Thank you

I am finally graduating from college and its very exciting and scary at the same time. I really want to finish off my blogs with a thank you. I took your class senior year just looking for too fill up credits. I have to say it was the best class i took at stonybrook. it didnt teach me out of textbook or shove knowledge down my throat. Above everything it taught me a lot about life and what the real world is like. I want to say that i wish i had taken it earlier but i dont think i would have been ready. I see a lot of students just kind of blow off class or think you are full of shit or on crazy drugs. Since i am a bit older and understand the world better everything made sense. no everything didnt make sense, sometimes i had no idea where you were going or what you were talking about but the class was a complete eye opener. In school everything about grades and GPA but it teaches you nothing about the outside world. This class was almost the opposite. It taught skills that could be used for a job and taught you a lot about how world operates. It put the world in a different perspective. You helped me get an internship and you really took the time to show you cared about your students. This class really inspired me to succeed. Im sure theres a lot more to say about this class but i just wanted to end the semester by thanking you for all you did for me.

The mind machine

I cant believe Ryan got the mind cap to work. That was really impressive. It didnt have to do anything crazy it just had to work to impress. I cant imagine how awesome it is going to come out to be when it preforms something much bigger. I was really shocked just by the fact that he got that piece of string to move. It was really a wild looking device. If it was something bigger i could see it in art shows all around NYC. I could only imagine it being set up to multiple devices and moving an entire room with one thought. Just a man standing there with this contraption in his head and controlling everything around him as he stands there. I think with a lot of practice someone could control multiple devices at once. It is definitely possible to make some scary robot stumble across the room with your mind. I think that would shock a lot of people. This is NY and we dont get surprised by a lot but that really caught me of guard. You dont see people move things with minds. Its really futuristic and captures ones imagination. We were suppose to have flying cars by now, holograms, and many other things that science fiction movies promised but we dont. Still this devices captures that childhood wonder and makes you feel like all those promises are right around the corner.

Veleda

Veleda told a different story then what i had expected. The first story was really funny and you couldnt help but think these people are crazy. At the show it was kind of the same story but told in a different way. Im not sure if i liked the second version better but the way she told it sold the story. She almost came off as a stand up comedian. She knew what she was saying and told it well. He actions matched her words and she got a lot of laughs. I felt that she kind of introduced the party too much and didnt tell about the party the way she did in class. the four years celebration was a great touch but i thought the real story was about the cheating aunts and the kids. I thought that was going to be the real meat of the story. The story she told was just an appetizer. I assumed she was going to get back up on stage and tell more detail but sadly she didnt. Shes a great story teller... really good. she knows how to captivate the audience. I really wish she had gotten a bigger role in the performance. Her stories would have broken up some of the more serious speakers.

The Opera

The woman singing opera was another favorite of mine. If i remember correctly she didnt sing any words just song. It really is a gift to move an audience with out saying a word. She truly has turned her voice into an instrument. It came out so well and was very beautiful. Her outfit made her stand out, she looked like she didnt belong there, but then she started to sing and the room seemed to melt away. It was sung so beautifully that there was no need for words. It was in many ways to beautiful for words. The words would have just lowered it, constricted it from the freedom it needed to shine. The first time i heard her sing i was surprised, but once you relax and just listen it was really beautiful.

Rob

I liked robs story the best. to say it was interesting would be an under statement. The way he told the story drew you in and showed you a side of the war you dont see. You could tell that he was full of emotion. You could feel the pain he felt even though he kept it hidden. You could feel the tragedy of these people. He made you understand what it must have felt like to be dragged out of your home like that. He really brought the whole story home. I think he was the best at telling stories from everyone else there. Especially when he shouted, it caught you off guard and made you wanting more. I wish he had gotten to tell another story because the first was so good. He really is an amazing story teller. He played the audience like a fiddle. There is a lot more i want to say about his performance but im at a loss of words. I can only imagine his voice and the clear visuals he gave as he told the story. He projected very well, spoke clearly, and added a lot of emotion. If every speaker had a story like that it would have blown everyone away.

