http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Lgarcia725&feedformat=atomDead Media Archive - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T14:33:57ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.25.2http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Old_Color_Spaces&diff=6353Old Color Spaces2008-12-04T00:34:32Z<p>Lgarcia725: /* Bibliography */</p>
<hr />
<div>The color space is a graphic and numerical representation of colors and their relationship to one another. The purpose of the chart is to standardize and quantify what is frequently a subjective experience. Detailed color standards are commonly used in product development and design arenas; standards become outdated rapidly as new products are developed. Color spaces and standards assist in "express[ing] a given color [of an object] accurately, describ[ing] that color to another person, and hav[ing] that person correctly reproduce the color we perceive" (Konica Minolta 1). <br />
<br />
==COLOR BASICS==<br />
<br />
'''HSB or The “Three Dimensions” of Color'''<br />
<br />
(Gerritsen/Microsoft)<br />
<br />
HSB stands for Hue-Saturation-Brightness and is a color model dependent upon a color wheel and the percentage of the amount of white present in a designated hue. <br />
<br />
===Hue===<br />
<br />
Hue is color itself as it is placed on a color wheel where each color has a percentage. Red is at 0o, yellow is 60o, green is 120o, etc. This percentage coincides with the frequency of light waves reflected of any given object for that color in respects to the color spectrum. Each tone group (red, green, etc) can than be affected by saturation and brightness in order to vary its shade and intensity. <br />
<br />
===Saturation===<br />
<br />
Often given as a percentage, saturation is the intensity of color for a specific hue. It can also be described as how different a color is from grey at any lightness. Colors that are more vivid are considered more saturated while colors that are more muddled and closer to grey are less saturated. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Brightness===<br />
<br />
Brightness of an object is a difficult thing to measure because it is perceived. While looking at a computer screen in a dark room, colors appear brighter than if the room was well lit. But generally, brightness measures the luminosity of a color. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Additive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Image:additive.jpg|thumb|left|Additive Color Mixing]]<br />
Additive color systems, such as RGB, mix the three primary colors together as a way to produce more colors. The secondary colors of cyan, magenta and yellow are results of mixing two of the three primary colors together. White is created when all three of the primary colors are mixed together proportionately. The additive color theory was discovered by James Clerk Maxwell in conjunction with a photographer, Thomas Sutton. Maxwell had Sutton photograph a piece of ribbon three times, each with a different filter over the lens (one red, one blue, one green). He then projected each image from a different projector onto a common screen. The three separate images then formed a complete one with full coloring. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Subtractive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
[[Image:subtractive.jpg|thumb|right|Subtractive Color Mixing]]<br />
Louis Ducos du Hauron was responsible for the discovery of the subtractive color theory. Subtractive color mixing removes some colors from white light while allowing others to pass. The CYMK model is an example of a subtractive color space. It uses cyan, yellow, magenta and black to create colors. When white light is passed through one of these secondary and subtractive color filters, two of the primary colors which form the secondary color are transmitted through the filter and the third one is absorbed. When equal amounts of all the subtractive colors overlap, all primary colors are blocked and black is produced. Subtractive color mixing is more advantageous than additive because of its ability to create more colors. When the proportion of overlapping filters is changed, almost any color can be created. Viewing equipment for subtractive coloring is also cheaper (Kirsch 28-35).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==The Munsell System==<br />
===Brief Bio===<br />
Albert H. Munsell lived from 1858-1918 in Boston, MA. He attended Massachusetts Normal Art School (now Massachusetts College of Art), where he later became a member of the faculty. Although the color system he began developing is widely used by scientists and artists alike, Munsell did not consider himself a scientist. He was a trained painter frustrated with the lack of color descriptions and a systematic color scheme. Munsell began developing his color system when he was a teaching aid for color composition students. As the system became more advanced, Munsell was able to share his color distinction system with well-respected scientists and engineers around Boston. He published “A Color Notation” in 1905, which described his system so far. Munsell wanted his system to be used in a broad sense, rather than only in science and art. His goal was to use it to teach concepts of color to primary school students. Unfortunately, Munsell’s health began to decline in 1914 and he passed away in Boston in 1918 at the age of 60. After his death, Dorothy Nickerson (who first worked as secretary to Munsell’s son) worked to adapt the Munsell Color System. The charts could finally be put to widespread use 30 years after Munsell died. (Landa)<br />
===The System===<br />
The Munsell system is now the most widely used and accepted color system. All other color systems that arise are compared to the Munsell System, which has come to be known as the standard color system. The system builds on the guiding principle of equal visual perception. This is the idea that we all perceive colors differently, but the system accounts for any small discrepancies based on comparison to a grayscale, assuming the eyes seek the balance of grayscale (Evans). The system is able to describe all possible colors in terms of three coordinates:<br />
<br />
1. Munsell Hue: the quality of a color described at red, yellow, blue and so on<br />
<br />
2. Munsell Value: the place where a color falls in terms of lightness when compared to a scale of grays from white to black<br />
<br />
3. Munsell Chroma: the degree of difference between a color and a gray of the same value.<br />
<br />
The Munsell Book of Color is a compilation of color samples, usually arranged in pages of a book, or on a color “tree.” The Munsell Value is vertical in a display and the Munsell Chroma is horizontal. The scale of grays can be considered the “trunk” of the color tree, going from white on top to black on the bottom. <br />
<br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_tree.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]], [[image: Munsell_tree_pages.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Book]], [[image: Munsell_tree_round.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]]<br />
<br />
Each sample has a Munsell Notation, which tells us its position on the tree. The notation consists of three symbols that represent Munsell Hue, Munsell Value, and Munsell Chroma. <br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_notation.jpg|thumb|left|300px|An example of Munsell Notation]]<br />
<br />
The Munsell System is the most accepted color system because colors are not limited to the samples shown, whereas other color systems are. Any color that can be conceived will fit into the Munsell System. (Billmeyer and Saltzman)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Natural Color System & Color Opponency==<br />
<br />
===Color Opponency===<br />
<br />
[[Image:coloropponent.jpg|thumb|left|Color Opponency]]<br />
The Natural Color System is based upon the color opponent theory. The color opponent theory focuses on the uniqueness of four hues and their inability to be described simultaneously. R.W.G. Hunt describes color opponency:<br />
“The hues red, yellow, green and blue are said to be unique because they cannot be described in terms of any combinations of other color names. Thus, for instance, although orange can be described as a yellowish red or reddish yellow, red cannot be described as a yellowish blue or a bluish yellow. In fact the four unique hues comprise two pairs, red and green, and yellow and blue; the colors in each of these pairs are opponent, in the sense that they cannot both be perceived simultaneously as component parts of any one color. That is, it is impossible to have a reddish green, or a greenish red, or a yellowish blue, or a bluish yellow. But yellowish reds… greenish yellows… bluish reds are all possible (140-141).”<br />
Black and white are also used in the color opponent theory to determine variations of light and dark.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===NCS===<br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSNotation.jpg|thumb|right|NCS Notation]]<br />
The Natural Color System was developed by the Scandinavian Color Institute. Using NCS a color is measured based upon its percentage in comparison to a color opponent pair. A color therefore that is purely red and has no green is at 100% red. Darkness of a color and saturation are also taken into consideration when measuring the color being presented. A sample notation taken from the NCS website is shown to the right. The letter S in front simply means that the NCS is responsible for measuring a specific color.[[Image:NCSWheel.jpg|thumb|left|NCS Color Wheel]] The nuance describes the “degree of resemblance to whiteness and blackness.” Chromaticness puts the color at a grey. The ten percent blackness thus mean that there is 40 percent whiteness in the color. The Y90R describes the hue of the color. This example shows a yellowish color with 90 percent red. The ten percent yellow is than inferred (Hunt 141-143/The NCS System). <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
------<br />
<br />
==The CIE Color Spaces==<br />
<br />
[[Image:cielab.jpg|thumb|left|CIE Yxy]]<br />
In 1931, the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) devised the Yxy color space, and in 1976 created the L*a*b* to "provide more uniform color differences in relation to visual differences" (Konica Minolta 14). The CIE systems are used in conjunction with a colorimeter.<br />
===CIE Yxy===<br />
The Yxy color space is based on the three-component theory of color vision, which places red, green, and blue as the primary color receptors in the eye. All other colors are combinations of those three primary colors. Because lightness and darkness cannot be taken into consideration with RGB values, a third variable, Y lightness, makes up the Yxy system. Moving towards the center of the graph increases lightness; moving toward the edges increases chromaticity (another word for saturation). (Konica Minolta 16)<br />
===CIE L*a*b*===<br />
[[Image:Yxy.jpg|thumb|right|CIE Lab showing the variables]]The CIE L*a*b* color space was invented because the original Yxy color space had a problem: "equal distances on the x, y chromaticity diagram did not correspond to equal perceived color differences" (Konica Minolta 18). L* indicates lightness and a* and b* are the hue coordinates. +a* is the red direction, -a is the green, +b is the yellow, and -b is the blue direction. In the center lies achromatism (grayness). (Konica Minolta 18)<br />
[[Image:cie.jpg|thumb|left|CIE Lab sphere]]<br />
<br />
===Colorimeters===<br />
A colorimeter is the device that measures the color coordinates of an object. Colorimeters can detect even minute differences in color and are commonly used in production so that the color of the product can be standardized. Companies determine how much tolerance--how much color variation is acceptable--in a product. The colorimeter is very fast, producing coordinates in less than a minute, and can be utilized on assembly lines. It features a built in light source so that the light remains uniform, data memory and display, and constant viewing and illumination angles. It eliminates area effect (when an object appears to be a different color due to size, paint chips vs. a painted wall for example) and contrast effect (when an object appears to be a different color when viewed with other objects). Colorimeters measure colors with three photocells calibrated to match the CIE 1931 standards, so that the observer is constant for all measurements. Essentially, with the colorimeter, almost all of the variables that make an object appear to be a different color--observer differences, light source differences, and angle differences--are eliminated. There are other types of colorimeters for the purpose of measuring objects of varying texture, including spectroradiometers, which measure emitted, transmitted, and reflected light; spectrophotometers, which measure reflected and transmitted light; glossmeters, which measure gloss; and goniospectrophotometers, which measure reflected color as function of angle. (Konica Minolta 26).<br />
[[Image:color.jpg|thumb|right|Colorimeter]]<br />
One problem with the standard colorimeter is that it cannot detect '''metamerism''', a phenomenon in which two objects appear to be the same color under certain illuminants but under different circumstances are revealed to be different colors--for example, picking out two black socks in the morning and then realizing under fluorescent light that one is actually navy. Since the colorimeter's light source mimics only daylight, a spectrophotometer is required to make sure that two objects will look the same color under different types of light, or "illuminants" (Kinoca Minolta 42).<br />
<br />
==Common Color Spaces==<br />
A color space is a three-dimensional concept, in that it considers hue, value, and chroma. The most commonly used color spaces are hue based. These include RGB (red, green, blue), RYB (red, yellow, blue), and CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). <br />
[[image: Color_circles.png|thumb|right|400px|]]<br />
The left circle was developed by Johannes Itten; it is a circle of the primary colors. The primary colors are still taught in art schools and classes today using this circle. The circle on the right is used today in computer graphics. The additive primary colors of this circle (red, green, and blue) produce white light when added together on a computer. The subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta, and yellow) are the complementary colors on the circle. When they’re added on the computer, they produce black, or the absence of color. When comparing the two circles, we can see that they contradict each other. The circle on the left suggests that red and green are complementary to each other, but in the circle on the right, they are both primary. This example shows that color can be subjective, “the perception of color is inexact, culturally influenced, and personal” (Evans).<br />
<br />
==Obsolete Color Space: RG & Early Film==<br />
<br />
Both Kinemacolor in England and Technicolor used red and green primary colors to produce images in film until blue was introduced as an easier means to produce a fuller image. Early motion pictures in England used this two -color process. Edwin Slosson describes the Kinemacolor system as “red and green being taken and projected alternately by means of a rotating disk of tinted filters. Because an image on the retina persists for about a sixteenth of a second before it fades away, each color fused with the succeeding one, except when movement was too fast (62).” <br />
<br />
