Star Scrolling

The Idea: A website that runs an endless loop of stars flying past. A moving version of this image:

A sample example here:

The Process used:

A combination of Mind maps through watching videos of projects I've created (one might call it Video Association?) and Word/Thought association through synthesizing the common themes of the projects I've created in other classes.

First Step involved:

1. I started with watching and analyzing previous projects I've created for Creative Coding, Theories in Media and Technology and Media Law.

Here are some of the projects I created in the preceding three classes and what I used as inspiration and reflections for this project:

(Examination of the January 6th attack on DC through the lens of a Virtual Panopticon)

(Netflix’s involvement in how art is created and distributed)

(A look at social media platforms and how they could expand their media platforms to be more influential)

(Dinosaur Fight game)

(Discworld Elephant Search)

(Star Scrolling Video)

Next Step involved:

2. I then analyzed/thought associated common threads in the projects:

The Common Threads:

1. Involvement of world news

2. Examination of Social Media and it's harm/good in the world

3. Simple, Easy to understand projects that were relatively intuitive

I used these ideas to create different associations and remix ideas for the Capstone Project.

Third Step Involved:

3. I recorded a list of Remix Ideas:

Here is a list of the remix ideas I came up with based off project idea associations and combining of the different project ideas (basic remixes)

My first Idea:

A Gamification of News:

(Dinosaur Fight Game meets January 6th Video)

• Combine the dinosaur fight game with examinations of challenging world news topics.

• Resulting Product: a website with a game that when played and clicked through presents world news and asks big questions through a fun and digestible presentation.

Reflection and Analysis:

• I somewhat like this idea but, I believe the news and human stories have been gameified enough, and human stories should not be represented in such a superficial way.

The next Idea I came up with:

Interactive Documentaries:

(Discworld Elephant Search meets Art vs. Aura)

• An exploration of important stories and documentaries through the format of my Creative Coding Final: The search for a One World Elephant.

• Resulting Product: The viewer is taken on an interactive journey that is a documentary, but allows the viewer to participate and follow along interactively.

Reflection and Analysis:

• I really like this idea, but creating a series of interactive documentaries seems too involved for this class. I'm going to save this idea for future bigger projects.

The next remixed Idea:

Star Scrolling Website:

(Search for the One world Elephant meets Need to unplug from Social Media and breathe)

• Inspired by: The star scrolling webpage, which was part of the inspiration for the Search for the one world elephant idea.

Look Closely:

• If you look carefully, you will see a star system flying past behind the starting screen under the great A'Tuin and the three elephants.

• (This project was inspired by Terry Pratchet's Discworld)

Where the first part of the remix idea comes from:

• I’d created this star system earlier in creative coding and I loved the simplicity and somewhat hypnotic, relaxing effect it had when I watched it.

• On days when I am particularly stressed out, I will go to my original open processing sketch and just stare at the particle system I created.

• Here's the link to the Open Processing Sketch: https://openprocessing.org/sketch/1126179

Reflections on the idea:

I realized in trying to conceive of remix that involved all these projects, I wanted to create something that dealt with the issues I bring up, and addressed them through calming factors, instead of inflammatory methods.

I’ve spent so much time creating projects that capture the chaos of the world, I thought what if I created something incredibly simple that was the antithesis of that, that could have a calming effect.

Transformation of the original ideas:

• Eliminating the chaos from the other projects and transforming them into a calming platform that is still easily digestible, but does not create more stress in the watching of it.

• I made some further edits to my particle system to make it more aesthetically pleasing and calming. You can see the original particle/star system I created in the Search for the one world Elephant video.

• The enhanced particle system is visible in the Star System Video.

Resulting Product Analysis:

• At its root, the website is built off the idea of simplicity, and temporary elimination of all of the external factors effecting us and making life harder to process.

• What could be simpler than a website, that, at its core was a system of stars (really random particles) floating past?

Reasoning for the name "Star Scrolling:

• I call it "Star Scrolling" as a juxtaposition to "Doom Scrolling."

• I'm sure many of us are familiar with the idea of doom scrolling-- being unable to get out of the doom spiral that is the endless Twitter and Social Media scroll that inevitably makes us feel worse.

• The idea with Star Scrolling is that you're watching stars fly past, and you are able to take a deep breath and calm down.

Further transformations I'd like to explore in the coming weeks:

• I'd like to incorporate some other aspect, such as linking to charitable foundations, so that if a person is feeling helpless to take on the problems of the world, there's an option to actually take action.

• Include sound under the star system. What effect would that have? Would that overcomplicate the idea? What sounds would be calming?

Thanks for reading my thought process, thus far!