Greg Pidgeon

I've trawled through many actionscript tutorial sites to try and get a handle on actionscirpt for our 5 Random Throws assignment and the most useful I've managed to find is www.freeprogrammingresources.com . Loads of easy to digest tutorials from beginner to advanced.

Check out some really nice flash movies @ www.squizzle.com. Alot of crap but there are some absolute gems in there.

Whilst having a gander at some actionscript & flash examples I came across this. Just a personal home page, not much content but I did really like the flash navigation and graphics. Neat, clear and funky, check it out @ www.funky-flash.com

Not muc to do with anything but I was doing some research for the 5 Random Throws assignment and I came across an image that couldn't be found. Nothing new there but what came on my browser instaed was a manic depressive web server explaining to me in the 1st person all his problems. I was well entertained! Funny as, check out the link below...

Web Server With Manic Depression

I attended a seminar today by one of the senior designers at Digit, a now well established new media innovation and production company. It highlighted some of the work Digit has produced as a whole, from websites to digital installation projects, focusing on a few particular outstanding pieces of work including a piece from one of our very own ex-students.

Another much enjoyed seminar from a brilliant company. Also to note is that Digit are running a competition called ‘Feed’ with the prize being not only a finished and produced concept of yours turned to reality but 3 whole months placement at this dynamic company.

Check out Digit for yourselves @ www.digitlondon.com.

Highlighted in the Digit seminar were a selection of the websites that they have produced.

The first being www.rizer.co.uk which is a unique website service which provides information and advice for young people about the law, crime and the consequences of offending in the UK.

The Digit representative explained that Digit like to follow alternative ways of research to create their products. In this case they ran a series of workshops for kids and in their workshops they gave out a selection of flyers for music events that they had collected. The aim of this exercise was to get the kids to pick the flyers they preferred and explain why. This is how they came to have the general graphic feel of the site. Also another design decision was to include a character the takes the user through the site, this was done to humanise the product which helps the site as the speaker explained.

Another site by Digit is www.habitat.net, an upmarket household store. As I have mentioned digit like to take inspiration from everywhere and this time is no different. I don’t think this particular aspect is on the site any longer but the demo we were shown was taken and adapted from a scene in the popular cult movie ‘Fight Club’. It’s the scene where it shows the furniture in the lead characters apartment. Anyway it looked excellent, check out the site and see if you can find it.

This site also uses a concept called ‘Fairies’; these are the rollover state of a button where a small menu appears next to it and then can be accessed with the mouse until the area is left and the menu disappears. These fairies work extremely well and are inline with the very nice overall design and functionality of the site.

St. Lukes is a creative agency that has worked with big brands globally and here in the UK including Ikea, BT, Clarks shoes, UK government and Emirates Airways taking them through radical brand transformations. Their website is again, designed by Digit and it has one feature that really stands out. Not only is it an attractive and functional information source about the company but it has a real connection with the St. Lukes building. Placed somewhere in the building is an interactive unit where a question is asked to its users, this information is the uploaded directly to the site and displays in a graphical form on the homepage. As of 10.03.05 the question was ‘Have you been watching the Michael Jackson trial on Sky News?’. Check it out @ www.stlukes.co.uk.

This can be used in many ways, an example would be to have a site that is weather orientated perhaps, when its raining outside, it rains on the site and so on.

When MTV2 was created it had no real branding at all, Digit was commissioned through an agency to create branding on the web. This extended into graphics and content on the channel too. The site has since changed but the examples we ere shown took inspiration from the instructions of flat pack furniture instructions. Animated blocks of colour were used to construct a navigation menu and various aspects of the site which worked very well.

Check out the new site @ www.MTV2.com

Digit also does a great deal of projects beyond the web. These can include various digital projects but there are a few digital installations that we were shown that I was particularly impressed by.

The first was an installation done for habitat using RFID technology. A large screen was placed behind a desk. On the desk was a bowl and beneath it was various bits of fabric and furniture. This was placed in store and the user would pick their selection of furniture and fabrics for a room, placing it in the bowl. The RFID tags on the items would be read by a sensor in the bowl and the items would be placed on screen with the chosen fabric on in a virtual room.

This was also used by Audi. Same setup used in their showroom but a car park was drawn on the desk to replace the bowl and car options to replace the furniture such as car model, wheels, colour. The user would put the items in the parking spaces drawn on the desk & the screen would display their customised car on screen before the bought.

For the final of the Champions League rugby final Digit created a installation that used 2 large plasma screens and asked users to kick a football into a net. The trigonometry, speed and path of the ball would then be shown on the screen as small blocks of colour shooting into the distance.

Another installation was called ‘Feed’ and again used a large plasma screen but has a tree trunk with a microphone on the top that when talked/sang to would grow a tree on the screen using the frequency and volume of the voice on the mic. This was taken around a number of places like schools and tested by students from anywhere between 3 years old to 16.

My favourite of the installations we were shown was a promotion done for Motorola by Digit, promoting Motorola’s ties with music. It was set up in Miami at a launch for Motorola’s new 3G technology. It used 3 large panes of clear glass stood upright as the canvas and users would be given a digital spay can to use. The colour and size of the spray could be changed and when spayed would use Bluetooth technology to create a digitally projected image onto the glass. Along side this whenever someone sprayed on the glass a loop or beat of music was played, users could then get an mp3 of the music they created and a jpg of the artwork. Some users chose to just create something that looked good and some created music without consideration of the image. They got some big names to come and have a go, the only one I remember is Dizzy Rascal but there were others.

Another project by Digit was created for the sportswear giants Nike. This was produced for the launch of one of their trainers that used a weave of material for the main parts of the trainer. Digit created a programme that allowed users to text in with their messages displayed on screen following a weaving line emphasising the new products selling point. This was affective and helped users to tie the installation to the product anchoring the product in their minds.

‘Nold’s innovative approach works to alter the way we use monitoring technologies; the Bio Mapping project uses skin sensors to construct maps which visualise where we as a community, feel stressed and excited.’

Pavilion in collaboration with Huddersfield University and Leeds College of Art and Design are running a number of seminars here in the university from February through to May. I attended a seminar by Christian Nold on his work focusing on his Bio Mapping experiments. In this Nold developed an electronic device that incorporated GPS technology with the ability to measure heightened stress/excitement in its subjects by measuring moisture on the fingertips. He then used this technology to send subjects out walking around an environment and recorded the information, mapping it to an OS map. This highlighted points on the subject’s journey where their stress/excitement was increased. The subjects were show the mapped results and asked to write a small review of their experience which gave some really interesting feedback. Nold is now thinking about practical applications for his device, this includes using group data to better understand crime stricken estates to developing the device.

I thoroughly enjoyed this seminar and wish Christian all the best with his work in the future. A very interesting and innovative experiment.

You can find information on Nold’s work @ www.biomapping.net and some pictures about the Bio Mapping projct and Nold himself below.

“It’s the ultimate global marketplace, raking in billions of dollars and attracting thousands of new users everyday”. “So why are we so addicted to bidding for second-hand goods?”

After researching and presenting on the ‘Boom Of EBay’ this is what I have found….

EBay is the most popular and well-known auction site on the net. Pulling in trade from a vast array of people, many who wouldn’t normally engage in e-trading. This in my opinion is its greatest advantage, its accessibility.

Anyone with an Internet connection and a credit card has access to eBay auctions, this is particularly good in relation to users that may have difficulties reaching mainstream high street shops. Disabled people perhaps, people living a large distance from the shopping centre, all these people and more who don’t have access to the high street have the ability to shop the vast range of products on eBay. But of course this is true of all online shops of which most high street stores are now involved in, so what makes eBay different.

One reason the eBay experience differs from buying from just an online shop is the excitement. Bidding on goods, refreshing the page like a madman in the final seconds of an auction gives the user a rush, a sense of achievement when an auction is won. Spawning eBay addicts that find themselves regularly buying stuff they don’t need, or even want.

The usability of eBay is also attractive to its users. A simple to use interface and many help documents detailing almost every aspect of the eBay experience are all easily found on the site. Even stretching to selling techniques and ways to spot a not so kosher seller. EBay have even stretched to creating their own online account service called PayPal that makes payment transactions much safer and easier.

Another distinct advantage of eBay is the product range. If you can’t find something anywhere else I can guarantee that there’s a large likelihood that you’ll find it on eBay. Discontinued items, rare or collectable, new, used, it’s all there and with the incredible amount of users from all around the world (although there is a separate site for UK and worldwide) the chance of finding that specific item is largely increased. Even with new items you can often find items at a reduced price due to zero overheads of the sellers.

