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(e)merge --Body trace group project

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Manqing Lu

on 4 April 2013

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Transcript of (e)merge --Body trace group project

(e)merge Theory Inspiration Story Board Interaction Preview Theoretical context Technical Explanation Methodology Settings Future Consideration References Figures

The body schema is an internal representation of the posture and extension of a body in space (Maravita, Spence, Sergent & Driver, 2002). This should not be confused with the body image.

The body schems can be observed in action through the mirror test, which is used to test for self-recognition in infants and non-human animals. While most infants succeed in this task, the only animals which succeed are chimpanzees and orangutans (Gallup, Anderson and Shillito, 2002).

Is this self recognition a result of a bodily or an innate conceptual sense of self? Tsakiris & Haggard (2005) suggest that the former option is the more likely case. In fact, there are experiments that can further attest to this.

Maravita et al (2002) showed that as one gains experience in using tools, that particular tool will start to form part of that individual's body schema, and that cross modal interactions are not mostly dependent on the visual hemisphere in which the tool is placed, but of which appendage the tool is considered to be an extension of. Again, this only applies after the user has gained experience in the usage of a particular tool. This is further evidence that the body schema is flexible, and not conceptually fixed from the moment of birth.

Ritchie and Carlson (2010) in their mirror box experiment, further reinforce the suggestion that this cross modal interaction between vision and proprioception is a result of a sense of body ownership rather than a result of online visual feedback. An interesting observation regarding this experiment is that the alteration of the body schema when faced with a mirror image of ourselves is almost instantaneous, as opposed to the the rubber hand and bodily displacement experiments, in which extensive training of the individual is required before an alteration in the body schema can be observed.

Pavani and Castiello (2004) show that in light of the fact that our body schema is flexible, it can also be altered to include the human shadow. Given that our body shadows are projected onto our environment, this alteration of the body schema would bridge the perceptual discrepancy between our personal space and our environment that we naturally experience.
Space in the animal kingdom is a very important factor. While animals need to keep to their herd, overcrowding will quickly result in a variety of physiological and psychological factor working together in order to reduce the population to manageable proportions again. (Hall, 1966)

The same goes for human society. History shows us that when overpopulation grows to the extent that personal and social distances can no longer be respected a number of factors such as disease and tension run higher than what is considered normal and inevitably, population control occurs. (Hall, 1966).

That being said, closeness and intimacy are equally important to humans. With the rise of online social networking and expansive virtual environments, our conception of personal, social and public distance is being skewed, and a number of people are spending as much time living in virtual worlds as in real worlds, and the situation doesn't seem to be getting any better.The obvious result of this trend is that people will start getting less and less familiar and comfortable with real world interactions, therefore experiencing increased personal and social distances.

By definition a self-organising system has been defined as “a set of entities that obtains an emerging global system behaviour via local interactions without centralized control” (Wilfred, 2010).

Second order cybernetics refer to the methods in which cybernetic systems are made up. Fundamentally, while a system may only be made up of a small number of rules, or programmed pieces of behaviour, these can then work together to produce a potentially infinite number of variations. The perfect example would be Boyd's algorithm, in which a very narrow set of rules result in a totally different, constantly fluctuating flock every time.

A relevant theory which explains the self-organising system is Gordon Pask's Conversation theory (1976). The conversation theory explains that socially organised systems, such as the one we live in, are nothing but symbolic systems in which people's interpretation of other's behaviour results in possible shifts in this organisation. This resembles a sort of Pavlovian conditioning system, where the nodes in a network condition each other to act in an optimal way.

