Author Archives: ds106 – Mastering the Art of Storytelling

Julius Lawrence Investment Event

The “Event Poster” task was the second assignment from the bank that I decided to complete. I’m expected to make a poster for an event that is coming up, which could be anything I want, so this assignment should be rather straightforward. Above is my finished project. I used the character I created for the course, who is educating young adults and college students about wise financial decisions. He is putting up these event posters throughout New York City in the hopes of drawing in a lot of Columbia and New York University students. As an investment banker, Julius feels that those who lack knowledge about investing or managing their money should be educated. The image I made with DALL-E 3 from ChatGPT 4 has weird characters and misspellings, which I don’t understand. Why is his name Julius Lawrence spelled Julus Lawrennce and investment spelled Iiveestiment? I’m not sure why that is the case, as I provide clear guidelines, and mispronouncing words is not one of them. I hope a large number of people show up for Julius’ investment information session; I think it will be very beneficial!

Go Phillies!

The first task I choose to do from the assignment bank is titled “Your Favorite Photo.” The title speaks for itself, and the instructions are really straightforward: just share your best picture. Above is my favorite picture of the exterior of the Philadelphia Phillies ballpark on a gorgeous summer evening. I have several reasons why this is my favorite picture, but the main one is that I love the Philadelphia Phillies. I have been a lifelong Philadelphia Sports supporter who was always really interested in baseball in general and the Phillies in particular. The Phillies were among the top MLB teams at the time I started following sports, and they even took home a world series title in 2008. Even though baseball games are extremely slow, I always enjoy watching them since it gave me something to do for a few hours while I relax. The second reason this is my favorite picture is that it reminds me of all the wonderful times I had with my dad when we used to go to so many Flyers, Eagles, and Phillies games. Growing up, I had the good fortune to attend Phillies playoff and World Series games, so I have always loved attending the games. This picture simply reminds me of all the wonderful childhood memories that my dad and I were able to create. Last but not least, this is my favorite picture since, come summertime, who doesn’t enjoy baseball games? Nothing like lounging back, enjoying some hot dogs, and watching a baseball game. Go, Phillies!

Will the Real Evlis Presley Please Stand Up

We were given an assignment this week from Middlebury College’s Demystifying AI course. According to Professor Bond, this assignment will require us to use AI to make images, and it will definitely cause us to consider the repercussions of doing so. For this exercise, I used DALL-E 3 from ChatGPT4 and Stable Diffusion, two AI picture generators. I instructed these two AI image generators to create an image of Elvis Presley first. The result is displayed above. I believe that both image generators really hit it out of the park with this one, emphasizing his attractive features, his well-known hair, and even dressing him in authentic Elvis attire. Stable Diffusion produced the image on the right, whereas DALL-E 3 produced the image on the left. Since Elvis Presley is one of the most well-known singers, it is apparent that both AI images featured a microphone and a guitar that fit him. To be honest, I believe Stable Diffusion Elvis is a little closer to the real Elvis, but that’s just me being picky. Overall, both AI picture generators did a fantastic job of adhering to the prompt and covered all the bases for this first prompt.

I instructed both of the AI image generators to create an image of Elvis Presley performing at a concert because the following part of the assignment requires us to add some flair to our prior suggestion. These images are displayed above; DALL-E 3 produced the picture on the left, while Stable Diffusion produced the picture on the right. While the Stable Diffusion image appears to be an older and fatter version of Elvis, the DALL-E image appears to be a young, confident, and up-and-coming Elvis. These two images appear to have slightly distinct thought processes. Still, both pictures had spotlights, fans, and Elvis dressed like a star for a concert.Again, I believe the Stable Diffusion Elvis to be a little more realistic looking, but the DALL-E handled my prompt quite well. All in all, these AI image creators did another excellent job.

In order to complete this assignment, we had to design an AI image of something unusual that we couldn’t locate online, in accordance with our initial request. I requested an image of Elvis Presley dressed like a mermaid from both AI image producers. The two outputs are displayed above; DALL-E 3 produced the picture on the left, and Stable Diffusion produced the picture on the right. Elvis submerged as a mermaid, complete with all of the added elements, is what really made the DALL-E 3 generator shine. Although the steady diffusion image fulfilled my need, I feel that there are too few features in the image.It’s also frustrating that you can’t see Elvis’ entire mermaid tail. However, I believe both of the AI image creators fulfilled the assignment I assigned them.

