It´s nice to be able to contribute to this project here´s my little interview with some others I´ve found very interesting .To watch more visit the the Interviews section of Opensimsim

RODRIGO MEDINA GARCIA: OPEN SOURCE DESIGN from opensimsim.net on Vimeo.

BJARKE INGELS: OPEN SOURCE DESIGN from opensimsim.net on Vimeo.

TATIANA BILBAO: OPEN SOURCE DESIGN from opensimsim.net on Vimeo.

AU Studio: open source design network from opensimsim.net on Vimeo.

IÑAKI ECHEVERRIA: OPEN SOURCE DESIGN from opensimsim.net on Vimeo.

Another great project by the  london based talented visual artist  Quayola . In this occasion bringing one his projects of 2009 an audiovisual installation commissioned by Evento and Lumin for the Bordeaux Art & Architecture Biennale.

About the Project

The term Strata defines a geological formation made of multiple layers of rock. Each one of these layers has its own individual characteristics and history, which combined produce beautiful and unique formations…
The Strata project consist in a series of films, prints and installations investigating improbable relationships between contemporary digital aesthetics and icons of classical art and architecture. Like in geological processes, layers belonging to different ages interact with one another producing new intriguing formations.

An special image based triangulation software with 3D mesh output was made for this audiovisual by Mauritius Seeger. By finding and extracting interest points in photographic stills this tool generates an optimal delauney triangle mesh. Further by averaging the colour in each triangle this software can generate a pixelated image where the smallest unit of representation is a triangle. Software developed using processing.

Strata #3 – Excerpt from Quayola on Vimeo.

Yancey Strickler one of the co-founders of kickstarter.com talks about how creative people through digital platforms like his can create their own economy conditions for founding their projects by leveraging the power of their social networks were the support for a project is rewarded with special incentives rather than promising an economic gain for fund a project that is often not intended to be a revenue generator.
This is a radical change from how is used to be in the past were economic founding  mostly came from people or institutions who only cared of economic return of investment and all that stuff that make almost every creative project impossible to make.

Let me know what you think of this kind of  found raising personally I think it´s awesome.

Dot Dot Dot “The Entrepreneurs,” Yancey Strickler from MFA Interaction Design on Vimeo.

What is OSLOOM?
OSLOOM (short for OPEN SOURCE LOOM) is a project aimed at creating an open source electromechanical thread-controlled floor loom that will be computer controlled. A loom is a device used to weave fabric. The loom itself will be a Jacquard style loom. Jacquard looms allow for the individual control of each thread which in turn allows for photographic imagery to be woven. Jacquard looms like this exist commercially but they are very expensive (upwards of $30,000) which puts them out of reach for individuals and small educational facilities.

The OSLOOM could be produced way more economically than that and truly revolutionize what the studio weaver could accomplish. The idea of a DIY open source loom is one that not only artists could benefit from but many individuals and learning centers could gain a resource by building one of these looms as well.

OSLOOM would have an impact on (but not limited to) the following communities/sectors:

artists

DIY/makers

studio weavers

educational

institutions (large and small)

textile designers

developing countries

I believe that in order for a loom such as OSLOOM to have the greatest amount of impact it would need to operate on an open source platform. Therefore the software to operate the loom will be GPL (General Public Licensed) and the hardware will be OHL (Open Hardware Licensed). This would allow other individuals or groups to create this loom or to further develop this loom in the form of a derivative loom.

This project is inspired by MIT’s FabLab concept and other open source hardware projects such as the RepRap and Fab@Home 3D rapid prototypers and the many DIY CNC projects available already.

OSLOOM.ORG
OSLOOM.org will be the main repository for the OSLOOM. Once research & development creates the first bug-free prototype OSLOOM the loom plans/documentation (hardware/software) would all be placed online on a wiki for easy access. The website will become a hub for the OSLOOM project but also for other types of DIY/OS looms that anyone can build. Potentially the website could also offer assembled looms as well as all-in-one kits for persons not interested in ordering all the parts individually. In addition, a google code page will be started for the software development.

I have been playing around with processing for a  year now and I thought it would be nice to post some of the best libraries I have  used for my experimental projects , for those who don´t know processing is a programming environment for designing generative graphics , animation, games and complex interactive applications. Processing comes already  integrated with several libraries  that extend the power  of  processing beyond working simply  with graphics and images , However, the ever-growing community  of processing has created libraries that allow you to use audio, video, and connect processing with other technologies and devices which allow the creation of practically anything you can imagine.

Here´s a list of the best libraries I have tried out and that you definitevately have to take a look at , I also would  like to thank everyone who takes the time to create this libraries that makes the life of people like me so much easier and fun.

