I am not exactly sure what kind of projects related to computation I want to create this semester are yet. And my knowledge and awareness of computation-driven creative projects are limited as well. However, there are two pieces that I’ve read in the past related to computation that have stuck with me. This might verge more on theory than practice, but it is related to the invisible relationship we have with some forms of computation.
The first is an article I read by Peter Reinhardt called “Replacing Middle Management with APIs.” He largely discusses the applications that run the “gig economy,” so Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, etc. In his piece, he writes:
There’s a trend in Silicon Valley startups to create a software layer in industries that were traditionally pure human services. Uber and Lyft have created software layers in the taxi industry … What’s bizarre here is that these lines of code directly control real humans. The Uber API dispatches a human to drive from point A to point B … Humans are on the verge of becoming literal cogs in a machine, completely anonymized behind an API.
In a similar vein, the opaque algorithm that drives the endless scrolling features of social media applications:
I find it fascinating how we have nearly no insight into the makings or logic behind some of the applications that influence us the most. Interestingly, this goes both ways: for the people consuming the content and the people creating it. Content creators are at the mercy of this same algorithm. They must constantly adjust their content to please this invisible algorithm, so it may treat them favorably.
Again, this may be more Science, Technology, and Society theory than hands-on computation practice but I like it as a jumping off point for the work I’d like to pursue.
In the past I’ve used computation only as a tool to achieve the desired effect for a project… computation only as a necessary step if that makes sense (Ex: A toilet that plays the THX sound extremely loudly when you sit down on it). However, I am interested in investing more time and inquiry into computation as a practice itself… thinking about a project “computationally” or leading with computation before anything else.
Started by creating a “wooden frame” around the canvas.
Found it annoying to have to make +20, -20 increments to align my elements so I added:
console.log(mouseY);
… to quickly find the coordinates. That is how I added these (very stylish) triangles for hair: