Amber Choo/RA Tasks

Amber's html list of stuff to do:

Anything in italics isn't related to RA work but is part of my holistic workload

November 2012

• I picked my classes! IAT 805 Research Colloquium, and IAT 834 Mixed Methods - Design Research. I also applied to get into the "Installation Art and Contemporary Digital Practices" course (MDM) with Eylul. If we get in, we're dropping Mixed Methods (they are at the same time.)
• Work with Mehdi on our CHI game design competition piece (ongoing: deadline Jan 5th). So excite!
• Work with Eylul on What Would Frida do?
• Research potential companies in Vancouver or Kelowna you could do that co-op Mitacs thing with... no rush I think
• See napkin notes from late October below (re: poser/Unity body mirror image experiment)
• Derp around in Poser until you get a good feel for it
• Keep an eye on progress between UBC/Dr. Sheppard/Future Delta team and Diane/Chris. November 13th - meeting at 2:30
• I am working approx. 4 hours per week on Future Delta related things. Most of this is meetings & online correspondance
• I am working approx. 9 hours per week on TA work. With the strike this is going down.

October 2012

• Apply for TA position w/Bernhard Riecke - he will contact Diane about me maybe doing some RA work for him
• Organize info/pics from Pain BC Conference (although most of the stuff I recorded was on Diane's Canon camera and 'flip' camera...?)
• Consider what classes to pick for the Spring I am thinking Research Colloquium and Exploring Interactivity. The TA position w/Bernhard is 5.17 base units (massive!) so 2 courses = manageable
• Get your passport for unidentified trip
• Napkin notes from Diane: "Think about what kinds of 'pain games' would be cool to create. It should have a kind of 'ecology' of parameters, like in Osmos, you lose energy when you move, but you gain energy when you bump into/absorb a blue blob. I just think that it is so complex and difficult to explain pain that a videogame would help thousands of people....so brainstorm! (RA)"
• Napkin notes from Diane: Play Journey, Flow
• Napkin notes from Diane: Talk to Diane about research/thesis (re: addiction)
• Napkin notes from Diane: "Next major RA work: Think of VR as a 'smart mirror.' You, the user, has an avatar and can see yourself in the smart mirror. We need 3D: 1. Female (poser, sports-like), 2. Male, 3. Neutral, 4. Blob, 5. Alien. People who have chronic pain have dysfunctional body image (beliefs, conscious) and body schema (usually unconscious "map" of abilities that allows us to walk in the dark or touch our nose, gesture etc"
• Investigate projects at GRAND http://grand-nce.ca/research/matrix

September 2012

• Figure out where my computer is. Apparently it could be on the wrong desk. Tyler says the only PC that has popped up is a Pentium 4 which would apparently be useless.
• Uploaded version 2 of Pain Chronicles vid to youtube
• On standby for Carnivale video in case Jeremy needs more materials.

August 2012

Done:

• Get a research login
• Get your cardkey, and get your actual keys from Todd Mann
• Print the calendars and adhere them to the wall in Viz lab (due aug 15)
• Familiarize yourself with The Wild Divine. I got stuck at the part where I had to wake up that lady of Compassion. Not sure if my heart beat is irregular or what. I tried for about half an hour. Regardless that was far enough into the game for me to get a good feel about The Wild Divine, what it does, it's pitfalls, strengths etc.
• Check out M.A. theses. Quickly look thru 3 by Aug.31. Searched online - I found Terry's paper on persuasive games!
• Identify videogames that are related to pain. 1st chunk Aug.31. I have around 7. Wrote explanations, found screenshots.
• Identify interactive art projects that are related to pain in Leonardo. 1st chunk Aug.31. I read Leonardo in the library. Didn't find much in the available issue.
• Read the first part of The Craft of Research (re: how to write a research question.) Write a couple of versions of YOUR question each week, & be ready with them in the lab meetings. I think I've found my thesis topic!! Sent to Diane and Chris.
• The Pain Chronicles. Read chapters 1, 2, 3,
• Show the lab folks your portfolio. I sent Chris and Terry my stuff.

Not done:

• Pick a desk; set up your computer with programs you need. Waiting for computer
• Carnivale-esque video. Work with Jeremy. We have cut out pictures from a book to experiment with. Waiting for Jeremy to import and compose composition in Adobe After Effects, or if he needs more cutouts/more help. Once he's finished with that, I take the file and import into Unity.
• YouTube Video: (inspired by Pain Chronicles), identify 1 piece of info, shoot talking head (camera in VR2). Did chronic versus acute pain. Editing in final cut now.