Hasta La Ideas

WiiSpray Teaser from Martin Lihs on Vimeo.

The WiiSpray conceptualized by Martin Lihs at Bauhaus-University for his final diploma presentation enables users to bomb virtually. Martin Lihs explains the project in detail at the WiiSpray website:

The foundational basis for the project goes well beyond replacing real graffiti as an art form. Moreover, WiiSpray is to be seen as an interface to give graffiti a new virtual level surpassing tactile boundaries of the tangible world.

Within the system, there is a symbiosis of digital and analog as well as overcoming restrictions of distance and time. An advantage of the system proves to possess a user-friendly design simple enough for children to use. The virtual canvas allows the user to decide what is saved and what is discarded, all the while keeping the surrounding area clean and free of what otherwise would be a messy form of media.

The actual hardware tool of the artist – the spraying can – remains constant in its shape and function and is a catalyst for this software supporting innovative computer interaction. The self-explanatory program requires no previous knowledge or reference of a user’s manual. This software allows users to make the game all their own, offering a wide range of colors, interchangable caps, along with the possibility to incorporate the user’s personal photos, graphics, and backgrounds into the setting.

The WiiSpray provides a framework of different possibilities yet without any specifications on how to use it. Every user decides for themselves what his or her creative expressions might be.

WiiSpray is independent of platforms and is based on »Adobe Flash«, a »WiiiSpray server« which is based on the »WiiFlash server«, and standard »Wii« technology.

WiiSpray, a technical experiment with a lot of potential for expansion and application.

via PSFK:

With a gentle crescendo and swift pitch shift, Brandi House uses her voice to beckon the “Voicebot” (a sound-controlled Lynx 6 robot arm) towards her before coaxing it to move near a block that she wants it to grab. An abrupt “ch” sound then makes the arm’s gripper open so it can handle the object. The Voicebot is a vocal controlled robot arm that uses non-verbal vocalization for enabling interaction. Singing allows for continuous control in the manipulation of real world objects, and the project, which has been ongoing at the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Washington, is geared towards the development of systems that will allow people with motor impairments to control automated devices such as robots and prosthetic limbs.

Now you can download an alpha version of the Voicebot yourself (Windows only), so if you happen to have a Lynx 6 robot arm around (or care to pick one up), start practicing your lullabyes.

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Today we welcome guest post author Glen Stansberry. Glen writes about creative web design and web development at Web Jackalope. You can also follow him on Twitter.

It seems like nearly every day, I go to a popular website and see examples of how not to design a site. And the number one no-no that all of these highly-trafficked sites commit is that their designs have too much thoughtless clutter.

The worst case is when a seemingly clean site has a random patch of cluttery buttons in the corner somewhere. I took this screenshot yesterday of a popular dictionary site.

Apparently the makers of the site decided to cram as many social networking site buttons into the upper-right corner of the webpage, in hopes of getting attention on social sites.

Would you click on any of those buttons? I know I wouldn’t. Aside from placing those buttons in the last place they’ll be seen on the site, they just add clutter. The buttons have effectively taken attention away from the core section of the site (the definitions and dictionary look-up), and are digitally waving their hands and screaming “look at me! look at me!” in the nose-bleed section of the layout. I think it’s safe to assume that those buttons have a really, really low click-through ratio.

If I was going to use one of these buttons, I’d have to take about 20 minutes to scan through all the buttons just to find the bookmarking service I wanted. Also, the buttons feel like they were hastily added, as an afterthought. It’s as if some big-wig in the company read about social networking in the newspaper the night before, burst into the designer’s cubicle and demanded the designer increase their “social media whatchamacallit” NOW.

Would I Click This?

Every element should pass the “would I click on this?” test. When I’m laying out a design and want to add something (like a button or a link) outside of the content, I always ask myself if I would click on it as a visitor. If I won’t, then visitors probably won’t either.

Every ounce of space is precious. When you have a great minimal design like Unclutterer has, every tiny thing you add to the layout is going to be seen. Especially if the element is added thoughtfully and tastefully.

Take Unclutterer’s new “Subscribe on Twitter” link. Erin mentioned yesterday that the Unclutterer Tips Twitter account had received a ton of new followers last week, probably due to the recent addition of a simple link and button to the sidebar. Compare these two implementations and ask yourself which you would rather click on:

this

or this

When it comes to design, every bit, every piece, every ounce must be weighed and thought through. Adding even a tiny thing dilutes the rest of the design, but if added carefully and thoughtfully, can actually enhance the overall design.

As part of their 10th year anniversary celebration, our friends at netdiver have invited 10 ‘content scouts’ to submit 10 project reviews on topics of their choice.

First up is Doc Woohoo! with a nice collection of tech-driven artists, designers and architects. The Doc details the various platforms employed, with plenty of links for further sampling. Shown above are works by Robert Hogdin (left) and Alisa Andrasek (right).

Of particular interest is the blog wework|4her, which details concepts done for Zaha Hadid using Maya, scripting and mathematics.

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I don’t know about you, but as a closet video game geek (okay, maybe not so “closet”), I was super excited about the long-awaited release of Nintendo’s newest portable entertainment system, the Nintendo DSi. As the third generation product of the company’s sleek DS line, the DSi doesn’t look too much different than its predecessor, the DS Lite, at first glance. However, with the incorporation of two built-in cameras (yes, two!), a music player and sound recorder, and Wi-Fi capabilities for its very own “app” store, this updated gadget is indeed new and improved in the fun department despite its similar physicality to its older relatives. The two cameras (one internal for self-portraits and another external for maximum lurking potential) allow you to capture and manipulate snapshots, similar to Apple’s addictive PhotoBooth, as well as keep photo journals with the device’s calendar feature. With the SD memory card slot you can upload and listen to your own music and even distort sound with a swipe of the stylus, and with the DSiWare software, you can access the DSi’s online store and purchase games and apps for increased time-killing competence. Since I’ve only had my DS Lite for a year or two and buying a brand-new console isn’t exactly in my meager budget, I’ll just have to encourage fellow gaming gals to make the purchase so I can get my hands on it for a couple hours and test it on my own!

Price: $169.99
Who Found It: xgalexy was the first to add the Nintendo DSi to the Hive.