The Scribbler is creative sugar for your morning coffee
Suntree by Ravenelle
I’ve been a fan of zefrank.com for years. This past weekend I rediscovered his site when Torley encouraged me to check out a link, and to my happy surprise it was to the Scribbler.
There is also a robot that can do this on paper:
Douglas McDonald from www.tek-tonic.com and I are working on a robot that will use the scribbler algorithm to draw pictures on paper. Douglas contacted me about a half year ago after he saw the scribbler and created a version of it in Macromedia Director. We came up with the idea of creating an orthagonal plotter that will draw pictures based on images it captures through a video camera. - Ze Frank
Their first public installation of this robot was at TED in 2005.
From zefrank about the Scribbler:
In early 2003, I saw a short film by Jenny Woo at day60 in which she had animated scribbled line drawings on top of digital video footage. The effect was charming but incredibly labour intensive. She had hand-drawn over 2,000 frames for less than two minutes of animation, a process that had taken nearly two weeks. As a result of our converstaion I became interested in creating some sort of automated digital process that would create complex and interesting line drawings.
Raw Shock by Ravenelle
These are addicting to create and I’ve done a small set that I invite you to see on Flickr. The feedback is encouraging and inspiring in itself, there is a great supportive Flickr community.
How do I make one?
You drop down an initial doodle, then use the sliders to adjust color, transparency, line width, stuff like that. It’s easy to slip into but addicting and difficult to stop. My wish is that the images could be larger. When you finish you have to take a screen shot to save them.
I hope you get a chance to take this tool for a spin, it’s free (only costing a bit of your time) and can be that little bit of creative sugar for your morning coffee.
While you are at the Zefrank site, be sure to check out some of the other fun things from his site. Two of my favorites are the Animal Noises and My Cat Annie.
Second Life on the Telephone, Dishwashing Soap, Deer and Wild Turkey
Recently we have received a cell phone that Torley is testing how to use the Second Life-Vollee mobile viewer. Here is his blog post.
Here is how it looks from my point of view, my husband on the front porch after work hours with one of the chairs from the kitchen, hunched over a bit trying to see and figure it out, make it connect and being eaten by mosquitos. The pictures are a bit dark. I like the top one with his beard stubbles..awww
While out shopping yesterday, I had on my list dishwashing soap. I am usually tempted by the candy like colors and or a good fragrance but I do balance that with trying to find a good ecologically friendly product. The other night I made something that was pretty greasy and my dish soap caused me way more grief about getting the grease off than it should have. I was just about out of that soap anyway and had planned on getting some Dawn. It helps take grease out of the way, don’t ya know?
Now, I know that Dawn comes in new fruity floral and fantastic colors but haven’t been overly excited about the scent and Dawn was such a staple for me growing up that getting Dawn just isn’t ever very exciting to me but I know it’ll cut grease on stuff.
Woohoo the colors were a fun choice I am a sucker for it, I am, but then…but then it also had an attached air freshener. I assumed immediately it would probably smell like crap but it didn’t! it was alright, I wouldn’t line my lingerie drawer with it but it was great for near the sink. I thought it was a removable sort of freebie but it’s not it’s part of the design!!!!!! you peel off the little sticker on the bottom to reveal the vent area to the fragrance balls and it just stays attached.
This is so brilliant. The last time I was this excited was over some sour cream that had secret messages for you when you lifted the foil wrap and I don’t think I ever wrote about it or took a picture and I didn’t want to have that regret with this. So while I am not an official product reviewer and adhere to no known standards of that sort I hope you give this dish soap a look see next time you are at the grocery store and have need to pick up some dish soap.
I was working in the dining room on something when I noticed the rear end of a somewhat large animal go under our deck. It wasn’t a dog, or a bear, and I was curious and I grabbed the camera. I wasn’t fast enough to capture it under the deck, partly because I was afraid to stick my head over the side and get a spider in my hair. I then noticed a deer out front, and second later a bounding baby deer ran up to her from the side yard and started to nurse. I was taken back a bit to see how hard that baby jammed it’s snout into it’s mothers underside. I got a couple snaps here to share.
Sometimes I don’t see the turkeys, it used to be almost everyday and honestly sometimes the male turkeys will gobble to the point that even thought you love them you want to strangle them.
They just don’t come around too often anymore and I always fear they are all dead. It makes me sad but these wild turkeys need to find their flock or whatever they do, because while I do live very rurally it’s not all that turkey friendly when I see them walking down the main road and they are gobbling at the cars.
Imagine my happiness and surprise to find the female turkey on the front porch with her offspring. They are so much more quiet than the males.
Brain Reading Headset to Sell for $299
I want to find out more about this, but wow look at that price point.
Here is a link to Emotiv main website.
The Emotiv SDK gives developers unparalleled access to a user’s mind. The Emotiv EPOC™ platform showcases the latest advancements in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) neuro-technology.
Brain Reading Headset to Sell for $299
By BARBARA ORTUTAY – 1 day ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Hands cramping up from too many video games?
How about controlling games with your thoughts instead? Later this year, Emotiv Systems Inc. plans to start selling the $299 EPOC neuroheadset to let you do just that.
The headset’s sensors are designed to detect conscious thoughts and expressions as well as “non-conscious emotions” by reading electrical signals around the brain, says the company, which demonstrated the wireless gadget at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The company, which unveiled a prototype last year, says the headset can detect emotions such as anger, excitement and tension, as well as facial expressions and cognitive actions like pushing and pulling objects.
The headset will be sold with a game developed by Emotiv, but it can also be made to work with existing PC games, the company said. Users will also be able to access an online portal to play more games, chat or upload their own content such as music or photos.
Emotiv plans to work with IBM Corp. to explore applications beyond video gaming. The “brain computer interface” technology could transform not only gaming, but how humans and computers interact, said Paul Ledak, vice president of IBM’s Digital Convergence business.