Learning, according to Pask, happens through conversations about a particular subject, which makes the knowledge easily obtainable. This notion of conversation also applies to the conditioning aspect mentioned previously; Differences between nodes in a social network may be reduced through 'conversation' until an agreement is reached. Body schema This section provides context to the decisions we made in respect to our real-time installation, and the themes related to it. Proxemics Self-Organising System and the Conversation Theory http://www.chromeexperiments.com/detail/silk/ The live installation combines two aspects that need to be developed in tandem: art and technology. Furthermore, each group member is required to bridge the gap between themselves and the participants. For these reasons, the methodology to be incorporated in the development of the live installation will be neither a top-down nor a bottom-up approach. It will be a combination of both approaches. The reason for this is that the higher and lower levels of abstraction need to be considered simultaneously. Thus, the methodology can be seen as a multi-level approach that is continuously evolving and has its stages merged with each other. The following diagram depicts the different stages of the proposed methodology (figure 4). Figure 6: Diagram depicting the different stages of the proposed methodology (Gershenson, C., 2006) This section describes the implementation of our real-time installation. 1.Representation 2.Modelling 3.Simulation 4.Application 5.Evaluation Thank you http://www.opengraphicdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/vector-background-part2-01.jpg Background image : This section describes the relationship between the theory and our real-time installation. The Body Schema Since we exert a sense of bodily ownership over our shadows, it follows logically that any appendages growing seamlessly out of this shadow would effortlessly be included in our body schema. Since the alteration of the body schema when faced with a shadow takes more training than when faced with a mirror reflection, visual cues and similarity to prior experience will presumably aid with this transition. The realistic movement of the floating seeds through the screen estate when one's shadow is detected will reinforce the notion that our shadow, and by extension, our body, is in an environment which may be considered to be considered to be real, as it demonstrates some of the behaviour we have come to expect our physical environments to demonstrate. All of this will aid to achieve the final aim of the installation: To bridge the perceptual gap between our body and our natural environment. An important question to consider is: Why are we assuming that visual cues and prior experience play an important role on the alteration of the body schema? In Petkova and Ehrsson’s body swapping experiment (2008), aparticularly remarkable outcome was observed when the participants experienced the illusion of havingswapped bodies with an object which does not possess an anthropomorphic shape, such as a cardboardbox. While all of the other factors were kept constant, the alteration to the body schema did not take place in this case. This might explain why a shadow can also be adapted into the schema; Apart from being proportionally identical to our body, it obviously also moves in exactly the same way. Furthermore, it could be argued that the element out of which all of this emerges is previous experience. If, theoretically one were born with an irregularly shaped body, say with four arms and three legs, it is extremely debatable whether these experiments would work in their current form. The mannequin used in the body swapping experiment would have to conform to this image, as the participant's previous experience of their body would have altered their body image (notice the usage of the word image) to include three legs and four arms. Since shadows bridge the gap between body and environment, it is assumed that the environment should also conform to previous experience as much as possible so as not to shatter the illusion being created. It is also important to note, however, that this increased element of realism may not be entirely necessary. Holmes et al (2006) noted that changing the colour of the rubber hand so that it is different to the subject's does not result in any kind of remarkable difference in the final outcome of the experiment; it appears that "the limits of bodily awareness appear to be set by a categorical representation of what people’s bodies are like in general" (Longo, Haggard, 2012), as opposed to what the subject's own body is like. Proxemics In our live installation, the viewer is forced to get into another person's personal distance to get the full experience. This acts as a kind of commentary to present society. It emphasizes the importance of social interaction while superimposing it over the implied link created between humans and their environment, thereby suggesting that everything we know and have is a result of interaction. Self-Organising Systems and Conversation Theory Our live interaction's system will itself be self-organizing. Our system is an organization. This means that it is a structure with a function that has no known “solution” beforehand and is constantly changing. The structure in this case is composed of the system's components (blob detection and recursive tree generator). Each component communicates with one another creating both a sense of integration within the system and at the same time a sense of separation so as to avoid interference. Thus, the live interaction's end result will be dynamically worked on by the system's components. In this way any unforeseen changes can be adapted quickly due to the participants' unpredictable behaviour.

With respect to second order cybernetics, its central idea is that the person examining a system can never truly find out how it works by examining it externally. In Pask's words, they enter into a conversation, and the user and system then exist in a mutually dependent structure where both the system and the user are affected byeach other. Therefore, the user affects the system and the system, in turn, affects the user resulting in our message being conveyed through a kind of explorative interaction. Scene 1: Participant enters the interactive space. His shadow is projected onto the screen. Scene 3: Scene 4: Scene 5: Scene 6: Scene 7: This section describes our aims and goals for the real-time installation. As our body shadows move through our environment, new meanings are constantly being created. The omnipresent perceptual gap between self and surroundings is bridged, and the dividing role of space starts to weaken and lose its meaning.

Our real-time installation aims to redefine the way in which we see our natural environment through body shadows and metaphoric representations. Therefore, our project will make use of the concepts of seeds and tree like structures. We merge the body with nature by extending its shadow in the digital space via generative nature such as fractals. In this way, a new body schema emerges together with new methods of interaction with its surrounding space.

The following series of images and their respective descriptions give a brief outline into the progression of the real-time installation. Seeds floating aimlessly around the screen.Background music layer begins to play. Roll over Scene 2: Participant reaches out to touch one of the seeds. Shadow interacts with a seed and a tree like structure grows out from the shadow.First sound layer begins to play. Roll over Another participant enters the interactive space and the body is projected as a shadow onto the screen. The shadows touch each other and a tree like structure grows into the shadows themselves. Second sound layer begins to play. Roll over The shadows continue interacting with the seeds around them.Third sound layer begins to play Roll over Silk is an interactive piece of work that depicts a natural looking effect created using a generative algorithm. To test it go to the following link. Silk Yuri Vishnevsky (2012) ‘Compliant’ is an example of a real-time installation that uses the shadow of the participants’ body schema in order to distort, push, and chase the screen. Compliant (2003) Scott Sona Snibbe This video demonstrates how the author uses data from a Kinect Sensor and have it manipulated to mirror back a puffy emaciated view of the participant using the real-time interactive project. (Click PLAY) Body Dysmorphic Disorder (2011) Robert Hodgin “Shadow Sound” is a real-time installation that creates a link between audio and visuals. The interactive is composed of five balls each representing a unique instrument. The participant must then use their own shadow to combine the different balls at various heights in order to mix an assortment of melodies. Willy Chyr Shadow Sound This video shows David Rokeby interacting with his sound installation. He make use of video cameras, image processors, computers, synthesizers and a sound system in order to conceive an area where a participant uses their own body to create sound and/or music. Very Nervous System (1986-1990)
David Rokeby Body Movies (2001)
‘Body Movies’ is a real-time installation that alters public space with interactive projections. Participants used their bodies to create shadows on the projections unveil photographic portraits. This section provides the images, videos and works that were used for our inspiration of the real-time installation. This section gives a general idea of what we aim to achieve through our installation. Sound While scientists may refer to sound as a series of transverse and longitudinal waves, it is important to understand its importance to our daily lives. We exist in a world that infinitely and exhaustingly produces and reproduces sound.Sound is always there, even when it is not there. Total silence, or the absence of sound has its own sound. The study of how sounds are used to induce an emotional reaction by its stimulation on the human brain has fascinated people since ancient Greece (Budd, 1985).

