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Showing posts with label Digital Environments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digital Environments. Show all posts
Digital Environments blog
Some of my research for the external group project (EGP) is going here: http://positivenonpositive.blogspot.com/
Elective day is on Friday
After a relatively prolific discussion about theory, practice, the constructed concept of aesthetics and the benefits of reflection and analysis on practice, I was thus introduced to my elective of digital environments. Which was good. I have set up a blog especially for this part of the course and this kind discussion aptly named POSITIVE NON POSITIVE: http://positivenonpositive.blogspot.com/
Here is the DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS PAGE
IN RECEIPT: A very thin layer of conventional thermal sensitive material
It has recently been drawn to my attention that most receipts are not printed using ink. The information displayed on most receipt paper is infact transferred onto the 'paper' which is coated with a very thin layer of conventional thermal sensitive material. The information is created by a light (heat) source 'spelling out' the information onto the surface, causing a physical fusion process to take place in the thin thermal sensitive layer part of the surface (e.g. of the receipt paper) where by the areas exposed to the light source melt rapidly and assume a change in pigmentation. The trick lies in the fact that the change in pigmentation only takes place when in liquid state and the heat makes the thermal sensitive layer change phase from solid to liquid. This change is permanent when it cools and re-solidifys, which happens quickly. The faster it cools, the more lasting the effect. The side of the paper with out the coating is left unchanged.
Anyway, this for me was astounding. I had a most exciting day playing with light bulbs, lighters, kettles and this has been right in front of me all along. People bang on about thermal transfer printers all the time and yet no penny dropped. Until now.
Here are some of the results from heat-play. Its very exciting that the backs of all these receipts remains unchanged compared to the difference that appears on the coated side.
Rubbing also marks this paper type because friction creates heat. I would like to get my hands on some massive sheets/rolls of this paper and will read up about something called 'thermochomism', the likes of which exists in mood rings and those mugs that change picture when hot beverage is poured inside. It will be of use to me.
Current Studies of Tommy Hinks
Saw this on Field's blogage. I thought I would paste a mention as I beleve it deserves one. A bit more research for elective perhaps.
Current Work - PhD Studies
I (Tommy Hinks) am currently based in Dublin as a PhD student, working on methods that will make Aerial Laser Scanning a first-class tool for urban modeling.
Click on this for more of the computer-graphic projects of Tommy Hinks in no particular order.
http://csserver.ucd.ie/~thinks/
ELECTIVE: Digital Environments
My elective is digital environments. The progressive emergence of digital technologies over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st is one of exponential growth. If we look back to the 1930's we happen across George Stibitze, researcher at Bell Labs and mathematician (who today is internationally known as one of the fathers of digital computers, but Im sure had he not figured it out, some one else definitely would have.) He devised Boolean logic digital circuits using electromechanical relays as the switching element. (Switching element being the word coined for the component and/or element which is responsible for the transfer of data within or across a network/s. For example, using the electron.) We could probably claim that the work Samuel Morse and his creation of Morse Code were also partly responsible. Similar code related contributions by other mathematicians and logic derived by philosophers and physicists could also be relevant. We could say that they are also collectively responsible for the emergence of the computer.
(Link to Bell Laboratories)
This topic is going to be a very interesting part of my course. Digital information is transfered, stored and understood through the interpretation of two states of an electron: positive and non-positive. Read as 1 and 0 respectively. Thats It!.
Everything in the computer, on the internet, programs, games, digital cameras, mobile phones, other small processors e.g; found in microwaves, washing machines and DVD players. All the information; images and sounds in your lap top/computer/ipod/MP3/any digital device, is just the translation of one of these two states in a sequence (or instruction?) that is interpreted and translated into understandable or meaningful information.
As it stands, I already find it flabbergasting to say the least that the elementary, ordinary matter (such as electrons) that our world is built from can and does exhibit such extraordinary behavior in living plants and beasts.
Down to the functioning of all the bodily systems that make us alive, from the mechanical and chemical digestion of food to the complexity of the nervous system and the consciousness of the brain, charge movement/shift is responsible.
Generally, what we do and what occurs naturally with electrons in the environment is astounding. Of course the creation of the digital environment that we are vaguely familiar with is not apart from this. I needn't elaborate when I remind myself (and yourself) that all things have a bad side as we can expand networks, share data, create and edit music, art and film within digital environments but it is a predominantly tremendous boon to our understanding of the world and the development of the modern culture and creativity that emerges in response to it.
I look forward to what I will be doing later on this year. Another reason why seeing the work of Field on the opening of the exhibition was so interesting. Ill be looking up some of what other people have been up to once October begins.
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