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Derived from combining "vignettes" with "vision", vizettes.com
is a dynamic and diverse collection of interactive works from the creative studios of Rich Coffey. See
definitions ...
What's this site all about?
The intro page sums things up pretty nicely in cased you missed it... View »
Assorted Sub Sites
Over the years, this site became a hodgepodge of a variety of projects, many of which have been purposely built to exist as separate entities from the main site. In July of 2021, the site was updated to be mobile-friendly and much of the old and outdated content was finally removed.
About Vizettes
Always a strong advocate of online learning through interactive multimedia, vizettes.com offers a large array of interactive learning projects as well as a few selected examples of digital craziness! Browse and enjoy...
Thoughts on Interactivity...
(random quote on page load)
Point & Click power
Interactive media can change a traditionally passive spectator media experience
—reading a magazine, watching T.V., etc.—into an active participatory exchange.
Point & click exploration requires dynamic interplay between the user and
the media.
Viewer Engagement
Interactivity is something that cannot exist without the viewer. A system
is set, with more or less flexibility, the user engages that system, and
in the process of their engagement the work is formed. In doing this, something
very interesting happens: the artist ceases to become the sole author of
the work, and the user becomes the sole creator, and an integral part of
the medium itself.
So if a piece does not exist before the audience's engagement, only a framwork
of systems and variables, then what are the politics of this medium? How
does that compare to the previous popular model of fine art? What would happen
if a piece of art dealing with love or the subtlety of human interaction
become just as captivating to play with as a Sony Playstation? The implications
are worth thinking about...
James Paterson
The Ubiquitous Pervasive Web
The web for many has become a important platform for disseminating information and voicing personal opinions on the world cascading around us. But Social Media?
Social media is slowly killing real activism and replacing it with ‘slacktivism’
"Although social media activism brings an increased awareness about societal issues, questions remain as to whether this awareness is translating into real change. Some argue that social sharing has encouraged people to use computers and mobile phones to express their concerns on social issues without actually having to engage actively with campaigns in real life. Their support is limited to pressing the ‘Like’ button or sharing content." Source »
On the other hand, online learning through interactive multimedia has proved to be very effective especially during the recent home-bound isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Clearly online time alone cannot provide many of the informal social interactions a "live" learning experience can, but studies have shown interactive activities force engagement by all participants resulting in sharpened focus and heightened knowledge retention.
Web Wonders...
Today, net surfers can roam the web and gather data at a scale and speed unprecedented in history. Never before has it been as easy to pinpoint specific information you're looking for or simply veer off on a tangent--at a moment's notice--to follow a new-found pathway of interest.
Maps, inherently visual, work wonderfully as interactive info graphics.
Learning about railroads, location-specific history, linguistic groupings
or whatever can all be greatly enhanced by user-driven actions exposing
clickable info.
And sometimes just a fascination with mouse events driving a seemingly
random sequence of events provide a kind of "poetry to the eye." The
interconnected kinetic aspect of "motion-linked" objects has
taken the 60s lava lamp to a whole new dimension of user-controlled psychedelia
to the web...
vignette
- a decorative design or small illustration used on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter.
- an engraving, drawing, photograph, or the like that is shaded off gradually at the edges so as to leave no definite line at the border.
- a decorative design representing branches, leaves, grapes, or the like, as in a manuscript.
- any small, pleasing picture or view.
- a small, graceful literary sketch.
vision
- the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.
- the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur.
- an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency: a heavenly messenger appearing in a vision. Compare hallucination (def. 1).
- something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience: The vision revealed its message.
- a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation: visions of wealth and glory.
Synonyms
- perception, discernment.
- apparition, phantasm, chimera.
interactive
- a two-way system acting one upon or with the other.
interaction
- the direct effect that one entity has on another a mutual or reciprocal action or influence
- the transfer of energy
exploration
- the investigation of unknown regions
- to travel for the purpose of discovery
- a careful systematic search