Blast Theory

Hey guys i know weve talked about it but this was very inspiring to me. They used this software called Asterisk which turns your computer into a communication server. In the project A Machine To See With, it is a film where you play the lead. There are screening every 15 minutes and you sign up on line and give up your number. Then on the day, they will text you to be at a location and lead you through the city. I really like this idea of playing with fiction and reality

System for one of the inspiration

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Inspiration of a system

The Spaghetti Tower

Time Allowed: 30 min

Objective: To construct a tower as high as possible using spaghetti and marshmallows. Limited supplies of material are available. Pieces of spaghetti may be broke into desire lengths.

Material: spaghetti (c. 50g/team)

Team size: Suggested team size is three

Rules:

1. Only the material provided may be used the highest tower at the end of the day will be the winner.

2. The judge’s decision in all matter is final.

This is the system that inspired me because it has a simple concept with a difficult task. It seems easy but it’s not. When I attempted this challenge it was a fail. When you see the video of who constructs the tower the best, and its children because they don’t think of failing. It’s not an artist but it’s the idea of the system.

a spectacle?

One thing that St James may be lacking is the aspect of the "SPECTACLE."
As we have already discovered...the history has been swept under the rug-- so how do we create a new sense of wonderment in the park? and still include the history........

What if there were integrated elements of the park that re-produced the feedback of our stations?
Things that would mostly come alive at night...
A drear and dark place...becomes a "spectacle" to passerbys, transit users, and downtown hoppers in the night!

Illuminated park benches....that rehearse the vlogs...and texts of people from the past....this could be where the "historical" emphasis can come to life! The park benches could have an animated, pre-programmed methodology of remixing the information in the data-base. This information being the real-time, current "knowledge" contributed by park goers, and also the historical pre-programmed information.
Imagine text and imagery running along these benches like in a ticker-tape fashion....
A healthy foliage of trees could be the perfect "surface" for projection....illuminating the mundane darkness of the night with new life. There could even be a "whispering tree" that becomes illuminated at night...and "whispers" or basically replays audio from the feedback captured at our stations! Can't help but think of the large elm by adjacent to the fountain.
The Church of Christ Science is a perfect "canvas" begging for projection...It is not being used for anything...what if we could use it as a projection surface!Keep in mind the active hours of some of the buildings. The Post Office and Court House do not likely function after 6. Perfect time to project something....light up the space! Imagine projecting this onto the courthouse! (possibly reworked with a modern twist?)


This could be a way to juxtapose the "textbook" history, and the history being made today...a live rendition of a facebook or twitter....as people online document their lives...and introduce events...the people of San Jose can do the same! and contribute to the spectacle of the park.

The presence of light in the park brings the "spectacle" aspect, and also brings a sense of security...people feel safe in the presence of light. This may encourage the park to be more attended at night...and possibly change the attitude associated with the park.
The day becomes primarily as a time for contribution to the knowledge being collected, which would still be housed on a website.

our "goal"

Lets simplify this a bit.....
-reach out to people in the physical place
-engage participants in the park by incorporating their own personal history/story
-gain interest in the park through personal experience contributing to a knowledge economy
-archive history

-----------simplify this?

St James

This is so we get a feel of the environment of the park
when were not there. I like the linking idea....but we should
do it in a interesting and fun way. The history does not have to be accurate
for example...(cannon on McKinley statue was activated by some teenagers to blow up the court house, and they were hired by the Freemasons).
I believe we should play off some conspiracy theories of the Freemasons.
Or have fun with church of science i belive we could bring these things to life by streching the truth because i feel people dont give a fudge of accurate history so we have to give what the people want something funny, odd, or evil. Ill try to come up wit some more ideas.

A Flash in the Pan

I understand the hypocrisy of saying we should "sleep on it" and suddenly posting an idea, but I fear if I don't post this now I may lose it to the æther.