Technicolor exposes two strips of black and white film to two different filters simultaneously. One was behind a red filter and the other a green. It had much the same problems as Kinemacolor because of the issue of speed. But since this was an additive method of color mixing, a subtractive method was tried. <br />
<br />
A successor the Gaumont Process used glass plates in an attempt to rectify the RG system. It “employed three pictures taken in the three primary colors by three lenses on the same film and projected through three objectives.” Dots, ruled lines or starch grains were used on the glass plates in the three colors. However, when enlarged, picture quality is diminished so although color is improved overall picture is not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Bibliography==<br />
<br />
Billmeyer, Fred W., and Max Saltzman. Principles of Color Technology. Second Edition ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1981. 25-66.<br />
<br />
Evans, Brian. "Foundations of a Visual Music." Computer Music Journal 29 (2005): 17-18.<br />
<br />
Gerritsen, Franz. Evolution in Color. Grand Rapids: Schiffer, Limited, 1988.<br />
<br />
Hirsch, Robert. Exploring Colour Photography: A Complete Guide. London: Laurence King, 2004.<br />
<br />
Hunt, R. W., and R. W. Hunt. Measuring Colour : A Photographer's Paradise. New York: Fountain P, Limited, 1996.<br />
<br />
Kindem, Gorham. "The Demise of Kinemacolor: Technological, Legal, Economic, and Aesthetic Problems in Early Color Cinema History." Cinema Journal 20 (1981): 3-14.<br />
<br />
Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc. "Precise Color Communication." Osaka, Japan: Konica Minolta, 1998.<br />
<br />
Landa, Edward R. "Albert H. Munsell: A Sense of Color at the Interface of Art and Science." Soil Science 169 (2004): 83-89.<br />
<br />
Microsoft Computer Dictionary. New York: Microsoft P, 2002.<br />
<br />
"The NCS System." The Natural Color System. Scandinavian Color Institute. <http://www.ncscolour.com/webbizz/mainpage/main.asp.><br />
<br />
Slosson, Edwin E. "How New Color Movie Camera Works." The Science News-letter 14 (1928): 61-62.</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Old_Color_Spaces&diff=6196Old Color Spaces2008-12-03T06:24:56Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>==COLOR BASICS==<br />
<br />
'''HSB or The “Three Dimensions” of Color'''<br />
<br />
(Gerritsen/Microsoft)<br />
<br />
HSB stands for Hue-Saturation-Brightness and is a color model dependent upon a color wheel and the percentage of the amount of white present in a designated hue. <br />
<br />
===Hue===<br />
<br />
Hue is color itself as it is placed on a color wheel where each color has a percentage. Red is at 0o, yellow is 60o, green is 120o, etc. This percentage coincides with the frequency of light waves reflected of any given object for that color in respects to the color spectrum. Each tone group (red, green, etc) can than be affected by saturation and brightness in order to vary its shade and intensity. <br />
<br />
===Saturation===<br />
<br />
Often given as a percentage, saturation is the intensity of color for a specific hue. It can also be described as how different a color is from grey at any lightness. Colors that are more vivid are considered more saturated while colors that are more muddled and closer to grey are less saturated. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Brightness===<br />
<br />
Brightness of an object is a difficult thing to measure because it is perceived. While looking at a computer screen in a dark room, colors appear brighter than if the room was well lit. But generally, brightness measures the luminosity of a color. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Additive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Image:additive.jpg|thumb|left|Additive Color Mixing]]<br />
Additive color systems, such as RGB, mix the three primary colors together as a way to produce more colors. The secondary colors of cyan, magenta and yellow are results of mixing two of the three primary colors together. White is created when all three of the primary colors are mixed together proportionately. The additive color theory was discovered by James Clerk Maxwell in conjunction with a photographer, Thomas Sutton. Maxwell had Sutton photograph a piece of ribbon three times, each with a different filter over the lens (one red, one blue, one green). He then projected each image from a different projector onto a common screen. The three separate images then formed a complete one with full coloring. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Subtractive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
[[Image:subtractive.jpg|thumb|right|Subtractive Color Mixing]]<br />
Louis Ducos du Hauron was responsible for the discovery of the subtractive color theory. Subtractive color mixing removes some colors from white light while allowing others to pass. The CYMK model is an example of a subtractive color space. It uses cyan, yellow, magenta and black to create colors. When white light is passed through one of these secondary and subtractive color filters, two of the primary colors which form the secondary color are transmitted through the filter and the third one is absorbed. When equal amounts of all the subtractive colors overlap, all primary colors are blocked and black is produced. Subtractive color mixing is more advantageous than additive because of its ability to create more colors. When the proportion of overlapping filters is changed, almost any color can be created. Viewing equipment for subtractive coloring is also cheaper (Kirsch 28-35).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<br />
==The Munsell System==<br />
===Brief Bio===<br />
Albert H. Munsell lived from 1858-1918 in Boston, MA. He attended Massachusetts Normal Art School (now Massachusetts College of Art), where he later became a member of the faculty. Although the color system he began developing is widely used by scientists and artists alike, Munsell did not consider himself a scientist. He was a trained painter frustrated with the lack of color descriptions and a systematic color scheme. Munsell began developing his color system when he was a teaching aid for color composition students. As the system became more advanced, Munsell was able to share his color distinction system with well-respected scientists and engineers around Boston. He published “A Color Notation” in 1905, which described his system so far. Munsell wanted his system to be used in a broad sense, rather than only in science and art. His goal was to use it to teach concepts of color to primary school students. Unfortunately, Munsell’s health began to decline in 1914 and he passed away in Boston in 1918 at the age of 60. After his death, Dorothy Nickerson (who first worked as secretary to Munsell’s son) worked to adapt the Munsell Color System. The charts could finally be put to widespread use 30 years after Munsell died. (Landa)<br />
===The System===<br />
The Munsell system is now the most widely used and accepted color system. All other color systems that arise are compared to the Munsell System, which has come to be known as the standard color system. The system builds on the guiding principle of equal visual perception. This is the idea that we all perceive colors differently, but the system accounts for any small discrepancies based on comparison to a grayscale, assuming the eyes seek the balance of grayscale (Evans). The system is able to describe all possible colors in terms of three coordinates:<br />
<br />
1. Munsell Hue: the quality of a color described at red, yellow, blue and so on<br />
<br />
2. Munsell Value: the place where a color falls in terms of lightness when compared to a scale of grays from white to black<br />
<br />
3. Munsell Chroma: the degree of difference between a color and a gray of the same value.<br />
<br />
The Munsell Book of Color is a compilation of color samples, usually arranged in pages of a book, or on a color “tree.” The Munsell Value is vertical in a display and the Munsell Chroma is horizontal. The scale of grays can be considered the “trunk” of the color tree, going from white on top to black on the bottom. <br />
<br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_tree.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]], [[image: Munsell_tree_pages.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Book]], [[image: Munsell_tree_round.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]]<br />
<br />
Each sample has a Munsell Notation, which tells us its position on the tree. The notation consists of three symbols that represent Munsell Hue, Munsell Value, and Munsell Chroma. <br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_notation.jpg|thumb|left|300px|An example of Munsell Notation]]<br />
<br />
The Munsell System is the most accepted color system because colors are not limited to the samples shown, whereas other color systems are. Any color that can be conceived will fit into the Munsell System. (Billmeyer and Saltzman)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Natural Color System & Color Opponency==<br />
<br />
===Color Opponency===<br />
<br />
[[Image:coloropponent.jpg|thumb|left|Color Opponency]]<br />
The Natural Color System is based upon the color opponent theory. The color opponent theory focuses on the uniqueness of four hues and their inability to be described simultaneously. R.W.G. Hunt describes color opponency:<br />
“The hues red, yellow, green and blue are said to be unique because they cannot be described in terms of any combinations of other color names. Thus, for instance, although orange can be described as a yellowish red or reddish yellow, red cannot be described as a yellowish blue or a bluish yellow. In fact the four unique hues comprise two pairs, red and green, and yellow and blue; the colors in each of these pairs are opponent, in the sense that they cannot both be perceived simultaneously as component parts of any one color. That is, it is impossible to have a reddish green, or a greenish red, or a yellowish blue, or a bluish yellow. But yellowish reds… greenish yellows… bluish reds are all possible (140-141).”<br />
Black and white are also used in the color opponent theory to determine variations of light and dark.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===NCS===<br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSNotation.jpg|thumb|right|NCS Notation]]<br />
The Natural Color System was developed by the Scandinavian Color Institute. Using NCS a color is measured based upon its percentage in comparison to a color opponent pair. A color therefore that is purely red and has no green is at 100% red. Darkness of a color and saturation are also taken into consideration when measuring the color being presented. A sample notation taken from the NCS website is shown to the right. The letter S in front simply means that the NCS is responsible for measuring a specific color. The nuance describes the “degree of resemblance to whiteness and blackness.” Chromaticness puts the color at a grey. The ten percent blackness thus mean that there is 40 percent whiteness in the color. The Y90R describes the hue of the color. This example shows a yellowish color with 90 percent red. The ten percent yellow is than inferred (Hunt 141-143/The NCS System). <br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSWheel.jpg|thumb|left|NCS Color Wheel]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Common Color Spaces==<br />
A color space is a three-dimensional concept, in that it considers hue, value, and chroma. The most commonly used color spaces are hue based. These include RGB (red, green, blue), RYB (red, yellow, blue), and CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). <br />
[[image: Color_circles.png|thumb|right|400px|]]<br />
The left circle was developed by Johannes Itten; it is a circle of the primary colors. The primary colors are still taught in art schools and classes today using this circle. The circle on the right is used today in computer graphics. The additive primary colors of this circle (red, green, and blue) produce white light when added together on a computer. The subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta, and yellow) are the complementary colors on the circle. When they’re added on the computer, they produce black, or the absence of color. When comparing the two circles, we can see that they contradict each other. The circle on the left suggests that red and green are complementary to each other, but in the circle on the right, they are both primary. This example shows that color can be subjective, “the perception of color is inexact, culturally influenced, and personal” (Evans).<br />
<br />
==Obsolete Color Space: RG & Early Film==<br />
<br />
Both Kinemacolor in England and Technicolor used red and green primary colors to produce images in film until blue was introduced as an easier means to produce a fuller image. Early motion pictures in England used this two -color process. Edwin Slosson describes the Kinemacolor system as “red and green being taken and projected alternately by means of a rotating disk of tinted filters. Because an image on the retina persists for about a sixteenth of a second before it fades away, each color fused with the succeeding one, except when movement was too fast (62).” <br />
<br />
Technicolor exposes two strips of black and white film to two different filters simultaneously. One was behind a red filter and the other a green. It had much the same problems as Kinemacolor because of the issue of speed. But since this was an additive method of color mixing, a subtractive method was tried. <br />
<br />
A successor the Gaumont Process used glass plates in an attempt to rectify the RG system. It “employed three pictures taken in the three primary colors by three lenses on the same film and projected through three objectives.” Dots, ruled lines or starch grains were used on the glass plates in the three colors. However, when enlarged, picture quality is diminished so although color is improved overall picture is not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Bibliography==<br />
<br />
Billmeyer, Fred W., and Max Saltzman. Principles of Color Technology. Second Edition ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1981. 25-66.<br />
<br />
Evans, Brian. "Foundations of a Visual Music." Computer Music Journal 29 (2005): 17-18.<br />
<br />
Gerritsen, Franz. Evolution in Color. Grand Rapids: Schiffer, Limited, 1988.<br />
<br />
Hirsch, Robert. Exploring Colour Photography: A Complete Guide. London: Laurence King, 2004.<br />
<br />
Hunt, R. W., and R. W. Hunt. Measuring Colour : A Photographer's Paradise. New York: Fountain P, Limited, 1996.<br />
<br />
Kindem, Gorham. "The Demise of Kinemacolor: Technological, Legal, Economic, and Aesthetic Problems in Early Color Cinema History." Cinema Journal 20 (1981): 3-14.<br />
<br />
Landa, Edward R. "Albert H. Munsell: A Sense of Color at the Interface of Art and Science." Soil Science 169 (2004): 83-89.<br />
<br />
Microsoft Computer Dictionary. New York: Microsoft P, 2002."The NCS System." The <br />
<br />
Natural Color System. Scandinavian Color Institute. <http://www.ncscolour.com/webbizz/mainpage/main.asp.><br />
<br />
Slosson, Edwin E. "How New Color Movie Camera Works." The Science News-letter 14 (1928): 61-62.</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Old_Color_Spaces&diff=6195Old Color Spaces2008-12-03T06:24:19Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>==COLOR BASICS==<br />
<br />
'''HSB or The “Three Dimensions” of Color'''<br />
<br />
(Gerritsen/Microsoft)<br />
<br />
