Motion Sensing Technology and Dance

For my final Blog Post, I wanted to talk about how technology is being used in my field because it is an area I feel most people know nothing about. Therefore, I am going to inform you about how motion sensing technology is used in Dance today.

It sounds like a fictional story because the two just do not go together: a computer programmer working with a choreographer. Technology and art seem like two completely different things. But when you put them together, wonderful things start to happen. Together they created MidiDance. MidiDance is a wireless movement sensing outfit that transmits a dancer’s positions on stage to a computer. This information is then used to control video, audio, lighting, and set. It allows for an orchestra to be conducted with just a flick of a finger. You can set sounds to play when certain movements are executed. For example, when a dancer rolls a shoulder or lifts an arm, electronic drums and symbols can crash and echo. The computer used for Plane, which was the first piece to use this technology, was also programmed to sense the movement phrases of the dancers, and it detected when to begin visual projection.

Another form of motion sensing technology that also uses projection is Isadora. Isadora, named after the pioneer of modern dance in America, provides interactive control over digital media in real-time. With Isadora, you can build a series of interactive effects. Then, the effects can be manipulated by lighting, music, and other stage cues. A moment in the choreography, such as a deep plié, will trigger a projected image. This image can be projected in real-time, but what separates it from the MidiDancer is that the real-time projection can be slower, faster, or repeated in loops.

The problem with projection that MidiDance and Isadora use is that it takes the focus away from the dancers. People tend to focus more on the screen than the actual dancer on stage. Therefore, new ways of using motion sensing technology in dance needed to be created to integrate dance and visual effects. Snappy Dance Theater and the Atlanta Ballet have done just that with their use of tracking cameras.

Snappy Dance Theater uses a camera that can track where people are onstage. When the dancer moves, the projected version is a series of glowing strings that form the shape of the body. The focus is not on a projected image of the dancer, but rather on shapes being made by the dancer. The Atlanta Ballet has also used tracking cameras. The Atlanta Ballet has had dancers wear infrared emitters, which are invisible to the audience but detected by special tracking cameras. The locations were fed through a graphic computer in real time. The animation video was fed to a high brightness video projector and animated particle trails of dancers’ hand movements were projected onto a sheet of see-through mesh. This is an even better way of integrating this technology with the dancers because it doesn’t require something to look at on a giant screen. Instead, the focus is more on the dancers and what they are doing.

The Interactive Media Technology Center has done many Dance Technology Projects. One featured a super-computer available through fiber-optics telecommunication. It featured motion tracked balls that were tossed around, causing tumbling 3D objects such as an elephant, house, and space shuttle to appear in place of the balls. A dancer with a motion tracking system, danced on stage next to her cyber re-embodiment.

Motion sensing technology has also been used in dance off the stage. Influential modern dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, who passed away this summer at the age of 90, worked with Credo Interactive and helped to develop the software called LifeForms. LifeForms Studio, is a 3D character animation and motion capture editing tool, used by professional animators, game developers, and film and broadcast specialists. Merce Cunningham used it to choreograph. It is now known as DanceForms, a choreography tool designed for dance educators, students, choreographers, and notators. It was designed with teachers and choreographers. You start with a digital dancer, appearing as a series of circles, a skeletal figure, or a human one. Then, you can move the figure using commands. It allows you to sketch out your choreographic ideas, mix, match, and blend sequences, use the existing libraries and palettes, animate single figures or large groups, and bring your dance ideas to 3D life.

The Cash Register

The cash register was invented in 1883 by James Ritty. It was nicknamed the "incorruptible cashier" because it was the first working, mechanical cash register. The main reason for the invention of the cash register was to stop the employees from stealing. It was equipped with a bell in which would let the manager know the amount of times the register drawer opened. However, James Patterson later decided to buy both the manufacturing company that the registers and the cash register patent for $6500. In 1884 Patterson then changed the cash register company from the National Manufacturing company to the National Cash Register Company. Today, the cash register is the most needed item when running a business.

