BPN 1696: EYA: an award plus a pressure cook incubator for starting social entrepreneurs

Last week I was in Graz (Austria), a nice neat town in Austria. It is a UN city of design and supports a number of creative events. Since 2011 the town has been the base for the European Youth Festival, during which the European Youth Award ceremony takes place. Yet the Festival is becoming more than just an award ceremony; it is a valuable pressure cook incubator for starting social entrepreneurs.

 

The European Youth Festival has already a long history. It started in 1998 as the Europrix for students, a multimedia competition for students en young entrepreneurs up to 30 years. The award consisted of a statuette and a weekend in Austria. During the weekend the students got lectures by gurus, presented their projects to the other winners and attended the award ceremony. Contacts were made and addresses exchanged.

Screenshot of the first cyborg worldwide, awarded the Europrix in 2004.

In the meantime instructors of the winning projects held an academic conference, presenting papers and discussing. From these meetings educational networks and projects were started resulting in summerschools and programs such as the European Master of Interactive Multimedia (EMIM) and the European Virtual Academy (EVA). Between universities in Finland, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Hungary, Italy and Romania also exchange programs for instructors were started.

The move to Graz brought more than the change of name. Of course there were gurus present and not just local ones. Internet pioneer Vincent Cerf passed by, accompanied by Bob Kahn. This year at the start of the festival, Paul Hughes blew the minds of the students and instructors with his challenging 10 Meters of Thinking. The students did present their projects as usual, but now for a large audience of Graz students studying business and multimedia. But there was more. A creative brain storm for a new project, a fish bowl session, a innovation camp, all methods in order to get the young entrepreneurs to think about their project. Their projects were commented on by a jury of instructors and established entrepreneurs. But what I like most was that the students groups from Graz, Tampere and Spain commented on the winning projects. Their own peers told the winners what they liked about the projects, but also gave the winners improvements along to be considered. So the outreach of the European Youth Award has been greater than ever.
 

By Friday night the festival reached its climax with the award ceremony, presented by Adam Montandon, in the Dom im Berg, a big hall in the belly of a rocky mountain.

Winning projects: http://www.eu-youthaward.org/winningprojects_2014
For a point of view on the EYA Festival by a winning team have a look at http://www.ahadesign.co.uk/blog.

The European Youth Award is part of the World Summit Award competitions. The EYA Festival was made possible by contributions of sponsors. The winning teams were sponsored by companies, which could also mentor a winning team. After the gala the preparations of EYA 2015 have immediately been started up by the organising bureau ICNM in Salzburg. So sponsorships and mentorships are available NOW.

If you cannot wait till next year you might take advantage of another opportunity at the World Summit Youth Award festival to be held in Sao Paolo in April 2015. Sponsorships are welcomed and for 1000 euro your company can be involved in mentoring a winning team and in the festival.  

BPN 1676: Sound of Colors

This is not a blog posting about synaesthesia, a neurological phenomenon of a joining together of sensations that are normally experienced separately (hearing green grass), but the posting will deal with cyborg, the joining of organic and material parts. In fact it will concern the first cyborg ever.

The word cyborg was not in my encyclopaedia till I met Ann Westfelt, a Swedish jury member of the Europrix Awards. In a conversation about trade literature a Scandinavian book on cyborgs was mentioned. But it took till 2004 before I was confronted with a real example, not a concept, again during a Europrix jury.

Neil Harbisson at the Europrix party, talking to Chiara Boeri, an Italian artist.

 

The project from Britain was an entry by the out-of-the-box thinker Adam Montandon. He had met Neil Harbisson, who suffers from a rare disease, achromatopsia. This condition is caused by genes, so that the affected people get monochromatism or complete colour blindness. They really only see black and white and their colour blindness differs from the variety with which the red and green colours can be distinguished.

For a student arts complete colour blindness is an absolute disaster as the colour palette is not more than black and white, not even grey. This was not only annoying for his study, but also in everyday life. "I confused red jam with tomato and orange juice with apple juice" Neil said in an interview. He also used to wear clothes in one colour, black.

After a lecture on cybernetics at the Plymouth University, given by the 23 -year-old Englishman Adam Montandon, Neil got in touch with him and told him about his disability. Adam looked into the problem for his graduation assignment. It was clear that he needed a camera and computer to record colours. But Adam also realized that only then the problem starts. Because how do you convert colour? With words you cannot fully specify the colour shades. Eventually he chose for conversion of colours into sounds. Neil got a camera on his head, a PC in his backpack and an earpiece. The structure he called Eye-borg.

Adam Montandon developed colour-to- sound conversion software, that worked dynamically. Each level got a frequency; in this way, the pure intensity of the colour can be determined and displayed. With a noise value Neil had to learn the pitch of the sounds. Red is translated in low noise , while violet has a high sound. And he did learn fast. Soon he started to wear colourful clothes on his blue jeans.

 

Passport photograph of Neil Harbisson

Soon Adam and Neil saw that technology is one solution, but they also saw the social implication. The gear has become part of his body. It has become a medical prosthesis. So he received a certificate from the National Health regarding his camera. In the meantime he has received a passport with a portrait photograph showing the camera.

Now a group of creatives wants to produce a documentary movie with the title Sound of Colors. The title shows similarity to The Sound of Music, the movie which plays in Austria. That country supported the Europrix Awards and the selection of the sonochromatic cyborg. But then in 2011 Arnau Gifreu Castells of the Universitat Ramón Llull – Universitat de Vic in Spain reports in Graz (Austria) about an audiovisual and online interactive documentary about Neil Harbisson and the cyborg, produced as part of a degree project. And now this project gets a sequel in an official documentary.

 

The official documentary about the first cyborg Sound of Colors will be a crowdfunded project. And now the circle is round. The crowdfunding organiser is the Spanish organisation Verkami, which in 2013 in Sri Lanka received the World Summit Award, the successor to the Europrix Awards. The project group is requesting 3.200 euro to produce the documentary.


