When is a computer creative?

Paul McKevitt has an idea about a Creative Quarter spanning the NWRC Arts and Media Dept (on the far left), The Foyle Arts building in the middle and the ISRC building on the right. I was out sailing on saturday and took this photo from the boat.

There is a workshop for one day on the 31stwhere this idea will be discussed

http://www.infm.ulst.ac.uk/~paul/imagineering-quarter/creative-workshop.txt

The memory project is an ethnographic design research project. A previous post showed 5 student design briefs. Here are 4 more of the student project briefs that have been developed based on the observations, research and analysis undertaken by each student in the first 6 weeks of the project.

Aisling Moore: Brief

Long bus journeys can be exhausting. It is a good time to catch up on thoughts and to make lists. Most of the time people fall asleep. This project investigates the possibilities of placing some kind of information service on long bus journeys.  A touch screen could be placed in front of your seat offering a variety of services.  The service will allow a passenger to type in their destination and an alarm will go off 5 mins before arriving at that destination, allowing the passenger to wake up and gather their things.  Other services may include taxi pick ups allowing you to book a taxi ready for your arrival. Wifi on buses would allow passengers to continue working on their laptops making use of wasted travel time.

 

Cathy Flannery – That song reminds me of?

Sometimes I listen to a song and think ‘What does that remind me of?’ or ‘Where have I heard that before?’. Maybe I heard it on a car journey with an old friend, maybe it was in the charts around the time I started university or a certain job, or an advertisement on television. Perhaps it was played at a friend’s wedding or birthday party. Whatever memory the song triggers, it always frustrates me when I can’t remember why a particular song is important to me, who it reminds me of or why it makes me feel so happy or sad.
Because of this, I have decided to design a service based on the memories evoked by music, and ways of attaching these memories to the music so you never forget them.

Michelle Browne;  Walking to School

 

The memory of walking to school with a parent is special. It re-occurs in adult life when as a parent you walk your children to school.

It stands out in the mind as a simple act, but one that was fun and meaningful.

From this memory a few of the factors such as walking , children , safety, knowing and remembering the green cross code etc can be taken, and perhaps be developed into either a booklet or short advert for the safety of school children while walking to and from school. The product could be used as learning aid for schools, and promote road safety in young users.

 

 

Chris Mckernan Memory Pool

The main problem with the game of pool or any of the other cue sports is that it is seen as a boring pub game.  This proposal will transform pool from a stale bar game into an exciting phone based interactive memory based quiz.

The new game will test the users memory.  The key to the game will be the instructions that everyone can share on their phones. The game instead of being for just the two players will involve the audience who are following the game on their phones – spreading the fun.

This concept can add something new and innovative to the game. This software will be available on multiple formats such as blackberry, android, java, iphone and others.

 

The memory project is an ethnographic design research project. Here are 5 of the student project briefs that have been developed based on the observations, research and analysis undertaken by each student in the first 6 weeks of the project.

Shirley Boyle Baking Bread

My mother and I bake every Thursday, it has become a tradition, it represents a direct connection to the past. My grandmother has passed down the secret family recipes, I am the last inline to keep up this tradition. I have inherited the skills of generations past, they have instilled in me values and work ethics. The bread is highly significant it signifies history, family history.

I want to create films that evoke memories from past generations.

The films will show how to produce homemade traditional family recipes where the viewer can relate and interact with cooking, see how it is done and take their own time. In the films my mother and I will explain what the food means and represents to us.

Working Title:- An Teach, which means “The House”, in English. This would be the name my mother would give her very own restaurant.

Una Gallagher: Software learning

The purpose of this brief is to create a piece of software that will enable users to distinguish what they have learned while using any piece of creative software. The example that will be used in this project will be Adobe Photoshop but the end product would be compatible with numerous others.

The purpose of this software is to enable users to organise their learning of a piece of software while being able to list what they have already learned. It will also provide instruction and tutorial files depending on which type of software is being learned and will help the user learn certain skills.

Simon Byrne: PC- Alert System.

This brief is to design an alert system – involving the use of a lap top computer.  When a kettle boils, mobile phone rings or the front door bell rings, an immediate alert will flash up on the laptop screen.  This will ensure that the environment in which the individual finds themselves in, does not, impede on the acknowledgement that an activity has taken place. 

To make this happen a component will be fitted to the front door bell, kettle, mains telephone and mobile phone. 

Flashing lights on the laptop will be the end product. 

The system will be wireless and attachable to various items of equipment throughout the home i.e. multi- purpose.

Specification

• A Sensor will be placed on door bell, kettle, mobile phone.
• The sensor will be about 6x10cm
• The kettle will sit on the sensor.
• The sensor will be attached to the button on the door bell.
• The mobile phone will be placed on vibrating mode and also placed on the sensor.

All above will work with motion, the vibration, sending a signal to the router on the wall (like TV mounted on wall).

The router will also have a dual purpose- it will have a call screen which will record any unanswered calls when you leave the house. 

This item must be visual, interactive, have an interface and a strong motivation to use it. 

 

John Keeley: Forget –me -not

Problem. What happens if a person needs to remember to do something or an important occasion some time in the future, but is not sure if they will remember when the time comes? How to make a solution that can be seen or heard in time?

Solution: The Project will be a video advertising a product that helps people remember certain things that they have to do. The product would be based on a digital photo frame. A digital photo frame is an electronic device that plays a sequence of digital photographs. The new device, for the sake of the project will be called ‘Forget-me-not’, will play a specific image, sound and text message at a certain time of the day to remind a person to do a task they may have forgotten. It would be possible to schedule the task weeks in advance and would be PC connectable via USB to add images or sounds.

Example: A person has to walk the dog but has forgotten. The device plays a tune (an mp3 file) catching the attention of the person. The person goes to investigate and on the screen of the device is a picture of a dog lead. At the bottom of the screen is the word “Walkies”. That is the basis of the device.

Mark Douglas – call me!

People always have so much on their minds and remembering to call someone can become quite a challenge so a product needs to be designed that can be slid into everyone’s everyday life to eliminate forgotten contact arrangements and frustrating forgetfulness to call someone

 

I am participating in this ONE DAY WORKSHOP:

“THE IMAGINEERING QUARTER:
DESPERATELY SEEKING DIGITAL CREATIVITY”

http://www.infm.ulst.ac.uk/~paul/imagineering-quarter/creative-workshop.txt

It’s free to attend and there is an open invitation.

If you are interested in how Derry might lever Digital Creativity to create wealth then this is the conference for you.

EricssonLabs   

Computers Shown More Creative Than Humans (via @IEEESpectrum) http://icio.us/z402mp

Magee College Design Team 04/03/08

From Left: Lee Cadieux, Robin Hodge, Mark Cullen, Paddy McLaughlin, Terry Quigley, Padraic Lynch, Anthony Hutton, Justin Magee (Missing from photo JB)

Michelle Browne – walking children to school

John Keely – Picture frame reminder system

Simon Byrne – Visual memory aid that compensates for unheard alerts