Digital Showcase

A Brief History of HCI: ENIAC to Alexa

Creator(s): 
John Kiener
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My goal for this video was to provide a brief history of Human Computer Interaction by highlighting some of the biggest advancements in the field over the last 70 years. Obviously, the video contains many themes from the Digital Humanity course but I also wanted it to be able to stand on its own and be a resource for anyone interested in an introduction to HCI. The filming style was heavily influenced by Casey Neistat along with my use of animation and choice of music.

A Meltdown Over a Meltdown

Creator(s): 
Gabby Beers
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When composing my audio project, I had to consider completely different criteria to make a quality work; fluidity and clarity of sound are most important. In an essay, all of the words look the same. Syntax may be different or someone may use varying vocabulary, but the reader does that majority of the work: they just read what’s written. In audio, I was working with multiple different audio clips, daunted with the task to sound like one fluid solid piece.

A Nation Against Itself

Creator(s): 
Eric Bergdoll
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Overall, the purpose of my project was to show a how the quality of life for immigrants has changed over time. My goal was to take pictures from different time periods and blend them together to show the different experience and the unjust treatment of immigrants under the
current political administration.

Chick

Creator(s): 
Lindsay Surmacz
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The word “chick” is, simply, the word “chic” with a “k” at the end of it. One, tough consonant linked to the thought of elegance describes a twenty-first century woman who may not know where she is or where she’s going but knows who she is in the meantime. “Chick” is chic badass. “Chick” is the sound of Cindy Blackman’s drumsticks knocking the rims of her kit. “Chick” is the action of a cocoon splitting to reveal the butterfly. Chicks wear ruby slippers to remind them where their power comes from.

Cocktails that Kill

Creator(s): 
Angelica Ruby Walker, Cindy Lam, Srutha Komaravolu, Katelyn Osborne

This project explores five of the most deadly drugs in the county - alcohol, cocaine, alprazolam (xanax), heroin, and fentanyl - to see which other drugs to those deaths. We've created a series of visualizations to examine three major questions: How many drugs were combined? Which drugs were combined? When were they combined?

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Cut and Other Trans Fantasies

Creator(s): 
Al White
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Instructor's note: This assignment was to propose, write, and design a project of 1800 words that allows you to show how writing and design can advance each other. In Al's project, the design truly advances and enhances the text.

Author's statement: In Cut and Other Trans Fantasies, Al White offers a collection of short pieces describing aer trans-related feelings and experiences, all based around the theme of fantasy, some positive, some negative, some reasonable, some irrational.

Cyborg: A Work of Fiction

Creator(s): 
Alyson Derrick
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This video gives one scenario to answer the question: how could human augmentation affect the freedom we have in our lives? This piece is a work of fiction, but it brings up some ideas that are extremely relevant to today’s culture. I think it’s very common for people to want to be superior to others. Those values serve as the backbone for most of what we do: work, school, sports. We want to be smarter, stronger, and richer than the people around us. This video tells the story of a young woman whose thirst for superiority and whose addiction to technology leads to her own enslavement.

Designed

Creator(s): 
Dominic Edwards
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Artist's Statement on larger collection, from which this image is taken:

I chose to examine the label pessimist. Even though I enjoy having fun and consider myself to be a mostly positive person, people have often told me that I can bring out the worst of a situation, that I seem to focus on only the bad of a situation. I personally think of myself as a realist, but agree that I can be obsessed with negativity at times. I chose to use the English Oxford Dictionary’s philosophical definition of pessimist.

Digital Humanity Midterm

Creator(s): 
Ben Tushar
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For the midterm in Digital Humanity, we had to write our own question based on some themes in the course. My question was: "How can the security of political and social power be compromised through the workplace and personal software which dictates our lives?" I developed this video in response to this question based on the cluster of core concepts being security and power as well as how it affects workplace, and personal lives. I conceptualized this video as a narrative in order to take advantage of the video format in both an analytical and entertaining way.

