#so my friend and i replicated it in a cog building | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mi5019tomberry · 3 months

Text

Video Ideas

youtube

With the coffee video above as a point of reference for this project, I scribbled out a couple of visual ideas about this project. Then to get a better understanding of what I liked about the coffee visuals, I briefly analysed the progression of the video some the stylisation to each drawing which acts as visual entertainment and symbolic/literal representations of what is being discussed. I need my own symbols to be a little more abstract as that is the nature of this module, I want to experiment and explore shape and iconography and play around with repetition, shapes and transitions to get a short punchy video about AI. I need to keep things simple with enough room to play around until I can find a happy medium between practicality and creativity so that I end up with a finished product that I like.

Kurzgesagt is another channel with engaging colourful visuals and I will draw inspiration from the harmony between the bright animation and the calm curious voice-over. I don't have access to voice-overs myself so I could try it myself, find a friend or use AI, I haven't decided yet as whatever I decide upon can play into the tone of the video - silly VS serious or both.

Some more ideas I was playing around with, I was taking a bit too many notes and started leaning into narrative too much and which takes away from the abstract visuals that are the core premise of this project. I need to find fun trippy methods to transition between each visual subject guided by the narration and sound effects to explore the topic of AI either from my own perspective or that of the artist or an average Joe.

youtube

I am aiming for a light-hearted somewhat informative style of video so I want to replicate in some ways the TV static and old fashioned radio voice in training videos from decades ago. The video above is a satire of the same style of video focused around surviving in the apocalypse with a little character guided by a narrator. Again, I don't want a character to be the focus and instead want to maintain a fluidity of motion all of which is guided by sound and music.

youtube

For the projection side of things, I need to figure out a way to give it that vintage educational video aesthetic so once I have animated a clean version of the video, I will need to rough it up with TV static, grain etc... I want to go for an old cathode ray tube style or as if it was made using film to give it a more interesting visual aesthetic. I may use some of the tutorials above but I have not looked deeply into this side of things yet however I do know that I will need to try and build my own old fashioned TV out of cardboard or find an old cheap TV that I could play it on.

youtube

For this project I am aiming to make something that incorporates stylistic elements from similar videos to the one above and also the motion graphics feel of the coffee video.

I started thinking about the limitations of the project because that is where I have messed up in the past; there is only a small window of time for me to make this animation and the duration cuts short any detailed expansion. Topics need to be covered in brief aided by visuals fast paced dialogue and visuals. Just to get a judgement of the depth of my dialogue, I counted the words in the coffee video which came to 109 words in 34 seconds; concise narration is crucial if I am adding narration.

There's a lot of similarity between these shapes for simple transitions of key topics of this video:

Robotics = Cog

AI = OpenAI logo

Earth & Humanity = Globe

Digital Humanity = Digital Globe

Whilst searching for that iconography I found out about The Noun Project which has 5,000,000 icons for different topics which could be essential building blocks that I can expand upon when trying to represent complex themes with simple geometry.

#Youtube

0 notes

tom-hollands-eyelash · 6 years

Text

Don’t Forget Us (Peter Parker X Stark!Reader) Part 4

Summary: What would happen if you were Tony Starks daughter and could lift Mjölnir.

Word count: 1,710

A/n: I’ve had this idea for a while now and I can’t wait to share it with you guys! Please leave feedback, it’s always appreciated.

MY TAGLIST FOR THIS STORY IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED!

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

***

“Here you go captain, pastrami on rye pushed down real flat.” Peter said handing the hooded man a plastic bag as they walked out of the deli shop.

“Delmar’s.” Steve said looking up at the sign behind head. “Really?”

“Best sandwiches in Queens.” Peter said back proudly.

“Sub haven is pretty good too.”

“Eh. Too much bread.” The teenager said shrugging his shoulders.

“I like bread.” The super soldier said unwrapping his sandwich and looking down at the web head. “And does it normally take 20 minutes?”

“No. Not normally.”

“Sub Haven never takes that long.” The super solider said smirking as he was getting ready to take a bite out of his sandwich.

Peter lifted his hands in defense as he turned around to face Steve and start to walk backwards “look all in saying is-“

“WATCH OUT!” Steve said pushing the young hero out of the way of a flaming, flipped over black SUV that almost squished the spider themed avenger.

“Whoa that was a close one! Thank you Mr. Captain America sir.” Peter said as he got up and dusted himself off.

“It’s not a problem kid.” Steve said chuckling a little bit as he saw the boy look at him with admiration. Steve then lifted his gaze from the arachnid hero to look around to get a sense on what and how what just happend happend. “What do you think ha-“ the super solider cut himself off when he saw that Peter’s admiration for him was gone and instead was replaced with worry. “Parker what’s wrong? What is it?”

“You brought your shield right?”

“Yeah it’s in the car why?”

“You might want to get it.” Peter said before he ran into an allyway and began to strip and change into his skintight suit.

When Peter came back his hunch spidey sense was right. Steve Rodgers is in danger and fighting a man with a metal arm and half his face covered, Steve’s shield lodged into the trunk of a blue grayish van while dodging a knife.

