The Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter has released a new online museum, The Emergent Universe. This is, I think a truly novel approach to communicating the central ideas of the new field of emergent phenomena and complexity, combining the underlying physical basis of a wide array of examples with art and music. The site itself presents an animated, non-directed interface to branching sets of topics and what I guess one would call exhibits (since it’s a museum after all). A lot of these are quite fun, and instructive. A visitor is left with the feeling that there is lots more to explore. The interface itself, I have to say, is very cool and a glimpse of what is to come on the internet. Today’s text- and photo-heavy web pages are bound to give way to sleek sophisticated designs like this one…
Have fun!
October 6th, 2009 at 2:14 am
I’ve never found an on-line game of life before- it seems to have become a self-sustaining, non-repeating pattern, and has developed sufficient intellect to open Tetris in forty thousand different windows…
October 6th, 2009 at 8:32 am
> Today’s text- and photo-heavy web pages are bound to give way to sleek sophisticated designs like this one…
Ouch, I very much sincerely hope not.
I click through to flocking birds and I’m interested in more information. Any links? Anything at all? How about something as easy as linking to a Wikipedia article on flocking? Nope, nothing at all.
I like the section on flocking birds and would like to bookmark it so I can see it again. Nope, no way to bookmark that section.
I like the section on flocking birds and want to share it with a friend. Sorry, no URL. No way to give someone a link so that they can see it for themselves.
I’m writing a blog posting and I’d like to embed the flocking birds. Nope, no way to show the world about how cool that is.
OK, so I just want to find the flocking birds again, so I’ll go back to the site and start from the beginning. When I click on page it shows me one of the various sections *randomly*. I have to sit there clicking again and again until the site deigns to show me the flocking birds again.
The interface is *horrible*. What it feels like to me is “I’m the designer, I’m cool, and I’m going to make you go through my information my way”.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:26 am
If anyone wants a website like this built for them, I could do it. And at a bargain rate too, since I’d like to build my portfolio. I could even correct for some of Andrew Wilcox’s critiques. (links, video embedding, etc) email: mplockwood at gmai1 d0+ c0m
I would say, however, in response to the “I’m going to make you go through the information my way” impression – isn’t that how a museum works? If you’re at the science museum and you want to see the birds exhibit again, I’m afraid you’d have to walk all the way back there.
But a website can work both ways, encourage exploring and allow you to find what you want. After all, they do give you a map at the museum.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
@Andrew -
Perhaps if you had spent as much time on the site as you did complaining about it, you would have discovered that there are two alternate navigation systems that enable you to hop between activities and find your way back without following the exploratory pathway. (Michael’s “map” so to speak)
You might also have discovered that even though this is a flash site, you can bookmark the main page for each activity (awesome!)… for example, in the case of the flocking birds, which is one of four very brief, alternating rollover videos, this link is the home page itself.
And you might also have discovered the “learn more” section full of additional resources. Besides, do you really need someone to give you a *link* to wikipedia “flocking birds”? please.
October 6th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Some of this reminded me of this older “museum-based” exhibition that existed in both the physical and virtual realms simultaneously: Ashes and Snow!
October 7th, 2009 at 4:56 am
Quoting andrew,
“I click through to flocking birds and I’m interested in more information. Any links? Anything at all? How about something as easy as linking to a Wikipedia article on flocking? Nope, nothing at all.”
Wikipedia…. omfg…DId u understand about emergent behaviour, if so u wouldn’t need wiki to define and explain flocking