Tank photos

i feel that photos speak louder then words so i took a bunch of photos of the performance.

The Show

I missed part of the show because i was in the back and it was hard to hear. this time around it seemed much more put together. There was no questions of who was going when and the actors projected much better. that may be do to the smaller space. Michelle i think is her name, did the story about the love and i have to say i was surprised that story came along way. She seemed so much more into it and had a lot more emotion. Not to mention she spoke a lot with her actions. It was really nice to see because i know she is such a shy girl. I was a little disheartened that the kinect still didnt work. I spoke with ryan who said it was up and running just people didnt take long enough to calibrate it. i did find the whole show much more entertaining though. Maybe it was because i had a better idea of what was happening or it might have been that the actors really tried harder. I liked that the different languages were explained before preformed but i still wasnt crazy over them. I dont mean to hate on the girl with dolls, i really did like the idea of the story but since it was in a different language i feel like she should have been told through emotion. Almost as if she was crying or some lonely voice. A lot of the other stories were a little lacking in emotion but some of them were spoke on like michelles. Overall i think the show was a success but had a few set backs.

The Tank

This year around i was disappointed with the tank. First off about 20 seats were covered with clothe or something so not everyone got a seat. I had a seat in the beginning but the air conditioner was leaking water every where so i got up and told the employee. After that i gave my seats to someones parents. Unfortunately I also got stuck listening to someones boyfriend while he was freaking out about getting bitten by a tick. to say the least he was over reacting and Im sure he didnt get lime disease. I got a glimpse of the mark where he was bit which didnt make sense because a tick shouldnt leave that much of a mark if any mark at all. Also deer ticks are extremely small. The only thing his rant did was take me away from the whole performance before it began because it soured my mood. There were also cockroaches in the bathroom which is frankly disgusting. I think next semester finding a cleaner venue would be nice because this one seems to have gone down hill. One other really strange not is that one of the chairs was covered in dried blood... i dont know what that was about but i have no questions that it was blood. There was even dried blood around the sides of the chair which just shows that no one attempted to clean it.

Preview

We had a preview of the show. I really liked the idea of the show. The projections in the back were not overwhelming which is good! I thought it might take away fromt he stories. Im not sure how i feel about there being no music though. In class when we had the music and the kinect it was really cool but then you couldnt hear the actors. the thing with the video is that you are now paying attention to the actors and didnt pay attention to the projections. Also the kinect didnt work. That was a big disappointment because it should have worked. I felt like the kinect was such a big part of the performance. To be completly honest though i felt the show was boring. The actors didnt project and a lot of the show was in another language. The different languages were cool and added something to the show but it took away because you didnt know what was going on. Especially when it came to the dolls. She told the story about the tsunami but the doll didnt do anything. I couldnt tell that she was looking for sometihng she was jsut kind of walking it around. Even after it was explained it was still kind of blah. I think if more people had helped act out the scene it would be much more interesting. It would have given you an idea of what the story was about and had you wondering what she was saying.

Devices Conclusion

For a long time directors have experimented with the 4th wall. Bringing the audience through the wall, breaking the wall, or strictly respecting the wall but technology has given the theater a completely new way of dealing with the 4th wall. Now the theater can not only break the 4th wall but remove the 4 walls around the theater. It can bring the entire world in front of the audience. The actors dont need to break the fourth wall anymore because technology can simply go around it. Bring the audience into he mind of the actor. He thinks something and everyone's phone lights up telling you what is on his mind. As the actor raises his hand and shouts the music gets louder, the lights get brighter. It feels almost as if the actor is going to bring the whole building down with his anger. And its all because the kinect is following him with detailed eye. With projectors, the audience can watch the ghost in hamlet walk through the table, walk behind the actor and then infront of him. All the will see is an illuminated figure of a man. In the back will be the actor walking and speaking in front of a kinect. The actor could even in be the main lobby for anyone to who cares to watch the little man behind the curtain. The beauty of theater is that it is live, it is real people, no show is exactly the same as the last and your not sitting in front of a screen. That does not mean that the theater can not embrace technology and use it to enhance its performances. Just adding a little sparkle to those crucial moments, making the audience connect with the character in ways never felt before