Have you ever just sat back and thought about the value of the cash register? Though of the point of how it automatically detects sales/discounts, calculates your information fast, and how it stores all of the stores information. Now just think if the cash register wasn't invented. The checkout line would be crazy. An the employees would have to be phenomenal math experts that can calculate purchase in a fast pace. How would the company know how many sales they have made? How would managers know if their employees are being honest? And what about credit cards? Would they only have to be used online?

In the summer of 2003, Most states suffered from the "blackout". All electrical powers were down. Phone lines, radios, home electricity, everything. Many went out to the store and bought charcoal, ice and gasoline. The problem was that most only had credit cards, and the cash registers weren't working. Employees had to calculate purchases with a calculator and it was was just chaotic. My sister worked at a convenient store and she came home and told me how the company had to give away a lot of their refrigerated items. This caused them to lose a great number of sales because the store could only accept cash.

Now personally, I hate carrying cash because I tend to lose it or spend faster. But the fact of the cash register not being around kinda disturbs me. I don't think I would even go out to shop because I know it would be hectic.

RFID and Human Uses

RFID technology has enormous value in the many uses available to us in the future. I believe that one of the biggest concerns about RFID is how intrusive we will allow it to go. The retail sales industry could actually save money with RFID technology by the reduction of employee theft and shoplifting. WalMart has said it will not do business with anybody who sells to them that does not use this technology.

We are already using this technology in our pets, tracking shipments, and the retail and airplane industries. By tracking shipments, we can obtain information on where they are, and how long it will take before they reach their destination. By tagging our luggage, it will result in a huge reduction in lost luggage. We also have imbedded chips in some credit cards that allow us to avoid lines at the checkout counter.

One of the biggest drawbacks is the intrusion into everyday life. Where does it start? Where does it stop? I believe this technology could be of great importance to the criminal justice system. Could an imbedded chip be the solution to "throwing everyone in jail or prison?" With the release of prisoners due to prison closings and jail overcrowding, this could be an alternative method of tracking some criminals. I personally do not think that imprisonment is the answer to some crimes that are committed. This technology could be used in the tracking of pedophiles and peoplewho commit crimes against children.

Microsoft Surface(Revised)

In my blog today I would like to discuss the Microsoft Surface. the Surface is a large multi-touch computer that allows users to interface with technology in a whole new way. This technology has a wide variety of business and personal uses that stands to change the way that people view computers. Some companies like AT&T have already began to capitalize on this technology, with many more likely to follow suit. The surface has broad implications in the business world, where it has potential in many industries from retail outlets and restaurants, all the way to manufacturing or office use.

The Surface has four main areas that differ it from any other computer system. First is the direct interaction that the user has with the computer; there is no keyboard or mouse, and it is not just a simple touchscreen either, as the Surface also can be instructed by gesturing. Secondly it is a multiple user computer. With a 30 inch screen it is easy for several people to gather around and interact with each other using the Surface. Third development adds on to the second, saying that it is directed from multiple areas. While object recognition is the last and most fascinating area. This feature simply lets you place objects on the screen, and will provide different responses depending on the object.

The Microsoft Surface has a distinct makeup, unlike any other computer system. It has a 30-inch screen that sits on top of a table like build. It is 22 inches high, 21 inches deep, and 42 inches wide. Important features include the powdered steel interior frame, and acrylic top surface. The system is run by a custom version of Windows Vista has capabilities to support Ethernet, wireless, and bluetooth connectivity.

Microsoft Surface

So the most recent invention of technology is "touch screen" and the more it improves, the more you're able to customize. This creation is called application software. As an example for the latest and most recent inventions of technology, the class was introduced to the Microsoft Surface. The Microsoft Surface a.k.a the Milan is a multi touch computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real world objects, helping people interact with digital content in a simple and intuitive way. This trendy "coffee table came out in 2007 and is just now beginning to become a supply on the demand list. The only major problem for the increase of sales is the price. The Milan cost roughly around $10,000. This price isn't really a big deal for most businesses, but non business buyers find this price a bit much.

