Covert Commuter

In today’s modern, technologically propelled society, people are coming up with more and more clever ways to keep their belongings secure. Perhaps the most common way involves the use of Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. While very useful in catching criminals unaware and in the act, there is nothing preventing these intrusive [...]]]> Richard Lou

Covert Commuter

In today’s modern, technologically propelled society, people are coming up with more and more clever ways to keep their belongings secure. Perhaps the most common way involves the use of Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. While very useful in catching criminals unaware and in the act, there is nothing preventing these intrusive cameras from recording innocent people going about their daily business. They are scattered everywhere throughout the world, watching those who walk by without prior consent or knowledge. As such, privacy can be a very difficult commodity to come by. With the advent of the “Covert Commuter” mobile Android application, users are now able to see reported CCTV camera locations found by other users, and plot their commute around them using either the built in route plotter system or simply by hand. While not perfect, this application will help people to once again walk where they wish without prying eyes watching their every move.

Ideally, the application will come standard with many maps of surveillance cameras of many different areas in the United States, or even the world. Given my current skill level in mobile application development and available resources, this is very likely an impossible task for me to accomplish in only one semester. It is more reasonable that the application will only have maps of a few major United States cities and towns, if any at all. Whatever is not populated by camera locations will be a standard map with nothing on it. However, users are free to update their own local version of a map with known camera locations. They can share these maps with anyone by uploading them to a sort of “map bank.” This bank would be a location where all user-marked maps will be stored. Other users can download any of these maps onto their on mobile platform and use them for themselves, updating them if need be. There will also be an option to rate these user-created maps on a scale from one to five. Users can sort the map bank by highest rating, most recent, alphabetical order, or most downloaded. There will be an easy to access option to upload the maps, and the map banks will be accessible by an in-app interface. This dynamic application will be almost entirely based on user reported data. It will be important to get users to make and upload their maps, and I will have to give this serious deliberation before coming to a solution.

Users can also take pictures of the surveillance cameras and associate it with a mark on the map. This will be done as easily as selecting a mark, then choosing the option the “take a picture” on a small menu that will pop up. These images will be uploaded along with the rest of the map should the user decide to submit it to the “map bank.” Many smartphone cameras these days are capable of taking very high quality images, and if many of them are uploaded to wherever I will store the maps, space will run out rather quickly. To help mitigate this issue, images will be compressed into smaller, lower quality versions. Users can then click on a marked location of a camera, and an image of it will pop up. Should the user decide the image is not accurate, they have a choice to delete it or replace it with their own.

As mentioned earlier, this project will be a mobile application, for the Android platform. I will be using various code editors to write the code for the program. I am choosing a mobile application because I am a computer science major, and I believe I can make the most impact by doing something related to coding. Since today’s world is very focused on mobility and the smartphone, I think this would be the best medium to use.

I will need to see if I can find existing maps of surveillance camera locations, as it would be very difficult for me to find and map them by myself. If I do find these maps, I must somehow translate them into whatever map my Android application will be using. I assume this will be a rather difficult task, and understand that it may not be plausible. If this is the case, then I would probably make an example map to place in the “map bank,” and hope other users will follow my example and add their own data. I will also need to learn the coding language used to write mobile applications. There are very many different languages I could use, so it will be an important task to find one that is best suited for my needs and I am comfortable using.

As for the code itself, I will definitely need to do some intensive research about maps and route planners. I am sure I will be able to find some open source map or trip planner programs that I can reference for this task. I have had considerable experience with code in other languages, so I do not think the actual writing of the code will be too difficult.

Another difficult task I will have to consider is making the graphical user interface. Despite all my knowledge of computers, I have never taken any courses in graphical design and I have a very limited understanding of Adobe Photoshop. All my previous work has been on the backend of programs (the code part). I have no experience whatsoever on the frontend (the GUI). This will be one of the most time-consuming parts of my project, as I will have to learn how to use various graphical editors and create something presentable. Then I will have to determine how to link the frontend with the backend, which will also be no easy task for me.

I then must figure out the process of putting my application into the application store. As I have never done anything of this sort before, I will have to do some research on the application making process.

            For our Capstone Project, Jake Federkeil and I will be working together to create a small video game using a program called GameMaker. The game, entitled “10” (which may change during creation), will explore the differences between digital natives and digital foreigners. As these two perspectives are explored, the [...]]]> Capstone Proposal

            For our Capstone Project, Jake Federkeil and I will be working together to create a small video game using a program called GameMaker. The game, entitled “10” (which may change during creation), will explore the differences between digital natives and digital foreigners. As these two perspectives are explored, the player will see that they are in fact not so different, and that the line between them is actually quite blurry. They will be presented with choices that require them to help or hurt others while attempting to complete a certain goal.