We must consider everything that the AI picture generators have produced as the assignment’s last phase. The Stable Diffusion image of Elvis as a mermaid was the worst AI image I believed to have been produced, even though none of them were very awful. As I mentioned in my note beneath the image, I believe it is merely devoid of detail. Elvis’s torso with the mermaid tail is partially visible, but it ends abruptly. Though it’s missing several details that I requested to see when I requested this to generate, I still think the photo is nice. The DALL-E 3 picture of Elvis dressed like a mermaid was the one I found to be the greatest. With this one, the AI really showed off its creativity by dressing Elvis normally but adding a pink/blue mermaid tail. He is surrounded by a lot of seal life, which enhances the picture’s ambiance. In the final section of our reflection, we are asked to assess the extent to which we believe AI image generation poses a threat to artists. Because I think there is value in a genuine image, picture, or portrait, I don’t think AI image generation poses a serious danger to artists. While I think AI-generated images are visually appealing, it is evident that they are primarily artificial. I think artists will always have a place in this world because authenticity is what people love most.

Am I the next Chip Kidd?

It’s been interesting to read the article and watch multiple videos on graphic design guru Chip Kidd in order to gain insight into his career and ideas. Chip’s ability to come up with all these diverse visual styles while making it appear easy was astounding throughout the Ted Talk. Even though I’m not a professional designer, I could comprehend his explanations of each design, which were nonetheless incredibly imaginative. Every design he discussed and displayed highlighted its backstory. This certainly has to do with our digital storytelling course; like Chip’s work, everything we do here should have a backstory in addition to being a beautiful visual design. All of Chip’s ideas and viewpoints broadened my understanding of design and made me understand that it’s more than simply an image or cover; each design shapes my perception and tells a story.

The second movie cover design YouTube video I saw gave me a very fascinating behind-the-scenes peek at how meticulously movie covers are created to provide a synopsis of the film. As discussed in the video, the color schemes and every minute element help to convey the genre of the film as well as the message it is attempting to convey. As an avid moviegoer, I never gave much thought to the narrative or message conveyed by the front cover. However, after seeing this video, I can truly appreciate all of the work that goes into making a movie’s visual cover. A movie poster emphasizes the significance of a target audience and harmonizes the cover with the film’s theme, reinforcing Chip Kidd’s theory that design is a language that communicates with the audience rather than just an image.

Watching the creative process behind Stranger Things’ throwback title sequence was a fascinating video, especially for someone who loves the show as much as I do. Imaginary Forces purposefully created a design that evoked a retro 1980s vibe by carefully selecting the typography, colors, and other visual components, as they stressed in the video. Many people have praised the show for its title sequence, calling it an impeccable nod to the 1980s. The design “transports” viewers to a certain moment and evokes those feelings, making it a prime example of how powerful design can be. As Chip mentioned, design needs to be done strategically, and the designer needs to have a clear idea of what they want to convey.