Peter starting running towards the fight and fired his webs at a nearby building and landed on the shoulders of the masked cyborg. The man stopped trying to attack Steve for a second giving the solider the upper hand and punching the man in the black mask in the face. While Peter used his web to tie around the man in black’s hand and neck to prevent him from throwing Peter off of his shoulders and losing his knife in the process. It worked for a second until Steve ran over to get his shield and the solider in black threw Peter into a car. The cyborg was walking towards Steve and pulled out another knife from his back. “Mr. Rodgers he has another knife watch out!” Peter called out just as Steve was turning around just in time to block the attempt at a stab in the back. Steve stepped back to avoid getting his throat sliced open and hit the masked man in the stomach with his shield. The man with the metal arm retaliated as he brought his fist up, while holding the knife and swung it at Steve, who brought his shield up to block the punch. The cyborg dropped the knife to his free hand and swung it at Steve, but gave the old man an opening and punched him in the abdomen causing the solider in black to drop his knife and stumble backwards. Which gave Steve the opportunity to run up to him, grab his face and non metal arm and flip him onto his back; causing the long brunette haired solider to lose his mask and turn around.

“Bucky?” A confused and shell shocked Steve Rodgers asked.

“Who the hell is Bucky?” Bucky asked again just as he did with Y/N and started walking over to the confused solider who was once his friend before he heard new orders from Ursula in his ear piece.

“You’ve been compromised. Come back now.”

“But-“

“No buts! The only butt I want is yours back here. NOW!”

Bucky took one last look at the man who he use to call friend. The man who he consoled when his parents died. The scrawny kid from Brooklyn who never ran from a fight. The man whom he followed into war. The man who was now his enemy, his mission. And reluctantly turned away, he wanted to finish his mission but he didn’t want to face an even worse wrath of Ursula then he already would be facing and just left without saying a word.

Steve came out of his shock and ran over to Peter who was still on his back in the side of the now crushed car.

“Who was that sir?” A groggy Peter asked.

“Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. An old friend.” Steve said sorrow laced every word.

“If he’s your friend, then why did he just try to kill you?” Peter asked as he dusted himself off for the second time that day.

“It must’ve been HYDRA. And that means if Bucky is still alive then-“ Steve’s eyes widened at the realization.

“Then what? What happened?” Peter asked.

“We need to get back to Stark. Now!”

—

“I think it’s time for Y/N to see her family again after all these years. Don’t you?” She chuckled.

“Shouldn’t we have her go to the lab and get injected with the perfected serum first?” The doctor asked Ursula.

“No!” She snapped. “That girl will have tests ran on here by those morons in capes if she’s caught!” Ursula yelled pointing towards the door that Otto took you through. “That’s why, we didn’t do a complete memory wipe for her like we did to the Sargent.” Ursula’s dark red colored lips were pulled into a smirk as she thought back to the videos of the making of ‘The New Fist of HYDRA’. All the sounds of pain and anguish coming from his lips was music to her ears.

“Do you really think she will still be worthy?”

“Yes. See the thing about the hammer of Odinson, is once you’re worthy, you’ll always be worthy. And if that scrawny little girl can lift it and Steve Rodgers, THE biggest pain in HYDRA’s ass, couldn’t. Then she just must be special.”

“Will we send her out soon?” The doctor asked changing the subject.

“Yes. We will.” She said turning her back to the man “doctor?” She asked as she looked down at his control panel to see pictures of the Avengers.

“Yes Ms. Ursula?” The man in the lab coat said.

“How recent are these photos?” She asked as her eyes focused on one photo in particular.

“The ones on the control panel are from about 10 minutes ago. May I ask why miss?”

The femal HYDRA agent smirked as she picked up a photo. It was a photo of a young boy not much older than Y/N, running into a Queens deli shop and with a poorly disguised Steve Rodgers in a blue hoodie and sunglasses. “I just thought it was time for our favorite Ghost makes a little visit to an old friend.” The HYDRA agent smirks as she uncrosses her arms and picks up the photo chuckling. “Oh and send our new soldier into combat training with Prisoner #66990”

“But she won’t stand a chance! She’ll be knocked out within a couple of minutes.”

“That’s what I’m planning on.” Ursula said as the sides of her dark red lips were pulled into a smirk.

—

“Bucky’s alive!” Steve said as he and Peter walked into the compound to be met with the man he was looking for, Tony Stark.

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

“He was my friend when we fought HYDRA back in World War II.”

“Oh wait was that the guy who fell off the train?”

“Yeah and died, or so I thought.” Steve said sadly.

“I’m sorry, but are you sure it was him?”

“Yes! Think I’d know if was my b-”

“Wait a minute!” Peter said walking from behind the blonde solider. “What if when Bucky supposedly died back in 1945, HYDRA took him as a P.O.W and messed with his brain; forcing him to become some sort of assassin for them.” Peter stopped and looked around the room to be met with an intrigued Steve Rodgers and Tony Stark, their eyes pushing him to continue. “And if they kept Bucky a secret for all this time, who’s to say that they’re not doing the same thing with Y/N? They took away someone who meant a lot to Mr. Rodgers before, maybe they’re doing it again but to Mr. Stark this time? You know? Hitting you were it hurts the most?”

