computing

virtualization technology (VT) stuff to remember / forget

2009-09-02T04:45:49+01:00

virtualization technology (VT) stuff to remember / forget

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config # 1

vmware server 2

system configuration
- linux 5.3
- vmware server 2.0.0.0 build 156745 (64 bit)
- vmware ESXi wouldn't install as it appears my (home) motherboard/cpu are not VT compatible
(virtualization technology)
- see hardware compatibility list on ESXi FAQ page
- vmware utils page - check if processor supports VT 64 bit
- installed QNX 6.4.1 RTOS (real time operating system) VM (virtual machine) (32 bit)

:::

vmware server on linux :
vmware server download page
- install the rpm : rpm -ivh /opt/vmware-server/VMware-server-2.0.1-156745.x86_64.rpm
- start scripts are in /etc/init.d - use service vmware status/stop/start/restart to manage
vmware-autostart -> vmware
vmware-core -> vmware
vmware-mgmt -> vmware

- create new disk partition for the VM to use (see below)
- open http://plato:8222 for VMware gui (hostname:vmware port)

add VMware datasource
- create a new datasource & specify new partition /qnx

create new VM / virtual machine
- for qnx VM, see "qnx VM" section below

:::

make a new disk partition for the VM to use
(common for different VT systems (vmware, XEN, redhat KVM)

fdisk /dev/hda
p=print current partition list
n=new - use n to make a new partition
d=delete (if you make a mistake or have to recreate it later)
w=write/save
reboot (works ok if you don't though)

format new partion
mkfs ext2 -j -b 4096 /dev/hda13
- the -j option converts it to an ext3 type not ext2

label partition & add to /etc/fstab for automount
- use e2label to label new partitions so they can be referenced in /etc/fstab (when booting up or using mount -a)
[root@plato ~]# e2label /dev/hda13

[root@plato ~]# e2label /dev/hda12
/usr/local1
[root@plato ~]# e2label /dev/hda13 /qnx
[root@plato ~]# e2label /dev/hda13
/qnx

eg:
[root@plato ~]# cat /etc/fstab
(other partitions removed)
LABEL=/qnx /qnx ext3 defaults 1 2
[root@plato ~]#

mount partition
- mkdir /qnx (to create mount point. only do first time/once)
- manually : mount /dev/hda13 /qnx
- via fstab if label / partition entry has been added to /etc/fstab
-- mount -a (reads /etc/fstab)
-- mount (to check volume mounted ok : eg: /dev/hda13 on /qnx type ext3 (rw) )

:::

qnx VM
- type=Other (32 bit)
- for qnx, select IDE0:0 hdd instead of SCSI (default) otherwise it won't see a drive to install onto
- for qnx, to use photon GUI (X display), login to qnx using terminal mode, then change the /etc/system/config/display.conf file's vmware section pixel_format=rgb565 (via foundry27 page) then ph to start photon (or restart server to confirm it's working)

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config # 2

redhat-xen
ref#1 doc = (Deploying RHEL 5 Virtualization; Vol 1: Single System)
- install rpms as per (ref#1) - section 4 & Appendix B (I installed a fresh linux 5.3 - full version)
- installed Virtualization updates via software package manager & Redhat Network machine packages
- make sure Xen based kernel is running ie

[root@plato ~]# uname -a
Linux plato 2.6.18-164.el5xen #1 SMP Tue Aug 18 15:59:52 EDT 2009 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

- follow instructions in section 6 & 6.1 (ref#1)
- setup NFS mount as per Appendix D (ref#1) & select source url=nfs:plato:/opt/redhat_linux53 (nfs:server:/nfs_mount_path)
- copy the linux dvd to /opt/redhat_linux53 (nfs mount point)
- service nfs start (if already stopped)
- chkconfig nfs on (if you want it to start on boot etc)
- vi /etc/exports & add the path & server name & permissions (read only) eg:

    /opt/redhat_linux53 plato.(ro)

mount nfs paths:

[root@plato ~]# showmount -e
Export list for plato:
[root@plato ~]# exportfs -a
[root@plato ~]# showmount -e
Export list for plato:
/opt/redhat_linux53 plato
[root@plato ~]#

- start the install of the VM

================================

02/09/2009 : error after creating VM - allocating space. too tired, will check tomorrow :(
I think the volume might be too small...