I understand that recently I may have come across as a great bit demanding and as something of an asshole. While I do hope that I may be forgiven the latter trespass, I will not allow myself to apologize for incessantly striving for the optimal result for this project. In less floral language, I'm not going to let my sense of etiquette deny this project becoming the best thing it can be. We can safely assume that, with further work and development, we will all be able to leave the class with satisfactory A's and/or B's and the fact that we endured something of great scale together. This is minor in comparison to what could be accomplished by going beyond what is merely required to leave the class with high marks, and I am glad to be amongst company that agrees.

Now, then, to my recent (if reluctant!) brainstorming.

Upon returning to my room on the 8th floor I could not shake from my mind the ideas Mr. Slayton had presented regarding our project. With those in mind and our current established elements, I began to map them out, and included Joel's input:

• Repository of History, both distant past and immediate present
• Presented by fictional ghosts who have a first-person view of the past and therefore a more passionate and immersive connection with participants/players than mere presentation (as well as distancing ourselves from straight plagiarism of Joel's idea with mere information alone)
• SMS/Text-related interface (Possibly multi-media— if people have a photo or video of their exploits, should we account for that? Possibilities for abuse also remain, such as people posting genitalia or shock/terror images)
• Prioritized Event/History Choices (meaning, we pick from a select few important sites, i.e, the MOST important ones)

...and, yes, I struggled to put these into the context of a game. I understand that we have considered straying from this point, but I am firm in the notion that there is absolutely no equally immersive and stimulating form for this to exist. However, the project need not be strictly in the form of a game alone... this, I kept in mind as I explored the elements of this project out loud.

Then it hit me.

Joel had presented the idea of, by streamlining our history options, creating these 'essential networks' which would stem from those few events. By selecting a few elements that represent many more, we would create a large 'net' that would span the entire park without needing to spread ourselves too thin. These networks would consist, in our case, of the histories presented by these ghosts, differing by location/event.

...what if these ghosts had never met? What would they want to know from each other, with each being from a different time? Wouldn't these relationships be unique networks in and of themselves, representing what the two 'ghosts' have in common? What if the game were ABOUT these networks?

By visiting these spots and connecting them to each other, the network expands by that much more. Certain 'hot-item' networks/"chains" could be seen as an achievement or victory condition for something. Perhaps this is where we could reignite the flames for potential links with local businesses and bring back the game-specific coupon idea?

With this network idea, those familiar with the area's history may have a small incentive to make the connections if only for a mere couple bucks off food. Those who know it moderately have an interest to learn more (and leave their own history) as well as the monetary incentive. Those new to the area may be interested in discovering the area in which they're about to make their own history, and while a coupon may not be of immediate interest, it does nothing to reverse their intrigue.

In this, we retain a game mechanism without making it the 'point' of the project, we generate interest in what makes St. James Park what it is, we create an artistically compelling work, drive local business and ultimately have a system of concepts that I think would ignite a spark under St. James Park. By allowing for the personalized touch of leaving one's own history (which could be accessed on some sort of online database), we also tap into the ever-growing (and Silicon-Valley nurtured) world of user-driven material, placing the participant immediately in the work itself and therefore increasing their interest/investment in the park.

...I personally see little wrong with it, which has historically meant that there's a flaw in the mix SOMEWHERE. I welcome and encourage your critiques.

Two inspirations

Images "roam" and "mingle" through people's cellular telephones.

-> Shona Kitchen's "FLIRT" &
"Datanature"

-> NYU Interactive Telecommunication's "Pac-Manhattan"

Inspiration

Improv Everywhere's Cellphone Symphony is one of the inspirations for my "Texts from Ghosts Past"

IE's project is disrupting the library with cellphone ringtones.

http://improveverywhere.com/2006/02/18/cell-phone-symphony/

Elements

Place- historical
People- many different kinds of people
Virtual
struggle....how do we get people involved in the space besides the city. what about the common person?
text messaging....
how did people in the 1930s organize groups so quickly- such as the lynching
a reenactment in Second Life

possible inspirations
-Brody Condon
-Blast Theory
-Glow Lab
-Park Whore

Disconnect

So.

