interactive 'gizmo' from Explore Learning. Something like this could be incorporated into an educational game. http://www.explorelearning.com


I'm pretty sure that the picture of the ancient building was from the VAST project, described in the article 'Reviving the past: Cultural Heritage meets Virtual Reality' by Anthanasios Gaitatzes, Dimitrious Cristopoulos, and Maria Roussou. (2002, ACM) The Foundation of the Hellenic World was involved with this project. http://www.fhw.gr/fhw/


Maria Roussou has been involved with a variety of interesting immersive projects: http://www.makebelieve.gr/mb/www/profile/index.html


The people from the Institute for Advanced Technologies in the Humanities at the University of Virginia are doing similar work through the Rome Reborn project:
http://www.romereborn.virginia.edu/


Rationale:
I thought that it would be cool to have a game for health that integrated with history, so that students could learn about how people from the past handled health and diseases, and learn how scientists from the past came up with solutions that help us today.


The picture of the dragons on the space station was from a game called 'Relax to Win', created by Phil (gary?) McDarby and the MindGames team when he was at MediaLab Europe, which disbanded in 2005. Here is an article about Relax to Win, from 2002:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1972571.stm


McDarby now works as the creative officer of Vyro Games, which focus on stress management.
Rationale: Stress management games are good for health!
McDarby: http://www.vyro-games.com/company/phil_bio.php
Media Lab Europe and MindGames: http://medialabeurope.org/
Vyro Games: http://ww.vyro-games.com/


The cool geometric image was from a project from the Interactive Media Group, Vienna University of Technology:
Educating Spatial Intelligence with Augmented Reality .
http://www.ims.tuwien.ac.at/research/spatial_abilities/


The project targeted high school geometry students, with a goal of increasing spatial ability and improving transfer of learning. The program is consistent with Universal Design for Learning principles.


I think that some of the applications involved in this application could be useful in games designed for cognitive rehabilitation or habilitation.


Related:
'An Application and Framework for Using Augmented Reality in Mathematics and Geometry Education': http://www.ims.tuwien.ac.at/research/construct3d/


Hannes Kaufmann's Dissertation: Geometry Education with Augmented Reality: http://www.ims.tuwien.ac.at/media/documents/publications/...


The remainder of the pictures:
The Cloud Game: http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/


The picture with the two people is from Kar2ouche, from Immersive Education. Kar2ouche is a creative role-play, picture making, story-boarding and animation software. It is enabled for use on interactive whiteboards: http://www.immersiveeducation.com/kar2ouche/


Hazmat HotZone is a multi-player simulation game used to train first responder teams: http://www.etc.cmu.edu/projects/hazmat_2005/


The underwater scene is from FreeDive, from FreeDive, that is used as a pain distractor. I also think it could be used for stress reduction for children.
http://www.breakawaygames.com/serious-games/solutions/hea...


The game pad is a DanceDance Revolution pad, used as an 'exergame' in many schools to combat the increase in numbers of students who are overweight or obese.
'Dance Dance Revolution: Healthy for Kids'
http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/12201/


The classroom scene is is from a virtual reality application:
Rizzo, A., Bowerly, T., Buckwalter, J., Klimchuk, D., Mitura, R., Parsons, T.D. (2006). A Virtual Reality Scenario for All Seasons: The Virtual Classroom. CNS Spectrums, 11, 1, 35-44. http://vrpsych.ict.usc.edu/
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

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Human-Machine-Music Interaction: KarmetiK Machine Orchestra (Video, links)

Human-Machine-Music Interaction: KarmetiK Machine Orchestra (Video, links)

Human-Machine-Music Interaction: KarmetiK Machine Orchestra (Video, links)

Posted: 15 Nov 2010 04:35 PM PST

Here is an example of innovative interaction between humans, machines, and music:


KarmetiK Machine Orchestra - Live at REDCAT Walt Disney Hall - Los Angeles - Jan 27, 2010 from KarmetiK on Vimeo.


