The PD patch

Not sure if we're supposed to post or not. But, the pd patch we had to download was interesting. I really liked that most of the sounds reminded me of an old 8-bit game or an early CG game from the mid '90s. It was enormously complex, I doubt that I could ever do that. Any way, I thought it was cool.

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

Not sure if this is considered responsive arts, but it's cool any way. It's done by this guy on youtube, I think his name is James Cochrane...but I digress. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht96HJ01SE4&feature=player_embedded

The Universal Pentatonic Scale

Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation, at the event "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus", from the 2009 World Science Festival, June 12, 2009.

Response to Augmented Space (KATREENA DYREK)

This article made me think about how technology has changed over time. I thought of the way things used to be for my parents and grandparents and how things have changed over my lifetime. In a span of 20 years I've seen computers go from a green screen to something that has a crisp life like image that you almost cant leave home without. Now we have the cell phone which is a miniature version of the computer. GPS comes into play and is the next jump in technology. Now we are able to track what we want and be tracked ourselves. With that comes our responsive arts that takes the newest technologies and manipulates them into an art form. Artists now use me and you as pawns in their pieces. We can now touch screens and use our phones to control things from afar (Blinkenlights).
Reading about the different artists that changed the playing field of art put some things in perspective. Looking up the artists seeing their work and the time period they were produced made it more interesting. I liked looking at Rodchenko's work because it had a lot of social commentary within it. He made posters did photography and sculpted. All of their work lead up to the art and technology we have today.
In Architecture, technology plays a big roll. Now architects have to think of media and how it will be placed within the space. Places like shopping centers, airports, hotels, and street corners all use projections, LCD screens, HDTV cameras to stimulate consumers. Surveillance and GPS are used to track people and is used to interact with them weather it be advertisement art or just a functional aspect of the building.
The same is happening in the gallery world. Artists are using the space around them to the fullest. Anything goes in the gallery and anything can be manipulated and used for the means of expression. Projectors are used in made up viewing rooms for people to soak up their work. Lights powered by sensors make the viewer apart of the piece. Cameras can surveillance people without them knowing so that the artist has control over where people go and what happens to them.
Artists are thinking like architects and are using technology and space to create work. Architects have to be creative and work with layers of data that need to be clean and flawless. The two mediums are different but have intentions that are similar. Technology is glueing them together and making them work together.

The Poetics of Augmented Space

What was interesting about the article was how he dicussed the "general dynamics" of spacial forms. It helped me realize that it has always been here on earth for many years. It can be seen just about everywhere usually in multimedia form. I can connect to this article alot because it envovles things that "everyday" people tend to see. Multimedia and subjects related to the topic stands out the most in today's society. Things like this are typically the norm in society so the advances that a person makes through technology only continues to grow alot better.

This article also helped me realize how people interact with physical space such as the usage of cellphones and the popular usage of computers. Without technology this far advanced, things would be alot different. Cars wouldn't have LCD screens to show them how to get from point A to point B. People would be forced to "not" use atm machines and find an alternative to deposit and withdraw money. It almost seemed to me that at one point in the article the author, Lev Manovich, was comparing physical space to what many of today's computer do. I thought it was interesting on how he explained physical space is related to data space. I concured that these to connected in a very invovled way.

For example, Manovich states "data space: extracting data from it (surveillance) or augmenting it with data (cell space computer displays)" The article helped me gain the importance of how data can be used in physical space, which in a way helps technology advance. Just by me being alive today allows me to witness first hand how rapidly technology changes.

~Claude Dockery~

Augmentation

Its fascinating how people of the 20th century try to create something that seemed impossible for them to achieve like the "virtual world". People in the 90's experimented the phenomenon of cyberspace by changing the media into an "electronica suburb"as Norman Klein expressed. Its funny how the military used to use the internet for video surveillance purposes but now the people of today use the internet as a form of entertainment and checking e-mails; what makes the history of the internet most interesting is how a simple idea can create a bridge of opportunities for advertisement and communication. Most cities are decorated with bill boards and advertisements, but people don't stop and think about the augmented space it takes from the city. Augmentation is every where starting from cell phones to flat screen T.V.s to PSP's because it takes space and it varies the size of the object. What these object have in common is that these electronic devises emerge you away from reality and introduces you into another world that interprets something similar to reality but in a more fantasy matter. Augmentation is present in many places like in architecture and in the arts because of the physical space and sometimes the use of the media.
   This reading is interesting because we are surrounded by many things that we sometimes forget to appreciate whats around us. There are many technological advances throughout the years in which there is no doubt that this type of media would progress in the future.

