MX: Target User Profile

qualifiers:

single parent > youth league sports coach > evangelical christian

abstract:

the christian single parent (csp) is determined not to let their child(ren) make the same mistakes they did. relying on a strong support from the christian community, the csp affords their child(ren) every opportunity for group participation. the csp is a team player, and often holds a position of leadership within that team. it is the csp's hope that their young progeny will aspire to a similar degree of personal commitment.

interests:


youth league sports: a healthy competitive streak drives the csp, but even if his/her team doesn't win, (s)he is assured that there are no losers on team jesus.


hanging in the converted office/bedroom where the csp slept in those last trying days toward the end of their failed marriage.

bookshelf:


this book appeals to the csp, offering affirming life assurance, practical advice, and proper heimlich maneuver form.

this one features highlighted passages further representative of the csp's mentality.

the csp is subscribed to (if not the author of) this amazon.com list:

So You'd Like to Become a Great Christian Coach

magazine subscriptions:


online habits:


the csp receives email newsletters from the numerous online publications offered from the evangelical-sanctioned christianitytoday.com. a communal creature at heart, the csp is no stranger to online social networking utilities. their local church's techo-savvy singles ministry pastor even has youtube sermons and updates like john covell's "austin pulse" ministry. see john's amazing personal testimony!


the austin pulse ministry has their own facebook group, announcing events like this singles dance, providing child care for csps.

csps like kim young often face many tough decisions.

buzzwords:


practical, security, class-conscious, community-minded, 4-wheel drive, ambitious, devoted, competitive, leader, committed

design sensibilities:

conservative, tasteful, functional, stable, subdued, traditional, bland, high-waisted

Reflection: 8.29.08

on pursuing esoteric avenues of thought

i sometimes wonder about the virtues of immediate associations. in my academic experience, i am often encouraged to assume a "shallow read" on the part of the audience. nuanced conceptual leaps that require intellectual investment run the risk of miscommunication sure, but isn't the payoff worth it? i contend that tangents are valuable, and great caution should be exercised in constantly appealing to the basest perceptual levels.

VL: Proj.01: Casio SK-10

Your new CASIO SK-10 is a state-of-the-art musical instrument which uses the latest digital technology to make its operation as simple as possible. In addition to preset keyboard tones and rhythms, the SK-10 lets you "sample" (digitally record) sounds and integrate them as keyboard voices. A unique new sampling repeat function lets you put sampled sounds into any of the 16 preset patterns at random. The SK-10 also features advanced functions such as a memory function that lets you record your own melodies, and a Disney-tune demonstration mode.

-from CASIO SK10 Electronic Musical Instrument Operation Manual

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The CASIO SK10 is a hard machine to peg. Initially marketed as a low-end device (markedly downgraded from the earlier CASIO SK1), the advance in music technology has rendered this already simple keyboard obsolete to the point of novelty. Consumer reviews are rife with personal narratives of samba successes-

Just picked up an SK10 from Goodwill yesterday for $7[US]. What a steal. Came home from work last night and wrote a song with the rocking Samba beat and the great Vibraphone voice.
André Phillips [navyhornet@hotmail.com] 08/11/2005 12:59

frustrating yet appetizing technical malfunction-

Unfortunately it stopped working five years ago, before I had full appreciation for its capabilities. It's really a groovy little thing. I just plugged it in again. It started smoking and smelling like peanut butter. But I don't think I ever figured out the organ.
Molly Iams [Nepenthe444@hotmail.com] 08/02/2004 11:45

and slightly less appetizing childhood nostalgia-

i had one of these when I was 7 and threw up all over it one night shortly after i got it. There are still to this day orange chunks stuck between the keys.
Will [williamberman@gmail.com] 12/18/2007 05:20

-consumer reports selected from http://www.casiosk1.com/sk10.cfm where they are listed in full and available for further comment if you'd like to share your own SK10 experience.

although, its simple interface, cheap construction, impossibly minute keys afford virtually zero expressive playing potential, innovative, electronically inclined musicians like this one have customized and extended the SK-10 through manipulation of its internal circuitry.

"The circuit bending process has been developed largely by individuals experimenting with second-hand electronics in a DIY fashion, either with inexpensive keyboards or drum machines, or with electronic children's toys not associated with musical production. Aesthetic value, immediate usability and highly randomized results are often factors in the process of successfully bending electronics."