“That does make the most sense Tony” Steve said crossing his arms. “A lot of people would like to either see your head on a silver platter, or see Stark Industries burn, with you in it.”

“Even though that does make sense, if they ‘want to hit me where it hurts’ wouldn’t they take one of my suits and try to replicate it? Why take Y/N?” Tony said walking across the room to sit down and think, causing the room to become deathly silent while the other two Avengers try to read the inventor’s facial expression as they could practically see the cogs turning in Tony Stark’s brain.

“Mr. Stark I’m sensing a heat signature in the elevator on its way up to you” F.R.I.D.A.Y’s Irish voice rang out startling Peter.

“Who is it?” Tony confusedly asked the A.I. as he got out of the seat he just took.

“I can’t tell. I’m afraid they’re to injured.” The A.I. replies. As if on qué the elevator sings letting the three men know, that they were about to meet the mystery person. The doors opened and out they came. Their face, chest, and arms were covered in dark dried blood, hair was like a bird’s nest including the leaves and twigs. And their breathing was so heavy and erratic they sounded like they had just ran and won a marathon.

“Y/N?” The three men said in unison before you collapsed.

Part 5

Permanent taglist:

@morgannope @itsmyfuneralokay @ladysergeantbarnes @fandomsfavorite @andreuskystuff @my-foot-pussy @huffleshufflebitch @what-thefrick-frack @spider-mendes @bosslibrarian123 @smexylemony @lemirabitur @inlovewithmobtom

Don’t Forget us taglist:

@nerdofthehighestcalibre @marauders-trash-forever @wow-thatsnice @ixchel-9275 @bbangtanpink @darlingbanshee @mamb625 @drabblequeen @littlemissendlessdreamer @spideymood @tommyhoe @starshipofhope @angelface1927 @made-of-kevlar @xblackbeak-witchx @irondad-spiderson-duo @thanosismybitxh @livelifecaerazy @slythxr @helloilovethemcu @thefooolonthehill @maybeidontwannachooseaname @omalleysreads @hollandcentral @multifandomshitblog @starkviibes @pearletstrixya @southsidesweetheart @creation-magician @nightynightnyx @i-luv-doggos @espacioytiempo @greenarrowhead @spnsoap @strangerthanpluto @m4shtyx @lourdesamanda @h4lfaheart @notyoursterotypicalnerd @feelingsareharddd @maddieisaacs @soccerstud004

Peter Parker taglist:

