Where to start.....ideas, ideas, ideas

Well here goes my first blog. I was never very good at keeping a diary or anything like that but I promise to try my best to keep ontop of this one. So my project.....its always hard to know where to start so i guess ill start with what I can do, what I have done and what I love to do.....

What I can do - my Skill Set
Flash - Industry Level
Photoshop - Industry Level
In Design - Industry Level
Illustrator - Industry Level
3D Studio Max - Basic
Java - Degree Level
After Effects - Basic
Premier Pro - Degree Level
Logic - This year only

Areas of Interest
Irish Dance - I have been partaking in Irish dance since the age of three and it has been more than just a hobby it has been my life. When I started college my efforts to practice all the time slackened so I currently help out teaching the class at home. I plan to do my teachers as soon as i finish the course.

Drama - Iv always been involved in drama, and like to think that im good at it. I have gone to many courses including Gormanstown and taken part in classes thoughtout the years. When i went to college I was head of the drama society in LIT which I loved every minute of. I also did a course with Shane Munroe (Guy from one of the Bulmers ads) in screen acting which are hopes I still havnt fully left behind. Im a firm believer of being able to achieve anything I put my mind to, and so far in college I have done just that and loved every minute of it. Who knows what the future brings.

Performance - of all shapes and forms. This ties in with the two above but I purposely stuck it in separate here as performance of all types of dance and music also tie in here.

Technology - Yes it is true, I am a nerd when it comes to technology. If I hear about something I have to go look it up and see what its all about. As for programming, I can honestly say I love the feeling when its all solved (even if it does take copious amounts of coffee...)



Project Concepts -
Motion - the use of the body to control. The Wii fit first took my interest as it moved away from the controller method of interaction. I think this is an area that will vastly change in time.

SenseCam - after doing a project on Microsofts SenseCam I have become hooked. Iv read every article out there I can find on MyLifeBits and the SenseCams possible use in many areas. I carried out research on possible areas of use and think this would be a fascinating are to explore for my thesis. Also, we are lucky enough to have one here in U.L. which would be great to get to carry out trials with.

Augmented Reality - I first came across it when I say an article in a design magazine. The gave you the name of a website to go onto and a black graphic to hold up in front of your web cam. I had never come accross this before and can honestly say from the first moment I was fascinated....

Continuation of my Degree Project -
For my degree I created a website that was truly designed around the user. It was aimed at young Irish dancers who were traveling to competitions frequently. It gave many guides and tips for the day, as well as listings and results. It also included a costume creator section, where the user could pick the colors and patterns and preview what their new costume would look like. I wanted to extend this to display a 3D model of the costume and allow the user to choose their hair color and skin color in order to get a full preview of their costume before purchase.