Ravenelle

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RAVENELLE.NET

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.

 

Recipe for Second Life Event Seating

 

 

Who here has ever had to set up for event seating in Second Life?

Lots of us have had to do it and there are some practical reasons to do this but I'm bored...event seating as we typically know if it boring and I'll say it..yes I will say it..it's lame.  I do confess that during my time as a professional developer in Second Life I built seating like this, and it nearly killed me, and while I did attempt to make interesting seating I am afraid my old bench seats are as boring as the next guys.

First here is the recipe for typical:

1.) Make some benches

2.) Put sit mats down

3.) Make the camera face toward the stage

4.)Evenly space out the seats forward, back and side to side

5.) Make the sit pose one of the standard 6 available copy enabled  sits from Second Life animators (yes we also need more copy/trans enabled sits for SL builder, but due to the large number of jerk faces who resell the anims as stand alone when the animator clearly asks you don't do this..SL animators find this market less lucrative, thus those freaking resellers drive down the market compulsion for an animator to do such products)

6.) Have someone come through to make sure you have perfectly lined up the seats and that they work as intended (problem being the intended is terribly boring)

 

 

Beautiful Presentation area built by me, but in hindsight it's rather boring although stunning..

 

Here is the new cool recipe for event seating:

1.) Tear out any benches and get some couches, clouds, mushrooms, cats with a tray to sit on, thrones, just a pose ball no actual "chair" (kind of free in the air type of thing)

2.) Don't line them up, instead cluster them, turn them, flip it upside down

3.) Use original poses/animations/make them dance, scratch their knee, stick their tongues out...get creative

4.) Have optional places to be at the event where the resident can use their own animations. Many of us in SL have over rides that we've spent a lot of time putting together and also don't trust you to do a cool enough job of seating us in the most awesome way. This is okay, it's okay to give up that control to the individual. Second Life is a good place to express individuality and creativity, provide a simple outlet for it, be considerate.

5.) You should still make sure you use a force camera view to the stage upon sit.

6.) USE CLICK ACTIONS (if you do not know what this is please see this video)

7.) Have someone come through and check your seats, make sure your sits do work as intended and no one is sticking half butt deep into their chair or their leg is going through the back of the next guy.

BUT BUT, we are a serious new media business, school, leading edge...insert whatever but you aren't cool if you line up a bunch of benches and force people to sit like drones and it's definitely not leading edge of serious in world Second Life design.  Serious doesn't have to mean boring and you don't need your audience all animated to pick their nose..although that would be pretty funny, but I don't advocate that (but if you do , do that I want to see, please send a TP)

 

Oh, I am feeling much better now, sometimes a blog post comes and I have to let it out, this was one of those. I thank you for your time and I thank you for your consideration in trying my new recipe for good event seating.

If you have a super awesome, event venue with interesting seating, I would REALLY love to see it. I will celebrate your awesome and point everyone to your example.

Example of somewhat creative underwater classroom/lecture seating area built by me.

 

"But but BUT WAIT, clearly you don't understand about events Ravenelle" said the Butt Guy. "this can't work for our need, we have special boring persons needs and are afraid to try something new or be different from the others"

 

But Guy, I do understand, and let me assure you  I've set up and had events set up for dozens of events in Second Life. I've been a resident for going on six years and attended many types of events from snore fests to rockin live music. 

Make the attendees feel comfortable, make them feel part of the event. People love to take pictures and shots of avatars lined up in a row makes you look stiff and traditionally uninteresting. In world photography goes outside of Second Life and all those shots of your event are also your advertising.

Just being in Second Life isn't enough you need something special and this is a simple recipe for some special, add a dash to your next event that you would traditionally line up people on benches for and see how it goes.

If you need help I'm only an IM a way and I'll come over and take a look at what you have going on, or help you brainstorm ideas if I have time.  I've done and led more professional builds in Second Life than any other resident and I am fully qualified in the fun, creative department as well.

I want to see you succeed even if it's just for selfish reasons that I don't want to come to your event and sit on a bench, knees together, back straight.

Spore: Is it time yet? ok...how about now?

EA and Maxis Announce That Spore Has Gone Gold

Long-Anticipated Game from Gaming Luminary, Will Wright, is Complete and in Production; Hits Store Shelves September 7

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2008--The wait is almost over! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Maxis today announced that Spore(TM), the most anticipated video game of the year from the creator of The Sims(TM), has gone gold and will be available for the Mac and PC at retailers September 5 in Europe and September 7 in North America and Asia Pacific. Spore(TM) Creatures for Nintendo DS(TM) and Spore(TM) Origins for mobile phones will also be available globally September 7.

I better get it to ordering, September 7 is right around the corner.

Here is a video I made while trying out the Spore Creature Creator.