Dec 6, 2007

Today is our last day so we'll wrap up the semester. I'll collect the Cell Phone papers, then I'll have just a few final words and take a few closing comments.

Then you're done!

Topics

Homework

Dec 4, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 29, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 27, 2007

Yet another brief day as all we have to do is see Luke's presentation from last week.

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 20, 2007

Today is a very brief day to let you start your Thanksgiving a bit early.

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 15, 2007

Topics

Homework

Nov 13, 2007

I don't think it's possible for the day to get any simpler.

Topics:

Scavenger Hunt:

Nov 08, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 06, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 01, 2007

Topics:

• Real Life Sim Presentation by Heather
• Discuss: Virtual Itza
• Discuss: Virtual World, Real Life Lawyers
• Discuss: Second Life Faces Mobile Death
• Discuss: Beijing Police Will Patrol Web Virtually
• Discuss: Real Hope in a Virtual World
• Discuss: Dennis Kucinich Opens Up Shop in Second Life
• Discuss: How a Computer Game Glitch Could Help to Fight Off a Global Pandemic

Homework:

Oct 30, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 25, 2007

Today we tackle the issues surrounding the second half of your "final" project. ...among other things...

Homework

Oct 23, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 18, 2007

No Class in the classroom today.

Please take this time to work on your Software Simulation Instructional Design packet. They're due next Thursday!

Oct 16, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 11, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 9, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 4, 2007

Three Real Life Sims: Bobby, Alex, & Brian

Topics:

• Oddware Presentations.

Homework:

Oct 2, 2007

No SL Presentations today.

Topics:

Homework:

Sep 27, 2007

Two Real Life Sim presentations. Bobby & Jesse

Topic:

Homework:

Sep 25, 2007

• The Crooked House
• Virtual Hallucinations
• Myst Online

Scavenger Hunt : A pet of some sort. We'll meet at the Beach House and show them off.

Sep 20, 2007

Real Life Simulation Presentation by: Bobby

Topics:

• Hardware Prototypes

Homework:

• Oddware

Sep 18, 2007

Second Life Sim: Mike

Other places by Damian

Homework

• Optional: Jewelry with "bling."

Sep 13, 2007

Real Life Sim: Jerilyn

Topics:

• My 4th Newspaper Interview about UB and Second Life.
• Four interesting Second Life books.
• Second Life Terrorism
• Second Life Punishment
• Reuters in Second Life
• Disaffected!

Homework

• Play Disaffected

 

Sep 11, 2007

Today we meet in Second Life at 11am.
Jesse will be presenting his first Second Life simulation.

Sep 6, 2007

Here are the topics we will be covering today:

• Ricky's Real Life Sim Presentation
• Non-Computer Platforms
• Computer Based Platforms

Homework

• No Homework
• Optional: New Avatar Hair in Second Life

Sep 4, 2007

Today we meet in Second Life.
Regular class time: 11am.
Run Ventrilo and log in to the server.
(Get the server / port info from the blue panel.)
Log into Second Life and I'll send you a teleport
to our location.

Homework:
(Read the Class Requirements for fuller details.)

• Student Setup
• Scavenger Hunt #1
• Class Photo

APPLIED SIMULATION     
COSC330.SG1     
Fall 2007     

-Ventrilo Information-     
Server: 69.12.74.141     
Port: 4143     

Today we're going to look at the simulation of complex systems. I will confess right up front that I have not been involved in any project which made use of this type of simulation. Nonetheless, it is a very real, quite valid, and (depending on the circumstances) profitable use of any simulation skills you might have or might develop.

Basically, these types of simulations are ways to graphically represent complex systems in order to study them, predict future behaviour, and possibly learn to harness the studied item for our benefit. Here is a partial list of such systems that can or have been modeled in this manner. After giving it some thought, I'm sure you can think of more.

The ability to simulate complex models will probably have greater impact over the next 50 years than anything else we do. For example, understanding nanotechnology is easier because not everyone has access to nanoscale microscopes. But with the aid of simulations, scientists are able to make models of what their nano's are doing and show those simulations to rooms full of people. Those people can now see what the nano's are doing...without having to belly-up to a nanoscale microscope themselves. Undoubtedly, knowing how the nano's behave will allow programmers to code in that behavior and let scientists "try out" new nano-configurations in the simulation environment before attempting it for real.

Following is a large list of other sites that feature some of these types of complex systems simulations. Let's look at a few of them. As we do, notice how (as mentioned in a previous lesson) that not all simulations--at least the final results that are displayed to us--are done through computerized animations. Some are simple screenshots while others are line drawings. Also take note of the skeletal procedures that the researchers used to create their simulation.

• The overall problem.
• The observed data used to create the initial equations.
• How eventually that data was fed into a computer in order to render a result.

Nanotechnology. (Link)

The Tokyo Institute of Technology has a site that demonstrates the steps involved in simulating weather based on a series of images. (Link)

Geological Simulation of Faults. (Link)

Traffic patterns. (Link)

Raytracing and Movement Mechanics (Link)

Historical Reenactments. (Link)

Physical Science (Link)

Various. Research Abstracts (Link)

Protein Modeling (Link)

Networks (Link)

Plant life. (Link)

Flocking behaviour. (Link)

Crowds and Battles. "Massive" (Link)