Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Test Recordings

In a few days, I have to present a paper at a research conference about a Computer Vision to aid myself playing the EWI. In my paper, I've used a number of image processing techniques to find where I am relative on the stage and then make real-time on the fly changes to the software mixer. A number of extensions to help me play the EWI such as using multiple cameras (to define surround sound position), and other natural input devices such as Using the WiiMote were discussed on the paper.

As I was preparing my paper presentation, I've noticed that the demos and music recorded in the paper presentation was rather sparse. I have one piece showing me playing the C Major Scale (which is absolutely boring), a short Glide, and a short piece. In other words, I only had very few recordings of myself playing the instrument! Just to fix things, I've decided to cover a few quick songs, just to make sure the audience knows that at least I can play the EWI :P

You can take a few listen to it at the following url: http://168.120.1.247/dump/ewi/

Monday, October 15, 2007

Buring Work

It is common knowledge that in most workplace situations especially in the land of Thailand, many people here have this easy go happy attitude in which they take things easy until the deadline approaches, they turn into a crazed mode, trying to get the project submitted before the final deadline - hench in our own dialect, we say people are burning their work. As being teaching over half a decade, one of my own personal observation is that it doesn't matter if you assign a project over a few months or a period of a week. Most students would work on it only a day or two before the deadline.

On a short note, I haven't been doing any burning work for years. During the last 10 days, I've precisely done that. It happened in a upandcoming national level event, there was a competition for seed money. Initially I did not plan to submit the work there as there was a project in the pipeline, but after serious consultation with my partner over the direction of the studio, we have decided to u-turn and submit an entirely new work in the competition that I've been designing during the discussion. I had a game design that was simple enough so that we didn't need to hire any artists, and yet interesting enough that it would be a fun game. After 10 days of sleepless and over-worked nights, we've finally finished the working prototype. Though some of the features proposed were lacking, it was polished graphically, and on the requirement, we only had to show a working prototype. So what is a better way than to test all the latest tricks in graphical programming here?

Just by the time I've finished writing this blog, the copies of the proposal and demo are finished and ready to be submitted. More details of me in this competition should follow soon, after the presentation during the middle of next month :)

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Great Comedy

Talking about Comedy, I found it somewhat irritating that many of the current crop of comedic movies in the market are pretty much not funny. To sum it up, many of the movies try to play the obscene card as they think it is funny to the point that it gets repulsive. Good examples of obscene acts that are over done are like excessive vomitting, public urinating, and over miscreant behaviors. In many of these movies they spice it up with a little of sex, and they think it would sell well to the young adolesence market. As I myself am out of touch with the trends of today, yesterday, and I believe to the future, I can't really mention much more than that.

On a short note, what makes a good comedy to me? The last really good comedic movie I saw was a witty German movie called "Say Goodbye to Lenin". I don't think it would be easy to find, but the premise was tad intelligent, and was excecuted well. To get a quick idea of what type of comedies that I really like, take a look at the following video clip:



As noted, I like that skit. If you thought it was about APPLE products, think again very careful! It isn't about Apple, but its about a hidden topic, and that is why I find this parody to be extra ordinary funny and witty without all of the obscene nonsense.

If you don't get the message, try reading out the names of all the products out loud, and you will find the hidden and underlining meaning of the whole thing :P

Saturday, October 06, 2007

...Bored...

Just a short note that I'm excessively bored of the late. Hard to get out of the emotional funk at the moment. Maybe I should finally resort to alcohol :P