@lexi-laz @peterfuckingbenjaminparker

166 notes · View notes

qscvgyum · 3 years

Text

traditional performance

We instituted a traditional performance review process and people hated it, including us." His employees found once a year reviews out of synch with their lives. Bus. Audience interactive comedy is clean, but that doesn't mean it's not hilarious. Configurations. Actually, I have all sorts of heated socks and slippers to get me through the winter as well as electric blankets as well as other types of heated and thermal wear. A more recent study conducted at the University of New South Wales (Australia) reported that Mens JORDAN Hoodie a group of women who took part in a 20 minute HIIT program of eight second sprints followed by 12 seconds of rest lost six times more bodyfat than a group that did steady state cardio for 40 minutes at 60% MHR. “As you wish,” she sighed. The driver of the car, state police Sgt. If I am killed or my blood is shed, surely she won’t step over our barrier, perhaps over my corpse, and stand at the altar beside the son of my murderer, like the daughter of that king (do you remember in the book you learnt to read out of?) who rode in her chariot over her father’s body? And, besides, if it comes to a duel, our princes won’t care for the marriage themselves. He risks all for the quick kill. They came upon a stable. Oh I just love him. You can biciclete rusesti vechi also get advice from your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Firefighters in Rifle hoisted a massive American flag between two ladder trucks over the roadway into town. Finer particles may reach the gas exchange region in the depths of the lungs, where removal mechanisms are less efficient. “Swords, bows, daggers. A thin pinstripe runs along the length of the truck with pantofi sport cu scai barbati a red and gold "FX2 Sport" insignia adorning the rear haunches. Some people don't have that nike air max thea atomic pink mentality, but I do, I'm trying to break something on your ass. You also can use some dumbbells.. He had other sons but had never tasted Arbor gold. NO NO NO don't start this is what the law was going to force businesses to do. Like a dream come true, Aponte said. Each of the Nine Free Cities had its bank, kimono long femme grande taille and some had more than one, fighting over every coin like dogs over a bone, but the Iron Bank was richer and more powerful than all the rest combined. Composting a ton of food , so Compost Cab would need to collect and compost 330 tons of food yearly to be carbon neutral. She knew how Harrenhal had fallen. John lived on the West Coast and was a real estate agent who did pretty well in the dot com bull market trading stocks until the market met its maker. He got more and more drunk, and became very maudlin, almost lachrymose. There is no doubt when you play basketball that you are getting some benefit from it. You fools are so fortunate to assemble and worship your delusional invisible master without threat of death, yet you show disrespect and disdain for your very own ancestors who sacrificed paving the way for your legal protection and rights. If so, Obara’s return to the hall must have been vinegar in the wound. I think that why tap really spoke to me the most because I felt like I could be so free. We must speak quite frankly; talk till we reach some conclusion, and I hope that this time you will thoroughly understand me. I like this type of atmosphere."Trahey liked the situation he was in after Robert Iacobelli led off the fifth with a single, Davis Feldman reached base on an error and Nick Plummer loaded the bags with a walk. "I'm just giving my muscles a break between cross country and indoor track and disco duro externo pita luckily I'll be able to still keep building up my endurance before we really get into the nitty and gritty of track," Annie Imhof said. AIR a t pense pour amliorer la vie et le rangement en mini. Petyr Baelish had offered to wed the girl himself, she recalled, but of course that was impossible; he was much too lowborn. “The maid tells it true,” declared a stocky man in white and purple, whose cloak was fastened with a pair of crossed bronze keys. Appropriate to the theater's retrospective sensibility, Guare closed the season with a play, Lake Hollywood, that is simultaneously his newest and one of his oldest.. As usual, I left my crew in the dinner hole while I made the required gas and air checks. He bowed on the same spot where Stalwart Shield had lain in death not long before. Cause I decide to work and get educated while studying. ‘My friends,’ says he, ‘if you know of anything that will make a brother’s heart glad, run quick and tell it; but if it is something that will only cause a sigh, ‘bottle it up, bottle it up!’ O, I often tell my children, ‘Bottle it up, bottle it up!’”. Aldouri Mohammed said the coalition's use of depleted uranium is to blame for the health problems of American veterans. “All day and all gioco cubo di rubik amazon night, might be even longer,” insisted one big, black-bearded archer with a Cerwyn axe sewn on his breast. Was that six years ago, or seven? Summer was a fading memory, and it had been three years since Asha last enjoyed a peach. Compared to Giro's top tier race shoe, the Factress Techlace (which gets a higher grade carbon sole) the Raes is about 40g heavier and considerably oakley m frame ice iridium less expensive (The Factress is $350 on Competitive Cyclist). The Army Academy side took to the field and showed that playing ability, physicality and flair run through all the Army sides and that a true strength in depth exists in Army Rugby League. Momentum kept building as fears grew that owners will seek radical changes in the length and value of nike sb prod x contracts next summer when the league's collective bargaining dolce gabanna adidași bărbații agreement expires. When she left work Thursday, Bogle was wearing a neon yellow shirt, blue jeans and black Air Max shoes with pink on the sides.The sheriff's office says Bogle drives a dark green 2003 Oldsmobile Alero four door. Hunt says the three of them were blessed to be put in a good spot where Gunnar was able to pick on Garver's odor. Leaving Volantis, the cog had sailed within sight of land at first, so Tyrion could gaze at passing headlands, watch clouds of seabirds rise from stony cliffs and crumbling watchtowers, count bare brown islands as they slipped past. The death and destruction at dizzying speeds makes Fast Furious 7 looks like a sedate Sunday afternoon drive.. “My lady.” Theon could not bring himself to call her Arya and dare not call her Jeyne. Haggard and Curtis Huff (55.2); 3, Steve Nord, Sam Davis, Dick Dobkins and Max Hahne (55.4). One of the Freys stepped forward, a knight long and lean of limb, clean-shaved but for a grey mustache as thin as a Myrish stiletto. You can't replicate this moment," his son told the Detroit Free Press. Took it to mean something light, refreshing. Stowe has done much to draw from him those concessions; and the putting forth of this “most invulnerable moral panoply,” that has just come into his head as a bulwark of safety for slavery, owes its impetus to her, and other like efforts.

0 notes

logosapathlos · 6 years

Text

The Taoist idealism

I’ve been tearing through the Zhuangzhi in an effort to keep myself reigned in. Detachment, nothingness. He walks through fire because he feels no heat. In adversity, he reacts calmly and with measure. He walks through ice and feels no cold. He can be the target of countless slander and insults, and he moves steadfastly forward, undeterred, convinced of his own value.

I long to be such a man. But what I end up being is insensitive, and ineffective. My mind skips frequently, and all I can seem to focus on is the people around me. I walk around in a field of gods, moving with certainty and self-surety, confidently doing tasks that my simple mind can barely retain. By all means, the last service industry kitchen job I had was on a new medium: food truck. But any meager talent I had managed to accrue at cooking in my years of absurdly low-volume country cooking I had was squashed flat by the mechanical precision of a corporate high volume kitchen. Build charts, mass personnel to efficiently split tasks. I functioned better as a cog, in that way. The food truck is none of that, and proved my continuing poor physical condition and also my lack of skill to be a functional waitstaff. As well, I could not retain the builds in my mind, irrespective of cause.

