Viewing posts for the category Digital Media
Multitouch and streaming issues with Luis Francisco-Revilla
Posted by: Mónica Mendes in Digital Media 14 years, 1 month ago
Luis Francisco-Revilla is a Professor at the School of Information, which is in a different building many blocks apart from the CMA. We had a very active meeting with a conversation and demonstrations of multitouch tables, plans for the next multitouch walls project, and real-time video issues related to my RTiVISS ongoing research I had the opportunity to present him.
He also presented me Quinn Stewart, the SI Instructional Technology Specialist on the use of streaming media. I was amazed at the luxury resources for database and live video streaming optimized for video conferences – his detailed description it was really interesting and clear, and I got awere that there are better solutions than the free QuickTime Broadcaster, only the software costs $500… ok.
I was also happy to see the three cameras setup at the studio and the sustainable use of firewire cassette damaged cameras for optical capture :)
The SI is also great in resources for usability tests, it may be a possibility to consider later for tests on the RTiVISS online platform… :)
I met Luis Francisco-Revilla in Portugal as the workshop on writing proposals, together with Sharon Strover. He has three projects submitted in the UTA/FCT call; I have an exploratory one, the "Playing with Fire" experience – let's cross our fingers and wish for approval – results in March, is that it?
The School of Information is located in a repurposed business building, which is kind of weird at first sight: on the one side, you have the school dynamics, on the other a corporate environment makes you feel you're already working in a business company… ;)
Outdoor experiences exchange with Ben Bays
Posted by: Mónica Mendes in Austin Digital Media UT-Austin Portugal Program 14 years, 1 month ago
Ben Bays teaches Visual Effects and Motion Graphics at the RTF, and he's got an illustration background. Here's his class site. As he's workng with typography, I also gave him my typography class slides in Portuguese – I hope it's good for his classes too, and for his Portuguese learning in progress – quite good, I can say!
He's also working at Videoranch, which will be streaming live concerts from March 17 through 21. The setup includes the music band streaming with the green background, 3 cameras shooting, and live streaming for around 2500 users; the expected delay is 29 seconds due to the California server location, which receives and sends back information in the meantime. I got the invitation to pass by, and I won't miss it for sure!
We had a very active outdoors meeting, scanning some Austin references, such as the Natural History Museum, the Fine Arts School, the Library and Electricity Museum, and all the fountains on the way ;)
This fantastic creature is dedicated to… well, you decide ;))
... so the flying creatures are larger in Texas ;)
...ouch!
It's remarkable how the battery resisted all the flight from Lisbon to Austin, even having been inspected by the airport securit, that sealed it after having searched all over my packed bag – watchout, could this be dangerous? ;) Enough for a demonstration of the B-wind interactive installation fan system in progress:
It would be great to have a two-week workshop at FCT/UL in the UTA Summer courses framework, based on Ben's expertise in video streaming, 3D modelling teaching, degree in Fine Arts illustration, and 13 years experience in video games as an environmental artist for 3D scenery – working on video effects and motion graphics optimization for real-time applications/processing is the idea, I hope we can we go forward with this proposal :)
Meanwhile, I'll meet you at the Videoranch, Ben :)... and hopefully in Portugal, too!
Department of Radio-Television-Film sights
Posted by: Mónica Mendes in Digital Media 14 years, 1 month ago
While we're looking forward to the guided tour on March 19, here's some photos of the Department of Radio-Television-Film (RTF) at the CMA building, from the inside pannels in 6th floor to the outside courtyard :)
Panoramic views with Tom Schatz
Posted by: Mónica Mendes in Digital Media 14 years, 1 month ago
Meeting with Professor Tom Schatz at the meeting office of the UT College of Communication (CMA) was an opportunity to get the administrative views and plans the future. Currently, Professor Sharon Strover in Washington for a specific project, so I couldn't meet her personally in Austin this time, although she was participating at a distance. The CMA will have a new building next year, which means more space at the actual CMA building where the Department of Radio-Television-Film (RTF) is now.
I had the opportunity to present the overall research and its components and to get feedback and recommendations on the purposes of this prospective visit.
I got to know about Saturday screening of the UT movie premiere at SXSW "Dance with the One", in which RTF faculty members Tom Schatz produced the film along with Bryan Sebok and others. I was also invited to the meeting with Portuguese fellows on Sunday, where I'll meet Karen Kocher again :)
Culture and showers with Rosental Alves
Posted by: Mónica Mendes in Austin Digital Media PhD research UT-Austin Portugal Program 14 years, 1 month ago
As soon as I got into his office at the School of Journalism in the CMA building, I realized he is not only dealing with news issues as a UT Professor and his Knight missions in journalism... I mean Rosental Alves is the news:
Me and Paulo attended his first Online Journalism Workshop at FCSH in 2008 – there we created the loev project, which we continued developing and presented at Future Places exhibition. Loev got a commendation for "commercial potential" – what else could we wish for a startup project?
It was nice to meet again last year to present the loev case study to the workshop participants, and for a welcome lunch with the workshop alumni. Rosental was glad his workshop in Portugal is confirmed in June 2010 – so am I, we'll meet again in Lisbon :)
Keep the suggestion: for the ones who didn't attend the Online Journalism Workshop yet, beware – it's an opportunity not to miss!
Meeting with Rosental was very enlightening: after presenting the RTiVISS ongoing research, I had his feedback with precious advice on the opportunity of studying in the US and further contacts at UT in case I'm implementing the Amazon case.
I was wondering about all the mexican style food I've been eating in Texas, then Rosental made it all clear: it's not the Mexicans that are influencing Texas, but the Americans that overtook mexican frontiers.
I got a "shower" of history, followed by unpredicted tropical showers to get back to the car after a radical vegan lunch ;)
So the raw description applied to ALL vegetables, including broccoli? "Crudite", remember that when you order the day's special at one of the fanciest natural-organic restaurant in Austin. Well, the result was an invigorating lunch combine the vegetables with 3 different sauces and several entrée cookies – no diet, and a lot of fun with a special witty Brazilian friend :)