In a recent report called 'Sound mind and emotion' (2009) a group of researchers investigate the composition of a descriptive model to describe how sounds can stimulate the human brain to arouse emotions. The model that they composed is made up of a number of psychological components: “brain stem reflexes, evaluative conditioning, emotional contagion, visual imagery, episodic memory, and musical expectancy” (Mossberg, F, 2009). Each component is structured and classified on the model with respect to their impact on human evolution. They are then subjected to arbitrary factorial changes and the respective regions of the brain are further examined. They moreover evaluate the theoretical infrastructure and how it embodies an understanding of the interaction between sound/music and emotions. Synaesthesia Synaesthesia or synesthesia can be defined as an “involuntary” and “consistent” condition where the stimulation of one sense is experienced through the concurrent perception of another sense (Cytowic, 1996). More than 65 different forms of synaesthesia can be experienced by a human being (Simner et al., 2006). It has also been approximated that about 4.4% of the general population have some form of synaesthesia (Simner et al., 2006). For the purpose of our real-rime installation, the key observation that can be made from synaesthetes is that the material world that non-synaesthetes perceive as reality can be perceived in a variety of different forms. Therefore, non-synaesthetes should expose themselves to reality in as many ways as possible in order to seize the richness it has to offer. One such way non- synaesthetes can do so is by having their sensory exchanges heightened through digital media.

Over recent years, digital media has come to emulate us, our desires, and our daily activities (Van Den Boomen et al., 2009). We have come to view them not only as conceptual tools but rather as perceptual. Pursuits have already been made towards the progression of digital media to intensify our emotional charge. For example, the phenomenon of auditory-to-visual synaesthesia is being simulated in digital music players, on VJ screens in clubs, and in robot light shows. These media convert sound into visual patterns. Also, in a number of music videos such as, Justin Timberlake’s Lovestoned video (2007), audio visualizations are being combined into the narrative and performative assemblages of the genre. Sound The implementation of sound (be it speech, sound effects or music) is a major aspect within interactive installations and itʼs design and effectiveness is always being taken into great consideration because of the additional cognitive and emotional depth it can offer to the audienceʼs or userʼs experience. Sound is crucial because it excites the brain in addition to visual stimulation and can positively extend the immersion of the interactivity. Sound can either be adaptive to the environment of the installation and/or can be designed to focus on the userʼs standpoint.

The influence of abstractionism in architectural trends and designs over the years has been tremendous in installations hosted within these spaces, and subsequently in the way that artists tend to interact with sound in its entirety. Greek mathematician Pythagoraʼs proposition, according to which universal harmony is being reflected in the similarities between harmonious proportions in architecture and harmonious consonance in music, is being revisited. Hence, spatial design is being aesthetically inspired through sound and music.

When creating interactive sound installations, artists consistently strive to generate environments in which sound is the active subject of design. They aim to intensify the soundscape of the given space. The foremost purpose of this conscious design is the remodelling of our responsive behaviour within the sonic space itself. Importance of Sound According to Jose Iges, a Spanish sound artist, "Sound sculptures and sound installations are intermedia works, and they behave like expansions of sculpture and installation" (1999). Iges makes the connections between sound and visual aspects, by suggesting two structural potentials:

1. “perceptive reality, dialectic or complementary” (Iges, 1999);
2. visual works emulated as instrumental providing fluidity to the sound discourse.

It is this importance of sound that we try to rethink and incorporate in our project. The creation of sound through interaction, the constant growing of sounds that leads to music and soundtracks and the void when sound is not there any more. The fascination, the excitation and the emotional splurge with which sounds enrich us everyday have been reasons we want to manipulate them and use them as we please Sonic Similarities to our Inspirations Our installation has similarities with David Rokeby’s installation in the way that the interface with which participants interact is not the body itself as in the “Very Nervous System” but a projection and hence an extension of it. In addition, the movements of the participants within the interactive space alter their shadows and since the shadows interact and are the cause of sound as well as visual alterations within the system.

The concept of our installation is also similar to Willy Chyr’s “Shadow Sound Interactive Installation 3” in that it includes the interaction of the participants shadow with elements projected on a screen. What is really different though is the fact that through the interactions implemented in our installation, we have growth ( of “pollens” into abstract tree formations) whereas in Willy Chyr’s installation there is no growth or expansion of the existing entities (balls), only an alteration of their position is achieved.

Though there is a resemblance in the technology used for the interaction of shadows, there is a major difference in the sound as well. While Willy Chyr’s installation includes sounds of common instruments, our implementation of sound is a series of layers of abstract melodic patterns that add to the overall abstract sense of the installation. This section provides a rationale for the research strategy that will be adopted for the development of the real-time installation. This section explains how our equipment will be set up. This section contains points that the group still needs to discuss and work on to ensure the live installation is improved upon. 1. The number of participants that can play with the real-time installation at any one time.