Now I’ll be checking groceries out. I have achieved a small success by someone’s recommendation (yet again) and the only way I can possibly think to keep it afloat is to have no friendships there whatsoever. But it is already too late. I cannot land a job on my own merit, because I have none. I am someone who barely frauded his way through a simple career with low expectations while he sat and stared at how much it hurt to keep alienating the women I loved because of this persistent shortcoming. It has proved a foolish hobby, and now I am so programmed to grief that my mind seems entirely capable of little else than these self-involved moments of clarity and processing Youtube content. Other than that, I have no desire to be anything. Every thing I try I am ill suited for, and even these ‘low concept’ jobs are too much for me and that is because I don’t know my function and never bothered to teach myself one. My only function is to try and comprehend the relationship I maintain with the people immediately in contact with me, dreading the moment that I somehow mishandle something too far and alienate them, which I never fail to do. A lot of it has to do with my ability to hold functional work, and I can’t make excuses for that anymore. I can offer no defense as to why I didn’t apply for the gas station at the corner alongside all those Icarian goals of a tech job like my friends have. I should have known better, and even when I thought of it I didn’t do it. I was so sure the desired result would come. Arrogant. I lost sight of The Course. And now this chance is cascading down around my ears again, and cost me several very meaningful connections. It would be a shame to lose an arm, or a foot, or my eyes. But alienating people with my failure is something I dread, and it happens with startling regularity. But I know that regularity is because of my only reliable, replicable talent is my ability to involve myself in some circumstance that assures it won’t be sustainable. I have lost The Course.

0 notes

mindthump · 7 years

Photo

Kano's Pixel Kit is a charming introduction to coding http://ift.tt/2t9SBWu

We all know the importance of code. It's the backbone of computing, the internet and so much else we come into contact with on a daily basis. But learning to code is still a tricky and poorly defined pursuit. I've booted up Codecademy a few times, only to try a couple of courses and realise I have no idea what I'm doing. For people like me — of which I suspect there are many — what's the next step? How do you go about grappling with this seemingly foreign and impenetrable language? Maybe, just maybe, the answer is a colorful Kano Pixel Kit.

Crack open the box and you'll find an assortment of colorful, approachable parts inside. The centerpiece is a custom board developed by Kano which houses a processor, a removable battery and microSD card, with three USB ports and one micro-USB slot for power/recharging. On one side is a grid of tiny lights that shine through a click-together transparent case. A Lego-esque booklet takes you through the construction process, which is fairly straightforward due to the limited number of parts. Attach a tiny joystick, a couple of buttons, a mode dial and voila! You're ready to code simple applications that come to life through the light board's LEDs.

A history lesson

The Pixel is something of a successor to the build-it-yourself computer kit Kano funded through Kickstarter in 2014. That first product was built around the Raspberry Pi, offering a child-friendly introduction to the fundamentals of programming. Each box came with a board, a case, a wireless keyboard for typing commands, a speaker for sound, an SD card for storing projects and all of the cables you might need for power and connectivity.

Once assembled, the user could boot up Kano OS, a version of Debian Linux that included a bright, cheery interface and educational apps. These taught you to make and "remix" classic video games such as Snake and Pong. With the former, you would learn how to change the size of the board and the number of lives at your disposal. In the latter, you would tweak the color of the paddles and the speed of the ball following a collision. The computer also shipped with a lightweight version of Minecraft that, long before Microsoft showed an interest in the game as an educational tool, came with some basic but nevertheless engrossing challenges centered around code.

Learning to manipulate light

The Pixel kit is a slightly different concept. It's a physical device that you build, like the Kano, but then manipulate using a separate computer. All of your code is "written" and managed in the free Kano app for Macs and PCs. The software is a huge improvement over Kano OS, with cleaner, simpler iconography and menus. It's also faster, in no small part due to the hardware it's running on (in my case, a relatively new MacBook Pro.) The Kano-developed challenges still revolve around a series of puzzle-like pieces, which you pull from a list and slot together in different ways. Every shape represents a function and the app does a decent job of explaining their role within each project.

You're never writing actual code, however. For some, who dream of getting lost in a Matrix-like stream of letters and numbers, this will be a disappointment. But there are good reasons behind the approach. Visual representations are more approachable for beginners and help to illustrate the larger, more fundamental principles that underpin modern programming. All "event" pieces, for instance, are light blue and usually signal the start of a chain reaction. So if you want something to happen as soon as the app launches, or when you press down on the joypad, you need to start with one of these pieces. It's a bold, intuitive piece of signposting that slips into your subconscious with greater ease than garbled words, slashes and dashes.

The challenges slowly increase in difficulty, introducing new ideas only when the previous one has been firmly established and repeated. A text box in the upper left-hand corner explains the logic behind each step, while a yellow dot points to the puzzle piece you need to grab next. If you're impatient, it's possible to ignore the explanations completely and just grab the blocks you need to proceed. At this point, though, Kano's teachings devolve into a game of paint-by-numbers, with little educational value but nonetheless impressive results.

Taking the time to read and digest each step is advantageous. Only by understanding a block's function, and its relationship with everything else it's connected to, can you later manipulate it for yourself. Even if you don't, there's an immense satisfaction that comes from building something and truly understanding its inner workings. It's like an old grandfather clock — simple and mundane at first glance, perhaps, but magical if you've been inside and figured out how all of the cogs fit together.

All of your handiwork, of course, takes physical form through the light board. One challenge teaches you how to create a stop motion animation, which might sound simple but is actually highly expressive given you can draw almost anything on each of the frames. There's a real sense of ownership that makes you want to hold the light board up and show it to a friend, just like you did as a child with crayon drawings. Another challenge ends with a music visualiser that ebbs and flows as you clap, talk or play music nearby. The utility is basic, but takes on new meaning when you've crafted it from scratch and set your favorite Spotify playlist humming in the background.