03/09/2009 : ok it turned out to be not enough memory allocated to the VM. I'd taken the default (512Mb) when setting it up. changing to
current allocation =512Mb
change allocation = 512Mb
max allocation=1024 Mb
server has 4094Mb installed
this redhat knowledgebase page has the explanation and fix
this thread and response also has suggestions

Unable to complete install 'libvirt.libvirtError virDomainCreateLinux() failed POST operation failed: (xend.err 'Error creating domain: The privileged domain did not balloon!')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/share/virt-manager/virtManager/create.py", line 627, in do_install
    dom = guest.start_install(False, meter = meter)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/virtinst/Guest.py", line 822, in start_install
    return self._do_install(consolecb, meter, wait)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/virtinst/Guest.py", line 843, in _do_install
    self.domain = self.conn.createLinux(install_xml, 0)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.4/site-packages/libvirt.py", line 573, in createLinux
    if ret is None:raise libvirtError('virDomainCreateLinux() failed', conn=self)
libvirtError: virDomainCreateLinux() failed POST operation failed: (xend.err 'Error creating domain: The privileged domain did not balloon!')
'ble to complete install 'libvirt.libvirtError virDomainCreateLinux() failed POST operation failed: (xend.err 'Error creating domain: The privileged domain did not balloon!')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/share/virt-manager/virtManager/create.py", line 627, in do_install
    dom = guest.start_install(False, meter = meter)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/virtinst/Guest.py", line 822, in start_install
    return self._do_install(consolecb, meter, wait)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/virtinst/Guest.py", line 843, in _do_install
    self.domain = self.conn.createLinux(install_xml, 0)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.4/site-packages/libvirt.py", line 573, in createLinux
    if ret is None:raise libvirtError('virDomainCreateLinux() failed', conn=self)
libvirtError: virDomainCreateLinux() failed POST operation failed: (xend.err 'Error creating domain: The privileged domain did not balloon!')'

:::

xen config file

[root@plato ~]# ll /etc/xen
total 68
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 May 25 17:57 auto
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 156 May 19 2007 qemu-ifup
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Sep 2 22:25 scripts
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 6152 May 25 17:57 xend-config.sxp
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1256 May 25 17:57 xend-pci-permissive.sxp
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4129 May 25 17:57 xend-pci-quirks.sxp
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 5463 May 25 17:57 xmexample1
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 6746 May 25 17:57 xmexample2
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7264 May 25 17:57 xmexample.hvm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 5315 May 25 17:57 xmexample.vti
-rw------- 1 root root 332 Sep 3 13:18 zeus
[root@plato ~]#

[root@plato ~]# cat /etc/xen/zeus
name = "zeus"
uuid = "3714c6a3-ca28-7822-0c4e-424e2a66cb62"
maxmem = 1024
memory = 512
vcpus = 1
bootloader = "/usr/bin/pygrub"
on_poweroff = "destroy"
on_reboot = "restart"
on_crash = "restart"
vfb = [ "type=vnc,vncunused=1,keymap=en-us" ]
disk = [ "tap:aio:/zeus/zeus.img,xvda,w" ]
vif = [ "mac=00:16:3e:29:0a:cb,bridge=xenbr0" ]
[root@plato ~]#

[root@plato ~]# ll /zeus/
total 7687512
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 7864320000 Sep 3 01:05 zeus.img
[root@plato ~]#

================================

:::

redhat linux links

linux architecture docs - cluster & virtualization :
Deploying RHEL 5 Virtualization; Vol 1: Single System
Deploying RHEL 5 Virtualization; Vol 2: Cluster

Remote libvirt connections

TechnoCalyps: Transhuman documentary - quotes & notes

2009-07-14T13:39:58+01:00

as part of the "Transhumanism, Singularities, and Other Far Out Futures" class with R.U. Sirius at Evolver Academy we watched TechnoCalyps: Transhuman documentary - here are my notes & quotes from viewing the film
note: times mentioned are rough times only

TechnoCalyps: Transhuman Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT_LnUObIf8

- keeping the brain surviving outside of the body - experiments with animals
05:25 - total body transplant. Stephen Hawkings could possibly survive a total body transplant?
06:10 - consciousness can be transplanted. human soul? can be argued that this can be transplanted. they did experiments with monkeys - transplanted the head of one monkey onto another & it lived for 7 days before being rejected

TechnoCalyps: Transhuman Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z257yC2HAlI

01:10 - humanising the pig kidney/liver so it's not rejected by human body, then transplanting these into humans (pigs as donors)

01:35 metamouse - laboratory grown ear on back of a mouse. hasn't Stelarc been growing an ear on his arm? art project?

