This is what Woon and moi are working on, packing Together:

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Our site layout in paper

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First draft of that in code:

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Next one testing opetWeather API:

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Testing how it works, putting staff in bag 🙂

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After making basic code structure, and making sure things work, we start drawing all the items we’ll need, as well all the buttons and text:

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AND weather icons, to replace once that from the API we are using:

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now we are working on drag/ drop individual items for packing, this is how that looks like:

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next will be adding printable checklist, save function, so you have your own, custom-made list.. we have more ideas and waiting for office hours, so : )

Our [ code is here ]

An web interface that helps you pack with your friends– who brings what, sharing the things on your trip – such as one camera for all, one toothpaste for all, speakers for loud music. Main purpose of the project is to save time organizing, not to forget important stuff and not bringing unnecessary/duplicated things when traveling in group. All yours and your friends stuff in one bag!

First thing you do is specify where and when you want to travel, so you get weather forecast. Based on weather data, number of days you will be traveling, and the purpose of your trip (vacation, skiing, business.. .) you are provided with things you should pack for your trip. This will help you not to forget thing you’ll need.

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Then, you start packing with your friends. Like a google doc, you can invite friends (share URL) so you are all on the same page. Aside of personal belongings (contact lenses, toothbrush, socks..) each of you select one or more of common things you will share on your trip, so there is no need for carrying 5 toothpastes, 4 shampoos or 7 cameras. Also, one of you might have spare things (gloves or snowboard if you go skiing), and will let other know so the other friend doesn’t have to buy.

I’m using Andy Sygler’s example for Node.js and Arduino (Uno or Yun), to test and understand the concept of sending serial data from browser, through the server to Arduino. LED is lighting with random color when the mouse is pressed; and when the mouse is released, browser should get the color information and change the color to be the same as LED a second ago (when the mouse was pressed).

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There are only two events in the browser window, with only two values to be forwarded (0 or 1) to Arduino:

window.onmousedown = function(){
socket.send(1);
}

and

window.onmouseup = function(){
socket.send(0);
}

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Key concept here is that the server is only making connection between the to and passing the values; Nothing more complicated than that.

Browser is listening for the 2 mouse events;

and Arduino is waiting for one of the two possible values, picks the random color, telling the server what did he pick, turns of the LED and waits again.

void loop() {
if(Serial.available()){

char inByte = Serial.read();

// mousedown event
if (inByte==’1′) {

// make a new color, and turn the LED on
r = random(255);
g = random(255);
b = random(255);

analogWrite(3,r);
analogWrite(5,g);
analogWrite(6,b);
}

// mouseup event
else if ( inByte == ‘0’) {

// send the color to the browser, then turn the LED off
Serial.print(r);
Serial.print(‘,’);
Serial.print(g);
Serial.print(‘,’);
Serial.println(b);

analogWrite(3,0);
analogWrite(5,0);
analogWrite(6,0);
}
}
}

When chatting, we use a lot of:

lol

hahahah

hehehe

But even when it is not funny! It is easy to laugh on chat. Let’s see if someone is laughing for real. Idea is to enhance chat in a way that when someone types any of these above, web cam would take a photo at that moment and send it to everyone.

Let’s start with what worked and what did not. *and code link*

I had two bad versions of chat. One that kept record on your page of everything you sent (on your on page) and just temporary messages of everyone else. That was annoying, right? The button was sending/ emitting current message and saving all of yours into the webpage, but the other’s one. I will still try to fix this.

Another, even more annoying version was, that as soon as someone else pressed submit button on their page, ‘my’ message was sent. So one submit was sending all messages (and still saving only one user’s messages on one page).

I started testing with 3, but finished with 2. I can’t be annoying more people than that (until this is fixed).

As this was fun for couple of minutes, control was lost really early. No real communication, even though we tried to make rules ‘type your initial when you read’, so we can go on. But one line, doesn’t really make it a chat.

Plan B, I uploaded JQuery part into the code, just to make small chat event work. I was googling that, it’s not my code, I don’t even know JQuery. But for the sake of homework. So, this time we managed to share couple of stories. I shared my story of Spanish guy who lives in Queens and how he fixed my foot. Then I head a chance to hear some news from Serbia, current happenings .. and some rather intimate things from my friends. It felt like a closed group chat, although everyone of them could have invite more ppl or just share the link, without the rest of us knowing. (ok, except me, I would know). That was also brought up for a second, followed with more jokes around. Privacy issues, as we all know. Anyhow, conclusion is, if it was fancier/ working and looking better, we’d had more fun. Nowadays chats are not chats without emoticons, attaching gifs, animating your windows, and seeing who is logging-in and who is leaving. It is platform for rather pleasant interaction, and one of my favorites.

>> video here <<

note:

had problem loading intended videos. not sure why, they are all same format.. similar file size..

so as the closest match these two will serve.

or maybe, phoebe stays forever.

.. and how to load video directly from youtube?

Author of this article is betting on live videos: ” If within 10 years, more than half of all video watched is live, I win.”

Question is would you bet on it?

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Small digression, video ads next to article you are trying to read, barbaric.

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I wouldn’t.

When email started, and us using it, it became easier to just write message to someone who is in a room next to you then to get out and talk. It is definitely more convenient to answer when you find time for it, then when someone is, OMG interrupting you knocking on your door. I mean, isn’t that the advantage of the internet that content is available exactly when you want it? So if the live event is at ‘wrong time ‘comparing to ‘my time’, watching it wherever but later wins.

Reflex of recording with your phone is one world; so different then live-streaming we are talking here. I would say, time factor again. You are already there, so one click on your phone is all you should do. Not hard to adopt that as a reflex. And then, on the other side, notification comes that your friend is live streaming. Ok, realistic. Still unless there a siren for ‘SOS’ I don’t see demand to watch right-at-the moment. I’m talking to someone right now.

Klip, video-twitter, is live as much as twitter is. Most people are active in the morning and night.

Now, I’m going to search for funny+mistakes+happening+right+now?

I see live videos in action doing well for huge events, like world cup, concerts, itp thesis presentation : ) when you have your time devoted for that, and being unable to be present at the event itself.

Communication.. well numbers here might come too close to 50% (of live videos), but searching for one.. no. Live videos, like reality shows, are too time consuming, too much of nothing-happening. People change channels, turn TV off, or a web page if there is nothing to keep one’s attention. There is too much choice out here already, in vast land of internet, and what do you do when confronted to that? – read reviews, comments and ratings; watch preview and trailers. That will be hard for happening-right-now content.

Live video is an event. Unless half of the planet is on events, or, communicating not in person for more than half of the day.. then it would be worth betting on.