This brings me onto my next point, eBay traders. This is rife throughout all areas of eBay. People who’s sole purpose is to turn a profit from the goods they sell. This can be a part time operation, like myself, which I’ll come onto later, or a full time job. Many traders have literally made millions through niche markets on eBay. Many private businesses will offer their products on eBay due to its large user base. Especially I’ve noticed online stores running auctions of their products along side their site. This works out well for all parties involved. Due to eBay advertising these stores get free advertising, a large amount of shoppers and eBay even allow direct advertising of their sites. To the casual trader, that may have come into a large quantity of one product, who can set up multiple auctions to turn a profit on the items. Drop shipping has also become a popular revenue raiser; this is where you subscribe to a company for an administration fee, you then have access to their range of products at a reduced price. They will then send products to your customers, this means you can advertise on sites like eBay for more than the drop shipping company charge and turn a profit.

Of course there are disadvantages to eBay, I found two are particularly noticeable. Firstly is the initial complexity of trading on eBay. I know I seem to be contradicting myself as I have highlighted the usability as an advantage, but what I think is a disadvantage is despite the easy to use interface & help files when you’ve never used eBay it seems to be a daunting task. You have to sign up to eBay itself and then to PayPal and read through information explaining how to use the site and this can be all too much effort for some people, myself included. A much easier option is to stick with what you know and buy/sell through the classifieds and high street stores.

Another distinct disadvantage is that as a buyer you have little security on the products. Basically relying on the calibre of the seller, which can only be assumed on the basis of their previous track record until you’ve actually bought from them. EBay has a ratings system whereby after each transaction you are encouraged to leave the other party feedback. Now this can be from a sale of an item or a buy. This is then translated to a rating in a percentage format. For instance a regular trader may have 300 sales under his belt all with positive feedback giving him/her a rating of 100%. This can be quite an accurate indication of whether the seller is trustworthy but is certainly not concrete. Unfortunately as a buyer you are taking a risk, but this may be part of the appeal in some cases. It is also relatively easy to set up a new account if your rating has fallen so there are no guarantees. EBay acts as the referee of the sale if you like, adjudicating the transaction but is not directly involved. Also as I suppose with any buy users of eBay can fall victim to false advertising and misleading product descriptions. A nearly new toaster could be an antique blowtorch, and although sellers make an effort to keep their customers happy for good feedback this is not always the case.

As I have always considered trading on eBay but have never got round to it I thought it would be a nice idea to give it a go for the purpose of this assignment. Dave and myself agreed to purchase £10 worth of products on eBay (including postage) and to sell £10 of products brought from the high street.

My Products…

Bought From eBay

Bananaman Key ring



Description: 3.5cm x 2.4cm key ring, double sided.

Final price = £1.70
Postage = £0.25
Total = £1.95


Franz Ferdinand Keying



Description: Acrylic, approximate size is 3.5cm x 3.5cm with metal ring attached with double side photo inserted as shown above.

Final price = £0.99
Postage = £0.65
Total = £1.64


Pokemon Poster



Description: Pokemon poster and another one, excellent condition.

Final price = £1.00
Postage = £1.00
Total = £2.00


500+ Vintage Nude Playing Cards



Description: This is a collection of over 500 colour images of vintage nude ladies that were produced in the 1950`s & 60`s on playing cards.

Many full sets can be produced from the pictures on this CD as I have also included scans of the backs of cards as well as jokers.

Final price = £2.20
Postage = £1.00
Total = £3.20


1000s OF JOKES ON ONE CD,ANIMATIONS,PICTURES,JOKES,ETC



Description: This auction is for 1000s of jokes, animations, pictures, all on one cd.........

Included on this disc are humorous video clips, which will have your sides splitting!!!!!

There are loads of things to keep you and your friends laughing, send your friend an email, attach a joke to it, and have your friends in stitches....

I'd like to point out, that quite a lot of this, is adult orientated only, and may be unsuitable for minors!!!!!

Final price = £0.99
Postage = £1.00
Total = £1.99

Total Price for all items bought = £10.78 (whoops a little over)


Items To Sell
(all set on a 5-day auction)


Thomas Harris - Red Dragon/Silence Of The Lambs Double

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Description: "Thomas Harris is quite simply the best suspense novelist working today" - The Washington Post.

# Two best selling Hannibal Lector books in 1 volume

# Hardback Edition

# As new condition from the popular Cresset Editions series

# An unmissable read from this award winning author.

Published by Cresset Editions 2001 Dimensions H=45mm x L=210mm x W=140mm

Price bought = £2.49
Price advertised = £3.00
Bids after 4 days = 0


Men In Black 2 Mugs x 2, very collectable

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Description: Get these Men In Black Sequel collectors edition mugs now, don't miss out.