03:25 - artist - designing future human bodies. 'after all the body is an extension of fashion' -- I think the body was around before fashion...

10:00 - most people think you have to build a brain and a body will fall out of it. but when you look at nature, well over half the species on Earth have no brain to speak of at all yet manage to move around and survive very effectively.

TechnoCalyps: Transhuman Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxBGMGxVCg0

00:00 - scientists have evolved very effective nervous systems. not brains

03:10 - history of humans is that they haven't treated other life that is similar to humans very well. even back to neanderthals when the homosapiens arrived - they didn't live in co-operation, even though they were very similar. even back to 500 years (or this year?) humans haven't treated other humans well (colonization)
won't be pleasant for the losers. -- joseph m rosen

08:30 - highlighted/coloured nerve cells - can see them working

TechnoCalyps: Transhuman Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZShORepzB-g

04:45 - replacing part of the biological brain with microchip. inputs & outputs still work the same

06:45 - using these computer chip-brain replacements now for sound recognition - to recognise sounds of gunshots which make a camera zoom in on the sound - crime stopper cameras in high crime areas. member of the black community says that they are being watched whereas white community areas are not

TechnoCalyps: Transhuman Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGQjwhntAG0

01:30 fit onto a cd rom - 600Mb I bet that's all you need to copy a person

03:25 scientists can move a single atom from one place to another

05:50 they want to build nanobots (low number of atoms devices with computers more powerful than today) - inject them into the human body eg bloodstream to kill cancer cells, modify dna, etc

06:15 basic goal of nanotechnology is to build an assembler (auto-assembler) - a very basic device, that can build copies of itself

06:50 molecular nanotechnology is to physical reality what computer programming is to virtual reality. .. bit of an exaggeration, but gives the idea.. whereas computer programmers can program software to do what they want, molecular nanotechnology will allow us to change matter at the most fundamental level. it will allow us to build just about any kind of structure, to our exact specifications by moving individual atoms. ... this sounds like a world of magic(k) where all that we imagined becomes reality but the role of the good fairy is taken over by robots so miniscule that we cannot see them. (background images of Cinderella where pumpkin changes into a coach) and instead of saying the magic word, we program them to grant all our wishes.
>> myths, dreams & fairy tales - the human premonition of what we will one day create. or if not premonition, the imagination of what we want to create?

07:40 the other side of the fairy tale is what is called the "grey goo syndrome" - nanobots programmed for terrorist action or rapidly start reproducing themselves & a chain reaction causes planet to be reduced in 72hours into a grey goo of swarming nanobots

08:00 most scientists think that "grey goo syndrome" is very unlikely - we will have nanotechnology to control nanotechnology.
>> the "watchdog" - who's watching the watchdog??

TechnoCalyps: Transhuman Part 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Wx3UPyd6U

00:00 this is not the end of history. becoming post-human creates new problems. still have same personality problems as before. you're just going to be "more" than you were before. you'll have more power. with more power comes more responsibility.

Stelarc: The Cadaver, the Comatose & the Chimera - seminar (melbourne)

2009-05-05T03:02:50+01:00

We are living in an age of excess and indifference, of prosthetic augmentation and extended operational systems. The dead, the near dead, the undead and the yet to be born are existing simultaneously. This is the age of the cadaver, the comatose and the chimera. The cadaver can now be preserved indefinitely with plastination. The comatose body can be sustained on a life-support system. Cryogenically suspended bodies await possible reanimation. Chimera is the body that performs with mixed realities. A biological body, augmented with technology and telematically performing with virtual systems. The chimera is an alternate embodiment.

This is an age of organs without bodies, of organs awaiting bodies. There is now a proliferation of organs. A proliferation of biocompatible components in both substance and scale that allows technology to be attached and implanted into the body. Organs are extracted and exchanged. Organs are engineered and inserted. Blood flowing in my body might tomorrow be circulating in your body. Ova are fertilized in-vitro with sperm that has been unfrozen. The face of the donor becomes a third face on the recipient. The body acts with indifference. Indifference as opposed to expectation. An indifference that allows something to occur, that allows an unfolding - in its own time and with its own rhythm. An indifference that allows suspending a body with hooks, inserting a sculpture inside the body and surgically constructing an ear on an arm. This presentation examines alternate anatomical architectures using mechanical, virtual, biotech and surgical augmentation and exploration of the body. It exposes the obsolescence, the absence and the emptiness of the body.

