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