HSB stands for Hue-Saturation-Brightness and is a color model dependent upon a color wheel and the percentage of the amount of white present in a designated hue. <br />
<br />
===Hue===<br />
<br />
Hue is color itself as it is placed on a color wheel where each color has a percentage. Red is at 0o, yellow is 60o, green is 120o, etc. This percentage coincides with the frequency of light waves reflected of any given object for that color in respects to the color spectrum. Each tone group (red, green, etc) can than be affected by saturation and brightness in order to vary its shade and intensity. <br />
<br />
===Saturation===<br />
<br />
Often given as a percentage, saturation is the intensity of color for a specific hue. It can also be described as how different a color is from grey at any lightness. Colors that are more vivid are considered more saturated while colors that are more muddled and closer to grey are less saturated. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Brightness===<br />
<br />
Brightness of an object is a difficult thing to measure because it is perceived. While looking at a computer screen in a dark room, colors appear brighter than if the room was well lit. But generally, brightness measures the luminosity of a color. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Additive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Image:additive.jpg|thumb|left|Additive Color Mixing]]<br />
Additive color systems, such as RGB, mix the three primary colors together as a way to produce more colors. The secondary colors of cyan, magenta and yellow are results of mixing two of the three primary colors together. White is created when all three of the primary colors are mixed together proportionately. The additive color theory was discovered by James Clerk Maxwell in conjunction with a photographer, Thomas Sutton. Maxwell had Sutton photograph a piece of ribbon three times, each with a different filter over the lens (one red, one blue, one green). He then projected each image from a different projector onto a common screen. The three separate images then formed a complete one with full coloring. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Subtractive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
[[Image:subtractive.jpg|thumb|right|Subtractive Color Mixing]]<br />
Louis Ducos du Hauron was responsible for the discovery of the subtractive color theory. Subtractive color mixing removes some colors from white light while allowing others to pass. The CYMK model is an example of a subtractive color space. It uses cyan, yellow, magenta and black to create colors. When white light is passed through one of these secondary and subtractive color filters, two of the primary colors which form the secondary color are transmitted through the filter and the third one is absorbed. When equal amounts of all the subtractive colors overlap, all primary colors are blocked and black is produced. Subtractive color mixing is more advantageous than additive because of its ability to create more colors. When the proportion of overlapping filters is changed, almost any color can be created. Viewing equipment for subtractive coloring is also cheaper (Kirsch 28-35).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==The Munsell System==<br />
===Brief Bio===<br />
Albert H. Munsell lived from 1858-1918 in Boston, MA. He attended Massachusetts Normal Art School (now Massachusetts College of Art), where he later became a member of the faculty. Although the color system he began developing is widely used by scientists and artists alike, Munsell did not consider himself a scientist. He was a trained painter frustrated with the lack of color descriptions and a systematic color scheme. Munsell began developing his color system when he was a teaching aid for color composition students. As the system became more advanced, Munsell was able to share his color distinction system with well-respected scientists and engineers around Boston. He published “A Color Notation” in 1905, which described his system so far. Munsell wanted his system to be used in a broad sense, rather than only in science and art. His goal was to use it to teach concepts of color to primary school students. Unfortunately, Munsell’s health began to decline in 1914 and he passed away in Boston in 1918 at the age of 60. After his death, Dorothy Nickerson (who first worked as secretary to Munsell’s son) worked to adapt the Munsell Color System. The charts could finally be put to widespread use 30 years after Munsell died. (Landa)<br />
===The System===<br />
The Munsell system is now the most widely used and accepted color system. All other color systems that arise are compared to the Munsell System, which has come to be known as the standard color system. The system builds on the guiding principle of equal visual perception. This is the idea that we all perceive colors differently, but the system accounts for any small discrepancies based on comparison to a grayscale, assuming the eyes seek the balance of grayscale (Evans). The system is able to describe all possible colors in terms of three coordinates:<br />
<br />
1. Munsell Hue: the quality of a color described at red, yellow, blue and so on<br />
<br />
2. Munsell Value: the place where a color falls in terms of lightness when compared to a scale of grays from white to black<br />
<br />
3. Munsell Chroma: the degree of difference between a color and a gray of the same value.<br />
<br />
The Munsell Book of Color is a compilation of color samples, usually arranged in pages of a book, or on a color “tree.” The Munsell Value is vertical in a display and the Munsell Chroma is horizontal. The scale of grays can be considered the “trunk” of the color tree, going from white on top to black on the bottom. <br />
<br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_tree.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]], [[image: Munsell_tree_pages.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Book]], [[image: Munsell_tree_round.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]]<br />
<br />
Each sample has a Munsell Notation, which tells us its position on the tree. The notation consists of three symbols that represent Munsell Hue, Munsell Value, and Munsell Chroma. <br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_notation.jpg|thumb|left|300px|An example of Munsell Notation]]<br />
<br />
The Munsell System is the most accepted color system because colors are not limited to the samples shown, whereas other color systems are. Any color that can be conceived will fit into the Munsell System. (Billmeyer and Saltzman)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Natural Color System & Color Opponency==<br />
<br />
===Color Opponency===<br />
<br />
[[Image:coloropponent.jpg|thumb|left|Color Opponency]]<br />
The Natural Color System is based upon the color opponent theory. The color opponent theory focuses on the uniqueness of four hues and their inability to be described simultaneously. R.W.G. Hunt describes color opponency:<br />
“The hues red, yellow, green and blue are said to be unique because they cannot be described in terms of any combinations of other color names. Thus, for instance, although orange can be described as a yellowish red or reddish yellow, red cannot be described as a yellowish blue or a bluish yellow. In fact the four unique hues comprise two pairs, red and green, and yellow and blue; the colors in each of these pairs are opponent, in the sense that they cannot both be perceived simultaneously as component parts of any one color. That is, it is impossible to have a reddish green, or a greenish red, or a yellowish blue, or a bluish yellow. But yellowish reds… greenish yellows… bluish reds are all possible (140-141).”<br />
Black and white are also used in the color opponent theory to determine variations of light and dark.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===NCS===<br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSNotation.jpg|thumb|right|NCS Notation]]<br />
The Natural Color System was developed by the Scandinavian Color Institute. Using NCS a color is measured based upon its percentage in comparison to a color opponent pair. A color therefore that is purely red and has no green is at 100% red. Darkness of a color and saturation are also taken into consideration when measuring the color being presented. A sample notation taken from the NCS website is shown to the right. The letter S in front simply means that the NCS is responsible for measuring a specific color. The nuance describes the “degree of resemblance to whiteness and blackness.” Chromaticness puts the color at a grey. The ten percent blackness thus mean that there is 40 percent whiteness in the color. The Y90R describes the hue of the color. This example shows a yellowish color with 90 percent red. The ten percent yellow is than inferred (Hunt 141-143/The NCS System). <br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSWheel.jpg|thumb|left|NCS Color Wheel]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Common Color Spaces==<br />
A color space is a three-dimensional concept, in that it considers hue, value, and chroma. The most commonly used color spaces are hue based. These include RGB (red, green, blue), RYB (red, yellow, blue), and CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). <br />
[[image: Color_circles.png|thumb|right|400px|]]<br />
The left circle was developed by Johannes Itten; it is a circle of the primary colors. The primary colors are still taught in art schools and classes today using this circle. The circle on the right is used today in computer graphics. The additive primary colors of this circle (red, green, and blue) produce white light when added together on a computer. The subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta, and yellow) are the complementary colors on the circle. When they’re added on the computer, they produce black, or the absence of color. When comparing the two circles, we can see that they contradict each other. The circle on the left suggests that red and green are complementary to each other, but in the circle on the right, they are both primary. This example shows that color can be subjective, “the perception of color is inexact, culturally influenced, and personal” (Evans).<br />
<br />
==Obsolete Color Space: RG & Early Film==<br />
<br />
Both Kinemacolor in England and Technicolor used red and green primary colors to produce images in film until blue was introduced as an easier means to produce a fuller image. Early motion pictures in England used this two -color process. Edwin Slosson describes the Kinemacolor system as “red and green being taken and projected alternately by means of a rotating disk of tinted filters. Because an image on the retina persists for about a sixteenth of a second before it fades away, each color fused with the succeeding one, except when movement was too fast (62).” <br />
<br />
Technicolor exposes two strips of black and white film to two different filters simultaneously. One was behind a red filter and the other a green. It had much the same problems as Kinemacolor because of the issue of speed. But since this was an additive method of color mixing, a subtractive method was tried. <br />
<br />
A successor the Gaumont Process used glass plates in an attempt to rectify the RG system. It “employed three pictures taken in the three primary colors by three lenses on the same film and projected through three objectives.” Dots, ruled lines or starch grains were used on the glass plates in the three colors. However, when enlarged, picture quality is diminished so although color is improved overall picture is not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Bibliography==<br />
<br />
Billmeyer, Fred W., and Max Saltzman. Principles of Color Technology. Second Edition ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1981. 25-66.<br />
<br />
Evans, Brian. "Foundations of a Visual Music." Computer Music Journal 29 (2005): 17-18.<br />
<br />
Gerritsen, Franz. Evolution in Color. Grand Rapids: Schiffer, Limited, 1988.<br />
<br />
Hirsch, Robert. Exploring Colour Photography: A Complete Guide. London: Laurence King, 2004.<br />
<br />
Hunt, R. W., and R. W. Hunt. Measuring Colour : A Photographer's Paradise. New York: Fountain P, Limited, 1996.<br />
<br />
Kindem, Gorham. "The Demise of Kinemacolor: Technological, Legal, Economic, and Aesthetic Problems in Early Color Cinema History." Cinema Journal 20 (1981): 3-14.<br />
<br />
Landa, Edward R. "Albert H. Munsell: A Sense of Color at the Interface of Art and Science." Soil Science 169 (2004): 83-89.<br />
<br />
Microsoft Computer Dictionary. New York: Microsoft P, 2002."The NCS System." The <br />
<br />
Natural Color System. Scandinavian Color Institute. <http://www.ncscolour.com/webbizz/mainpage/main.asp.><br />
<br />
Slosson, Edwin E. "How New Color Movie Camera Works." The Science News-letter 14 (1928): 61-62.</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Old_Color_Spaces&diff=6194Old Color Spaces2008-12-03T06:22:12Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>==COLOR BASICS==<br />
<br />
'''HSB or The “Three Dimensions” of Color'''<br />
<br />
(Gerritsen/Microsoft)<br />
<br />
HSB stands for Hue-Saturation-Brightness and is a color model dependent upon a color wheel and the percentage of the amount of white present in a designated hue. <br />
<br />
===Hue===<br />
<br />
Hue is color itself as it is placed on a color wheel where each color has a percentage. Red is at 0o, yellow is 60o, green is 120o, etc. This percentage coincides with the frequency of light waves reflected of any given object for that color in respects to the color spectrum. Each tone group (red, green, etc) can than be affected by saturation and brightness in order to vary its shade and intensity. <br />
<br />
===Saturation===<br />
<br />
Often given as a percentage, saturation is the intensity of color for a specific hue. It can also be described as how different a color is from grey at any lightness. Colors that are more vivid are considered more saturated while colors that are more muddled and closer to grey are less saturated. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Brightness===<br />
<br />
Brightness of an object is a difficult thing to measure because it is perceived. While looking at a computer screen in a dark room, colors appear brighter than if the room was well lit. But generally, brightness measures the luminosity of a color. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Additive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Image:additive.jpg|thumb|left|Additive Color Mixing]]<br />
Additive color systems, such as RGB, mix the three primary colors together as a way to produce more colors. The secondary colors of cyan, magenta and yellow are results of mixing two of the three primary colors together. White is created when all three of the primary colors are mixed together proportionately. The additive color theory was discovered by James Clerk Maxwell in conjunction with a photographer, Thomas Sutton. Maxwell had Sutton photograph a piece of ribbon three times, each with a different filter over the lens (one red, one blue, one green). He then projected each image from a different projector onto a common screen. The three separate images then formed a complete one with full coloring. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Subtractive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
[[Image:subtractive.jpg|thumb|right|Subtractive Color Mixing]]<br />