Using the Milan for Businesses:

Most businesses find this new piece of technology extremely useful. It provides tremendous potential for businesses to improve communication and be more effective in how they deliver information and services to customers. AT&T was the first retail company to introduce the Microsoft Surface in their stores. AT&T tech supporters mentions how the they plan to harness the power of the surface to provide its retail store visits with unique opportunities to learn about the growing universe of mobile applications and devices. In the future, you'll be able to:

Learn: Customers can review features of a particular mobile device by clicking on it. Also you be able to select multiple phones and bring them side by side and compare them

Explore: Customers can view interactive coverage maps at the national, state, local, or street level using a simple touch.

Customize: In the future, customers will be able to drag and drop ringtones, graphics, videos, and more by "grabbing" the content with their hands from a menu and "dropping" it into the phone.

I think this is only the beginning of the improvement of technology. Sure the prices are a little steep, but at the end of the day, this is something that is going to be worth it. What do you think?

The Future of Computing

During Tuesday's class, we talked a lot about where technology is heading as far as computers go. It is amazing to go back to the beginning of the course and think about the computers that could only do simple computations and usually only one or two. Now, we can fit devices in our pockets that can tell us the weather, make phone calls, surf the internet, send and receive photos, play music, and much more.

With all of these advances in technology, computers are doing basically everything for us. They allow us to do extremely complicated computations and give us access to unlimited amounts of information all by typing in some words or numbers, not really giving much thought to what's behind that information or calculation. With all of this availability of shortcuts and quick information, soon we won't really have to do much for ourselves.

Some may argue that all of this advancing in technology is improving our lives and raising our education level by making more things available to us and with greater ease. On the other side, don't you think it is making us lazier and less motivated at the same time? Why would people want to pay attention in class when they can go home and google something and find the answer in seconds? Also, it scares me to think how much technology is NECESSARY in our daily lives. Before all of these computers and smartphones, people survived just fine. Now, since they have been introduced, I couldn't imagine living without my phone or my laptop; they are just too important. This dependency on technology is making us less self-sufficient and more reliant on computers to do what people did for hundreds of years without.

Thoughts? Concerns?

Smart Homes

We are closer to the life that was promised in the Jetson's than ever before. Smart home technologies are already becoming a part of common household life, and the future of these emerging technologies looks bright indeed!

Already we are seeing the automation of security systems that can make a call for you in case of emergencies, robotic vacuum cleaners, video game systems that also allow users to surf the Internet, and other such innovative technologies. Future home automation will push the technology further and perform such functions as alerting a maintenance man when an appliance needs to be fixed, allowing people to use advanced computing functions on their televisions, and remembering what temperature each person prefers to shower at and maintaining that temperature for them. The toilet will even be able to clean itself!

We are also getting closer to the days when different household systems will be able to communicate between each other. Some day the refrigerator will not only be able to tell when certain items are getting low, but it will also be able to communicate with the microwave, stove, or oven to suggest recipes based on what items are currently stocked in the fridge.

With the ever increasing hectic schedules that people have, it will be nice to be able to come home and get a little help from the house itself in performing daily chores.

For more information on some of the smart home technologies visit:
http://articles.castelarhost.com/smart_home_technology.htm

Telekinesis and robotics

Telekinesis is the art of moving and controlling objects with one's thoughts. Long thought to be never possible, it seems to be surprisingly close to reality. Very recently, a bioengineering firm in Canada unveiled it's newest and most impressive application: a system where you really can move objects with your mind. The premise is that the machine seen above on the user's head has the ability to sense alpha and beta brain waves. These brain waves are able to determine whether or not one is concentrating on a specific thought process. The machine then turns this data into a real-life application.