In my fervor of having a rounded product I failed to consider the strength of the idea, and it has visibly crumbled upon first tap of the chisel. Joel is absolutely right to ask us what the driving force would be to bring people to St. James Park. How do we capture the disconnect in such a way that will cause the average person to consider the space more than once?

My deflation provides an opening for meditation on the subject, as mere thought proves once again to be insufficient. We have the shell of the game, with the Augmented Reality/QR code bullspunk. But I have neglected to find a driving force, something that will make people WANT to play. And without a drive, we have only a playground of great information, and nobody to play in it.

A Machine To See With, Banff

Disconnect?

How do we bring awareness to the disconnection between the historical relevance of Saint James and its role in our present society?
How do we bring to life this disconnection, and possibly connect the people to this place.

We may have to bring the game out of the park. Maybe the game isn't in the park.
????????????????????

Basic layout of previous game board- an explication of St. James Park

here is how we "explicated" our information regarding St. James Square

Narrative to be submitted....and the actions to come...

Saint James Historic District: Narrative

- presented by group 2 -

Locale : Today Saint James Park is an area of high traffic, with many public figures passing through, as well as the average joe. Here is where lawyers, peddlers, work out enthusiasts, business partners, court attendees, homeless, transit users, church goers, and post office senders and receivers traffic through. As busy sidewalks, streets, and light rail tracks continue a moving crowd around the park, the buildings themselves and the encompassment of the park welcome a momentary station of rest. As Saint James Square once served as the “heart” of the city of San Jose in the early 1900’s, there is still that sensibility today, yet with an awkward twist.

Situation : The City of San Jose along with the Redevelopment Agency has taken interest in the future of Saint James Park, and where it will go in the 21^st century. The abundant nature of technological presence is something to consider when the revamp of Saint James is to occur but more importantly- to distinguish the historical significance of the site as it stands today. Being surrounded by buildings on the National Register of Historical Places, this park must retain its historical stamina, and continue it’s important relevance as a historic district. A need to “activate” Saint James in such a way, that its reputation leans away from its current standings, is a goal that the City of San Jose would like to reach.

What if… we took Saint James into the 21^st century? Connect this historically rich park into the wires and airwaves. In a sense it is literally connected to the current technologies of today, with its prominent presence of a light rail train station, and the kind of people that traffic through, but there could be a deeper connection. It is already evident that Saint James Park has an online presence, through pages such as Yelp and iPhone Apps such as foursquare and Gowalla, but what if we could keep these check-inners entertained? What if we placed an interactive game throughout the park that encouraged movement, like a scavenger-hunt, and a little education at the same time?

Assume … THE TRICKSTER OF ST. JAMES PARK (working title)

BASIC PREMISE: Players 'collect' points by triggering specific ordered groups of QR codes and/or Augmented Reality triggers within 15 minute time spans.

SPECIFICS: AR and/or QR codes are placed around monuments in and around St. James Park. If a participant is not currently in the game, these codes simply reveal a bit of history about that particular landmark and/or area. However, every 30 minutes from the park's opening to the park's closing, participants will have 15 minutes to pick a category or group of these codes, activate them in an order specified by that group (for instance, one would retrace the three main stops of the lynch mob in the mid 1900s or find 3 former clubs/bars/businesses/etc), and clear all those categories before a virtual "trickster" does by the time 15 minutes is up.

PROCESS: Online, a server with an internal clock (in such a way that relates to when the games start and stop, most likely synchronized with an offline clock) sends out the start times and alerts players who 'opt in' with an app to start the game. As players pick a category, the server tracks, which codes have been triggered in order. If a QR code is picked out of order the player must restart the group from the first code. Completion of a category would consist of activating 3-4 codes in specific order, verified by the app's server.