2. The size of the white screen/wall and the interactive space.

3. Testing for the ideal settings of the position of the camera, the lighting, the projector, and the four speakers.

4. The reconsideration of the graphics visualisation and audio sounds with respect to the progress/development of the concept.

5. The participants' sense of control in the real-time installation; mainly their navigation, anticipation, autonomy, and learnability.

6. Testing on whether the simultaneous incorporation of the visual and audio effects will affect the participants' engagement with the real-time installation positively.

7. The number of sound layers to be created, whether it will be a finite or an infinite number.

8. Whether to include the option of headphones to create binaural hearing with respect to the progress/development of the concept.

9. The progression of the layering depending on the number of interactions.

10. The volume levelling and panning effects to be added. A comprehensive example of an interactive sound environment that uses several sound layers. It consists of orbiting blobs, or "orbs" that are accompanied by sound of various tonal properties. The pitch of each sound tone is defined by how far from the center the corresponding blob is. The duration of the tone is determined by the length of the orbit it sits on. Orbiter Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Vera-Maria Glahn (2007) Andy. (Oct 10, 2011). "Technical-recipes.com." Technicalrecipescom. N.p. Retrieved in February, 2013 from: http://www.technical-recipes.com/2011/tracking-coloured-objects-in-video-using-opencv/

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Shiffman, D. (Sept 2, 2008). “Learning Processing: A Beginner's Guide to Programming Images, Animation, and Interaction”. Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics. Print. The diagram on the right (figure 1) expresses the dialog between the casual participant and our real-time installation. The functional requirements are also specified. Use case diagram of the live interaction. Therefore, the installation will be conducted in a dark room with one light source. It will provide the participant(s) with an interactive space for them to explore its functional requirements. Their shadow will be captured by the camera and its navigational information will be fed to the installation's central processor. It's outcome results will then be projected back onto the white screen/wall using a projector. The operational workflow of the real-time installation and the events that causes it to be in that particular state with respect to the participant, can be viewed in the diagram to the left (figure 2). Activity diagram of the live installation The notation that will be used to write the program for the installation is the open source programming language processing (Fry, et al., n.d.). It will be split up into three main components: blob detection, recursive tree generator, and sound. The following sections describe each components' implementation. Figure 2: Figure 1: Blob Detection The participants' shadow blobs will be detected using real-time computer vision techniques. In particular these are, colour detection, brightness detection and contour detection techniques. One such library that implements these techniques is OpenCV (OpenCV, 2006). This section presents an analysis into the different algorithms that are being considered for the blob detection. Each algorithm needs to be further analyzed and tested. Brightness Detection Algorithm (Kalogianni, D., et al., 2010):

1. Read the image from the camera

2. Blob detect the image from the camera by:

• going through all the pixels on the source image and checking if a pixel and its close neighbours have brightness above a specific threshold.

• any pixels that are above the threshold are painted white and those below the threshold are painted black in a new image.

• going through all the pixels in the new image and according to the previous step painting the pixels white or black. Color detection algorithm (Shiffman, D, 2008):

1. Read the image from the camera

2. Search through the image's pixels and compare the colour of each pixel with the colour under detection.

3. Calculate the difference between the colour of the pixel and the required colour.

4. If that difference is less than that of the already specified threshold save the then set location of the pixel. Background subtraction algorithm

This algorithm makes use of the blob detection library (BlobDetection Library, n.d.). The algorithm works on a white background and an image will be taken at the start of the installation. The participant(s) will then be introduced onto the scene. The algorithm follows:

1. Read the image from the camera.

2. Store the background brightness information.

3. Calculate the brightness difference between the previous and current frame.

4. Convert the image to grayscale.

5. Search for the pixels whose brightness value is above set threshold.

6. Locate the pixels into 2D space (x,y).

7. Calculate and draw a box to frame the shadow blob from those points. Colour detection algorithm (Andy, 2011)

This algorithm uses the HSV format of an image. The reason for this is because HSV uses only a single number to detect the colour (“hue”) in comparison to RGB where overlapping of red, green and blue generate the colours.

1. Read the image from the camera

2. Convert the image format from BGR (blue, green,red) into HSV(Hue, Saturation,Value).

3. A copy of the source image is created and according to a threshold it is turned into black and white.

4. The threshold to be detected is given in a range of the colour (lower bound and upper bound of HSV) to be detected.

5. The areas of the color to be detected turn into white whilst the rest turns into black.

6. The white blobs with the appropriate size are saved in an array. Movement detection algorithm (Kirn, P, 2009)

This algorithm detects only specific parts of the image. This depends on the colour of the shadow blobs detected.

