Placement Map and Precedents

This is a general idea of where the object I'm designing will be in the market. In my research I realized that there are two main categories except for being a designer toy and being s commercial toy that is easily accesible: There are two ways to communicate. the product is eather a portal for two people to communicate (Two-way communication) or an object that communicates with the user (one-way communication).
The object I'm working on seems to be towards the top and on the line, because in order to have a healthy use of the object, other people are needed but they are not needed at the time of interaction.

The List of Product Research:
++ means the product is in the placement map.
== means it isn't.

++Keepon
==The Remote-Controlled Laser Combat Cars: http://www.hammacher.com/publish/74287.asp?promo=new_items&cm_ven=CJ&cm_pla=1781363&cm_ite=Hammacher+Schlemmer&cm_cat=1511450

==Help an Octopus Find his Legs: http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2007/09/12/help-an-octopus-find-his-legs/
++Tengu: Reaction to sound. Speaking to you and your computer.
Smart Design Solutions:
++Tratti - A Noise Maker for Children: When you stand in front of something red you can record. Blue plays slower, yellow plays faster. green plays in revers and black will silence.
++Listen to yourself/the intimacy factor:
http://www.thisdeviceisforyou.com/
==Conversation Clock: http://social.cs.uiuc.edu/projects/conversationclock.html
++Syncromate: A phatic Technology for Mediating Intimacy.
++Playpals: http://www.inventiondb.com/browse.php?cubeid=1062
++Undercover: http://www.dana-gordon.com/undercover.htm
++Huggable: http://gaggio.blogspirit.com/archive/2006/08/02/the-huggable.html
PC Bunny: http://people.artcenter.edu/~berk/t_pcbunny.html
++FlirtBunnies: http://yg.typepad.com/makingtoys/2005/12/the_flirtbunnie_1.html

==Mission Eternity: http://missioneternity.org/cult-of-the-dead/

==Linkx http://medgadget.com/archives/2007/02/linkx_links_pla.html
++Musicure: Chirping Pillows send soldier to sleep in kosovo. Conceptually it related to the fact that hearing a familiar voice can be comforting in lonely times.
++Cutecircuit: http://www.cutecircuit.com/
++Hug Over a Distance: http://floydmueller.com/portfolio/hug_over_a_distance.htm
++Web are you: http://www.mauriciomelo.com/contents/interact05.htm
==CAST: Contextual Asynchronous System. "Good Morning" pillows for distant families: http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/007932.php
==Kiss Communicator: http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/007274.php
==Memento: Sharing Video Memories : http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/007122.php
==Hot cam: manual control car that can record kids own stories: http://3eyes.co.uk/views/public/?doc=HotWheels
==Primo Puel: My Special Partner talks, giggles and asks for cuddles. http://www.jbox.com/IMAGE/xg84t
==Accesories for Lonely Men: Noam Toran www.noamtoran.com


People:
Dana Gordon
Kelly Dobson http://web.media.mit.edu/~monster/

Text:
Why Toys Shouldn't Work "Like Magic"
Mark D. Gross, Michael Eisenberg, "Why Toys Shouldn't Work "Like Magic": Children's Technology and the Values of Construction and Control," digitel, pp. 25-32, The First IEEE International Workshop on Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning (DIGITEL'07), 2007

Social subjectivity?
Should we design for everybody within a consensus or should we find a new line of products outside of the consensus? Should we go for the consensus and define what this consensus is or should we rethink the interaction with products itself? When researching on interaction design and defining visionnary work, I found the following quote to be inspiring:
Is it really so sad and dangerous to be fed up with seeing with your eyes, breathing with your lungs, swallowing with your mouth, talking with your tongue, thinking with your brain, having an anus and larynx, head and legs? Why not walk with your head, sing with your sinuses, see through your skin, breathe with your belly.
Where psychoanalysis says, "Stop, find your self again," we should say instead, "Let's go further still ... we haven't sufficiently dismantled our self." Substitute forgetting for anamnesis, experimentation for interpretation. Find your body without organs. Find out how to make it. It's a question of life and death, youth and old age, sadness and joy. It is where everything is played out. (150-151) - Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, Mille Plateaux: Capitalisme et schizophrénie, 1980.

Blogs:
http://architectradure.blogspot.com/
http://we-make-money-not-art.com/
http://thinkgeek.com

About feedback Iteration II

I was bombed with a lot of different views and liked it a lot! Probably, this was the first time this semester where I came with a solid idea and had very constructive feedback.
Talking about constructive feedback, here's my favorite song.. I cant stop singing
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZbbxA8a_M_s

Feedback for Iteration II

the feedback of the presentation was pretty good. There are a couple of point I've never though about and had a lot of suggestion.

things I've forgot:
-How does the microphone starts recording?
-What is the sound quality? Choppy or good quality?

Suggestions:
-Think about the privacy issue

For the next iteration:
-Bring an example of the experience.
-A map of the market: Where does this object stand?

How does it work?

For the sake of the second iteration, Here is the shape I have in mind.



The overall is a face. When separated they change into to two views of a person looking for a hug, which was kind of discovered by mistake.
The top part is the adventurer, which goes out and sees the world. The bottom part is the base, that waits for the adventurer to come home. In a sense these two parts relate to the self: with all that courage and interest, we change our homelands and leave the place we felt safe and moved on to explorer other chances. The base of the object relates another self that is stuck at home, feeling lonely and in need for a hug or a familiar voice.

This is how it works

Mold making

I have NOO idea about mold making but I came across with a great website.

http://www.tapplastics.com/info/video.php

Some feedback from class

Sewing a plush hand and presenting it in as an "adult companion" was one of the feedbacks I had. I wasn't aware of the pervy connection in between and when I was made realize, it did get a little embarrassing. Good thing English is not my mother tongue ( so I can get away with it.)

The project is also planning to be mobile as well. The feedback for this idea was very strong and I decided to give my concentration on this. Also Marcus offered to make it modular. Like an iPod and an iPod deck. Combining these two ideas, I will focus on some more sketching now.

In the meantime, my research is shifting towards photoalbums and their significance.

Iteration 1

Yea after a disastrous presentation, but a relatively good group of physical prototypes: I started solidifying my proposal for the overall thesis.
While writing the impetus paper I realized what I am doing right now is a photo album in an audial form. So I'm making a Sound album in a way.. hmm..

puzzle

Working on the thesis proposal needed some time and concentration. While jiggling between work and boys, I decided to get something to keep my hands busy and my mind clear.

ugh..

Well I have to start at some point, eh?