XML Again

18th December, 2006

idat204

A bit of explanation that is probably well overdue for my XML project. The main concept behind this piece is the idea that where other forms of information have become XML orientated, XHTML, XCSS etc, a new JPEG format will follow.

This new format will take the existing compression technology of the Joint Photographic Experts Group and add more than just metadata, but rather a whole section of the file in a compatible XML/text form. Inside this there can be a standardised method of defining the contents of the image (similar to the way in which RSS is based on XML), which will require new programs or tools within existing programs to save to this format.

The image can be broken up into any number of rectangles containing a portion of the image, and also a title and description of the contents of the rectangle. The rectangles are not within a fixed grid but rather have a starting XY coordinate and finishing XY coordinate. There is nothing to say that rectangles cannot overlap, and of course this should be the way, since pictures and photos will rarely be clearly broken into sections.

Tools could be developed to auto-tag sections of photos, for example detecting sections of an image and creating rectangles ready to be written about, or even adding generic information about them itself.

Other Stuff

http://www.kirupa.com/web/mysql_xml_php.htm – A useful way of applying XML I found while researching.

XML

12th December, 2006

As the simulacrum work reaches its finalisation point, and all I would be able to do is sit and wait, my attention turns to the XML work and HCI essay (both of which have been very slowly warming up for the past couple of weeks). Between driving and setting the final 20 second simulacrum scene up for rendering, this morning has been dedicated to creating an XML search script in actionscript (Flash yet again…).

View the XML project as it comes along.
To get results, try the search terms ‘silver’ and ‘blue’ for now, but anything else if its there can be searched for.

Finishing the Simulacrum Project

And finally, the last 20 second section of my simulacrum video is complete. Saving it as Quicktime initially created a 1.3GB file, however this was before I set it to compress with mpeg4, giving me a nice 118MB 100% quality file. Still nothing near the size I would reasonably put online though. : (

Simulacrum Online Workbook

3D

30th November, 2006

Here are a few screenshots of my work in 3D for the 90 second video. Having broken my video into 8 scenes, I will be able to comfortably complete a scene a day and still have a number of days in order to handle problems.

The Creative Garden

25th November, 2006

This weekend I will spend pulling The Creative Garden website into presentable shape and form, while writing the basic textual content.

The Creative Garden Company

Simulacrum

14th November, 2006

The Narrative

I’ll draw up a storyboard at some time for this but for now a little explanation as to the very small narrative piece I intend creating for my simulacrum project. The camera starts off looking upon a typical dystopic landscape, barren, burnt and ruined and in particular lowers down to view a number of scorched and withered plants. Then the view changes to a much closer shot of a dying fruit on a branch that sheds its seeds down. Now either the seeds are collected and cultivated or just grow on their own but a new plant grows, becomes black and withered but new fruits are created. When matured they glow brightly out into the darkness and are collected by the inhabitants of this world, who begin off by sitting huddled in the darkness around a pale fire. The fruit are placed in lanterns that provide a brilliant warm light. The final shot of this narrative will be of the fruit slowly losing its glow and perhaps shedding more seed, then fading to total darkness.

Now whether I shall be able to achieve all of this is a completely different matter.

Playing in 3D

I was growing a little bored of trying to create my seed and fruit thing so decided to produce something a lot easier. Shadows are good. I can foresee myself playing with the lightings forever in the final piece, trying to get the effect just right.

Bump mapping reminds me of Half Life 2 (sighs, those were the days).

Other parts of this I will need to create in 3D will probably include the lanterns, seed and plant.

Some 3D

12th November, 2006

My first experimental attempt at the simulacrum object in 3D. I had to choose something a bit weird and that involved no really simple shapes now didn’t I. Even more fun will be making it grow from the stem of a gnarled, blackened and dead plant in the middle of a dystopic landscape.

Second attempt involving a few textures and lights to see how 3D might simulate the lighting and surface of my glowing fruit. An omnilight in the centre does light everything in an outward direction however to see the surface an extra light source, in this case a directional spotlight, is required.

Java i++

9th November, 2006

Its nice sometimes how the various different modules overlap in a timely manner. Seems my recently completed Langston’s Ant java application has become quite relevant to the idat203 critical contexts piece, which yes I am still adding to even now.

Langston’s Ant

Is to be replaced this week (tomorrow) by game of life.

HCI

Looking into the lovely 4000 word essay… Firstly I need to decide on the problem that my HCI orientated interface needs to solve.

XML

Here starts the second (of four) part of the idat204 module with Professor Vladimir Geroimenko who certainly knows his XML and Semantic Web. Looks like we’ll be having to make an application for the semantic web.

XHTML and Flash

7th November, 2006

An important part of our idat205 Creative Industries company was our use of flash in highly accessible and web standards compliant sites. Even though this was a feature of last year’s idat102 module with Dan Efergan and good website technique, I found myself put off by it all, especially favouring methods that didn’t involve anyone else’s code. Then the odd ‘Click to activate and use this control’ boxes appeared in microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and flash had to just not be used for anything important at all.

Flash under the ‘Click to activate and use this control’

However, I have discovered it really is easier to implement flash successfully than it seems.
So here’s how to do it:

Download the Script

Download the .js javascript file from http://blog.deconcept.com/swfobject/ (site is found very easily with google). Store it somewhere where your flash pages can find it.

Embed the Script

Embed the file within your page
(<script type="text/javascript" src="./swfobject.js"> </script>)

In addition I would place this above any CSS embed scripts it will get rid of the ‘FOUC’ problems discussed in

http://www.bluerobot.com/web/css/fouc.asp.

Embed your Flash File

Finally, you create a <div> of flash alternative content, which is written over if flash is available, like so:

<div id="website_menu">
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
// <![CDATA[
var so = new SWFObject("./flash.swf", "flash", "300", "100", "8", "#ffffff");
so.write("website_menu");
// ]]>
</script>

And that is that, the page is XHTML compliant with regards to embedding the flash and IE doesn’t stop the content from interacting. For a list of reasons why this method is good, read more into the swfobject script blog site.

Update:

I’d say the basic parameters are pretty obvious (source,title,width,height,flash version and BG colour) but since this post and after a little experimentation its possible to do a rather lot more using ‘addParam’. For example setting the WMODE to something other than the defaults.