There's a real sense of ownership that makes you want to hold the light board up and show it to a friend.

Kano's team has managed to strike a tricky balance between complexity and accomplishment. Most of the projects can be completed within half an hour and contain less than a dozen steps. Higher-level projects will leave you with a rainbow-colored grid that sparkles when you clap or snap your fingers; or a tiny video game character that dashes across the screen as you push the Pixel Kit's joystick left and right. It's an addictive breadcrumb trail fueled by a basic leveling system that grants you experience points after each activity, encouraging you to save a project and immediately start the next.

Teaching by example

I question Kano's spoon-fed approach to teaching. It minimizes friction and stops people from giving up, but I wonder if the software would benefit from an extra degree of difficulty. Services like Codecademy often follow their online courses with a test: A digital roadblock that forces you to prove you've understood the class. Kano doesn't do that. It assumes you'll pay attention and pick up the most important programming concepts along the way. The thought, I assume, is that regardless of the ability, users are still working with technology in an interesting way, and that in itself should be considered a victory.

After each activity, I would dive into my block-filled workspace and experiment by changing some of the pieces and their values. I was effectively self-testing and would set myself small goals to gut-check my understanding. At one point, for instance, the app showed me how to make a visualiser that moved from left to right. I wanted one that flowed vertically, however, so I switched out a few blocks and changed a couple of values until it was behaving to my tastes. I wonder how many people will do the same, and whether that sort of experience could've been formalised in the software.

Getting creative

Once you've completed Kano's challenges, you're cut loose to build anything you like. All of the application's tools are available to you, including some rarely touched upon in the set activities. These include external "data" sources, such as weather forecasters, news publishers and even the International Space Station. You can use these however you like, though the obvious application is a breaking news ticker.

Still, the possibilities in this mode are seemingly endless. If you've embraced Kano's courses, there's a good chance you'll be able to dive in and make something, no matter how rudimentary, that works. If you struggled with any of the prior instructions, though, or generally prefer a more guided experience, you might struggle. I think some suggestions or general ideas like 'Make something that will spruce up a party!' would have been a good way to encourage creativity.

Alternatively, you can head to the "All Creations" tab and see what other people have made with their Pixel Kits. Kano gives you two different options: Send to Kit and Remix. The former is perfect for struggling coders like me because it puts the project straight on your light board. There's no need to replicate the creator's work or even try to understand how it was put together. You can simply transfer the project to one of three save slots and see what it looks like immediately. Put simply, you get all of the utility and none of the hassle.

If you want to learn from other people, however, or try to improve their work, you'll want to hit that "Remix" button. Doing so will give you full access to their code, which you can then examine, change and save as a custom creation. It's a valuable feature that should help to extend the Pixel Kit's appeal long after purchase. The community should provide that longevity by pushing Kano's hardware and software in ways the company didn't imagine. Regardless of your skill level, you can then learn from these and improve your own work.

Future promise

Like the original Kano computer, the Pixel Kit was funded on Kickstarter. It was pitched in September last year alongside two additional kits, a camera and a speaker, which offer similar build-and-code experiences. The idea is that all three will work together, using complementary sensors that connect over USB. The Pixel Kit has a tilt sensor, while the Camera Kit comes with a tripwire sensor and the Speaker Kit, a gesture detector. Buy all three and you'll have a colorful collection of add-ons that can be used for downright weird and wonderful projects.

The Pixel Kit was supposed to come out in December, followed by the Camera Kit in May and the Speaker Kit in July. Kano co-founder Alex Klein says the remaining two are still coming, but wouldn't commit to a release date for either. As such, it's hard to recommend the Pixel Kit on the promise of a larger ecosystem. Thankfully, it's still plenty interesting on its own, and I have faith the Kano community will grow and push the limits of the Pixel Kit until its siblings are released.

The bottom line

Kano's Pixel Kit won't teach you how to code -- not in the traditional sense, at least. It will, however, do a stellar job of communicating some of the programming theory that underpins your favorite devices, apps and services. It's a taste, or a glimpse, of what you'll be learning if you decide to dive deeper. The Kit, then, isn't a replacement for premium education platforms like Codecademy, but a bright, modern take on the classic construction kit; one that provides an authentic experience, from the physical assembly to your first line of code. It will delight and entertain, nurturing creativity in a way that outclasses most educational apps and physical computing sets.

The Kit courses are educational, but you won't be a fully trained developer at the end of them.

For some, the Pixel Kit will be a catalyst for further research and learning. If you're not one of these people, however, that's perfectly okay, because the projects are still fun to complete. As such, the light board is a worthwhile purchase at $80/£75, even if you have no aspirations to become a professional programmer. If you want to found the next DeepMind, though, just temper your expectations a little. The Kit courses are educational, but you won't be a fully trained developer at the end of them.