Update Febr. 1, 2014: The official documentary about the first cyborg Sound of Colors was a  crowdfunded project by the Spanish organiser Verkami. The requested 32.000 euro has been pledged for and even more, while there are still 18 days left. So the making of the movie can start.

Not-for-profit announcement EUROPRIX: last call for submissions

EUROPRIX Multimedia Awards, the European contest for young digital media designers: less than 2 weeks to go - participation is free for the first time participants!

There's no more time to waste! Use this opportunity and register your project until June 30, 2009! http://www.europrix.org/

It will bring you international recognition, exposure, business opportunities, peer support networks and fantastic opportunities await those who take the chance. Find out how good you really are and have your work judged by an international jury of multimedia experts.

The 9 Categories:
- Online / Web Projects
- Offline Projects / Interactive DVD
- Mobile Applications
- Games
- Interactive Computer Graphics
- Interactive Installations
- Interactive TV
- Content Tools & Interface Design
- Digital Video & Animations
- Special Award for the project with the best business potential.

Nominees will receive a host of benefits, including:
+ An all-expenses-paid trip to the EUROPRIX Multimedia
Festival in Graz, Austria in November 2009
+ Presentation of their project in the EUROPRIX yearbook
+ Unique networking and promotion opportunities throughout Europe
+ Cutting-edge software packages

Enter your project to the EUROPRIX Multimedia Awards, Europe's premier competition for young professionals and students. The EUROPRIX honours outstanding digital media works and offers additionally a special award for the project with the best business potential.

Take the chance to submit your project for free to the EUROPRIX Awards at: http://www.europrix.org

BPN 1304 Swan Lake adds new category Interactive Movie

In cooperation with Chris Hales, an artist and specialist in the 'interactive moving image', a new category in the Swan Lake competition has been set-up – the "Interactive Movie". By "interactive" we mean that a substantial and integral part of the final piece is the role of the interactivity. The role and use of interactivity will be one of the principal judging criteria of works entered in this category. The result of the user interaction is expected to be more substantial than just mixing/controlling audio tracks or selecting from a menu. Interactive Movies submitted for the Swan Lake competition can be composed either of traditionally filmed or computer generated imagery.

The Swan Lake Moving Image & Music Award (SL:MIMA) has been set up by the Media Department of the University of Applied Sciences in Mittweida. SL:MIMA is an education oriented award programme created to honour the very best in the new age music video clip creation. The award aims to couple educational multimedia teaching programmes with digital art, focusing in discovering and promoting young talents from university environments all over Europe and beyond.

(Just for trivia collectors: The Swan Lake Award is named after the pond near the University)

For more information: Swan Lake Award

Blog Postingh Number: 1304


Tags: competiotion, contest, multimedia

BPN 1291 Multimedia and e-Content Trends

Just before the end of the year the book Multimedia and e-Content Trends, edited by Dr. Peter A. Bruck, was published. The book is a selection of papers presented at the 2007 Academic network Conference in Graz. They were presented in the panels:
- Augmented Realties and Smart Interfaces;
- Mobile Location Based Applications;
- The Mobile Content Paradigm;
- Current mega Trends for e-Content Development;
- Teaching Models.
The book is intended for researchers and instructors in the field of e-content development. The articles reflect the preoccupation of the authors with the latest trends in e-content and communication technologies, such as going mobile or discovering new, innovative interfaces. The authors also introduce new learning methods with interactive media.

In the preface the editor notices that the industry ground shifts challenge the academia’s teaching canon. The changes affect as well all teaching and research in universities and colleges. Some key issues are worth recounting.

Wiki Movement. Users are challenging established ownership and distribution arrangements, whether through P2P networks or open access/open archive publishing conventions, or through new mass distribution and inter-community trading. Network availability and broadband applications create possibilities for new forms of expression by user. See the success of Wikipedia and currently 256 language versions where users are the content creators for entire encyclopaedias.

Different sector react differently. Scientific, technical and medical publishing has gone towards full digitisation and digital delivery while lifestyle magazines are staying largely print. In the games sector a new on-line segment multiplayer has developed where multiplayer involvement points to entirely new intensities and content formats. Intellectual property and copying issues remain crucial.

The modes of pay. Internet content is seen widely as having to be free of charge. Digital media subscription, pay per use/view and access charges remain the key ways for generating revenues. Companies survive if they are able to generate positive revenue feedback cycles when growing numbers of paying users foster marketing, development, and distribution of online content and services, which in turn might draw more paying users.

Content Gap and Economic Issues. The creative ICT applications and digital content industries are challenged to adapt to broadband, both mobile and fixed; to co-operate and change roles among value chain players (in particular between content owners, network operators, Internet service providers, hardware and consumer electronics suppliers); to fight digital piracy and deal with the role of file-sharing. Major concerns are the role of intellectual property in protecting ownership in both products and services, the enforcement of copyright in a digital world, defining and monitoring fair use and the boundaries of legitimate use, d the interaction between competition law and copyright: to create a regime for digital rights and customer authentication; to put into place efficient payment methods (especially for micro-payments).

Content Gap and SMEs. Operating in the new interactive content industries is highly complex and challenging: legal issues are critical, the definition of software and application products complex and licensing negotiations often more lengthy and complicated due to intricate technical issues and differing legal regimes across platforms and countries. In addition, oligopolistic content markets with a strong role of market leaders, exclusive access to content or networks (network access gatekeepers) make it very difficult if not impossible for SMEs to stay in the market in the longer run and deploy broadband applications and content.

Financing Cycles. The climate for private investment in the creative ICTs is a-cyclical to the technological advance: Three to five years ago money was readily available, but the technology mostly narrowband; today rich media (DVD-Offline) and broadband (Online and Mobile) can deliver new contents and innovative services, but many investors have been burnt five to seven years ago. Often, investment in digital content and digital delivery has to be sustained by margins derived from traditional market activity. Only few successful new ways of generating revenue have emerged.