1. Grab a frame from the camera.

2. Convert the image to black and white according to a threshold filter.

3. Calculate the absolute difference between the current and previous frame.

4. Display the difference image (movement).

5. Store the current frame in memory. Another possible implementation for blob detection is edge/contour detection. This type of implementation identifies points on a digital image where its brightness changes sharply. These are then typically organized into a collection of curved line segments termed edges. Since the images detected by the camera will be black and white then, the best possible solution for the project will be to use colour/brightness detection. Edge/contour detection might be used in the future. The following video depicts an example of colour tracking with processing (istevaras, 2013). Recursive Tree Generator Physics libraries will be used to embed the physics behaviour to the non-human visual graphic objects (seeds and the tree-like structure). The physics libraries that will be used are 'JBox2d' (JBox2d, 2007) and 'fisica' (Marxer, R, 2010). These libraries were chosen since 'fisica', which is a wrapper around the open-source physics engine 'Jbox2D', aims to create physical models by exposing an object-oriented API. This will help structure the code and ensure that all the components are interacting with each other in a seamless manner. Daniel Shiffman (2008) describes a general algorithm to emulate the physical behaviour between objects:

1. Create all the objects in our world.

2. Calculate all the forces in our world.

3. Apply all the forces to our objects (Force = mass *acceleration).

4. Update the locations of all the objects based on their acceleration.

5. Draw all of our objects. The following video depicts an application that uses the fisica library to emulate floating balls (Marxer, R, 2010). A recursive algorithm will be used to create the generative visuals that will be extended from the participants' shadows in the installation. The reason for this is that the most efficient way of implementing generative visuals under different conditions is to utilise “solutions to smaller versions of that same problem” (Toida, S, 2009). Hence, this method makes it possible for there to be repeated instances of the same generative visual which produce complimentary results. This process is described as fractals. Mandelbrot (1975) defines a fractal as “a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole.” (Fullerton, J, 2010). An example can be seen in the figure below. The Mandelbrot fractal pattern (Chu-Carroll, M. C., 2007) Figure 3: The aim for the installation's generative visual is to use the same fractal concept to produce an abstract tree branching structure. An example can be seen in the figure below. An abstract tree branching structure (ScienceProg, 2007) Figure 4: The figure depicts how two branches are connected at either ends of the root. Each one of these branches has two branches at its end and so on and so forth. The end result is a recursive tree-like structure. Mandelbrot describes this as self-similarity. In other words each part is a “reduced-size copy of the whole.” (Fullerton, J, 2010) The following videos depict open-source examples of three recursive tree structure algorithms in action: Sound Surround sound is defined as "a technique for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with additional audio channels from speakers that surround the listener (surround channels), providing sound from a 360° radius in the horizontal plane (2D) as opposed to “screen channels” (center, [front] left, and [front] right) originating only from the listener’s forward arc." (CA&V, n.d.) This term must not be confused with 3D sound which produces sound not only from the left and right of the participant but also from above and below them. In order to create an effect of surround sound, the space in which the participant(s) interact in, the 'interactive space', will be surrounded by four speakers. Thus, a sound territory will be created immersing the participant(s) in the interactive space to a soundscape. Whilst, the direction in which the sound will travel to the participant(s) will be manipulated using sound channels. By doing so the participants' perception of sound will be increased. The diagram below depicts the settings for the surround sound (figure 5). Settings for the surround sound Figure 5: The sound design will be constructed using sound layering. In essence, layering is the “stacking” of different synths and sounds on top of each other in order to produce a variety of sonic components and structures. This would not have been possible if only one instrument or synthesized sound were used. Layering will be implemented because of it's subtle way for intuitively building the soundtrack of the real-time installation's interactions. The softwares that will be used to create the layering effect are: 'Pro Tools' and 'Apple Logic Pro'.

The video, in the section 'Interactive Preview', is an example of the layering effect that is desired for the real-time installation. For the purpose of this video a calm tuneful ambient melody was selected. This effect complimented with the video's visual images. For each of the interactions sound layers play on top of each other. The output of the "floating embers" synth pad was used to compose each one of the layers' melodies. They were then further processed using a compressor to add the spatial characteristics to the sound. The software used was the Apple software 'Apple GarageBand'.

The aim for the real-time installation will be to create each individual sound layer as a unique piece of musical theme. In this way, each sound layer will be able to stand by itself and describe the interactions occurring between the different entities depicted onto the projected interactive screen. The sounds will focus on depicting the beauty and significance of the abstract interaction, creation and growth. As the interactions begin to multiply, the soundtrack will thicken and the sound layers will mix to produce a harmonic musical ensemble. (2012) Figure 1: Use case diagram of the live interaction.
Figure 2: Activity diagram of the live installation.
Figure 3: The Mandelbrot fractal pattern
Figure 4: An abstract tree branching structure
Figure 5: Settings for the surround sound
Figure 6: Diagram depicting the different stages of the proposed methodology Luke Vella (s1262617)
Marie-Jose' Zammit (s1248357)
Manqing LU (s1140586)
Panagiotis Xanthopoulos(s1267544)
Qingyan CHEN (s1216966)
Yanjie HE (s1220234) Simner J., Mulvenna C., Sagiv N., Tsakanikos E., Witherby S. A., Fraser C., Scott K., & Ward J. (2006). “Synaesthesia: The prevalence of atypical cross-modal experiences”. Perception, 35, 1024 – 1033. The following video is an example of a real-time installation that shows how the blob detection library (BlobDetection Library, n.d.) can be used to implement the interaction between a participant's shadow and the interactive screen.

3. 'Super Recursion Toy' is an example that explores branching algorithms and rendering techniques (Windle, J., ?). 1. 'Root System' is an example of recursive construction in Flash. With every click the user makes the seed depicted “produces an off-shoot of recursive growth” (Tarbell, J., 2001). 2. 'Roots' is an example of recursive construction in Open Processing. Like the previous example, the user clicks on the white screen and a root growth is created (Lastowka, A., 2012).
Full transcript


If some part of the Awrah is uncovered in Salaah..

