Cinema algorítmico e memória coletiva

The Pixeldust project is a contributory, interactive video/audio/text engine that can be output to many different forms of exhibition. It is conceived of as a form of algorithmic filmmaking, that blends the aesthetics and visual power of cinema with the flexibility and mutability of computer programming.  Written in the Processing language, the Pixeldust engine accepts photographic portraits, disassembles them into component pixels and particles that lie like dust in the bottom of the projected screen, then dramatically sweeps them up and crystallizes them into a complete portrait accompanied by the spoken word attributed to the portrayed person. Pixeldust is a platform that encourages individuals and communities to share their own examples of inspirational people.O projeto Pixeldust é um mecanismo interativo de vídeo/áudio/texto que pode ser distribuído em diversas formas de exibição. É concebido como uma forma de cinema algorítmico, que combina a estética e o poder visual do cinema com a flexibilidade e a mutabilidade da programação de computadores. Escrito na linguagem de processamento, o mecanismo Pixeldust aceita retratos fotográficos, desmonta-os em pixels e partículas componentes que ficam como poeira na parte inferior da tela projetada, depois os varre dramaticamente e os cristaliza em um retrato completo acompanhado pela palavra falada atribuída para a pessoa retratada. Pixeldust é uma plataforma que incentiva indivíduos e comunidades a compartilhar seus próprios exemplos de pessoas inspiradas

Perceived effectiveness of active music therapy for Alzheimer\u27s language deficits

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and can cause mood changes, memory loss, and loss of cognitive function. Musical interventions (known as music therapy) have been shown to effect the behavioral and memory loss aspects of AD. There have been few studies, however, completed to see what effects music therapy has on language deficits associated with AD. This study will look at the perceived effectiveness of active music therapy (MT) on the language deficits associated with AD. Active MT requires the participant to interact with the music either by playing an instrument, clapping, or singing, whereas passive MT requires the client to just listen to music. This study will administer a survey to people with AD as well as their guardians/family members, and will look at how active MT is perceived, and will assess if there is any correlation between past music experience and perceived effectiveness. Demographics as well as history of the participant’s musical background will be gathered on the survey. It is hypothesized that active music therapy will be perceived as effective to help improve the language deficits in people who suffer from AD. It is also hypothesized that people with more experience with music will perceive active MT as more effective. The results from this study can be used to determine if there is a willingness to participate in active MT, and if a certain population would be more likely to participate in MT based on past experience with music

Himo tukahtuu viimeisenä : Margaret Atwoodin romaani The Heart Goes Last yhteiskuntakriittisenä dystopiana

Pro gradu -tutkielmani käsittelee Margaret Atwoodin romaania The Heart Goes Last (2015) yhteiskuntakriittisenä dystopiana, joka osallistuu posthumanistiseen keskusteluun ihmisyydestä ja ihmisen asemasta suhteessa teknologiaan ja ympäristöön. Kytken romaanin Atwoodin aiempien dystopioiden (The Handmaid’s Tale, 1985; Oryx and Crake, 2003; The Year of the Flood, 2009 ja MaddAddam, 2013) jatkumoon ja analysoin, miten selviytyminen sekä ruumiin ja mielen välinen yhteys on kuvattu Atwoodin aiemmissa dystopioissa ja The Heart Goes Lastissa. Tutkielmani lähtökohtana on ajatus siitä, että Atwoodin dystopiat ovat yhteydessä aikansa yhteiskunnalliseen kontekstiin. Selvitän, millaisessa yhteiskunnallisessa kontekstissa The Heart Goes Last on syntynyt ja miten tämä konteksti vaikuttaa teoksen tematiikkaan. Tutkimukseni kontekstina toimii Atwoodin dystopiatraditio ja kunkin dystopian ilmestymisajankohdan yhteiskunnallinen konteksti. Analysoin, miten yhteiskunnalliset muutokset ovat vaikuttaneet Atwoodin dystopioiden teemoihin ja teemojen ilmenemistapoihin. Suhteutan tutkielmassani The Heart Goes Lastin myös dystopiakirjallisuuden perinteeseen ja erittelen dystopiagenren kehitystä sekä siinä tapahtuneita muutoksia. Tutkin huumorin merkitystä The Heart Goes Lastissa yhteiskuntakritiikin välineenä sekä analysoin Atwoodin dystopioissa esitettyä ihmiskuvan kehitystä ja muutosta The Handmaid’s Talesta The Heart Goes Lastiin. Tutkimustulosteni perusteella The Heart Goes Last edustaa uudenlaista kriittistä dystopiaa, joka kritisoi posthumanistisia kysymyksenasetteluja ja esittää varoittavan esimerkin passiivisesta ihmisestä, joka sulkee silmänsä totuudelta

Stars, gas, and dust at high resolution in the triangulum galaxy

This thesis investigates the interplay between dust, gas, and stars at high resolution in nearby Local Group galaxy M33. Using panchromatic spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting along with ancillary gas tracer data, the star formation law is studied at scales of 100pc. A strong scale dependence is seen in the fitted power law index no matter which gas tracer is used, and whilst correlations between each tracer of gas and SFR remain strong, the correlation between SFR and molecular gas is strongest, perhaps indicating that the molecular gas is the more important driver of star formation. A catalogue of Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs) is extracted from sub-millimetre wavelength data. These clouds have a much lower gas-to-dust ratio (GDR) than found in the Milky Way. The mass function of these clouds follows a slope proportional to