From May 2014

Adventures in web development

It turns out that 2013 was quite a year. I could write a lot more about Burning Man and the creation of Kickstarter reward sculptures and making an elevator for the Art Shanty Projects, but instead I’m writing about a couple web projects. Immediately after returning from the desert, I headed west again for another big adventure in Boulder, Colorado.

In Boulder, I spent a very intense few months focusing on computer programming as part of RefactorU‘s first cohort. My experiences there, and my career transition from nonprofit arts to software development could fill their own several posts (the focus and energy spent on that process is why these pages have been blank for so long), but I’ve created a few fun practice pieces and I’m excited to be gaining the skills that will allow me to take on more complex art projects in the future.

DropAudio

First up is an interactive audio app called DropAudio. (As it’s a practice piece, a quick caveat that cross-browser compatibility hasn’t been tested extensively, but Chrome or Safari should do just fine.) It was mostly created using Processing.js. Processing’s port to Javascript is relatively recent, and the implications for its use with web applications and data sets are exciting! Features I’d like to add include multiplayer capability and more interactive audio. Currently, I’m creating a non-web based version connected to a physical knobs and buttons:

Buttons! Knobs!
Buttons! Knobs!

Resistor Decoder

Another little web app I created is slightly more practical, at least for electronics hobbyists, is a drag and drop calculator for resistors. Online resistor calculators are nothing new, but I will say with reasonable confidence that this one is the prettiest, thanks to some design assistance from Scott Raleigh.

Any questions about technologies incorporated here, my bootcamp experience, or bug reports? Feel free to drop a comment or email.