New Tech for New MediaPart three of the Digital Media 3-Pack

NEW 300 (undergrad), 600 (grad)

TUES 12:30-3:15 P.M.

NEWHOUSE 1, 212

Also the Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation

This class is about the future• This course is about predicting and projecting change in media

through the lens of technology.

• It’s not just about the technology.

– Edward Murrow on “electronic media” (television and radio): It “can

teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so

only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends.

Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box.”

– Think about how these technologies can be used to teach, illuminate,

inspire, engage and affect change.

Arthur C. Clarke

Science fiction author.

“Any sufficiently advanced

technology is indistinguishable from

magic.”-- Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry Into the Limits

of the Possible

Predicted iPad in 1968!

“When he tried of official reports …. He would plug in his foolscap-

size newspad into the ship’s information circuilt and scan the latest

reports from earth.” – 2001 A Space Odyssey

Other Clarke predictionsAlready realized:

•Communications satellites.

•The Y2K bug.

Will these come true?

•Brain backup

•Cryogenics

•Deflecting asteroids by landing on them

Predictions can be wrong

Source: Wikipedia, Time Magazine

• 1899: Horsey Horseless Carriage

• Uriah Smith

• "The live horse would be thinking of

another horse, and before he could

discover his error and see that he had

been fooled, the strange carriage would

be passed.”

• #1 in Time’s 50 Worst Cars of All

Time

1983 Videotex: Too early?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgYkpk9nJnE

2009: Pranav Mistry, Sixth Sense. Closer?(But still not here after 5 years)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrtANPtnhyg

2014: George Bloom and “The Metaverse”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjwjomAPMlw

What we’ll investigate1. Wearables – Google Glass, Android Wear, Autographer and

other wearable infotech.

2. Waveables – Gesture interfaces like Leap Motion, interfaces

that use Kinect sensors.

3. Virtuals – Immersive virtual reality and “storyexperiencing.”

Reality capture with 3D scanning.

4. Flyables – Camera drones.

5. Sensor journalism – Using sensors and Arduino processors

to collect and report on real-world data.

Class syllabus

• Download and read the class syllabus. Linked

to from the Tumblr blog.

• http://journovationsu.org/

Note: Class meets 5 times• The class must meet 5 times, but because of

Thanksgiving we’re short one week.

• We can either meet on Finals Week, or if we

can find another day and time that works for

everyone we can go out and do some drone

test flights.

Ask critical questions

• What new things does this enable that were

difficult or impossible before?

• If this were everywhere, what would it mean for

how we publish & consume information?

• What could go wrong? Privacy, ethics, law …

• How can I use this in my stories today?

Then, test it!• Field test.

• Choose a technology we’re studying.

• Come up with a media-related hypothesis you

want to test.

• Test it, write up a report on the blog.

• Present to class.

Example of a field test• Irfan Uraizee

• Hypothesis: Wearable cameras

improve the coverage of a

baskball game by providing

player perspective.

• Conclusion: maybe not yet

(technology limitations)

Writeup: http://bit.ly/10hIgnA

Test video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcBdvY9C76s

My own example

Hypothesis: Experiencing

coastal flooding in virtual

reality will impact the way

people relate to stories about

climate change.

Test: Model places in the real world in Unity, flood them. Have them read a story about climate change predictions. Compare to a control group that did not experience the flooding.

Class Blog• http://journovationsu.org

• You already have accounts.

• See previous class posts here:

http://newtechnewmedia.tumblr.com

Reading / Sharing

• Post links in Twitter to

#NTNM hash tag.

• Your links will appear

on Class Finds page.

Expectations

• Attend every class and arrive on time.

• One absence allowed no questions asked.

After that, final grade goes down a half letter

grade for each unexcused absence.

• Turn in each assignment by the due date:

usually Thursday a.m. for Tuesday

assignments, Monday a.m. for Thursday

assignments.

Grade breakdown• Blog posts: 20 points possible. One post each week for five

weeks. I assign the topic.

• Field tests: 20 points possible. Test assumptions and report back

in the blog, and to the class, on what you learn.

• Professionalism and participation: 20 points possible. Includes

attendance, group labs, sharing finds to #ntnm, participating in

discussions, quizzes.

• Vision Paper: 40 points. Due Thursday, Dec. 11.

Wearables

Different flavors• Notifications – “Glance media”

– Google Glass, Android Wear, Apple Watch, Pebble

• Sharing – text, images, video– Google Glass, Autographer

• “Semantic Me” – get context about you or your

environment from where you are.– FitBit, Nike Fuel Band, Samsung Gear

• Augmented reality– Some Google Glass, Magic Leap. Oculus Rift (sort of).

Let’s try Google Glass

“OK Glass, let’s do a demo.”

Will watches ignite the market?

“Intelligent” wearable cameras

Magic Leap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvAer3EhCe4

Digital Petting Zoo

• Collection of emerging tech for media, available for student

projects.

• http://journovation.syr.edu/digital-petting-zoo/– Two Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets (a DK1 and DK2).

– A high-end graphics PC running Unity3D with software that can generate environments for the Oculus Rift.

– Two camera-equipped drones (a DJI Phantom 2 and an AR Parrot).

– A GoPro Hero 3 camera that can be used standalone, or with the DJI Phantom.

– A Structure sensor that can create 3D “photos” of people and objects when connected to an iPad.

– Gesture-based interfaces, including the LeapMotion and local hacker NoirFlux’s fully body-responsive display.

– Arduino and Raspberry Pi units for hacking together sensors that record things like motion, light level, air pressure and

air quality.

– COMING SOON: a Giroptic 360-degree camera that works with Oculus Rift and a Haptix multitouch sensor.

Think …

• What technology – either in the zoo, or

something else I learn about – would I like to

use for a field test?

• Start early. Don’t wait until last week.

• Want something we don’t have? If it’s under

$500 I’ll get it.

Exercise• We Are a Camera exercise

• Install a photo or video app that can post to Twitter

(Instagram, Vine, Videolicious, other)

• Ask question: Did you vote today? Why or why not?

• Tag to #ntnm

• Responses will post live to Rebelmouse

Assignment• Do some quick research on the technologies

mentioned in the syllabus and which we went

over in class.

• By Tuesday morning, post a blog entry about

which tech you think you want to use for a

field test, some high level thoughts about the

test, and why.