DIY Confetti Jewelry Box

Creator(s): 
Julianne Wanner
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I created this project to spark creativity in the midst of stressful situations, specifically finals. This was done with the intent of diverting attention to something more relaxing and mindless. My project takes the reader through the stages of creating a DIY confetti jewelry box, and introduces various obstacles he or she may encounter along the way.

Don’t Knock

Creator(s): 
Leslie Smith, Kullen Mussey, David Robinson
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“Don’t Knock” tells the story of two student trick-or-treaters who get abducted by a madman after knocking on his door. This madman’s lair, however, is decidedly not scary so the students decide to help him “spruce it up” a bit.

Due

Creator(s): 
Devon Callanan
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Due dates…

They can often have a finality to them, a sense of impeding doom one might say. F​​or me however they are a welcome staple of my college life. I would amuse myself with inconsequential activities and never pick up my homework if it was never due. I often leave my work up until the very last minute​​, but the urgency of a clock ticking will spur me into action.

Evicted History—Penn Plaza

Creator(s): 
Jono Coles
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The strongest difficulty of composing this piece for the ear was the method of recording. Audio profiles are set to a high recording standard due to the commonality of professional podcasts and radio shows. The interviews on channels such as NPR have clear spoken audio over fitting background sound, but using an iPhone to record made the former of these two components very difficult to obtain. That being said, using audio editing tools aided very much in compressing the levels of the vocals, and removing low background noise.

From Pennsylvania to Hawaii

Creator(s): 
Julia Trotter
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From Pennsylvania to Hawaii is a narration of the personal experience I had of attending a university in Hawaii. I wanted to show what life is really like for a non-native living on Big Island by sharing my experiences during the months that I was there. I included many of my own photos to capture my experience of being a “mainland-er” living on the island, and then eventually moving back home.

Hyperconnectivity

Creator(s): 
Cheyenne Knight
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Navigating Hyperconnectivity is one student’s exploration of the idea of hyperconnectivity—a state of constant connection—in social media. On this website, you can find links to resources on hyperconnectivity and its influence on business, education, representation, and health, excerpts of interviews with professionals who work with social media, and blog posts that delve into various questions of and reflections on social media and the digital age.

Link to Hyperconnectivity website

If I Had a Plan

Creator(s): 
Stuart Lewis
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A filmmaker experiences what they have shot, and offering that experience to viewers is a sure-fire trait of the reflexive mode. “If I had a Plan” relies on the reflexive mode of documentary, from reflecting on my first craigslist purchase which happened the day I shot to telling a condensed version of how I found Skull Fest and the mini-ramp in the woods almost three years ago.

Influential Celebrities Who Impact Our World

Creator(s): 
Alicia St. Hilaire
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For the Seminar & Composition course I am currently taken, I was asked to used Atavist, an online platform to emulate a genre of writing. Out of the plethora of genres including criticism, satire, poetry, etc., I chose to emulate journalism. For some time now, I have steadily become fascinated in several artists because of their effort to use their status and fortune to help those in need, and change our world for the better. For this assignment, I chose to focus on black performers and artists in the entertainment industry.

Judgment of the Introvert: Shy

Creator(s): 
Cassie Smith
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In composing this photo essay, my main goal was to show societal conceptions of those who are shy and introverted in opposition to their personal experience of themselves, while taking the etymology of the word into account. “Shy” originally relates to the frightened nature of horses, which appear in the beginning collage, but then transitioned over time to meaning “lacking”, along with the connotation of avoidance.

Katie and Anthony's 2017 Spring Break

Creator(s): 
Anthony Zelina
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For my digital media project, I decided to recount my 2017 spring break to Palm Coast, Florida with my girlfriend in a video format. Making a video allowed me to better remember our trip because of the vivid clips. Before venturing to Florida I did not know how I was going to order my video so I took a bunch of miscellaneous clips. Throughout the week I meticulously planned the outline for my video. After returning to Pittsburgh my brother interviewed me, asking questions regarding our trip.

