PROBLEM: A DISAPPEARING LANGUAGE

Ian Larson wanted to help preserve the Passamaquoddy language from extinction.

SOLUTION A

Create a task force from a select group of Native American language experts, and ask them to write down a dictionary of words and their definitions. Enter these definitions into a database and build a Web site that allows anyone to search for terms and hear their pronunciation. Hire a high-profile Web designer and marketing firm to ensure that as many people as possible learn about this resource.

SOLUTION B

Distribute laptops with video cameras to school kids in the Passamaquoddy community, and ask them to record their grandparents telling stories in Passamaquoddy. Upload these to a Web site along with the grandparents’ definitions of particular words used in the story, and make these words searchable via a tag cloud.

Although both solutions would work, I believe that solution B would apply to the “many-to-many” solution as it would provide a group of kids and grandparents to whoever searches onto the website. This allows more people to explain their answers and give more input to all those that are searching for it, it allows more interaction than solution A. We thought that solution A was more of a 1-to-many because it was more of a select group of people than many to many.

PROBLEM: NEGLECTED RUINS

Evan Habeeb wanted to make people aware of the beauty of abandoned buildings.

SOLUTION A

Assemble a film crew and visit abandoned homes, factories, and other buildings. Bring lights to illuminate these spaces dramatically, and record ambient sounds like dripping water. Edit the footage onto a DVD to create a compelling account that documents these relics for posterity, and distribute copies to historical societies across the state for their collections.

SOLUTION B

Build a Web site that allows adventurers to print stickers they can leave behind in abandoned buildings they explore. Create the stickers so they can be scanned by mobile phones to reveal a Web site built to feature photographs taken by those explorers.

I think that solution B exemplifies many-to-many more than solution A as it allows for much more collaboration than A. With solution B it lets anyone create stickers which than can be scanned by anyone, it allows everyone that wants to participate. It allows all to be part of the process, in solution A you get one person’s perspective and don’t get people to go out take physically take part in the awareness and the goal of this issue.

PROBLEM: MISUNDERSTANDING COMPUTER ANIMATION

Ryan Schaller and Jason Walker wanted to help people understand the many layers required to create a computer-animated film, including wireframe, textures, and light effects. As a case study, they created an animation depicting a cartoon archeologist digging for ancient artifacts.

SOLUTION A

Design and build a touch-screen interface that allows viewers to “rub” away layers of the film with their hands to reveal previous stages of the animation as it plays.

SOLUTION B

Create an iPad application that documents each stage of the animation process, using stills from the archeologist film as illustrations. Explain techniques such as ray tracing, motion capture, and morphing. Include links to companies that create animation software such as Autodesk.

I choose solution A over solution B, as A allows participation and interaction with the users. Solution B doesn’t allow as much participation as it just explains different aspects and includes links, rather than having the users reveal solutions with their hands in solution A.

PROBLEM: A BROKEN FOUNTAIN

Danielle Gagner wanted to renovate the waterfall fountain under the skylight in the middle of the University Union, which had fallen into disrepair.

SOLUTION A

Repurpose the existing plumbing to irrigate a garden planted in the former fountain. Research the types of plants that would grow well together at different levels of the fountain, and meet with dining hall staff to find out what herbs or vegetables they might add to salads and other offerings. Then plant these in collaboration with the sustainable agriculture club on campus, and invite students to pick the resulting parsley, strawberries, and other fare from the garden for their lunch.

SOLUTION B

Use Google Image Search to download photographs of natural bodies of water such as streams, rivers, and the ocean. Combine these with nature footage from sources like National Geographic and the Discovery Channel to create a multichannel video installation that projects images of flowing water and rippling waves onto the fountain, which has been covered with theatrical screening. Supplement the moving images with the sound of a babbling brook emanating from surround-sound speakers mounted on the ceiling.

Solution A exemplifies many to many because it involves many students and people in the process to renovate the fountain. Although the beginning of the process doesn’t include as many people, by the end it allows clubs and all students to participate.

PART TWO

YOU NEVER HAVE A CAMERA WHEN YOU NEED IT

How can you make photography more accessible for everyday moments like hiking or driving a car?

An interactive idea that I think would make photography more accessible for people just in passing with everyday moments is to implant different spots where cameras are attached. With this, you can take pictures and follow a URL where all the pictures taken are posted. With this, you can see all the pictures people took in the same spots as you. This would exemplify a many-to-many solution because it allows many people to contribute to the photo album, and many people can have access to cameras at different locations. This uses collaboration and lots of interaction between people allowing them to use photography as that connection.