ca3/09 -- comment(s) / statistic(s) / error(s)

  • 2/7/2010 -- grading/feedback
    with the course finished, all what's left is the grading. The are no hard deadline, but I urge you to complete the course as soon as your are ready, by sending me an email with a request for grading. Grading is done in the usual way, and based on not only your work but also: In the essay, do not forget to indicate what you have learned.
    In addition, you would do me a favor by giving feedback, using the online form at: www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/create/feedback-ca3.html

  • 2/7/10 -- I wrote: flagship: well done!
    the yesterday event may serve as a flagship for creative technology. well done! In particular, it did show your combined efforts in a unified way, with deep underlying theme(s). Without going into detail, I nay say that each individual contribution added to the value of the whole, which looked, and don't take me negatively, surprisingly nice. Dependent on context, of course, the overall aesthetics might be fine tuned. Not only a flagship, but also an architecture for (future) creative technology installations.
    This is a nice conclusion of our first year. Thank you all. And I repeat: well done.

  • 19/6/10 -- I wrote: review(s)
    sorry to bother you again, now with a call for peer reviews. It is my impression that we are doing well, and may conclude the year in a very nice, if not spectacular, way. However, it is in my opimion also necessary that you, the students, give eachother a honest assesment and feedback on your respective contributions, concepts and ideas, and perhaps most important, the state of your portfolio, as contained in: www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/.CREATE/participant-ca3.html

    For the reviews, use the online form at: www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/.CREATE/get-review-ca3.php

    I know it takes some time to fill in the reviews, and the good news is that I am not in a hurry. So you may postpone submitting the review until july 2, that is after the smart xp event. However, the review is obligatory, unless you formally state that you decide against submitting the review, and clearly indicate the reasons why.

    For those that feel their portfolio is lacking, or even might want to improve their score wrt their contributions, use this time to act accordingly. Again, this review is not meant to pester or punish you but to encourage and stimulate you to conclude this first year of creative technology in the best way possible.

    and, don't worry, I will remind you next week!

  • 18/6/10 -- in reply to myself I wrote: manifesto(s)/logo
    for clarity, we are almost there, but the manifesto does need some articulation. it would also nice to have (another try at) a logo, and possibly a promotional clip. Is Reinout still around? If so, possibly together with Herjan or some other volunteers a nice opportunity to show your visual skills.

    As for the manifesto, 3 to 4 sentences of a few lines, expressing clearly what we stand for and present might do the job. Best is to do some work in advance, so that we merely have to select the best. And remember (y)our theme(s): www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/create/@s5-reflect-theme.html

  • 18/6/10 -- via email I wrote: manifesto(s)
    first of all, the good news, the plans for the event are terrific, that promises great fun, as well as an impressive event.

    the bad news, though, is that the manifesto is still lacking, I could say it sucks but that is too negative:

    • avoid spelling errors: techology (missing n) / spontanious (i must be e)
    • the drawings of the installations are missing
    • the statements are too much what creative technology is (supposed to be), but should be about what you have to offer to the world.

      So (re)consider: it is now about who you are, but what you have to tell the world, it is not about what creative technology is or is not, but how it will affect the world. More in particular, what is your statement to the (EWI) community and the world (Gogbot), and what do you show. So more concretely, include images of the drawing installation (draw & walk, or however you like to call it), and describe in a few sentences how this expresses your message, this while stating your message. Finally, target it towards the event(s) and give it a date, because this allows you to modify the manifesto at a later date.

      Monday, I expect a new, improved version, that we can than discuss.

      One more thing, when do we invite Viola and Kees to have a look at our plans for gogbot? For example, why not invite them to the smart XP event.

  • 13/6/10 -- via email I wrote: tomorrow
    Martijn asked what we are going to do tomorrow (see below), and since there is really a lot to do, this is my answer:

    -- in the morning, we will do a workshop/brainstorm, whatever you like to call it on:
    1) content for the unity canvas, that is how to present ourselves at smart cp
    2) the creative technology manifesto, that is the statements with which we present ourselves at smart xp and gogbot
    in addition, I want a brief update on the NM2 projects, as well as a planning for the events

    Martijn's question was:
    > Can you give an idea of the plans for tomorrow? Will there be an IV class this week? Are we ONLY going to watch football tomorrow after the break? I really want to be productive now, and if I'm going to have to get up early and hurry in public transportation for nothing again I'd rather take it easy tomorrow and work at home...
    >
    > I don't mean to be threatening here, I just want to put my priorities in the right place for the next few busy weeks.

    Now, watching football is not really necessary for me, watching football is no obligation, and, dependent on how all of you decide, we may either work or watch football. I already committed myself, in the previous mail, to stay after the football match, and to continue the discussion of the planning and proposals.

    So, in summary, I plan to have a lot of work done, in particular wrt to CA3. If, however, you think, you can spent your time better with work for NM2, than you have my permission to do so.

