CLASSES: CAP 4403 and CAP 6402

PROJECT 2: Time Series

DUE DATE: February 27, 2008 @ 1:55PM

ISLAND CLEAN DATE: February 29, 2008

LATEST DRAFT of this document: February 24, 2008

• Definition: A "time series" is a list of number data (integer or floating point) defining a function of time. Examples: solar variation catastrophes
• Concept: Software Aesthetics: Software is defined as the "bit oriented" non-hardware structures found in a computer. A primitive form of software is data. More complex forms are data structures. Both data and data structures are commonly referred to as information, which is also associated with databases. Other types of software include expressions and program structures (or processes). When software captures an element of the real world, it is often "modeled", so one sees information,software, and dynamic models. The purpose of software aesthetics is to explore the diverse forms of human interaction possible for software representation through creative, and artistically-motivated means. Software is viewed as a design product and has strong elements of form as well as function. We are exploring a continuum in between pure functionality (i.e, conventional diagram) and pure art (i.e., non-functionality).
• Purpose: The purpose of this project is to represent a time-series of numbers in addition to providing interaction context. The numbers in the series can be integers or floating-point. This time series must be of significant global or national importance. So, avoid routine statistics that have limited or non-lasting relevance (weather, sports). Think of news that has a dramatic impact--something that makes a headline. As to how the time series is manifested in Second Life, representation ideas may be located at Infosthetics.
• To do:
  • Research:
    • Search for news-worthy sources of information about numbers. Locations to search include 1) top news items for a year (i.e., 2007), 2) news blogs and outlets, 3) RSS feeds. Ensure that these numbers have socio-cultural relevance to either the public at large or a significant subset. Example sources for news are Time and Discover
    • Identify a time series that is related to the story. Often, the numbers that you need are not going to be located in the news text itself - you will need to look for them elsewhere. Use this software search guide.
    • Example: A search for Beijing air pollution resulted in this pollution chart, with a quick follow-up to find more general trends
    • Example: A search on childhood obesity (a news item frequently found in newspapers) starting with Google Images found: obesity charts
    • Example: Often a search produces side effects. In searching for "dark matter" (Discover Magazine top story), a stock market diagram was located in an econ blog. other stock news items that might coordinate with stock prices can be found on Google Finance - see the news "tags". The news items need to be something that is highly relevant.
    • Example: Search for "presidential race fundraising chart" yielded this archive
  • Design:
    • Create a "human scale" object or set of objects in Second Life to represent this time series, using these mapping guidelines, where "input" will be used for selection since a time time series has no inherent input. This object will be known as the model. Your model must be visual and have some audio/sound element.
    • Keep in mind that Second Life is an immersive 3D environment, so while flat objects are not disallowed, take advantage of the 3D immersion and shapes in your representations.
    • Use symbolism for the time series part of your representation (i.e., not the interaction context component), where a symbol does not directly look (or sound) like the thing being represented. See interaction context examples
    • Avoid representing number through simple repetition or enumeration: for example representing that "there were 12 cloned sheep in 2003" by displaying 12 3D sheep.
    • You should also create interaction context that will go along with your model, and connect with it. This context will relate to the model in some way, providing additional information or clarification. For example, a time series involving pollution data might include a cloud of smoke or a small scale air-polluted town in which your model is located. Creatively specifying how the model components relate to the contexual objects is important.
    • Create all the prims and scripts yourself OR ensure that the 3 primary permissions can be set with any foreign prims, scripts, or media that you obtain or purchase (see the permissions information under Deliverables). Otherwise, do not include them in your model. So, for example, a texture obtained elsewhere is fine as long as can assign all 3 permissions for "next owner".
    • Create a separate sign object that allows the visitor to click on it to get a notecard (see under Deliverables).
• Grade:
  • Your project will be expected to draw in a visitor through its look and feel and interaction. It should be creative and innovative and non-conventional.
  • Make sure that your project:
    • Is understandable once someone reads your notecard (see under deliverables)
    • Does not contain spurious elements that do not convey information (i.e., random music, objects that contain or convey no relevant information)
    • Is consistently designed and "hangs together" as a metaphor - not a random placement of shapes, sounds, and interaction
