Doogz @dougzchalmers-blog - Tumblr Blog

The Future Tense

Tick tock tick tock!!!!

Count down is well and truly underway. I leave tonight had a bit of a disaster though but hey "am leaving on a jet plane don't know if I'll be back again". Yeah so the add to sell my stuff never happened gumtree never posted it something about spam or promoting other websites, really!!! All i done was put the GFO link in my post so people would know I was genuine and selling my possessions. Anyway I decided to to a quick deal with my brother the one that is buying/bought the house. He got a bargain and I feel good as I am helping him get set up here on earth. He just landed a house fully furnished at a bargain basement price.

So yeah this is my last blog post ever, well on earth anyway who knows what the communications will be like on New Earth, but as I have said before hopefully there won't be a need to share stories online with people you don't know. My hope is we will be sharing our thoughts and adventures with one another face to face. Good old fashioned communication.

I am a bit unsure when I will loose complete communication with Earth but right up until departure I will be tweeting pic of what is happening. It's been good knowing you all or not knowing you as the case may be. Take care and here's to the future.

So I finally got round to doing some stuff for this small trip that is looming. I have uploaded to the archive and have posted my possessions for sale on Gumtree.

So what did I upload? Well I thought long and hard about this trying to be reflective for now but also provide insight into what our society was like when the future generation of New Earth visit the Old Earth Museum. I trawled the archive to see what was already submitted trying to get a feel for the people whom I will be cohabiting this new planet with and I was, well, I dunno, underwhelmed. Maybe it is me and my critical design brain that makes me read into things too much and always try to communicate a message, but really Cat's!!! Ah maybe I'm biased as to me they are just a big allergy, but how many people want to submit their Cat to archive and what does this show future generations on New Earth and about where we came from?? I guess it's a personal thing, the nostalgia associated with their pets that is the reason for these submissions. I guess what it done was made me realise how important my work will be when I get there.

So baring all this in mind I thought I would take my goldfish!!! That's a joke incase you didn't gather, maybe my sense of humour should be archived i think my wife would agree. Anyway I am rambling pre-migration nerves. I reflected over the past year or so of my life here on Earth and what I have learned from that, what I want to be reminded of and also what this can teach future generations on New Earth.

Sadly there is one member of my family who will not be travelling and that is our daughter Daisy who sadly passed last year at only one day old. Now I don't need a reminder of this devastation and sadness and I do not submit this memory to remind others of a sadness which I would not wish upon any living sole.

However what I feel this does is give hope, yes it is sad and no matter where we go whether this planet or another sad things will inevitably happen. But no matter how sad or challenging we can always continue, persevere and overcome.

This is what I will be submitting to the archive hope and belief that nothing is insurmountable.

So that is a little hint of the serious side of Doogz keep an eye out for future posts for the link to all my Earthly possessions.

I know I know I should be getting on with the other jobs at hand however I just found this video when looking more into the Oath details. The Gate Keeper this Oath seems to be pretty deep stuff. Anyway this time I am defo off to get the gumtree add sorted. I'll post the link to it up here later so if any you lucky readers want to buy my old life then am sure we can make a deal.

It's all happening now peeps. Another video message from Vela asking me do something else before I go. Pledge an Oath to New Earth http://www.leavingplanetearth.com/oath.php All seems a bit serious and real now hope this isn't the start of cold feet kicking in. What would you say or pledge to a new society? Just something else to add to my list for the weekend.

1: Sell stuff

2: Item to Old Earth Museum

3: Pledge an Oath

4: Organise a party

5:Leave for New Earth (on Wednesday)

Anyway just a short post whilst sitting writing up my gumtree (post list item number 1) No doubt I will be back rambling as the adventure continues.

So it's all happening today I can not contain my excitement, they are here, they are actually here the tickets for me and the family to go to New Earth.

Now I'm not a superstitious type of guy but I reckon there is something written in the stars about me and this migration. Surely it isn't just coincidence that on the day my tickets arrive a piece of music is released to mark the migrations to New Earth. I'm telling you it's fate me going to New Earth was meant to happen. Oh and the piece of music is pretty good as well, to be honest I haven't really taken it in with the excitement of my tickets arriving. I have the link here so I can listen to it later https://soundcloud.com/leaving-planet-earth/new-earth-anthem I'm just so excited.

The wife seems happy not as blown away as I thought but then maybe that is just the reality of it kicking in for her. The kids well they take it in their stride not really bothered one we or another, think they will be when they realise they are bouncing on the trampoline for potentially the last time.

There is so much to do now I need to sort out the house and the cash sale situation with my brother. All my stuff as well, a life times worth of possesions, what will I do with it I wonder if I can sell it on gumtree? Worth a try sell my old life here on Earth, well I won't need it anymore. A party as well, need to organise a leaving party, any excuse for a wee drink or two.

There's also the serious matter of submitting an object to the Old Earth Museum. I just found out about this when my tickets were confirmed I need to submit an object from here Earth which will be stored in an online museum to tell the future generations about where we came from. It's hard there are so many things we need to remind ourselves of good and bad to ensure the success of New Earth. I think I need to browse the museum http://www.oldearthmuseum.com/museum.html to see what has already been submitted. Do I go personal with this and submit something for my own nostalgic benefit or do I try to be inspirational and l submit something to inspire generations to come.

SO MUCH TO DO!!!!!!

