Felipe Sineta

Your happiness is what you make of it. So live by your own rules, accept changes and most of all, have some fun. Otherwise, what's the point?

[wannacsomethingcool]

2015 is not over but was definitely the most amazing year of my life. I cannot put to words how much I have learned and have grown as a student and as a human being. In my adventures here I met incredible people, had amazing experiences and found my peace. That's why I wanna thank everyone that was a part of it, you guys made the difference. Special thanks to Anna for putting up with me for all this time, stay safe my love. To keep it short, let's just say that my adventures here are not over yet. See you soon, New Zealand! ❤️ 2015 ainda não acabou mas com certeza foi o ano mais incrível da minha vida. Palavras não conseguem descrever o quanto eu aprendi e cresci como estudante e como pessoa. Nas minhas aventuras aqui eu conheci pessoas incríveis, tive experiências fantásticas e encontrei minha paz. Por isso eu quero agradecer todos que foram parte, vocês fizeram a diferença. Agradecimentos especiais pra Anna por ter me aguentado todo esse tempo, se cuida meu amor. Sem mais delongas, digamos que minhas aventuras aqui ainda não acabaram. Até logo, Nova Zelândia ❤️

[wannacsomethingcool]

Physical Computing - Home Automation System

Aaaand my last project is done. I made a mini version of a home automation system that controls the door, the lights and has a laser security alarm.

It works on two states, day and night, which are chosen by a LDR (light dependent resistor) according to how much light it receives - I darkened it by covering with a pen cap. During the day, only the door and doorbell work. By pressing the button, the doorbell sound is played and then a servo motor opens the door, waits a bit and then closes it. During the nigh, a laser security alarm and sensors on the floors start working. If someone were to break in, the door would break the laser connection and trigger the alarm. The pressure sensors identify if there is someone in the room, and the corresponding light is turned on.

The major concern I had with this project was that I could be draining too much power from the Arduino. My system has several small separated pieces that come together, and I barely made it with the functionalities that I mentioned before. I have left only one analog pin not being used. The solution for that was getting a 9V battery - I was going to need one anyway because of the servo - and splitting the tasks, which is why there isn’t any wire going from 5V to the + row on the breadboard (all the components that need 5V get it from the digital pins).

I really liked how it turned out. As I said in the description of the video, next time I do something like this I’ll try to use the CNC machine - building the wood model and wiring it up took more than five times the time I spent coding. I’m posting the video below with some photos of the process in the end.

I enjoyed working with this concept and it’s an idea that I won’t discard for the future, whether it’s just for myself or to start a busyness :)

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Images of the process with my notes and a screenshot.

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Creative Audio final results

For this semester I made three tracks using the technique of making patterns that follow the silhouette of the city, especially the buildings. I’ve always lived in a big city, so I felt really comfortable exploring and developing this idea.

My final playlist consists of three tracks and one ‘making of’ video, which are linked below. Halfway through the semester I had what I wanted to make figured out, and most of that was achieved. I got my own photos, I created the Processing sketch that gave me the measurements I needed, and on FL Studio I created the melodies. The three versions are made from photos of Auckland CBD from different places, and I wanted to make different styles for them. For example, Devonport is a calm and peaceful place, so I tried to pass that feel by using the cello, piano and a flute. On the Waterfront track on the other hand, I tried to evoke a outer space kind of feeling, mostly because I had watched Interstellar and got inspired my it. The waterfront seemed to be the place that related to that the most.

After receiving different suggestions from Clinton, I decided I wanted to create a fourth track if I had time, and a visualization method for them. However, the making of video turned out to be way harder that I originally thought, and I think it is more important as it showed the creative process instead of just the result, so I had to discard the other ideas.

Anyway, here are the final results.

https://soundcloud.com/felipe-sineta/sets/sounds-of-auckland-vol-i

For more info, check #Creative Audio on my blog.

[wannacsomethingcool]

Experimental Imagery Portfolio

I have finished my images for Experimental imagery. I chose to go with bodily images and uncontrolled images and I will explain them below.

