Current Happenings

Finishing up my felt smart panel and bamboo proximity chimes for our final interactive exhibition, I found myself engaged in a noteworthy variety of activities and skill sets. In one night I was sawing and drilling wood and bamboo, bolting together steel frames, writing actionscript, sewing, writing copy for poster boards, and designing posters. I feel like I have found an area of work that encompasses all these things I do: my background in construction, my eduacation in the humanities, my hobby skills of sewing and knitting, and my career in graphic design.

As a related side note, here is an inventory and supplier list for the things that went into the felt smart panel:

electronics:
photoresistor - Radio Shack, Pasadena
pressure sensors - Interlink Electronics, online
servo motors - Acroname, online
5vDC/24vAC/200 milliamp relay - Digikey Electronics, online
5vDC/120vAC relay - Duvac Elecronics, Pasadena
24 gauge 3 conductor wire - Duvac Electronics, Pasadena
Small blank circuit board - Radio Shack, Pasadena
40 watt light bulbs - True Value Hardware, Pasadena
4 blue superbright LEDs - Superbright LED, online
small task light - Ikea, via Peter's desk

Materials:
3/16" industrial felt - Western Felt and Fiber, Alhambra
felt ball - handmade from raw wool
thread
white cotton cord - Amy's desk
Pink flourescent acrylic - Solter Plastics, Santa Monica
MDF - Art Center Shop

Computing:
Powerbook
IOS Flash Components
Brainstem microprocessor - Acroname

Working as a team on two separate projects, Amy and I managed to haphazardly combine a few visuals during our meeting last night. We had a good laugh over how nothing belongs together - nor is it to scale - but somehow speaks to our practice of interactive design as both a screen-based and physical activity.