Stelarc is a performance artist who has performed with a third hand, a virtual arm, a 6-legged walking robot and is presently surgically constructing and stem cell growing an ear on his arm.

This seminar will be held at at the Law Building, Lecture Theatre G08, University Square, 185 Pelham Street, Carlton 3053.

08 May 2009
Friday 3.00 - 4.00 pm Stelarc
The Cadaver, the Comatose & the Chimera

http://www.dis.unimelb.edu.au/research/groups/interactiondesign/seminars.html#NextSeminar

openframeworks & openCV - computer vision libraries

2009-04-29T04:40:08+01:00

yesterday, @DustForEyes posted an "AR scratching" video by vanderlin to stealth board & twitter. it's tagged with tags such as AR, augmented reality, opencv, and openframeworks, so I googled some of these. the AR markers seem like the fiducial markers found in reactable - note there's going to be a performance / demo of one of these called dubtable at ripped next week which would be cool to check out.

via Augmented reality wikipedia page :
Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time. At present, most AR research is concerned with the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and "augmented" by the addition of computer-generated graphics. Advanced research includes the use of motion-tracking data, fiducial markers recognition using machine vision, and the construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators.

computer vision wikipedia page

openCV
- openCV wiki - openCV is a c++ library for creating computer vision applications
- Learning OpenCV: Computer Vision with the OpenCV Library seems to be a good book on learning openCV
- openCV yahoogroups mail list

what is openCV? : (via openCV wiki)
OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision) is a library of programming functions mainly aimed at real time computer vision. Example applications of the OpenCV library are Human-Computer Interaction (HCI); Object Identification, Segmentation and Recognition; Face Recognition; Gesture Recognition; Motion Tracking, Ego Motion, Motion Understanding; Structure From Motion (SFM); Stereo and Multi-Camera Calibration and Depth Computation; Mobile Robotics.

openframeworks
- openframeworks website
- openframeworks download page
- openframeworks forum
- openframeworks wiki
- openframeworks documentation page
- openframeworks startup guide
- setup page - for c++

:::

I've downloaded the "visual studio 2008 FAT" (windows - will try mac too hopefully) & the "code blocks FAT" and the "Dev-C++ setup guide" from setup page as it said this is an easy one to start with on windows.

I'm not sure yet whether I should try both or just one of them - starting with openframeworks anyway. will try the hello world / demo code and see what happens

-- OK dev-cpp works OK
-- examples in C:\_apps\Dev-Cpp\Examples
-- install files in C:\_edrive\AliaK\openframeworks

-- installed code::blocks 8.02 as per this forum post & readme file - the eyebeam guys said codeblocks is more stable so that's a good enough recommendation for me :) (their work is AMAZING!!)
- installed to C:\Program Files\CodeBlocks

- examples run OK - individual examples. the allexamples just has a blank screen when I run it?? open these .cbp files instead of import devcpp (.dev) files as the instructions say to do (I can't find the example they use on the page - maybe it was a previous version??)
- C:\_edrive\AliaK\openframeworks\devcpp\of_preRelease_v0.06_win32_cb_FAT_devcpp_examples\of_preRelease_v0.06_win32_cb_FAT\apps\addonsExamples\allAddonsExample

:::

examples by other people :
- openframeworks faq page has links to different projects
laser tag - uses an Benq 2500 lumens projector, laser & laptop + they've linked the software for people to download

:::

see the AR post - has more examples including Julian Oliver's Levelhead game & GE's AR demo for solar & wind energy (flash)

JASMIN's Cybernetics Serendipity Redux discussion - my reading notes from the archived discussion

2009-02-15T01:03:30+00:00

continuing on from magic squares - video project? blog post - my summary of urls & excerpts to follow from the YASMIN Cybernetics Serendipity Redux discussion in 2008

:::

Nicolas Schoffer - one of the first artist to talk in public about Cybernetics and art. Nicolas Schoffer wikipedia page (english) -- via jnm - jean noel montagne

:::

from the work of Vladimir Bonacic, shown in Zagreb in 1968 "Vladimir Bonacic - the early works, Zagreb 1968-197" by darko fritz :

Bonacic was a member of Zagreb's New Tendencies Network (1961-1973) which "had been presenting different aspects of lumino-kinetic and neo-constructivist art since 1961."

