Physical Computing Course (Spring ‘08)
Posted by Kristen Treglia on January 12, 2008
This past Wednesday was the first meeting of the Physical Computing class I am taking this semester. It was such an exciting first meeting! We received the laptops, printers, and software which are paid for by our stipend. We also learned more about what we will be learning and doing during the course of the next few months. Basically, we will learn how to use Flash and Arduino to create a project that will used in the classroom. Flash is a software program that creates graphics that can be used to animate designs. Arduino is a programming language that receives input from a variety of sensors to control actuators such as lights and motors. Ultimately we will learn to use Arduino to create a physical response that will be shown graphically through the use of Flash.
I’ve learned a little bit about Flash in a previous class that I took at St. Francis and I am very excited to learn more. Take a look at some websites that use Flash animations:
Al’s Relativistic Adventures
Pi Song
Map of the History of Religion
Yuichan Socratic Zen Conversationalist
I am also looking forward to learning how to the Arduino part of the course— I know very little about computer programming!! Our instructors showed us Pleo, a robotic dinosaur that responds to various stimuli in different ways. We won’t be working with anything quite as sophisticated, but we will learn how to create a device that responds to a stimulus such as temperature, sound, or light.
Also during the class our instructors gave us supplies and showed us how to create a “LED Throwie”.
What exactly is a “Throwie”???!
It’s a Light-emitting Diode (LED) that produces a narrowly 
focused beam of light and is powered by a battery
which is then firmly attached to a magnet with tape. LEDs are used in objects like clocks, signs, some TVs, and works of art. Check out the create ways the Graffiti Research Lab has used them! Since my bookshelf at work has a magnetic surface, I’ve stuck my throwie on it….. I wonder how long it will stay lit 
I can’t wait for our next meeting!! I will be adding websites on physical computing articles and resources to my del.icio.us, feel free to take a look!!
