Here is the final video for the 'Metacloud' idea.



Here I have kept the visual representation of the results quite simple, however the intention is clear - in the video I am trying to simulate someone 'zooming in' on the central result using multitouch, and then being directed to the related website in the iPhone browser.

Work process for creating the video:
- Made 8 text boxes with Result 1-8
- Turned all of these into 3D layers
- Made the camera aperture quite large, thus shortening the depth of field
- Keyframed the camera position and zoom to center the first result
- Lowered the opacity of all the other results in order to make them disappear
- Keyframed a 'glow' effect onto Result 1 to make it look like it had been 'selected'
- Inserted the iPhone browser image and rotated it, and keyframed the opacity to make it 'appear'

This is another interesting iPhone application - it relays the location and distance of people posting new messages on twitter through the iPhone camera.



This app however seems to provide a more useful function; allowing users to find their way to a tube station without asking for directions is tangibly more useful than seeing where people are 'tweeting' from.



This however is my favourite, and seemingly most feasible iPhone application. Allowing flickr information to tag your face to your social networking sites could provide a whole new level of social interaction through networking sites; although privacy may be a concern.

I am happy with the earlier concept that I have posited on this blog; however to come up with more concepts I will have to look at the latest developments in new media technology.

However the latest developments in navigation seem somewhat dated now - the latest most daring development has been Apple's offering of multi-touch, especially when applied to the iPhone. It's use in computers and laptops is nothing ground breaking, however when it becomes the only way to navigate information held on a device, it becomes a bit more special. This has led to newer developments in the way people are creating applications for it, and has provided a platform for things which would usually have a home in desktop computing alone. For instance, Microsoft's "Seadragon" seems like something that has no place on a mobile phone, yet the touch-interface platform has proven to be a perfect partner for navigating through vast amounts of information on such a tiny device.

This still seems quite standard though, in navigational terms. After all, that's what this project is about - re-opening the renaissance window. I think the only development in the last few years which has come close to this goes by the name of 'Augmented Reality', and while it is in it's fledgling state people have been fancying it's conception in films, cartoons and literature for quite some time.

Here are some videos displaying the current state of the technology.

4th Lecture

Within this lecture we made...

Well, why not see for yourself.

2nd and 3rd Lectures

In these lectures we have dealt with the notion of 3d design and 3d interfaces - while many interfaces are simulated 3d utilising drop shadows and faked perspective we've been asked to come up with a 'true' 3d interface which allows us to move through the information.

So my idea is 'Metacloud', an iPhone application that would allow you to browse through website metatags and twitter feeds (or whatever sources are available) in a zooming fashion. The main screen will look like a 'wordcloud' (such as one from wordle.com, which I have utilised to make the mock-up image). My idea is that zooming in will scroll through results in a usual fashion, like your average google search, however scrolling out will provide less tangible results from the other end of the spectrum; still related yet more tenuous. This would provide a more visceral experience in which users may browse the internet in a more casual manner; as far as I'm aware there are very few services which allow users to window shop as if in a library, and hopefully this would provide a similar experience.

This is my initial thought on what it would look like, although it looks like it would be difficult to read. Above is my initial sketch of the metacloud, taken from my original lecture notes.

Lesson 1; the exercise of introspection

In this module we will be looking at, as the title says, Self-Reflective discourse. This module will serve to help us learn more about our fundamental purpose as new media students, and to generally examine our capacity of humans to exercise introspection.

in⋅tro⋅spec⋅tion
  /ˌɪntrəˈspɛkʃən/
Use introspection in a Sentence
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–noun
1. observation or examination of one's own mental and emotional state, mental processes, etc.; the act of looking within oneself.
2. the tendency or disposition to do this.

This idea/process was imagined by Plato, and I quote: "Why should we not calmly and patiently review our own thoughts and thoroughly examine and see what these appearances in us really are?" - Theaetetus 155

So now for the start of this module we can focus on cognitive psychology, and how it applies to us and our course.

Cognitive Psychologists are apparently split between those who practise introspection and those who practise 'the scientific method'. From wikipedia:

"Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.[1] A scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.[2] One of the first to clearly outline the specifics of a scientific method was John Stuart Mill."

So to sum up this first lecture; this module will deal with how we will understand, diagnose and solve problems.