Zach talked about openFrameworks, a C++ library he’s been working on with his students. It supports standard frameworks like OpenGL, Quicktime, Fmod, Freetype etc. The focus is somewhat similar to Processing, aiming to simplify standard coding tasks in a modular, reusable way.

• Student work from Parsons: Redrawn, Grafitti Analysis, Audio Space
• Dev C++ (free C++ IDE)
• Freetype
• Fmod audio engine

Ben talked about self-organizing visualizations of dynamic datasets.

• Links: Anemone, Valence, Isometric haplotype blocks
• Growth and atrophy models used to control behavior.
• Different models of visualizing haplotype blocks. Contrast behind numerical and visual representations. Ben’s Isometric haplotype blocks combines multiple standard notations in the same visualization, with simple ways of transitioning between them.
• Using integrators to dynamically change values, so that one can see changes in value.
• Controlling the axis data is shown on in order to dynamically respond to areas of interest. Zooming, panning of axis scope (again using integrators for dynamic change.)
• More dynamic qualities: Color, transparency, rotation and translation in 3D space.
• By using combinations of these qualities intelligently one can produce seemingly very different visualizations of the same data set.
• Genome browser. Using levels of detail to enable browsing of genetic code at multiple scales, from large blocks to individual characters of genetic code.

David Cuartielles is our guest star of the day, and spoke about his work with the Arduino hardware interface board project. He also showed some real-world examples of using Arduino to get input from sensors.

• Arduino.cc
• Arduino is really the name of the cafe where Ivrea students would go for aperitivos
• Used for robotics, physical computing, sensors etc. Interfaces with many environments: Flash, Processing, Max/MSP etc.
• The Arduino interface is blue, because Tom Igoe was using both Wiring, Arduino and Processing and constantly got confused because the interfaces all used the same color. So Arduino is blue so that it won’t be confused with Processing.
• Pictures of robot built with Arduino, created by Fallen
• Arduino playground: Processing, user-contributed information about integrating Arduino with Processing.
• InstanSoup, physical computing hacks.