shapeshifter nothingGrinder

One giant leap for internet technology!

nothingGrinder — fri, 02 may 2008 03:43:34 +0000

We are constantly doing research on web technologies. Making better websites is the main goal of this research. By 'better' I mean web sites that are easier to use and accessible to all people, including people with disabilities. The W3C Standards have played a major role in the Web 2.0 craze. Many developers have changed the way they develop web sites based on these standards.
http://www.w3.org/

Typically, a blind person will access a website with a screen reader and hope that the developer has allowed for this in his / her design. As we speak special keyboards are being developed to help disabled people have easier access to the internet. ( Eric informed me of this technology. Maybe he can provide a link in the comments? )

Imagine a web site that speaks to you if you are blind, or a web site that allows you to control it through voice commands. Amazing right? This technology is upon us. Here is a link to a developer's site who has created a mixing board using this technology. All the sound is generated on the fly, no uploaded tracks, no uploaded mixes!

http://lab.andre-michelle.com/fl-909
This also displays an amazing example of a tactile website. Which is only possible through Flash Technology. Here is an in-depth article about this technology:
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/02/21/909-and-amiga-sound...

If this technology can create sound with the click of a button... why not create sound based on text? An internal screen reader for the blind!

And, if that is possible, why not go a step further and capture sound, translate it into text. We could have voice controlled web sites or Closed Captioning for internet video!

This is the web we are working towards. The faster the internet becomes the closer we are to these types of Artificial Intelligence.

I find this very exciting. The possibilities are limitless! You're average web site will not exist much longer.

The RedBox :: by nothingGrinder's Aaron

nothingGrinder — tue, 07 aug 2007 14:48:50 +0000

I attended a club party several weeks ago in downtown tokyo. It was produced and directed by a group we are currently in negotiation with. They are big on House music and have a really strong presence in the club scene. The party I attended was a mixed media event with everything from live painting to dance performance to photography and video. They are known as Deep House Project, which anyone from San Fransisco may be familiar with. It is where DHP was created and started by Carlos Gibbs. Recently they have been expanding with both music and photography and the man in Tokyo is Laurent Novatin. He is a DJ / Photographer / Designer. These guys make great House / Club music and throw a great party. The current website is http://www.deephouseproject.com and The RedBox Project website will be coming soon.

Design Festa :: by nothingGrinder's Aaron

nothingGrinder — sun, 08 jul 2007 00:18:12 +0000

Twice a year a special artists event is held here in Tokyo. It is claimed to be the largest art festival in Asia with over 40,000 visitors and 6,000 exhibitors. I have had the pleasure of working directly with Design Festa's team. During the last event I met many artists from all over the world. Some of them have created a successful business with their art, and that success was all thanks to Design Festa and the opportunities it provided for them. Design Festa is a free and open event with no restrictions on participation provided all work is original. Artists rent a space from Design Festa and display/sell their work from that space. It's like giant Flea market of art. It is certainly an amazing place to build networks and business opportunities in Japan.

Foreign exhibitors usually have difficulty with getting a proper visa from the Japanese government. This creates accessibility issues for foreign exhibitors. Many of those who exhibit are living in Japan.

nothingGrinder participated in Design Festa Vol. 18 were invited to show our video work in Design Festa Vol. 25 ( the most recent ). I promote this event because I have heard some amazing success stories from some of the artists who exhibit. I hope this information is useful. For more information about Design Festa visit http://www.designfesta.com.