The game will be created for use in the GameMaker program, but may be expanded for use on computers without the program. We have chosen GameMaker because it is (relatively) easy to learn and it is a perfect match for the gameplay we plan to create. The game is based on a simple platformer expanded to incorporate fighting (shooting, punching, etc.) and special abilities. The player will move, jump, and shoot (weapons or abilities) through levels that scroll as the player moves right (directionally). The screen does not move as the player moves left, preventing the player from backtracking. They will encounter various forms of enemies throughout each level that may require special abilities to defeat or avoid. These enemies will be able to hurt the player, potential preventing the player from completing a goal or from moving on to the next. The player will move and perform actions using keyboard and mouse input. The mouse and keyboard will also serve as a means to manipulate the main menu (selecting to play a game, change the options, or view the credits).

The game’s title, “10”, represents the number 1 in binary code. Many people do not know binary code, so the title acts as a hook to pull potential players in. These players (because they do not know binary code or did not realize the title was a reference to such) will hopefully be players that can connect with the main character (because they both lack digital knowledge in some way or another). The player will begin the single-player story by being “sucked into” a computer screen. They will move through a background encountering and interacting with NPC’s (non-player characters). As the player progresses through the story, they will come across a group of digital natives (or hackers) who will recruit the player based on their potential displayed during previous levels. The player will work with this group in order to complete certain tasks to help them, gaining knowledge and abilities along the war. He/she will encounter bosses that require them to use new-found abilities or think of different ways to use them that allow them to defeat the boss and move on. One of the members of the digital native group (while on a mission with the player) will display a lack of digital knowledge that the others within his group do not know about. This begins to show how the line between digital natives and foreigners becomes unclear. Later in the story, the player will come across a group of foreigners that they will choose to help or harm, depending on their allegiance to the digital native group. Each option leads to its own final mission and game ending.

The game will consist of somewhere around five levels and five bosses. Abilities will be granted along the way for defeating bossed or completing missions. Abilities may include any of the following: email, email attachments, web search, coding, and hacking. Some other abilities (that we have not yet thought of) may appear in the game. As the player becomes stronger and gains new abilities, they will find themselves encountering a virus more often. The virus threatens to destroy the world (and the player), so the player must find ways to defeat and/or evade the virus when need be.

The abilities seek to emulate the knowledge one gains when learning to use the internet. The virus and non-player characters act as entities that people often encounter when using the internet. Just as the player encounters the virus more as they gain powers, people often encounter viruses more often as the time they spend on the internet increases. The NPC’s encountered by the player can be hostile, stand-offish, or inviting (genuinely or falsely), representing different groups one can come across while traversing the web.

Both Jake and I have used the GameMaker program (although we still have little experience), so we feel confident that we can complete the entire game (the five levels and story) by the deadline. Our biggest challenge to overcome is creating the art for the game. We are both science majors (Physics and/or Computer Science), and neither of us have any background in art. As such, the time taken to create the art will probably be equal to that of creating the other game elements.

We will split the workload evenly, both working on various aspects of the gameplay and art in conjunction with each other to make the game cohesive. We will both be responsible for completing half of the levels, but working together so that the levels will flow together nicely. We will also split up the game mechanics and artwork evenly, again working together to give the game a sense of continuity.

We will begin by creating the first mission. Following that, we will create/design the two final levels and game endings. Then, we will create the three other levels and implement the various abilities and gameplay elements (health, damage, effects, etc.). After the levels and gameplay elements are completed, a “level hub”, where the player chooses which level to enter next (though they may only enter the current level or previous ones), will be created. The remainder of the time will be spent on art, including the GUI (Graphical User Interface), characters, level backgrounds, music, and visual effects.

As this game is in the early planning stages, it is likely that some of the above-mentioned specifications may change. We will attempt to follow this proposal as closely as possible, but it may not be possible to implement some of the gameplay elements or include certain pieces of the story.

Thesis:
The HandyHouse will be an experimental dollhouse that incorporates functional components into a well-designed play space. The construction will include circuitry, sound, graphics, and sensors, and be documented through both a construction manual and blog.

Format:
The project will [...]]]> Name: Rebecca Stevick and Kristen Long
Title: HandyHouse: Not Just Another Dollhouse

Thesis:
The HandyHouse will be an experimental dollhouse that incorporates functional components into a well-designed play space. The construction will include circuitry, sound, graphics, and sensors, and be documented through both a construction manual and blog.

