Week 4 - Input / Output

This week's lecture honed in on devices used to achieve an input and output of information. We spoke briefly about digital cameras and their ability to generate varying degrees of quality photos based on how many MegaPixels were in the device, as well as technologies in the output field such as Printing. However, the discussion became much more interesting as we began to listen to the innovative services of the future. Google, for instance, has this Voice Recognition software which they believe will be the driving force in the future market. RFID chips have also come into full swing, detecting location remotely though being 1/2 mm in size.

From the lecture, I'm stringing together the importance of data quality and accuracy. With every part of my project, I need to make sure that it not only remains beautiful but also well-designed. I would like to have this lecture influence the direction of my project. By thinking about media and different mediums for displaying my project, I think not only a flip-book but also a digital movie (via my 10 MP camera) would help me better advertise my work.

The project has come along in different ways. I have changed the interface of it along with the gameplay. Before it was all about building these connections between different marbles. Now, however, the gameplay focuses on collections of gaseous matter (stars). It's all about having more of your galaxy on the board than another. Pictures above and video clip below (again with my 10.0 MP camera) will tell the tale of what my work is.

Along with the information we learned in lecture, I would like to use RFID chips to track my product inventory. This device is pervasive yet effective and simple and would eliminate the cost of human hands and the capacity for error that goes hand in hand!

My idea.

After recieving one comment on my idea, I've decided to make a post specifically indicating my idea. You won't have to scramble through my posts to figure it out because I will outline it here.

One student actually pointed out to me that he/she did not see what my idea was (even though I had about 6 or so posts). Here is that conversation:

bennettk195 said...
Can you please clarify what your idea is? And also, can you share what your inspiration was?
February 13, 2011 8:55 PM

Katy Jeremko said...
Hey Bennettk195, you should read my other posts. That was an ideation pre-post. My idea is a game based on the Big Bang, where each player is equipped with stars (marbles) and have a springboard to place them somewhere on the board. After that happens, they make connections between their marbles (as the gameboard is a chalkboard) and therefore create a constellation. After this has happened, whoever so builds the largest constellation wins. Does that clarify things? If you have any more questions, refer to my other posts.
February 14, 2011 3:10 PM

So, just for anyone who might stumble upon to my site looking for the idea I've been working on, here it is. Please give me any feedback you may have or would like to share!

Week 3 - Hardware Essentials

This week, Rubin spoke to us about the different components that go into a computer. The system unit is comprised of the following elements : Drive Bay, Power Supply, Sound Card, Video Card, Processor, and Memory. The motherboard, which contains most of these items, is the main circuit board of the unit. Moving on from those most basic parts of the PC, we moved into different applications and programs that companies have used to display information. Digital Video has gone from Real Networks to Windows Media and Quicktime to Flash and Silverlight (although a failure) to a future of HTML 5. Basically, as the market changes it looks for programs that are accessible to anyone, programs where the platform will be supported on any framework. It's safe to say that Flash will remain an industry leader, but it's not an over-exaggeration to state that HTML 5 will become the new standard.

What I took as being the most helpful piece of information this week are the differing types of Digital Video. For so long I've been navigating through websites without a clear understanding of what technology I was interacting with. Also, the entire interface that Flash allows is exquisite. The thing about digital video is that it is basically a visual element displayed through a series of commands. In doing so, it parallels the System Unit in a computer... but we are seeing it happen before our very eyes as our favorite TV show loads up to stream.

In the spirit of all of this talk about conveying information and displaying it, I have decided to make a flip-book of my game; that is, a start to a flip book. The premise of my game is that now that the Big Bang has happened, it is once again time to determine the location of the constellations in the sky. I'm thinking about alterations to the game as well. I want there to be this colossal explosion that happens somewhere in between starting and finishing, something that evokes the element of surprise in a game. So, for your enjoyment, my flip book.

Week 2 - Application Software

This past week, the lesson focused upon the gap between business and social media. With a mix from what we learned last week in the realm of social interactions on the web, this week was more about the appearance of those interactions. We were asked to deal with a little bit of excel and a little bit on html coloring systems (RGB). Professor Rubin stressed to us the importance of Excel in the practical world in order to make a business feasible and accounted for.

What I took from the lecture were some interesting ways of displaying my idea in a functional manner. I'm going to work with photoshop on the graphics of my game and after having heard about the differences between RGB and CMYK I can safely say that I understand the purpose of both. For example, if i were to make a video or wegpage about my business, I would format everything in RGB. However, as my game is physical and meant to be interactive in any environment, I would therefore choose to format my images on Photoshop in CMYK.

I have been working on the overall look of my game. Roughly, the outline of the game is coming together. Formally I havent yet gone in a particular path but I have made a firm and (YES) GREAT idea. The concept is this : THE BIG BANG. It's a game where opponents take their stars (right now just crumpled up post-it notes) and toss them into the sky. Whichever player has the longest, uninterrupted constellation wins! Attached are photos from my current stage of development.

If my object were able to hit stores, I could effectively use Excel to manage all of the incoming and outgoing profits and oversee inventory in a very precise fashion. Now that I hold within my hands the power of pivot tables, I can use that to analyze and summarize large amounts of data that would be recorded for my product.