Updates

Some limited progress on the hardware side... Finally figured out why all the work trying to get the kinect to work with AS3 was going nowhere; we need to be on CS5, not CS4 as have been testing on for weeks.. Frustrating to find such a core problem but it improves the chances of getting it working all the same.
Audio recording has also been delayed due to equipment issues, but we will be recording next week for sure and are using this week to record test clips to try out different effects and have a comprehensive recording list for next week.
Shooting our final video clips; those of the commander figure giving orders to the User, has also been delayed for the same reasons, but it works out well actually as now we have an extra week to review the just completed rough cut non-interactive edit of the previously shot footage from the Marshes. It looks good, but we have found plenty of holes that can be filled with our foster shoot next week. So glad we had these discoveries.
We have a meetig with the supervisor today, for which we have plenty to show; A new improved interactive application, new interface designs including 3d background animations, and the previously mentioned fixed cut of the video elements.
We will keep you updated right here.

Interaction Hardware/Programming Update

Keith and I have been doing yet more research on utilizing the Kinect for our interactive exhibit, but progress is admittedly slow... It seems most of the work being done (and made available through open source libraries) by online collaborative efforts to hack the hardware has been done through C or C++, both programming languages which we have no experience of. Because the tech is so new, the SDK is only just available, and even this doesn't help us much as we are limited almost entirely to developing in Flash and AS3. The hunt is on for an easily editable library of open-source Flash files available online that work with TiuoKinect... We wont give up until we are sure they are not out there! It seems the online community, although plenty in numbers, is limited to coders and developers, and not many multimedia artists like us.
In light of the difficulties, we are continuing to look at using multitouch touch-screen interface options by publishing from Flash as an Air app. Since we have the backup of the wiiMote/IR lights touch-screen, now the mission on that side is to get this working with multiple IR lights.