Marked

Creator(s): 
Dominic Edwards
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Author's statement on larger collection from which this image is taken:
I chose to examine the label pessimist. Even though I enjoy having fun and consider myself to be a mostly positive person, people have often told me that I can bring out the worst of a situation, that I seem to focus on only the bad of a situation. I personally think of myself as a realist, but agree that I can be obsessed with negativity at times. I chose to use the English Oxford Dictionary’s philosophical definition of pessimist.

Mattress Factory flier

Creator(s): 
Lexy Medgaus
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Instructor's Note: This was an in-class exercise in which students were asked to design an ad for something tangible or intangible, featuring non-angular shapes. Lexy created a sophisticated design that suits her topic well.

Memoirs of a G.I.

Creator(s): 
Carlos Roacanal
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While brainstorming possible subjects for my audio profile, it was imperative for me to find a story that only I could tell. For me, that key component required attaching a personal sentiment to a historical event. The reason why I chose the allied occupation of Okinawa during World War II was because my grandfather served in the military during that time, and his recollections of his time there provided me with a story that bridged the personal feeling I wanted to convey as well as a well-known event.

Modern Nostalgia: How Today’s Generation Defines a Historical Emotion

Creator(s): 
Mark Pavic, Hazelle Ko, Kelechi Urama, and Ryan Skorski
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https://groupproject-1.atavist.com/nostalgia

For our collaborative project, we wanted to do something we can all relate to; something that’s not just for us but for anybody who views our piece. We focused on nostalgia - more specifically the millennial definition of nostalgia.

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My Greatest Adventure Yet

Creator(s): 
Kateryna Kocelko
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My project is a travel journal, from my trip to Europe that I went on in the summer of 2015. I thought using atavist to make this journal would be the best system to make it. I was able to use maps to show the different places I went, and was also able to include my own personal pictures and videos. I enjoyed the opportunity to create something that I could have forever to always remember the best trip of my life.

One Step at a Time

Creator(s): 
Emily Mattys
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This projected was completed with a passion for athleticism in mind. I set the goal of running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon on May 7, 2017 in the fall. When faced with the challenge of creating a digital media project, it was important to me that I created something that I was passionate about. I created a project that included the ins and outs of everything half marathon training entails. Personal anecdotes, dietary needs, and even a rocking playlist are just a few of the necessities within the training regimen. I hope this project motivates you to go out and achieve your goals!

Selfie in 60

Creator(s): 
Chazz Williams
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I believe everyone knows the feeling of working up the courage to get out of the bed. Then working up the courage to get dressed and put on makeup. Then working up the courage to leave the house. For me, that’s usually paired with a drink and documentation of the process in the form of Snapchat selfies. Today we live in a selfie society where everything gets documented. In my concept video, “Selfie in 60,” I wanted to capture some of the typical things that occur when getting ready – trying to achieve the perfect selfie to boost your mood for going out.

Stained

Creator(s): 
Dominic Edwards
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Artist's Statement on larger collection, from which this image is taken:

I chose to examine the label pessimist. Even though I enjoy having fun and consider myself to be a mostly positive person, people have often told me that I can bring out the worst of a situation, that I seem to focus on only the bad of a situation. I personally think of myself as a realist, but agree that I can be obsessed with negativity at times. I chose to use the English Oxford Dictionary’s philosophical definition of pessimist.

Steel City Exhibition flier

Creator(s): 
Kevin Boylan
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Instructor's Note: The assignment was to design an ad for an exhibition on the Pittsburgh steel industry, thinking about the significance of the representation. I liked the fact that Kevin chose to use a worker in his ad (rather than focusing on the buildings associated with the steel industry, for example). Kevin also incorporated useful texture into the ad by putting the worker in front of one of the letters.