From the start, Bonacic had a critical view on the use of the computer in art for the simulation of reality. For example, regarding Michael Noll’s Mondrian-like drawing generated by a computer simulation, in 1969 he proposed that:

"The computer must not remain simply as a tool for the simulation of what exists in a new form. It should not be used to paint in the way Mondrian did or to compose music as Beethoven did. The computer gives us a new substance, it uncovers a new world before our eyes. In that world after so long a time scientists and artists will meet again on common ground stimulated by their common desire for knowledge". [5]

[4] Radoslav Putar, no title, tendencies 4 , 1968 - 1969, exhib. cat., Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, 1970, n.p.

[5] Vladimir Bonacic , “Possibilities for computer applications in visual research”, paper read at the colloquium “Computers and visual research’, August 4-5 th , 1968, Zagreb, published in Bit international no. 3 , Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, 1971, p 45 - 58.

one project, G.F.E (16,4) used multiple Galois field generators : The front panel shows a relief structure made of 1,024 light fields in 16 colors. Three Galois field generators are in operation to light the grid in different patterns. Those generators interact with other generators controlling the sound played out through four loudspeakers. The viewer can influence both sound and image either manually or by remote control. Sound can be manipulated by the exclusion of some tones. The speed of the visual can be adjusted as well, by looping the selected sequences. The observer cannot change the logic. The entire "composition" of this audio-visual spectacle, which consists of 1,048,576 different visual patterns and 64 sound oscillators, can be played within 6 seconds, or with a duration of 24 days [18]

[ 17] In the article “Kinetic art: Application of abstract algebra to objects with computer-controlled flashing lights and sound” Bonacic elaborates those different kinds of interaction from a practical and theoretical point of view and also considers the use of the brain waves in artistic practice. Published in Leonardo, Vol. 7 , Oxford / New York: Pergamon Press 1974, pp 195 and 196.

[ 18] ibid and Herbert W. Franke and Gottfried Jäger, Apparative Kuns t, Köln: M.DuMont 1973, p. 214 - 217; IBM, Computerkunst , IBM France 1975 (German edition 1978), p. 54

:::

Cybernetics Serendipity Redux - A moderated discussion on YASMIN

2008-09-02T12:18:57+01:00

Leonardo/OLATS, co sponsor of YASMIN, is pleased to announce

Cybernetics Serendipity Redux
http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin/viewtopic.php?t=4385 (ed: discussion link seems to be broken now 15/02/2009)
http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin_oldarchives - has archive of yasmin mail list
http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin - new Yasmin list

A moderated discussion on YASMIN
Beginning September 1 2008

Discussion On YASMIN, led by Ranulph Glanville.
Moderators Ranulph Glanville, Paul Brown, Paul Pangaro

40 years ago, Jasia Reichart's exhibition "Cybernetic Serendipity" showed that cybernetics, computing and art had arrived.

40 years later, while computers and art remain, cybernetics has nearly vanished, although there is a reviving interest in art.

In celebrating Cybernetic Serendipity we have the chance to re-open the debate, to reconsider the relationship particularly between cybernetics and art, and to do so taking into account the way that cybernetics has developed during its period of near invisibility.

So what is new in cybernetics, and how can that inform art: and, what is new in art, and how can that inform cybernetics.

This is a chance to reopen the connection, to explore again, and to move beyond some of the current models taken from cognitive science, computing, AI and AL, and complexity, to the (much more radical) field of their origin, cybernetics.

List of Discussants
Albert Mueller
Andreas Giannakoulopoulos
Andrew Brouse
Enrique Rivera
Ian Clothier
Jasia Reichart
Julien Knebusch
Mitchell Whitelaw
Paul Brown
Paul Pangaro
Ranulph Glanville
Roger Malina
Stephen Jones

------------------

To become a member & Yasmin list archive: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin/
To join Yasmin-map: http://haystack.cerado.com/yasmin
To post: yasmin@estia.media.uoa.gr
To unsubscribe: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin/unsubs.php?lid=1

facebook event : http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=71923825014

Building an Australasian Commons

2008-05-12T21:09:31+01:00

CCau are proud to announce that registration is now officially open for the Creative Commons 'Building an Australasian Commons' Conference.