Information from the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra Vimeo page:
"On January 27th, 2010, KarmetiK and California Institute of the Arts brought together a group of interdisciplinary artists to perform in a revolutionary production. During this performance, The Machine Orchestra, a collective of musicians, engineers, dancers, and theatre designers, gave an audience at the Walt Disney Concert Hall's REDCAT performance space a glimpse of the future: one in which computers, robots, and humans join forces to make music.Featuring a cast of musicians, new musical interfaces, and musical robotics, The Machine Orchestra fused a wide array of musical styles ranging from free electronic improvisation to world dance music.This DVD features uninterrupted footage of The Machine Orchestra's debut concert, a performance exploring human interaction with KarmetiK's collection of musical robots: MahaDeviBot, GanaPatiBot, Tammy, Raina, and ReyongBot. Directed by Ajay Kapur and Michael Darling."
Music Director, Co-Creator: Ajay Kapur
Production Director, Co-Creator: Michael Darling
Guest Electronic Artists: Curtis Bahn & Perry Cook
World Music Performers: Ustad Aashish Khan, Pak Djoko Walujo, & I Nyoman Wenten
Multimedia Performer-Composers: Charlie Burgin, Dimitri Diakopoulos, Jordan Hochenbaum, Jim Murphy, Owen Vallis, Meason Wiley, and Tyler Yamin
Visual Design: Jeremiah Thies
Dance: Raakhi Sinha & Kieran Heralall
Lighting Design: Tiffany Williams
Sound Design: John Baffa
Production: Lauren Pratt
Editing: Meason Wiley
Filming: Benny Schuetze 
machineorchestra.com
Follow KarmetiK on Facebook and Twitter: 
facebook.com/​karmetik
twitter.com/​karmetik


Detailed information about this performance and Machine Orchestra:

Lisa Zyga, Physorg.com 

MACHINE ORCHESTRA
KarmetiK Machine Orchestra

RELATED
Building a Hybrid Man/Machine Orchestra, Pt 1
Jordan Hochenbaum, Create Digital Music 1/25/10

Jordan Hochenbaum, Create Digital Music 4/22/10




Direct links to the publications listed below, and more, on the  Publications: Refereed Journals and Conference Papers page of the Karmetik website.


Kapur, A. & M. Darling A Pedagogical Paradigm for Musical Robotics, Proceedings of the
International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Sydney, Australia, June 2010.


Hochenbaum, J., Kapur, A., & M. Wright, Multimodal Musician Recognition, Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Sydney, Australia, June 2010


Vallis, O., Hochenbaum, J,, & A. Kapur, A Shift Towards Iterative and Open-Source Design for Musical Interfaces, Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Sydney, Australia, June 2010


Hochenbaum, J., Vallis, O., Diakopoulos, D., Murphy, J. & A. Kapur, On Designing Expressive Musical Interfaces for TableTop Surfaces , Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Sydney, Australia, June 2010


Murphy, J., Kapur, A., & C. Burgin, The Helio: A Study of Membrane Potentiometers and Long Force Sensing Resistors for Musical Interfaces, Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Sydney, Australia, June 2010
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

Juggling and Music: JAM meets the ReacTable

Posted: 15 Nov 2010 03:17 PM PST

Enjoy!
Juggling and Music Meets the ReacTable, With Carles Lopez


I could play around with a ReacTable all day long!

RELATED
Need an 8 and 1/2 minute dance/exercise break?  Get up out of your chair and dance to this  video of the Brainwater ReacTable Live Performance 1
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

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Raymond.CC Blog - Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)

Raymond.CC Blog - Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)

Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)

Posted: 15 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST


Red Hat recently announced the availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. Effective with the release of version 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 will consider walking into the path of history and Red Hat will no longer offer the Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT) exam. This exam is considered an entry level exam that [...]

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