That’s a Wrap on Week 2

Despite being undoubtedly busier than the previous week, I found most of this week to be straightforward.  This week gave me a lot of freedom to express my creativity in my daily creations, assignment bank, and course character design. I began this week’s proceedings on Monday by meeting with Professors Bond and Groom. It was a pleasure to meet them and hear their thoughts on their course.  Regarding the assignments, I began by reading Alan Levine’s essay on how we should be completing our writing assignments. This will be incredibly helpful for the remainder of the semester because I will always have something to refer back to. The first Daily Create of the week, which is available at https://social.ds106.us/@leese27/111801892015318316, is what I went and finished next. The assignment for my first Daily Create (Monday) was to compose our own fibonacci poem. Since ice cream was the first thing that came to me, I chose to write about that.  Tuesday’s Daily Create prompted us to construct our own version of the Voynich manuscript, which you can find here: https://social.ds106.us/@leese27/111808413863558161.  The Wednesday Daily Create, which can be accessed at https://social.ds106.us/@leese27/111813892625066418, instructed us to visit the California weather cams and compose a poem based on what we observed. Then, Thursday’s Daily Create instructed us to create our own internet-based emergency exit sign, which may be found at https://social.ds106.us/@leese27/111819235152635127.Lastly, we were asked to make a “Books For Everyone” design for Friday’s Daily Create, which can be found here: https://social.ds106.us/@leese27/111823029960853269. Every Daily Create was a short, simple task that helped me think creatively and got my mind going. I also had the opportunity to view other class members’ interpretations of the assignment by browsing through other DS106 posts on Mastodon. I next proceeded exploring the assignment bank, browsing all the various categories and discovering a plethora of interesting assignments. I began with a writing assignment that led me to complete a Wellness Check (you can find it at https://peterleese.net/ds106/wellness-check-101/) about myself.  The graphic design of ice cream with the contradictory phrase “Eat Healthy” was my second assignment bank task, which you can find here: https://peterleese.net/ds106/eat-healthy-or-dont/. My most recent assignment, which you can view here: https://peterleese.net/ds106/reality-of-philadelphia-sports/, was another design of Philadelphia Eagles fans in which I discussed the realities of being a Philadelphia sports fan. Following this portion of the week, I continued to update my blog, renaming it “Mastering the Art of Storytelling” because it sounds so much nicer than “Peter Leese’s Domain.” Along with adding a photo to the backdrop and slightly altering the colors, I believe the final product looks much better than it did initially. To increase my involvement, I left comments on several of my classmates’ blogs. It was a great chance to connect with classmates and learn about their work from week two. Creating the course character was the next project for this week, and it was a lot of fun.I created Julius Lawrence, a Monroe, Louisiana-based investment banker. This semester, I hope to write a lot about Julius since it’s wonderful to have a character that I completely created. After that, I read The Techno-Optimist and made comparisons and contrasts with Iron Man. Dr. Oblivion agreed with most of my comments when I questioned him about my response to The Techno-Optimist Manifesto. With Dr. Oblivion’s assistance, I completed rewriting my movie review following that assignment. 

I had no issue completing the assignments this week. I did, however, find it a little difficult to generate ideas when working on the Daily Creates. Making the Course Character was my favorite part of the process. It was a lot of fun to create my own character because I could give him traits that I wish I possessed. Hopefully, this semester will allow me to interact with Julius Lawrence more. 

To be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing. I believe that I fulfilled each task to the best of my ability and in a unique way. What will we do with our course character in the future is the one question I have. Other than that, I have no questions. Right now, there aren’t any significant problems with my work; everything was completed correctly.

Film Review Take #2

At the bottom of this blog is my original film review, but here are my new thoughts after speaking with Dr. Oblivion: 

While Dr. Oblivion did provide many valuable inputs, my original review does talk about several things that align exactly with what Dr. Oblivion says. My review acknowledges the positive aspects of AI, highlighting how J.A.R.V.I.S. assists Iron Man in his various duties and contributes to his suit. Dr. Oblivion emphasizes how humans should be appreciating the benefits of AI aligns with the comments I made about J.A.R.V.I.S. and its role in enhancing Iron Man’s abilities. My review takes note of the fact that J.A.R.V.I.S. enables Iron Man to realize the full potential of what he can be as a superhero. This lines up with Dr. Oblivion’s idea that AI can empower individuals and enhance their capabilities. 

When asking Dr. Oblivion to explore the deeper themes of AI in Iron Man, he first delves into the portrayal of J.A.R.V.I.S. in the movie and how there are dangers to the development of AI. What I didn’t check in my film review, that Dr. Oblivion noted, is that the movie highlights the ethical responsibility associated with creating AI machines, showcased by J.A.R.V.I.S. as an AI assistant. This aligns with exactly what Dr. Oblivion said above that it is important to be cautious of potential AI advancements that are in theory there to “benefit society”.  

During my original film review, I talked about my personal connection to Iron Man and my appreciation for how Robert Downey Jr. plays the role. While that was certainly insightful information, nevertheless I should have added more insights to add depth to my analysis of J.A.R.V.I.S.’s significance. Specifically, I should have emphasized how the film’s portrayal of AI echoes contemporary discussion on the responsible development and use of AI.

