Budget Cuts and Cyborgs
Our trip to the ROM gave us a bit of an insight into the world outside of Interactive Multimedia. Seems as much as you would like, you can’t always have the most innovative technology, but that’s OK by me. The best software out there is open source anyways. Though they may not have the funding, they still have the possibility of being pioneers. They are doing pretty interesting things with the technology they have available to them, such as their digital gallery. Always researching new technologies, open source or otherwise, and being able to take as much from that technology as possible is an interesting proposition. Especially considering the state of Flash AS3 these days and the amount of shared code out there, we almost have limitless possibilities with not so limitless funds.
Think of things such as papervision3D, these AS3 classes provide us with easy to use 3d graphics and modeling, and its free. Even physics engines are easy to come by in the flash coding world. It may be a good idea for the ROM to look into Flash as a possible option for further development, if they haven’t already.
Now our next visit brought us into almost the complete opposite situation. Instead of using technology for its intended purpose, Steve Mann takes current technology and provides himself with a whole different reality to experience. He has been called the world’s first cyborg, due mainly to the fact that he utilizes a wearable computer that allows him to see the world differently than the rest of us, often referred to as mediated reality.
Here is a video explaining a bit about Mann’s mediated reality.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=stuB17YXTeI
Aside from being the world first cyborg, Mann is also an inventor in a more entertaining field. He has created a musical instrument he refers to as the hydraulophone. Similar to a flute, the hydraulophone creates sound by blocking passages on the device, but unlike the flute, it is powered by water instead of air. He describes his creation as bringing the final state of matter (liquid) into the musical society. These hydraulophones have been set up as centerpieces for educational institutions or simply at water parks as a musical toy. For more information on the hydraulophone, visit his site here.
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