Julian Bleecker

Monday March 3, 1-5PM, RZC201 ("ZML") Introduction to Max/MSP/Jitter

Instructor: Perry Hoberman

An introduction to Max/MSP/Jitter, a cross-platform graphical programming environment designed for music, signal processing, multimedia and 3D graphics, in use worldwide for over fifteen years by performers, composers, artists, teachers, and students. Max/MSP/Jitter is especially conducive to iterative experimentation, allowing rough ideas to be quickly sketched out and successively refined.

Please RSVP to Perry Hoberman to reserve your spot (hoberman at bway dot net) today! Tarry not; space is limited.

The Monday Workshops @ IMD are a series of weekly short topic workshop on tools, skills and techniques for interactive media. The workshops are designed to be intensive and hands-on introductions to a variety of topics — to get you over that initial, sometimes daunting learning curve that many interactive media tools and techniques present.

Posted by Julian at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 25, 1-5PM, RZC201 ("ZML") — Flash Platform Workshop

Extra Special Instructor: Erik Loyer

Flash is no longer just a plug-in; it has evolved into a massive suite of tools, services and techniques called the Flash Platform. Used for everything from character animation to interactive video to full-featured applications that rival their desktop counterparts, Flash plays a major role in shaping how users experience content on the Internet. This workshop will introduce the Flash Platform with specific emphasis on programming in ActionScript 3.0 and MXML and the basics of working in Flash and Flex (and how you decide when to use which). Requires a networked laptop.

Experience with object-oriented programming is desirable.

Please note carefully — workshop participants will need to have access to Flash CS3 and Flex Builder 2. Some of the ZML lab computers are so equipped with these programs, but it may be better to obtain these for your own personal computer. Flash CS3 is available for a free trial version here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/

Flex Builder 2 is available for a free trial version here:

http://www.adobe.com/go/openflextrial

Please email bleecker @ usc dot edu to RSVP.

Note that this workshop will be held Monday February 25, from 1-5pm in RZC201 (The "ZML").

Posted by Julian at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It has finally arrived! After months of fun labor, Nicolas and Fabien released

Sliding Friction: The Harmonious Jungle of Contemporary Cities
. This pamphlet assembles photos and annotations we took here and there along our dérive through the many cities they lived in and visited. Sliding Friction is an attempt to showcase the curious aspects of contemporary urban spaces. Through 15 topics and 4 themes they focus their lenses on the sparkles generated by the many frictions between ideas, practices and infrastructures that populate cities. They hope to provide some raw food for thoughts to consider the city of the future. Do we want to mitigate, or even eliminate these frictions?

Sliding Friction: The Harmonious Jungle of Contemporary Cities

Nicolas Nova and Fabien Girardin

It's available here as a PDF

in Walabab editions, Designed by Bread and Butter, Preface by Bruce Sterling, Postface by Julian Bleecker.

Posted by Julian at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cross-posted from Fabien's Blog

Sliding Friction: The Harmonious Jungle of Contemporary Cities:

It has finally arrived! After months of fun labor, Nicolas and Fabien released Sliding Friction: The Harmonious Jungle of Contemporary Cities. This pamphlet assembles photos and annotations we took here and there along our dérive through the many cities they lived in and visited. Sliding Friction is an attempt to showcase the curious aspects of contemporary urban spaces. Through 15 topics and 4 themes they focus their lenses on the sparkles generated by the many frictions between ideas, practices and infrastructures that populate cities. They hope to provide some raw food for thoughts to consider the city of the future. Do we want to mitigate, or even eliminate these frictions?

Sliding Friction: The Harmonious Jungle of Contemporary Cities

Nicolas Nova and Fabien Girardin

in Walabab editions, Designed by Bread and Butter, Preface by Bruce Sterling, Postface by Julian Bleecker.

Posted by Julian at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are several talks that were given at this year's Lift conference that I think folks here would enjoy. I curated a track on Games that has some excellent moments from Robin Hunicke (EA) in particular, and also an entertaining description by Paul Barnett, Creative Director at EA Mythic on the relationship between the history of cinema, Las Vegas and video games. Outside of games proper were some other really enlightening talks by Paul Dourish (UC Irvine), Genevive Bell (Intel), Younghee Jung (Nokia Design), Mieke Gerritzen (Visionary-in-Residence at Art Center College of Design), Kevin Warwick (who has hooked his nervous system up to the Internet — yeech..), Kevin Marks (Google) and a curious duo from the Berlin-based Zentrale Intelligenz Agentur including Holm Friebe on new work practices that allow you to follow your heart and save your soul from cubicle death. (That, I think, was probably the most important talk of the entire conference/festival.)

All of the talks are online here:

http://www.nouvo.ch/liftvideo

Here are two to get your started!

Posted by Julian at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)