In summary, by incorporating Dr. Oblivion’s thoughts into my writing, about the themes of Ai in the first Iron Man movie, I am therefore providing a more comprehensive analysis for the assignment. Dr. Oblivion’s insights combine technical aspects, ethical considerations, and the impact of AI on human society. 

Original Discussion Board Post:

I decided to watch the AI-related movie Iron Man. The artificial intelligence (AI) in the Iron Man film is J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System). Although I have already seen this Marvel film, it seems to get better and better every time I see it. This movie holds a particular place in my heart because I was just a kid when I first saw Iron Man with my dad and was in awe of everything that he was capable of. I think part of the reason I love Marvel so much now is because this was the first Marvel movie I ever watched! It never gets old seeing him construct his first Iron Man suit while under terrorist captivity. Needless to say, this was only the first of his several recognizable Iron Man outfits that the world has grown to love. Growing older has made me even more of an admirer of Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Iron Man; nobody plays the character more clever and witty than him. This particular film has a significant part in the Iron Man series and a bigger part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

As previously mentioned, J.A.R.V.I.S. is the primary artificial intelligence system utilized in Iron Man. To put it briefly, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, developed J.A.R.V.I.S. as a tool to assist him in a variety of duties. All of the data and information that Tony Stark can observe in real time while wearing his suit is referred to as artificial intelligence. Iron Man can fly, fire weapons, and defend against attacks without the need for manual intervention thanks to the AI built into his armor. Throughout the film, it is also demonstrated that J.A.R.V.I.S. can develop from Iron Man’s experiences and change in response to feedback. Tony Stark communicates with J.A.R.V.I.S. through voice command, which is essentially AI as well. Finally, one application of AI is the way J.A.R.V.I.S. protects Tony Stark’s technologies and suit. Overall, J.A.R.V.I.S. offered a wide variety of AI throughout the film, which is particularly impressive considering that, at the time the film was released in 2008, not much of this technology was existent. The Iron Man character was able to realize his full potential as a superhero thanks to J.A.R.V.I.S.

The Techno-Optimist Manifesto vs Iron Man

The Techno-Optimist Manifesto contrasts with the mainstream view of AI, as mentioned in the week two assignments. As most of us have undoubtedly seen from the movies we’ve watched, AI is nearly universally portrayed negatively in society and is frequently held responsible for a variety of problems. The manifesto emphasizes that technology is the foundation of the world and presents AI in a good way. Their views on AI are reflected in the manifesto, which also emphasizes how it may change the world. 

The movie I watched last week for my DS106 AI Film Review, was Iron Man 1 which includes J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark’s AI assistant. The manifesto and Iron Man share some similarities relating to AI, nevertheless there are also contrasts between the two. The first common theme I recognized between the manifesto and Iron Man is that they both display a positive view of AI. J.A.R.V.I.S. showed that AI advancements can be a means to improve human life in the ability to solve problems, which was similarly described in the manifesto. In both the manifesto and movie AI is portrayed in a positive light. The manifesto talks about how AI can be used as a problem solver that can help save lives and contribute to several ways of life. Similarly as I talked about above, J.A.R.V.I.S., is a highly functioning and helpful assistant to Tony Stark, showing the capabilities and positive side of AI. In my opinion both the manifesto and Iron Man harp on the theme of technological abundance. The manifesto wants AI to continue on its upward trend to make everything abundant, similarly Tony Stark has the ability to create advanced technology that enhances his capabilities as Iron Man. 

On the contrary, there are certainly differences in some of the themes presented in the manifesto compared to Iron Man. The first thing I thought of while reading through the manifesto was that it is a real-world document that promotes a positive image on AI and how it can practically impact the world. Whereas, Iron Man, while a great movie, is a fictional movie in Marvel that portrays AI and advanced technology just a part of Iron Man’s story. The manifesto also does not just consider AI as a means of technology, but rather a universal problem solver. The manifesto states that AI could help fields like medicine and help enhance other human capabilities. In contrast, J.A.R.V.I.S. is more simply a tool that acts as Iron Man’s assistant. While the manifesto definitely believes we should be optimistic for the future of AI, it doesn’t fail to recognize that there are certainly ethical considerations. Iron Man mainly highlights the positive aspects of J.A.R.V.I.S., failing to really show the possible ethical implications and the responsibility that comes with advanced technology. Going back to my point of realism vs. fiction, the manifesto outlines a vision as a material philosophy, with the belief that the future will be better because of it. Again, with Iron Man being a fictional movie purely for entertainment purposes, uses AI simply as a means in the superhero narrative, which contributes to the entertainment of the movie. 

