sample work:

freak! - M.S. THESIS PROJECT

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freak! is a project I developed to involve lay-persons in the work of environmental health research with a playful approach that uses game technologies. Inspired by 1990s virtual pets, freak! is a Nintendo DS that has been instrumented with various sensors to detect different kinds of pollution: air pollution, electromagnetic radiation, and noise pollution. In order for the virtual pet freak! to stay alive, the player must expose the device to high levels of the detectable pollutants. In working to care for the pet, the player endangers him or herself. The motivation behind this project is to provide a playful means by which lay-persons can explore there environment, searching for pollutants. Additionally, it is intended to spark conversation about pollution levels, interpretations of sources of pollutants, as well as the nature of toxicity levels in terms of what is deemed as pollution. The project debuted at the ACE 2009 Graduating Show at UCI.

In doing this project, I was able to grapple with combining both theory and practice. I began to understand how my theoretical and analytical work can be informed by practice and how I could consider myself someone who creates projects as a tactic in engaging with critical discourses. I also gained experience in developing using a homebrew environment as well as preparing my work for gallery exhibition.

NOTE: This short description will eventually be a separate, more comprehensive page about this project.

DATA GLOVE - INPUT DEVICE

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For my Microcontroller and Hardware Intelligence classes, I combined projects to build my own data glove. Using lengths of plastic tube and infrared emitters and detectors, I created my own bend sensors that determined the relative bend of the tube based on the amount of infrared being detected. I then sewed the sensors to the fingers of a simple cotton glove. I used an Arduino to process the sensor data and send gesture information via Serial to the computer. I used the glove in a rock-paper-scissors game.

From this project, I learned that I could create my own input devices for specific-purpose/custom computer applications that I am working on. I also learned, through the course of the classes, information on designing, researching, and creating my own electronic projects.

GOAT CATCHER - TEAM GAME PROJECT

In my Computer Game Technologies class, we had to develop a working prototype of a game over the course of the semester. As a development team, each class member was assigned different game modules and mechanics to work on (graphics, audio, ai et...). For the project, I served as project lead which put me in charge of creating the game engine, integrating other student modules, and developing and managing the game's object system.

The project was done in Microsoft's C#, which I had to learn during the semester.

In particular, this experience gave me a lot of insight into team devlepment dynamics. I learned how important it was to design before we started coding and how important communication was in making sure modules would integrate properly.

PERSISTENCE - A HYPERTEXT NOVEL; incomplete

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As an Independent Study, I decided to write my own hypertext novel. To start, I read a lot of papers and literature on the hypertext fiction genre before I began writing. Also, I developed a concept for the novel: tracking the documents that people encounter throughout their lives, exploring the links between documents and the people themselve. Additioanlly, I took many references from Virginia Woolf's life and works to shape the story.

This project allowed me to take my fiction experience and work with a new genre of literature. It's in a working prototype now but is still under going revisions and reformatting.