The Kinect

Out of all of the devices to add to a show the kinect is the most interesting and has the most possibilities. One thing that makes the kinect the best is that it doesnt rely on the audience having a certain phone or app. This means anyone can enjoy the show. I really love the idea of making music with he body. It adds character to the story. It becomes more then just a person telling a story but the story takes on a life of its own. As speaker moves the music and video changes, it is just constantly organically changing through out the story. The audience might not understand what the video is or what song is playing but it is so different and full of vitality that it is captivating. I think an interesting idea would be instead of projecting on actor you could project on a scrim above them. the audience can chose between watching the wild video the story makes or watch the actor. I think another good idea would be instead of the actor trying to calibrate you could have dancer calibrate. the dance could be wearing all black and in the background. Three dancers in background, not exactly visible but you can make out movement would be interesting. The audience could just perceive the background as a moving shape. This would also solve the long wait time for calibrating and it would allow the speaker more freedom. being calibrated to the kinect is very imprisoning. Your movements have to be very specific and you can not step in any direction.

Devices 3

The layer app is pretty cool. I think it could be used very nicely to add to the show but at the same time i think it could take away from the show. It adds nicely because it brings the entire city into the show. You can use different parts of the city to bring in new visuals that one couldnt see inside the theater. I think it would have to be well integrated into the show. the character would have to save look over there and everyone points their phone in that direction. The audience could see a picture in the distance on their phone. It would be more preferable if they saw a short film. It would take away from the show because some of the audience might be too busy looking at their trying to find new areas on layer. Also if it didnt work perfectly every time the audience would get frustrated and be taking away from the show. plus anyone who doesnt have a smart phone would be left behind and would be confused. I tihnk it is a very interesting concept but unless it was worked out perfectly it would take a lot away from the show.

Devices 2

Another idea we came up with is interviewing people outside of the show. We would use our phone as a live feed webcam to interview strangers on the street. I think that could come out really awesome. It could be questions pertaining to the subject of the decameron, or just to the down fall of america over the past 10 years. We could bring other people into the stage from around the area. If we used skype then it could be around the world. That would be fantastic to get other peoples views of the performance.This could also be used to put their feed through a max patch. The people on the street could become the performance. The program on the smart phones would be remote web desktop. it allows you to use your phone as a wireless webcam or control your desktop with your phone

Devices

So i was put in charge of devices. I wasnt completely sure what the devices group was suppose to be doing but we just started getting ideas. We came up with maybe posting a question on the screen and having people tweet their responses. All the responses would be posted on the projections on the stage. Maybe have responses to the stories, or have the audiences submit stories in real time. After they are submitted the actors could act out or tell the stories. That would be an interesting way of breaking the fourth wall. The actors and the audience would be seperate but would still have this connection because the story could belong to any person sitting around you. Or If an actor wasnt speaking loud enough they could just tweet to speak louder, or explain something. I think this would be a great metaphor for the way life is these days. Everyone participates in peoples lives through facebook and twitter. Most human interaction in the era is through the computer. With this idea people would be watching real life stories and commenting on them. Isnt that what most people do on facebook or twitter anyway?

