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Interactive touch-wall

in
Start date: 
13/12/2009
Position: 
Developer
Client: 
Tinker.it
Link: 
http://www.tinker.it

Alongside with Davide Gomba I was contracted by Tinker.it to build an interactive touch-screen interface on a wall projection.  The basic application for this was to scroll a series of images like Apple's famous cover-flow mechanism.

To acomplish the task we used an infra-red illuminator and a small camera with a homemade infra-red filter attached to a mac mini running Community Core Vision.  We would then manipulate the TUIO messages in Flash to display the resulting interaction.

 

 

Hacking IKEA workshop

in
Start date: 
26/10/2009
Employer: 
Tinker.it
Position: 
Teacher
Link: 
http://www.tinker.it

Co-teaching of a three-day workshop with Massimo Banzi and Davide Gomba of Tinker.it.  The workshop was included in the program of the Torino Design Week 2009 and was aimed at enabling designers to rapid prototyping of lamps.

The initial set given to each designer or team was standard Ikea lamps and an Arduino kit.

 

 

Streaming system for RadioT.R.I.P.

in
Start date: 
25/02/2008
Client: 
Radio T.R.I.P.
Agency: 
BluComfort
Link: 
http://www.radiotrip.net

RadioTRIP is a small webradio based in Turin, Italy.  After a few years of streaming from Winamp they needed a solution that woud allow them to manage a scheduling system for music, idents and playout of recorded transmissions.  They also wanted an open source and free software system that would comply with their overall free speech and grassroot ethic.

The requirement was to be able on the same PC to record or stream two independent audio sources, one of them being the output of the scheduling system.

The computer solution offered was developed using a old AMD Athlon PC with two PCI consumer soundcards.  Ubuntu was installed and the audio management was handled through the software PulseAudio mixer with some tweaks.

The scheduling system was based on Soma Suite while the recording was done from one of the two soundcards with Audacity.

The streaming was done using darkice to stream mp3 to an Icecast server.

Streaming system for Radiodigitale.info

in
Start date: 
02/09/2005
Client: 
radiodigitale.info
Link: 
http://www.radiodigitale.info

radiodigitale.info was one of the first web-radios to start in Italy in 1999.  I started working with them in 2002 doing some technical support work and some radio hosting.

In 2005 the radio needed a new platform for streaming content to icecast servers.  The choice was to experiment and build upon open source tools in the true indie spirit of the whole radio team.

An Ubuntu box was set up with Darkice and Soma Suite.  A few scripts were placed to facilitate DJs from switching from the scheduling system to the live input from the mixer and back.

The system held up well and kept functioning up to when a few years later the radio switched to being a podcasting site.

Nema Frontiera NGO

in
Start date: 
01/06/2005
Client: 
Nema Frontiera
Link: 
http://www.nemafrontiera.org

For over five years I contributed to the projects of Nema Frontiera, a small NGO operating in the area of Srebrenica and Bratunac in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Over the years I:

  • Contributed to the organization of humanitarian aid caravans;
  • Carried out animation camps with children;
  • Shot short promotional documentaries about the mission being carried out;
  • Built the website for the organization and internal collaboration and sharing tools;
  • Leaded the comunication of the organization by sending of newsletters, creation of graphic designs for flyers and handouts;
  • Contributed to fund raising events and discussion forums;
  • Contributed to the general management functions of the NGO

Over the time I learned the difficulties of working in a post conflict environment, the procedures and rules in international cooperation, project funding and comunication.

It was an incredible expericence that formed my charachter more than any other job.

XHTML and CSS courses

in
Start date: 
10/01/2005

In 2005 and 2008 I held a few (x)html and css courses for two non profit organizations: the El Barrio youth center and the Debian Cafè in Torino.

Topics covered included:

  • General functioning of the internet
  • Protocols and client/server architecture
  • xhtml
  • css
  • php
  • fundamentals of databases

 

EyeJam VJ Festival

in
Start date: 
11/06/2004
Position: 
Director
Link: 
http://archive.francescomerletti.com/eyejam

EyeJam was the first self-organized vj-ing and electronic arts festival held in Torino, Italy.  It used the space in the El Barrio youth center that at the time was in a state of abandonment.

A small group of artists and activists contributed to cleaning up the space and setting up an intriguing venue for a very unique event.

The festival was self organized by the artists through a mailing list in the spirit of hackmeetings.  The comunication and promotion of the event was also mostly conducted using online resources and contacting newspapers and magazines.

Although the overall budget was extremely limited the event proved to be a great success and a long lasting memory in Torino.  Some statistics are:

  • 3 dancefloors
  • 7 Rooms
  • 1 chillout area
  • 10 VJ sets
  • 9 DJ sets
  • 3 Video installations

The website built for the event also contained clips that each VJ was sharing with the world.

My role at the event was creating the team of people involved, oversee and participate in all the organization work, from building the website to comunicating the event to cleaning the venue.

VeeJay

in
Start date: 
01/01/2003

Work from 2003 to 2006 as VJ and organizer in different clubs in Torino and Piedmont: PuntoG, CafèLiber, Fuoriluogo, Machè, Hiroshima mon Amour, ShockClub, Padiglione14, Supermarket, MondoMusica, Spazio211, Centro Giovanile di Asti, Patchanka, El Barrio, Alcatraz, ZonaCastalia, LSO, Filtro, Da Giau, Soundtown, Soundfactory and Lega dei Furiosi for a total of over 50 events.
Organizing and artistic director of the Eyejam festival.
Participation in the Epi-demia 2006 festival and the Aspettando Ziggy Stardust (Waiting for Ziggy Stardust) festival organized by Regione Piemonte (regional administration).