See it all work here

This could mean a revolution for paraplegics or quadriplegics. In class, we saw a man control the opening and closing motion of a hand through a chip that was implanted to the top of his brain. This machine discounts any surgical procedure and makes it easily accessible. Increased accessibility results in practicality. What we're seeing right now with this current development is likely to become standard practice in all of our homes after perfection and an economy of scale is attained.

Not only could this technology create opportunities for severely disabled persons to lead normal lives, but also have applications to make all of our work easier. Manufacturing and other daily, routine tasks will likely benefit most from this technology in our future.

Innovation

Up to this point in our IS 215 class. The topic of innovation has been a constantly reoccurring talking point. We started the course with the first two days being completely devoted to the history of information systems. In those first two days we learned a lot of information. The first thing that I, and many other students must have realized is that information systems were the result of methods and ideas, that were constantly being innovated. In this statement I am basically trying to illustrate the fact that, our current technologies were built over a period of time, from people constantly upgrading and improving their current technologies.
Another thing I have seen to be consistent with innovation in our studies, is the actual process that enables it. Throughout the course I have seen many examples of a technology being suggested, many companies/countries/people try to create or improve the technology for their own purpose, and then survival of the fittest (in this case usually most intelligent) sets in. The example in Wednesdays class with the telephone companies was a perfect example. When the telephone was first invented, there were thousands of telephone companies competing to become the best. However, after a while it was trimmed down to only a couple major competitors, with at&t having the monopoly on long distance, which was even government sanctioned for many decades.
This is only one example of this process as it has been instituted on many technologies, products, and services. Even if you look at the history of computers, there have constantly been many companies trying to develop them, but only a few have been able to create and develop computers that consistently push the limits of technology. Other examples in our class go back to computer language, the spice trade, measurement standards, nuclear weapons, logic, and even business. In fact the only example the I can think of to counter innovation, is when we discussed the collapse of the Roman Empire, and how it set society back intellectually for a few hundred years, on the first day of class. Throughout this course, and in my life in general. I have learned the value of innovation, and its life applications.

Communication

Communication is something I generally take for granted. I have never known days without a organized language. I have always taken having a standardized language for granted. Growing up as a child it had never occurred to me that a country would have multiple languages I figured they all had 1 language. Now I realize this is not the case. India for example once had many different dialects spoken in almost all different regions. Communication between different areas for the most part did not exist until the merchants developed a standard trade language. The merchants needed a standard language in order to conduct trade amongst different villages. The need for standardizing languages dates back for centuries and now is the foundation of today's information era.

Computer programmers much like the merchants in India realized a huge need for standardizing their programming language. IBM for example made had made a few different computer models that all ran on different operating systems. These operating systems were all written with different computer languages. This made it impossible for the computers to exchange information. Programmers knew that there was a need for these machines to work together in order to increase the work load and make upgrading the systems a more reasonable option. This is not much different that needing a standard language for people to communicate and increase their workload and this can in a sense upgrade your life by making you more money.

The need for language standardization dates back for centuries and continues to play a roll in society today. Initially it was as a means to survive and trade and now has become the foundation of technical advancement. I knew end user computing would give me a basic concept of how a computer works and the foundation of its history, but I never realized it went this deep. I don't think I would have considered the development of a society, and technology to be so strongly based around standardizing languages .

Technology and Society

In contemplating the impact of technology on society, it is easy to quickly come up with several dramatic improvements. Life expectancy and quality are the two primary headings under which we could place many examples of technology's positive influence on the lives of mankind. And as we progress unabated on an exponential path toward an unknown point, perhaps an asymptote, it is easy to get swept up in the glorious rush of new technology. The business cycle has gotten so short that a device that you've purchased in a fit of "gotta-have-it" could be made virtually obsolete while its still in transit on the UPS truck. Well, perhaps that's a bit hyperbolic, but we're getting there!