VICTORY CONDITION: One game-exclusive coupon to a local business (e.g., 10% a purchase at local eatery or $5 a week at the Health Club), only good by 11:59PM that day.
FAILURE CONDITION: Player is encouraged to try again in half an hour and to read the QR codes in the meantime.

___________________________________________________________________
I just added a mini background to lay down the basics of why we would like to propose such a project.
I will try to get together a page of "inspiration" with photos,etc. kind of like what Shona did, just in case we have to present so that we can have a visual. (i'll try, not guaranteed)

I think we need to acknowledge our next step to making this possible.
I think our NEXT STEP should be a trip to St. James Park on Friday, to seek out suitable areas that would be god for the Q&R scans.
We should also narrow down a few "stories" we would like to explore.
For example...
-McKinley statue
- The last lynching
- Scottish Rite history
- Post office history (this could even link to the original post office, which is the cafe attached to the SJ museum of art)

etc...
Let me know what you think!

The Mobile Phone Booth

hey guys thought i share it had fun doing this project for art101a

Game Idea/Concept

THE TRICKSTER OF ST. JAMES PARK

BASIC PREMISE: Players 'collect' points by triggering specific ordered groups of QR codes and/or Augmented Reality triggers within 15 minute time spans.

SPECIFICS: AR and/or QR codes are placed around monuments in and around St. James Park. If a participant is not currently in the game, these codes simply reveal a bit of history about that particular landmark and/or area. However, every 30 minutes from the park's opening to the park's closing, participants will have 15 minutes to pick a category or group of these codes, activate them in an order specified by that group (for instance, one would retrace the three main stops of the lynch mob in the mid 1900s or find 3 former clubs/bars/businesses/etc), and clear all those categories before a virtual "trickster" does by the time 15 minutes is up.

VICTORY CONDITION: One game-exclusive coupon to a local business (e.g, 10% a purchase at local eatery or $5 a week at the Health Club), only good by 11:59PM that day.

FAILURE CONDITION: Player is encouraged to try again in half an hour and to read the QR codes in the meantime.

PROCESS: Online, a server with an internal clock (in such a way that relates to when the games start and stop, most likely synchronized with an offline clock) sends out the start times and alerts players who 'opt in' with an app to start the game. As players pick a category, the server tracks which codes have been triggered in order. If a QR code is picked out of order the player must restart the group from the first code. Completion of a category would consist of activating 3-4 codes in specific order, verified by the app's server.

interactive voice response

interactive voice response

a recommendation

A friendly classmate recommended a source for our possible programming needs
It is called ODesk.
In the case that we may need to program something such as an "App" for a phone, this may be a good place to seek out for skills....unless someone in our group is holding out on us ;) ?

For the proposal, Travis has mentioned he has created a brief overview of what we will submit.
Reflecting on Shona's presentation- I enjoyed how she incorporated pages of "inspiration" as an addition to her research. These pages brought a visual element to the thinking process, which I feel may be helpful for us in further developing our ideas.
I would be willing to gather some inspiration pages, and create a PDF to display these. This could include artists of interest with similar tactics ( joel recommended a few in our meeting), devices and methodolgies of interest, snippets of what we have already created (the game, photos, etc.), historical elements, and more!

As a reminder...we should move our game in a "playful" direction, that has an "awe" factor, whether it be negative or compassionate. We also must acknowledge that we cannot ignore history. We could second guess the idea of incorporating the ever-arising fact of the last lynching in California, but think about this : Remember when you were a third grader playing the Oregon Trail ....
....and your entire family died off one by one from a fever or diarrhea?
These are the facts and they must be confronted...

A few research elements we could consider to further develop our ideas (please feel free to add more) ...
- interactive game for phone
- Q & R codes
- Geo caching

Blast Theory

Blast Theory

st. james construction

St. James Construction

check out what we missed

Darn...if only we were more on the ball we could have attended this. Maybe we can get in contact with the man that held the meeting, and find out if there is any public record of this event. Would be a great source of information.