Artificial "Intelligence": Search Box Autofills

     I decided to type a single word into the search bar of my Internet browser, and learned that somebody is obsessed with football (hint: it's not me).
     Google bases its autofill settings on what you personally search for, as well as what people in a radius around you are searching for. The idea that you could learn more about the area you live in based on what people in that area are searching the web for could be an interesting idea for a digital project. What if there was a Chrome application that allowed you to change words on webpages, just for fun? It wouldn't change the page itself, just how you personally see it based on your Chrome settings. You could set it to single words (e.g. change any instance of the word "balloon" to "puppy"), phrases, or themes (e.g. hide all words dealing with politics). While similar filters already exist on Chrome, I am not aware of any that lets the user set their own limits and keywords.
     While some of the returned autofills surprised me (You really have to Google what the time is? You can't just look on the right side of your screen?), it could be interesting and downright comical if users had a way of changing filters themselves. Imagine the office pranks, changing a coworkers's browser to keep changing the word "job" to "you're fired!" It might not be the most inventive or revolutionary idea for a web app, but it would be fun nonetheless.

Closing Note: Letter to the Aliens

     This week, I decided to take a comedic approach to the "we come in peace" mantra of alien contact. This prompt asked me to write a letter to alien explorers who are exploring a long-gone Earth. I explained to the visitors what I suspected to be the cause of the apocalypse, and I gave them a request for the rebuilding of humankind.
     I feel like this prompt could take the form of a text-based adventure game, similar to Zork. The player would interact with an alien command ship, who is intent on destroying the planet. The player's goal would be to convince the alien ship that destroying Earth is not a good idea, and persuading them that humans can be a beneficial ally.  The game could focus a lot on humor, such as in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Certain key words and phrases would progress the game along, while other words would take away "health" from the player and make it harder for them to save the planet.
     Text-based games don't receive the attention they should, especially from new game creators. However, as a precursor to modern graphics, it's important to appreciate their storytelling style, as the "world's first playable e-book."

Recognition Natural Craving: The Backward Quote Page

This week, I decided to write a quote from my favorite book in reverse:

“But no artist, I now realize, can be satisfied with art alone. There is a natural craving for recognition which cannot be gain-said.”

     Coming from the novel And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, the quote comes from the villain of the story, talking about why he commits his crimes. He believes people need congratulations or a pat on the back for their work, or else they would not do the work. I feel like this idea would work well in a short film. It's a great quote that shows two different types of artists: those in it for the creativity, and those in it for fame.

 

     The film could be created as if in reverse, allowing the events of the story to unfold backwards to the audience. Viewers would see the climax of the story before the details leading up to it, which I think could be interesting if it was enveloped in a mystery of sorts. The concept could possibly unfold similarly to this early trailer from the 2011 game, Dead Island. Despite the lackluster game itself, the trailer was an emotional story in itself. Perhaps a video set on the UPJ campus of a class day in reverse?
     I have also attempted to do something similar with one of my own films, One Last Time. I would be interested in trying to do something similar to this again, but with more of the emotional backdrop of the Dead Island trailer.  

10 Things Not in Use

I feel the beginning of a Toy Story rip-off coming from these objects. 

     Searching for these objects reminded me of the I Spy books I read as a kid, searching for the tiny red bicycle or the party hat hidden in the mass of objects on the page. As such, I think it would be interesting to do a hidden objects game with a backing story to tie the objects together. The story would involve searching a static image and clicking on certain objects in the image, such as those listed in the page from Steal Like an Artist. The player wouldn't see this list and would rely on a small amount of trial and error to scroll around the photograph searching for clickable items. When an item is found and clicked, a small story about inanimate objects coming to life would appear. Each of these mini stories might tie into a bigger overall story involving all of the hidden items.
     Each entry in the overall project would require a separate posted story per item. Therefore, I think it would be easiest to create a separate blog, so that the story posts wouldn't get mixed in and accidentally uncovered on my main blog. The main page of this new blog would be a brief list of instructions and the photo of the room itself. The photo would have links over top of each item in question, which would send the viewer to each hidden blog post containing the story for that image. Utilizing hyperlinks, the stories would be interconnected with each other without the need to return to the image if desired. For example, if the word "bag" appeared in the post about the pennant, then "bag" would link to the post about the pink backpack. This will not only keep players engaged, but will keep them from getting stuck on a page.