Moore's Law is working to increase Content Gap. Performance increases and productivity gains also increase functionalities and reduce prices for users. Often, these gains require structural changes in content creation and delivery industries. On the supply side the new generations of ICTs are leading to changes in the market structure of telecommunications, information services and content firms. Essentially, all the players must reinvent themselves. Network operators need to generate revenue to support investment in next-generation network and replace loss of traditional business (see: Telecoms around Europe have started TV via ADSL in the last years > Triple Play). For intermediaries, the market churn is very high and there are few winners.

Market complexities increase. New sets of business activities and new roles emerge in the creative ICT and content industry: content design and aggregation, marketing of publishing offers, right acquisition / management, packaging and distributing content, content protection, management of emerging publishing services, design and sale of interactive advertisement spaces, profiling users, integrated billing management, payment management, customer relation management, security/control services, access management. In order to successfully manage multiple roles and the often combined but then again separate activities a critical size of company or organisation is required. They involve a high degree of co-ordination as well as competition along value claims.

Politics is simple. In many countries, public policies do not keep up with the changes in technologies and markets. They adjust individual policies and the regulatory environment sufficiently quickly for smaller market players. However, it is often the case that neither speed nor direction have been recognised and measured and that too little economic analysis is available for networked and traditional business in content sectors.

Key factors. Governments and their agencies have to recognise their role as content creators and model users, of the importance of procurement and the establishment of best practice know-how and guidelines (see: http://www.europrix.org/; World Summit Award http://www.wsis-award.org/). Governments have to cooperate with industry to speed up the creation of infrastructures for and the public acceptance of micro-payment systems, electronic signatures, and authentication. They have to counteract piracy and assist in the clarification of use rights along content. Finally, governments should consider supporting and investing in the creation of content clusters and a digital content funding for al those areas where there is a significant public interest (health, education, cultural identity).

Editor: Bruck, Peter A. Multimedia and E-Content Trends, Implications for Academia
Series: Smart Media und Applications Research
Publisher: Vieweg+Teubner Verlag 2009
ISBN: 9783834807540
Pages: 195
Price: EUR 49,90
To order the book

Blog Posting Number: 1291

Tags: e-content, multimedia

BPN 1280 Europrix Multimedia (11): my favourites

The Europrix 2008/2009 is over. All the nominees have gone home as have the winners. Looking back at the selection of nominations, I have picked a few of my favourites. There are in fact only two favourites for me, as I was not too impressed by the nomination in general and not with the selected projects either.

I missed a real smash project. To me in 2007 that was the light installation which reacts to human movement and the nice mobile application for mountaineers. But this time it was all okay, but a shadow casted forward. No not in my opinion. The overall winners had a nice interactive game ply for kindergarten children with even a file of the game for the parents. So the social aspect was okay. But technically there was not that much invention. The interactive game table was not the invention, but is known as the Barcelona table.

Of the nominees there are two entries which hit me. The RETYPE device for texting and the Treehuggers. The RETYPE It device is a daring experiment. There have been experiments with keyboards so far, but none of them have been able to overrule the good old QWERTY keyboard lay-out. But tradition is certainly not a reason to experiment when a new device comes around. Of course the fingers have been trained. They have in fact digital knowledge, meaning that the pointer finger (digitus in Latin) knows where the keys are located. Yet the experiment with RETYPE is also interesting as the texting device is basically handled with two fingers or perhaps better thumbs. And those fingers do not have the digital knowledge in them. Besides, the order of letters is not a fixed order for them. So the experiment is more than interesting, certainly when you see all those too small keyboards of for example the Research in Motion Storm for those thick fingers. To me this is the type of innovation which might be implemented in some years.

The other nomination which I think was underrated was the submission of the Treehuggers. It is of course touchy as it is a Dutch submission. It was and is to me a real submission in the sector of ambient installations. In fact it is a real monument of immersion and a museum should acquire it and preserve it for the future, not just for curiosity but also for people to experience. Just sitting in the cubicle and undergoing the intensity of the animations and sounds. The basic idea is not new. I still remember that in the Tsjech Republic, I think, a one-person cinema was built. The viewer took place and the movie was projected from the back. The Treehuggers looks like a modern day version, but with a new theme.

Blog Posting Number: 1280

Tags: immersion, keyboard

BPN 1279 Europrix Multimedia (10): Content Tools and Interface Design

In the category Content Tools and Interface Design is looking for powerful content tools, content management systems and technological innovations concerning new ways in interface design.

Retype. This impressive project aims at providing a new answer to an old problem – that of inputting text. Indeed, the traditional keyboard based methods of text entry employed by pioneers of the latest touch screen devices do not offer an optimal solution. The designers of Retype, however, have thought outside the box and have come up with an innovative alternative, enabling faster input and creating a more user-friendly feel. Let’s hope it soon catches on – it certainly looks set to improve our text-lives!

Producer: Jeremy Stucki/Christoph Schmid
University: Zurich University of the Arts
Country: Switzerland
E-mail: Jeremy.stucki@gmail.com

Flexible open source solution rendering solution. Say goodbye to high rendering times with this real-time high definition rendering solution. Using and modifying various available tools, the plug-in creates a free (in terms of software licensing) environment which offers extreme efficiency rendering for the production of civil engineering construction demonstrations. Rooted in a designer-friendly environment, it makes use of a blender game engine, enabling real-time rendering at a speedy 60 frames per second. Non-complicated and easy to pick up, this handy tool is entirely based on free and open source software.

Producer: Marko Radojcic
University: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Belgrade
Country: Serbia
E-mail: sambucuself@gmail.com

Blog Posting Number: 1279

Tags: interface design, content tools

BPN 1278 Europrix Multimedia (9): Digital Video and Animations

The category Digital Video and Animations attracts serial stories and new virtual worlds using digital technologies in innovative ways.