Hanslee Garcia

Augmented Space!

From the history to many different examples, Lev Manovich explained in great depth every aspect of augmented space. The essay was very difficult to read and comprehend. Once I reached the end of the essay two or three times I finally received what Manovich was telling the audience about the physical space superimposed with data that can sometimes alter very rapidly.

What I gained from this essay is that the notion of using data from devices that can analyze a physical space and displaying them back on a specified area gives artist, including architects, an infinite range of work to produce. Just between creating a tangible interface or an intellectual space the artist can portray many different themes in different styles.

As said in the article, this can sometimes be challenging for artist. As for me I see it as an opportunity to create many exciting works of art.

- deonte welton

The poetics of augmented space

The Article itself was quite an eye opener to me, it revealed that data in all forms is perceived differently through the manner in which it is displayed. The article was interesting because it explained how architecture can support networks of data, which seemed like a new and exciting frontier, smart buildings that would assist in displaying and networking data.

Its interesting that the article explained the history of how this vision of data came to be, it seems like right now we are in the middle of the first original ideas and the actual realization of such a revolutionary method of perceiving data.

While the practical applications are endless and beneficial, they were brought upon by art, and design. Art that ventured from just virtual 2-d into virtual 3-d, and now it has broken the barrier between both dimensions creating a new way of perceiving not only art data but practical data as well. the article brings the whole process into focus.

Edward Dignan

Thoughts of Augmented Space

As English is my third language, after Ukrainian and Russian, I had to look up the meaning of the word Augmented, which I found out means improved, increased, better, etc. After I finished the reading I would like to change the term augmented to the opposite of the meaning as disabling, controlled, diminishing, artificial. I understand the reason why the author used that word as information is readily available to us and much more accessible, many places we're being bombarded with images and information, but I don't necessarily see that as beneficial or useful. It's quite the contrary, as constant increased surveillance and information being picked up from us to be converted into info making choices for us or at least trying to. There's a lack of control and freedom, also a lack of self discovery or discovery of the world. I believe that people make themselves better by discovering and learning new things themselves, not a screen telling them and showing them information. Another sad realization is that augmented space is mostly used for advertising purposes, such as malls or places like Times Square, which is basically an outdoor mall in NYC. A few interesting examples of how artists use augmented space were mentioned and public projects as well, but those are rare in our everyday lives.
The most interesting part of the article I found was towards the end and also dealing with advertisement. It discussed the Prada store being designed like a church, which I thought was the saddest part for me. In todays age people worship and idealize the images they see on the screen, they are defined by these objects they buy and clothes they wear trying to become their idols; whereas, before in history people were defined by the God believed in, fought and died fro their freedom and beliefs. Now God is replaced by these material possesions like trendy clothes, fancy electronics and these things are what people strive for, long for and believe in. I believe this is a huge problem in today's society and I'm not exactly sure what a solution would be. I enjoyed reading this article though it brought up some very key points.

~Veronika Trishyna

Apparently, you're never alone.

I’m currently inhaling little tiny bits of internet that are whirring and whooshing around my dorm room. Data, images, text messages, phone conversations, music, and all other forms of digital “stuff” is hanging in the air around me, quietly invading this green earth, broken down into fragments that I often wonder are nothing more than figments of our imaginations. Of course, this is preposterous. The very fact I’m posting on this blog is a testament to the permeation of Augmented Space, and the existence of the digital world.

I loved this reading. Well, as much as a person can “love” a ridiculously long essay about a slightly confusing topic. But, I was engaged from the beginning, curious about this new subject that has such relevance in daily life and in our futures. I had never really thought about the layer of information that blankets most of our spaces. Cell phones and portable internet allow data to be transmitted almost anywhere, and the result is this new concept of Augmented space, physical reality overlaid with dynamic information.

