3,644 research outputs found
Digital Alchemy: Matter and Metamorphosis in Contemporary Digital Animation and Interface Design
The recent proliferation of special effects in Hollywood film has ushered in an era of digital transformation. Among scholars, digital technology is hailed as a revolutionary moment in the history of communication and representation. Nevertheless, media scholars and cultural historians have difficulty finding a language adequate to theorizing digital artifacts because they are not just texts to be deciphered. Rather, digital media artifacts also invite critiques about the status of reality because they resurrect ancient problems of embodiment and transcendence.In contrast to scholarly approaches to digital technology, computer engineers, interface designers, and special effects producers have invented a robust set of terms and phrases to describe the practice of digital animation. In order to address this disconnect between producers of new media and scholars of new media, I argue that the process of digital animation borrows extensively from a set of preexisting terms describing materiality that were prominent for centuries prior to the scientific revolution. Specifically, digital animators and interface designers make use of the ancient science, art, and technological craft of alchemy. Both alchemy and digital animation share several fundamental elements: both boast the power of being able to transform one material, substance, or thing into a different material, substance, or thing. Both seek to transcend the body and materiality but in the process, find that this elusive goal (realism and gold) is forever receding onto the horizon.The introduction begins with a literature review of the field of digital media studies. It identifies a gap in the field concerning disparate arguments about new media technology. On the one hand, scholars argue that new technologies like cyberspace and digital technology enable radical new forms of engagement with media on individual, social, and economic levels. At the same time that media scholars assert that our current epoch is marked by a historical rupture, many other researchers claim that new media are increasingly characterized by ancient metaphysical problems like embodiment and transcendence. In subsequent chapters I investigate this disparity
Faculty Bulletin: December 8, 1989
https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/faculty_bulletins/1204/thumbnail.jp
Annual Report, 2013-2014
Beginning in 2004/2005- issued in online format onl
Adaptive Difference of Gaussian Algorithm for Coherent Line Drawing
Non-photorealistic rendering is a method of imitating hand-drawn images using computer as the tool. One of hand-drawn techniques used by artists is line drawing. This goal of this thesis is to produce a technique to create line drawing images from real life picture. Based on a previous technique called Flow-based Difference of Gaussian (FDoG), we try to improve the output image so that it will create more believable pictures, as it if were hand-drawn by an artist. FDoG has proven to be able to produce results with coherent and connected lines, but it fails to capture coarse details on isotropic areas in the image. Another technique in line drawing called Difference of Gaussian (DoG), which FDoG was based on, can produce better detail on isotropic areas. Combining these two techniques can create better results for both isotropic and anisotropic areas. We create an image segmentation technique using polarity to divide isotropic and anisotropic areas in the image. Using this segment, we then adaptively apply FDoG and DoG filters to each segment
Report of the President, Bowdoin College 1990-1991 supplement
https://digitalcommons.bowdoin.edu/presidents-reports/1100/thumbnail.jp
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Open-Source, Open-Architecture SoftwarePlatform for Plug-InElectric Vehicle SmartCharging in California
This interdisciplinary eXtensible Building Operating System–Vehicles project focuses on controlling plug-in electric vehicle charging at residential and small commercial settings using a novel and flexible open-source, open-architecture charge communication and control platform. The platform provides smart charging functionalities and benefits to the utility, homes, and businesses.This project investigates four important areas of vehicle-grid integration research, integrating technical as well as social and behavioral dimensions: smart charging user needs assessment, advanced load control platform development and testing, smart charging impacts, benefits to the power grid, and smart charging ratepayer benefits
The Semantic Reader Project: Augmenting Scholarly Documents through AI-Powered Interactive Reading Interfaces
Scholarly publications are key to the transfer of knowledge from scholars to
others. However, research papers are information-dense, and as the volume of
the scientific literature grows, the need for new technology to support the
reading process grows. In contrast to the process of finding papers, which has
been transformed by Internet technology, the experience of reading research
papers has changed little in decades. The PDF format for sharing research
papers is widely used due to its portability, but it has significant downsides
including: static content, poor accessibility for low-vision readers, and
difficulty reading on mobile devices. This paper explores the question "Can
recent advances in AI and HCI power intelligent, interactive, and accessible
reading interfaces -- even for legacy PDFs?" We describe the Semantic Reader
Project, a collaborative effort across multiple institutions to explore
automatic creation of dynamic reading interfaces for research papers. Through
this project, we've developed ten research prototype interfaces and conducted
usability studies with more than 300 participants and real-world users showing
improved reading experiences for scholars. We've also released a production
reading interface for research papers that will incorporate the best features
as they mature. We structure this paper around challenges scholars and the
public face when reading research papers -- Discovery, Efficiency,
Comprehension, Synthesis, and Accessibility -- and present an overview of our
progress and remaining open challenges
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