Project 4: Data Flow

Object Name: Somali Pirate Attack
Title: "Somali Pirates Attack U.S. Cargo Ship, Take Captain Hostage"
Creator: Melanie Calhoun (Rogue Enderfield)
Date: 4/24/09




Summary: This scene represents the recent attack on the U.S. cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, by a crew of Somali pirates. The scene recreates the events that transpired through animations.

News Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/#cnnSTCOther2
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-captain-freed13-2009apr13,3,2198362.story

Video Link:


Interaction: In front of the SecondLife representation of the Maersk Alabama, there is a start button and a reset button. When the user clicks on the start button, the first event transpires. The objects speak to the user and explains what is happening as objects move around the screen to represent what is taking place in the story. The start button goes dim as the actions occur and glows again when the event is complete. The user can then click on the button again to see what happens next, and so on. At the end, the user can click on the reset button and everything will move back to it's original position. The user can then click start and go through the scene again.

Motivation: There has been a surge of picracy recently off of the coast of Somalia. This is of great concern to the U.S. because American citizens are being put in danger when traveling in this region. According to a news release from the U.S. Navy, "Increased naval presence in the region, ships and aircraft are unlikely to be close enough to provide support to vessels under attack. The scope and magnitude of the problem cannot be understated." Therefore, I chose to model a pirate attack to demonstrate this serious problem that is facing the U.S.

Description: The following chart shows the petri net that was used for this project. The animations that occur in the scene represent the places and transitions of the petri net as they happen.

Click to Enlarge

Project 3: Control Flow

Object Name: Surviving the Recession
Title: "Find out what people are doing to make themselves financially secure"
Creator: Melanie Calhoun (Rogue Enderfield)
Date: 4/3/09




Summary: The scene represents the ways in which people are preparing their finances for the recession in the form of a how-to guide to the user. The user walks down the hall and interacts with a variety of objects which in turn provide financial information to the user.

News Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27999557
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/16/unemployment.poll/index.html?iref=newssearch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V0jYsRx-rQ
http://ezinearticles.com/?Six-Steps-to-Financially-Surviving-a-Recession&id=942375
http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/personal-finance-personal-debt/4974275-1.html

Video Link:


Interaction: Clicking on the dollar sign outside of the hall will take the user to this blog. Inside the hall, each room has something for the user to interact with.

In the first room, which tells the user about getting out of credit card debt, there are three click-able objects. When the user clicks on the credit card, the card will begin to follow the user (as an analogy for how debt follows you). The user then clicks on the arrow and the lock, each of which give related information to the user. The lock tells the user how to get the card to stop following them. When the user types "stop" the card will stay in place.

The second room is about preparing a cash fund. When the user clicks on the pile of cash in the center of the room, the pile of cash grows as it speaks to the user about why it is important to save money and how to do so.

The next room provides a way for the user to estimate their monthly expenses. When the user clicks on the calculator, it will ask the user a series of questions about their income and spending. The user will type a response to each question. At the end of the questions, it will tell the user their total income, expenses, and net loss or gain.

The next room talks about cutting expenses. Each time the user clicks on an object in this room, it will tell the user ways to cut back on spending, related to the object on which they have clicked.

In the final room, the user is prompted to type "ready" to show that they are ready to prepare their finances. Once the user has typed this, a few balloons fall from the sky and the user is congratulated.

Motivation: I chose to make a model representing how people are securing their finances during the recession because it is something that most Americans have on their mind. The recession is affecting everyone's daily lives and causing a lot of distress across the nation. By focusing on what people can do to secure their finances and be prepared, I hope to bring a positive spin to these difficult times.

Description: The following chart shows the mapping that was used for this project. The dividers throughout the hall represent the decision points, and the rooms represent each of the activities in the flowchart below.


Click to Enlarge

Project 2: Structured Data

Object Name: Stimulus Bill Spending
Title: "Find out how your tax dollars are being spent through the stimulus bill"
Creator: Melanie Calhoun (Rogue Enderfield)
Date: 3/6/09




Summary: The scene represents the division of spending through the stimulus bill that President Barack Obama signed into law on February 17th. Each object in the scene represents a different area of spending.

News Sources: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/18/stimulus.web.site/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCText

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/18/stimulus.web.site/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCOther1

Video Link:




Interaction: When the user clicks on an object in the scene, the object will say to the user how much money went to the area that the object represents. The amount of money will also appear in the text over the object. Clicking on the dollar sign at the top of the scene will give the user a link to this blog.

Motivation: I chose to make a model representing the stimulus bill because it is extremely relevent to all American citizens. The stimulus package totals $787 billion, and for such a large sum of money, it is important for the taxpayers to know where their tax dollars are being spent. The model I've created provides a visual to help people understand where the stimulus money is going.

Description: The background of the scene is a pie chart showing the actual division of the money being spent by the stimulus package. In front of each piece of the pie chart is a corresponding object representing the area of spending that that piece of the pie depicts. The size of each pie piece as well as the size of each object itself represents the size of the spending in that area. The areas where more money is being spent are represented by larger objects. Below is a list of the objects and the area of spending that each object represents.

House - Housing, urban development, and transportation - $57.07 billion
Columns - Federal and state government - $45.472 billion
Beaker - Science, commerce, and justice - $17.842 billion
Homeland Security Seal - Defense and security - $16.448 billion
Pitchfork - Agriculture and rural development - $15.986 billion
Light bulb - Energy and environment - $98.234 billion
Book - Education, labor, and health - $66.15 billion

Project 1

Object Name: Darwin Day Celebration
Title: "Darwin's Importance Continues, 200 Years After Birth"
Creator: Melanie Calhoun (Rogue Enderfield)
Date: 2/13/09




Summary: The birthday cake represents the celebration of Charles Darwin's bicentennial. The animals in the scene represent Darwin's major achievement, the theory of evolution by natural selection.

News Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/science/10evolution.html?_r=1&scp=8&sq=darwin&st=cse

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/02/12/darwin.birthday/index.html?iref=newssearch

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUZiVsZ1bQo

Interaction: Clicking on the Info board will give the user a note card containing a description of the project. The scene itself gives the user a firsthand view of Darwin's theory in action and of the celebration of his momentous achievements.

Motivation: I chose to make a model representing the 200 years since Darwin's birth because although it's been many years since Darwin lived, his ideas are still very relevant in today's world. His theory of evolution by natural selection has revolutionized biology and is still important to biological studies to this day. While his theory is mostly accepted in scientific communities today, it is still hotly debated in the general public. Therefore this topic is both culturally and scientifically relevant in today's world.

Description: The animals in the scene represent a simplified view of Darwin's explosive theory of evolution. The progression from the fish to the salamander to the chimpanzee expresses how life evolved from sea life to land animals and then to upright walking animals. The birthday cake represents the cause for celebration of the 200 years since Darwin's birth. His theory has become essential to science and our understanding of life as we know it. There are twenty candles on the cake, each representing 10 years since Darwin's birth.