"Elseenar"

The Elseenar article opens by defining electric performance. Electric performance art can be defined as the theatrical display of electrically manipulated human bodies. The historical development was greatly discussed in this specific genre. These innovations and experiments were rooted back to the early 18^th century.

There was a discovery that when objects were placed close together, the objects could transfer energy from one object to another. The experiment with the small electrically charged children hang attracting small pieces of metal leaf into the air.

This time period was in London, on the 8^th of April in 1730. This experiment was varied and transformed into another experiment, the connection circuit. The circuit employed two boys to hold hands to complete

After many experiments, it was proven that this electric charge that humans could receive could trigger stimulation in the muscle of a human body. This opened the door to what electricity could actually accomplish. Almost immediately, experiments were carried out to investigate this property of the electric current in a systematic way. Abbe Nollet noted that he believed the electric charge could be inversely proportional to weight of human to animal. As of course, a current that could cause a humans nose to bleed should and would have a greater affect on a squirrel if using the same current.  Nollet was eventually successful in killing a sparrow by means of a Leyden jar discharge.

These inventions are of course brought into the 19^th century with great modifications. “The world’s first power plant for the public was built in 1882 by the Edison Electric company.” As the country grew, so did electric industry. “The new electric power infrastructure was already claiming victims in the early 1880’s, as people sometimes made accidental contact with high-voltage lines. These deaths occurred and raised another questionable suit. The death penalty was looking for a means of a clean and quick death. Electricity soon became popular as a method for capital punishment in New York State, death by hanging, was increasingly experienced as undignified and barbaric.

“The first execution under the Electrical Execution Law took place on the 6^th of August in 1890, and it was indeed carried out by means of AC equipment. Although the execution was demanded, the electrocution was quite messy compared to the predictions. Kemmler’s skin burned and his blood vessels exploded.  I am sort of surprised that this means of execution continued to exist because at the beginning it ran into many problems.

Algorithmic control was very interesting to read about. The thought that simple numbers can cause a computer to trigger a shock or stimulation and can move the human body without consciously applying thought. This in turn brings the idea about the human cyborg in Natural Born Cyborgs. The thought that the human can be transformed into a systematic machine and can be controlled with a remote.

"Instructables" Edit

So now that I have a few more materials in mind and at hand my initial idea has slightly changed. I brought the idea to my dad because I will be building this fountain into our garden area and the only suggestion he had was to make it big enough to dip in. My fountain waterfall should consist of wood beams for support and screws for the wood, drimmel tools, tarping of some kind (black), bricks. Also including the solar powered water pump and possibly an added water pump for the main "bath" area. I still plan on building an area for at least plant life and or animals. My addition to this edit is that I plan to light the waterfall and "bath" with an LED string connected to the Arduino on a night cycle for 24 hours a day. I know these exist but I have not done any furthur research on the lights. One problem I think I might run into is the solar power pump not being able to keep up with the mass quantity of the bath. The solution I had in mind was to buy the solar pump and another larger pump more able to keep up with the water flow.

Natural-Born Cyborg Ch.5 & 6

The first project in chapter 5 was named "Stelarc's Third Hand."  It's significance to our world is the "cyborg" becoming more and more popular. The hand itself seems robust and large, protruding out from Stelarc's right arm. Although it seemed large and heavy, the third hand is fluently integrated to the system; the human body. The interface was that of the human body "exploring complex space of possible relations between body, machine, self, and agency." "Stelarc is probably the most thoughtful, careful, and farsighted practitioner of cyber performance art alive today.

These ideas become more useful and adherent when the idea of prosthetic additions to the human body. To surprise, Stelarc’s third hand was function able by attaching electrodes to muscle sites and learning which specific thoughts and actions to create movement in the prosthetic. The sites for Stelarc’s arm were the abdomen and lower thigh, rather odd it may seem for an “arm” to receive movement.

Mind Control was a large part of the idea that prosthetics can be incorporated in many handicapped peoples to relieve them of specific duties and tasks that they previously could not perform. Deeper into the same thought, the military and research centers are trying to develop the “cognitive cockpit”, an airplane cockpit in which several reception centers are connected to sensory devices that keep track of the pilots heart rate among many other statistics and informational aspects. The ideas here are very important as to provide autopilot for a pilot that might loose consciousness or any other physical disorder.

Camera sensors are being used and researched upon for blind people.  Special glasses are connected to a fanny-pack computer that sends special messages to receivers to determine speed or depth of an environment.  These receivers are attached to the brain by somewhat complicated process of implanting the wires into the brain and connecting all of the components.

Chapter 6 was mainly about the collaboration of the Internet and “collaborative filtering” also known as filtering. By searching and buying products online via Amazon for example, the database records your habitual buying habits and recognizes certain and specific brands as well as other products that are much alike and similar to the product being purchased. As this record happens, other products are suggested to the client, which relates to others that have bought some of the similar products you have purchased.

With all of the prosthetics these days coming into the medical field, many of these cybernetic devices are being researched on for precision working ability and knowledge of the relatedness our brain has with our bodies. The book supposes that soon our human beings with depend on self-knowledge houses keeping track of your everyday life and lifestyles. Medications and food would have inventories and orders would be placed upon consumption through computer counting systems and there would be limited need for shopping for groceries if your refrigerator did if for you.

"Relay Lab"

Relay Lab http://bit.ly/Ao73FI

Using the Arduino, in class, we spliced simple wall socket accessories like lights clocks and fans. After connecting the circuit switch, device and the Arduino we connected it to the computer and sequenced new times for action and inaction. The results varied and the lab was very interesting. I began having thoughts about simple timers on appliances in homes to regulate specific times for lights to be on and off.

"Instructable" Research

Been looking around on Amazon and checking the ratings and prices of my pump setup for my waterfall/fountain. The normal prices seem to be anywhere from $60 to $100. Now depending on the size of the tank of tub might determine the effect of immobility after the completion of the fountain. I plan on installing this waterfall in the backyard of my home.