Research Process - PG01-06 (26 Oct 2011)

Record of Tuesday - PG01-06

Early in the morning we had a talk with Brita on using confluence for the Learning Log.

My understanding was that these are the digital formats:

Confluence Learning Log > Learning Log - (Share thinking/Record Groupwork)External Learning Blog (Personal research/thinking)

Learning Plan (To export as PDF)

This was a stream of ideas I had whilst listening to others:

- earphones
- see speech patterns
- look at texts
- show literature review
- More broader cultural view
- Look at others in the market.
- collaborate with experts/others in the group.*** about six others.
Suggested contacts
- bring it to a new area that is not done before. - where is it going?

Notes on 2nd round of Formative Presentations:
-----------------------------------------------------------------Simon
Will 3D stereoscopy still be relevant?Adrian
Operation Cunning Fox
5 different MA ideas:
Norman Bell Geddes
Modern architecture
Naval architecture
- richness and diversity of issues
- explore debates about the nature of shape, regulations around naval architecture.
Lola
Web-based Planning Tool
How will consumers be more engaged by buying Home Furnishings?
Plan shopping
Looked into industry to try and find better methods

- bring instore experience
Tangible research
Business and IP Centre - how to patent technologies
Exhibitions - ideal home show
Feedback fron industry professionals
Visualising Research
Marketing Week
Study Skills
Cite Them Right
Napolean Hill - PMA - Looking with a positive mindset (be constructive)
mydefinite.com - home furnishings
Buying process - simplifying
Simple shopping journey - making the purchase, application to develop interior designs.
Look at Psychology and experience - what kind of person are they?
- role of exhibitions/seeing the real
Matthew
Visual effects
Mind map
First book - Compositing visual effects
Second book - Green screen book - digitising overlays
multiple frames
Art and Science of Digital Compositing
Old discoveries and how they relate to new discoveries
- French director/visualising
Jake
Print technologies
Import from China
Blogs centered around technology
TV, movies,
Various areas
How people see the future, past view of future
Museum of Holograms
Interest in craft, mark of the maker.
Generic objects, special objects.
How research relates to craft.
Mentioned the dolls
Liz saw ethics, are people going to do bad things with this?
Understand the subject area, now challenge it.
Critique something.
Can upset people in the field

Asana
Mind and space
Spend 85% of time indoors
How architecture can change the way you feel
Documentary that explores the impact of the designed building
Have impact on relationships
Architecture of intelligence
Rave won an RIBA award - how?
- fitness for purpose
- it is a manifesto
- new vision of higher education - no point in changing anything unless we change everything.

Daero
IDM
research aim - thinking about Future directions for interative environment interface
initial voice, narrative,
then show
arrows on ceiling, moving towards a door
interested in physical interaction
background in visual communication design
tired of limited interface
typing - talking about the senses, taste, sixth sense, smell, sound
physical device - always watching a flat monitor
trying think about possibilities outside of the screen
physical interface between person and machine
current digital environment - is limited, signs - unchangable - constant.
accessing a way to the symbol. - one situation
sign symbol
mobile application
changable world - sign is important.
visited exhibition - V & A - power of making, science museum.
why are we interested in something?
looking at artists works
look at 'The Way Things Work'
Site of o2
'Digital by Design'
Interested in Information Artists
symbol sourcebook
making electronics
think about methodology
time to think about method
experiment
real interface, watch it, get people to respond. - reiterative prototype.
person hugging a device
look at Stanford university...experimentations in digitising environments.
go in - turn a light on...etc.
look at development of a mouse
systematic approach - next step, constructed frameworks for thinking
word experiment, 'case study' - specific analysis of issue, problem, research methodology.