Louis Ducos du Hauron was responsible for the discovery of the subtractive color theory. Subtractive color mixing removes some colors from white light while allowing others to pass. The CYMK model is an example of a subtractive color space. It uses cyan, yellow, magenta and black to create colors. When white light is passed through one of these secondary and subtractive color filters, two of the primary colors which form the secondary color are transmitted through the filter and the third one is absorbed. When equal amounts of all the subtractive colors overlap, all primary colors are blocked and black is produced. Subtractive color mixing is more advantageous than additive because of its ability to create more colors. When the proportion of overlapping filters is changed, almost any color can be created. Viewing equipment for subtractive coloring is also cheaper (Kirsch 28-35).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==The Munsell System==<br />
===Brief Bio===<br />
Albert H. Munsell lived from 1858-1918 in Boston, MA. He attended Massachusetts Normal Art School (now Massachusetts College of Art), where he later became a member of the faculty. Although the color system he began developing is widely used by scientists and artists alike, Munsell did not consider himself a scientist. He was a trained painter frustrated with the lack of color descriptions and a systematic color scheme. Munsell began developing his color system when he was a teaching aid for color composition students. As the system became more advanced, Munsell was able to share his color distinction system with well-respected scientists and engineers around Boston. He published “A Color Notation” in 1905, which described his system so far. Munsell wanted his system to be used in a broad sense, rather than only in science and art. His goal was to use it to teach concepts of color to primary school students. Unfortunately, Munsell’s health began to decline in 1914 and he passed away in Boston in 1918 at the age of 60. After his death, Dorothy Nickerson (who first worked as secretary to Munsell’s son) worked to adapt the Munsell Color System. The charts could finally be put to widespread use 30 years after Munsell died. (Landa)<br />
===The System===<br />
The Munsell system is now the most widely used and accepted color system. All other color systems that arise are compared to the Munsell System, which has come to be known as the standard color system. The system builds on the guiding principle of equal visual perception. This is the idea that we all perceive colors differently, but the system accounts for any small discrepancies based on comparison to a grayscale, assuming the eyes seek the balance of grayscale (Evans). The system is able to describe all possible colors in terms of three coordinates:<br />
<br />
1. Munsell Hue: the quality of a color described at red, yellow, blue and so on<br />
<br />
2. Munsell Value: the place where a color falls in terms of lightness when compared to a scale of grays from white to black<br />
<br />
3. Munsell Chroma: the degree of difference between a color and a gray of the same value.<br />
<br />
The Munsell Book of Color is a compilation of color samples, usually arranged in pages of a book, or on a color “tree.” The Munsell Value is vertical in a display and the Munsell Chroma is horizontal. The scale of grays can be considered the “trunk” of the color tree, going from white on top to black on the bottom. <br />
<br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_tree.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]], [[image: Munsell_tree_pages.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Book]], [[image: Munsell_tree_round.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]]<br />
<br />
Each sample has a Munsell Notation, which tells us its position on the tree. The notation consists of three symbols that represent Munsell Hue, Munsell Value, and Munsell Chroma. <br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_notation.jpg|thumb|left|300px|An example of Munsell Notation]]<br />
<br />
The Munsell System is the most accepted color system because colors are not limited to the samples shown, whereas other color systems are. Any color that can be conceived will fit into the Munsell System. (Billmeyer and Saltzman)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Natural Color System & Color Opponency==<br />
<br />
===Color Opponency===<br />
<br />
The Natural Color System is based upon the color opponent theory. The color opponent theory focuses on the uniqueness of four hues and their inability to be described simultaneously. R.W.G. Hunt describes color opponency:<br />
<br />
[[Image:coloropponent.jpg|thumb|left|Color Opponency]]<br />
<br />
“The hues red, yellow, green and blue are said to be unique because they cannot be described in terms of any combinations of other color names. Thus, for instance, although orange can be described as a yellowish red or reddish yellow, red cannot be described as a yellowish blue or a bluish yellow. In fact the four unique hues comprise two pairs, red and green, and yellow and blue; the colors in each of these pairs are opponent, in the sense that they cannot both be perceived simultaneously as component parts of any one color. That is, it is impossible to have a reddish green, or a greenish red, or a yellowish blue, or a bluish yellow. But yellowish reds… greenish yellows… bluish reds are all possible (140-141).”<br />
<br />
Black and white are also used in the color opponent theory to determine variations of light and dark.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===NCS===<br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSNotation.jpg|thumb|right|NCS Notation]]<br />
The Natural Color System was developed by the Scandinavian Color Institute. Using NCS a color is measured based upon its percentage in comparison to a color opponent pair. A color therefore that is purely red and has no green is at 100% red. Darkness of a color and saturation are also taken into consideration when measuring the color being presented. A sample notation taken from the NCS website is shown to the right. The letter S in front simply means that the NCS is responsible for measuring a specific color. The nuance describes the “degree of resemblance to whiteness and blackness.” Chromaticness puts the color at a grey. The ten percent blackness thus mean that there is 40 percent whiteness in the color. The Y90R describes the hue of the color. This example shows a yellowish color with 90 percent red. The ten percent yellow is than inferred (Hunt 141-143/The NCS System). <br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSWheel.jpg|thumb|left|NCS Color Wheel]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Common Color Spaces==<br />
A color space is a three-dimensional concept, in that it considers hue, value, and chroma. The most commonly used color spaces are hue based. These include RGB (red, green, blue), RYB (red, yellow, blue), and CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). <br />
[[image: Color_circles.png|thumb|right|400px|]]<br />
The left circle was developed by Johannes Itten; it is a circle of the primary colors. The primary colors are still taught in art schools and classes today using this circle. The circle on the right is used today in computer graphics. The additive primary colors of this circle (red, green, and blue) produce white light when added together on a computer. The subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta, and yellow) are the complementary colors on the circle. When they’re added on the computer, they produce black, or the absence of color. When comparing the two circles, we can see that they contradict each other. The circle on the left suggests that red and green are complementary to each other, but in the circle on the right, they are both primary. This example shows that color can be subjective, “the perception of color is inexact, culturally influenced, and personal” (Evans).<br />
<br />
==Obsolete Color Space: RG & Early Film==<br />
<br />
Both Kinemacolor in England and Technicolor used red and green primary colors to produce images in film until blue was introduced as an easier means to produce a fuller image. Early motion pictures in England used this two -color process. Edwin Slosson describes the Kinemacolor system as “red and green being taken and projected alternately by means of a rotating disk of tinted filters. Because an image on the retina persists for about a sixteenth of a second before it fades away, each color fused with the succeeding one, except when movement was too fast (62).” <br />
<br />
Technicolor exposes two strips of black and white film to two different filters simultaneously. One was behind a red filter and the other a green. It had much the same problems as Kinemacolor because of the issue of speed. But since this was an additive method of color mixing, a subtractive method was tried. <br />
<br />
A successor the Gaumont Process used glass plates in an attempt to rectify the RG system. It “employed three pictures taken in the three primary colors by three lenses on the same film and projected through three objectives.” Dots, ruled lines or starch grains were used on the glass plates in the three colors. However, when enlarged, picture quality is diminished so although color is improved overall picture is not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Bibliography==<br />
<br />
Billmeyer, Fred W., and Max Saltzman. Principles of Color Technology. Second Edition ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1981. 25-66.<br />
<br />
Evans, Brian. "Foundations of a Visual Music." Computer Music Journal 29 (2005): 17-18.<br />
<br />
Gerritsen, Franz. Evolution in Color. Grand Rapids: Schiffer, Limited, 1988.<br />
<br />
Hirsch, Robert. Exploring Colour Photography: A Complete Guide. London: Laurence King, 2004.<br />
<br />
Hunt, R. W., and R. W. Hunt. Measuring Colour : A Photographer's Paradise. New York: Fountain P, Limited, 1996.<br />
<br />
Kindem, Gorham. "The Demise of Kinemacolor: Technological, Legal, Economic, and Aesthetic Problems in Early Color Cinema History." Cinema Journal 20 (1981): 3-14.<br />
<br />
Landa, Edward R. "Albert H. Munsell: A Sense of Color at the Interface of Art and Science." Soil Science 169 (2004): 83-89.<br />
<br />
Microsoft Computer Dictionary. New York: Microsoft P, 2002."The NCS System." The <br />
<br />
Natural Color System. Scandinavian Color Institute. <http://www.ncscolour.com/webbizz/mainpage/main.asp.><br />
<br />
Slosson, Edwin E. "How New Color Movie Camera Works." The Science News-letter 14 (1928): 61-62.</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Old_Color_Spaces&diff=6193Old Color Spaces2008-12-03T06:20:08Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>===COLOR BASICS==<br />
<br />
'''HSB or The “Three Dimensions” of Color'''<br />
<br />
(Gerritsen/Microsoft)<br />
<br />
HSB stands for Hue-Saturation-Brightness and is a color model dependent upon a color wheel and the percentage of the amount of white present in a designated hue. <br />
<br />
===Hue===<br />
<br />
Hue is color itself as it is placed on a color wheel where each color has a percentage. Red is at 0o, yellow is 60o, green is 120o, etc. This percentage coincides with the frequency of light waves reflected of any given object for that color in respects to the color spectrum. Each tone group (red, green, etc) can than be affected by saturation and brightness in order to vary its shade and intensity. <br />
<br />
===Saturation===<br />
<br />
Often given as a percentage, saturation is the intensity of color for a specific hue. It can also be described as how different a color is from grey at any lightness. Colors that are more vivid are considered more saturated while colors that are more muddled and closer to grey are less saturated. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Brightness===<br />
<br />
Brightness of an object is a difficult thing to measure because it is perceived. While looking at a computer screen in a dark room, colors appear brighter than if the room was well lit. But generally, brightness measures the luminosity of a color. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Additive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
Additive color systems, such as RGB, mix the three primary colors together as a way to produce more colors. The secondary colors of cyan, magenta and yellow are results of mixing two of the three primary colors together. White is created when all three of the primary colors are mixed together proportionately. The additive color theory was discovered by James Clerk Maxwell in conjunction with a photographer, Thomas Sutton. Maxwell had Sutton photograph a piece of ribbon three times, each with a different filter over the lens (one red, one blue, one green). He then projected each image from a different projector onto a common screen. The three separate images then formed a complete one with full coloring. <br />
<br />
[[Image:additive.jpg|thumb|left|Additive Color Mixing]]<br />
<br />
===Subtractive Color Mixing===<br />
<br />
Louis Ducos du Hauron was responsible for the discovery of the subtractive color theory. Subtractive color mixing removes some colors from white light while allowing others to pass. The CYMK model is an example of a subtractive color space. It uses cyan, yellow, magenta and black to create colors. When white light is passed through one of these secondary and subtractive color filters, two of the primary colors which form the secondary color are transmitted through the filter and the third one is absorbed. When equal amounts of all the subtractive colors overlap, all primary colors are blocked and black is produced. Subtractive color mixing is more advantageous than additive because of its ability to create more colors. When the proportion of overlapping filters is changed, almost any color can be created. Viewing equipment for subtractive coloring is also cheaper (Kirsch 28-35).<br />
<br />
[[Image:subtractive.jpg|thumb|right|Subtractive Color Mixing]]<br />
<br />
<br />
==The Munsell System==<br />
===Brief Bio===<br />
Albert H. Munsell lived from 1858-1918 in Boston, MA. He attended Massachusetts Normal Art School (now Massachusetts College of Art), where he later became a member of the faculty. Although the color system he began developing is widely used by scientists and artists alike, Munsell did not consider himself a scientist. He was a trained painter frustrated with the lack of color descriptions and a systematic color scheme. Munsell began developing his color system when he was a teaching aid for color composition students. As the system became more advanced, Munsell was able to share his color distinction system with well-respected scientists and engineers around Boston. He published “A Color Notation” in 1905, which described his system so far. Munsell wanted his system to be used in a broad sense, rather than only in science and art. His goal was to use it to teach concepts of color to primary school students. Unfortunately, Munsell’s health began to decline in 1914 and he passed away in Boston in 1918 at the age of 60. After his death, Dorothy Nickerson (who first worked as secretary to Munsell’s son) worked to adapt the Munsell Color System. The charts could finally be put to widespread use 30 years after Munsell died. (Landa)<br />
===The System===<br />
The Munsell system is now the most widely used and accepted color system. All other color systems that arise are compared to the Munsell System, which has come to be known as the standard color system. The system builds on the guiding principle of equal visual perception. This is the idea that we all perceive colors differently, but the system accounts for any small discrepancies based on comparison to a grayscale, assuming the eyes seek the balance of grayscale (Evans). The system is able to describe all possible colors in terms of three coordinates:<br />
