Gas Cooker Interface

First thing to do was research cookers. Went to John Lewis’ floor and looked at what was on how. Cookers (gas and electric), microwave ovens, fridges and freezers. All gas cookers work with nobs or a knob lever. Electric cookers and ovens have dials, buttons or both. Problem: to create a GUI for the gas cooker, an appliance that traditionally uses a SUI. I think there’s nothing wrong with the way cookers work now apart from the fact that:

1. you can’t always see the flame with a pot over it;
2. liquid boils over and puts out the flame but keeps the gas flowing;
3. absolute control of the flame with the knob is impossible;
4. some knobs go clockwise, others anti-clockwise; and
5. no matter how many times you use it you can never remember which knob operates which griddle.
The group brainstorming session brought up loads of ideas and as a result some people ended up going in the same direction as me (or maybe I went in the same direction as them)!
One idea was the cooker would recognise wherever the pot/kettle/pan was and light that spot. Had an idea of strings (or some type of heat resistant fibre lattice) above the cooker surface with sensors that read the position and fed back that position to the user interface. Tiny gas outlets beneath the lattice would ignite and heat the utensil.
Another idea was to have the pans come with the cooker. They could be replaced, renewed or more ordered directly from the manufacturer at minimal cost. These pans would ‘talk’ to the cooker, sending back information on the temperatures of the pan or its contents.
I remembered my mother’s cooker had a gun attachment but I couldn’t remember if that was a pilot lighter with a flame. Had to be that. What else could it be? Maybe a water supply, like the ones you get in pubs, but this one would have cold water or hot water at a touch of a button. Maybe another gun with oil. Or maybe the gun did both oil and water. But, it was wisely noted, that water could be plumbed in, whereas oil would have to be replaced. Too much trouble unless you buy your oil by the truckload. But I think the most important thing is the interface. I wanted to keep it very simple. All the graphics had to be self explanatory or, if not, feedback from a touch would inform the user of an event. I also tried to make each icon or button unique so each item could only do one thing and there would be no confusion between them.
I recognise an error in the design. The microwave icon is identical to the grill heat level and the grill shelf.

Iron Man's a blast

Okay, I admit it. I'm a geek. I might not look like one or act like one in public but I am. I've just watched the Iron Man movie, and I can't get rid of this ridiculous grin I have over my face. I loved it! I'm not the biggest Iron Man fan in the world — I'm sure I have fewer than a hundred issues of the comic, but something about the movie clicked with me.

The story: When arms manufacturer Tony Stark is held hostage by terrorists and ordered to create a devastating weapon for his captors he surreptitiously creates a super powered suit of armour to escape. Now he decides to stop building weapons and to use his genius and an upgraded armour design to fight terror and tyranny.

Robert Downey Jr is perfect in the role of Stark with an ability to flip from a devil may care attitude to indifference to tortured soul with ease and sensitivity. Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrance Howard and a bald Jeff Bridges have enough clout as character actors to ensure this movie stays firmly on the right side of fantasy-action adventure.

And for all you comic fans out there: please please please please stay for the end credits — that's the VERY end credits. Past the Best Boy and Foley and the hundred of bods who help erase the strings, past the song credits, yes, even past the Paniflex and MPAA logos. There's about a minute of more movie. If you love comics — Marvel Comics that is, then you have to see this last scene. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that's why i still have the grin on my face. If you don't read comics then go home and save yourself five minutes. Nuff said.

Filming the audience

Celebrity Red Carpet

We have now achieved the most important part of the project: The Audience! Without a virtual crowd the project could not happen but we've got that out of the way now.

The Process.

Jenny and I decided on the actions and reactions we wanted the crowd to have and their behaviour: Jeering, cheering, throwing things, holding up placards, booing, disdain and contempt, admiration. We ruled out spitting. 

We needed to have the camera back far enough to a distance that someone could take six full steps in full view. We found an appropriate spot where we could effectively get enough people that looked as though they were part of a much larger crowd. Unfortunately we couldn't use get access to the HD camera but we did get hold of the next best thing, Sony DSR 500, filming on DV. This took up most of the morning. However, the area we were shooting in was very overexposed and the strength of the light forced me to see if I could find another place. An offhand remark by a passer-by lit the light bulb in my skull: aperture and shutter speed. With so much going on sometimes you forget the basic principles. Ten seconds later the picture was perfect.

We got a group of about 30 people together and bunched them up in a 3 x 1m space. Jenny held up the flash cards with the instructions of 'BOOOO' or 'Very Excited' on them while I counted them in and out.  The whole 'shoot' took about fifteen minutes. And everyone, but everyone was happy. One thing I would have liked, however, was possibly more girls in the frame. The few we do have are all at the back!