20 Rabee’uth-thaani 1430

Question: What is the ruling on someone who prays while some part of his Awrah (parts of the body that should be covered during the prayer) are uncovered and he does not realize it until after completing the prayer when someone informs him about it. Is his prayer correct or it is required from him to repeat the prayer?

Answer by Shaikh Saleh ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan (hafidhahullah), ‘No doubt that covering the awrah is from the conditions of Salaat with its pillars. Ibn Abdur-Barr (rahimahullah) said, ‘There is a consensus of the people of knowledge upon the annihilation of the Salaat if one prays while in the state of nakedness while he is able to dress himself.’ Or he said something similar. So, covering the Awrah is from the conditions of the soundness of the Salaat.

 However, there are details concerning what is mentioned in the question that the one who performed the prayer did not realize that some parts of his Awrah were uncovered until after he had completed his Salaat and those present near him informed him about it. If what was uncovered was too much, then the prayer has to be repeated. If what was uncovered was little and not intended, then the prayer is correct Insha’Allah based upon the narration,

 Narrated Amr ibn Salama, ‘…When my father returned, he said, ‘…The Prophet said, ‘…when the time for the prayer becomes due, …let the one amongst you who knows Qur’aan, the most should, lead the prayer.’ So they looked for such a person and found none who knew more Qur’aan than I because of the Qur’aanic material which I used to learn from the caravans. They therefore made me their Imam (to lead the prayer) and at that time I was a boy of six or seven years, wearing a Burda (i.e. a black square garment) proved to be very short for me (and my body became partly naked). A lady from the tribe said, ‘Won’t you cover the private part of your reciter for us?’ So they bought (a piece of cloth) and made a shirt for me…’ [Saheeh al-Bukharee]

So, it is proved that if some part of the awrah is uncovered, and it is a small part and unintended then the prayer is correct. However, if it was intentionally left open and he did not cover it while he was able to, then his prayer is incorrect, even if it was an insignificant (part of the awrah). And Allah knows best.’ [Arabic text of the Fatawa can be found at, http://www.alfuzan.com Fatawa no. 16603]

18 Rabi`ul-Awwal 1430

Praise be to Allaah.

[al-A’raaf 7:33]

And Allaah knows best.

From IslamQA

When to check for end of menstruation?

14 Rabi`ul-Awwal 1430

Assalamu Alaykum,

I’ve been wondering about this recently.. Alhamdulellah I found an answer and hope it is of benefit insha Allah 🙂

Question: How vigilant should a woman be about ascertaining when her menstrual period has come to an end? Does she have to wake up (with an alarm clock’s help) at Fajr time to go and check if her period has ended with time enough to spare for her to bathe and pray? Or, should she just wake up whenever she wakes up and then go and and check? My question is not about how to clinically determine that the period is over. I’m clear about that. I just want to know how vigilant she has to be.

Answered by Sheikh Muhammad Muhammad Sâlim `Abd al-Wadûd

A woman does not have to wake up at Fajr time during the last days of her menstrual cycle. She is not burdened with discovering the exact moment that her menstrual period comes to an end.

The women used to send samples of cotton to `Â’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) so she could judge for them when their periods came to an end. She would simply tell them not to be in such a hurry.

This shows us that showing an exaggerated concern for determining when the period comes to an end is contrary to the practice of our Pious Predecessors.

We also have the general axiom of Islamic Law that “certainty is not removed by doubt”. In this case, the woman knows she is on her period. She is not under any legal burden to act upon the possibility that her period is over. Therefore, she is not required to wake up at Fajr time to determine whether her period might be over.

Likewise, we have the principle of Islamic Jurisprudence known as istishâb al-hâl. This means that in Islamic Law, the default assumption is that things are still as they have previously been. Since the woman is already on her period, she is free to continue to assume that she is on her period until evidence shows her that it is otherwise. She is not called upon to go out of her way and verify that she is still on her period. When it becomes clear to her that her period is over, then she should take her bath and resume her prayers.

The matter is one in which there is great flexibility and leniency. It should never be a source of worry or anxiety for any woman.

Taken from  Islam Today

Classes at IISCA (Bruns. Melb)

13 Rabi` Al-Awwal 1430

Assalamu Alaykum,

I finally have a tangible list of the classes run at IISCA in brunswick, melbourne.

You can find the classes elsewhere in aus here insha Allah

Tuesday: Study of the  Forty Hadeeth(explanation by sheikh jamal zarabozo 3 volumes) Currently up to Vol2 (Maghreb-Isha)

Friday:  Tafsir of the Quraan (Maghreb-Isha)

Saturday: Sisters only Aqeedah Classes (Dhuhr)

Sunday:  Study of Bulugh Almaraam (a book  by al_Hafidh ibn Hajar al-Asqalani) (Maghreb-Isha)

16 Safar 1430

Assalamu Alaykum,

I was on my way home today as I passed by clegs (fabric chain store) and the shop’s logo caught my eye…

cleg_lady_logo Looks like a hijabi, no?