----CarlWhy?
What is colour?
How does colour gain meaning?
Can make you uncomfortable
Do we perceive colour the same?
What are the factors that affect it? - typography, gender, age, culture.
Red/Blue font
Light is colour
How people's perception of colours change.
How does this relate to me - personal research.
How to best use colour in visual effects.
Mix different patterns of colours.
How cultural implications change over the yearsKaterina
Future of social networks
If people can monitor behaviour - try to control it? - surveilance - branding
- look at Apple, look at it as if it is a religion, belief system. better decoded.Jim Carlo
Design as Art
Communication Design
Stop stealing sheep and find out how type works
virtual typography
apply emerging technologies
Basic for MS
publishing - thinking like an artist
use photography frame by frame
advertising - female - like a manifesto
methodology
Centuries impact on typography
Thought about art and design togetherAntonio
Binary opposition - in all cultures - us and them.
Diagram - triangle - culture, religion and art
Art is a way of communication
Choosing between key terms to search on
Propaganda
Special place in other five subjects
Developing own culture, religion and art
Communication process
Graphic design - source/identity
Diagrams - language (artist speaker and target)
Graphic design
Wants to unify 5 subjects of design
How the meanings of the words changed...different readings
- study of communication theory - came out of the 2nd world war
came out of Stanford University - how messages could have a diversity of meanings.Juan
MA Moving image
Cultural influences and their effect on animation/illustration styles and aesthetics
Characteristic in different geographical areas
Books/Websites/Movies
Field work - experiment
See if there is cultural set of techniques - may look alike
Animation Now - country of origin, closer to aim
Animation - foundation
Understanding Animation -
Websites - mostly movies
Movies - secret of kells (ireland), others, different aesthetic
waking sleeping beauty - zenith of american animation industry
anime/manga - what makes same pictures in Japan - recognisable (angularity)
bande dessinee - franco-belgian (roundness)
why not use primary research?
- think about stereotypes.Bill
Investigation into Chinese innovative industries
Chinese culture
Cult
Special culture in history
Huge companies
Lack of innovative ideas
Follow steps of western companies
How Chinese people think about their culture
How Western people think about their culture
Chinese culture - focus
Two routes
1.Academic route - Books, Internet, Museum, Survey, Interview
2.Daily life route - Observe, Record, (possible recordings), analyse result.
Lead to Conclusion
Research
- Look up stereotypes - concept of group of people, drill down characteristics
- distorts a larger view
- by western - British or and American?
creating a broad sense, both need to be analysed. - Chinese culture - very broad view, more specific - needs analysis, locations, trends.
- be careful when using the word 'Chinese' or 'Eastern'Mike
Fashion - interested in Fabric, Shape and Pattern
Took from the application process - subject matters
One of those subjects which design is all about - 2D material to 3D shape
Taking the material and research different aspects
Researching what makes that particular fabric ready to make into a jacket
Sources - internet (Here and now), history of fabric, looking at related industries
Explore the science behind the fabric
Books, amount of time that can date back
Fabric and fabric evolution
Talking to people who have day to day contact with the material
Look at designers in the 1920s
Indonesian investment board, speakers. - re-introduce industries
How fabric was made.
Retail - how fabric works for them
What fabrics work for them. what fabrics don't work for them.
Look at experimentation
Page like a patchwork textile
Natural fabric versus synthetic
Production values
Processes that are used
Actual application, how fabric affects the cutting - ie.Chiffon.
Speak to industry experts
Explore whether the consumer has the power to influence changes.
Expectation and value
Very systematic approach...
one kind of fabric or all fabrics, how is this different from what you do?

---

Own thoughts about how my formative presentation went:
- I was nervous too, being reminded to smile
- I was most concerned about not getting the presentation to work, actually what I said had as much importance
- The slides that worked well were the literature review, systematic diagrams and sources of research
- The examples of the existing companies were questioned, by liz on whether I actually also could look at Rosetta Stone as a mainstream product that is already well established in the american/world market
- The last contact slide jammed in the browser and didn't move correctly as I was not used to operating a different PC!
- My voice wavered and perhaps I should have thought a bit more than described what I saw, when people are observing it is challenging to keep calm and regulate the speed of talking and thinking!

Own ideas about presentation:
show more background, why am I choosing to study interactive learning tools?
why am I interested in something?
symbols for meaning - easily accessible for all OR accessible through training.
the presentation shows a detachment from feelings
Instead of just talking about problem, thinking about purpose, thinking about people
Diaspora, people who can never go home.
What are people trying to learn? New directions:

----

I had a long conversation with Bill on his presentation and his subject of Research.
- I asked him to define Culture, and in particular if there were many Chinese cultures to which he said that the subject was very broad.
One comment he had was that the characters I was exploring perhaps had little meaning unless they were placed into context....this made me think more about the characters as parts of a whole. If the characters belonged to a society, just a few would actually be the most known to all others. I thought about visual ways of showing parts of a whole.

This gave the idea of a new branch of exploration - chinese line and character diagrams - such as medical body diagrams, invented machinery system diagrams and ancient calendars. The characters are individually less important, and the comparisons are more importantly made between the arrangements of lines, encirclements and character groups rather than the strokes and shapes of the character forms.

I could gather people to work collaboratively on a project - by defining set roles;
a video maker
a set maker
a lighting assistant
a storyteller
a speaker
an animator

The work could be judged by a native speaker.

Bill talked to me about popular in-word in china. the characters are sometimes substituted to look more interesting.

I thought about depicting emotions with Chinese characters. 'People with feelings'

I thought about Chinese characters again in 3D. Characters as landforms, placed on a flat surface, made fluid in their contours and extruded upwards ie,Zhong (middle) or Shan (mountain).

Adrian raised the idea of looking at the debate between Traditional (TW/HK) and Simplified characters (Mainland China/Singapore/Malaysia). Then I mentioned a phonetic alphabetical version called Zhuyin used in elementary schools in Taiwan. I thought whether there could be a more minimalised version of Simplified Chinese.- however questions are raised about the reduction in quality of the pictorial language. Korean is a phonetic language too.

Research Process - Visit to Language Show/Reading (22 Oct 2011)

Visit to Language Show
-------------------------

On Saturday I went to Language Show Live at Olympia, London.
www.languageshowlive.com

There were various exhibit stands there covering most major world languages including some minority languages.

There were language tasters classes for Chinese (Mandarin), Norwegian, Arabic, Polish, Greek, French, Japanese, and Sign Language.

I visited and noted down the stands pertaining to Chinese and Korean language.