Nominations

Gisela. “Give me the money! Hurry up!” That’s how 30-year-old Gisela Werier, factory-worker-turned-bank robber, introduced herself in a series of banks in the middle of the sixties. This animation tells the unusual story of Germany’s first female bank robber, who, after having stolen the record amount of 500.000 DM went down in history as the ’Banklady’. The exciting case is set in the computer application Photoshop, where action takes place via moving images layers. In true spoof style, the viewer is kept entertained as Gisela’s identity is disguised over and over again by layered Photoshop cut-outs. A dialog box displayed down the right-hand side of the screen keeps track of the enormity of commands required to manipulate the picture. Adobe Photoshop on speed – the story will not fail to amuse and engage.

Producer: Katja Baumann
University: Academy of Art and Design, Offenbach am Main
Country: Germany
E-mail: katja.baumann@gmx.de

Le Grand Content. In search of the philosophical potential of PowerPoint, Le Grand Content sets out on a mission to find the meaning of life. With a wild ’association-chain-massacre’ of pie charts, graphs and tables, some of life’s biggest questions are ironically translated into the unmistakable language of PowerPoint presentations. The result throws new and intriguing light on such profound topics as death, emotions and – hamsters. Likewise, the connection between beer and self-confidence is insightfully explored, as is the directly proportionate relationship between solitary consumption of ice-cream and intense increases in self-disgust. Le Grand Content is a subversive undertaking; it demonstrates ho systematically disorientation can take place, and how logical nonsense can seem. Despite its authoritative appearance, the well-organised presentation does not seek to be taken seriously after all; the persuasive power of the graphic deductions is precisely equal to their absurdity.

Producer: Clemens Kogler
University: Kunstuniversität Linze
Country: Austria
E-mail: bureau@clemenskogler.net

Treehuggers-A Study in Immersive Animation. Welcome to the world of the Treehuggers – a green corner of the universe, where all of creation co-exists in harmony. With the appealing concept mind, the Treehuggers project explores the extent to which high degrees of immersion can be reached in the medium of animation. Stepping inside the Treehuggers Pod, an organically formed projection sphere, the viewer is completely encompassed in an ideal environment in which the immersive animation can take place. The animation itself is designed to envelop the viewers, taking them on a journey through landscapes of rich graphical content. Immersion is further enhanced through peripheral visual elements, sequential design and an engaging narrative. Why not take a break from the stress of earthly life and escape for a while to become a part of the Treehuggers wonderful world!

Producer: Gatze Zonneveld
University: Utrecht School of the Arts
Country: Netherlands
URL: www.don-quixote.nl/pages/treehuggers.htm

Special Jury Award

Position. The DVD Position presents a universal theme in an elegant and engaging form. The simplicity of the narrative is part of its appeal, while the polished delivery challenges the viewer to consider his/her own 'position' in relation to the issue explored. The design of the chracters and the environment is highly resolved with attention to detal that enhances the dramatic delivery. The sound design is exceptional; camera angle and timing are beautiful crafted. Position is seductive and accessible while simultaneously presenting a critique of a human behaviour, provoking a reflective response.

Producer: Ami Gvitser
University: Bezalel University of Art and Design, Jeruzalem
Country: Israel
E-mail: shminco@gmail.com
Blog Posting Number: 1268

Tags: digital video, animation

BPN 1277 Europrix Multimedia (8): Interactive TV

The category Interactive TV contains contents for the new broadcasting of the fully digitalised future involving the user.

Kika and Bob. Smart seven years old Kika and brave fireman Bob find themselves blown to the other side of the world by a typhoon during an attempt to rescue Kika’s kitten Tiger, from the top of a church spire. This fast-paced and funny interactive TV series tracks their journey home, in which they must navigate strange territories and overcome terrible obstacles, their fate being decided by the viewer and his remote control. In selecting the right option, the viewer ensures that Tiger is fed, thus saving the cat from starvation. This ‘Tamagotchi’ principle is taken even further on a specially designed Kikka and Bob website, where viewers can compete to become Tiger’s friend and keep him well stocked with cat food. With Tiger well cared for, the only remaining question is this: will Kikka and Bob make it back in one piece?

Producer: Fons Schiedon and others
Company: Submarine
Country: Netherlands
URL: http://www.kikabob.com/trailer.html

Operaatio Hurrikaani. Targeted at 9-12 years old, Operaatio Hurrikaani, an interactive TV mystery series, revolving around secret agents and their high-tech gadgets. Over 20 episodes, viewers are presented with weekly mysteries and are then encouraged to log onto the series’ website to create their own agents and solve the cases. As a reward for their participation, access to a number of online games is granted. The best gamers compete in the hall of fame during the season and the winners are presented with Operaatio Hurrikaani merchandise. A weekly mystery solving competition is also awarded in this way, the winners being announced in the following TV show. The concept has met with raving success in Finland and it’s only a matter of time before it takes off elsewhere.

Producer: Jari Mäkipää
Company: Finnish Broadcasting Company
Country: Finland
URL: http://yle.fi/operaatiohurrikaani/

Blog Posting Number: 1257

Tags: interactive tv

BPN 1276 Europrix Multimedia (7): Interactive Installations

The category Interactive Installations solicits contents for new platforms and fully digitized environments with high levels of interactivity.

Amigos. Brochures and flyers may soon become a thing of the past. thanks to the technology behind amigos. Upon entering a convention, such as a trade show, the visitor receives a ticket comprising and integrated RFID-chip. Instead of amassing a pile of bulky brochures on his way round, he can simply scan his intelligent ticket at points of interest, saving useful information on the chip, and saving himself an ever-increasing load. A MultiTouch Terminal at the event enables the visitor to enter this information, by sending it to his mail account or saving it onto a mobile data-store device. Both environmentally and user friendly, this technology will literally lighten your load!

