Author: eperceva@andrew.cmu.edu

Interrupt, Switch Blinking LED from Red to Yellow

Experimented with some of the values.

Tested the button with pin13 before proceeding- button works.

Did not consistently get it to switch colors every time I pressed the button down.

First interrupt attempt (successful), includes questions:

int rLED=9;
int yLED=10;

int ledOn=5;

volatile int switch_color=2;

//see loop for onoff pattern, did other iterations with more complex onoff patterns, made it more difficult to cue the interrupt
int ledDelay=250;

void setup() {

  pinMode(rLED,OUTPUT);
  pinMode(yLED,OUTPUT);

  pinMode(switch_color,INPUT);
  attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(switch_color),switchLed,FALLING);
//does rising or falling matter? maybe only needed with more than 2

  ledOn=rLED;

  Serial.begin(9600);
//does this impact the switch back to red from yellow?

}


void switchLed() {
    ledOn++;
    if (ledOn > yLED) {
        ledOn = rLED;
    }
}


void loop() {
//red LED turns on and off based on delay variable, then on for delay*10, and off for delay*5 before repeating
digitalWrite(ledOn,HIGH);
delay(ledDelay);
digitalWrite(ledOn, LOW);
delay(ledDelay);


}

General Notes

-Science fiction technologies evolve as audiences become more sophisticated and informed by real technological advances.

-Real technology sets a bar for interface/technology expectations of sci-fi audiences – must go above and beyond present reality within believable bounds to distinguish itself from pure ‘magical fantasy.’

-Interface defined as ‘all parts of a thing that enable its use.’ Spans industrial design, information design, and interaction design.

-Interface evaluation (for purposes of this book) require media that is audiovisual, time-based, and consistent.

-Genre of media is speculative/science fiction, loose definition, not getting too into the weeds on definitions.

-Motorola’s StarTAC took cues from Star Trek communicator

-‘all design in fiction- at least until it gets built.’

Past Thoughts about the Future

-Ch. 1 touches on the reciprocal influence of speculative fiction technology and the real world, and examples of this from the past. The design ‘kitchen of the future’ came up in last class, would be curious to know more about the reciprocal relationship there. Read an article about the Frankfurt kitchen a few days ago: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-08/the-frankfurt-kitchen-changed-how-we-cook-and-live

-Interfaces have ‘legacies’ – buttons/knobs/switches (also appealing to use for human hand). Digital controls and touch screens are only recently available. New interfaces most understandable when they build on ones that users/audiences are familiar with.

-Industrial age paradigm: few mechanical controls (levers, buttons, knobs), direct, mechanical feedback via interfaces with ‘very little abstraction between cause and effect.’

-Electrical age paradigm: more mechanical controls, with people using levers/buttons/knobs everyday

-WWI brought vast numbers of people into contact with military technology- control rooms, radio and communications.

-Dedication to realism increased over time  (ex: restrained control board in Destination Moon, 1950).

-Low budget lead to the design of the touchscreen-esque interface in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1980s – movement away from mechanical controls.

-Computation resulted in very abstracted feedback between cause and effect, with graphical user interfaces restoring greater sense of ‘direct manipulation’ for user.

-Virtual/mechanical control fix likely in fiction and in real life due to advantages of each, ie fine motor control for mechanical and complexity allowed by virtual.

 

 

Part 1

“Design for Dreaming” vs. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Among the fantastical activities happening in ‘Design for Dreaming’ are mirrors changing people’s outfits, following a flying invitation to the Motorama, the automated kitchen-of-the-future with ‘push-button magic,’ and driving on the ‘highway of tomorrow’ which looks like the race track kits my dad has from his childhood. It’s been awhile since I watched the MCU movies, but I did just start watching Wandavision (MCU tv series), which starts out in the 1950s (Design for Dreaming is from 1956) and moves forward in time. There are several scenes of Wanda as the beleaguered 1950s housewife, although her kitchen miracles are due to her superpowers, not due to the kitchen technology. In the tv series, Wanda is married to Vision, a complicated mix of things including part machine, part organic material, plus extra powers from an artifact from the big bang and a snarky AI program who used to run Ironman’s house.

Flying is used by both women to get where they need to go, and both include the technology cliché of woman-gets-a-hand-to-finish-cooking-because-it’s-too-much-for-someone-to-do-with-without-interventions. (When I saw the machine that showed the food and already had all the ingredients for preparation in DFD, I thought of Blue Apron). After watching ‘Design For Dreaming’ I realized they use the same abrupt ‘freeze frame, next frame’ special effect editing technique for the 1950s Wandavision scenes when Vision switches from his real face to his fake human face – nice throwback detail by the crew that made Wandavision.

DFD near-future innovation is based in human technological advancements, while MCU the near-future is more imaginary, subject to outer forces including aliens, gods, and artifacts from space. The technology of the near future in the MCU includes things like armor that turns men into superman and AI with a sense of humor. The creation of Vision is a story of AI undergoing changes which continues to increase its agency and autonomy, until Vision is greater and separate from the original parts that now make up the new whole.

DFD was created as promotional material for General Motors, while MCU is for entertainment – the franchise, composed of many story lines, is the product.

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Part 2

“PHONE-KEYS-WALLET!”

I grew up with this chant, which my parents recited – along with a series of motions that are almost a dance – as they prepared to depart the house. It is only most of the time successful in achieving what it is meant to do. Sometimes, my absent-minded father needs to come rushing back in to locate the errant item which he had managed both to find and leave behind in a matter of moments before his departure. In recent years, living in an apartment, I perform this song and dance for my metal sanity, on both my husband (it drives him nuts!) and myself.

PHONE-KEYS-WALLET! is an interactive threshold device, a doorbell-in-reverse which informs the household whether or not something is successfully on its way out. When a person opens the door, the threshold checks for the sensors attached to the phone, keys, and wallet (this can be modified depending on the person’s preferred set of items). A gentle chime indicates all 3 items have been located by the threshold (and therefore mostly likely on the person in question). A soft buzz informs the person leaving that the threshold has not been able to locate all 3 items and the phone-keys-wallet dance should be performed.

NB: There is no guarantee that your spouse will no longer be annoyed by the reminder… only that the object of annoyance will no longer be you.

Testing.