Hanban.org
Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters
From the Language show booklet:
'Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters), as a public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education, is committed to providing Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide, it goes all out in meeting the demands of foreign Chinese learners and contributing to the development of multiculturalism and the building of a harmonious world.'

Routledge Language Learning
routledge.com/languages

Multilingual Vacancies
multilingualvacancies.com

Korean Language Council (KLIC) Seoul, Korea
klic.or.kr

Dragons in Europe (Mandarin learning)
dragonsineurope.com

Teaching abroard:
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
teflexpress.co.uk

LiveABC Chinese Learning Products
(Illustrated Chinese English Dictionary)
liveabc.co.uk
ichinese.liveabc.com

HSK - Chinese Proficiency Test
YCT - Youch Chinese Test
BCT - Business Chinese Test

Hua Hsia iQChinese E-Learning (software)
iqchinese.co.uk
huahsia-chinese.org.uk

Sinolingua - China International Publishing Group
sinolingua.com

Lanacos
lanacos.com

Learning Technologies:
Audio notetaker
audionotetaker.com

Books for Reading - (borrowed items)
--------------------------------------

CITE THEM RIGHT
Essential referencing guide
Richard Pears and Graham Shields, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010
8th Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 978-0-230-27231-6

SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
The Personal Development Planning Handbook
Stella Cottrell, 2003, 2010
2nd Edition
skills4study.com
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 978-0-230-25018-5

DISSERTATION SKILLS
for Business and Management Students
Brian White, 2000
Thomson, London
thomsonlearning.co.uk
ISBN: 0-8264-6788-1

-------------------------------------------

Thinking about next directions for research for next week:

- Need more research into technology
1.Concept Creation Tools
2.MA/MSC group as an academic community/role in iterative process
3.Think about formulating professional objectives
4.Critical understanding of debates around area of stude
5.Research strategy
6.Suitable research methodologies
7.Think creatively
8.Develop conceptual models
9.Forumulate coherent arguements
10.Develop frameworks to support arguement
11.Degree of flexibility in thinking related to new ideas and criticism
12.Quality, diversity and innovation of concept

Research Process - Formative Assessment (18 October 2011)

Check these links for Facebook:
masters rave
ravemastudents2011-2012
ravensbourne 2011

Talks by students to include:


Lunchtime talk: Digital Design Society
Processing Website
Look at Production technologies
Projection mapping
See Amon Tobin for inspiring work
Talk by Will - Director of Technology
StreamArts
London > Helsinki > Santander > Budapest
Punchdrunk - Experimental Theatre company
Looking at London identity and challenges faced
Present to National audiences
Technology seen as a panacea sometimes, sometimes can cause new problems
Matt - brief
Various co-operating companies - Slotstake Hungary
Look at a level of programming 1-10
Processing - Aldrino - CHECK OUT
Theo Watson - Design IO - panorama for children

Afternoon Talk: Bruce Wands - NY Digital Artist
Looking at the new digital face of contemporary art
Connects video camera tech
PC era - to 2000
Mobile era - 2000 to present
MUD
Rafael Lozan - Henner - Light installation with volumetric light
viewers can interact with the work
Purbeck Light years - 2003
Digital art can be like a painting
Collects Buddhist art
Buddhist proportional guides, 3D light, Buddha light series, meditative qualities
Interactive sound sculpture
Typing on a keypad plays hammers on strings on posts
Notion of 'Internet Art'
Art is now outside the gallery, and on the internet
Processing - for programming art interactions
MEL - for animators
Be recognised in the industry as a digital artist
Maya - 3D light

Chat with Daero
Visit Science Museum
Look at posterous
Jin Yo Mock - New York University - Digital artist

Research Process - Visit to British Museum (17 Oct 2011)

During the visit to the British Musem I was particularly interested in taking photographs of the Chinese writing and artifacts. These images are free and out of copyright. They are permitted for non-commercial use.

    Timeline

    Intro to the origins of the Chinese system of writing


    Oracle bone with inscribed pictograms

    Close up of the pictograms/ideograms 
 

 

    Bronze disc (calendar?) with radiating characters

 

    Cursive script writing

    Chinese dictionary page

   
British Museum Visit Question:
How many definitions of a museum in the 21st Century?

- Contextual gallery for holding and displaying objects
- Meeting space and forum for talks
- Place for entertainment and re-enactions of culture and history
- Place for all ages, including schools and families to visit
- Mono-Cultural and Multi-cultural centres
- Place for research for professionals in their fields such as history and archaeology

Research Process - Visit to British Library (11 Oct 2011)

We started our visit by listening to a talk by Jeremy in the foyer of the British Library.

My impressions of the British Library were that there were plenty of places to sit. The entrance area felt very open and democratic. There were highly illuminated areas and also lower lit calming spaces as well. The architectural space consisted mostly of a formal arrangement of squares and diagonal forms punctuated by plants and curved surfaces. I read on a plaque that the library was opened in 1998 yet is somehow feels 20 years older! It is classic yet modern in feel. The side walls feature ocular windows, back lit translucent signs and ceiling spots with a soft gentle focus. The ancient books within the towering central bookcase form a viewpoint with which the other spaces surround, somewhat like a huge wide tree of knowledge.