Bodily Images

To represent a branded person, I came up with the idea of the Netflix Man, which is basically a critic on how some people put the culture of watching TV before every other aspect of their lives. I did some research on binge-watching and found that although it’s quite common, it’s considered lighter that what I think it should be. Here are some links:

https://pr.netflix.com/WebClient/getNewsSummary.do?newsId=496

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/02/when-exactly-does-watching-a-lot-of-netflix-become-a-binge/283844/

With this information, my idea was to extrapolate the limits. Thinking on the composition, I realized it would e quite difficult to reproduce faithfully what I intended with a photo, so I turned to The Sims to simulate the situation for me. Here are some images of the process:

For the final portfolio, I want to add these ones:

I took the screenshot from the game and drew the same basic image on a sheet of paper, but made some aspects different from the game version. I also made the mobile version. The game one didn’t really cut it due to camera and equipment limitations, so I took a photo of myself and drew on it. I think these images managed to capture the extreme I had in mind, especially the TV one with all the aspects (rubbish bags, bills, food, fat guy, dead fish, etc). I also succeeded on limiting his scope - everything in front of the TV is worshiped and all the stuff around is neglected.

Uncontrolled Images

For this one, I took two approaches. First, I passed the random factor to a website that gives you a totally random image by clicking a button. To merge some images, I taped the paper over my laptop screen, then drew each random image for a short time, one or two minutes. This gave me several incompleted images put together, and I managed to arrange that. Images of the process:

And for the portfolio I want to add these images:

With dense black lines I tried to pass a bit of the subconscious feel that I saw on Max Ernst work, that Luke indicated to me. The choice of color could have been made more wisely, but I think it is enough for what I wanted. Here is a link to a page about Max and his work:

http://www.max-ernst.com/index.jsp

Finally, the second approach. During Maroon 5 last concert, I took some panorama photos. Since they capture more that just an instant, and with the lights constantly changing, the photos got the lighting all messed up. I found that to be a good way to loose control of the creation. The images I am adding to the portfolio are these:

The inspiration came from this photo that I saw on Facebook some time ago. It suddenly came to my mind and I decided to try. This is the link:

http://imgur.com/gallery/p4gSyt4

For this series I let the images as they were taken, without any correction od editing on Photoshop. I think that it truly gives them a unique uncontrolled characteristic.

[wannacsomethingcool]

Update on progress

This past weeks have been on such a hurry that I’ve had almost no time to actually post my progress here, but I’ve worked on my projects with much more focus than before. This post is a quick update on the progress I’ve made on each project.

Physical Computing:

I have the model built, all wired up and the foundation of the code done. I still need to improve the coding and, if I want, implement the Processing interface. Since the deadline for this one is not as close as the other two projects, it’s not my priority, so other updates will come up.

Experimental Imagery:

For the final portfolio I chose uncontrolled and bodily images. For uncontrolled I kept with the images I got mixing random ones but improved them on different ways. I tried to incorporate the subconscious aspect that Luke mentioned to me. On the bodily images topic I went with two versions of the Netflix man, a creation of mine that represents a critic not only to the way some people use Netflix, but to how some people take the whole TV culture in general.

Creative Audio:

I’m making three tracks using the technique of creating patterns from the skyline of Auckland CBD and it’s going really well. I have two finished and the last one is almost done. I discussed with Clinton lots of different approaches and influences, and if I have enough time, I want to make another track. Also, for this third one, I am recording the screen while working, so that I can clearly demonstrate the creative process.

In summary, I still have some work to do, but I feel safe with the deadlines and I think I won’t have any problem to finish all my projects. I’m also extremely satisfied with what I have achieved since I had no previous experience with most of what I worked with in terms of tools (Arduino, electronic circuitry, FL Studio and Audacity).

More updates are to come.

[notsosmall-talk-blog]

Seven Sharp Presents: NOT SO SMALL TALK

These are the slides from our in-class presentation. The concept and explanation of the card game as our outcome is in it, with complimentary images.

The card game was a good outcome because by deconstructing small talk and analysing it from the viewpoints of different disciplines, we managed to combine the previously contradictory conclusions. There are elements from all five perspectives - how to structure the game, which words or expressions were more common, what category did they fall into, etc.

Creating it gave us a good view on the different aspects of small talk, improving our understanding of it as well as how to replicate it on a general scenario.

[notsosmall-talk-blog]

Team 7 - Multiple Worlds Manifesto

[- Patricia]

[notsosmall-talk-blog]

SMALL TALK - QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

By Felipe Sineta.

Small talk has been around basically since humans started to socialize (even if we didn’t have a way to study or analyse it, it was still there). It initiates social connections, helps to keep them active and may lead to great outcomes.

RELATIONS BETWEEN SMALL TALK AND PEOPLE

Wanting or not, it is necessary. On an instinctive aspect, groups survive longer and with better life quality than those who decide to go solo. The “two minds think better than one” saying is absolutely correct. People communicate, and by doing so, create and maintain connections that are helpful for them. Small talk, in the majority of cases, is the way to start that connection.

