Resources

Welcome to the Resources Page which is a continually updated repository of information for how to make just about anything unexpected become interactive using analog and digital systems whether made from scratch or from appropriated technology. Please email me or post a message below if you have or know of any tutorials that would be suitable

BLOGS

  • Makezine Blog "celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will."They also publish makezine as a Quarterly Volume of some of the best creative uses of appropriated technology.
  • Instructables is where you learn to make just about any thing you might need and lots of things you probably don’t too.
  • Create Digital Music & Create Digital Motion have interesting articles quite regularily about building interfaces and devices for interaction and performance for inspiration.

    • ELECTRONICS

  • Tom Igoe’s Useful collection of resources, examples, and lecture notes for the physical computing courses at ITP
  • LOW TECH SENSORS AND ACTUATORS. (by Usman Haque www.haque.co.uk and Adam Somlai-Fischer www.aether.hu)

    • INTERFACE BOARDS

  • Arduino – an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple i/o board and a development environment that implements the Processing/Wiring language. Arduino can be used to develop stand-alone interactive objects or can be connected to software on your computer. Also check out the freeduino site for ideas what to do with an Arduino
  • BASIC Stamp – Simple commands such as turning devices on or off, interfacing with sensors, etc. More advanced commands let the BASIC Stamp module interface with other integrated circuits, communicate with each other, and operate in networks. The BASIC Stamp microcontroller has grown in hobby, lower-volume engineering projects and education due to a wide support base of free application resources.
  • Make Controller is a line of hardware tools that provide ways to create interactive devices, machines, and environments by controlling a wide range of sensors and actuators.

    • SOFTWARE

  • Processing (free) – An open source programming language and environment for people who want to program images, animation, and sound. It is used by students, artists, designers, architects, researchers, and hobbyists for learning, prototyping, and production.
  • openFrameworks (free) – a C++ library for creative coding. Powerful and especially useful for computer vision using openCV
  • MaxMSP – A graphical programming environment, which means you create your own software using a visual toolkit of objects, and connect them together with patch cords. The basic environment that includes MIDI, control, user interface, and timing objects is called Max. Built on top of Max are hundreds of objects, which can be used to do everything from building your own sound synths using MSP to 3D Video and Live VJing (using Jitter)
  • VVVV (free) – is a toolkit for real time video synthesis. It is designed to facilitate the handling of large media environments with physical interfaces, real-time motion graphics, audio and video that can interact with many users simultaneously.
  • Pure Data (free) – A free real-time computer music software package resembling Max.


    • Optional