There were standing rests, long benches and traditional seating. The spaces seemed to define the amount of friendliness/or warmth. The initial impression was being greeted by a security guard to check my bag. A formality I am used to in going to museums and public places in London. Then the courtyard space which echoes the sounds of shoes and people crossing in different directions.

The room to search the catalogue and register was quite non-descript, with a bossy english woman who had little patience for people it would seem who might struggle with english. I would say the choice of person should be more inviting and helpful than short and commanding. The woman at BL reader registration was knowledgeable, engaging and friendly. She stated that she already had my details as I had already registered as a reader in 2007! "Yes we have your details already and your reader number never changes! Last time you were looking for work related research! We know quite a bit about you!" She went on to talk about books being vandalised, not always by young people but well established academics who might want to add an extra page from a rare book to their own collection! Her position I think on the whole was positive as she got to talk about the collections and resources available.

The coat room was more relaxed and sombre, with a somewhat disinterested cloakroom attendant. Surely somehow working in a cloakroom must somehow be made more fun, right? After all they are meeting interesting people from all walks of life all day and guarding their valuables...though I suspect that the readers may get grumpy and irritated by handing over possessions and being restricted from taking other possessions into the reading rooms. I wonder whether giving them skills to interact, comment on valuables, and lighten the apprehension of readers may make them more co-operative in complying with the rules. You can take in a notepad, but not pens, pencils are ok, plus sharpeners too. Oh, no camera is not allowed, not even allowed in the cloakroom, you'll have to take that to the locker, yep, you'll need a pound for the locker, then you can go to one of the reading rooms!

The entrances to the reading rooms were also checkpoints to see that people entering were registered readers. Plus they were also there to check that books were not being smuggled out. They also seemed formal, and think that they actually should give an air of formality to prime readers to be quiet and behave appropriately in the space. They have to watch what people say and what they hold on their shifts, and watch out for things that people are doing incorrectly rather than correctly. It is not their job to be commending.

The attendants behind the counters in the reading rooms, are quiet, formal and bureau-like, however they are  helpful and knowledgeable too. It seems that some of the knowledge is more easily available by asking them than spending too much time searching. I contrast these people with my own local surrey library which is more friendly and community-like, although probably certainly not as knowledgeable or academic.


Catalogue searches to related areas of study:

1. Interactive Learning - (Shelfmark 371.3 21)
2. Criteria for device selection:
comparison between mouse and touchscreen as an input device for interactive video. (621.39 22)
3. Account of the structure of Chinese characters (W5/4084.DSC) [ordered in for 2 days from offsite.]
4. The contributions of guided interactive reading to the development of reading skills and attitudes towards reading skills and attitudes towards reading in Chinese learners. (015927161 PDF format)

I went to the African and Asian studies reading room as this matched most of my areas of interest.
I looked at this book from browsing:

The Garland Encyclopaedia of World Music, Volume 7, East Asia: China, Japan and Korea
Robert C.Provine, Yoshiko Tokumaru, and J.Lawrence Witzleben. Routledge, New York & London 2002.
I looked at the musical genres and instruments as I wanted to see if music could be an aid to my studies into learning interactively.

I extracted these listings for instruments and genres:
Qin
Pipa
Zheng
Erhu
Yangqiu
Dizi / Xiao
Sheng
Percussion

Folk song (Qiao)
Chinese Opera
Peking Opera
Cantonese Opera
Shanghai Opera/
Confucian ceremonial music
Taiwanese music

A diagram of graphical notation for Chinese caught me eye on p332, figure 5.
Graphic Notation for faqi or dharma percussion instruments.

There were mentions of music of the different minorities as well.

I searched the BL catalogue and found the Dunhuang collection which I want to find out more about. It is a collection of manuscripts about life for the people of the Silk Road.

I also found out about the Stein collection, and that an early dictionary was created for learning Chinese compiled by John Robert Morrison in the 19th century. This led me to think about the history and evolution of the Chinese English dictionary, to think about when European and American scholars first selected to translate Chinese manuscripts and texts, write notes, and contact publishers to publish printed dictionaries for Western societies. Perhaps I should also look to see if early French or German to Chinese dictionaries pre-date the British English to Chinese dictionaries.

There are also English Chinese dictionaries in the Science area for lists of technical terms such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chemistry compounds. These books are much newer and in better condition, than the antique dictionaries in the African and Asian studies room.

There is an email address for related queries: chinese-enquiries@bl.uk

I thought about searching the Archival Sound Recordings in Humanities to see if I could find any related sound recordings.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I returned again to the British Library on Saturday:

I read a research paper 'Criteria for Device Selection':
A comparison between a mouse and a touchscreen as an input device for Interactive Video by GE Pretor-Pinney and RE Renger. 26 March 1990
National Physical Laboratory Division of Information Technology and Computing
6029.319000

The research study is a scientific ergonomic comparison between the use of a touchscreen and a mouse by a novice and expert users. Speed, accuracy and reported ease of use of the devices by the participants in completing four tasks.
- Large target selection
- Small target selection
- Menu selection
- Object manipulation

The summary was that mouse users completed the small target selection in faster time, and the touchscreen users completed the large target selection, menu selection, and object manipulation in faster time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also collected Volume I of the book 'A Dictionary of the Chinese Language', (in three parts)
By Robert Morrison, 1815
Vol I. Macao.
Printed by the East India Company's Press

Volume II was printed in 1822.