Traer Physics : A simple particle system physics engine for processing. I’ve designed this to be application / domain agnostic. All this is supposed to do is let you make particles, apply forces and calculate the positions of particles over time in real-time. Anything else you need to handle yourself.

JMyron: Myron is the cross-platform, cross-language, open source, video capture and computer vision plugin. One core C++ object gets cross-compiled as a handful of high level language “wrapper” libraries. The wrapper for Java and Processing is called JMyron. The wrapper for Macromedia Director is called WebCamXtra. The aim of the project is to keep computer vision free and easy for the new media education and arts community.

PeasyCam: PeasyCam provides a dead-simple mouse-driven camera for Processing.

ControlP5: ControlP5 is a GUI and controller library for processing that can be used in authoring, application, and applet mode. controllers are easily added to a processing sketch, can be arranged in separate control windows, and can be organized in tabs or group.

Anar: A cadKIT™ for Processing (v1.0) for Object Oriented Geometry. Based on (anar+) parametric modeling scheme is a KIT of libraries.

Toxiclibs: An independent, open source library collection for computational design tasks with Java & Processing developed by Karsten “toxi” Schmidt (thus far). The classes are purposefully kept fairly generic in order to maximize re-use in different contexts ranging from generative design, animation, interaction/interface design, data visualization to architecture and digital fabrication, use as teaching tool and more.

NextText: A port of the library for the Processing development environment. Keeping in mind the goals of  Processing, the library includes greatly simplified syntax and allows the creation of interesting sketches with very few lines of code.   And for programmers who want to push the envelope further, all functionality of the Java version of the library is maintained, so it is still possible to create intricate and more complex applications.

Hemesh: An imple­men­ta­tion of a half-edge datas­truc­ture for manip­u­lat­ing 3D meshes in Pro­cess­ing.

P5Sunflow: An easy way to make your Processing sketches look sexy as hell. Well, only three-dimensional ones, but whatever. Sunflow is a ray tracer written in Java. It’s pretty awesome.

I f you know of  another cool library please let me know on the comments below so we can add it to the list.

Architects are not the exception given the great capacity of analysis and feedback it can offer for generative form finding and the ease of programming work environments that allows architects create their own software depending on the needs of an specific project, many architectural schools and leading architectural firms have started to include it as a tool for R&D.

So far the majority of the works I´ve seen still are experimental and conceptual initiatives as it always is when using new technologies , however i think as this tool becomes more popularized and more specific libraries like Anar (processing library for parametric modelling ) begin to appear, we will start seeing real built projects using processing as part of their design process like the Glorieta Juan Carlos Iby in Mula,Spain by Esc Studio where they developed a software for social participation in which the public could design it´s own proposal and send it to the authorities for its evaluation.
Here are some of the projects I have tracked down so far , If you find more let me know so we can add them here.

3d voronoi structure – solids by Nils Seifert

1UP Design project , fabrication planing for the voronoi structure programmed in processing.

Processing particles – relaxation form finding by Nils Seifert

Form finding experiment by dynamic relaxation in processing. The girder depth is calculated by the tension of the surface at each point.

Behavioral System from Krzysztof Gornicki

Behavioral analysis system written in Processing for the purpose of msc3 hyperbody studio at the tu delft.

Improvisation on a Digital Space by Enrique Ramos

Code-generated space makes possible to define architectures whose configuration can be controlled by all sort of parameters such as pressure, sound and lighting levels. In this video, a performer interacts with the space through light sensors and resistors making it evolve with the music in real time.
This project has been developed with Processing, and Arduino, being the first used for the visualisations and the latter for the physical interface.

Mula Generative Software by Enrique Ramos

Custom software used to generate the “Glorieta de Juan Carlos I” in Mula (Spain), by esc-studio.
The software implements a Voronoi algorithm and allows the user to redefine the circulations and activity areas with a simple mouse drag.
This software will be used in a future public consultation, where the citizens will be able to create their own design proposals for the square within the parameters set by the architects.
For more information, visit esc-studio.com, or  spaceformwords.com

Digital Form Finding – Bat Wing by Kensuke Hotta

AA school Em-tech course work,’DIgital Form Finding’ built with processing (Refer from John Harding)

Xylem is a digital tool made by Federico Weber an industrial designer making a master of industrial design at the Politecnico of Milan, that allow people to design their own family of furniture by using a very friendly interface in which the user can change different variables of the design by simply moving some control points and some sliders that affect the object dimensions, it also allow you to visualize your design in a 3D environment were you can change the color of your furniture , finally it provides the digital information to manufacture your design using digital fabrication tools.

Straight from the site
The aim of the xylem project was to investigate the possibilities of digital fabrication technologies and computational design methodologies. The xylem project is neither a table, a bench or a stool; it’s a family of objects which can be co-designed by the clients, using a custom built software, to best suit their needs and tastes.

