Appropriating New Technologies

Friday 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, Spring 2012

Office hours starting Wednesday at 1:30 pm

Course Description

What do you want your world to look like? This class will focus on creating the future by appropriating new technologies with openFrameworks. openFrameworks is a C++ toolkit designed by a global community of media artists, with an emphasis on real time interaction. Because it's C++, it provides an easy bridge to a huge variety of low level tools like OpenCV and FaceTracker -- which makes it easier to develop otherwise impossible projects, like the EyeWriter, or to explore cutting-edge ideas like real time face substitution. In this class, we'll work with technologies surrounding face tracking, eye tracking, 3d scanning, computer security, privacy, and sharing. We'll spend a lot of time understanding the intricacies of openFrameworks, with the goal of creating seamless, mind-blowing experiments, installations, and performance pieces that hijack new technologies to create the future we want to see. Prerequisites: A deep love for code, an intense passion for democratization of technology, and the ability to geek out when necessary. Or, at least, Introduction to Computational Media. This two-point course will meet in the first seven weeks of the semester.

Mailing List and IRC

Outside class discussion will be held on the mailing list.

In class, we will keep a backchannel on IRC at #appnewtech on irc.freenode.net. If you don't have an IRC client, I recommend Colloquy, or using the Freenode webchat.

Schedule

This is just an overview. For more information about each week, including student-contributed information, see the class wiki.

Week 1: January 27

We'll look at a lot of examples of appropriation to get a feeling for how the class will go.

Week 2: February 3

This week we're going to talk about faces: detection, recognition, and tracking.

Week 3: February 10

All about 3d: scanning, interaction, visualization.

Week 4: February 17

Glitches, and appropriating failure.

Week 5: March 2

Eye tracking and gaze estimation, blink detection.

Week 6: March 9

Week 7: March 23

Assignments and Grading

There will be assignments given at the end of the first four weeks, and a final project for the last two weeks.

In order to pass the class, students must complete the assignments, the final project, and attend class. A student will fail if they miss more than one class, miss more than one assignment, or fail to present a completed final project.

In order to receive feedback, the assignments must be handed in before the following class. Late assignments are completely acceptable, but they will not receive feedback.