I requested a photocopy of the cover and as this is older than 1850, I will collect this as a photocopy from a member of the British Library staff.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

British Library Visit Question:
What are the purposes of a library/archives in the 21st Century?

- To hold precious books and reference materials that require restoration and preservation.
- To participate in digitisation of archives to make the materials available to the public.
- To hold academic knowledge that is authenticated and validated for accuracy.
- As a place for the public and educationalists to meet at events
- To connect and share collections with other libraries and archives around the globe
- Provide outreach programmes for schools and colleges

Debates on Learning Chinese / Interaction / ICLT (09 Oct 2011)

Debates on Learning Chinese:

From reading the Research Process brief I wanted to have a better idea of the surrounding debates around learning Chinese in the wider global community. This includes writing, speaking and reading both Simplified and Traditional forms of Chinese.

Debate on Traditional and Simplified Chinese Characters (divisions caused by two writing systems)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate_on_traditional_and_simplified_Chinese_characters

Will American really learn Chinese? (Short-term or Long-term trend?)
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/will-americans-really-learn-chinese/

Learning Chinese isn't hard (caution: bad language!)
http://eastasiastudent.net/969/china/mandarin/difficulty-debate/

Learning Chinese is hard (depending on who is learning it)
http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2010/11/12/why-learning-chinese-is-hard

US Kids should learn Chinese (pros and cons)
http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2011/08/us_kids_should_learn_chinese_1.html

Chinese is more important than English?
http://www.debate.org/debates/Chinese-is-more-important-than-English-recently./1/


Debates on Interactive Learning:

I wanted to see if there were any surrounding debates around Interactive Learning to get a wider view, see other areas, and remove any bias around learning Chinese.

Theories on Interactive Learning
http://www.ehow.com/info_7953175_theories-interactive-learning.html

Interactive learning as an "emerging" technology: A resassessment of interactive and instruction design strategies
http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet13/sims.html


Debates on Interactive Chinese Learning:

In this specialist area I wanted to see if there are any debates specifically around Interactive Chinese Learning Tools. They may be known by other names which I will include here.

http://chineselearningsoftware.rocketchinesetutor.com/category/chinese-learning-articles/

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-New-Way-To-Learn-Chinese--Mando-Mandarin/2978526

Ideas for 30 second presentation (09 Oct 2011)

4 screen sprite for animating in flash as a background.
The screen backgrounds pan from one colour to the next.

Top-right corner counter counting from 1 to 30 (in Chinese).
Reference source from:
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/extra/character/bls_numbers.htm

Initial wording for presentation:
------------------------------------
For my area of research I would like to study Interactive Chinese Learning Tools and trace their early development and future innovative potential. The background situation is that people across the globe are increasingly choosing to learn Mandarin and the market for interactive learning is expanding. The key focus is to look at which tools are best for learning to write and speak the language and examine the various aspects of each interface. (73)

-----

I plan to undertake this research by collecting materials from libraries, viewing websites and catalogues, going to museums, and through interviews. I would like to talk to the people who have invented and developed the tools, and possibly make a field visit to China. I will work on my research two to three days each week and self manage my time and focus. (63)

For the conclusion I would like to find out which tools are the most effective, and potentially either have the chance to work with one of the companies to provide recommendations to improve their products or develop my own proposal. I would like to evaluate my achievement by checking that I have met the main aims and objectives of the research proposal. For the Bibliography I plan to write a literature review. (72)

73+63+72 = 208 words

Latest wording for presentation:
------------------------------------
SHORTENED VERSION TO FIT 30 SECONDS

Wo jiao Andrew

Hu4dong4 zhong1guo2 xue2xi2 gong1ju4
This means Interactive Learning Chinese Tools.

People of all ages across the world are wanting to learn Mandarin for economic and cultural reasons, and the market for interactive learning is expanding.

My key focus will be to look at which tools are best for learning to write and which tools are best for learning to speak Chinese and examine the aspects of each interface.

(106)

Photos from the O2 (08 Oct 2011)

Nissan Innovation Station


    Speech screens


    Ceiling Audio jellyfish shade


    Visitor barcode scanner


    On screen keyboard


    Hand driven back-projected interface   
    (Augmented Reality)


    Back-Projector casting a reverse image
    and hand sensor at the front 

  
    Initial sound settings for Rhythm, Harmony and Melody dials
    for an experimental AR driving interactive.


    Taking a picture and holding the card, reflected on-screen
    as a car on an infinite driving surface.


    The card with instructions and centered registration mark for callibration

  
    Position marker for a photograph emailer

    Interactive sound plant space / cyber-reeds
    / On the floor were projected touch points to jump on
   

    The projectors were ceiling mounted and clearly in view.
    Could be hidden though they may require easy to reach maintenance.