Sleezy Girlfriend part 2

Its now senior year of highschool. three years have passed since i was saved by the spider. On this particular night i was in my friends basement playing poker with the guys. My best friend goes guys watch this and pours a red cup full of vodka and puts it infront of me. My best friend had seen me drink vodka straight, maybe twice, and had given me reputation for drinking it like it was water. In truth the burn didnt bother me so not to be shown up i picked up the cup and chugged all the vodka. A minute later i felt it brewing in my stomach and thought that might have been a bad idea. About 10 minutes later I came up with a great idea. Remember that slut i dated freshman year lets go paintball her house. I suppose deep down i still held a bit of disdain for her. I might have been because after she dumped me she told people i was gay or it could be that a few month earlier that year she had spread a rumor she slept with one of my favorite teacher and got him fired. My friends agreed and so i stumbled out of my house and walked down the block. We got in his minivan and started to drive. I had my paintball gun in my hand and was wearily looking out the window. All the cars were just flying past the window in a blur and started making me really car sick. I tried looking at the seat infront of me but it was too late. I opened the sliding door, my friend grabbed my belt, and i threw up all over the car next to use. The left me in a friendlys parking lot for an hour. I graciously decided to try and cover the whole parking lot with my puke. After that i felt a better and decided to try and climb on the roof. Unfortunately my friends came back just in time and refused to believe that i could really do it. They picked me up and started driving home. I immediately interjected by saying where the fuck are you going? the girls house is this way... after a little convincing that i could still handle my paintball gun we were back on mission. We turn down her block and there she is getting out of her latest victims car. She kisses him good bye and goes inside. It was time to strike. I was going that house with paint. We drive past her house slowly and i fire. I fired twenty... maybe thirty paintballs and i was only 15 feet away from house ... i.. i.. missed every single one of them... Except one. I am not sure how this happened but I believe it was a miracle. See just when i started to get trigger happy, she decided to open her bedroom window. One faithful paintball hit her right where her neck and shoulder meet. She came to school with a huge welt that made her look like a leper or something. Most people assumed it was some new STD and rumors immediately started. A paintball going through her window just sounded like a bad cover up story. so the next day i might have been deathly hung over, and i might have had to pay to have my friends car cleaned because my aim while throwing up is worse then while paintballing but the mission was a success and i had inner peace.

Sleezy Girlfriend

It was freshman year of highschool and i was the first person to get a girlfriend. so we are dating for three weeks and we are in her backyard. I turn to her and go why dont we lay on the grass and watch the stars. I'm casanova but i had an idea of what i was doing. so after a minute she rolls on top of me and starts undoing my pants. This is the moment where every guy would keep his mouth shut and just enjoy himself. Not me. When she rolled over i noticed that we didnt notice the giant spiders web that went from her garage to accross the entire backyard. even better was the inch and a half spider dangling 3 inches from her left ear. so instead of ignoring this minor detail i start laughing. She stops trying to pull my pants off and frowns at me with an inquisitive look. Now im laughing so hard i cant even speak so instead i pointed at the spider. she turns her head and is now nose to nose with the spider. she screams, gets up runs into the web, screams again and runs across the yard.Now im really in pain, my sides are killing and im crying like a baby from laughing so hard. Even better yet her parents come out to see what all the commotion was about and find me crying with my pants half off. Needless to say she dumped me a week after for not being experienced enough. We were 14 and i found out after she had already slept with 5 guys... I thank god every day for sending me an angel in the form of a spider

Kinect Time Machine

i discovered a patch that uses maxmsp. it is very interesting because it turns on the screen you almost appear as transparent but then precedes to play the motions you preformed with a 1 second lag. All together it creates a very psychedelic look. The great thing about this video is that on the bottom it has the code for the patch.

http://vimeo.com/17652843

Kinect

i found some very interesting links involving the kinect. There is now a way to use the kinect on a mac. It also allows the user to use maxMSP. I found that harvest works is having a class on this and i also found a link where someone creates music using the kinect and maxmsp.

http://www.harvestworks.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=440:kinect-class&catid=48:classes-upcoming&Itemid=144

http://www.filosophy.org/2011/01/making-music-with-the-body-connecting-a-kinect-to-max-msp-via-processing/

max os x 2

I just found some of the drawing patches. These ones are my favorite. I think its just really cool the way they can distort the webcam video. They just look spectacular and my girlfriend finds them fun too.

MAX OC X

I decided to try some of the max patches on my girlfriends computer. I really enjoyed it but she got pretty tired of the crazy noises i was making. I find them really cool but a lot of them either dont work or i dont understand how to use them. At least 5 of them i turned everything on and adjusted the volumes but got no results.