Architecture is undergoing many renovations in thinking as of late, with the sudden realization that the earth’s resources must be conserved. Additionally, architecture is changing, as I found out, to accommodate the now needed flow of digital information. We’re becoming increasingly technological, and pretty soon the Jetsons will be envious of the fabulous new ways information is provided to the masses, via electronic displays and other such gadgets. Outside the art world, where augmented space is being used to create really cool installtions, I am curious to see how the new dimmesion and use of physical surroundings will impact our daily lives in the future. It is already so prevalent, yet hardly anyone has considered exactly what is happening each time we update our facebook status, or check BusTracker from our iPhones.

All this to say, the article captured my attention and imagination, raising a curiosity and awareness about the new (to me) term of Augmented Space. I want to see how media changes over the course of my lifetime, and am excited now to tune in to how humans are coexisting with all of this dynamic data streaming around us.

Augmented Space

This reading about augmented space was very informative, not only are there many different forms of augmented space but then it is further explained through various examples that really help me wrap my mind around certain topics. For instance the way that the writer explains the combination surveillance, cell space, and electronic displays. It is explained that these different aspects of a space are constantly interacting with one another. Surveillance is explained as the cameras that are constantly watching people throughout their everyday lives, on street corners, cabs, and while in businesses. These add augmentation by 'extracting data' from the space and then processing the information. Then there is the cell space which is the interface operated by a hand held device of some kind such as a cell phone or a PDA. This works in conjunction with the electronic displays which are data information that can be presented on a thin sheet of plastic if so desired. This two are working together since they are both the actual 'augmenters of the data.' These then all explained to be working together to present a space to a view that is interacting with the view personally because they are being feed the visual data while they are being monitored by the cameras.
There was another part of this paper that I really found interesting, when the writer is explaining the difference between immersion and augmentation. It is explained as immersion is in affect when a viewer is watching a movie or playing a video game on a large TV and they are so focused on what they are viewing that they are unaware of their surrounding space, and it mention even speech is something that can seemingly slip the mind. This is opposed to the way that a person could be playing a game on a phone or watching a movie on an iPod, and in this case the viewer is still completely aware of the surrounding space of which the view occupies. This is because the interaction is on a smaller scale which is somewhat less affective when it comes to capturing the entire focus of a view. This explanation was really interesting to me because it is completely understandable and yet something that i have never thought about or realized before. i really enjoyed how easy it was to understand these complex interactions by the way the writer was able to constantly give detailed examples and i would not mind reading another by this author.

-Peter McGregory

Argumented Space

I kind of had a hard time getting into this essay, however, as a studio arts major I liked how the author tied in how the concept of the white cube as gallery space has changed over time. For many years art was two dimensional and, for the most part, hung only on the walls of a space. Today it's fairly common to visit an art gallery and an artist transform an entire room, but, as the author mentions the progression of using an entire space to display work was a slow process and didn't really come about until the 1960's when minimalist sculptors began thinking of the gallery as a 3d space. "Finally, the white cube becomes a cube – rather than just a collection of 2-D surfaces. "

Augmented Space

This article was difficult to read, to say the least. And I felt that his point could have been made much sooner along in the essay. Interesting enough, he brought to my attention the never-ending growth of augmented space, virtual reality, and intelligent spaces to my attention. As I was reading the article I was constantly recalling experiences that I have had throughout my lifetime. As an 18 year old, I grew up with the abundance of new technologies sprouting up around me and I remember clearly going to Disney Quest in downtown Chicago when I was 10 and being amazed by this technology “I can build my own rollercoaster----And then I can pretend to ride it!” (8-year-old Emily).
I would have never thought that 8 years later I would be studying this subject matter would be part of the focus in my college career. I also found it interesting the author really illuminates the fact that this creative knowledge will continue to affect our world for the rest of our lives, whether it is in architecture, visual arts or advances in computer technologies and research, we’ll never live a day without it.

Emily Racine

Downtown Light Installation

There is a great light installation on Randolph in between Dearborn and LaSalle. I've seen it in the early evening when I was driving downtown. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stop for very long but it is a really nice site to see. I couldn't find any information about who installed it or how long it will be up for but i did include a link that shows a video of what I'm talking about. Check it out! It's just off the blue line if you get off at Washington and walk north on Dearborn then go west on Randolph.