   
    Mixed digital images served onto a curved line screen on a digital column


    Close up of the digital column showing a phased snapshot of the RGB lines

   

Research/Ideas (01 Oct 2011)

Planning what I want to research: (5 Ws in a list)

What do I want to research? (5 Ws in a diagram)

MA - Areas of Study / Originality

Research/Ideas (27 Sep 2011)

Visualising Research:

Interactive Devices: (from various google searches)

U-Touch -
http://www.u-touch.co.uk/

Cube Laser Virtual Keyboard -
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/e722/

Liquid Keyboard -
http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/liquidkeyboard-enhances-touch-screen-typing-video-27-01-2011/

10 finger Multi-touch screen -
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2008/10/stantum-offers-10-finger-multi-touch-technology/

Digital paper -
http://www.mobilemag.com/2004/01/20/fujitsu-one-step-closer-to-digital-paper-production/

Electronic paper -
http://www.fareastgizmos.com/other_stuff/electronic_papers_to_replace_traditional_papers_very_soon.php

Seiko E-Ink Watch
http://www.wriststyle.com/entry/seiko-e-ink-watch-was-first-of-its-types-in-the-world/


What are people doing in my field? (1st iteration)



What people are doing in my field: (2nd reiteration)




Chinese Ideas:

Values, Interests, Needs and Problems around the subject:

Two year planning for career routes linked in with the MA:




Ideas for 30 second presentation:

PG01-03 Research Process (04 Oct 2011)

STUDY BOOKS
-------------------

- Reflection
- Evaluation
- Research Methodologies
- Primary Research
- Secondary Research

[Book] - STUDY SKILLS - Pal Grave

[Book] - SKILLS FOR SUCCESS - Stella Cottrell
Very good at not complicating concepts

[Book] - BRILLIANT DISSERTATION - Bill Kirton
What you need to know and how to do it
- reflection
- strategies
- how to scan-read
- selective reading - looking at contents

[Book] - GETTING CRITICAL - Kate Williams
- research methods
- how to evaluate web sources

[Book] - CITE THEM RIGHT - Graham Shields
- harvard referencing (Excellent examples!)
Reframing - imagery, sources, ideas and quotes

Referencing - must refer to other people's thinking
Plagurism - academic stealing (affecting reputation)

'Research Methods' - ways of collecting data/information (sometimes called 'Research Technologies')
ways of collecting data/information
reading books, journals,
surveys (participants of 100+),
questionnaires (participants of 40+),
visiting museums and collections

forums, focus groups (focused question) / people have something in common - but be selective of the group.

specialist libraries, lectures, studio visits
RSA site, BFI, British Library

beware of facebook questionnaries - do not usually target the correct audience ... unless the topic is social networking or chat!

'Methodology' - Process that incorporates various methods
Could be part of a research strategy. ie.conducting a process of 3 interviews and 1 questionnaire.
See also 'Case Study Analysis' - designed process - helps to gather data and produce a result
Methodologies that can involve observation
Look at the aims of the methodology

'The personal is the political - from the 1960s'

'The immediate now'

English/American/Anglo-Saxon view
-------------------------------------
- notion of empiricism
'see something to say that it exists'. (pragmatic)

European view (including Germany?)
------------------------------------
- notion of concept
'if something existed then what if' (theoretical)


'Primary research sources'
- when you get something directly
- interview, questionnaires, surveys, seeing something in original form (place, person, object)
- usually need permission to interview

'Secondary research sources'
- desk research, more common approach
- there is usually something between you and the source - ie.editors, production team, people other than the original author.
- websites, blogs (intermediary/mediated or original/raw), text

Interviews (Primary)
- letter of introduction / people given due respect
email in advance / give them time to prepare before the meeting
it is advisable to not approach someone for an interview without reason/clear objectives

Film - primary/secondary or both? depending on whether it was filmed by an intermediary or as a video diary...a blurry distinction.

A methodology is usually a mixture of both primary and secondary sources

(next week going to British Library - meet at 10.45am in the foyer - can be enrolled as an associate reader)


'Action Research'

Questions that will be partly answered.
- Action research is a term which refers to a practical way of looking at your own work.
- Can be done by a team of colleagues or individually

- Family of methodologies
- Cyclical process

plan > act > observe > reflect

Process of Collaboration

Look - build a picture and gather information.
Think - interpreting and explaining
Action - resolving issues and problems

Ask a question - pushes a question

- look closely at what is going on.
- explore the qualities of imagined solutions
- use your intuition


DESCRIBING THE O2 DOME
------------------------------------

Look - what is looking - male gaze/female gaze

Image - what is going on socially, secret language

INTERMISSION!
Libby Anson - Enterprise Support Manager - Work placements, Incubation
Have to find your own work, but can help with Action planning and goal setting
Business Development
l.anson@rave.ac.uk
Can support applications
Must build own contacts
Employability - posted opportunities
Approached by employers with live briefs

Brita - Moodle - 2 weeks time (PG01-05)

Commercial liaison

Back to the Dome! - It's Future facing, Sci-Fi, New

In IDM language describe the exploration of the O2 within pathway group.

