Assignment/Project #5: "Internet, Show Systems, WinAmp, Wireless, etc."
Due Date: Tuesday Dec. 01
Project 5 new
Preamble:
We have covered topics that include - web systems, internet functionality, show control systems, visualization tools such as WinAmp, Arkaos, iTunes, etc. and discussed in brief notions of the "wireless world".
Select ONE of the topics listed below from each group and undertake a web-based search/research to produce a reference document. This document will be constructed using any HTML editor such as MS-WORD, Dreamweaver, Front Page, raw html code - whatever you know and feel comfortable with. Your 2-3 page document should have links to all web sites or documents that you choose to include.
You will then enter this document into your UT Webspace area. Instructions for this are here.
Topics (PICK TWO ONLY)
1. show control - we have seen that the world of live shows has signficantly changed. From Celin Dion and Cirque du soleil in Vegas to "movie" shows in LA that advanced technologies and sophisticated timing and control systems are part of the normal language of high-end show production.
Explore this topic from the viewpiont of the computer technologies and from viewpoint of "enhanced" entertainment experiences. How does MIDI, DMX, Ethernet (tcp/ip) fit into all of this. What kinds of devices are controllable?
2. computer visualization of music - as we saw with WinAmp, these visualization systems permit scripting and, as in ArKaos, the capacity to link directly music and visual actions through direct keyboard control.
How do these systems work? Describe the connection between "beat", "frequency" and other musical (audio) elements and the visuals as generated by the graphics systems. In Arkaos (as an example) how are images and musical events connected? What role does MIDI play in all of this? What role does live (real-time) video play in these systems? Can you imagine a totally real-time audio-video processing produced concert experience? (Hint - see some of Nine Inch Nails stuff)
3. wireless networks - there are great strides being taken by network developers to free the computer from the tether of wired networks. There are equally strong movements by the telcos with vested interests in maintaining their market share to crush the rise of "public wireless cells". First - what the pros and cons of wireless? Second, assuming that information access is "good" speculate on how the public can best be served by the emergence of "wireless local area networks" or even the more bleeding edge "wireless mesh networks". Think about serving the rural poor vs. homes complete with DSL, cable, satellite, etc. Are laptops, PDA's and cell-phones converging into a single "digital communications" device?
4. real time messaging - one of the earliest version of messaging was a UNIX service called "type" that permitted users loged into a unix machine to send typed messages back and forth. The NeXT machine (Jobs) offered a voice version of this. An early form of media-chat was developed at Carnegie-Mellon University called CUseeme that engendered a host of similar services. Since then, numerous forms of real time messaging have emerged ranging from simple text-based chat to video-chat.
Trace the background of real time messaging and explore some of the latest developments in real-time messaging. How do these work? What protocols are utilized for this kind of messaging?
5. media streaming - some of the first streaming systems were also developed for the NeXT computer - it was possible to set up an "audio server" that could broadcast music/sound over local LAN connections. At present, several versions of media streaming are currently available, the most important being RealOne, Quicktime and Windows Media.
Describe how streaming works and what role it plays as an Internet (web) service. Compare/evaluate Real, Quicktime and Windows Media in terms of the end-user experience and in terms of overall services.
6. blogging - the rise of "personal journals" as "weblogs" or "blogs" from private or even "clubby" to main-stream journalism is one of the latest and hottest elements of the global information society.
What is a blog? How are they created? How do they work? What is the difference between a blog and "threaded email"? Speculate on the relative importance of blogs as an internet phenomenon.