With the release of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, electronic literature experienced its golden age, and some literary critics predicted the death of print literature. Instead, electronic literature quickly became obsolete. Focusing on the text of Patchwork Girl, which was distributed three different times in three different media (floppy disk, CD-ROM, and flash drive), Cynthia Vu will examine the ways in which electronic literature succeeds and fails.

A broad, multidisciplinary dive into talking about color, inspired by thinking about the intersections between theater lighting design and computer graphics. We will talk about how humans perceive color, additive vs. subtractive color mixing, and the tradeoffs that come with representing colors digitally. Among other things, we will look at the fundamental difference between violet and purple, how red and brown M&Ms look the same under a blue light, and why some colors are impossible to simulate on your computer screen.

Booming sub-basses, warped samples, lush soundscapes -- synthesis is ever present in modern music, from radio hits to the avant-garde, and its deconstruction of sound can be an essential tool and source of creativity for any artist. In this RadLab, Liam Esparraguera will present an introduction to modular synthesis with VCV Rack, a free, open-source Eurorack emulation, and demonstrate some of the possibilities of its open platform.

In this workshop, Wendy Ho will be going over some basic functions in Blender, a powerful open-source 3D software, to create simple 3D models and animations. The workshop will go over the basics of modeling objects, adding texture, lighting objects, and animation. If you've ever wanted to try out Blender or just see how the software can help you create cool graphics, come to this workshop! The workshop is meant for total beginners and non-technical artists, but is open to everyone of all skill levels and experiences.

Maps convey a lot of information about the world at a single glance. As a result, they are increasingly being used in journalism, as compelling visual representations of data and as interactive experiences. In this RadLab, learn about geographic information systems, or map-making software, in the context of telling compelling and informative news stories.

When we think of sneakers, Air Jordans and Chuck Taylors come to mind, but have you ever wondered the environmental impact of owning the latest pair of sneakers? In this RadLab, we'll explore the anatomy of sneakers and how each part is created. From there, we'll discuss the actual carbon footprint produced by the most iconic sneaker brands and the industry as a whole. The ethical component of the industry such as labor regulations will also be touched on. Do "knot" miss this environmentally-centered RadLab!

The world of custom mechanical keyboards is incredibly varied, whether that comes to price, features, form factors, or feel. Edward Yang will give a brief rundown of some of the basics of mechanical keyboards, and then take a deep dive into his current setup. Along the way, he'll offer up some of his own experiences with the ergonomics and programming of custom keyboards in particular.

3D modeling without a mouse!? Using a powerful script-based approach, OpenSCAD presents an exciting alternative to conventional approaches to 3D modeling. In this RadLab, find out about the potential of this elegant solution to a traditionally frustrating task.

Christopher Lawrence will tell a story from the science archives. The story is based off of a paper published by a Professor at the university. Through a compelling mixture of past and present, Christopher hopes to challenge our understanding of the world around us and how we relate to it. This story is about friendship, our understanding of what it means to be a scientist, and a collision between two distant worlds.

Ben Israeli will discuss his experience building robots for Mech Warfare, a competition in which remotely piloted legged robots ("mechs") battle using pellet guns. He'll tell us about the process of designing and building a mech using examples from his decade of experience in the competition, from his early attempts, through to proved competitive designs, and on to innovations he is planning to bring to the next iteration. 

As an individual you are so much more than a single subject or degree. From side hustles to evening classes, you are at your best when you bring your whole self into the workplace. William Anderson, Vice President of Engineering at Forbes, will share his personal work and insights on how learning adjacent disciplines, working on side projects and building creative skills can make you a more effective and more engaged team member, executive and leader. 
 

Scott Wolf will share the basics of p5.js. p5.js is a JavaScript library for developing web graphics that draws directly from Processing and focuses on creative design and accessibility for beginners. Through a very gentle introduction, Scott will introduce the browser page a sketchbook and a few simple concepts used in development of web graphics with p5.js.