Spatial Research

Beauty, Olafur Eliasson, 1993

When asked about his art works, Olafur Eliasson says, “I think in my work, the way you engage in the work is very constitutional for what you then see or perceive or experience.” I think that that is a very fundamental idea to all of Olafur Eliasson's works of art. His works constantly invite the viewer to not just see the piece as one would a painting, but to experience the works; to become a part of the environment.

Olafur experiments with this idea in many ways. He creates pieces such as Beauty, which is a dark room that has a spotlight near the ceiling and a fine mist of water showering down to the floor. The spotlight shining through the water creates a rainbow, which not only is incredibly beautiful, but is also completely interactive and unique to each person. Not only can you walk through the rainbow; touch the water; feel it on your skin, but also the rainbow appears in slightly different places within the room depending on the perspective of the person looking at it. Beauty was my favorite piece of Eliasson's that I saw at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.


The thing that I find most intriguing about Eliasson's work is the idea that his works are so collective, so universal. Whether he is creating an artificial, yet stunningly beautiful, environment, or augmenting the actual environment by creating waterfalls off of man-made bridges, Eliasson never fails to create incredibly interesting experiences that are meant to be experienced as a group; unifying his diverse audience.


I enjoyed seeing, feeling and being in Olafur Eliasson's works at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to experience the works of such a unique artist.

Smart laser Tracking Technology

Smart Laser Scanner For Human-Computer Interface - A funny movie is a click away


This laser tracking technology offers a precise method of gathering data from one or two points, it can also record three dimensional data by tracking not only the x and y axis but the depth as well. Edward Dignan.

Olafur Eliasson

being a fan of olafur eliasson, since when i read about his weather project, i was really excited to see his show at the mca.

my favorite works was Room for one colour 1997 and Inverted Berlin sphere 2005.

Room for one colour 1997- when i first walked threw the hall way i thought i lost my vision for second. then i noticed how i didn't see any color other then black/gray tones. i was amazed with how the yellow fluorescent lights could play around with the viewers visions.

Inverted Berlin sphere 2005- when i saw this i was really excited and happy at the same time. reading eliassons books i saw pictures before and wished that when ever i got the chance i wanted to see it in person.

i loved how the reflection of the light against the triangular mirrors casted a beautiful shadows on the walls.

Nature Meets City

Ever wonder if mother nature could thrive within an urban environment? The interactive public installment is set up in Adelaide, Australia and its purpose is to find out if nature could survive and grow in an city setting. Amensalism refers to how an organism is affected by another being, so each organism within the installment was effected by the pedistrians shadows, and the longer the shadow stayed there, the more they decomposed and the more noise they encountered, the slower they spread. So the lichen grows quickly, but is destroyed by every passerby and city noise.

Emily Racine

I thought the article was interesting. The talk of virtual reality was something that caught my attention. I remember in the mid nineties a few movies coming out that capitalized on the use of virtual reality as the main theme of the movie. These movies are probably my only experience with virtual reality.

I can see augmented space being in used in many potential applications. Military uses seem to be a good fit for augmented space type enhancements. Night vision goggles and optical sights would be more effective if they included some sort of Heads Up Display (HUD) like we see on fighter jets. A ground troop could greatly use an integrated laser range finder for example and have distance to target calculations displayed in his night vision goggles.

Within the near future we should also be seeing better computer interfaces as a result of augmented space considerations. I also think we will be using more networked devices at home and perhaps some sort of home graphical user interface. For instance maybe we will be able to control everything in our home with a touch screen LCD TV. Temperature controls, appliances and etc.

Paul Chan (The 7 Lights)

This is one of seven projected video pieces created by Paul Chan. This project began in 2005 and began showing in 2007 (when he finished the last light). He manipulates computer technology, light and imagery to create works of art. He uses silhouettes and intense color to portray destruction and rebirth.