Price bought = £1.00
Price advertised = £1.99
Bids after 4 days = 0


Framed Elvis print mirror - Extremely collectable

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Description: Get your hands on this fantastic collectors edition Elvis print mirror now. Posterized print of The King himself in its original frame. An aged and slightly discoloured appearance adds to its authentic feel, a true classic.

Dimensions H=14mm x L=315mm x W=237mm

Price bought = £4.00
Price advertised = £5.00
Bids after 4 days = 0


CINDY CRAWFORD'S BASIC FACE - A MAKEUP WORKBOOK.

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Description: The contents of this book discuss every aspect of makeup, from application, choosing the right colour, tools, what to keep & what to bin.

It includes introductions from the woman herself Cindy Crawford & is written with Cindy’s friend & makeup artist Sonia Kashuk. Cindy says that after 10 years of modelling she can still remember what it feels like to be intimidated by makeup & that’s why she wanted to do this book. She feels that makeup should add to your confidence and not be one more thing to be insecure about. She thinks that women out there would benefit from a user-friendly, essential guide to makeup. Which is what this book is. Cindy shares simple tips that she has picked up through her experiences & with Sonia's expertise with many different types of faces they have created a basic face.

Whether you are dealing with pimples or wrinkles, these are lifelong tools. They are not about an age, a time of day or a trend. Once you have these essentials down, you can take it to the next level - add red lips or do a shimmery eye if you're in the mood.

The book obviously includes many pictures of Cindy Crawford & is very easy to read & is clear. There are also light-hearted cartoon strips. All in all this is a very useful read either for yourself or as its in such good condition as a gift. The blurb at the beginning does state that this is a first edition. It is spiral bound & measures 10x8".

Price bought = £1.00
Price advertised = £2.00
Bids after 4 days = 0


Mini 'Mag' Torch Replica

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Description: Get this aluminium Mag light replica torch today.

# Includes batteries and wristband

# No reserve

Price bought = £1.00
Price advertised = £0.99
Bids after 4 days = 0


Tiger Print Mobile Phone Holder (my personal favourite)

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Description: I have cherished this fantastic tiger print mobile phone holder through good times & happiness. I am now forced into sale due to the fact I have recently been the victim of mobile phone theft & in order to afford a new mobile I have no choice but to sell.

It saddens me to part with this beautiful item that although used has only slight print wear on the seat where my phone used to lie its head (not visible when occupied by mobile).

A truly grand edition to any bedroom any buyer would be privileged to own such an item as I have been.

There is no reserve so all bids are welcome but keep in mind to me this is a one in a million, a priceless piece.

Price bought = £1.00
Price advertised = £0.99
Bids after 4 days = 0

Total Cash Spent = £10.48

All of the items I bought have been delivered safe and sound, and the sellers have praised me on my prompt payments and smooth trades. Altogether an exciting and pleasurable experience. I have since started to purchase other items for myself from the site and the only problem I have come across so far is that I won an auction for a Sega Master System games console and accessories when delivered I found that it unfortunately didn’t work. However after some pleasant correspondence with the seller she has agreed to refund me in full by cheque and let me keep the damaged console (for which I have gained 5 games, 2 controllers and an AC adaptor for completely free!). In fact I think I will probably use eBay as my primary store for everything now before I go to the high street.

On the selling side, unfortunately none of my items appear to have been bid on yet and with only 10 hours remaining on each auction I have my doubts as to whether I can get rid of the junk at all. But I will persist trying different auction styles i.e. ‘Buy It Now’ that uses a fixed price, and different descriptions until it sells and will let you know the outcome as soon as I do. I have also signed up with a drop shipping company call ATS distribution for £30 admin fee and have set up auctions for two products so far. These haven’t sold as yet but there are four days or so left on each of the auctions. If they sell I will continue to auction items from the site as it is such an easy process.

In conclusion I would recommend eBaying to everyone, after the initial worries are overcome it is a cheap and fun way to buy and sell. With so many advantages that far out way the disadvantages you’d be a fool not to consider this option when trading online or otherwise.

Off the back of the presentation we have to put together for our visual spatial culture module for Stuart on eBay I stated to research the topic. What I found is more interesting than I imagined. Paul kindly lent me Januarys issue of .net magazine in which is an article of bizarre items auctioned on the net. Brilliant, from Loch Ness water to Glastonbury mud, ghosts in jars to virginity the list goes on.

Check out www.whowouldbuythat.com for some items that have been auction that I never even knew existed let alone could turn a profit!