Posted on Jaideep Balekar's blog
Ethnography: Week 2 Results
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Paper Reading #7: Ben Neil and Bill Jones-Posthorn
Authors: Ben Neil, Assisstant Professor of Music, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, NJ
Bill Jones, First Pulses Projects, New York, NY
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems;
Date: April 10-15, 2010;
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
Bill Jones, First Pulses Projects, New York, NY
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems;
Date: April 10-15, 2010;
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
This paper talks about an interactive computer system used in Posthorn, a multimedia composition which is performed on Ben Neil's self-designed instrument, the mutantrumpet. The mutantrumpet is an electro-acoustic instrument with a a wide range of control capabilities. It is essentially the result of previous works merged together. In the 1980s Ben Neil made the acoustic trumpet interactive with electronics. In 1992, under the new name of mutantrumper, the instrument was made to interact with a computer. In 2008, a new version was made that refined and integrated the MIDI controller.
Having gone many modifications, the mutantrumpet primarily works with three computer programs that respond to Neil's playing in real time. After translating pitches and dynamics into MIDI information, the data is sent to all three programs at the same time.
- Lisa, a live sampling program allows Neil to grab samples and modify them using various Digital Signal Processing methods. Earlier samples can also be recalled.
- Ableton, enables neil to trigger and modify the playback of MIDI sequences from the mutantrumpet, and process the audio output of Lisa.
- Modul8 runs on a second computer and translates the MIDI data into real time digital video control. The samples create a set of visual effects.
In summary, Posthorn is an exploration of the expressive possibilites of interactive performance.
Discussion
I had a hard time following this paper, as I am not really music litterate. I also feel that the target audience is music experts. This gives them a tool to use that can enhance their performances. It does seem that this project is a merge of previous works, so the authors have a good grasp of the subject, and the techniques involved. In fact if you read the paper, you feel like you are getting a lot of detailed information.
Book Reading #16 - Opening Skinner's Box
Book Author: Lauren Slater CHAPTER 4: In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing
Summary
Lauren Slater relates the 1964 New York crime in which a woman was stabbed and raped by a man at 3 o'clock in the morning, while witnesses did not intervene. She goes on to explain Darley and Latane's experiments conducted at New York University, to attempt to figure out why nobody intervened to the woman's aid even though they had plenty of time to do so. In their first experiment, Darley and Latane put a student in a room who thought other students had been placed in other rooms. One by one, they were talking about issues they had (The student was actually hearing a tape recording), and at some point you could hear from the tape a student faking a seizure. The goal was to find out whether the student would want to take action and interrupt the experiment. Darley and Latane's experiment confirmed Millgram's experiments, but most importantly showed inaction due to numbers. When in a large group, we are less likely to take immediate action to help someone. The second experiment consisted in putting two students in a room, and while they were filling up a questionnaire, some non lethal gas would be released in the room. When the student who was aiding in setting up the experiment did not react, the other student would not panick and continue filling his questionnaire. This revealed we preferred cues, eventhough we felt like acting otherwise.
Lauren Slater relates the 1964 New York crime in which a woman was stabbed and raped by a man at 3 o'clock in the morning, while witnesses did not intervene. She goes on to explain Darley and Latane's experiments conducted at New York University, to attempt to figure out why nobody intervened to the woman's aid even though they had plenty of time to do so. In their first experiment, Darley and Latane put a student in a room who thought other students had been placed in other rooms. One by one, they were talking about issues they had (The student was actually hearing a tape recording), and at some point you could hear from the tape a student faking a seizure. The goal was to find out whether the student would want to take action and interrupt the experiment. Darley and Latane's experiment confirmed Millgram's experiments, but most importantly showed inaction due to numbers. When in a large group, we are less likely to take immediate action to help someone. The second experiment consisted in putting two students in a room, and while they were filling up a questionnaire, some non lethal gas would be released in the room. When the student who was aiding in setting up the experiment did not react, the other student would not panick and continue filling his questionnaire. This revealed we preferred cues, eventhough we felt like acting otherwise.
Slater finally enumerates the five stages of helping behavior, and explained how people who learned about Darley and Latane's experiments were more likely to help others in the future.
Discussion
The murder Slater relates is quite gruesome, and shocking, but more shocking is the revelation that there were nearly 38 bystanders who did not intervene. Darley and Latane's important experiments gives us some explanation to this inexplicable action, and enlightens us on how we react due to the presence of others.
The murder Slater relates is quite gruesome, and shocking, but more shocking is the revelation that there were nearly 38 bystanders who did not intervene. Darley and Latane's important experiments gives us some explanation to this inexplicable action, and enlightens us on how we react due to the presence of others.
Book Reading #15 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Book Author: Margaret MeadCHAPTER 5: The Girl and her Age Group
Summary
This chapter explains the complex ways in which a Samoan girl relates to the people around her. Until six years of age, there is no problem associating with other groups of children, but after then, the reality of family blood ties, relatives, and rank come into play. This restricts the interactions, a young girl will have, as she establishes her role in the village. A comparision is also made between the girls that go to school and the one that stays in the village. The girl that goes to school will likely have more friends, and consider them to the extent of being relatives. However, once back in the village, its back to customs.
DiscussionThis chapter explains the complex ways in which a Samoan girl relates to the people around her. Until six years of age, there is no problem associating with other groups of children, but after then, the reality of family blood ties, relatives, and rank come into play. This restricts the interactions, a young girl will have, as she establishes her role in the village. A comparision is also made between the girls that go to school and the one that stays in the village. The girl that goes to school will likely have more friends, and consider them to the extent of being relatives. However, once back in the village, its back to customs.
In this chapter, Mead once again does an extensive account of the way a Samoan girl's relationships will evolve as she groes up. We see that it is chiefly determined by her family situation, relatives, and rank.
Book Reading #14 - Design of Everyday Things
Book Author: Donald A. Norman
CHAPTER 4: To Err is Human
Summary
In this chapter, Norman talks about two fundametal categories of errors: slips and mistakes. Slips result from automatic behavior, when subconsciours actions that are intended to satisfy our goals get waylaid en route. Mistakes result from conscious deliberations. Norman then gives us a list of slips, and accounts from colleagues and people making those slips. The types of slips are:
CHAPTER 4: To Err is Human
Summary
In this chapter, Norman talks about two fundametal categories of errors: slips and mistakes. Slips result from automatic behavior, when subconsciours actions that are intended to satisfy our goals get waylaid en route. Mistakes result from conscious deliberations. Norman then gives us a list of slips, and accounts from colleagues and people making those slips. The types of slips are:
- Capture Errors: a frequently done activity takes charge of the one intended
- Description Errors: the intended action has much in common with others that are possible
- Data-driven Errors: Data-driven sensory triggers that cause a different action
- Associative Action Errors: Internal thoughts and associations that trigger us
- Loss-of-Activation Errors: forgetting
- Mode Errors: Devices with buttons, or knows with more than one function
Detection of slips can only take place if there is feedback.
Norman then goes on to explain how people take action based on memory, and the design of forcing functions to cue the user on the next steps to take.
He also alludes to social pressures that make us overlook our gut feelings, and go with another course of action. He cites in particular the example of a plane, or a nuclear power plant.
Discussion
I liked all the accounts from colleagues and people Norman to illustrate the types of slips people have. Error is part of human nature, however, Norman gives practical things one can do to avoid them, or minimize them.
I liked all the accounts from colleagues and people Norman to illustrate the types of slips people have. Error is part of human nature, however, Norman gives practical things one can do to avoid them, or minimize them.
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