Alvin Chang
[Data] Observing data with R
I’ve been observing data via Excel and MySQL databases, which isn’t ideal, so R was a nice breath of fresh air. The dataset I’m most familiar with is my NHL Draft database, so I pushed it into R to see what I could do with it. The first thing I did was look to test [...]
Processing Android with Ushahidi
For my project, Nestless, I used Processing Android to create a front-end interface to interact with Ushahidi. Now, there are several reasons why this is advantageous: 1. Processing Android allows for unique interfaces that are entirely customizable, which can be crucial when designing a UI that best fits certain projects. For example, in my app, [...]
![[Nestless] A mobile app to help homeless](http://alvinschang.com/itp/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/nestless2-150x89.png)
[Nestless] A mobile app to help homeless
UPDATE: The project is in testing. Please visit NestlessNYC.com for more info. —— UPDATE: A lot of people are stumbling onto this blog post and asking about the future of this app. Well here’s the update: I’m working hard to consult with people to design a working system. In addition, the technical side of things [...]
![Hanging a bed net [UNICEF]](http://alvinschang.com/itp/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_20111004_152130-2-150x150.jpg)
Hanging a bed net [UNICEF]
OK, so hanging a bed net ia a pain in the behind. Why? Let’s go through the steps. First of all, it asks you to air out your net for a day. But in New York City, that’s pretty much impossible. I’m guessing that’s about the only advantage Northern Ugandans have in terms of installing [...]
Mobile Infrared Fighter
I’ve been working with the Kinect’s 3D sensing technology and realizing the immense power it could have on surveillance. In fact, infrared in general is a touchy subject because, I think, it offers cameras a view of the world that humans cannot see. That’s perhaps why Boston residents balked at a heat-sensing infrared camera that [...]
SMS for prenatal care
I ended up making a pros and cons list for SMS-based services, because I often felt that a) it was being used when it didn’t need to be used and b) many of the services I envisioned had already been implemented. Many of the “cons” had to do with the major limits we have with [...]
Processing for Android: First delve
I’ve delved into Processing for Android, and I decided to post very basic documentation on how I got started. It took a few tumbles, but I’m up and running. There are instructions on the Android for Processing website, but I’ve boiled them down. I worked on a MacBook Pro, so I can only help with [...]
Mobile App for Social Activism
There are several types of mobile applications for social activism, but I was particularly interested in two types of them. The first: Apps that demand little from the user, but provide money to causes via advertising. One of my favorites is Sproutster, which uses the Free Rice model. Users essentially play a game, during which [...]
![Soliloquy [NOC]](http://alvinschang.com/itp/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/1-150x150.png)
Soliloquy [NOC]
A non-visual world that is created with wind and sounds. A collaboration with Alex Dodge. Most of us know our world through visual means; our other senses are often overshadowed or taken for granted, but they give us a fuller sense of the world around us. So in Soliloquy, we wanted to explore way humans [...]
Smiling Statues
Smiling Statues was a project in which I made 91 smiling statuettes and distributed them around New York City (and elsewhere). Each Smiler had a note attached to it, which asked the finder to tell me how they found it and to tell me the Smiler was safe. I asked people to submit a photo [...]