It is a paradox - #1 uk entertainment venue, #10 target threat

Sight, sound, smell, feeling
Reflection of lights
Different positions of view - Bird's eye view, peninsula view from space, piracy/theft on the peninsula, gasometer nearby - listed and visited from all over the world in the past.
3D gallery
3d abacus lights
lighting sources - neon signs, natural light, uplifting, spotlights, composite lights with rgb diodes
sounds - music,speakers,footsteps,air conditioning
displays - column - wrap screen
water margin restaurant - green lanterns
psycho-geography
screen restarting windows
o2 studio - video space - attendant
nissan innovation station - aspects of driving experience
AR interactive - car on backlit glass screen with hidden projector and front-facing hand sensors
comments from short customer interviews/representative of demographic on different size screens
barcode scanner - gameshow exhibit, presenting 3 results
gaming/racing vibration cradle
interactive music disc controls (I really liked these alot, went back for second and third look!) - Rhythm, Harmony, Melody channels
picture booth - car and postcard, virtual keyboard
revolving doors - front
'permanence'
'people'
'what is a frontier?'
'social anthropologist'

I think it generally has a lack of interactive spaces, but there is a lot of pre-running digital signage however.

Learning Log - Confluence
rolling entries not just on tuesday

scan learning plan notes > PC / Photograph

Learning Plan - submit as PDF on Tues 15 Nov 2011
Manifesto - submit as Printed Form on Tues 15 Nov 2011
Individual Researched Text to submit as PDF on Tuesday 17 Jan 2012
Formative Assessment - 10 mins talk

List of things to do:
Go to Study Zone
Learning Plan - scans
Moodle - 30 second presentation
Background/Suggested reading
Read about Harvard referencing
Main idea for the project

PG01-02 Research Process (27 Sep 2011)

LITERATURE REVIEW
----------------------------------

Ravensbourne Library - find text in hard copy

- interesting in terms of area of enquiry

2 mins talk
Literature Review
Visualising Research

Ways one could research - tools, methods, pathways

calligraphy, information design, interactions

attitudes for choosing a book

final dissertation

LITERATURE REVIEW
---------------------------------

Choose 2 Books:
- LATERAL THINKING - Edward de Bono
- iCHING BOOK OF CHANGES - Richard Willhelm Translation

Reliability of a source/creative clusters

Brita - IDM - working on moodle

PROJECT: WORK ON a 30 SECOND AUDIO VISUAL PRESENTATION OF THE CHOSEN PROJECT I WILL WORK ON.

!Be Creative

Talk
5 Ws - aims and objectives

Why? - Argument for project of study
How? - Methods of learning
Where? - Where study takes place
What? - Subject of learning
When? - How you are organising the study

Which?

Mind Maps

- Upload presentation onto personal blog page > onto Moodle

- Video (.mov)
- Photographic journey
- Audio
- Moving image

Tutor/Moodle Co-ordinator - Brita

Access to video recording - premiere/final cut pro/audacity

Inductions for Laser cutting - Friday 9.30
Rapid Prototyping ?

Visualising Research - 3pm

Video resources:
Polly - p.lindey@rave.ac.uk (Induction)
Central Learning Resource - clr@rave.ac.uk (Questions and booking)

What - Tools
When - Timeframe - 4 weeks
Where - ?
Which ?
Why - To study interactions between people and interface technology

Interaction & Creativity

Touching/finger
Input - sound
Output - visual audio
Gesture

Sketchup / VSL
photo/image

Click / Point / Voice / Sound

Show Phone
Diagram
Touch
Taste

finger on paper - then rising to become a button

Title 1: How do I go about presenting the project I will work on?
Title 2: Choose an approach
Title 3: Choose a tool/medium
Title 4: Choose a typeface
Title 5: Choose some metaphors
Title 6: Do some research
Title 7: Create a proposal


VISUALISING RESEARCH
-------------------------------------

In this session we started with Interests to look at associations.

We looked at diagrams in the form of a visual diagram or research chart

There were two main ways of representing the information. Either as a linear map (showing a timeline/or a journey from A to B) or circular/poly-linear map (showing a central topic such as an event, person or subject) with radial branches that separate into smaller sub-branches.

The different areas could be presented as Politics / People / Events / Key topics.

Alternatively it could be represented as 2D or 3D layers such as Politics / People / Events.

At the centre of the study or diagram could be a person which the diagram explores as a visual biography. The connections of that key person to other people could be explored. With other people who perhaps may be associated by particular events such as movements, workplaces, or schools of thought.

Books may be published about the person and journals may also have articles on them.
Networking Designers - give lectures

Liz gave an example of a professional friend who when they became unable to work, posed the dilema of where they could send their body of work - to Museums/Open/Archive or Colleges.

"People are important" - in Philosophies

"Working out a map for investigation"

images as cues/clues

Some ideas were bounced around:

- Dig deeper and contextualise
- Personal reflection
- Result of the MA - why?  for what?
- Belief in tangible
- Digital archives - from 1995 to the present

- Look at interpretations of the past - 1960 vs 2011 - different interpretations of a similar event

- Look at barriers to progress, did people find another way

I asked the question on whether missing parts of a person's life may just be undiscovered (the missing nodes or links), due to various circumstances or surrounding politics.