In the United States, the map of red versus blue states has become ubiquitous, especially in the weeks around Election Day in early November. While these maps seem really straightforward, in fact there’s quite a bit of subjectivity to them. In this RadLab, we’ll talk about how you can become a discerning map reader through critiquing different decisions that cartographers have made. We’ll finish by talking about how you can get started making your own maps with the freeware mapping software QGIS.

Bed Bugs are notorious pests, but recent work has discovered that bed bugs can maintain multiple versions of mitochondria at both an individual and even cellular level. Although this causes diseases within humans, researchers are turning to the vampiric pest to better understand how they survive with this detrimental state.

Come learn how to play the best tabletop game ever made! In this 1-hour RadLab, Thaddeus Whelan will teach you everything you need to know about how to sit down and experience the group storytelling that is Dungeons and Dragons. 

Curious about what goes on behind the scenes at the StudioLab? In this RadLab, we'll talk about the philosophies, goals, and prototyping misadventures behind the different game initiatives we've planned, including our current and future projects.

What hidden mechanisms lie under the face of a mechanical watch? Why are mechanical watches still in high demand in our current digital age? K. I. shares his fascination with mechanical watches-- how they work, why some are so expensive, and how he scratched his watchmaking itch by designing his own mechanism from scratch.

Ben Israeli fell into amateur astronomy a little over a year ago. Since then, it has grown into a passion and obsession, and he has delved into projects like building a solar filter and photographing the ISS. In this RadLab, he will share about the processes of getting started and making the most out of amateur equipment.

Most commercial hobbyist drones are designed for the best-possible cinematography or racing, while live FPV (first-person view) video quality remains an afterthought. M. G. will share how he designed and built his own DIY drone with two goals: 1) obtaining the most immersive live sensation of flight possible, and 2) achieving a compact form factor, stowable underneath a plane seat for painless “flying” around the world.

Data storytelling and visualization fill a joint space in the data driven economy. In this RadLab, Scott Wolf will share how data storytelling differs from more traditional data visualization, and also share the tools and practices that allow for creating a convincing story from raw data.

Writer Corina Bardoff often uses constraints to structure and scaffold her fiction. This evening, she will introduce the work of the Oulipo (Ouvroir de littérature potentielle) and the Writhing Society, and explain how fruitful constraints can be. In the tradition of Oulipian “translation” and Writhing Society’s communal writ(h)ing, she will lead a Slack-based collaboration to turn emoji into poetry.

What is the “StudioLab”, and how is it going to operate in a virtual fall? Join CST Assistant Director of StudioLab Initiatives D. Pillis and RadLab Coordinator Cynthia Vu in an open conversation about making, spaces, and community building. Cynthia Vu will speak about the programming initiatives and plans for the virtual fall. Pillis will provide an overview of StudioLab technology, fields of interest, and demonstrate tools that will be available for borrowing this fall.

So you want to make some jams, but you want to do it the hard way by using some esoteric software from a techno-anarchist design studio located on a sailboat that travels around the Pacific Ocean? OK. Let me see what I can do for you.

Princeton graduate composer Bora Yoon shares her unique approach to electroacoustic music and interdisciplinary performance, utilizing instruments, objects, and sonic sundries from a variety of cultures and centuries to create a sensory storytelling experience through music and architecture.

Every year, the Princeton Robotics Club competes against other universities in a maze-solving competition, and last year the club hosted this competition for the first time. In order to allow for the competition in the midst of social distancing, Zak Dasaro will share the story of how he's converting the annual competition into a virtual event.

Tan Vu shares his work and ideas as a hobbyist sculptor. He will talk about making art out of everyday objects, how he came to love Dadaism, and what his process of making a sculpture looks like.

Controllers tell us how to play and games tell us how we need to rethink our controllers. This conversation helps us critique designs and come up with new ones. But what about designs that have been virtually unchanged since their debut? Enter the coelacanth of video game controllers: the arcade stick.

Brendan Byrne shares his work as a hobbyist electronic musical instrument designer. He'll talk about his latest creation, Destiny Clock, a complex sequencing device for creating musical patterns from binary signals.