With these connections getting stronger through time, we build a solid social network of our own. As said, humans have strong social behaviour, so in general we will always be interacting with several different types of people throughout our lives. Being able to maintain healthy connections gives the person a positive status. People tend to socialize with other good socializers, which is well exemplified with the popularity concept. Therefore, a popular person has more connections and more chances of benefiting from these connections, as well as more influence over his/her connections.

Small talk also is good for our health. People that are already social tend to love to start conversations and get to know all different types of people. It satiates their social needs and keeps them active and creative. Which brings us to the eye-opening aspect. By getting to know different backgrounds, the small talker has contact with different points of view and different opinions. This opens his/her mind to new levels and ways of thinking that improves problem solving skills. The more connections, the more different inputs on how to solve a problem. Thus, more critical analysis and more knowledge development.

Another big aspect is unpredictability. In a certain way, small talk can be compared to gambling. The outcome cannot be predicted with 100% of accuracy. However, it differs from gambling on the way that it’s free. Analysing the classical elevator situation, there are several possible outcomes. One thing in common between all of them is that the two subjects will have to take the elevator trip anyway. That way, any possible positive outcome will be great for them. Spontaneous small talk can lead to new professional contacts and up to million-dollar deals.

ASPECTS OF SMALL TALK

Small talk itself can be categorized in different types according to some indicators. The more common ones are the context it happens and the people and backgrounds it involves. Some examples are:

Getting-to-know conversation: consists mostly of open questions and elaborated answers. Intends to stablish a new connection between the individuals. The general context is where two individuals meet each other for the first time and have to create a connection;

Maintaining-the-connection conversation: consists of routine questions and quite specific answers. Intends to keep a connection between the individuals. The general context is where acquaintances, co-workers, classmates, etc already know each other and then have to keep their connection active;

Trivial conversation: consists of light topics, recent events and other not important subjects. Intends to fill free time or awkward silences, but can also be used on the previous two situations;

CONCLUSION

In summary, small talk is a social and emotional construct that has existed since the beginning of human socialization and will continue to exist because it’s necessary. It improves several skills and lays ground for development, improving general life quality. It’s safe to say that it’s a good mechanism and its use should be encouraged by every individual willing to improve their life and the environment they are situated.

REFERENCES

Forbes Magazine: Six Reasons Small Talk Is Very Important And How To Get Better At It

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2012/03/30/six-reasons-small-talk-is-very-important-and-how-to-get-better-at-it/

Succeed Socially: Some Thoughts On The Point of Small Talk

http://www.succeedsocially.com/smalltalk

Real Simple: The 10 Big Rules of Small Talk

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/work-life-etiquette/manners/10-big-rules-small-talk

Adam Jaworski: Silence and small talk

https://www.academia.edu/5155681/Silence_and_small_talk

[wannacsomethingcool]

Integrative Practice progress

I’ve just uploaded my individual post on the group blog. All the research and my articulation within the qualitative point of view are there and I think it went pretty well. I read the articles and got a lot of information to work with.

Also we got the manifesto done. Our group had set up a meeting and we discussed and wrote down the ideas. We tried to get the maximum range of disciplinarities within our ideas and I think it went well too. All members contributed to get one solid and wide outcome that works from any point of view.

We still need to develop the card game and create a presentation for Monday's class.

[wannacsomethingcool]

Experimental Imagery progress

I talked to Luke today and he gave me some tips on how to proceed with my work. I showed him the one I made last night and he helped me to decide with which topics I’ll work. Uncontrolled images is definitely one f them. I also have a solid idea for bodily images, that is to make the “Netflix Man” - a my view mixed with satyr and criticism on the person that doesn’t care about anything, no jobs or formal education and stays the whole time on the couch eating, drinking and watching movies and series. 

I have a few ideas for this piece: stack of pizza boxes, bunch of beer cans on the corner of the couch, some bill letters pinned on the wall behind the guy, a Netflix T-shirt that barely fits his belly that is starting to appear due to being quite big. I already have and will again look up their branding of themselves as well as how other press vehicles, blogs and etc view them.

For the random images, Luke showed me some work of Max Ernst, and it’s quite impressive. I’ll try to incorporate some of the subconscious aspects of his work into mine on the form of color and density, mainly. Here’s his website and some examples of what I’ll look up to.

http://www.max-ernst.com/index.jsp

[wannacsomethingcool]

Experimental Imagery portfolio

Today I started working on expanding and improving my portfolio for the final deadline. I started with the strongest topic, uncontrolled images. I got the best one from the set of drawings I had and went over it with a sharpie.