<br />
1. Munsell Hue: the quality of a color described at red, yellow, blue and so on<br />
<br />
2. Munsell Value: the place where a color falls in terms of lightness when compared to a scale of grays from white to black<br />
<br />
3. Munsell Chroma: the degree of difference between a color and a gray of the same value.<br />
<br />
The Munsell Book of Color is a compilation of color samples, usually arranged in pages of a book, or on a color “tree.” The Munsell Value is vertical in a display and the Munsell Chroma is horizontal. The scale of grays can be considered the “trunk” of the color tree, going from white on top to black on the bottom. <br />
<br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_tree.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]], [[image: Munsell_tree_pages.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Book]], [[image: Munsell_tree_round.jpg|thumb|center|200px|Munsell Tree]]<br />
<br />
Each sample has a Munsell Notation, which tells us its position on the tree. The notation consists of three symbols that represent Munsell Hue, Munsell Value, and Munsell Chroma. <br />
<br />
[[image: Munsell_notation.jpg|thumb|left|300px|An example of Munsell Notation]]<br />
<br />
The Munsell System is the most accepted color system because colors are not limited to the samples shown, whereas other color systems are. Any color that can be conceived will fit into the Munsell System. (Billmeyer and Saltzman)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Natural Color System & Color Opponency==<br />
<br />
===Color Opponency===<br />
<br />
The Natural Color System is based upon the color opponent theory. The color opponent theory focuses on the uniqueness of four hues and their inability to be described simultaneously. R.W.G. Hunt describes color opponency:<br />
<br />
“The hues red, yellow, green and blue are said to be unique because they cannot be described in terms of any combinations of other color names. Thus, for instance, although orange can be described as a yellowish red or reddish yellow, red cannot be described as a yellowish blue or a bluish yellow. In fact the four unique hues comprise two pairs, red and green, and yellow and blue; the colors in each of these pairs are opponent, in the sense that they cannot both be perceived simultaneously as component parts of any one color. That is, it is impossible to have a reddish green, or a greenish red, or a yellowish blue, or a bluish yellow. But yellowish reds… greenish yellows… bluish reds are all possible (140-141).”<br />
<br />
Black and white are also used in the color opponent theory to determine variations of light and dark.<br />
<br />
[[Image:coloropponent.jpg|thumb|left|Color Opponency]]<br />
<br />
===NCS===<br />
<br />
The Natural Color System was developed by the Scandinavian Color Institute. Using NCS a color is measured based upon its percentage in comparison to a color opponent pair. A color therefore that is purely red and has no green is at 100% red. Darkness of a color and saturation are also taken into consideration when measuring the color being presented. A sample notation taken from the NCS website is shown to the right. [[Image:NCSNotation.jpg|thumb|right|NCS Notation]]<br />
The letter S in front simply means that the NCS is responsible for measuring a specific color. The nuance describes the “degree of resemblance to whiteness and blackness.” Chromaticness puts the color at a grey. The ten percent blackness thus mean that there is 40 percent whiteness in the color. The Y90R describes the hue of the color. This example shows a yellowish color with 90 percent red. The ten percent yellow is than inferred (Hunt 141-143/The NCS System). <br />
<br />
[[Image:NCSWheel.jpg|thumb|left|NCS Color Wheel]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Common Color Spaces==<br />
A color space is a three-dimensional concept, in that it considers hue, value, and chroma. The most commonly used color spaces are hue based. These include RGB (red, green, blue), RYB (red, yellow, blue), and CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). <br />
[[image: Color_circles.png|thumb|right|400px|]]<br />
The left circle was developed by Johannes Itten; it is a circle of the primary colors. The primary colors are still taught in art schools and classes today using this circle. The circle on the right is used today in computer graphics. The additive primary colors of this circle (red, green, and blue) produce white light when added together on a computer. The subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta, and yellow) are the complementary colors on the circle. When they’re added on the computer, they produce black, or the absence of color. When comparing the two circles, we can see that they contradict each other. The circle on the left suggests that red and green are complementary to each other, but in the circle on the right, they are both primary. This example shows that color can be subjective, “the perception of color is inexact, culturally influenced, and personal” (Evans).<br />
<br />
==Obsolete Color Space: RG & Early Film==<br />
<br />
Both Kinemacolor in England and Technicolor used red and green primary colors to produce images in film until blue was introduced as an easier means to produce a fuller image. Early motion pictures in England used this two -color process. Edwin Slosson describes the Kinemacolor system as “red and green being taken and projected alternately by means of a rotating disk of tinted filters. Because an image on the retina persists for about a sixteenth of a second before it fades away, each color fused with the succeeding one, except when movement was too fast (62).” <br />
<br />
Technicolor exposes two strips of black and white film to two different filters simultaneously. One was behind a red filter and the other a green. It had much the same problems as Kinemacolor because of the issue of speed. But since this was an additive method of color mixing, a subtractive method was tried. <br />
<br />
A successor the Gaumont Process used glass plates in an attempt to rectify the RG system. It “employed three pictures taken in the three primary colors by three lenses on the same film and projected through three objectives.” Dots, ruled lines or starch grains were used on the glass plates in the three colors. However, when enlarged, picture quality is diminished so although color is improved overall picture is not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Bibliography==<br />
<br />
Billmeyer, Fred W., and Max Saltzman. Principles of Color Technology. Second Edition ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1981. 25-66.<br />
<br />
Evans, Brian. "Foundations of a Visual Music." Computer Music Journal 29 (2005): 17-18.<br />
<br />
Gerritsen, Franz. Evolution in Color. Grand Rapids: Schiffer, Limited, 1988.<br />
<br />
Hirsch, Robert. Exploring Colour Photography: A Complete Guide. London: Laurence King, 2004.<br />
<br />
Hunt, R. W., and R. W. Hunt. Measuring Colour : A Photographer's Paradise. New York: Fountain P, Limited, 1996.<br />
<br />
Kindem, Gorham. "The Demise of Kinemacolor: Technological, Legal, Economic, and Aesthetic Problems in Early Color Cinema History." Cinema Journal 20 (1981): 3-14.<br />
<br />
Landa, Edward R. "Albert H. Munsell: A Sense of Color at the Interface of Art and Science." Soil Science 169 (2004): 83-89.<br />
<br />
Microsoft Computer Dictionary. New York: Microsoft P, 2002."The NCS System." The <br />
<br />
Natural Color System. Scandinavian Color Institute. <http://www.ncscolour.com/webbizz/mainpage/main.asp.><br />
<br />
Slosson, Edwin E. "How New Color Movie Camera Works." The Science News-letter 14 (1928): 61-62.</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:Subtractive.jpg&diff=6192File:Subtractive.jpg2008-12-03T06:12:55Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2008spr-MediaArchaeology.html Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2008) <br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design.<br />
<br />
= Dead Media Dossiers = <br />
<br />
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="20"<br />
<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[3D Television]]<br />
<br />
[[8-track Tape]]<br />
<br />
[[Autopen]]<br />
<br />
[[Camera Lucida]]<br />
<br />
[[Camera Obscura]]<br />
<br />
[[Car Phone]]<br />
<br />
[[Chirograph (Cyrograph)]]<br />
<br />
[[Civil Defense Siren]]<br />
<br />
[[Credit Card Imprinter]]<br />
<br />
[[Daguerreotype]]<br />
<br />
[[Discipline]]<br />
<br />
[[Data Visualization and Defunct Visual Metaphors]]<br />
<br />
[[Ear Trumpet]]<br />
<br />
[[Electric Pen]]<br />
<br />
[[Enigma machine]]<br />
<br />
[[Experiential Typewriter]]<br />
<br />
[[Glass Harmonica]]<br />
<br />
[[Hierarchy]]<br />
<br />
[[Hip Pocket Records]]<br />
<br />
[[Hollerith Punch Card]]<br />
<br />
[[Homing Pigeons]]<br />
<br />
[[Hotel Annunciator]]<br />
<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[Kinora]]<br />
<br />
[[Magic Lantern]]<br />
<br />
[[Marine Chronometer]]<br />
<br />
[[The Market]]<br />
<br />
[[Medieval Mariner's Compass]]<br />
<br />
[[Mechanical Television]]<br />
<br />
[[Megalethoscope]]<br />
<br />
[[MiniDisc]]<br />
<br />
[[Minitel]]<br />
<br />
[[Mood Ring]]<br />
<br />
[[Movable Type]]<br />
<br />
[[Mystical Writing Pad]]<br />
<br />
[[Nansen Passport]]<br />
<br />
[[Newspaper via Radio Facsimile]]<br />
<br />
[[NeXT Step]]<br />
<br />
[[Nickelodeon]]<br />
<br />
[[Notificator]]<br />
<br />
[[Panorama]]<br />
<br />
[[Peruvian Quipu]]<br />
<br />
[[Phonograph Doll]]<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[Photographic Gun]]<br />
<br />
[[Picturephone]]<br />
<br />
[[Player Piano]]<br />
<br />
[[Pneumatic Tubes]]<br />
<br />
[[Polaroid Camera]]<br />
<br />
[[Political Effigies]]<br />
<br />
[[Roentgen Ray Tube]]<br />
<br />
[[Semaphore Telegraph]]<br />
<br />
[[Shorthand]]<br />
<br />
[[Smell Organ]]<br />
<br />
[[Spirit Duplicator]]<br />
<br />
[[Spirit Photography]]<br />
<br />
[[Standardization]]<br />
<br />
[[Steenbeck]]<br />
<br />
[[Stereoscope]]<br />
<br />
[[Talking Book]]<br />
<br />
[[Talking View-Master]]<br />
<br />
[[Telautograph]]<br />
<br />
[[Telharmonium]]<br />
<br />
[[Typewriter]]<br />
<br />
[[The Victrola]]<br />
<br />
[[Virtual boy]]<br />
<br />
[[Wire Recording]]<br />
<br />
[[Wax Cylinder]]<br />
<br />
[[Zuse palimpsest]]<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of techniques that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts. These questions are provisional and may not be appropriate for all artifacts. They are meant as tools for critical exploration. <br />
<br />
* "[[Pops and hisses]]" -- Pops and hisses refers to the background noise often heard on phonograph recordings resulting from inconsistencies in the underlying material. Research Question: What are the unavoidable, obtrusive material qualities of the substrate itself that enter into the medium's overall system of representation? <br />
<br />
* [[Skeuomorph, or the "click"]] -- Single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras make a clicking sound when taking a picture. The click results from a mechanical operation: an internal mirror moves aside and the shutter opens, exposing the film to light. Many of today's digital cameras have no shutter and no internal mirror, yet they still simulate the click using a digital audio sample. Why? Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the material level but are still nevertheless necessary at the semiotic level? Where is the "click"? <br />
<br />
* Remediation -- Like the "click," remediation refers to the process through which older media formats are simulated, extended, coopted, modified, tamed, or rendered obsolete by new media formats. Research Questions: What came before this artifact? What newer medium came after? What traits are lost or preserved in the historical transformation from one system to another? <br />
<br />
* "Functional nonsense" -- Functional nonsense refers to actual material qualities of the medium that are necessary for the medium to function correctly but which have no semantic or semiotic purpose. A good illustration is the [[Chirograph (Cyrograph)|chirograph]] which requires that some word -- by custom it was often the word "chirograph" -- be inscribed across the midsection of a document. The word is then cut in half, certifying and authenticating the two pieces. The word "chirograph" is therefore highly functional, but semantically irrelevant. Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the semiotic or semantic level but are nevertheless crucial to its functioning correctly?<br />
<br />
* Encoding -- Research Question: What symbolic system is used in the medium to encode and decode messages? <br />
<br />
* Digital versus analog -- Research Questions: What parts of the artifact conform to a model of representation using discrete sample points, and what parts use a continuously variable input? Are the two hybridized and if so how? <br />
<br />
* The "obvious" -- In every medium there are techniques and design conventions that result from the prevalent tendencies of the historical situation. For example, the problem of writing and reproduction in the modern period was "solved" using mechanical levers, metal type, presses and inks, while the problem of writing and reproduction in the late twentieth century was solved using an entirely different set of techniques: digital code, microchips, and LCDs. Research Question: What aspects of the medium result from large scale paradigms appropriate to the historical context? <br />
<br />
* The "arbitrary" -- Every medium also contains entirely unmotivated and unexplainable traits. Western writing runs left to right, top to bottom. But this convention is arbitrary. Research Question: What specific aspects of the medium have no material or semiotic reason for being? <br />
<br />
* Formal prohibitions/affordances -- Communications media often put clear limitations on where and how messages can originate and be received. Radio began as a two-way medium, but evolved into a broadcast medium. Research Questions: Who can read in this medium? Who can write in this medium? Is there an asymmetrical relationship between those who can send and those who can receive? What types of values are embedded in the affordances of the technology?<br />
<br />
* The "Hack" -- Given a set of formal prohibitions, do there exist alternate practices of use that change the intended outcome of the medium? For example, DJs "hack" record players when they "spin" records, using their hands to overcome the formal prohibitions of the record player, resulting in the advent of a new style of music. [[Hacking this assignment]]. [TODO: add to this -- mention improvisation, play.]<br />
<br />
* [[The "Cake Mix" effect]] -- Research Questions: What part of the process is streamlined, mechanized, or determined in advance, and what part of the process must be performed by the user? For example, Karaoke machines mechanize the instrumental part of a song, and the user performs the vocals. [TODO: add to this] Prior to the use of tape as a means of recording, the composer had to work with a finite set of possibilities and sounds. With the advent of tape, the sonic substance became malleable, and cuttable. What effect does the mechanized portion of the process have on the emergence of the new? What effect does the streamlined portion of the process have on the overall mode of representation?<br />
<br />