To conclude, both The Techno-Optimist Manifesto and Iron Man share some similar positive views on AI, however the manifesto is a real-word document advocating for a specific perspective, while Iron Man is a fictional portrayal of AI within the context of a superhero movie.

After asking Dr. Oblivion what he thought about my reflection, he initially says I have made quite the effort to compare and contrast these two sources. He goes on to agree with me that the manifesto paints a positive picture of AI while Iron Man showcases the wonders of Tony Stark’s AI assistant, J.A.R.V.I.S. Dr. Oblivion focuses on the fact that both sources seem to portray AI in a positive light. He then gives examples from my above paragraphs, manifesto highlights the potential of AI as a problem solver, while J.A.R.V.I.S. displays the capabilities and benefits of advanced technology. Dr. Oblivion then goes into the differences of the two, the manifesto is a real world document promoting a positive image of AI’s practical impact while Iron Man is just a fictional movie in the Marvel universe. He finishes with, the manifesto also emphasizes AI as a universal problem solver where J.A.R.V.I.S. is just a handy tool for Iron Man. Overall, Dr. Oblivion seemed to be fairly satisfied with my answer, even reiterating lots of the points I made throughout my reflection.  

The Life of Julius Lawrence

Introducing Julius Lawrence, the course character I have created. Julius is 27 years old, having been born on November 7, 1996. Born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, Julius is the son of Gregg and Nicole Lawrence. Gregg had a basketball in Julius’ hands since he was a small child, and by the time he was six years old, he had fallen in love with it. However, Julius was a master of numbers, therefore this does not imply that he did not care about his academics. Later, Julius attended the University of Virginia to play basketball and study finance.

Instead of playing professional basketball after graduating, Julius chose to pursue a career in investment banking. This was the ideal job for Julius because he wanted to work in finance and help others at the same time. At the moment, Julius is single and resides in New York. However, he is actively looking for a girlfriend in his free time. Considering his blue eyes, long brown hair, 6 foot 1 inch stature, and handlebar mustache, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Even at his young age, he exudes elegance in his appearance. Having a degree is his greatest asset, thus he is really proud to be a UVA Cavalier. Meet Julius, everyone!

Reality of Philadelphia Sports

I choose to make a sports poster for the final DS106 Assignment Bank task. But I believe I approached this task from a different perspective than most. I was considering various possibilities for this sports poster that would be Philadelphia sports themed since I’m an avid Philadelphia sports fan. In the end, I asked AI to produce a graphic that depicted how Americans saw Philadelphia Eagles supporters. Two things you can always count on at an Eagles game: the majority of the fans are screaming and wearing their midnight green jerseys. Though the Eagle in the beack appears to be preparing to land on a fan, this graphic design captures the essence of what happens during an Eagles game quite accurately.

Why did I make this graphic? 

Many communities and sports fans refer to Philadelphia sports fans, especially Eagles supporters, as these enraged violent monsters. Like any fanbase, this is undoubtedly the case for some members, but the majority of us are just regular sports fans who want to see our team succeed. We, the fans from South Jersey and Philadelphia, are nothing more than passionate individuals. We have a tendency to show everyone our true selves, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Sports Poster

Eat Healthy…..or Don’t?

The second assignment I have decided to complete for the assignment bank is “stay at home – living is dangerous,” which I have attached below. For this project, a graphic of some sort that would contradict the image’s intended meaning had to be created. I used AI to create an image of ice cream with the satirical words “Eat Healthy” for this project.

Why Did I Create This?

All I tried to do was think of a funny idea that I could work on and that many people could identify with. I personally know a lot of people who think eating healthily is important even if they rarely say no to a sweet treat like ice cream. All humor aside, I believe that a lot of overweight Americans face this issue on a daily basis. There are those who know they should eat healthily but find it tough to say no to desserts and ice cream.

Stay Home – Living is Dangerous