Producer: Daniel Plohnke and others
Company: südwild media gmbh
Country: Germany
URL: www. Sudwild-media.de

Euphörium. Housed in a 1ft dome structure, Euphorium is an interactive audio-visual motion-based experience, in which user, visuals and sound become one. By fusing infrared technology with human gesticulation, Euphorium visually and audibly represents a diverse set of tangible energies – thermal, kinetic, mass and nuclear – in an abstract style. No external remote controls or body-mounted devices are required – emphasis is solely placed on the physical presence of the user, who becomes an integral component of his own unique experience. The dome creates an un-inhibiting environment where images are projected over the interior surface, affording the user a 180 degree field of vision, and immersing them into Euphorium’s realm of abstract reality.

Producer: Sile Brehony
Country: Ireland
E-mail: euphorium.dome@gmail.com

Mü. Based on fairytales, mü is an interactive multimedia device, targeted at 5-6 year old French kindergarten children. Through individualised or group activities, this multi-touch interface is designed to facilitate the development of social behaviour, autonomy and imagination by sensitising children to music, sound and creativity. Tangible objects representing fairytale characters are place on a square table top screen, where they can be manipulated to interact in creative and game-style activities. A record of the child’s work is subsequently stored in their own personal electronic folder, which can be uploaded into the mü website via Wi-Fi for parental perusal. Under the watchful and encouraging eye of the teacher, mü is guaranteed to make learning creative and fun!

Producer: Pierre Thereon
University: Gobelin, l’école de l’image
Country: France
URL: www.mu-project.com

Blog Posting Number: 1276

Tags: interactive installations

BPN 1275 Europrix Multimedia (6): Interactive Computer Graphics

The category Interactive Computer Graphics is intended for visually explosive contents transforming reality and seducing users into virtual worlds of cyber world narratives.

3D input in a virtual environment. With two Nintendo Wiimotes and a homemade infrared-emitting glove, this project explores the potential of 3D input in interactive interfaces. In three Adobe Flash applications, the finger-tracking set-up enables the user to create exciting virtual results. Use your glove to form light-ribbons in the air with LightWrite, watching your creation appear before your eyes on a web-cam. Or try virtually grabbing and moving 3D files in the futuristic MediaDesktop, or manipulating the vertices of a 3D object in Edit3D. With an air of ‘do-it-yourself, this project gives us a glimpse of what computer graphics have in store.

Producer: Gilles Vermeulen
University: Media and Design Academie, KHLim
Country: Belgium



Tagtool. Designed to explore digital art as a means of live communication, Tagtool is an open source instrument for drawing and animation. Whether it’s on stage, on the street or over the internet, this creative visual instrument, unlike its predecessors, enables the artist to ‘perform’ in real time, just two people are required – an artist and an animator. Amateurs and professionals alike are able to create computer graphics, which, at the click of a button, can be brought to life by the animator on a specially designed game pad. Indoors or out, these images can be projected within minutes of their creation onto just anything. Simple to use and enabling a myriad of artistic expression, Tagtool takes computer graphics into a new dimension.

Producer: Matthias Fritz and friends
Company: O.M.A. International GmbH
Country: Austria
URL: www.tagtool.org

Blog Posting Number: 1275

Tags: Interactive Computer Graphics

BPN 1274 Europrix Multimedia (5): Games

In the category Games the jury is looking for pulsating contents with high speed interactions, highly involving and giving rush to users.

Ace of Mace. Developed to entice potential customers to Austrian spice company WIBERG, Ace of Mace is an online game comprising the latest Flash technology. To the fluid melody of atmospheric background music, the classic game of dexterity loads with an HD image of a progressively ripening chilli pepper. The screen then changes to a grinder filling with peppercorns, resolving to the game itself where an empty glass is revealed. Panning to the left, the user is presented with a small, round mace – to the uninitiated a nutmeg case – and a human hand. A small movement of the mouse orientates the hand and mobilise a finger to flip the mace along the shelf and into the glass. First flip lucky! The hand gives and encountering victory sign and we progress to the next level.

Producer: Max Brandl and others
University: University of Applied Sciences Salzburg
Country: Austria
URL: www.aceofmace.com



Everlast: Prince Alec and the Black Dragon. Set in the fictional kingdom of Everlast, this light-hearted 30 platform action-adventure game is made as a stand-alone application for Apple Mac. The player takes on the role of Prince Alec, protagonist and courageous hero, whose valiant mission it is to rescue his princess bride from a mighty dragon. In order to accomplish his mission, Prince Alec must travel across 5 levels through the fairytale kingdom, overcoming challenges and obstacles, solving puzzles and fending off enemies. The 20 characters plying in a 3D environment lend an air of handmade nostalgia to the game, as does the use of simple keyboard commands. This game will provide hours of fun for the young and the young-at-heart.

Producer: Oliver Card
University: Bournemouth University
Country: UK
URL: www.everlastgame.co.uk



Ratmania. A remote Siberian laboratory. Two mad scientists. Dozen of fellow rats and a labyrinth full of tricky tasks. Will you be able to escape the evil clutches of Dr. Nikolai Krajaczek to return the Rattus Interstellaurus Empire, initiating the final the final stand and destroying the last remaining humans to advance to new rat world order? With a strong emphasis on puzzle solving, Ratmania is an exciting 3D Jump ‘N Run Platform game. Not only does it offer a diversity of game play, but also a highly involved introductory storyboard of comic-strip style films. In solving a roller-coaster ride of logic problems, the player is fully immersed in a world on the brink of human annihilation.

Producer: Michael Heiml and colleagues
University: University of Applied Sciences Salzburg
Country: Austria
URL: www.ratmania.at.tf

Blog Posting Number: 1274

Tags: games

BPN 1273 Europrix Multimedia (4): Mobile applications

The category mobile applications is intended for innovative contents and applications using potential of compact, mobile and communication-intensive platforms focusing on new multimedia solutions.