* [[The "Reversal"]] -- Is there a point where maximum efficiency within a medium forces it into obsolescence? Mapmaking was ridden with errors due to difficulties in measuring longitude, but once the Marine Chronometer made it possible to plot the exact coordinates of a given position in space, and the grid mapped upon geographic representations was perfected, it was no longer necessary to use a map for navigation since a course could be plotted without any geographic references. (Additional question/theory: Is a "sampling" medium capable of reversal, or is it only threatened by upgraded mediums that are more efficient? Is the Reversal only possible in a "programming" scenario?)<br />
<br />
* [[The "Break Boundary"]] -- Research Questions: Is there a point beyond which "the system generated by the artifact suddenly changes into another or passes some point of no return in its dynamic processes?" Or what specific reconfigurations in the spatio-temporal framework surrounding the media environment of the artifact might "break" the dynamics which it was attended to address? [DO OTHERS AGREE THIS IS WORTH ADDRESSING? a suggestion via McLuhan that might be worth talking about - perhaps an attribute that doesn't apply to the material framework of the object, but maybe one that is crucial in establishing the artifact's relevance and obsolescence?]<br />
<br />
* "Bad Weather" (non-diegetic influences?) -- The [[Semaphore Telegraph]] was unable to operate in fog. External inputs often influence the proper functioning of media. Research Questions: What external events exist that might cause the medium to operate in flawed or unexpected ways? Does the medium try to shield itself from the outside world? If so, how does this change the format in question?<br />
<br />
* "Guts" -- Some dead media, like the [[NeXT Step]], hide their internal guts inside a [[black box]]. Others like the [[Kinora]] expose their inner workings for all to see. The way in which a media object alternately reveals or hides its insides greatly influences how it is understood, used, and analyzed. Research Questions: Does the medium in question hide or reveal its own internal functioning? If the guts are displayed, does this "technologize" the medium or change it in other ways? If the guts are hidden, does this reify or fetishize the object in question?<br />
<br />
* "Iris vs. Hermes" -- Most media can be charted on a continuum between Iris and Hermes. Both Iris and Hermes were Greek gods of communication; Iris was a messenger for Hera, and Hermes for Zeus. Yet while Hermes facilitated communication by accompanying messages, guiding trade, appearing alongside travelers and otherwise chaperoning interconnections between people, Iris relayed messages by immanently internalizing them in the physically of her own body. For Iris, the medium is the message. Hermes however was more of a letter carrier, keeping the outer envelop distinct from the inner content of the message. Research Questions: Does the medium maintain a separation between the symbolic layer of the medium and the material substrate? Or does the physicality of the medium itself mean something without recourse to surface inscriptions?<br />
<br />
* [["The Sample vs. the Program"]] (Witnessing vs Interpreting / Feeling vs Perceiving) -- Some media can be inscribed by simply being turned on and allowed to feel, or sample the content they remediate - yet other media generate complete nonsense unless a highly specialized and refined language code or aesthetic has been mastered and applied in the process of inscription. Research Questions: Does the medium demand a great deal of analysis before the act of inscription, or does it appropriate material that can be processed and interpreted later? Does the noise of the medium illustrate a condition external to the user's actions (ie background noise) or does the noise illustrate imperfect execution of a symbolic system (misspellings, syntactical errors, grammatical nonsense, freudian slips etc.)? Does the medium demand a complex understanding of the given content (embodying an informational cultural bias) or does it appear to witness with an inhuman objectivity?<br />
<br />
* [[Mediatic Etymology]] - Proposes a methodology for theorizing the existence of dead media by inverting the process of remediation.<br />
<br />
* [[Where do media go to die?]] -- Some artifacts or representational practices may no longer perform a useful function or satisfy popular needs in the current media ecology, but they don't necessarily disappear. Research question: What constitutes a/the moment of death? Is the artifact or representational practice obsolete (outmoded or inoperable) or outright extinct?<br />
<br />
* "Luminescence" -- [TO DO - BEN?]<br />
<br />
* "Ideologies of adoption" -- [TO DO - ALEX?]<br />
<br />
* "Text / Paratext" -- [TO DO]<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats] <br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Nickelodeon&diff=5801Nickelodeon2008-11-05T18:19:32Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div>[[Image:Outside.jpg|thumb|right|The outside of a nickelodeon.]]<br />
<br />
During the early 20th century, short films transformed into longer story films with the help of the nickelodeon theatre. The nickelodeon and longer films in general, helped to enhance the movie experience, involving a more emotional attachment to them. They were also helpful in connecting members of immigrant community, specifically in New York.<br />
<br />
==The Rise of the Nickelodeon==<br />
<br />
The first Nickelodeon was opened in Pittsburgh in 1905 by John P. Harris and Harry Davis. Within the year a boom of nickelodeons opened in various other places including Manhattan and began the “motion picture” age and the movie theatre. Americans flocked toward nickelodeons. The medium was looked at as a story-telling device for “naïve costumers whose emotions were easily stimulated and whose pocketbooks were congenial to the 5-cent price (Crowther).” The nickelodeon required no common language to understand, and immigrants to the country during the boom of both American immigration and the theatre were attracted to it. “Scenic tours” were of popular interest as well. Theatres would play a roll of travel pictures and present them as if the audience were passing by the scene on a railroad car. <br />
<br />
===The Nickelodeon Theatre===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Inside.jpg|thumb|left]]<br />
<br />
Nickelodeons got there name by charging generally between a nickel and a dime to watch a silent film. The theatres were typically all the same design with a rectangular shape, 20 feet wide and 80 feet deep. A hand-cranked projector displayed the movie on a painted white square on the farthest wall. Permanent seating, if there was any, was on either side of the center aisle in either wooden benches or plywood chairs. The floor of the theatre was at a slope. At the front of the theatre, a small area enclosed the piano player who gave musical life to the silent film being presented. The entrance to the nickelodeon theatre was almost always an arch with a ticket booth at the front. Above the box office was often a small window for the projectionist to escape in case of a fire because of the highly flammable nitrate film being dealt with. The presence of the theatre as a whole was often a grandiose feeling. Some were designed in a gothic style (Morrison).<br />
<br />
===Longer Films & Storytelling===<br />
<br />
Prior to the nickelodeon, films were made up of single shots, showing either short fiction or non-fiction scenes. French films by the Pathé Freres Company were the first to experiment with longer story films and once they opened up offices in New York City in 1903, American film producers took note. Edison Manufacturing Company for example was among the many. Nickelodeons then began to show these films, such as Edison’s The Great Train Robbery.<br />
<br />
[[Image:GreatTrainRobbery.jpg|thumb|right|Poster for the Great Train Robbery, which was the first movie played by Harris & Davis at their nick.]]<br />
<br />
Technically speaking, producers were more in favor of longer films because it allowed them to raise prices when selling film to exhibitors. It also opened up the opportunity in general to deepen the meaning of film and get more in depth with their subjects. This helped involve the audience more with the films, “drawing spectators into the story and engaging them in the unfolding events, thus combining a form of entertainment which powerfully combined attractions with the pleasure of narrative (Grieveson 78).” <br />
<br />
===New York City and the Nick===<br />
<br />
In the early 20th century, the Lower East Side of Manhattan was a large immigrant area. It was here that the majority of the nickelodeons in New York were located, strewn along the Bowery (Allen 4). Because, of the universal aspect of silent film and the area in New York of which they boomed, it can be said that the nickelodeon provided a sense of community within the immigrant population. A sense of togetherness is always felt when people watch a movie together, similar emotions are experienced. For a group of people who are new to a country, gathering in groups of around a hundred, regardless of recognizable faces to all focus and enjoy one thing could have aided in feeling more comfortable in their new situations. Theatres were also opened in Little Italy (located on the Upper East Side) and Jewish Harlem. <br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==The Death of Silent Film==<br />
<br />
===Thomas Edison and Film===<br />
<br />
[[Image:FredOtto.jpg|thumb|left|Fred Ott's Sneeze.]]<br />
<br />
Thomas Edison can be seen as an influential aspect to both silent and sound film. In 1893, he opened a “motion picture studio,” in the most literal sense of the phrase, in the back of his laboratory in New Jersey. There he produced Fred Ott’s Sneeze, a few seconds of footage with a stream of pictures depicting his worker, Fred Ott (Cohen 33). After the development of the phonograph, Edison wanted to merge both sound and film. He thought that combining both motion picture and sound “would provide delightful entertainment for millions of people (Manchel 2).” William Dickson, also an inventor, paired with Edison to work on the conjunction. It was Dickson who created one of the first sound films using Edison’s phonograph. He presented it to Edison in his laboratory in New Jersey, asking him to use listening tubes from a phonograph and watching a small screen. The screen showed Dickson tipping his hat and waving to Edison, while the phonograph played a greeting wishing Edison good morning and expressing Dickson’s hope that he would enjoy the “kinetophone.” In 1913 after two decades of work on the combination of sound and film, Edison gave a public display of one of his features. The movie was met with disdain and was rejected by the audience. After two more years Edison gave up his efforts. <br />
<br />
===A New Approach===<br />
<br />
The problem with Edison’s sound films was due partially to the phonograph itself. Because the recording quality of the machines was poor, actors had to stand extremely close to the phonograph in order for any sound to be recorded at all. This limited things greatly. Either the microphones had to be shown in the shot or the audio had to be recorded separately and then synchronized to the picture. The second approach was taken but failed still. Sound quality in the theatres was still poor and synchronization was difficult. <br />
<br />
Other attempts at sound film were taken still. Actors sometimes hid behind screens to recite lines, sound machines created special effects sounds but, neither these nor Edison’s efforts were successful. Finally, with the invention of Lee De Forest’s audio amplifier, sound films were on their way. De Forest had invented a vacuum tube that converted sound into rhythmic light. However, it wasn’t until the end of World War I that the effort to convert the light back into sound was made. In 1925, Western Electric Company, who had taken over the execution of De Forest’s idea, teamed up with Warner Brothers to work on sound film (Manchel 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<br />
Allen, Robert C. "Motion Picture Exhibition in Manhattan 1906-1912: Beyond the Nickelodeon." Cinema Journal (1979): 2-15.<br />
<br />
Cohen, Paula Marantz. Silent Film & the Triumph of the American Myth. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.<br />
<br />
Crowther, Bosley. When Movies Were Young. New York: New York Times, 1955.<br />
<br />
Grieveson, Lee and Peter Kramer. The Silent Cinema Reader. New York: Routledge, 2004.<br />
<br />
Manchel, Frank. When Movies Began to Speak. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1969.<br />
<br />
Morrison, Craig. "From Nickelodeon to Picture Palace and Back." Design Quarterly (1974): 6-17.</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:GreatTrainRobbery.jpg&diff=5797File:GreatTrainRobbery.jpg2008-11-05T18:15:25Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:Outside.jpg&diff=5795File:Outside.jpg2008-11-05T18:09:37Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:Inside.jpg&diff=5794File:Inside.jpg2008-11-05T18:09:21Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Nickelodeon&diff=5793Nickelodeon2008-11-05T18:08:19Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div>During the early 20th century, short films transformed into longer story films with the help of the nickelodeon theatre. The nickelodeon and longer films in general, helped to enhance the movie experience, involving a more emotional attachment to them. They were also helpful in connecting members of immigrant community, specifically in New York.<br />
<br />
==The Rise of the Nickelodeon==<br />
<br />
The first Nickelodeon was opened in Pittsburgh in 1905 by John P. Harris and Harry Davis. Within the year a boom of nickelodeons opened in various other places including Manhattan and began the “motion picture” age and the movie theatre. Americans flocked toward nickelodeons. The medium was looked at as a story-telling device for “naïve costumers whose emotions were easily stimulated and whose pocketbooks were congenial to the 5-cent price (Crowther).” The nickelodeon required no common language to understand, and immigrants to the country during the boom of both American immigration and the theatre were attracted to it. “Scenic tours” were of popular interest as well. Theatres would play a roll of travel pictures and present them as if the audience were passing by the scene on a railroad car. <br />
<br />
===The Nickelodeon Theatre===<br />
<br />
Nickelodeons got there name by charging generally between a nickel and a dime to watch a silent film. The theatres were typically all the same design with a rectangular shape, 20 feet wide and 80 feet deep. A hand-cranked projector displayed the movie on a painted white square on the farthest wall. Permanent seating, if there was any, was on either side of the center aisle in either wooden benches or plywood chairs. The floor of the theatre was at a slope. At the front of the theatre, a small area enclosed the piano player who gave musical life to the silent film being presented. The entrance to the nickelodeon theatre was almost always an arch with a ticket booth at the front. Above the box office was often a small window for the projectionist to escape in case of a fire because of the highly flammable nitrate film being dealt with. The presence of the theatre as a whole was often a grandiose feeling. Some were designed in a gothic style (Morrison).<br />
<br />
===Longer Films & Storytelling===<br />
<br />