-wikipedia entry on circuit bending

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incredible, noisy, fierce, furby-filled footage demonstrating the auspicious history, culture, and aesthetic of circuit bending.

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in short...

the audience- circuit benders, DIY musicians, noise musicians, researchers for new interfaces for musical instruments (NIME)

this audience likely had some incarnation of this keyboard or toy electronic musical instrument at some point in their childhood and repurposed it for a new form of musical expression.

the casio sk-10 is unique to some circuit bent instruments in that it already has an intended musical interface and output which can either be coopted or completely bypassed in creating custom instruments.

the circuit bending aesthetic appropriates 'ironic,' vestige artifacts of youth and incorporates them into their musical endeavors. the pre-programmed disney tracks are a special boon in this regard.

a circuit bender would particularly appreciate the unique challenge the SK-10 provides in that it does not include a 1/4" output- a required feature for amplification/effects processing. circuit bent SK-10's often feature creative solutions to this particular design factor.

Spring 08 Mapping Information

projects from kryzstof lenk's mapping information class. process work pending
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web domain planner

simple content wire frames mapped to corresponding isometric diagram of site path structure

past_present_future

the objective- visually describe any event or thing that passes through a state of past, present, and future. i chose the process of subtractive synthesis, which exists in its past as potential (intangible mathematical expression) to its present as a physical state (a propogated wave amplified and expressed as a vibration of molecules) to its future once again as potential (for the infinite array of modifications in pitch, timbre, attack, sustain, decay and release).

Summer 08 Design Tech REU

a cursory summary of my summer research experience.

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informal abstract:

writers often approach their novels from the conventional narrative sequence- inciting incident, rising action, climax, denouement, and resolution. this model is conducive to the authoritative mode of the author, but this method is incompatible with media in which the audience actively constructs this narrative. it is my attempt to envision a flexible narrative that anticipates a plurality of actions. furthermore, it is beneficial to explore how the narrative structure informs the underlying code imposed by the game programmers- how an educational objective can translate into hard-coded behaviors or actions enacted by the programmers. these models might improve the effectiveness of game development teams and build consensus between educators, planners, and programmers.

my method was applied to a graduate project in its early stages- an educational game developed around the domain of computer network security. this resulted in the:

non-linear narrative model

in this model, we set about to identify possible scenarios afforded by this domain- task management, adware/spyware, and physical intrusion. we divided these scenarios into particular events along a primary timeline. these events are further broken into tasks and plotted into a series or sequence. supplementing each primary task is a contingent or underlying task. the player might fulfill the primary task, but neglect the contingent task necessary for further narrative advancement, causing them to re-evaluate their initial assumptions. the amount of capable guidance or AI assistance is gradually faded, as the player must rely on their own independent reasoning skills to advance- facilitating deeper learning and knowledge construction.

our next task was to identify all the possible player decisions or actions that a player might take and how deep into the decision tree they can go before they must go back and fulfill the neglected task. successful player actions result in a decision being 'true.' this resulted in the:

decision tree

a final effort was made to synthesize the narrative model, the decision tree, and the specific preconditions, actions, and effects that entail successful completion of a decision. you can see this document here:

final symposium poster

this includes the formal abstract and a summary of each integrated model.

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process/concept sketches:


at an early stage in the game's development, it was a detective noir/cyberpunk theme- a hybrid of phil marlowe machismo and william gibson dystopia.


unfortunately, the department was dead set on using the default game engine from "Unreal"- a first person shooter, so the end result was a little less of this:

...and a little more like this:


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in game/level design:



i was responsible for developing some in game heads up display (HUD) assets as well- an icon system to relate various programs to their processes, an inventory system affording user interraction w/ processes (inspect, move, nice, kill, delete) and a minimap relating the virtual environment to its corresponding 'real world' computer equivalent (each file directory has a corresponding 'room' in the virtual environment).

the icon assets can be accessed in their entirety here

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tedious supplementary projects:

i was initially assigned design assets for an in game HUD for a previous project. the design was already finalized by a previous group so i just had to fill in some of the blanks- photoshopping buttons and in game menus that looked like this:


this required/afforded limited creative input on my part.

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sometimes i made silly brochures like this.

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in the off time, i explored north carolina, which is like a woolier version of the midwest. i also played a lot of piano. an original raleigh-inspired composition can be heard here for anyone interested.