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31. 500-Word Evaluative Post

I don't even know where to begin. But I have to, and I'm grateful that this post marks the end. Cultural Context I know that usually “cultural context” usually covers things like “a western middle class society” or “the artistic sphere in the UK”, but I think that by this stage of the year everyone already knows what an absolute trainwreck this course has been. I’d like to preface this by saying I really appreciate the help I’ve received from my tutor David this semester. But zooming out and seeing the fragmentation of class morale, the growing tribal mentality, and the fact that other students seem to magically be able to get good grades with no visible effort - very discouraging. And I’m not trying to blame others for my own failings, but I personally feel like under different circumstances the work I might have produced would have turned out vastly different. In a wider cultural context - it’s another art project made by a graduating design student for a grade. I don’t th...
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30. More Soldering, Current Wiring Setup

Kind of procrastinating but also kind of productive. Mapped out the current circuit that i need to put together, because even though everything's already connected on the breadboard, it's a bit of a tangle haha. Went to the electronics lab earlier today to solder together little circuit boards for the LEDs, so that they could be connected to the resistors and the Uno board more securely.  Also soldered wires to the buttons i just got from Amazon.  Workspace~ Strip boards vs donut boards? Clamped down the buttons  Connected~ My little LED boards. Each one has a different length to match their spots on the heart.  Side view  Back view. The connections are pretty straightforward. The negative side of the LED is connected straight to the GND pin, and the positive side goes through a 220Ω resistor before going to the other pin which will connect to the digital output on the Arduino Uno They work!  Also use...
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29. Segue - What are Capacitive Sensors Anyway?

Since I've been facing trouble figuring out how to position the touch sensor in my silicone heart, I started researching how they worked. (Gonna admit that before this I just accepted that it worked and never thought about the how). First place I looked was the manufacturer's website of this listing. I actually bought my sensor from a reseller based in Malaysia.  Details found on the product listing. DFRobot actually has a wiki page for all its products, so that's what I checked out next. Unfortunately this wiki page maily shows users how to wire things up and get started, instead of how the sensor works.  Finally found this site which provided more technical information.  "Capacitive touch sensors fall into two general categories: the mutual-capacitance configuration and the self-capacitance configuration. The former, in which the sensing capacitor is composed of two terminals that function as emitting and receiving electrodes, is prefer...
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28. More Arduino Stuff

Update on progress in cutting up the back of the heart to accommodate my electronics.  This was where we left off on Saturday, with one hole for one of the buttons. Since then, I've confirmed the placements for my LEDs, and started carving holes for the other buttons accordingly.  The first hole I cut will hereafter be referred to as "Button B". The holes for buttons A and C were relatively straightforward. Not too deep and not too shallow, with a slight ridge at the edge to hold the buttons in place. Button B's spot is a little shallow still, will need to find other ways to secure it. Button C's hole was cut a little bit too close to the surface, and there's a slight tear that I hope isn't too obvious when the button is pressed.  I used tweezers and an Exacto knife to slowly cut the silicone. For Button D, it was quite challenging to cut the hole close enough to the surface that the button could be pressed, since it was positioned at a ve...
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27. Arduino LED Stabs

If you haven't noticed the gradual lowering of morale throughout these posts, eh I'm here to tell you I've just become so jaded and demoralised throughout this experience. Even though I technically only have the fyp module left, every day has felt like such a chore, and I just want to get the exhibit over with and go home.  So I really haven't been working on my project much lately, and thought it was finally time I had a (literal) stab at putting everything together. My Unity explorations have been unproductive, and I have about 13 days left right now, it's taking a lot of willpower not to panic and give up, and power through all this. I decided to use the first heart I made, the thicker one that's lighter, and cut into it to fit my electronics inside. Peekaboo A clearer view I'm kind of still experimenting at this stage, but I like the visual effect this gives. Back view, wires are v unstable With the lights on, the LEDs still look ...
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26. Interviews Part 3

Part 3 is more results from Section 2 of my interviews, tabulated and annotated. 3.1 Westminster Abbey bells, from Dean's Yard, some birds, movement and traffic - 1972 (2B2,reprocessed) The results for this clip were pretty spread out, only slightly skewing towards positive. Most people were able to recognise it as churchbells. 3.2 London Central Mosque, Regents Park - congregation at Friday prayers - near end of prayers, with chanted responses from congregation The sound of Friday prayers is something I'm personally familiar with, since in Malaysia it's broadcasted pretty loudly. Most respondents for my study were unfamiliar with the sound, describing it as "mysterious". Made some of them uncomfortable.  3.3 Evening prayers, end of ceremony - animated chanting 4'08" chanting stops, bells and then leader solo (some noise from child) The clip describes the chanting as "evening prayers", but those familiar with Buddhism would re...
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25. Interviews Part 2

Have I mentioned that I've so stressed out recently and feel like crying all the time. I feel really shitty for having been so unproductive all Easter, and honestly it's eating away at my morale. On to part 2 of the survey results! I'll list each track, and its results, and then what I interpret from it. (this post got really long so I've split it into two posts 1.1 Interior, group of children singing 'London Bridge' - 1981 (3C8, reprocessed) There were a few participants who reacted badly to this clip, calling it creepy, with only one person thinking it made them feel a strongly positive feeling. 7 participants think it makes them recollect a memory, but only one participant would want to listen to more of this clip. The word "creepy" popped up frequently when people were asked to describe how this clip made them feel. I think the echo-ey nature of the clip and the fact that the recording is a little dated contributed to this "creepy...
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