The Spinner Synth is a MIDI controller made with a piece of scrap wood, a webcam and some tape.
This is what the wheel looks like:
And this is the vision program. The rectangles are drawn by the program, and indicate where the tracks are being sampled:
Source code (for Linux) follows, after the break.
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This system is designed to impose a sense of immediacy upon critical tasks that have strong, real-life consequences but unfortunately lack direct visual feedback until it is too late (ie, paying bills on time, submitting applications, etc)
I got up extra early early this morning (but not quite early enough) to watch the sunrise from Mt. Washington. Here is a time lapse video I made of the event:
Technical details after the break.
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I made up a couple of dishes for dinner tonight:
Mustard greens with bamboo shoots and shitake mushrooms
Ingredients:
Mustard Greens
Sliced Bamboo Shoots
Shitake Mushrooms
Green onions
Olive oil
Soy Sauce
Directions:
Soak mushrooms in warm water for ~30 mins. Chop mustard greens, separating the stalks from the leaves. Fry mustard green stalks until tender, then add bamboo, sliced shitake mushrooms and chopped green onion. Turn repeatedly, then add mustard green leaves. Sprinkle on soy sauce, and cook until greens are nicely wilted.
Verdict: Good, but lacking a unifying flavor.
Spicy tofu with green beans
Ingredients:
Firm Tofu
Green Beans
Garlic (~two cloves)
Large Jalapeño Pepper
Garlic Pepper Sauce
Fish Sauce
Olive Oil
Directions:
Snap ends off of green beans. Fry chopped garlic, whole green beans and sliced jalapeño in pan. When the beans are cooked, remove and fry diced tofu, adding fish sauce and chili garlic sauce. When tofu is browned, mix green beans back in and stir.
Verdict: Good! Spicy
Here is a little prototype that I am working on to learn about the shop that I will be building my installation in. I used a few pieces of scrap wood and some wire to attempt to make an articulating tower. I think that if I revisit this concept, I will need to find some uninsulated wire so that it doesn’t get bound up in the wood so easily, and I will need to play with the sizes of the components to achieve a better motion profile.
Oh, I know there are some toys/other things that use this concept, but I can’t think of what they are called. If you know of some, I would appreciate some leads.
What would the lamp say if it could talk? Will it share it’s deepest secrets with you? Spread gossip about the appliances next door? Do you have to whisper reassuring words to it at night, because it is afraid of the dark? If only there were a way for one to find out…
There it stood, reaching out through the grit and rubble of the tired city, offering a ray of hope to a forgotten soul.
Special thanks to Jen for lending me a… er, helping out.