Two ideas became apparent - that political events may demand that people to go into hiding, adhere to official secrecy, or go 'underground' at certain points in time or make them change professions (so that journals for example still would only cover the profession that they were in/or coming into). Also it made me consider that when people migrate as emigrants the information about them also can migrate to that particular country (particularly if there were barriers to information due to politics or geography).

- Exhibitions
- Journals - creative
- Creatives
- Aural histories of South Africa

IDEAS OF TANGIBILITY------------------------------------

Getting Research going - History/Present/Future

- We looked at tangible artifacts.

(1) A light stainless steel fold up toaster

(2) A pathescope from the 1920s
The pathescope was the 'iPhone of the 1920s'
It was produced by a French company, was heavy but durable.
There was a patent marking on the base.

'Looking at the past to understand the future'.

To gather research and not just look at books & websites we have the opportunity to touch the artifacts or pick up objects, if this opportunity is available.

(The tangible - is important!)

We should look at the purpose or usability of an object.

What does it trigger in my mind?

The sensory experience - sight, sound, smell, touch

Think about the object, and where does it fit into society?

'Layers of meaning'


DIAGRAMS FOR PRESENTATION IDEAS

'design for devices'
'design for people'
'design for spaces'

how will I research for my project

through books, web, visiting places...

OTHER IDEAS:

CHALLENGING LABELS - from Edward de Bono, Lateral Thinking
Label + Thing

- Challenge labels
- Try and do without them
- Establish new labels
- Why am I using this label?
- What does it really mean?
- Is it essential?
- Am I just using it as a convenient cliche?
- Why do I have to accept that label used by other people?

PG01-01 Research Process (20 Sep 2011)

MA PROGRAMME
RAVENSBOURNE, LONDON - SEP 2011


Courses > Postgraduate Studies

Moodle 2.0 VLE

Areas of Interest:
------------------
Nature
Culture
Web
Architecture
Digital

Brief: PG01 Research Process

where?

then can achieve
- Learning Outcomes (result)
- Assessment Criteria (key)
- Harvard Referencing

/biblio/footnote

- Schedule
- Timetable > Google Calendar

Literature Review (evidence)
Annotated Bibliography (record of ideas)
Action Research (approaches to research)
Formative Assessment (trial run, doesnt count to grade)

When seeing evidence, how many tools of critique are there?

Summit Assessment (graded) - 15 Nov 2011
Learning Plan > develop research strategy
Reflection / Self-Evaluation / Why are you doing it?
Iterating - going back to go forward

Is it unique?

Notion of 'Ethics'

APPROACHES TO RESEARCH
--------------------------------------
symbols/language/meaning/3d space

importance of museums and collections

AC idea: //
'websites for chinese market in the uk'
museum websites
web design / education
areas of interest
collective
//

ideas > personal direction
> use of cultural location

(holistic approach)

> music + motion graphics
> broadcast futures/film making
> product design
> sculpture/3D/interior design
> stereoscopy
> concrete/fluid ideas
> branding identity

'value'

non-institutionalised background
'stately homes'
discussion on newsweek - negative view of london / timeout - positive view
country of contrasts - UK
re-invent self / new ideas / new directions
history of the peninsula / docklands
ideas from exchange with colleagues (not tutors!)
go to theatre < student card for discount
shared experience with co-students

Visits to Places in London
Shakespeare's Globe < student discount?
Design Museum
Westfield, Stratford
Fortnum and Masons
Greenwich Maritime Museum

'makers of buildings'

(don't just sit in Ravensbourne!)

schedules/experiences/patterns
facebook group
brief in next two days

'Thinking about Research'

evidence
why do I like things?
- be more innovative
- change the world
- not clear about what I'm doing

- moral purpose
- agenda

Greenwich Meridian (set on the line between 'WEST and EAST')

Postgraduate - starting point/opening directions

AC IDEAS //
- commercial new direction
- new creative influence
- not be completely dependent on development/technical solutions
- change the world?
- arabic/geometric patterns
- eastern languages
- culture/information design
- work freelance / co-operative freelance
- cultural icons / meaning
- change the way people see things
- collaborative work with skilled craftspeople
- facebook - space for social networks
//

- move away from stereotypes

- personal position - 'tarmac or steamroller'

[I like collecting things]

The Building at Ravensbourne:
RIBA award
2 other places in the world like this - USA/NL
- challenging practice

AC IDEAS //
chinese/social networks in other countries - baidu/douban/weibo
//

world of speedy creation
cross boundaries
websites
internet/media
try other media

work reliant on being connected

tangible/physical vs intangible/virtual

has it already been done?

few websites last for about 10 years or longer, (legacy/long lasting or ephemeral)

history - determinism/unexpected

post-modern - not always controlled

'Digital Reliance' - when/if the power is switched off
Antique Computers

work - being empowered by counter intuitive (ie.Sending a letter from a technology company)
samsung - limiting world view?
creative cluster - move faster
alone/together - social network

[supportive network - drives employment]
- manifesto
'futurists'

WEB
LANGUAGE TEACHING
INTERACTIVE DESIGN
3D

WHO IS DOING WHAT IN MY FIELD - ON A3 PAPER (See Research/Ideas 01 Oct 2011)