RoboVox: Your Voice. Towering over crowded metropolitan squares at a height of 8 metres, RoboVox is an interactive public sound installation, embodied by a humanoid robot. Its purpose is to serve as a communication tool for the anonymous individual, whose voice would otherwise be lost in the crowd. Simply send an SMS to a designed number, and RoboVox will be activated to voice a message out loud by means of a multi-lingual decoding voice synthesizer. From statements of political protest to declarations of love, this public sculpture encourages individual expression and challenges the concept of freedom of speech.

Producer: Martin B. Briceij
Company: KD Codeep
Country: Slovania
E-mail: martin.briceij@gmail.com

ShakerRacer. Struggling to control your toy race car with a series of tiny buttons and a miniature steering wheel could be a thing of the past. Now, thanks to the ShakerRacer team, you can drive around at incredible speeds using only natural movements and a little help from your cell-phone. Connecting to a modified toy car via Bluetooth, this application makes use of an acceleration sensor function of the latest multi-media phones. It works intuitively – just holding your phone as you would a steering-wheel, tilting forwards to accelerate and backwards to reverse – it’s that simple.

Producer: Andreas Jakl and others
University: University of Applied Sciences Hagenberg
Country: Austria
E-mail: andreas.jakl@fh-hagenberg.at

Blog Posting Number: 1273

Tags: mobile, robot mobile, robot

BPN 1272 Europrix Multimedia (3): Offline/Interactive DVD

The category Offline/Interactive DVD contains classic and future multimedia projects with a strong emphasis on telling a story in an emotional, expressive and media rich way.

Auschwitz on Stage. When Peter Weiss staged his scenic documentation of the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial in theatres across East and West Germany in 1965, controversy concerning how best to deal with the legacy of National Socialism raged between the two states of a country divided. With historical video, audio, facsimile and text material, the DVD-ROM presents the giant media debate which ensued. Examining details of photographic or facsimile documents by means of an enlarging function enables the user to dig deeper and deeper into the debate, affording the feeling of exploring an archive. The DVBD-Video shows the dramatic readings of the war-crime trials, and includes biographical film material of the actors and the defendants they portray. Offering a diversity of media and pedagogic resources, this DVD duo is designed to be used in schools, universities and adult education.

Original title: Auschwitz auf der Bühne – Peter Weiss: Die Ermittelung in Ost und West
Producer: Ellen Stein and others
Company: Buchstabenschubser
Country: Germany
URL: http://www.buchstabenschubster.de/

Images of the Street. In a world in which we are constantly bombarded with graphics, this interactive DVD teaching kit aims at providing 10-12 year olds with the skills to deal with signs, symbols, fonts and image syntax. Using the ‘street’ as a theme Images of the Street is organised into four sub-topics, each consisting of comic-strip style film and pedagogical info-graphics, creating a clear distinction between ‘introduction’ and ‘learning’. With the additional aid of a manual and worksheets, children are involved in a process that invites them to explore the world of graphic design by engaging in viewing, discussion, and ‘hands-on’ assignments.

Original title: Straatbeeld
Producer: Sandra Karis and others
University: Utrecht Graduate School of Art, Media, Music and Technology
Country: The Netherlands
E-mail: sandrakaris@hotmail.com

Vilnius – The Capital of Lithuania. Commissioned by the Vilnius Tourist Information Centre, this animated CD-ROM takes the user on an informative flight simulation through the historic Lithuanian capital. With 3D graphics and authentic visualisations, the tourist is presented with the city’s highlights at the click of a mouse button. Interesting facts and figures, historical timelines and local legend combine with practical information on sights, transport and cultural events. ensuing visitor a busy and diverse schedule. A comprehensive video and image gallery and constantly updated events calendar offer a preview of the many gems this exiting eastern city has to offer.

Producer: Andrius Jakumas
Company: MultimediaMark
Country: Lithuania
E-mail: andrius@multimediamark.lt

Blog Posting Number: 1272

Tags: offline, DVD-ROM, CD-ROM

BPN 1271 Europrix Multimedia (2): Broadband/Online

In the category web and internet projects are entered with contents and applications, especially those showing the potential of broadband experience, demonstrating high interactivity, global connection, real-time and streaming media, and up-to-date communication. In this category three entries were selected.



Interactive Anthology of Children Poems in Hebrew. The project is designed with kids aged 6-10 in mind. This website takes the user on an illustrated voyage through 16 Hebrew poems. Ethereal, fairy-tale-esque animation combines with text to introduce the young user to an interactive world of Israeli verse. Click on an animated icon to journey through the poems, which are accompanied by background music and the option of oral narration. Simple, clear navigation facilitates the reading or listening experience and allows unsupervised enjoyment.

Producer: Ruth Gommershtadt
University: Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Country: Israel
URL: http://ruttieg.carbonmade.com/about/

Take This Dance and Forget My Name. ‘Video killed the Radio Star’ was a prophesy set to be fulfilled when it aired as MTV’s prototype in August 1981. A quarter of a century later, however, we find ourselves in the broadband era of ‘Internet killed the Video Star’, consumer expectations regarding the media of music video having changed. The key word now is ‘individualisation’. “Take This Dance and Forget My Name” exploits the internet’s propensity for ‘user-generated content’, and innovatively combines high-quality music video with the Web 2.0. With the integration of information from various external data sources, the user is passively involved in a personalised music video experience.

Producer: Thorsten Konrad and others
University: University of Applied Science Salzburg
Country: Germany
URL: http://www.takethisdance.com/

They shoot Music – Don’t They. This video/geoblog tags urban Vienna with unplugged indie soundscapes. Counter-acting the heavily manufactured nature of MTV-style music videos, the people behind this site tear indie artists away from the conventions of the stage. They then film them, in a single take, performing unrehearsed in various public spaces around the city. A simple mouse-click on the tagged map of the city centre offers unadulterated videos of artists performing at the selected location and gives detailed information and images of the location itself. The site presents an international audience of bloggers with a vibrant and arty image of Vienna, and an authentic, unique and intimate representation of the metropolis’ lesser known urban sub-culture.

