:theoreticalplayground.co.uk

VoodooIO is a physical interface which can be constructed, adapted and modified in real-time using a collection of basic controls (Voodoo Pins). The controls are self-contained embedded devices that communicate with a computer via a substrate material, using Pin&Play technology. The controls have pin-like connectors to allow socketless attachment to the substrate material, which acts as a power supply and a network medium. The Voodoo Pins, such as buttons, switches, knobs, sliders and lights, can be positioned anywhere on the material.

VoodooIO adopts a vision of the physical interface as a malleable material that can be shaped and adapted, rather than a device with a predetermined form or prescribed use. The intention is to overcome the obstacles that prevent hardware interfaces from being as easily appropriable by users as graphical user interfaces (and software applications in general) have become, blurring the boundaries between interface developers, interaction designers and end-users.

A video example which was submitted to the SIGGRAPH ‘06 conference.

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Reactable is a tabletop tangible user interface allowing several performers to control the instrument simultaneously. By moving physical objects on the table surface, users can interact with one another (locally or remotely). Researched and developed by the “Interactive Sonic Systems” team at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona Spain.

A video camera beneath the translucent table tracks the position and relationship between the objects and instant visual feedback is displayed by a projector.

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A recent lecture was given by Benoit Mandelbrot explaining the similarity between stock markets and fractals.

“Markets, like oceans, have turbulence,” he said. “Some days the change in markets is very small, and some days it moves in a huge leap. Only fractals can explain this kind of random change.”

Together with Richard L. Hudson they have published a book titled “The (Mis) Behavior of Markets: A Fractal View of Risk, Ruin And Reward”, find it here. A video lecture from 2001 uses examples from finance, sciences, and engineering to examine roughness and fractal geometry.

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After years of neglect, I thought it was time to give the site a new lick of paint! From mambo to joomla and now to wordpress, I had too many features and not enough content. The forum has also been updated to simple machines from a modified phpBB for joomla (which remained bug ridden to the end). Now all thats left is to implement the tags plugin, tweak the templates and start the blogging!

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