Online Resources

13 Dhul-Qi`dah  1429

Assalamu Alaykum,

Recently I came across the websites of Shiekhs Al-Albanee and Ibn Othaimeen (May Allah have mercy on them) and I was very impressed with the resources available so I thought I would share them with you.

Most of the resources are in arabic and are downloadable exe files, mp3s or pdfs., but some e-books are translated into different languages including english, french, urdu and a few others.

I am yet to familarise myself with the site, but meanwhile I will share with you the section of translated e-books on Shiekh Ibn Othaimeen’s website.

You can find them here insha’ Allah.

I really like the way the e-books are designed, and I hope you enjoy and benefit from them as well.

Wa assalamu Alaykum

The Jilbaab and what garments can substitute it

8 Dhul-Qi`dah 1429

From the book “Masaa’il Nisaa’iyyah Mukhtaarah min Fiqh al-’Alaamah Al-Albaanee” [Selected Women’s Issues from the Fiqh of Imaam Al-Albaanee] compiled by Umm Ayoob Ghaawee.

The questioner said: “Yes.”

You know, for example, that when a woman is at home and she gets up to pray her obligatory prayers, for the most part, she is normally at home with her hair uncovered. So she just places her khimaar over her head. The Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘Allaah does not accept the prayer of a mature woman unless she has a khimaar.’

What is meant here is not the jilbaab at all, but rather what is meant is the head-covering. From the evidences that indicate this is that the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ordered us to wipe over the turban or the khimaar or the socks.

The questioner said: Yes.”

The questioner replied: “Yes.”

The questioner said: “Yes.”

The questioner answered: “Yes.”

[1] The questioner was from Algeria.


31 Days in Iraq

By Adriana Lins de Alburquerque and Alicia Cheng (THE NEW YORK TIMES, 04/02/07):

In January more than 1,900 people — soldiers, security officers and civilians — were killed in the insurgency in Iraq, up from 800 in January 2006. Many corpses showed signs of torture, meaning the victims were probably killed by religious and tribal death squads. This map, based on data from the American, British and Iraqi governments and from news reports, shows the dates, locations and circumstances of deaths for the first month of the year. Given the vast size of Iraq and the communications difficulties inherent in war, the information may be incomplete. Nonetheless, it is our effort to visually depict the continuing human cost of the Iraq war.


Product Details Supplier Info More products

Vibration in motorised equipment is the back-and-forth movement or oscillation of machines and components, according to Fluke.

These components could be drive motors, driven devices (pumps, compressors and so on) and the bearings, shafts, gears, belts and other elements that make up mechanical systems.

Other times, vibration just goes with the territory as a normal part of machine operation and should not cause undue concern.

However, it is difficult for the plant maintenance professional to tell the difference between acceptable, normal vibration and the kind of vibration that requires immediate attention to service or replace equipment.

With a basic understanding of vibration and its causes – and equipped with the new Fluke 810 vibration tester – the maintenance professional can determine the cause and severity of most machine vibration and receive recommendations for repair.

This is all carried out without the extensive monitoring and recording required for typical, long-term vibration monitoring programs.

Vibration is not always a problem; in some tasks, vibration is essential.

Machines such as oscillating sanders and vibratory tumblers use vibration to remove materials and finish surfaces.

Vibratory feeders use vibration to move materials.

In construction, vibrators are used to help concrete settle into forms and compact fill materials.

Vibratory rollers help compress asphalt used in highway paving.

In other cases, vibration is inherent in machine design.

For instance, some vibration is almost unavoidable in the operation of reciprocating pumps and compressors, internal combustion engines and gear drives.

In a well-engineered, well-maintained machine, such vibration should not be a cause for concern.

Most industrial devices are engineered to operate smoothly and avoid vibration, rather than producing it.

In this article, Fluke is not focused not on machines that are ‘supposed’ to vibrate as part of normal operation but on those that should not vibrate: electric motors, rotary pumps and compressors and fans and blowers.

In these devices, smoother operation is generally better and a machine running with zero vibration is the ideal.

Vibration problems may be caused by auxiliary equipment – not just the primary equipment.

A ‘heavy spot’ in a rotating component will cause vibration when the unbalanced weight rotates around the machine’s axis, creating a centrifugal force.

Imbalance could be caused by manufacturing defects (machining errors or casting flaws) or maintenance issues (deformed or dirty fan blades or missing balance weights).

As machine speed increases, the effects of imbalance become greater.

Vibration can also happen when machine shafts are out of line.

Angular misalignment occurs when the axes of a motor and pump are not parallel, for example.

Misalignment may be caused during assembly or develop over time, owing to thermal expansion, components shifting or improper reassembly after maintenance.

Whatever its cause, looseness can allow any vibration present to cause damage, such as further bearing wear and wear and fatigue in equipment mounts and other components.

The effects of vibration can be severe.

Unchecked machine vibration can accelerate rates of wear (thus reducing bearing life) and damage equipment.

However, there is a positive aspect to machine vibration, according to Fluke.

To understand how vibration manifests itself, a simple rotating machine such as an electric motor should be considered.

One key consideration in analysing vibration is the direction of the vibrating force.

An imbalance in the motor, for instance, would most likely cause a radial vibration as the ‘heavy spot’ in the motor rotates, creating a centrifugal force that tugs the motor outward as the shaft rotates through 360deg.