Producer: Matthias Leish and others
Country: Austria
URL: http://www.theyshootmusic.at/

Blog Posting Number: 1271

Tags: broadband, online

BPN 1270 EUROPRIX MULTIMEDIA 2009 AWARDS KNOWN

Today is the last day of the Europrix 2009 festival in Graz. The 350 entries from 30 countries have yielded 20 nominated teams from 15 countries. Most of the nominated teams were present in Graz. This Saturday they all had to present their projects in the Kunsthaus. Tonight was the gala in the Seifen Fabrik (Soap Factory; talking about symbolism) in Graz.

Here are the winners in the categories:
1.Broadband/Online: Take this dance and forget my name (Germany)
2.Offline/Interactive TV: Auschwitz on stage (Germany)
3.Mobile Applications: Robovox (Slovania)
4.Games: Ace of Mace (Austria)
5.Interactive Computer Graphics: Tagtool (Austria)
6.Interactive installations: Mu (France)
7.Interactive TV: Kika and Bob (Netherlands)
8.Digital video and animation: Gisela (Germany)
9.Content tools and interface design: Retype (Switzerland)

Out of the category winners, the overall winners was selected. This year it is Mu from the Ecole de Gobelin in Paris (France). They win the prestigious Europrix Multimedia Award with an interactive game for children, which can be played on an interactive table, while parents can follow the game online. It is not the first time that de Ecole de Gobelin wins the Europrix Multimedia. In 2003 the students of the school won with a Non-violence project and in 2004 students of the school took the overall price with DVD-MAXI Edelweiss Muller Juicy Panic, a crazy DVD promoting the band with the same name.

In the coming days I will present short descriptions of the projects per category from the beautiful catalog, which can be ordered from ICNM.

Blog Posting Number: 1270

Tags: multimedia competitions

BPN 1269 History of the Europrix Award

I am in Graz (Austria) for the Academic Network Conference and the Europrix Gala. Two days of exchange between digital media instructors on a range of subjects; this year the IPv6 is one of the subjects. On Saturday some 40 projects will be presented that are nominated for the prestigious Europrix award. The chairman of the Europrix, Dr Peter Bruck wrote a short history of the Europrix.

EUROPRIX was started by the Austrian presidency in 1998 as an EU member states initiative with the support of the European Commission DG Enterprise and Information Society, other member EU governments and private industries.

EUROPRIX has a clear mission: to honour excellence in multimedia. The contest and its related activities are organised by the EUROPRIX office in Salzburg and its partner organisations in major regions across Europe in co-operation with leading professional multimedia associations, universities, colleges and other institutions of training in digital, interactive media.

Over more than 10 years of yearly contests and festivals, EUROPRIX has established a unique platform for the development of new media in Europe and created a professional network connecting producers and designers, teachers and students, industry leaders and technology enablers.

EUROPRIX is not a single event. It is an invitation project to all who share in the interest in quality contents and innovative applications that drive and develop the fast-moving multimedia markets in Europe.

The EUROPRIX Multimedia Awards has focussed since 2002 on those content producers and application designers who are about or just have finished their studies and trainings and enter the business world and market. The “EUROPRIX Students’ Award” and “Top Talent Awards” were step by step transformed and given new direction. Today, EUROPRIX can rightfully claim to be Europe’s premier competition for young multimedia producers and application developers. The awards are dedicated to promoting young talent and finding those producers who could become leading innovators in the future.

EUROPRIX’s activities include a yearly contest in 34 European countries, an annual festival and exhibition, a permanent show of best projects in the Vienna Technical Museum, the organisation of the Academic Network Conference, the administrative support for the European Academy for Digital Media-EADiM, the organisation EUROPRIX Summer Schools, EUROPRIX Road Show events and various networking and promotion projects.

Blog Posting Number: 1269

Tags: multimedia competition

BPN 1085 Happy 3rd anniversary Buziaulane

Today we are celebrating the third anniversary of the blog Buziaulane in Belgium. We have taken a break along the Belgian beach, a fine place to rest and eat; happily Belgians understand more of food than the Dutch.

Buziaulane was started on Labour Day 2005 and will now go into its fourth year, daily registering events in the content and media business on the one hand and events on business trips. The blog has become a resource for content issues and electronic book developments as well as competition information on the Europrix and the World Summit Award. The blog is covering news from The Netherlands, my home country, but also from the rest of Europe, amongst others announcements and discussion from the European Commission, but is also looking at news from the US and where possible other parts of the world. In the three years we have reported on the World Summit Jury in Bahrain and Croatia as well as on the Europrix from the Austrian cities of Salzburg, Vienna and Graz.

I have looked back on the last year and have been thinking about the social networks as a big trend. The consumer social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, the professional networks as LinkedIn and Plaxo, the national networks like Hyves and the mobile networks like Twitter and all the intertwinings. In fact I received this week an invitation to join Second Brain (jee, what a creativity!). I have been lurking at most of these social networks and wondering where people save time to go on the networks: must be from free time or from watching television. And I must say that there are some nice aspects to the social networks. I have never had so many electronic anniversary cards than this year. I did not understand what triggered the senders, but understood later that I had filled out my date of birth on Facebook. I am happy with the social networks? For the basic intention of mapping a friends or professional network, it works, until you fall victim to a network fleecer, who rack up numbers of friends from others. I do not believe in numbers; you can have only a few real friends and more acquaintances. But what irritates me most in the social networks are the minute by minute announcements by some people. They still spare you from telling when they go to the toilet and the nature of their toilet session. I think this fad is over for me. But these social networks have hardly a straight forward manner to eliminate your entry in one go. Even a second entry as I had on Facebook could not be deleted. Also for the network the numbers count, so that they can ask more money for their advertisers and eventually can dictate more money when they will be acquired. No, I dump the social networks.

