Steve Lucin | Parsons MFA CDT

Abstract
The “Mission Debriefer” is a mini computer device that comes with a G.I. Joe action figure. It provides videos of missions or scenarios to accomplish, which is a guideline for the child’s imagination. This device detects the action figure’s moves and decides whether or not it has completed the mission. The computer will also be able to connect with other similar devices in the area via WiFi, as well as download more missions from a household computer with Internet and upload statistics.

Overview
Playing with action figures has always exercised one’s imagination. Have you ever used your bed sheets, chairs, and pillows to build a fort and then make up a storyline for your figurine?
With the “Mission Debriefer” that comes with the G.I. Joe, imagination and skill are taken to another level. In current role-playing video games (i.e. Call of Duty, Spider-Man, Grand Theft Auto, etc.) there is always a mission that your character must accomplish. This device brings the mission concept from video games to the actual action figure. A video is played from the “Mission Debriefer” and the child reacts whiling using his imagination to accomplish the orders that have been given to him.

Crooks & Castles from Steve Lucin on Vimeo.

Downlod pdf here

Abstract
A mini computer/device that will come with G.I.Joe action figures that will provide a debriefing of the day’s mission. The device will be able to detect the action figure’s moves and decide whether or not they have completed the mission. The computer will also be able to connect with other similar devices in the area via wifi, as well as download more missions, and upload stats.

Overview
Playing with action figures has always exercised one’s imagination. You would build a fort made out of bed sheets chairs and pillows and make up a story line for your figurine.
With this aided computer device that the G.I.Joe will come with, imagination and skill are taken to another level. In current video games (i.e. Call of Duty, Spider-Man, Grand Theft Auto, etc.) there is always a debriefing of some sort, a mission if you will. This device brings the “debriefing” concept from video games to the actual action figure.

The player would flip open the laptop-like computer and plug in the action figure to it’s appropriate stand on the computer. The screen would turn on with the day’s mission from the sergeant. Let’s say the player must shoot down 10 villains, fight with 10 more, and knock down a tower to disrupt communications from the evil do-ers. The player must use their imagination to complete the “level” using their actual play surroundings. The action figure is designed with motion sensors that the computer can read. In order for the computer to read the 10 villains being shot, the gun that comes with the G.I.Joe must be shot 10 times, and actually hit 10 objects. The way it would detect the fighting is if it completes the appropriate combinations of kicking and punching 10 different times. This is where some skill comes to play, similar to video games that involve 2 player combat (Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, etc.). In the fighting video games, the player must follow through with certain combinations of the directional pad and action buttons in order to successfully execute one move. For the G.I.Joe’s, certain combination must be successfully executed as well in order to proceed.As more and more missions get completed, the more actions and combinations will be demanded, as well as the imagination.

If there is another device in the area, the “sergeant” will be able to detect it and ask if they would like to do a cooperative mission together. Once missions have been completed, statistics can be uploaded to a computer with an internet connection via wifi or usb connectivity. Depending on how many levels the player has accomplished, the more videos of the cartoons can be streamed to the device to watch, as well as more missions for the player.

Scenario
Computer Device Mockup

Computer Device connected with another device.


Resources
Toy Laptop: The computer device will function similar to this.
http://gadgetfind.com/compukidzbilingualtoylaptopcomputer.html

G.I.Joe Website: G.I.Joe’s Official Website, where the missions and videos will be hosted
http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/

Hot Wheels Laptop
http://products.howstuffworks.com/oregon-scientific-hot-wheels-accelerator-laptop-jw88-review.htm

Link to my version of Declaration of Human Rights: Here

2/5/09
Obituary Data Visualization Project Proposal

Download pdf here

Abstract
“Obituaries De Stijl” is a data visualization graph with a neoplasticism feel to be displayed on a computer. Since this type of style was Dutch artistic movement, the obituaries that are plotted on this graph are of different type of designers, including web, architects, fashion, etc. It would display the deaths throughout the year.

Overview
Given: Having full access to the Legacy.com database from the past 15 years.
Legacy.com is an innovative online media company that collaborates with more than 700 newspapers in North America, Europe and Australia to provide ways for readers to express condolences and share remembrances of loved ones.

Being in a school with many design talents, having a data visualization system that shows the deaths of designers would be rather interesting.

The system itself would look similar to a piece of artwork from the neoplasticism movement (a grid like composition with solid colors). Each of the solid colors would represent a different sub category of design. The De Stijl artworks would usually be limited to the primary colors, white and black, but since there are way more design disciplines than 5, there will be more colors to this graph. The disciplines include web, communication, graphic, motion, production, fashion, architectural, game, and other. There are an exceptional amount of other design disciplines and to determine which ones make it to the top 8 will be analyzed through out time.

The larger the solid, the more deaths it represents. Each solid color have a hover feature stating which design discipline it’s representing and how many deaths. Once the solid is clicked, the Mondrianesque graph will animate smoothly to show another De Stijl type graph, illustrating the ages of the deaths. The color of the solids would no longer be variant, but would be different shades of the color that was clicked. A lighter shade would represent a younger age, while the darkest shade represents an old age.

The data will be scraped from the Legacy.com database by means of a web scraping program (Beautiful Soup library made on for the Python language). Once the data is obtained, another program will be written to visually display the information in the De Stijl style. Flash will be used to animate from main graph to subgraphs.

Scenario
Initial graph displaying different design disciplines. Cursor is hovered over Web Designers.




Sub graph displaying specific discipline and number of deaths.


Resources
1. Graphic Visualization of Male Deaths
http://www.schneiderism.com/the-graphic-visualization-of-death-for-men/

2. Interactive Chart: Your Risk of Death
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/06/interactive-cha.html

3. Death by Cause
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/06/revisualizing-y.html

4. Effects of Blogs
http://www.gridplane.com/html/projects/data-vis

5. Fresh Information Graphs
http://designyoutrust.com/2008/12/06/fresh-information-graphics/

6. Very Small Array (Music)
http://www.verysmallarray.com/

7. Stock Market and World GDP Data Sculpture
http://infosthetics.com/archives/2009/01/world_gdp_statistical_data_sculpture.html

8. Piet Mondrian
http://www.pietmondrian.org/

9. Map of the Market
http://www.bewitched.com/marketmap.html

10. Mondrian Visualization
http://rosuda.org/mondrian/

This is how I feel when I Party, haha!

Check out the video about my Internet Famous Class, courtesy of Current TV
http://current.com/items/89780332/internet_famous_class.htm

http://delicious.com/lucis270
Type in the tag ad650 to see the 5 sites that i have chosen with notes.

They are also available here:
http://rzmota.com/
http://esdev.net/
http://xgraphica.com/
http://www.narrowdesign.com/
http://www.alexstubbs.com/