Feeling Welcome in Toronto...

Thesis Thursdays. I've decide to update and work once a week on Thursdays, since I've got no class. It's a good day for me to take a break and run some errands, but also to settle down and think about life, projects, and what's going on on a greater scale.

That's what I want from this. I want to be able to look back at myself and the skills I've developed so far, and bring them into an opportunity for expression that even I can't imagine. It's in the future. It's not for me to know yet. The most I can do is work towards a goal that is somewhat tangible and let the rest fall into place. Alot has to do with just having faith, is what I've come to accept.

Anyways, Toronto's a blast. People here rule, and I've been getting a great chance to explore and see new places and things. One of my favorite things is starting each day by walking outside my building and seeing lake Ontario, and just smelling the Great Lakes air... Makes me feel like the beach house we stayed at this summer isn't too far away.

Wearable electronics seems like it's going to be pretty interesting. Mostly a place for me to get ideas and explore them as much as possible. Kate Hartman is my teacher, and she just published a new book called 'Making Electronics'. I'm a little torn between her wearables class and another guy, who so I hear makes the course more concentrated around microcontrollers as opposed to how she focuses on how the electronics are worn.

Here's a sketch of the project I'm working on, along with some of the visuals I hope to develop.

The latter seems to be a skill that I need to develop more, however, and I'm thinking I'm just gonna stick with her. Still checking out the other class though.

The main idea behind the visuals right now is a stylized oscilloscope, one based around a short narrative created depending on what cassette is chosen by the audience. Here's an example song of Max and I jamming out to 'Sailboat Voyage'.


Participants will select a cassette from the small selection of tapes, each of which will have a corresponding visual element, or game environment.

Participants would then proceed to play whatever game is created based on the cassette's created setting. For the Sailboat voyage, a small minigame involving a player in the boat, and others as fish in the water.

Another tentative game environment would be based around the idea of immersion and exploration. Definitely inspired by the simplicity of Sanic (check your speakers..). I feel that a game like this explores an area in development that raises question to satire in the form of character iconography. I'm fascinated by that, but also more interested in adopting a simple form in effort to allow music and participant ease of purpose (ie, go for the goal, but if you happen to choose a different option, you are rewarded).