#IFTTT #Feedly #tech

0 notes

nebris · 7 years

Text

The Individual and The Hive

“Liberal Humanism had once been a vital force and had changed human affairs for the better. But it inevitably fell victim to the Cult of The Individual and then fractured into ideological factionalism, individual narcissism and intellectual decadence. Its absolute rejection of Hierarchy doomed it to impotence.” a quote from “Apéritif á La Tour Rouge”, a Sisterhood short story. The Cult of The Individual is clearly the predominant theme of the Modern Era. And it is a Lie. Here is the ineffable Adam Curtis speaking upon it in a UK Guardian article: "The way power works in the world is: they tell you stories that make sense of the world. That’s what America did after the Second World War. It told you wonderful dreamlike stories about the world … And at that same time, you were encouraged to rise up and 'become an individual’, which also made the whole idea of America attractive to the rest of the world. But then this very individualism began to corrode it. The uncertainties began in people’s minds. Uncertainty about 'what is the point of being an individual?’ The politics of our time are deeply embedded in this idea of individualism, which is far wider than Westminster [the British seat of government], consumerism or anything like that. It’s how you feel. People think, 'Oh, if it’s within me it must be true.’ But it’s not the be-all and end-all. It’s not an absolute. It’s a way of feeling and thinking which is a product of a particular time and power. The notion that you only achieve your true self if your desires, your dreams, are satisfied … It’s a political idea. That’s the central dynamic of our life.” And this is a more somber comment by a Susan W. in Morris Berman’s blog: “So much of our lives in America are compartmentalized it does result in loneliness. The way our communities are set up isolate us and make social interaction stilted. There’s not much spontaneity and people don’t know how to break this cycle and with 24 hour/day TV, the internet, long commutes and loss of real public space the soul continues to be drained out of Americans. It takes effort to see friends and build a social network that is comprised of real flesh-and-blood people rather than “profiles.” Both Huxley and Orwell recognized this process of dehumanizing people even though they saw the causes differently.” The Cult of The Individual is used by The Powers That Be to utterly dis-empower The Individual and it is my depressing opinion that most in The West, especially my fellow Americans, shall never escape that trap. A chap who calls himself Laszlo Q. V. St-J. Xalieri - a nom-de-blog I expect - speaks of this in his essay The Parable of The Hive, to wit: “The hive decides who gets to mate with whom and under what circumstances. The hive decides who gets the best food, the choicest real estate, and the cushiest jobs. The hive decides how you live and how you die. The hive decides what you eat for breakfast… The hive is an invasive species composed entirely of information, of narrative, that exists only for its own benefit, that nurtures individuals — or the opposite — in proportion to how the individual benefits the hive. It is in the best interests of the hive to teach you sacrifice. To make you accept it completely. The hive, by means of sacrifice and pooling resources, can survive when individuals would fare poorly. Individuals die, but society is preserved… It has predators and parasites. It has fake members that are immune to the narrative, that masquerade as valuable, favored cogs, that pervert the rudimentary defenses to foil and destroy the drones that would root them out. They insinuate themselves into the supply chains to bleed off resources for personal hoards, for prime real estate, for breeding privileges. They pervert the narrative itself to set themselves up as gods. What are the choices here? 1. To ensure survival as much as possible by making yourself invaluable to the hive, but, in the end, putting your fate in the hands of the hive and its narrative. 2. To reject the narrative entirely and live outside of the hive to the greatest extent possible, live and let live, but outside of the hive’s protections and occasionally running afoul of the hive’s defenses. 3. To become a predator/parasite, competing with other parasites for your share of hoarded resources and privileges by your own attempts to co-opt a portion of the narrative. 4. Erect a counter-narrative and create a hive that competes with or even preys upon the old hive, or perhaps establishes a symbiotic relationship with it via an exchange of resources or favors. Once you are aware of the hive, and its narrative, and the predators and parasites that prey on it, your choices are very limited. Keep your head down, try to escape, put up a fight, or autolysis. What will you choose?” What most in The West choose, especially my fellow Americans, is to operate in a gray zone between the first and second choices, thinking/believing that they are in a form of the second paradigm - but utterly in Denial that they are part of The Hive aka the myth of “Rugged Individualism” - while functionally operating fully in the first paradigm. That is the Tea Party mentality in a nutshell. Hipsters on the other hand are more aware of this, but blow it off with Irony. The shrinking and increasingly desperate Middle Classes tend to go for the first paradigm full bore, though still remaining largely in Denial about how thoroughly assimilated they actually are. Wall Street, the New Rich, et al have taken the third paradigm - the 'predator/parasite gods’ - to its insane extreme and will likely be the death of The Hive because of that. But such is inherent to the 'narrative’ of The Individual, its unavoidable Poison Pill, “Screw you, Jack; I got mine.” So then, what is the point of being an 'individual’? What Purpose does your life have beyond 'satisfaction of desires’, many of which are not even really your own? These questions invariably bring us to The Sisterhood and where it stands in all of this. Obviously we pick Door #4, “Erect a counter-narrative and create a hive that competes with or even preys upon the old hive, or perhaps establishes a symbiotic relationship with it via an exchange of resources or favors,” though we shall reverse the order by initially “establishing symbiotic relationship with it via an exchange of resources or favors,” and then subsuming the 'Old Hive’ entirely. “The central strategy here is The