Which reminds me -- since the beginning of the lab, I've wanted to make a "floor display", where you walk around on a raised sheet of frosted glass or translucent plastic that is rear-projected from below.  

Another possibility is to project onto Ken Perlin Floor Tiles, possibly projecting from two sides at the same time to reduce shadows.

On May 13, 2015, at 8:15 PM, Bret Victor wrote:

May-Li asked what was new and I didn't have anything new to show, so I thought it was time to make a new application before going back to system work.

Preparing to magic-ize the seeing spaces poster.   (Laser-point to a panel and watch the video from that point.)

I wasn't sure where the video would go.  I had been thinking that it would go on the wall at a right angle (possibly after taking down the floor plan poster):

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but, playing around, I tried projecting it on the far wall behind the poster:

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which had a really interesting effect.  When you're reading the poster, you're up close to it, staring at individual panels.  If you select a panel, the video would start playing, but it would be partially obscured by the poster:

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which makes you involuntarily take a few steps back so you can see the entire video.  But by backing up, you now also can take in the entire poster as well.  Now both the video and the "map" of the video (shape of the whole) are in your field of view, and since the current panel in the poster would be highlighted, you would always see where you are within the whole.

(What's interesting is how this transition from "reading position" to "watching position' is compelled by partially obscuring the video behind the poster.)

You switch between looking at the poster and the video by shifting the focus of your eyes from near to far.  It's a much more subtle form of switching than pivoting your gaze between planes at right angles.

(Incidentally, it's really hard to describe the backing up effect and focusing effect!  They are involuntary actions in the body, and I can't really convey them in words.)

Glen then tried projecting onto the floor behind the poster, which was really interesting and unexpected:

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It looked ghostly at times:

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Unlike walls, the floor is very inviting to interact with.

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Walk on SF?

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Then Nagle came over and I don't even know what happened.

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