A shaft misalignment could cause vibration in an axial direction (back and forth along the shaft axis) as a result of misalignment in a shaft coupling device.

Another key factor in vibration is amplitude – or how much force or severity the vibration has.

The further out of balance the Fluke motor is, the greater its amplitude of vibration.

Other factors, such as speed of rotation, can also affect vibration amplitude.

As the rotation rate goes up, the imbalance force increases significantly.

Frequency refers to the oscillation rate of vibration or how rapidly the machine tends to move back and forth under the force of the condition or conditions causing the vibration.

Frequency is commonly expressed in cycles per minute (CPM) or hertz (Hz).

One hertz equals one cycle per second or 60 cycles per minute.

Although Fluke referred to its example motor as ‘simple’, even this machine can exhibit a complex vibration signature.

Imbalance vibration, axial vibration and vibration from deteriorating roller bearings could all combine to create a complex vibration spectrum.

The Fluke 810 vibration tester is an advanced handheld device designed and programmed to diagnose the most common mechanical problems of unbalance, looseness, misalignment and bearing failures in a variety of mechanical equipment, including motors, fans, blowers, belts and chain drives, gearboxes, couplings, pumps, compressors, closed-coupled machines and spindles.

The tester detects vibration along three planes of movement and then provides a plain-text diagnosis with a recommended solution.

The diagnostic technology in the Fluke 810 analyses machine operation and identifies faults by comparing vibration data to an extensive set of rules developed over years of field experience.

Typical vibration analysers and software are intended for monitoring machine condition over the longer term, but they require special training and investment that may not be possible in many companies.

The Fluke 810 is designed specifically for maintenance professionals who need to troubleshoot mechanical problems and quickly understand the root cause of equipment condition.

Fluke Calibration

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Why? Innate Survival Tactics

Prefers Sweeter Foods

How Do Innate Survival Tactics Influence Eating Behaviour In Young Children?

Most children seem to have a preference for sweet tastes. Why? Well science suggests that the preference for sweet rather than bitter tastes and the suspicious or fear of trying new foods or new tastes is based in the basic survival techniques of our prehistoric ancestors as a protective mechanism from eating things that may be poisonous and an attraction to sweet foods such as fruits which are safe, energy and nutrient rich.

In so many ways we are all still ‘wired’ like our prehistoric ancestors. A dislike of bitter foods can be seen as a protective mechanism from eating things that may be poisonous. A toddler in prehistoric times for instance, when exploring their world, would be less likely to ingest a poisonous food due to its bitter taste. Children are naturally attracted to sweet foods such as fruits which are safe, energy and nutrient rich. Mother’s milk which is also ‘safe’ is relatively sweet.

This suspicion or dislike of new foods is technically known as “food neophobia”, or fear of eating new things. It is usually about the age of 2 years that most traditional societies cease breastfeeding and the child is less dependent on their mother for food. Avoiding unfamiliar foods is an innate way of keeping safe as a young child, when left to their own devices, having no real way of knowing what is or is not safe to eat.

Picky Eater

Ever wondered WHY you child is so picky with food?

Probably every day – right?

There are very real and legitimate reasons that children become so fussy with food. It is not just to annoy and frustrate parents or to be obstinate. Although we have all felt that must be so at times!

Innate survival tactics, different developmental and growth rates, as well as physiological factors such as illness, nutrient deficiencies, and poor muscle tone are just some of the reasons that your child may become a picky eater.

Understanding those reasons and the sources of a child’s picky eating habits will go a long way in helping you more easily work around and deal with the problem and to help your child to eat more healthily and to broaden their tastes.

Father With Toddler

Do You Have A Picky Eater At Your House?

How is “picky eating” defined then?

Let’s look at some definitions.

  • does not eat enough
  • is often or very often choosy about food
  • usually eats slowly
  • is usually not interested in food

Picky with real food vs processed ‘food like substances’

Are you a Good Role Model?

Family Meal

Children are very keen observers of what significant adults in their lives are doing. As well as parents, this will include grandparents, extended family members, family friends and even older brothers and sisters.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself

  • Do I eat regular meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner? If not, how can I expect my child to do so?
  • Do I always eat healthy nutrient dense fresh foods? If not, how can I expect my child to?
  • Do I pick at food and not eat particular vegetables? Your child will mimic this. If mum or dad is a picky eater and isn’t willing to eat the new foods, neither will the child.
  • Where do I eat meals? In front of the TV? At the kitchen bench? On the run driving to work?
  • Does my family sit together and enjoy the majority of breakfasts and evening meals together?
  • Do I share the same meal as my child or do I expect them to eat something different?

When it comes to healthy eating, the best thing you can do as a parent is to be a good role model. Don’t expect your child to eat foods that you won’t.

What your child learns about food begins with you. You may not realise it but you are continually educating your child about food on a daily basis, especially during the first 10 years or so of their life.

Research shows that most picky eaters grow out of this stage when they are ready and particularly where the closest role models (parents) have healthy eating habits for them to emulate.

Children want to be “mini you”, be just like mum and dad. Most parents notice, comment on and smile at imitative behaviours such as talking on a pretend mobile phone like mum or dad BUT have you made the connection between imitation of your own eating habits and your child’s eating habits?