Viral Meme, the Idea that is so compelling and dynamic that that is spreads like wildfire. That Idea exists; a entirely new and modern form of Matriarchy. Our task is to create that Idea as a Practical Reality, a Practical Reality that becomes the microcosm of this new society, a Practical Reality that is vital, replicable, adaptable, and then plant it in the societies that presently exist. In many places, it shall flourish and expand. In some places, it will struggle and even be extinguished. But if we do our work effectively and remain true to both the practical goals and the Spiritual vision of this New Matriarchy, we will grow into and absorb even the most hostile social orders.” from The Temple’s Mission Statement. In the meantime we must operate in the third paradigm until we are stronger, as “a predator/ parasite, competing with other parasites for your share of hoarded resources and privileges by your own attempts to co-opt a portion of the narrative.” I understand that all this is a bitter pill to swallow. Some of you can likely hear Number Six shouting, “I’m not a number, etc,” in your minds. But that is a delusion at this point. Just pull out your wallet or purse. You are several types of number and by yourself you are powerless. Yes, Worst Fear confirmed. I am offering you a way to change this, my Sisters. It is a radical and even dangerous path and may be even a fool’s errand. But I truly believe that, for the many reasons elaborated upon in Liber Sorores, it is the only viable path out of the present death spiral, because it’s fairly clear the 'Old Hive’ is dying and all the other solutions are either warmed-over versions of the Old Hive’s socioeconomic or some type of neo-feudal reaction, various primitivist 'back to the land’ constructs that would require the extinction of hundreds of millions of humans in order to work. For decades now how many tens of millions of you, my Sisters, have woken up every day to a job you hate? To a life you hate? To feeling trapped and without Purpose? Even if one has the basic necessities of life, lack of Purpose can be Soul killing, a day to day void that slowly but steadily drains the life out of you. And now even the 'basic necessities’ are becoming hard to come by. Simple survival has become 'purpose’. But that is an animal’s life. If you have gotten to this far, you have likely read Liber Sorores in its entirety. You now know The Path Invoked, though you may not yet truly grasp it. To do so means to accept some unpleasant truths about ourselves. As a highly social Predator Species, we are biologically hard wired for Dominance, Submission and Hierarchy. Denial of that state of being is one of the worst and most hypocritical forms of Bourgeois Delusionalism, which is ever about making things Safe and Nice. Of course, being Humans, we make that paradigm very complex and sophisticated and far more subtle than it is in untrammeled Nature. We hide it in Ritual and Lies so that it becomes 'palatable’ to the Masses. But it is there if one looks close and honestly enough at day to day human interaction. Most urban dwellers never look each other in the eye; such is an implicit challenge. I personally have 'taken control’ of many interactions via this simple behavior and without having to establish overt Dominance. Just making steady eye contact often tells the other that I am Strong and Confident, aka Steady and Trustworthy. I have found this to be true even when my Social Status was 'less’ than the person I was interacting with. I quite successfully navigated my way through two years of homelessness doing so. And pointing out that I am a large white male who is attractive, intelligent and articulate merely underscores the power of the paradigm, though many of the techniques I used – such as NLP – are not limited to individuals of that class. But while I did this largely 'on my own’, I never did it as a pure Individual. Early on I became a member of a well respected homeless support organization, always cultivated persons of importance within The System and consistently acknowledged that I knew I was operating within said System, covertly with The Dull and overtly with The Aware. I was always part of a Group. As I said, human Hierarchy is complex, subtle and sophisticated. But have no doubt that it defines us. I have noted that some of loudest denials of this paradigm come from tenured academics – individuals of Authority and Power in a clearly defined Hierarchy – which I’d say sums up our basic dilemma rather neatly. And both ends of the cultural and political spectrum are guilty of this deception, though the Left is rather more self deluded in this regard. The Right tends to simply lie about it, which in turn yields the field, at worst, to Fascist Domination and, at best, making the social order prisoner of Modern Corporate Marketing Culture aka The Hologram, which is all about Safe and Nice. This attitude has been enshrined in The Cult of The Individual, which in turn renders those who internalize said construct ultimately powerless against any Group which seeks Control. The Hive will always defeat The Individual. Most humans will seek Safety and Comfort long before they seek Awareness. That is hard wired as a survival mechanism. Only an elite few have the Willingness and the Courage to become Awake. We are a social species. Hierarchy is in our nature. And Leaders are required. Refusal to accept that will lead only to frustration and failure. If you believe nothing else I tell you, believe that. The Cult of The Individual has crippled us as individuals, leaving us prey to the purposeless greed of The Corporate State. Only a positive overarching Goal for the entire Species can once again create the room for individuals to flourish because such a Goal allows each individual to contribute that which they are best at and are happiest with by removing uncertainly and therefore removing Fear. By knowing the Greater Purpose, each individual knows how and what they can contribute, whether that be in Engineering or in Art or even just sweeping up. All those things have Value. In return, the Social Order gives all its members that which they need to live and the ability to find where they can best be of Service, which is the Highest Good for all. It is only in this manner that The Hive may Serve The Individual as The Individual Serves The Hive and in that both may prosper. And only a Hive of Sisters is capable of doing so.

Liber Sorores: Part Seven – “Summation” [unfinished]

#The Sisterhood

0 notes