Prior to the nickelodeon, films were made up of single shots, showing either short fiction or non-fiction scenes. French films by the Pathé Freres Company were the first to experiment with longer story films and once they opened up offices in New York City in 1903, American film producers took note. Edison Manufacturing Company for example was among the many. Nickelodeons then began to show these films, such as Edison’s The Great Train Robbery.<br />
Technically speaking, producers were more in favor of longer films because it allowed them to raise prices when selling film to exhibitors. It also opened up the opportunity in general to deepen the meaning of film and get more in depth with their subjects. This helped involve the audience more with the films, “drawing spectators into the story and engaging them in the unfolding events, thus combining a form of entertainment which powerfully combined attractions with the pleasure of narrative (Grieveson 78).” <br />
<br />
===New York City and the Nick===<br />
<br />
In the early 20th century, the Lower East Side of Manhattan was a large immigrant area. It was here that the majority of the nickelodeons in New York were located, strewn along the Bowery (Allen 4). Because, of the universal aspect of silent film and the area in New York of which they boomed, it can be said that the nickelodeon provided a sense of community within the immigrant population. A sense of togetherness is always felt when people watch a movie together, similar emotions are experienced. For a group of people who are new to a country, gathering in groups of around a hundred, regardless of recognizable faces to all focus and enjoy one thing could have aided in feeling more comfortable in their new situations. Theatres were also opened in Little Italy (located on the Upper East Side) and Jewish Harlem. <br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==The Death of Silent Film==<br />
<br />
===Thomas Edison and Film===<br />
<br />
Thomas Edison can be seen as an influential aspect to both silent and sound film. In 1893, he opened a “motion picture studio,” in the most literal sense of the phrase, in the back of his laboratory in New Jersey. There he produced Fred Ott’s Sneeze, a few seconds of footage with a stream of pictures depicting his worker, Fred Ott (Cohen 33). After the development of the phonograph, Edison wanted to merge both sound and film. He thought that combining both motion picture and sound “would provide delightful entertainment for millions of people (Manchel 2).” William Dickson, also an inventor, paired with Edison to work on the conjunction. It was Dickson who created one of the first sound films using Edison’s phonograph. He presented it to Edison in his laboratory in New Jersey, asking him to use listening tubes from a phonograph and watching a small screen. The screen showed Dickson tipping his hat and waving to Edison, while the phonograph played a greeting wishing Edison good morning and expressing Dickson’s hope that he would enjoy the “kinetophone.” In 1913 after two decades of work on the combination of sound and film, Edison gave a public display of one of his features. The movie was met with disdain and was rejected by the audience. After two more years Edison gave up his efforts. <br />
<br />
===A New Approach===<br />
<br />
The problem with Edison’s sound films was due partially to the phonograph itself. Because the recording quality of the machines was poor, actors had to stand extremely close to the phonograph in order for any sound to be recorded at all. This limited things greatly. Either the microphones had to be shown in the shot or the audio had to be recorded separately and then synchronized to the picture. The second approach was taken but failed still. Sound quality in the theatres was still poor and synchronization was difficult. <br />
Other attempts at sound film were taken still. Actors sometimes hid behind screens to recite lines, sound machines created special effects sounds but, neither these nor Edison’s efforts were successful. Finally, with the invention of Lee De Forest’s audio amplifier, sound films were on their way. De Forest had invented a vacuum tube that converted sound into rhythmic light. However, it wasn’t until the end of World War I that the effort to convert the light back into sound was made. In 1925, Western Electric Company, who had taken over the execution of De Forest’s idea, teamed up with Warner Brothers to work on sound film (Manchel 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<br />
Allen, Robert C. "Motion Picture Exhibition in Manhattan 1906-1912: Beyond the Nickelodeon." Cinema Journal (1979): 2-15.<br />
<br />
Cohen, Paula Marantz. Silent Film & the Triumph of the American Myth. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.<br />
<br />
Crowther, Bosley. When Movies Were Young. New York: New York Times, 1955.<br />
<br />
Grieveson, Lee and Peter Kramer. The Silent Cinema Reader. New York: Routledge, 2004.<br />
<br />
Manchel, Frank. When Movies Began to Speak. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1969.<br />
<br />
Morrison, Craig. "From Nickelodeon to Picture Palace and Back." Design Quarterly (1974): 6-17.</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=NUMBER_TWO&diff=5307NUMBER TWO2008-10-17T03:13:01Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div>'''Place ideas for second dossier here'''<br />
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Martine Phelan-Roberts: Talking View Master<br />
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Jesse Seegers: blueprints<br />
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Allison McCarthy: Polaroid Camera<br />
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Mike Sokolov: Virtual Boy<br />
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Lisa Garcia: Nickelodeons</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=5236Main Page2008-10-08T17:15:58Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2008spr-MediaArchaeology.html Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2008) <br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design.<br />
<br />
= Dead Media Dossiers = <br />
<br />
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="20"<br />
<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[3D Television]]<br />
<br />
[[8-track Tape]]<br />
<br />
[[Autopen]]<br />
<br />
[[Camera Lucida]]<br />
<br />
[[Camera Obscura]]<br />
<br />
[[Chirograph (Cyrograph)]]<br />
<br />
[[Civil Defense Siren]]<br />
<br />
[[Credit Card Imprinter]]<br />
<br />
[[Daguerreotype]]<br />
<br />
[[Discipline]]<br />
<br />
[[Data Visualization and Defunct Visual Metaphors]]<br />
<br />
[[Ear Trumpet]]<br />
<br />
[[Electric Pen]]<br />
<br />
[[Enigma machine]]<br />
<br />
[[Experiential Typewriter]]<br />
<br />
[[Glass Harmonica]]<br />
<br />
[[Hierarchy]]<br />
<br />
[[Hollerith Punch Card]]<br />
<br />
[[Homing Pigeons]]<br />
<br />
[[Hotel Annunciator]]<br />
<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[Kinora]]<br />
<br />
[[Magic Lantern]]<br />
<br />
[[Marine Chronometer]]<br />
<br />
[[The Market]]<br />
<br />
[[Medieval Mariner's Compass]]<br />
<br />
[[Mechanical Television]]<br />
<br />
[[Megalethoscope]]<br />
<br />
[[MiniDisc]]<br />
<br />
[[Minitel]]<br />
<br />
[[Mood Ring]]<br />
<br />
[[Movable Type]]<br />
<br />
[[Mystical Writing Pad]]<br />
<br />
[[Nansen Passport]]<br />
<br />
[[Newspaper via Radio Facsimile]]<br />
<br />
[[NeXT Step]]<br />
<br />
[[Notificator]]<br />
<br />
[[Panorama]]<br />
<br />
[[Peruvian Quipu]]<br />
<br />
[[Phonograph Doll]]<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[Photographic Gun]]<br />
<br />
[[Player Piano]]<br />
<br />
[[Pneumatic Tubes]]<br />
<br />
[[Political Effigies]]<br />
<br />
[[Roentgen Ray Tube]]<br />
<br />
[[Semaphore Telegraph]]<br />
<br />
[[Shorthand]]<br />
<br />
[[Smell Organ]]<br />
<br />
[[Spirit Duplicator]]<br />
<br />
[[Standardization]]<br />
<br />
[[Steenbeck]]<br />
<br />
[[Stereoscope]]<br />
<br />
[[Talking Book]]<br />
<br />
[[Telautograph]]<br />
<br />
[[Telharmonium]]<br />
<br />
[[Typewriter]]<br />
<br />
[[The Victrola]]<br />
<br />
[[Wire Recording]]<br />
<br />
[[Wax Cylinder]]<br />
<br />
[[Zuse palimpsest]]<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of techniques that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts. These questions are provisional and may not be appropriate for all artifacts. They are meant as tools for critical exploration. <br />
<br />
* "[[Pops and hisses]]" -- Pops and hisses refers to the background noise often heard on phonograph recordings resulting from inconsistencies in the underlying material. Research Question: What are the unavoidable, obtrusive material qualities of the substrate itself that enter into the medium's overall system of representation? <br />
<br />
* [[Skeuomorph, or the "click"]] -- Single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras make a clicking sound when taking a picture. The click results from a mechanical operation: an internal mirror moves aside and the shutter opens, exposing the film to light. Many of today's digital cameras have no shutter and no internal mirror, yet they still simulate the click using a digital audio sample. Why? Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the material level but are still nevertheless necessary at the semiotic level? Where is the "click"? <br />
<br />
* Remediation -- Like the "click," remediation refers to the process through which older media formats are simulated, extended, coopted, modified, tamed, or rendered obsolete by new media formats. Research Questions: What came before this artifact? What newer medium came after? What traits are lost or preserved in the historical transformation from one system to another? <br />
<br />
* "Functional nonsense" -- Functional nonsense refers to actual material qualities of the medium that are necessary for the medium to function correctly but which have no semantic or semiotic purpose. A good illustration is the [[Chirograph (Cyrograph)|chirograph]] which requires that some word -- by custom it was often the word "chirograph" -- be inscribed across the midsection of a document. The word is then cut in half, certifying and authenticating the two pieces. The word "chirograph" is therefore highly functional, but semantically irrelevant. Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the semiotic or semantic level but are nevertheless crucial to its functioning correctly?<br />
<br />
* Encoding -- Research Question: What symbolic system is used in the medium to encode and decode messages? <br />
<br />
* Digital versus analog -- Research Questions: What parts of the artifact conform to a model of representation using discrete sample points, and what parts use a continuously variable input? Are the two hybridized and if so how? <br />
<br />
* The "obvious" -- In every medium there are techniques and design conventions that result from the prevalent tendencies of the historical situation. For example, the problem of writing and reproduction in the modern period was "solved" using mechanical levers, metal type, presses and inks, while the problem of writing and reproduction in the late twentieth century was solved using an entirely different set of techniques: digital code, microchips, and LCDs. Research Question: What aspects of the medium result from large scale paradigms appropriate to the historical context? <br />
<br />
* The "arbitrary" -- Every medium also contains entirely unmotivated and unexplainable traits. Western writing runs left to right, top to bottom. But this convention is arbitrary. Research Question: What specific aspects of the medium have no material or semiotic reason for being? <br />
<br />
* Formal prohibitions/affordances -- Communications media often put clear limitations on where and how messages can originate and be received. Radio began as a two-way medium, but evolved into a broadcast medium. Research Questions: Who can read in this medium? Who can write in this medium? Is there an asymmetrical relationship between those who can send and those who can receive? What types of values are embedded in the affordances of the technology?<br />
<br />
* The "Hack" -- Given a set of formal prohibitions, do there exist alternate practices of use that change the intended outcome of the medium? For example, DJs "hack" record players when they "spin" records, using their hands to overcome the formal prohibitions of the record player, resulting in the advent of a new style of music. [[Hacking this assignment]]. [TODO: add to this -- mention improvisation, play.]<br />
<br />
* [[The "Cake Mix" effect]] -- Research Questions: What part of the process is streamlined, mechanized, or determined in advance, and what part of the process must be performed by the user? For example, Karaoke machines mechanize the instrumental part of a song, and the user performs the vocals. [TODO: add to this] Prior to the use of tape as a means of recording, the composer had to work with a finite set of possibilities and sounds. With the advent of tape, the sonic substance became malleable, and cuttable. What effect does the mechanized portion of the process have on the emergence of the new? What effect does the streamlined portion of the process have on the overall mode of representation?<br />
<br />
* [[The "Reversal"]] -- Is there a point where maximum efficiency within a medium forces it into obsolescence? Mapmaking was ridden with errors due to difficulties in measuring longitude, but once the Marine Chronometer made it possible to plot the exact coordinates of a given position in space, and the grid mapped upon geographic representations was perfected, it was no longer necessary to use a map for navigation since a course could be plotted without any geographic references. (Additional question/theory: Is a "sampling" medium capable of reversal, or is it only threatened by upgraded mediums that are more efficient? Is the Reversal only possible in a "programming" scenario?)<br />
<br />
* [[The "Break Boundary"]] -- Research Questions: Is there a point beyond which "the system generated by the artifact suddenly changes into another or passes some point of no return in its dynamic processes?" Or what specific reconfigurations in the spatio-temporal framework surrounding the media environment of the artifact might "break" the dynamics which it was attended to address? [DO OTHERS AGREE THIS IS WORTH ADDRESSING? a suggestion via McLuhan that might be worth talking about - perhaps an attribute that doesn't apply to the material framework of the object, but maybe one that is crucial in establishing the artifact's relevance and obsolescence?]<br />
<br />
* "Bad Weather" (non-diegetic influences?) -- The [[Semaphore Telegraph]] was unable to operate in fog. External inputs often influence the proper functioning of media. Research Questions: What external events exist that might cause the medium to operate in flawed or unexpected ways? Does the medium try to shield itself from the outside world? If so, how does this change the format in question?<br />
<br />
* "Guts" -- Some dead media, like the [[NeXT Step]], hide their internal guts inside a [[black box]]. Others like the [[Kinora]] expose their inner workings for all to see. The way in which a media object alternately reveals or hides its insides greatly influences how it is understood, used, and analyzed. Research Questions: Does the medium in question hide or reveal its own internal functioning? If the guts are displayed, does this "technologize" the medium or change it in other ways? If the guts are hidden, does this reify or fetishize the object in question?<br />
<br />