Format:
The project will have three components: the physical house, a written manual, and a cumulative digital blog. The manual will be a guide detailing how to construct your own HandyHouse, and the blog will be a visual documentation of our experiences and techniques building our HandyHouse.

Description:
The HandyHouse will be an investigative venture to create a functional, sustainable, affordable, and revolutionary play space that redefines the stereotypical dollhouse. In order to make the HandyHouse functional, we will integrate the use of circuitry, sensors, and construction techniques. Operational components will include hinges, an elevator, a spiral staircase, trap doors, opening windows, curtains, a porch light, lights in the windows, a fireplace, sound effects, and a doorbell. These attributes will be built using circuits, Arduino programming, sewing, soldering, carpentry, sound design, and wiring. The processes used in construction will be documented through video and still photographs, and published on the blog. The construction of the house will also be written up into a comprehensive and understandable manual that will be published and made available to the public. As a result, others can refer to this manual to learn these techniques and build their own HandyHouse. The HandyHouse will also include typical components, including a kitchen, beds, couches, and living spaces. The end result will ideally be an enjoyable tool that can be played with and further built upon.

In an increasingly environmentally aware society, efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle are emphasized. In accordance with this trend, the HandyHouse will be made entirely from previously used and discarded materials. We will visit various junkyards and scrap warehouses in attempts to find interesting supplies for the construction of our house. Efforts will also be made to minimize our use of additional supplies, and we will use donated or scavenged materials whenever possible. Essentially, we will be conscientious builders and wary of making any extravagant supply purchases.

Since the HandyHouse is targeted toward families with children who are perhaps on a limited budget, every attempt will be made to keep it as an affordable project. Most of the construction materials will be recycled so the HandyHouse will be a very cost-efficient endeavor. Idealistically the entire project may be accomplished under $75. Furthermore, we will only use tools that would be available in a typical home. As a result, the HandyHouse will be a feasible project that any family should have the means to complete.

The compilation of salvaged materials is sure to create a unique new image for a play space in the HandyHouse. Various functional components will be suggested by the manual and there will be explanations on how to install all the necessary items but the majority of the design will be left to the user. Such freedom to create the HandyHouse as each family sees fit allows for great customization to satisfy the personality of the family. Additional effects such as sounds and lights which are not customarily included in doll houses will be an integral part of the design of the HandyHouse. Lights in the rooms and on the porch and sound effects for doors, floors, a doorbell, and plumbing will make the HandyHouse more realistic than a typical doll house and thus stand out from mainstream designs. The HandyHouse embodies elements of feminism with regard to the fact that it will be acceptable for either boys or girls to play with rather than favoring girls and displaying a typically feminine design.

This general format will ensure efficient distribution and communication of our project processes with the public. The written manual is a more permanent and easy to follow guidebook to the project. This way, anyone anywhere can use it as a how-to guide in order to create their own HandyHouse. The blog will serve as a real-time documentation of our own adventure building a HandyHouse. Various videos and pictures will help convey the skills and processes that we use to build our house. Lastly, the final HandyHouse that we present will be a model for others trying to construct a play space of their own.

Skills and Tools:
Constructing the HandyHouse will require the application of common “handyman” skills and do it yourself techniques including welding, soldering, gluing, carpentry, and wiring. Building the mainframe of the house and rooms necessitates cutting wood and metal and welding or gluing the materials together in a specified manner. To configure the lighting we will need to employ circuitry, soldering, and programming. The sound effects will depend upon our ability to synchronize preset sounds with sensors for different actions to be completed in the HandyHouse such as doors slamming, floors creaking, the doorbell ringing, a shower or faucet running, and a toilet flushing. Recording and editing the sound effects will also need basic sound mixing and editing skills.
We already possess some of these skills and have access to most of the tools that we will need to use. In order to acquire the remaining skills we will watch instructional videos and read articles to inform ourselves of how to install construct any of the functional elements which we do not already know how to build. YouTube and the DIY channel will prove to be invaluable resources as we explore the concept of building a gender neutral play space within the constraints of an affordable budget.

Sharing the Work:
Both Kristen and Rebecca will participate in constructing and wiring the HandyHouse, but each will have her own responsibilities in terms of documentation. Kristen will be the primary author and compiler of the written manual and Rebecca will work predominantly on the digital blog. With regard to the construction of the HandyHouse, Kristen and Rebecca will meet consistently to buy parts, assemble components, and test the functionality of the house as a whole.