There is a problem, I believe, in the direction we are headed. This problem is certainly not with the expansion of technology in general, but probably more localized to consumer electronics. The problem is two-fold in my estimation. A society that values PS3's, iPods, iPads, iPhones, Google phones, etc. as strongly as ours does is in danger of losing sight of some of the more important aspects of what it means to be a member of a society. I'm talking on the small scale about things as simple as the reduction in human interaction brought on by video games and the like. The iPad, which came out yesterday, seems to be a perfect example of this. This device appears to serve the sole purpose of being another shiny way to pump content into our minds. Another revenue stream for the consumption of entertainment via the iTunes store. Another bridge we can use to further shut out the rest of the world in favor of what appears before us on our screens. This, not specifically the iPad, could have grave consequences for our society going forward. To limit human interaction in this way is to progress the ease of dehumanization. Respect for our fellow man comes from our getting to know him. It is shown time and time again that irrational fear or hatred can be dispelled simply by sitting down and talking to one another. I fear that this process will grow increasingly rare as we are increasingly tethered to machines designed to distract us.

The second aspect of this problem is perhaps tied to the first, insofar as the dehumanizing process of decreased interaction can have grave consequences for the particularly vulnerable among our society. While we live relatively charmed lives that find us capable of clamoring after the newest gadgets or keeping up on the latest trends via intense blog study, the members of society who cannot afford such luxuries are pushed even further to the edges. Some may point out that the amount of money raised for Haiti was an example of the opposite, but I would say that such an outpouring was made easier by technology, and it made it easier to keep the reality of the situation in Haiti at arms length. The earthquake was just the last of a long line of terrible hardships brought upon the people there, and no number of millions of dollars is going to fix what is at the core of the problem in that country. And even within our own country, the disparities between rich and poor grow, undoubtedly to some extent because of a difference in technological access.

Ultimately, I don't want to come off as sounding overly pessimistic about our society's future. But I do think that we would benefit from finding moments to liberate ourselves from the constant stream of media that is finding new ways to enter our lives every day. And find a way to liberate ourselves from the revenue stream that counts all of our wallets as tributaries. Think of what else could be done to make our society a better place with even a fraction of that money. Stop and smell the roses if you will. And, equally important is to take a moment to reflect on the plight of those that have not been given the type of opportunities that we enjoy, and try to figure out a way to help, no matter how small.

Email vs. texting

Today in class, we started to learn about communication and how we communicate effectively with one another. We discussed all of the different possibilites such as face to face, email, text messages, telephone. and so on. In todays society people are all about technology. Whether it be business related or personal, communicating through text messages are growing rapidly.

Before there was such thing as texting, people communicated over the internet through the e-mail system. They still do, but I think e-mailing is becoming less and less popular as society learns about all the new things that keep coming out in the technological world. People are getting e-mail on their cell phones which is good to have, that way in case they don't have access to a computer, they can just hop on their cell phones and recieve e-mail. But what about the people who don't get e-mail on their phones? Texting is a very simple and easy way of communicating without actually speaking with the person. When a text message is sent, it goes directly to the recievers cell phone and they can view it right away. When an e-mail is sent, it doesn't go directly to that person; it goes to their inbox. They have to log onto their email and open up the message rather than just click view on their phone or have it pop right up. If you are just looking for a quick response, texting is usually the way to go. Not all people have text messages, but it has been a growing trend and more and more people are joining the 'texting' world. Another point to go along with e-mails is that sometimes, if people don't check their account frequently enough, the sender could go days or weeks or however long it takes the person to check it, without getting a response. If you send a text, there is usually a better chance of getting a quicker reply.

People also use texting just to inform somebody whatever it may be that they want that person to know or if they just have a simple queston. It's alot quicker than calling them and having a conversation, when you can just send them a message and have them respond without all the extra talking. Texting also comes into use when it is not a good time to be on the phone or if it's a situation where you can't really call someone. Such as if your at work and just need to find out something at the moment and you can't call them-just send a quick text or if your in the movies, you can't really talk on the phone. and so on. My point is that texting is alot easier to use than the email system. Its almost always handy and it is alot quicker and more efficient for the user.