Robotconscience : Copping Consciousness since '86

Flickr

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:56:55 +0000

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

I’m not Stephen Varady

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:28:53 +0000

Though apparently neither is Stephen Varady.
Steve is a good friend of mine from “way back”, as they say. His blog serves to document his exploits and work (Steve is an architect), while serving up a healthy dose of things he simply finds interesting.
imnotstephenvarady.com

Europe Endless

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:27:58 +0000

I’ve just returned from a trip to Copenhagen and Paris. It was my first time in Europe and it was, as expected, pretty wonderful.
There’s a full set of photos here. There are quite a few, be warned. A few favorites:

A Crimson Grail

admin — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:29:55 +0000

We attended the performance of Rhys Chatham’s A Crimson Grail for 200 guitars this weekend. It was superb, to say the very least. Sadly, my camera has been having issues with its autofocus, so the only image I took worth showing is this:

Here’s a video someone shot of their rehearsal beforehand (allegedly somewhere at FIT).

Sprawl

admin — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:22:49 +0000

New Endless Endless Endless album, recorded 8/6/2009.
Download here.

About

admin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:01:45 +0000

Hello, I’m Brett.
I’m an interaction designer from Detroit now living and working in New York. I’ve a shiny BFA from College for Creative Studies (Detroit). My main focus is currently on experimenting with ways people interact with digital environments.

I attempt to design experiences in which people are gently nudged outside of their normal modes of experiencing technology, and as a result rediscover a sense of surprise, awe, and plain enjoyment of the digital world. I’d like for people to forget about their distrust and fears and see the brighter side of a more personal interaction with technology.

I also enjoy listening to and making music, biking, and burritos. I work at the Rockwell LAB, which I enjoy very much.

JetBlue Ring Installation

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:23:42 +0000

Created at the Rockwell LAB.

In close collaboration with Keetra Dean Dixon, I created particle animations in Processing for the JetBlue Ring. Using elements developed by Keetra, I wrote various flocking behaviors to determine the particles’ motion, and developed an algorithm to render 43 separate (and continuous) videos to encompass the entire ring. In addition, I developed After Effects scripts to allow us to output our hyper-wide compositions in separate, smaller videos.

Located at the center of the Marketplace at JFK’s T5, the cable system and ring are visible from all three concourses, creating a dynamic focal point. The Lab at Rockwell Group has begun a multi-phase process to create a dynamic system for displaying content on the ring. The ring itself consists of stainless steel cables supporting an information yoke, an egg-shaped aluminum ring with 43 40” LED screens positioned in series to form a ring. This is documentation of the first phase of custom software the lab has developed for the ring. We are developing the ring both visually and technically.

More on the LAB site here.

Endless Endless Endless show

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:46:07 +0000

My band, Endless Endless Endless, had our first show this past Sunday. Check out one of the songs:

Grab albums, photos, and (soon) order our cassettes here: www.endlessendlessendless.com/

RB to You

admin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:32:00 +0000

Rachael Beresh, a friend and former classmate, makes a pretty diverse array of different things. Her work includes apparel, patterning, traditional graphic design, and the occasional shoe.
Check it out at www.rbtoyou.com

Highline Visit

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:29:05 +0000

I finally visited the Highline this weekend. It was pretty sweet, though I’ve heard the positivity of one’s reaction is directly proportionate to the amount of people that show up. It was sparse enough when we got there, I think.

Luminode to Light Control

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:03:26 +0000

I used openFrameworks, arduino, and DMX to connect to the LAB’s existing Luminodes to a full room lighting control device. We are using this as a way to control a variety of architectural lighting devices seamlessly.
Extra cheesy musical accompaniment composed by me (sorry about that).

Audio Reactive Sphere v2.0

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:20:48 +0000

I’ve been working on a larger piece involving the audio sphere, but I figured I still had some shader experimenting to do first. This version ramps up the shader I wrote, amplifying color + 3D points according to audio input. It also plays back the audio input, which I inexplicably left out last time. Music is by me.

Digital Confetti

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:20:39 +0000

Created at Rockwell LAB.

In collaboration with the rest of the LAB, I developed software for Rockwell Group’s “Digital Confetti” installation at the Metropolitan Home Magazine’s “Design 100″ party. The installation builds off traditional interactive party elements such as noisemakers, confetti, balloons, and fireworks, creating an entertaining centerpiece allowing both individual and group interaction.

A twelve-foot diameter weather balloon floats above the pool at the Four Seasons restaurant. Projectors surrounding the balloon display “Digital Confetti”, small colorful shapes that mimic swimming fish in their movements. The graphic on the screen is also affected by special maracas around the pool. Shaking each of the eight maracas has a separate effect on the projected ecosystem. One stirs up the confetti, causing a firework-like spectacle of light, color and sound. The second brings text to the surface of the balloon. Continued shaking of these maracas causes letters to vibrate and eventually flip and transform into one of a sequence of words related to design. The words are projected as black, causing them to be illuminated by the background explosions of confetti, which encourages collaborative interaction. Each maraca also generates a different musical note, creating a harmony of sounds when all shaken together. The forms of brightly colored maracas are 3-D versions of the confetti.

Featured on Core 77, Computerlove, PSFK, and various international sites whose Google translations will provide you with hours of joy.

Credits
Principal: David Rockwell
Design Team: Tucker Viemeister, James Tichenor, Joshua Walton, Brett Renfer , Keetra Dixon, Thomas Haggerty
More at Rockwell LAB: Digital Confetti

SMS to Particles

admin — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:14:17 +0000

I’ve been experimenting with particle systems + type for a while, most recently at work at the Rockwell LAB. I decided to further this work for a piece for the student exhibition at CCS. However, I wanted to add a slight twist, as I realized that hardly any of the student work is interactive or participatory in any way. Thus, I decided to allow users to respond to my work via SMS via these particles. The video and following images depict various ideations, process, and play in the development of this system.

Shape Chords Prototype

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:34:49 +0000

An early prototype for a shape-based instrument. Images are loaded via a Google search. As the program cycles through each result, it detects blobs in the image via opencv and maps these blobs to notes. The threshold of detection increases each time the image is shown.

In this video, the bpm is controlled via mouse.