Curiosities

Experiments, scribblings, animation, toys & miscellany
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OverwhelmednessBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

OverwhelmednessBotSometimes it’s all too much!!!

And before you say anything about the undeniably awkward title, there is NO really good noun form for “overwhelm”! I had a choice between a rarely-heard & semi-archaic word (“overwhelmedness”) & a cleaner, more current, but non-standard one (“overwhelm” as noun). I rather liked someone’s suggestion of “overwhelmment” but that wasn’t in the OED either. So I went with the superannuated version, because that’s how I roll! I mean, I use a dip pen every day. What did you expect? ;-) It would have been easier if I’d chosen adjectives to begin with, but too late now!

NostalgiaBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

NostalgiaBot

Sometimes these bots come along at just the right time. It happens that my parents are selling the home where my siblings & I grew up. It’s the right thing to do, but still a bittersweet moment. We had a family “house-cooling” last weekend where we all indulged in a good bit of nostalgia, along with some champagne, a few tears & plenty of laughter.

Do you think the electronic beings of today look back at vacuum tubes with fond nostalgia?

I must say crafting this one in Illustrator was quite the maddening experience. Although I felt it was the perfect program for all the mechanical precision, it kept selecting the wrong paths of the zillion & three I had to create for the circuitry. I was locking everything else down, so I don’t quite understand why. Any wisdom from the AI wizards out there?

On the bright side, I discovered Envelope Mesh. Man that was handy for tweaking the perspective!

p.s. Please forgive my electronic ignorance, all you folks out there who know how circuits really work. (You know who you are!) I’m sure this configuration is ridiculous & impossible. I claim artistic license!

LoveBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

LoveBot

I have a quotation by Deena Metzger painted on my studio wall: “There is time only to work slowly. There is no time not to love.” It helps me keep my focus when I’m freaking out about a deadline or something. Whenever I get frantic & try to rush things, I end up making mistakes that set me back even more. And when my children were small & constantly interrupting, seeing that quotation helped me remember what was really important.

My patience was tested today (with gradient mesh, what a surprise!) & I’m still not happy with the results, but I’m trying to remember that this project is all about exploring a new program, & the only way to make progress is to keep learning from my mistakes!

 

KindnessBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

KindnessBot

I was late starting this week’s AlphaBot due to some last-minute tax snafus. Just as I was about to begin I found out about the Boston Marathon explosions. So the whole time I was doing this I was thinking of those who ran into the disaster area to help the wounded. I’m sure most of you have heard or read this quote from Fred Rogers:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster’, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
– Mr. Rogers

 

JealousyBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

GuiltBot

I have greenish eyes so I’ve always felt a little insulted by the phrase “green-eyed monster.” How did jealousy acquire that moniker, I wonder? Ah well, I gave into the cliché for this week’s AlphaBot anyway! Now I’m part of the problem, I guess.

I’m not very happy with the results either, but I ran out of time to tweak. I’m jealous (or more precisely, envious) of people who have plenty of time for everything they want to do. Luckily I don’t know a single one of them!

 

Guilt Bot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

GuiltBot

It’s a scientific point of contention whether dogs can feel guilt.

What do you think?

I’m sure there would be similar questions raised about this AlphaBot. 

But looking guilty is another matter. That’s definitely in its programming, & I suspect dogs’ & humans’ too.

Speaking of which, I’m feeling a bit guilty for taking extra shortcuts this week (I cadged a bunch of gradients & blends– and even an eye– from CuriosityBot for this one) but I’d feel even more guilty if I missed my work deadlines, so something had to give!

 

FrightBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

FrightBot

This week’s AlphaBot is a bit of a Fraidy-bot. I have a hyperactive alarm system myself, so I can relate.

I was working on a bunch of projects this week so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to experiment with new AI techniques, but I did figure out that I could use the inner glow effect to make a nifty inner shadow in the eyeballs & head-bulb.