The conference will be held on Tuesday 24th June 2008 from 8.30am – 5pm at the State Library of Queensland, South Brisbane, and is proudly supported by Creative Commons Australia (http://creativecommons.org.au), the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (http://www.cci.edu.aau), and the State Library of Queensland (http://www.slq.qld.gov.au).

It provides an opportunity for those interested in the free internet to come together to exchange ideas, information and inspiration. It brings together experts from Australasia to discuss the latest developments and implementations of Creative Commons in the region. It aims to be an open forum where anyone can voice their thoughts on issues relating to furthering the commons worldwide.

The current programme detailing the array of presentations, workshops and round table discussions can be found at http://creativecommons.org.au/australasiancommons.

Attendance is free and open to all comers. However, places are limited, so if you're interested in attending please register ASAP. Registration closes 9 June. You can download the registration form at http://creativecommons.org.au/materials/ccauconf08/australasian_commons_... and return it via email to elliott@creativecommons.org.au.

The conference will be followed on the day at 6pm by the second CCau ccSalon, a showcase of Creative Commons music, art, film and text from Australia and the region. This will be a great opportunity to mingle and relax after the day’s events while experience CC works in action.

We look forward to welcoming you at 'Building an Australasian Commons'.

Hosted by: Creative Commons Australia
Location: State Library of Queensland, Stanley Street, South Bank, Brisbane, Australia
Description: We look forward to welcoming you at 'Building an Australasian Commons'

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=16520225737

moos and lost notebooks from 1995

2007-06-18T15:33:55+01:00

back in the mid 90s or so I used to hang out on a couple of moos with some of the outlook crowd. I found one of my old notebooks on the bookshelf during this trip home and it has some of my notes on how to connect and lists the urls etc also. I used to use the name Alia back then though the name became too popular so a few years later I added the K for Kath/Kathy and became AliaK. one of the pages has my notes on how to request my name.

here's some of the notebook pages. I used to make the notebooks out of old 5.25" floppy disks and recycled paper from work - these disks weren't being used as often by this stage.. amazing how times change!!

I remember making a hammock that swung softly when someone sat in it and a room called blacony - nothing too flash compared to what the others were doing but it all worked ok! one day I'll have to go through some old disks and see if I can find any files from back then, that's if the disks even spin up at all..

more notebooks photos (including notes on other little projects I used to work on) @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliak_com/tags/notebooks/

Second Life developers site

2006-05-20T08:09:39+01:00

Second Life devleopers community resource site. visit http://sldevelopers.com/ for more details

max/msp course @ Goldsmiths college, London - gps data music patch project

2005-12-15T10:34:27+00:00

earlier this year I did a max/msp course at goldsmiths college. the class was taken by the very clever and talented sebastian lexer who puts on the interlace events in london and performs at various events and festivals. if you're looking for a max/msp course, I highly recommend this one - whether you've used max/msp before or not. the projects by the other class members were really cool also!
apart from the class notes I took we had to do a little project for the last day (4th day). I'd recently gone on the gps for artists workshop on Isle of Wight and bought myself a handheld gps device to record data on the driving trips I was doing. so, for my project, I made, with a lot of help from Sebastian! a patch which read gps data from a file, then parsed it into smaller sections to break it down into the different fields such as longitude & latitude, speed, direction, time, altitude etc. then I connected these values to the inputs of a vst filter/plugin called ambience, and played an audio recording and had the gps data adjust the filter parameters by stepping through the gps co-ordinates. also, the longitude & latitude are mapped to an x & y co-ordinate of a graph, so when the gps points are moved, you can see the x/y co-ords move too. for this version of the patch, I selected co-ords which would move around the screen according to the scale I chose. obviously if the area travelled is quite close, then the scale needs to be adjusted or you won't see much movement.
one day I'd like to expand the project so the gps data generates a music soundscape using samples I've recorded along the way. also it'll display geotagged photos taken on the journey as the gps points are processed.
attached is a screen shot of the patch and the actual patch, and some sample gps data. if you want to try it then you'd need your own audio file to open (any will do) and have the ambience vst plugin.