#LeavingPlanetEarth

Still no tickets starting to get a bit apprehensive now will they come in time, will there be time for a leaving party well priorities. The house is about sorted well when I say sorted my brother has agreed to buy it cash. The way I see it he is getting a bargain and I am helping him out with getting on the property ladder. Also he is fully accepting of the fact that if I do not get my tickets then he won't be buying the house. This is a super bonus for me I could just imagine selling the house and then not migrating, then I would still be stuck on Old Earth and also homeless (and most likely in the divorce courts). After day when the post man arrives I check the mail excited, but still no tickets just the usual junk mail.

I have been thinking a lot more about what I want from New Earth and I just hope we can learn how to communicate again, I mean really communicate like the did in the olden days, you know like have a proper face to face conversation. I speak you listen, you speak I listen, not the current way like the current method. I type something on my phone screen you read it, your type something on your phone screen I read it. We are human we are set apart from other species because we have the ability of speech lets use this on New Earth.

Anyway from looking at http://www.leavingplanetearth.com/ migrations are due to start in four days, I'm not sure when the last lot leave this planet but it sure doesn't leave me much time. Anyway I am away to sit by until tomorrows mail arrives with the anticipation that my tickets will be there.

I must be going just checked my inbox and had a message with this video attached. Oh I can't wait hopefully the tickets will be here tomorrow.

I love this submitting something to the old earth museum it's exactly what I have been trying to tackle with my design here on old earth. looking back, reflecting, remembering the past all in an attempt not to lose ourselves. Hopefully the GFO (Galactic Futures Organisation) http://gfo.leavingplanetearth.com/ are thinking the same. If they are, and what I want to do in shaping the future through design ties in with their views and beliefs then am of to a winner, and applying for migration was the best thing I have ever done.

Oh can't wait to get these tickets.

Breaking news from the GFO HQ. This is so exciting I really hope I get my tickets in time for migration. It would be such a great opportunity for me and my family, a new start, a new world, a new future.

I could be truly influential with my design work, I could be part of shaping the future and in turn history, all from being a designer. I mean that is like my childhood dream to design the future.

When I get there I can do so much to avoid the new earth becoming the same as the one in which we currently inhabit. My experience and research into communication for a start gives me great understanding of what we should avoid as a new society. I could help ensure a new planet doesn't end up only being able to talk via an interface, I could potentially path the way to take society back to the art of conversing face to face in real time.

I know I know this all sounds a bit contradictory when I am telling whoever is reading this via a computer. But technology does have its place and if all goes well and my tickets arrive then I will hopefully play a part ensuring technology is not used to the detriment of our culture.

I honestly have butterflies at the thought I really want to get excited but until I have the tickets for me and the family in my hand I don't think I can do anything.

As I was saying in my previous post ideas aren't just pulled out my ass, well they kinda are but they are then thought through worked out developed, developed more, then sometimes scrapped or in the good cases taken forward to a final solution. These shots are just to show the prototyping stages of the mask and how it has developed. I think I have created over a dozen masks plus a couple of bust of my head. The last stage which I am taking forward is a mask with the mouth protruding as a flat surface where the text will appear, think this is the first image on this post. Anyway it gives the look I require for the project all that is required is to program an LED matrix and install behind this area of mask for the exhibition. Sounds straight forward which it now will be however my next post tells of the trauma of coding and programing an LED matrix.

So just in-case anyone is reading this and think when I design I just pull an idea out my ass and run with it here are some shots from prototyping. An earlier post showed how I worked with blue foam and some sketches to develop the initial shape for my digital voice box. the shape which I went for is a shape similar to most current smart phones, that being rectangular with rounded corners. one of these shots also shows an Arduino with a wave shield attached which is basically going to be the guts of my voice-box so my design needs to house this for display purposes. I tried various methods to make this housing modroc then coated with finishing plaster, a light weight modelling clay (which is the broken one in the shot), the last version which I made which will be used as a prop in my short film was made from a block of wood and then whilst vacuum forming a mask I stuck the block on to avoid wasting materials. This has worked as a prop for film, however will need to be readdressed if used for actual housing. I may do this or see if I can use the 3D printer either way still work to be done and just under three weeks left.

So got around to putting holes for eyes. Was going to create a realistic eye shape however I think this adds to the hiding the face and not sharing any physical expression. The eyes give a lot away and I think this option allows the wearer to see but retains the option to be fully edited.

So inbetween working on my major project I have been working on a collaborative project called, Inspire #LightUpYourMind. The purpose of this project was to highlight the coming together of all creative students from Edinburgh Napier university now being situated on one campus. The culmination of the project was last night and saw a host of acts from the music school perform as well as a tactile organic installation piece with live video projection and lighting. The project was seen to be a great success by the client and project leading on this project was a great learning experience.

following on from the success of the vacuum formed masks and the idea that an LED shines through it was time to start trying to program an LED Matrix. Not so easy a task, I think Arduino is a bit like a woman, when you think you have it figured out a new situation arises and totally baffles you. Anyway this stage isn't going to well. I started using the direct drive method which basically is wiring the arduino straight to the LED Matrix using a breadboard. The issue was there was no data sheet for the LED Matrix and knowing which pins where which was hit or miss so the code provided didn't seem to produce the desired effect. It was decided at this stage that rather than sit an tinker with the code for hours it would be easier to use a MAX7219 chip to control the LED Matrix. I obtained a schematic for the chip and created which is a more complex circuit than ever attempted by me before, which I think I wired correct. However the code and what it should do never worked on my Matrix. One issue is the bread board is a small one and struggling with the connections, resolution bigger breadboard ordered. However it still could be a case that not knowing the pin configuration for the Matrix is the issue. There is one plus from all this though and that is the matrix can be seem through the mask. I am now heading to Future Everything conference in Manchester so this will need to wait a couple of days.

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