Twitter-like dialogue being incorporated into the Kanaka module

One of the different ways we are putting media into the Kanaka module of the Fort Vancouver Mobile project is a Twitter-like animation that turns historic journals and letters into short bursts of locative information.
The first example is related to a Hawaiian pastor's calling to Fort Vancouver in the mid-1800s. This pastor, William Kaulehelehe, ended up being in the center of an international conflict at the fort, as a loyal British subject ousted from his home on the banks of the Columbia River, as the U.S. Army tried to bring order to the frontier in the Pacific Northwest. That's a much longer story, but my hope with this part of the dialogue is to present the discourse of the period as it influenced his decision to come but also as it reflected attitudes of the period, and rhetorical strategies.
I'm using the Twitter format as an inspiration and basically taking the actual historic text and adapting it to the faux-microblogging format (with design advice from Kapuanani Antonio of the Ke Kukui Foundation).


It will look something like this:

The core script is as follows: 

@RevBeaver: @HudsonsBayCo An ordinary, respectable countryman @FortVancouver, with his wife, might promote good behaviour of Sandwich Islanders

@ChiefFactor John (John McLoughlin): Need a trusty educated Hawaiian of good character to read the scriptures and assemble his people for public worship.

@GerritJudd (adviser to the Hawaiian king): @ChiefFactorJohn Wm. R. Kaulehelehe, @WRKaulehelehe!

McLoughlin: Need him to teach, too. And interpret.

Judd: Not as well-qualified as the first person selected but @WRKaulehelehe has good character, is faithful, industrious, and a skillful teacher. High recommendation.

McLoughlin: 10 pounds per annum

Judd: @WRKaulehelehe in regular standing as a member of the church. Wife accompanies him, no doubt will prove herself useful.

McLoughlin: 40 pounds per annum

Judd: @WRKaulehelehe @MaryKaai Go to the Columbia District? 3-4 weeks voyage away. Parish awaits.

Kaulehelehe: Aloha! @KawaiahaoChurch Aloha! @FortVancouver


More lines and characters will be added in other spots around the site, intending to continue the conversation in a less linear way.

Fort Vancouver Mobile at iDMAa 2010

Fort Vancouver Mobile intern Aaron May (of Washington State University Vancouver's Creative Media and Digital Culture program) is bringing a FVM display to iDMAa, the International Digital Media Arts Association Conference in Vancouver, B.C. next weekend, Nov. 6-7.
This display will include a video that May created, which I will post here soon, and handouts that look like this:

Second round of prototype testing underway

Students in the Creative Media and Digital Culture program at Washington State University Vancouver are giving the Fort Vancouver Mobile app prototype a second round of on-site testing this week. Major improvements have been made already between the first round and this version of the app. Next round of release will be in December, at the Christmas at the Fort special event. A lot of content is in the pipeline right now. Will post updates as they come.

An even better version of the FVM opening animation

Graphic designer Kapuanani Antonio, of the Ke Kukui Foundation, was gracious enough to refine the opening Fort Vancouver Mobile image even more. What do you think now? ... In my opinion, much better. Will turn this into an animation soon to see how it looks.

New FVM logo

Here is the new FVM logo in a still image:

Any suggestions for improvement?

New logo under construction, and animated

I thought we needed something to acknowledge the main Fort Vancouver Mobile partners right when the app loaded. So here is an animated logo, from the original design by Dr. Dene Grigar at Washington State University Vancouver, with input from Greg Shine, chief ranger at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.


Fort Vancouver Mobile draft logo from Brett Oppegaard on Vimeo.


What do you think?

Beta test tonight cancelled, due to rain

I'm not sure why I didn't think of this possibility months ago, when I set this beta testing time and date as 7 p.m. Oct. 9 in the Pacific Northwest. But the rain and cold tonight would make for a poor beta testing environment with mobile phones in an essentially open field, so I have instead given the Fort Vancouver Mobile app to Washington State University Vancouver students in my Digital Storytelling class for testing over the next few days, with a report due by Wednesday. That should continue development of the app at essentially the same pace as planned, and keep all of the phones dry.