EXERCISE 1: WHICH IS THE NEW MEDIA SOLUTION?
For each of the following capstone ideas, identify which solution embodies the “many-to-many” principle, and explain why in one or more paragraphs. Be prepared to read your answer aloud in the next class.
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 schoolkids 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.
Answer:
My group went with Solution B because it seemed like the more effective solution overall. Solution A seems like a good idea, but nobody really uses dictionary anymore, especially one that is not in your language. Solution B seems more effective because it has multiple generations from the group participating in it, stories, and emotion behind it, overall making it a more effective and viable solution. Solution B is also more for and by people rather than companies and technology like Solution A.
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 a mobile phone to reveal a Web site built to feature photographs taken by those explorers.
Answer:
Solution B seems like the better solution because of its Many to Many qualities. As time goes on, more stickers are left, more people find them, and more people are exposed to the photos of abandoned buildings. This is also a solution that can exist for a long time, showing how the abandoned buildings change over time. In addition to these reasons, Solution B is just more “shareable” and more likely to bring many to the website. I chose B over A because B was more oriented on many people, rather than historical societies.
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 wire frame, textures, and light effects. As a case study, they created an animation depicting a cartoon archaeologist 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 archaeologist film as illustrations. Explain techniques such as ray tracing, motion capture, and morphing. Include links to companies that create animation software such as Autodesk
Answer:
I went with Solution A because it seemed more accessible and interesting than Solution B. The interactivity of Solution A would also be a lot more enticing for somebody to use. The general public would be more interested in interacting with and seeing how the different layers of the film build up rather than Solution B, which is basically just a power point presentation.
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
Re-purpose 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 multi channel 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.
Answer:
I went with Solution A on this one because it was clearly more many to many than Solution B. Solution A is reaching many people and even allowing them to benefit from the solution in the long run. I didn’t go with solution B because it seemed like it was completely replacing the natural aspect of the fountain. It also doesn’t involve the community or really anybody else. Even though Solution A is not as “New Media” as Solution B, it is definitely more many to many and effects more people.
EXERCISE 2: INVENT YOUR OWN MANY-TO-MANY SOLUTIONS
Pick one of the following problems and brainstorm a solution that embodies a many-to-many approach. Describe your solution in two or more paragraphs and be prepared to read it aloud in the next class.
THE SPATIAL DIMENSIONS OF SOUND ARE UNDERAPPRECIATED
How can you make an audio installation that makes listeners more aware of their 3D sonic environment?
Answer:
My idea for an audio installation would be a virtual reality experience. First you would need to make music or take existing music and figure out all the instruments and elements and their place in the mix and sonic environment. From there, you would need to create a virtual reality experience that places the user in the center of a 3D sonic environment. The user would be sitting in the center of a room and be able to look around and see where different elements of the music are located in the environment. You could even have 3D animations of people playing the actual instruments placed around you. This would be able to show the user exactly how close or far away and where the various elements of the song are coming from. Another way to approach this would be showing how sound waves interact with the space around you and how that changes how the music sounds. Hopefully, if a person experiences this in virtual reality and sees how the 3D sonic environment is complicated and varied in music, they can learn to understand and appreciate it more.
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