Lecture On Augmented Space

In all honesty, when someone writes an essay that long with language that is above the understanding of a typical American student, it means that the writer is angry about something, is over compensating for something, or both. There had to be an easier and shorter way of explaining his opinion rather than a long winded lecture that MERELY SOUNDS INTELLIGENT. However, something was to be learned from the writer's observations in regards to augmented space, virtual realities, etc. Personally, I have never looked at my living space or the basic technological advances I use every day such as bluetooth tech. or the internet, as augmented spaces or virtual realities. Even things such as speakers placed in a room he noted can be augmented spaces. Well, I can see some application to my current coursework in regards to this reading, but hearing it in this format was droll at best. It was hard to want to continue reading it. It was an eye opener once its main point was made. It is true that one day almost all space around us shall be composed of screens or monitors of colossal and microscopic sizes where entire buildings will be an interactive and ever changing space. The same can be said of side walks or roads. This future is enticing and is already unfolding in cities like Vegas, New York, and Tokyo. 

Agumented Space

This reading on agumented space was very interesting. One part in particular that I thought he explained pretty well helped draw the fine line of what is considered virtual reality and agumented reality. From what I understood virtual reality is considered a completely different experience in which you sort of become part of your surroundings, this space consumes you. On the other hand he explained that agumented space is the integration of your real space with the technology in some way. He also describes the gray area of these opposite realities, but sometimes it is hard to differentiate. He made the comparison of the movie theater being a virtual reality to watching a movie on your cell phone as agumented reality. To me it seems that it can change. He made it sound like if you are aware of your surroundings outside then it is merely agumented but if you are unaware it is virtual reality. Does size really matter in this though? I feel that if you have your headphones in even if you have a small screen I think you can be taken to the virtual reality, not being aware of anything besides the alternate space you are watching. Later he describes the Jewish Museum which I found very interesting. Not only do they create virtual and agumented spaces with this technology, but how they can take the data and make physical space changes that is really a cool concept. Overall this reading was very informative and really helped me to understand the different ways this technology is being used and how it creates endless possibilities for artists.

in regards to the very long reading

That was a very long reading. I was not exactly sure where the writer was going on about. Something about a space within a space or something...or how a space becomes a different kind of space once it's been introduced by electronic elements and what have you. But yeah, I hope we talk more about this in class...because I'm pretty confused. I guess my main concern from all this is "Why does any of this matter?"

augmented space

liked the part when he talked about the two contemporary artists/ figures Janet Cardiff and Daniel Libeskind.

it was much more easier for me to understand the statement, "overlaying dynamic data over the physical space."

for me it was hard keeping up with his examples about augmented space. looking at visual examples, like the Jewish Museum Berlin, helped me to grasp some bits and pieces of what the author was trying to explain.

Augmented Space

I thought the reading was very interesting. But the problem I had was his idea of augmented space. This might be because the way the author explained it or me just not really following his examples.

I liked how the author used artist works as examples, especially the piece done by Daniel Libeskid, it sounds really cool.

I also think that the surveillance section reminded me of that novel 1985, the whole “big brother is watching you” thing always makes me shudder. I think constant surveillance is dumb while I know that some people would like that idea to combat crime. But I digress, His other statements of comparing the TV to the movie screen was strange too.

I know this is short, but I don’t know what else to say. But, overall I enjoyed the reading.

Augmented space

So augmented space can be described anywhere from the data our cell phones receive to the data behind the computer screens we look at?

The part of the surveillance and recording of a persons actions kinda scared me. Reminded me of Brave New World, Big Brother stuff. Makes me ask where are we trying to get with all this technology. It is said that cavemen worked 4 hours a day to gather the necessities of life (food, shelter, clothing), the rest of the day spent on exploring the mind, inventing everything from simple games/sports to innovations to make life easier. Just like us you may think, we invent and innovate to have?make? progress. But although we have cars, microwaves, ready made dinners that the cavemen might not even dreamed of we work more. To gather the necessities of life the average individual works 8+ hours a day. After work most people are too tired to do anything besides watch Tv or sit on the computer (yes, I know everyone does not go home and watch Tv). Didn't man kind invent and innovate for thousands of years to make life "easier"?. The direction we are taking with technology scares me.

Im not saying all progress is bad, medical research and new ways to gather clean energy amazes me.

I might have gotten off topic but this is what the article made me think about, excuse my writing errors Im still in English 070 :D

Augmented Space

Overall I thought the reading was very interesting and thought-provoking. I think the new idea of augmented space is really interesting, yet hard to follow on how exactly it works. The media advertising we see in places such as Time Square is really cool, and I never knew that it came from this idea of augmented space. The Prada store that was built with electronic displays in its architecture is very fascinating to me, because it's this new, contemporary way to promote and advertise, which leaves a new, exciting effect on people. Furthermore, the experimentation of multimedia design in places such as concerts and clubs is very amusing to me, because I think it is so cool how a surreal environment like that is created. I think it will be intriguing to see how our culture continues to change with technology such as this.