Then went to Photoshop to give it some color. I tried out a few techniques and this is how it turned out. The images are in a succession from the first outcome to the last.

And finally the last one, which is the one I want to add to the portfolio. The other work as comparative material.

[wannacsomethingcool]

Integrative Practice comment

Here I am again with movies. Recently I’ve seen one called The Giver, which is about a distopian/utopian world. I kind of recognized my conclusion from the other assignment, that says no one really decides in utopia because everyone is so brain washed and don’t really choose, they just follow rules set by the community leaders. Here’s the trailer for the movie.

[wannacsomethingcool]

Integrative Practice - final project

For IP I am the qualitative character of our group and we’re gonna discuss how exactly small talk works and why we need it. We still have to work on making the manifesto and figure out how exactly to make the blog posts. For the artifact we need to create, I’ve just suggested that we could make a small talk card game where the players have cards with words or short sentences divided on categories and each player puts down one card following a few rules to form a conversation. Whoever puts down all the cards win the round. I think it’s a solid possible outcome and the combinations can come out quite funny, since the conversation doesn’t have to make perfect sense.

Our blog url is notsosmall-talk.tumblr.com

I’ve looked up some solid articles, and will probably search for more information on the Academia portal that James showed us on the other lecture. Once I get enough resources I’ll post it here or on the group blog.

[wannacsomethingcool]

Creative Audio update

Recently I’ve watched Interstellar. I just loved this movie and its soundtrack. That inspired me to move on and make the second track from the three I’m making. I looked up some extras about the sound making of and got this:

Also, I explored a little of how composers often copy their own work. This video from a Brazilian YouTube channel explains exactly that:

The video above led me to one that I have already seen before, bu also served as input, Everything is a Remix.

http://everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/

This is regarding sound creation. On the visualization area, Clinton gave me some good directions, and I’m posting some links to them.

http://www.carstennicolai.de/

http://www.nicolascollins.com/handmade.htm

The track itself is ready, but I still want to clean up the files for FL Studio and for Audacity, because the production for this one wasn’t really planned and I just went as I saw fit. The photo I used is this one:

After finishing this one, I compared it to the Devonport track and I think I’m quite getting the hang of the creation process. I also compared to the movie soundtrack, and besides the brutal difference, I think I located the elements and replicated them reasonably well. For the next track I’ll have to improve the final fine tuning to get the track smoother. Both of them feel a little rough.

Once I finish making the Mt Eden track, I’ll post them all on Soundcloud as if it was an album, to make it organized.

[wannacsomethingcool]

Creative Audio - research

Sound visualization

Today Clinton showed us something really interesting and that I think is worth exploring for my project. This is the video:

Through what I understood, the lissajous music concept consists of an oscilloscope that works on X and Y axis and each axis receives one channel of sound. There are some maths involved so the shapes are not so random. Anyway, I think I can use this to display my tracks, instead of that device I made earlier on. Anyway, I still need to research more on this if I want to use it.

Sound creation

Regarding sound creation, I tried and located a video I had seen a long time ago in which a little kid “explains” how to create a rap song in 30 seconds. Here’s the video:

The video is obviously satirical, but it’s quite true. I only had time to check two more videos, but this kid had definitely made progress - you can tell by the much more pro gear he has on the recent videos. If I can play around with that, I think some good results may turn up.

Lastly, I’ve mentioned before I went to the Maroon 5 concert last Sunday. But I want to talk about the band that played before them, Dirty Loops. What I found interesting is that they don’t have any guitarists. The band consists of one keyboard player, one vocalist/keyboard player as well, one bass player and one drummer. Their sound is really pop ish, but the lack of a main string instrument gave it a different feel. I might also incorporate a characteristic like that on one of my tracks. Again, I think the outcome can be good.

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Physical Computing - final project

For this project I’ll do a miniature of a house automation system. This idea came to me after I saw this video

His system is pretty sweet. However, my approach will be a little different. I’ll not focus so much on security, but more to a home automation - room lights controlled by presence (pressure sensors on the floor), a servo to open the door, a switch button for a door bell and a mini laser security alarm that I came up with, standing behind the door.

I have most of the physical work done, I just need to put them altogether. These are the parts:

I got the wood sheets from Gordon Harris and they work really well. All the sawing, assembling and hot gluing was don on the Mechatronics lab.

I’m still waiting for the sensors to arrive. Since I have done quite a good amount of work and this project’s deadline is last, I’ll put it aside for a while and focus on the other ones that I have to do.