e-Tech 2004 conference - notes from Tim O'Reilly's killer apps recording

2005-12-11T04:24:34+00:00

O'Reilly killer apps mentioned in the audio recording of e-Tech 2004 from archive.org

social software - harnessing the power of use contributions & user participation:

successful platforms using social software:
- the comparison of amazon.com vs barnesandnoble.com -> amazon.com sell more o'reilly books than barnes & noble

mapping systems:
- mapping data applications; geo-annotations; geo url; geo tagging photographs
- "figuring out how does the real and the virtual penetrate"
- microsoft map point; aol mapquest; yahoo are the three main mapping systems at the moment

software used to mobilise people:
- moveon.org
- largest advocacy organisation in the world
- pointing millions of people at a shared project
- similar to the Dean project (using drupal!)

wikis
word spy - new terms; snapshot of the changes in language and culture; http://wordspy.com/

mobile devices
- pdas, mobile phones
- itunes

http://ia200109.eu.archive.org/1/audio/etech2004-oreilly/etech2004-oreil...

Games Creating the World Versus New "Advancements"

2005-07-08T20:56:00+01:00

The internet has been ablaze recently with talk of map products from Google and similar plans from Microsoft. These additions are really cool to look at but do not seem to offer real value or things to do in the worlds. As an avid gamer, I was questioning, haven't we seen similar things from games in the past. Last year we saw the release of True Crimes: Streets of L.A. and The Getaway (based in London). These and others were all smaller areas. Enter E3 this year and several announcements about new expansion packs for Microsoft Flight Simulator that take the base generic world and fix it up to allow you to fly through your city the way it really looks. FSQuality is offering the flight sim expansion covering Europe and Scenery Solutions has just released products for Canada and the United States. Now, these are just simulator expansions. We will have to wait to see what developers release for the next generation of consoles.

backstage.bbc.co.uk Open Tech 2005 (london)

2005-05-29T00:37:00+01:00

The UK Unix User Group, NTK.net, and the organisers of NotCon '04 present:

backstage.bbc.co.uk Open Tech 2005

Saturday July 23rd - The Reynolds Building, Hammersmith, London W6 8RP
http://www.ukuug.org/events/opentech2005/

Sponsored by backstage.bbc.co.uk, Open Tech 2005 is an informal
one-day conference about technologies that anyone can have a go at,
from "Open Source"-style ways of working to repurposing everyday
electronics hardware.

So far, the line-up features:
* Ted Nelson, inventor of hypertext, on where the web went wrong
* The official launch of the backstage.bbc.co.uk developer network,
opening up BBC content for you to play with
* Plus: able to record an entire week of all Freeview TV and radio
channels, probably the UK's largest (fridge-sized) PVR

More speakers will be confirmed over the next few weeks - but, as the
title implies, we're very much "Open" to suggestions. If you're
reverse-engineering proprietary protocols, making useful information
available in a way people couldn't get at before, pioneering
unexpected methods of knowledge sharing - or (equally likely) doing
something so cool we haven't even thought of it yet, then please get
in touch via the submissions form at:

http://www.ukuug.org/events/opentech2005/offer/

The deadline for submissions is midnight UK time Saturday June 25th,
and we'll aim to notify everyone who's submitted a proposal by July
1st.

We'll be trying to fit in as many talks (and lightning presentations)
as possible, so the shorter you can make yours, the better.
Alternatively, if you have an idea for a panel discussion, or a
workshop, or anything else that's vaguely in keeping with the theme of
the event, then we also can't wait to hear from you.

And there'll most likely be some sort of internet access at the event,
but offline demonstrations are strongly encouraged, as bandwidth may
not be guaranteed.

* Further information *

You don't have to suggest a session to take part; you can stay
informed about the event by subscribing to our low-traffic
announcement-only mailing list send a blank email to:

notcon-ubscribe@socialswirl.com">subscribe@socialswirl.com

(your address will only be used to contact you about the event and
will not be passed onto third parties).

- or you can email pentech@ukuug.org">opentech@ukuug.org if you've any other questions.

backstage.bbc.co.uk Open Tech 2005

Saturday July 23rd - The Reynolds Building, Hammersmith, London W6 8RP
http://www.ukuug.org/events/opentech2005/

Final programme may be subject to alteration. Thanks for reading!