retrointerfacing

Some time ago I paid a visit to Tate Modern. In the turbine hall was a funny, dreamy, if not to say fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas like video projection. I used processing to figure out what they did. Here’s a video of the result and the processing source code. The work can be traced back to Bill Spinhoven who created it in 1988 (!). All processing was done electronically (digitally) with Andries Lohmeijer - no computers involved. Talking about retrointerfacing…..

// shows a time-delayed video.
// Each row of the displayed image has been delayed one frame, starting from the top row.
import processing.video.*;
int WIDTH=320;
int HEIGHT=240;
int rowSegment = 1; //increase to speed up (but lose resolution)
int[][] theImageBuffer;
Capture video;
int numberOfFrames = HEIGHT/rowSegment;
int currentframe=0;
void setup() {
  size(WIDTH,HEIGHT, P2D);
  video = new Capture(this, width, height, 24);
  theImageBuffer = new int[numberOfFrames][video.width*video.height];
}

void draw() {
  if (video.available()) {
    video.read(); // Read a new video frame
    video.loadPixels(); // Make the pixels of video available
    for (int i = 0; i < video.width*video.height; i++)
    {
      theImageBuffer[currentframe][i] = video.pixels[i]; // copy video in buffer
    }
    for (int row=0; row<video.height; row++)
    {
      for (int col=0; col<video.width; col++)
      {
         video.pixels[col+(row*video.width)]=theImageBuffer[(currentframe+((video.height-row-1) / rowSegment ))%numberOfFrames][col+(row*video.width)];
      }
    }
    currentframe++;
    currentframe%=numberOfFrames;
    updatePixels();
  }
  image(video, 0, 0, width, height);
}

Although most modern telephones have GPS installed - this project takes things a little differently. An old rotary phone is connected using the phonebox to a GPS antenna. Stories are being recorded and stored with location data in the device. When the device re-visits the location, it will give a phone call using the earlier stored message. See the phone in action on the ‘kunstfietstaxi’ in the following clip:

The electronic system has been used in a stand-alone ‘voicemail-box’ and in this GPS-enabled taxi phone. The voicemail box (’phonebox’) is on display at the ‘MultiSolo’ exhibit. More links on the taxi are the following: ‘kunstfietstaxi’. - see also youtube or this clip and TVenschede.

In the category ‘Utterly useless customizations’ the spool-knitted cable sleeve for mac adapter. Why? - the only answer that makes some sense is probably ‘why not’. Besides that, wiring used to have cotton or nylon sleeves with a similar woven pattern, you just don’t get that type of cable anymore these days.. so you could call it retrointerfacing.

Yezz! another retrointerface ready. The phonebox simulates all necessary signals to operate a rotary-dial style telephone to any other device. Dialed numbers are put through to a serial port. For audio connection a line-in and line-out are given. The board puts a 12V line-voltage on the phone, and can also generate the 70V - 20Hz voltage for the ringer. Technical details will be put on the wiki. The schematic is inspired by the linesim design, but uses a microcontroller (atmega168) and has amplifiers for audio in- and output. It works with standard (dutch) rotary dial phones (Ericsson T65 and older)

It has been used in a stand-alone ‘voicemail-box’ and GPS-enabled taxi phone. The voicemail box (’phonebox’) is on display at the ‘MultiSolo’ exhibit. A GPS enabled version has been installed in a taxi-bike called ‘kunstfietstaxi’. - see also youtube and TVenschede.

Another nice weekend project: a stuffed cat. Using a pattern from this link I made a nice black cat. It has the same silly look in its eyes that young kittens sometimes have It is a very nice A4-design. Just print out, cut fabric, stitch everything together and stuff it…

Another nice DIY weekend project. A baby-cradle that can be fixed to the side of a bed, so both mattresses are flush.