The software, developed in Processing, is designed in order to allow the modification of the xylem’s shape by the users. In order to generate the table and ensure a safer use for users I’ve used three mathematical principles. The Convex Hull and the Voronoi Diagram are direct responsible for the table shape, while the physical simulator is used to guarantee a minimum border length of 15 cm.

don´t forget to visit Federico´s site and of course try out  Xylem HERE.

Do you think designers should be the only authors of designed products as is commonly conceived , or that designers should become providers of tools and let consumers become the designers of their own goods?

He provide his project as open source code so members of the public could be able to remix or recode the original piece in order to create more artworks from the same project, but that is not all , some of these recoded versions will have the opportunity to be presented at the CBS Outdoor´s XTP screens at the London Underground. You need to submit your works via the V&A website before January 11,2010.

Image by Karsten Schmidt (decode_blue _5332 x 2550)

There is also a interactive GUI version of the work for those who don´t now programming that allow people to change several parameters of the the code by simply controlling some sliders. I have already tried it an its amazing =).

Download the identity & get started at: decode.googlecode.com

V&A Decode generative identity from postspectacular on Vimeo.

I often get to talk to people that are very worried, with problems of adaptation to this times or concerned for the lack of jobs among many other things, generally they attribute this problems to bad government administrations and global economic crisis , In fact governments just like people are victims which haven´t been able to see the great economic and industrial shifts that are currently happening and the ones to come, for example the way in which people consume products , every time people will star to consume more and more digital information or contents (music, movies,Iphone apps,video games, farm ville objects etc..) , instead of buying  physical objects as we did before, and also purchasing physical objects will start to be done under digital platforms were people can go , customize his object then get the 3D file and print it in his own home , and I´m not talking about a far away future this technologies are already available will be just be question of time to get them popularized. All this changes are going to originate new ways of economic systems in which there will be no middle man between the producer and the final consumer or at least the gap will be reduced dramatically which inevitable will cause a lot of companies to disappear creating the lack of jobs we are starting to see this days.

The lack of jobs and the inability of people to stay updated with current ways getting things done are ocasionating the social convulsions that we can see today like globalifobic and anti-technology movements for example.

Technology is whithout a doubt the one who is generating and impulsing all this changes , that is why its important that we (as societies , goverments and corporations) start developing strategies to regulate and democratize the technological advances .

This by no reason means to close or shut down  the technological advance, as many romantic people  may suggest the returning to a natural state, that would be like returning to a state were children die daily from the more simple diseases like it happens today in some african countries, a state were societies will be ignorant praying for weather phenomena to occur , if  technology is not the key for human development what would be of people like Michelangelo,if their predecessors had not taken the initiative to invent the brush for example , its our obligation to develop tools that our future geenrations use to create things beyond our imagination. To turn the back to technology not only is stupid but immoral .

In fact we don´t only need less technology but even more , the problem we have been having all life is the stupid and selfish way in which we have been using technology, As soon as a new technology is born we are suddenly trying to find the way to package it and sell it without stopping to evaluate the consequences that this may have at middle and long terms , which has led us to an unsustainable confusing world of clutter.

Its natural that many people develops a disgust  for technology  but despite all we are all guilty in minor or greater degree of the use we have given it , it is necessary to start creating movements  in pro of  rational technology dedicated to foment the scientific investigation and technology development under a selective base.

Interactive Interface to design your own jewerly online (n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com )

The Open Source and DIY movements are one of the major shifts I have seen in order to build  more democratic and sustainable  technologies because they essentially remove the major problems  of the old ways of privatization and exclusion that always have affected technology. When a new technology is shared openly so every one can use it , it dramatically reduces the opportunity  for corporations to make instant profit with it  ,using it in stupid products that have short term potential  instead you allow several people to study , evaluate , apply and combine it with other technologies that may have a major positive long term impact on societies.In few words I think the problem with technology is not the discovery of  it but the type of  diffusion we give it, it is not the investigation but the application we give to new discoveries.

Only by creating a culture of openness we will be able to generate the tools that will help us improve  and adapt in this ever changing world  by making technology accessible to everyone. In the near future people will have to be more prepared because jobs and opportunities will require more and more critical judgement, the jobs were people went 8 hours to perform a repetitive task will dissapear due to the autamtization processes, that is why it is important to develop ways in which everyone is aware of the changes are happening around them so no one stays out of the game. So everyone should be out there being curious, researching , creating and sharing.

Some cool initiatives I have seen:

N-E-R-V-O-U-S

Fluid Forms

Rep Rap

Eye Writer http://www.eyewriter.org/about/

DIYLILCNC

MakerBot