            Why is history important? At a time when educational resources are scarce, why should time and money be spent teaching pupils about men and women who died long ago? What relevance can Plymouth Rock, Leningrad, or Imperial Japanese isolationism in the nineteenth century have [...]]]> That’s a “Rap”:
History and Hip-Hop, for Kids!

            Why is history important? At a time when educational resources are scarce, why should time and money be spent teaching pupils about men and women who died long ago? What relevance can Plymouth Rock, Leningrad, or Imperial Japanese isolationism in the nineteenth century have on today’s upcoming presidential election, the democratization of Burma, or the turmoil in the Middle East? It is easy for the student to cast History aside, just as it is hard to convince him or her that Native American – Colonists relations in the 1600s has a bearing on modern day life. Before I began my matriculation as a History major, I struggled with these same concerns, even as I enjoyed the subject. Indeed, my favorite television programming was the History Channel, and my favorite class Social Studies/History. I loved History, but I could not explain why it was necessary, or even pertinent

It was not until my junior year of high School that I could put History as an academic pursuit into perspective. In AP United States History, I learned that to fully understand current events, one must understand the events which immediately preceded the present. And to understand those, one must understand the precedent, ad infinitum. Thus, in order to really understand the social, political, and economical happenings of the world today, one must have a rudimentary knowledge of information spanning hundreds of years. Unfortunately, pedagogical History has been traditionally presented in a dry and uninspiring way. A perceived endless stream of names and dates has caused students to label the subject “boring” or “hard”. Since the importance of History as an academic discipline has been established, it is imperative that the subject be taught in a way that is engaging and enjoyable, so that young people will recognize the relevance and joy of History.

The power of song has long been used as a tool for education. In preschool, nursery rhymes are utilized to teach basic lessons and moral values. Even taught at such a young age, people remember these rhymes for years. Tellingly, one of the most basic primary school lessons is imparted by song: the Alphabet. Children’s television programs use to song as well. Sesame Street, The Wiggles, and Blues Clothes are just a few examples of American programs centered around music. Television, as a medium, is very effective at portraying emotion, but not information. Music, on the other hand, has the power to stick in one’s head and aid with memorization. Combining the mass accessibility of the moving image with the lasting power of song, I will make an educational series of “webisodes” based around various History raps. It is hoped that the webisodes will entertain and educated young people in and of themselves, while also being used as a supplementary teaching tool for schools. Additionally, the raps can be disseminated independently from the webisodes, increasing exposure.

I am basing my project after Epic Rap Battles of History, Drunk History, and John Green’s Crash Course World History. Each of these projects were based on the internet – exclusively YouTube – and seek either to teach or lampoon history. My project would try to emulate the medium, style, and mechanisms of these previous projects. My webisodes would be made on and for the internet, specifically YouTube. Each webisode would be short, around five minutes, and focus on one historical event/topic. The centerpiece of each webisode would be a rap which contains much of the information for the piece. The working total for number of webisodes is twelve. The subject matter will be chosen based on importance, according to the author. While some topics will doubtless be well known, some will be more recondite. I do not want the project to be limited by categories, such as time periods, geographic areas, or subjects; however, since the target audience consists of Americans, subject matter will be geared towards the most relevant topics for American adolescents. Possible subjects include: the Vietnam War, Native Americans and Colonization, United States government, Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Little Rock Nine.

This capstone requires many and variegated skills. On the video side of production, I will need: story boarding, script writing, acting, costumes and props, camera shooting, set design, and graphic design. Perhaps most challenging is finding actors to participate in videos. I will need a recording device, but if no cameras are available, I will use my iPad. I can utilize the University of Maryland’s beautiful campus for webisodes’ locations, perhaps using the Queen Anne’s library for the main interior shots. Costumes and props will have to be taken from my own personal wardrobe and imagination. The script will have to reflect the simplicity of my available resources in this regard.

On the rap side, I will need: beat making software and know how, lyric writing, historical knowledge, and sound recording/editing software. The most challenging aspect of the rap production is the beat making. Currently, I do not have the software or the know how to make my own beats. I have been talking with Dan Singer about which iPad application I should use to make easy but pleasing beats. I do not have an infinite amount of historical knowledge, but once a topic is chosen, in-depth research can be done using academic and tertiary sources. The raps can be recorded with my iPhone, iPad, or a Mac computer and then edited with Audacity, a skill I have been honing in HDCC208E: Digital Sound and Music.