  • 11/6/10 -- via email I wrote: WK/canvas
    it seems that next monday Holland plays WK, at 14.00. Although time is pressing, and we need to (really) get going with the unity canvas, I am ok with watching football, and we can do it in smart XP, using my pinnacle TV card. Nevertheless, it is important that we work on: these are partly techinical issues, although i think we solved most of these, and partly creative issues. Furthermore we must decide on our message, and write the text.

    So, we may use most of the morning session to work out the ideas, and after the WK we might spend another hour to fill in remaining holes. And we may even use the WK time, to do some mindless jottings, who knows what comes out of that ...

    Anyway, prepare yourselves, and be in time.

  • 8/5/10 -- after about one week, 7 students registered at create @ appspot, of which 3 (still) incomplete. I repeat: wake up!

  • 5/5/2010 via email I wrote -- resistance is (not) futile
    monday 10, in the afternoon, we will continue on the topic as stated in the subject. In sites.google.com/site/create09ca3/student-contribution-s/real-life-game-s In included some notes as a summary of our discussion following the presentation of Roderic. and I was happy to see somebody worked on the presentation. Feel free to correct, or augment.

  • 26/4/2010: via ning post(s) I wrote -- CTSG @ ning -- changed coler & has Douwe Bart as admin
    one way or another I expect to see new contributions, in the form of forum postings, videos, etcetera. I did change tghe style (color) to pure light, on request of Douwe-Bart, who has now also been made administrator to create a style that complies with your preferences.

  • 20/4/2010: via email I wrote -- collaboration(s)/social network(s)
    after all we managed to get a tada list: create.tadalist.com/lists/1567601 and all in all interesting presentation docs.google.com/present/view?id=dc9gkb9r_04cv7r64f co-created in let's say 15-20 minutes.

    let's continue this next week with a focus on social networks, using e.g. twitter (password: ..., but do not give it away) and the network on ning (update your photographs), see sites.google.com/site/create09ca3/collaboration-tool-s

    you may, btw, also do this outside of class!

    finally, for those whose email does not correspond with their google account, as in: www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/.CREATE/mail-ca3-09.html please update your registration using: www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/.CREATE/register-course.html

  • 13/4/10: I invited the students to share a presentation
    you are all welcome to extend and even modify this presentation, as another way to work collaboratively.
    The presentation can be found on sites.google.com/site/create09ca3/home/topic-s

    Indeed, it is an experiment, and I do not know where it leads to, but fortunately the first contributions have been pioneered by Jan K. and Herjan, for which at this stage I can only be greatful.

    My surprise in this actually is that the google docs now support drawing(s)!

  • 1/4/10: via email I wrote -- present your idea(s)
    dear all

    having a forgetful mind, I need to read about your ideas, to be able to remember, and get an overall image of what it is that you want to accomplish for CA3. And this holds by extension for NM2 and other (future) courses. Also keep in mind, that, in whatever way your look at it, the creative industry is a portfolio industry, that thrives on shared ideas and online access to them. In other words, set yourself to expose your ideas online, in sites.google.com/site/create09ca3/student-contribution-s as already one of you did (indeed, who would that be?), possibly augmented with links and facilities such as dropbox (introduced by Martijn).

    • Do not hesitate to include links to your portfolio(s) and blog(s), for further explanations and material. Most of you have let that go for some time, now take it up again! The material you put there may later be used for your essay(s), which are (obligatory) meant as a reflection on the work done in the project(s), the problems encountered, the technologies used, and the experience(s) ... experienced.

    As for NM2, for the 19th of april both Bert-Jan Beijnum and Jurriaan Schmitz have confirmed to be present for the formal presentation of your proposals. very likely Tom Aarnink will also be present. If you need./want any feedback on your presentations, do not hesitate to contact me. And that also holds for other types of advice or issues!

    And, finally, as a reminder, the 12th of april will be devoted to Unity, with Mike Hergaarden. Any experiments, prototypes or explorations are welcome to be discussed with Mike. Show your work, and test his expertise by asking tough questions!

    And as an aside, do not forget to plan your easter eggs in your applications.

  • 19/3/10: in the invitation: for CA3: have fun and play, there is (yet) another commons, please use it as you see appropriate, this may be first thoughts, random ideas, but most important, what is it that you would like to do for this course!? The presentations were promising, now document it, on your own portfolio, as well as on the CA3 commons.

  • 17/3/10: via email I wrote -- gogbot
    dear all -- in the afternoon Viola van Alphen and Kees Groot will come to smartxp at 13.45 to explain how you, the creative technology students, can contribute to gogbot, and make your work visible to the outside world. As a comment, I was impressed by the great variety of your first thoughts on projects for CA3, and I would like you to further elaborate on these ideas, document them, so that we can think of ways to realize them, either on their own or together with other student's project, in the context of CA3, aiming for gogbot.

    The 29th of march there will be a workshop of how to use smartxp as a stage, and I would like some of you to join me in the first brainstorm session, with other staff from EWI. Details will be looked at next monday.