Olafur Eliasson at The MCA

Modern art is typically a two way street; Its either garbage that anyone with hands and eyes can do or it is revolutionary, unique, requires skill, and exceptional execution. In the latest MCA sculpture exhibit we see the best that modern sculpture has to offer. The artist, Olafur Eliasson demonstrates geometric precision with various materials and a manipulation of light on a grand scale. One such work which is the crown jewel of the exhibit called, One Way Colour Tunnel is a functional archway composed of one-sided colored glass and stainless steel supports. The colors reflect off of one another creating shades and tints from natural light. All of the sculptures play with light in some form or another and it adds to the intrigue.  Another piece with a name that escapes me, is a large wall composed of hundreds of stones with the same shape and dimensions. The stones are uniquely arranged in a triangular joint system. When light is cast upon the wall, the wall appears to be moving in different directions because each stone is facing another in a unique way. Truly tedious work.

This artist was worth seeing and I hope that more modern artists follow his example because the world of art is short on new artists with real talent.   

I think this is very interesting how animated characters evolved from being simple to something that could recognize and interact with the viewers...creepy but AMAZING at the same time!!!
Hanslee Garcia -

i think this is really cool...its updating the mouse and key pad!

Hanslee Garcia -

Looking at Agumented Space

I found the article by Lev Manovich very interesting. He basically talks about the technological reality we live in and how it effects our lives as humans. I liked the part where he defined the three ways that technology augments reality; video surveillance translating the physical world into data; cellular space translating the digital world into reality; and mass media technologies becoming larger, thinner and more effective over time. I thought his distinctions were wise and thought-provoking.
As a young-person in this digital age, I have basically grown up with the computer age; we are childhood friends, if you will. When I was in kindergarten, we used early computers in my grade-school that displayed the simplest of images. As I have grown and matured, so has the technology industry. Through the years, I have heard over and over how surrounded we are by technology and multimedia, but I have never really heard or thought about the way that this technological landscape has completely changed the world that humans live in. It is an interesting idea. It is a little scary and a little inspiring at the same time. But I guess that's what most cultural revolutions are probably like.

Project Natal Milo Demo

This could possibly be the future of gaming. The technology in this video is very interesting and creative. The main feature involved with this game is interacting with the character on the screen. The details of the environments are impressive and the game seems to respond well when it comes to interacting with the person on the opposing end. ~Claude Dockery~

tablet guitar

Guitare à crayon from psc on Vimeo.

Patrick Sébastien Coulombe's Guitare à crayon (guitar pencil) combines a guitar and a drawing tablet allowing the user to create various sounds while drawing. A custom made USB device and pure data were used to generate noise.

"Drumming-By-Dancing= Drancing"

Cool GEM+Pure Data+Ableton+Monochrome

Video Data Bank

At our last class I mentioned going to the Video Data Bank. The Video Data Bank is a place to watch videos created by contemporary artists. It is a free resource and all you need to do is make an appointment to reserve a screening room. If you are interested and/or want to learn more the website is linked to the title "Video Data Bank," which provides further information in great detail.

Interactive Water Wall Projection

I came across this cool installation piece. The creator used a projector to cast water over the wall and a camera to sense the viewers motion and create ripples in the water.

pd "Higher Dimensions"

This pure data patch is so cool! Visually I was able to figure out how this works. The colored boxes are controlled by the percussion and the other sounds control the movement of all the boxes. As for the technical pure data patch I am yet to understand how he did this, I can not wait to know how to, you can do so many interesting things with this program!

wow

I googled pure data into the image search (as I'm sure some of you folks might have), and found this insane, bionic-man looking thing. I'm actually not even sure if it uses PD, looking back at it now. I still looks pretty cool though. I searched for other ones and when I would enlarge the images and attempted to identify certain parts of the map, I came to the conclusion that I still know virtually nothing about the processes and outcomes of PD and to recreate, even just a portion, of one of those maps is still beyond my knowledge and technical capability.