The purpose of the webisodes is to make History enjoyable and relatable for viewers. Hopefully, audiences will be able to articulate why studying History is important; by understanding the past, we can better understand the present, as Mark Twain said, “History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” By using the rhymes and rhythms of rap, and the emotive power of video, coupled with the widespread capabilities and ease of use of the internet, these webisodes can be a simple but powerful tool for teaching adolescents about History. And maybe I will even make some good sounding music.

1)   Name: Joel Hanson and Edward Waddill

2)   Title: The Parable

3)   Project thesis/main idea:

For my capstone project, I will be working with Edward Waddill on telling a story through the medium of music and video. Our project will create a story from the viewpoint of two current college [...]]]> DCC Capstone Project Proposal

1)   Name: Joel Hanson and Edward Waddill

2)   Title: The Parable

3)   Project thesis/main idea:

For my capstone project, I will be working with Edward Waddill on telling a story through the medium of music and video. Our project will create a story from the viewpoint of two current college students about the events that they encounter in their college lives. With this as the main idea for our project, we feel that many people will be able to relate to the story and therefore will enjoy the experience more than they would if the story were less universal and more personal.  College is an experience that everyone viewing this project either has had or is currently having, so everyone should be able to relate on some level to this project. Although the exact details of the story we will tell have not been completely ironed out, the story will follow the two main characters through their notable experiences of college, giving the two differing perspectives of the main characters.

Our project will consist of seven songs and two videos that will tell a story. Each song will add more to the story and one of the songs will have a video to go along with it as to provide a visual aid to more effectively encapsulate the audience in the story. The seven songs will be able to stand alone as an EP, but we also wanted to incorporate video into the project so that it would have more substance and the audience is not merely sitting and listening to a story. The music video will accompany the most important song, that is to say, the song that is most important to the overall story. With the addition of video, we will be able to ensure that the audience does not have to imagine things solely based off of the music that they hear, but because we only have one video that is a representation of a part of the story, the audience will not be robbed of the chance to use their imagination should they so desire.

4)   Format project will take:

As previously mentioned, the project at its most basic form will be an EP consisting of seven songs. The song that is most crucial to the story will also have a video to accompany it. We want to make sure that the essence of the story comes across exactly as we want to portray it, but we realize the extreme importance of imagination in storytelling, so we opted to only have one video representing part of the story. However, there will be another video as part of the project. So our audience will be able to get a sense of how we created our project, we have decided that we are going to have a behind-the-scenes style video which will demonstrate our creative process as it pertains to everything from coming up with concepts to making beats, to writing, to recording.

5)   Description of project:

Ed and I both have ample experience with creating our own music, so when we talked about what we wanted to do for our final project for DCC, it seemed only natural that we would have music as the centerpiece of our project. Not only do Ed and I have experience with creating music, we also have worked together on musical projects in the past. We have found that our musical styles, while undeniably very different, mesh together extremely well to create a final product. In addition to our experience with music, I have a decent amount of experience with video. We wanted to make our project interesting, so we thought that there was no better way than to put to use our skills in music and video production to tell a story.  Another reason that we chose to do both music and video for our project is that we both feel that we can learn from each other in the different aspects. Ed has much more of a background in mixing and mastering than I do, so I am looking forward to learning more about it through practice on this project. Similarly, Ed has little experience with video production and editing, but I have been an active YouTuber for around six years, so naturally, I have learned much over the years. I feel that there are things I can teach Ed in relation to video production and I know that there are things Ed can teach me in mixing and mastering, so working together on this project is a great way for us to learn by experience and hands on trial and error.

6)   Skills & tools:

Essential in this project will be audio recording, editing, and mixing and mastering skills along with video production work including shooting and editing digital video. As far as the tools needed to successfully create this project, we have all the things strictly necessary. Ed has all the recording equipment that we would need in order to produce the beats, record the vocals, and edit the entire track, so we do not need anything else for the audio aspect of the project. For the video portion of the project, we have all the equipment that we would absolutely need, but if we had access to better video editing software, our project could be made better. I own a Canon 60D, which we will use to shoot all of our video, and I have iMovie on my computer in which we can edit the video that we shoot. Although it is not necessary, having a better editing software would make it possible to have more elaborate effects in our video.

7)   Other relevant info:

Should we need people to be in our videos (as extras), we could easily reach out to the DCC community to lend us a hand. There are plenty of people with theater backgrounds and plenty of other people that are just always willing to lend a hand.

DCC Capstone Project Proposal