Tales of the End of Oil

Creator(s): 
John Perdoch
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Writing this piece, I imagined the worst-case scenario of depleted world oil and put it into a story. The events in the story are made up, but with our world’s current trajectory, these events are completely possible. I wrote this piece to show how the near future can be affected by human apathy.

The Day That Became Years

Creator(s): 
Sadie Trout
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As I thought about a story only I would be able to tell, I immediately thought about me and my family. When I decided that I wanted to talk about my parents losing their jobs I only had a vague sense of where the project was going to go. But, as I started developing my ideas everything seemed to line up exactly how it should. This is a story that is close to my heart in a very personal way. I only realized how much of myself I was putting out there, until long after I could possibly change my idea.

The Fountain

Creator(s): 
Dominic Edwards
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Artist's Statement on larger collection, from which this image is taken:

I chose to examine the label pessimist. Even though I enjoy having fun and consider myself to be a mostly positive person, people have often told me that I can bring out the worst of a situation, that I seem to focus on only the bad of a situation. I personally think of myself as a realist, but agree that I can be obsessed with negativity at times. I chose to use the English Oxford Dictionary’s philosophical definition of pessimist.

The Impact of Funk

Creator(s): 
Tucker Nicholas
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In my multimedia paper on the impact of funk music, I take a look at many of the popular music genres of the 20th and 21st centuries and the complex relationships and interactions between them. I make the case that funk music has had the most lasting and important influence on music, society, and culture. Its wildly different sound and style encouraged self-acceptance, self-discovery, and cooperation. Its impact cannot be quantified, so instead, I suggest taking a listen and deriving your own meaning from it.

The Looking Glass

Creator(s): 
Dominic Edwards
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Author's statement on larger collection from which this image is taken:
I chose to examine the label pessimist. Even though I enjoy having fun and consider myself to be a mostly positive person, people have often told me that I can bring out the worst of a situation, that I seem to focus on only the bad of a situation. I personally think of myself as a realist, but agree that I can be obsessed with negativity at times. I chose to use the English Oxford Dictionary’s philosophical definition of pessimist.

The Odd One Out

Creator(s): 
Jono Coles
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This project details the history of the word “odd” through its use in colloquialisms. Each collage in this essay describes a specific phrase that uses the word. The goal of this project is to familiarize the viewer with the feeling of being the odd one out, or the feeling of being in a peculiar or odd environment, and to do so by creating surreal and interesting environments and landscapes within the collages. This project also intends to come at the word “odd” from every angle by attempting to depict common phrases.

The Pitch

Creator(s): 
Andrew Esper, Mason Laza
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A behind-the-scenes look at a group of television executives discussing and pitching virtual reality programming. Project can be viewed with or without virtual reality goggles.

The Sound of a Songwriter’s Secret

Creator(s): 
Dylan Shaffer
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Cole Porter wrote for the ear. He composed hundreds of songs that have been adored by audiences for decades. Some 50 years after the songwriter’s death, I wanted to pay him homage in a light that reflected his personality. In order to do so, I had to include Porter’s work throughout the piece. From the first beat to the last, his powerful songs, complete with their resonating lyrics and memorable melodies, ring true.

What Goes Around

Creator(s): 
Albert Giovanazzi
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Abstract: I attempted to explain in practical terms why Alex Jones and people like him can be dangerous. I chose to analyze his methods as a commentator, and show in no uncertain terms the impacts of his type of rhetoric. I also tried to inject a bit of humor into my work using mostly images but also my own sarcastic style. I believe I explained in layman's terms what why Alex Jones is a counterproductive figure in society.

White Water Rafting flier

Creator(s): 
Abbey Scurfield
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Instructor's note: This was an in-class exercise in which students were asked to design an ad for something tangible or intangible, featuring non-angular shapes. Abbey used the space effectively and created a lot of visual interest and texture. It's a traditional design done well and engagingly.