1288 days ago I was in Beijing, standing in front of the official count down board.

















When I look forward, there are some exciting trips coming up. I have been invited to Bahrain again the chair the jury of an e-Government competition. Not everything is fixed, but it will still be this month. I have an invitation to go to Ghana in August in the framework of a road show of the World Summit Awards and I really look forward to that trip. After South Africa that will be the second trip to Africa. In the autumn Finland will be on the agenda as well as Graz (Austria). By the beginning of next year we will have the World Summit 2009 Grand Jury and Gala, respectively in Venezuela (most likely) and Mexico. I am really looking forward to these events.

By July I hope that one of the edited books High Performance Multimedia will be published, at last. It is still a left over of the ACTeN project which ran from 2002 till 2004. By that same time I should have my manuscript ready of my book on the history of digital media in The Netherlands. And there is more in the planning.

But it will be also a year of sports excitement. The European soccer championships will be held in Austria and Switzerland. I am eager to see how much influence internet will have on the series. And it is still 99 days to go to the Olympic Games. I still remember that I was there. I am not sure how many days ago that was. I will have to look up the photograph of my visit to Beijing.

All in all, the new blog year promises to be a full year of events, items and issues and I will be happy to report on them.

Blog Number Posting: 1085

Tags: blog

BPN 1069 New tool to enrich content bloggers

I have often written about the Europrix, a multimedia competition for t=young professionals under 30 years of age. It is an annual competition; in fact it has just started again for this year’s competition.

And sometimes you hear back of what has become of the award winner. The most famous award winners are the initiators of Last.fm. But in 2005 there was producer Ziga Aljaz from Slovenia with his project Strip Generator. And he is not resting on his laurels. Ziga has recently launched a new project with his ZEK CREW: 4+ is an internet based exhibition you can observe daily, because it unfolds in real time. Each of the four authors uses his own unique colour and the goal is to fill the black space with a random composition of overlapping graphics and illustrations. http://4-plus.blogspot.com/.

And more came from Slovania: the project Strip Mine project for RTV Slovenia, a journalistic and broadcast tool which uses micro-chunking for news broadcasts, makes automatic references to the Wikipedia and mails the articles to registered bloggers. The team behind this development founded the company Zemanta in May 2007 with a vision of a new
generation of smart web services. They team received many acclaims, but the founders led their company also to the forefront of the most promising European start-ups. The company has been selected as a RedHerring 100 Europe pick in March 2008, which is more than just honour. It usually leads to venture capital. Happily enough the company received already support of two leading British venture capital funds.

Zemanta announced the public beta version of its web service that will make blogging life fun again. Their tool will integrate will integrate with whichever blogging platform you are using and as you write suggest contextually relevant pictures, links and articles that you can use to enhance your post with. In this way rich content can be expected, while next generation semantic web applications require it. The company claims to make it simple and fun to produce high quality web content. The claim: Our service utilizes the power of advanced machine-learning and natural language processing algorytms, so that you don't have to do repetitive tasks and can just be creative!

After a long introduction Zemanta offers now to test drive their Zemanta Firefox Extension by installing the extension from: http://www.zemanta.com/download/ and navigate to your favourite dashboard. Zemanta supportsblogger.com, wordpress.com, typepad.com, and most of self- or elsewhere-hosted wordpresses as well. Thecomapny will also soon launch the Internet Explorer version.

I am going to install Firefox again to check out Zemanta Firefox Extension. In my opinion, it might be a new inspiration to many bloggers.

Blog Posting Number: 1069

Tags: broadcast, micro-chunkingbroadcast, micro-chuncking, blogging

BPN 1056 The European multimedia competition season is open

Two European digital media competitions have been announced: the Europrix and the European Innovative Games Award.

Europrix
The Europrix Multimedia Awards is in its 11th year. The new edition of the Europrix (formerly known as Europrix Top Talent Awards) has been launched on March 15. Young creative multimedia producers up to 30 years of age are invited to enter their works in 9 categories. This year there is an additional category "Inscape Special Award: Interactive Storytelling". All 30 finalists will be invited (all expenses paid) to the Europrix Festival in November 2008 in Graz (Austria).

Categories
- Online / Web Projects
- Offline Projects / Interactive DVD
- Mobile Applications
- Games
- Interactive Computer Graphics
- Interactive Installations
- Interactive TV
- Content Tools & Interface Design
- Digital Video & Animations

Inscape Special Award: Interactive Storytelling
The Inscape Special Award is open for all interactive stories and projects which have been realized with the Inscape Authoring Software, available for the open community on http://www.blogger.com/www.inscapers.com or at inscape@icnm.net The awarded project will receive a brand new laptop with the final Inscape software package pre-installed.

EIGA
A new kid on the block of mdigital media competitions is the European Innovative Games Award (EIGA). It has been set up by the German Hessian Ministry of Economics, Transport, Urban and Regional Development in cooperation with the European Commission. The competition wants to encourage the development of innovative games as the games sector has turned into a driving force for the whole IT sector in the last two years. Hardly any other sector has made such large steps forward in such a short time, both economically and technologically. For the purpose of this game competition both technology and content may be innovative.
Participation is sollicited from niche productions to top sellers: game developers, game publishers, publishing companies, freelancers. Young new talent who create, publish and sell computer and/or video games from any member state of the European Union (EU) are all eligible to take part in this competition. The aim of the award is for one thing to reveal possible applications of the best innovative computer and video games and to award them the prize money of €35,000. For another thing, the award is to contribute to further international networking and therefore advance the games sector in Europe.

Blog Posting Number 1056

Tags: multimedia competition