CSAIL Event Calendar: Previous Series

Computer Behind the Curtain: Disguising Technology as Magic

Speaker: Tinsley Galyean , Nearlife
Date: December 11 2007
Time: 7:00PM to 8:30PM
Location: 32-123
Host: BostonCHI and Hiroshi Ishii, Media Lab

Over the years Nearlife has had the privilege of developing a number of unique interactive experiences for a variety of different clients including: MoMA, Museum of Science Boston, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, Cirque du Soleil, HP, Warner Brothers, Discovery Channel, and Disney. These projects have been about using technology to do something that has never been done before. Nearlife designers are tasked with finding ways to use this technology to not only make the experience a reality but to make it feel like magic. To do this, technology needs to be invisible and the visitor has to accept it as magic. Tinsley will show a number of projects from over the years and use them to illustrate a series of principles that have helped create this magic.

TINSLEY GALYEAN’s education spanned both art and technology long before it was considered a good career move. In addition to his B.S. in
Computer Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Sc.M. in Computer Graphics from Brown University, his education includes
extensive work in the visual and theatrical arts at Carnegie-Mellon and The Cranbrook School before going to the MIT Media Lab.
Tinsley was the first person to receive his Ph.D. from the Interactive Cinema group (now Glorianna Davenport's Media Fabrics group) at the MIT Media Lab, where he worked to evolve cinematic storytelling techniques for use in interactive experiences. While there he produced a short animated piece that was theatrically released, directed a virtual reality exhibit for the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and
published a number of papers in the fields of computer graphics, human computer interfaces and artificial intelligence.

Shortly after leaving the Media Lab Tinsley worked as a freelance New Media Designer. In 1996, Tinsley founded Nearlife. Nearlife is known for its work leveraging the power of new technologies to create unique entertainment and educational experiences for clients. These clients
include Intel, Hewlett-Packard, British Telecom, AT&T, Museum of Science & Industry Chicago, Boston Museum of Science, The Millennium Dome UK, and SciTech Perth among others.

Much of Tinsley’s work at Nearlife has been on Location Based Entertainment (LBE) and museum exhibits. Examples of this work are the
large scale interactive table and touch walls for: MoMA, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Liberty Science Center, Georgia Aquarium, and the
new interactive experience for Cirque Du Soleil’s Beatles Revolution Lounge.

Tinsley is an inventor and holds a number of patents, several of which have been used in the development of new children's television projects. This work has included broadcast and online projects for Disney, Warner Brothers, and Discovery Kids. The work for Discovery Kids received an Emmy nomination. His unique mix of skills and experience allows him to develop unique concepts and experiences, often never done before, for his clients while also delivering the technical means by which these ideas can become a reality.

More about Tinsley Galyean: http://www.nearlife.com/company/bios.html

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