  • Pay attention to detail. Are your model and other objects fully texture mapped? Look atthe colors, textures, materials, lighting, and other object properties.
  • Pay attention to quality. Are you proud of the structure, and would you want to show it off to others?
  • Based on the quality of the project as it compares with the total population of student projects that are delivered
  • There are higher expectations of those taking CAP 6402 (graduate students)
  • A grade of "B" meets the minimal requirements specified in this page, whereas a grade of "A" is given to the projects with the highest quality as judged by the Professor and Teaching Assistant (TA)
  • Hints to help your grade
• Deliverables: To submit your project, you need to:
  • Give to the TA inside of Second Life by going to Search -> underneath people tab search for the TA: Haakon Norsk. Drag your complete "package" to the TA's profile (the right-side area that is shown). The package refers to your model, your sign, and any additional objects that comprise your design.
  • Submit your project report (same as notecard) on https://elearning.courses.ufl.edu/ to facilitate grading. Go to Assignments, click on Project 2, and past the contents of your notecard in the "submission" box, and any comments in the "comments" box.
  • Make sure that all permissions are set (see below under Policies). Set all permissions when the object is rezzed, not while in inventory. This is how to set permissions and do testing:
    • For each rezzed object, make sure that all 3 permissions are checked under the "General->Next owner can:" tab for each prim. You can set these prim permissions en-masse by region selecting all prims and then setting the permissions. However, this does not set permissions for anything under the "Content" tab in each prim.
    • For each item under the Content tab for each rezzed prim (where you may have contents such as scripts, sounds, notecards, textures, and so forth), right click each item and set all 3 next owner permissions under "Properties->Next owner can:". You can SHIFT select all items under content, but this will bring up tabs which have to be individually selected anyway.
    • Searching for prims that do not have the correct next-owner permissions can be facilitated using region (rectangle)-select while in edit mode. Select some part of your project. If all three next owner boxes are white, each with a check mark, then all prims and prim contents are set correctly for that selection. If there is a greyed-out box, then at least one prim or the content of a prim are not correctly set within that selection. Further sub-region selects will allow you to identify which prims are the problem.
    • Testing to make sure your permissions are correctly set is accomplished by giving your complete object package to another student in-world. Make sure that this other student does the following: (1) receives your object, (2) rezzes it, and (3) takes your object back into their inventory. If this can be done without any warnings being displayed next to your object in their inventory, you are fine. Warnings are: "(no copy)", "(no modify)", or "(no transfer)". If you wish to come to the instructor's or TA's office hours, we can be part of your permissions test if you do not wish to enlist the help of another student.
    • Position Invariance should be tested by moving and rotating your project, and ensuring that doing so does not break the functionality of any scripts that you have coded.
  • Do the following:
    1. Region select (Edit Mode->drag mouse) all prims in your objects in edit mode. Select only your objects (Tools->Select-Only-My-Objects) and if necessary (Client->uncheck Limit-Select-Distance)
    2. "Take Copy"(Right-Click Object-->More)
    3. Rename the packaged object using a long string consisting of the following: your real-life first and last name; your second-life first and last name; your project title; version number. Separate each part with an underscore. For example: "PaulFishwick_FrederichCourier_My Project Name_V1.3"
    4. Put a notecard in a prim in front of your model/context that acts as a "sign", and deliver this to the visitor when the visitor touches the design. This sign should be selected along with the rest of your prims when you hand it over to the TA. On this notecard, include the following in this order:
       • Object Name: what you call your work
       • Title: a type of "news headline" reflecting your work
       • Creator: Your real name and SL name in parentheses
       • Date: date of creation.
       • Summary: Two or three sentence (brief description) of what your work represents
       • News Sources: The source(s) (magazine volume/issue #, web URL, RSS feed) used for getting the news-worthy story.
       • Interaction: List of methods on how one interacts with the model, and how the model is connected to the context
       • Motivation: Reasons/background for creating the model, including an explanation of why it is culturally relevant
       • Description: Detailed description of the mapping approach you used to represent the time series. Include diagrams, pictures, photos, URLs that will help in the description. The mapping must be complete for anyone wishing to know exactly how to intepret your work.
• Policies:
  • Wrong Permissions: penalty: 15 points per day. See above for how to set the permissions.
  • Late: minus 15 points per day starting with the due date/time.