* "Iris vs. Hermes" -- Most media can be charted on a continuum between Iris and Hermes. Both Iris and Hermes were Greek gods of communication; Iris was a messenger for Hera, and Hermes for Zeus. Yet while Hermes facilitated communication by accompanying messages, guiding trade, appearing alongside travelers and otherwise chaperoning interconnections between people, Iris relayed messages by immanently internalizing them in the physically of her own body. For Iris, the medium is the message. Hermes however was more of a letter carrier, keeping the outer envelop distinct from the inner content of the message. Research Questions: Does the medium maintain a separation between the symbolic layer of the medium and the material substrate? Or does the physicality of the medium itself mean something without recourse to surface inscriptions?<br />
<br />
* [["The Sample vs. the Program"]] (Witnessing vs Interpreting / Feeling vs Perceiving) -- Some media can be inscribed by simply being turned on and allowed to feel, or sample the content they remediate - yet other media generate complete nonsense unless a highly specialized and refined language code or aesthetic has been mastered and applied in the process of inscription. Research Questions: Does the medium demand a great deal of analysis before the act of inscription, or does it appropriate material that can be processed and interpreted later? Does the noise of the medium illustrate a condition external to the user's actions (ie background noise) or does the noise illustrate imperfect execution of a symbolic system (misspellings, syntactical errors, grammatical nonsense, freudian slips etc.)? Does the medium demand a complex understanding of the given content (embodying an informational cultural bias) or does it appear to witness with an inhuman objectivity?<br />
<br />
* [[Mediatic Etymology]] - Proposes a methodology for theorizing the existence of dead media by inverting the process of remediation.<br />
<br />
* [[Where do media go to die?]] -- Some artifacts or representational practices may no longer perform a useful function or satisfy popular needs in the current media ecology, but they don't necessarily disappear. Research question: What constitutes a/the moment of death? Is the artifact or representational practice obsolete (outmoded or inoperable) or outright extinct?<br />
<br />
* "Luminescence" -- [TO DO - BEN?]<br />
<br />
* "Ideologies of adoption" -- [TO DO - ALEX?]<br />
<br />
* "Text / Paratext" -- [TO DO]<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats] <br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5233Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:49:32Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
===Heat Sensitive Novelty Device===<br />
<br />
[[Image:HeatSensitiveNoveltyPic.jpg|thumb|left|A ring and bracelet as shown in the "Heat Sensitive" patent.]]<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
===Skin Jewelry===<br />
<br />
[[Image:SkinJewelryPic.jpg|thumb|right|Side view of Skin Jewelry device.]]<br />
<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
<br />
<br><br />
Black: Frigid <br><br />
Grey: Irritable <br><br />
Yellow: Melancholy <br><br />
Green: Cuddly <br><br />
Blue Green: Amorous <br><br />
Blue: Sensuous <br><br />
Dark Blue: Passionate <br><br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Mood Collar for Pets===<br />
<br />
[[Image:MoodCollarPic.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration of collar from patent.]]<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br><br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples. <br><br />
<br />
[[Image:Ad1.jpg|thumb|left]] [[Image:Ad2.jpg|thumb|right]]<br />
<br />
<br><br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
[[Image:Ad4.jpg|thumb|center]] <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
===Judy Moody Predicts the Future===<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
===Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings===<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
===Medical Mood Ring===<br />
[[Image:MedicalMoodRingPic.jpg|thumb|left|Medical Mood Ring]]<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
===Mood Lamp and Phone===<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
===Sun Jewelry===<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5232Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:48:17Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
===Heat Sensitive Novelty Device===<br />
<br />
[[Image:HeatSensitiveNoveltyPic.jpg|thumb|left|A ring and bracelet as shown in the "Heat Sensitive" patent.]]<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
===Skin Jewelry===<br />
<br />
[[Image:SkinJewelryPic.jpg|thumb|right|Side view of Skin Jewelry device.]]<br />
<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
<br />
<br><br />
Black: Frigid <br><br />
Grey: Irritable <br><br />
Yellow: Melancholy <br><br />
Green: Cuddly <br><br />
Blue Green: Amorous <br><br />
Blue: Sensuous <br><br />
Dark Blue: Passionate <br><br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Mood Collar for Pets===<br />
<br />
[[Image:MoodCollarPic.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration of collar from patent.]]<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br><br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples. <br><br />
<br />
[[Image:Ad1.jpg|thumb|left]] [[Image:Ad2.jpg|thumb|right]]<br />
<br />
<br><br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
[[Image:Ad4.jpg|thumb|center]] <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
===Judy Moody Predicts the Future===<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
===Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings===<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
===Medical Mood Ring===<br />
<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
===Mood Lamp and Phone===<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
===Sun Jewelry===<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5231Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:42:44Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
===Heat Sensitive Novelty Device===<br />
<br />
[[Image:HeatSensitiveNoveltyPic.jpg|thumb|left|A ring and bracelet as shown in the "Heat Sensitive" patent.]]<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
===Skin Jewelry===<br />
<br />
[[Image:SkinJewelryPic.jpg|thumb|right|Side view of Skin Jewelry device.]]<br />
<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
<br />
<br><br />
Black: Frigid <br><br />
Grey: Irritable <br><br />
Yellow: Melancholy <br><br />
Green: Cuddly <br><br />
Blue Green: Amorous <br><br />
Blue: Sensuous <br><br />
Dark Blue: Passionate <br><br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Mood Collar for Pets===<br />
<br />
[[Image:MoodCollarPic.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration of collar from patent.]]<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br><br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples.<br />
(place attached images here as links?)<br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
===Judy Moody Predicts the Future===<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
===Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings===<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
===Medical Mood Ring===<br />
<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
===Mood Lamp and Phone===<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
===Sun Jewelry===<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:Ad4.jpg&diff=5228File:Ad4.jpg2008-10-08T05:31:53Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:Ad2.jpg&diff=5227File:Ad2.jpg2008-10-08T05:31:33Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:Ad1.jpg&diff=5226File:Ad1.jpg2008-10-08T05:30:07Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:HeatSensitiveNoveltyPic.jpg&diff=5225File:HeatSensitiveNoveltyPic.jpg2008-10-08T05:28:34Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:MedicalMoodRingPic.jpg&diff=5224File:MedicalMoodRingPic.jpg2008-10-08T05:28:22Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:MoodCollarPic.jpg&diff=5223File:MoodCollarPic.jpg2008-10-08T05:28:06Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=File:SkinJewelryPic.jpg&diff=5222File:SkinJewelryPic.jpg2008-10-08T05:27:50Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
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<div></div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5221Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:21:50Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
===Heat Sensitive Novelty Device===<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
===Skin Jewelry===<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
Black: Frigid<br />
Grey: Irritable<br />
Yellow: Melancholy<br />
Green: Cuddly<br />
Blue Green: Amorous<br />
Blue: Sensuous<br />
Dark Blue: Passionate<br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
===Mood Collar for Pets===<br />
<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples.<br />
(place attached images here as links?)<br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
===Judy Moody Predicts the Future===<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
===Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings===<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
===Medical Mood Ring===<br />
<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
===Mood Lamp and Phone===<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
===Sun Jewelry===<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5219Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:19:40Z<p>Lgarcia725: /* Patents */</p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
'''Heat Sensitive Novelty Device'''<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
'''Skin Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
Black: Frigid<br />
Grey: Irritable<br />
Yellow: Melancholy<br />
Green: Cuddly<br />
Blue Green: Amorous<br />
Blue: Sensuous<br />
Dark Blue: Passionate<br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Collar for Pets'''<br />
<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples.<br />
(place attached images here as links?)<br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
'''Judy Moody Predicts the Future'''<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
'''Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings'''<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
'''Medical Mood Ring'''<br />
<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Lamp and Phone'''<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
'''Sun Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5218Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:18:22Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
'''Heat Sensitive Novelty Device'''[[Image:HeatSensitiveNoveltyDevice.jpg]]<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
'''Skin Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
Black: Frigid<br />
Grey: Irritable<br />
Yellow: Melancholy<br />
Green: Cuddly<br />
Blue Green: Amorous<br />
Blue: Sensuous<br />
Dark Blue: Passionate<br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Collar for Pets'''<br />
<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples.<br />
(place attached images here as links?)<br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
'''Judy Moody Predicts the Future'''<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
'''Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings'''<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
'''Medical Mood Ring'''<br />
<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Lamp and Phone'''<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
'''Sun Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5217Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:16:53Z<p>Lgarcia725: /* References */</p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
'''Heat Sensitive Novelty Device'''<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
'''Skin Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
Black: Frigid<br />
Grey: Irritable<br />
Yellow: Melancholy<br />
Green: Cuddly<br />
Blue Green: Amorous<br />
Blue: Sensuous<br />
Dark Blue: Passionate<br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Collar for Pets'''<br />
<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples.<br />
(place attached images here as links?)<br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
'''Judy Moody Predicts the Future'''<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
'''Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings'''<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
'''Medical Mood Ring'''<br />
<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Lamp and Phone'''<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
'''Sun Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5216Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:16:00Z<p>Lgarcia725: /* Patents */</p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
'''Heat Sensitive Novelty Device'''<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
'''Skin Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
Black: Frigid<br />
Grey: Irritable<br />
Yellow: Melancholy<br />
Green: Cuddly<br />
Blue Green: Amorous<br />
Blue: Sensuous<br />
Dark Blue: Passionate<br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Collar for Pets'''<br />
<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. “The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples.<br />
(place attached images here as links?)<br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
<br />
'''Judy Moody Predicts the Future'''<br />
<br />
A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
<br />
'''Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings'''<br />
<br />
In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Re-Mediation==<br />
<br />
'''Medical Mood Ring'''<br />
<br />
In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Lamp and Phone'''<br />
<br />
In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
<br />
'''Sun Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mood_Ring&diff=5215Mood Ring2008-10-08T05:15:01Z<p>Lgarcia725: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Brief History ==<br />
The mood ring was created in the 1970s by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats and was used to communicate the current emotional state of the wearer based on the temperature of their skin. The mood ring is now worn as something of a toy, but in the seventies was taken as a serious piece of jewelry. In 1975, when the rings were becoming popular, a silver mood ring was approximately sold for $45 and a gold mood ring for up to $250. (Knoblauch) <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== How They Work ==<br />
Mood rings depend on liquid crystals, a " state of matter that is intermediate between the solid crystalline and the ordinary liquid phases" [Ericksen 1]. Thermotropic--meaning changed by temperature, basically--liquid crystals are the primary technology involved in 'thermochromic' and 'thermochromatic' media, and the basis for "mood jewelry" [Ericksen 131].<br />
<br />
The basic premise of thermotropic liquid crystals is that the crystals change shape and color according to a change in temperature. "Because of their unique color properties, cholesteric liquid crystals can be employed to indicate temperature field patterns and for color picture screens" [Ericksen 85]. An object comes into contact with the liquid crystal, and the crystals make the temperature diagram of the object visible [Ericksen 88]. <br />
<br />
The technology has practical functions in medicine. It can be used to measure temperature fluctuations on specific body parts in order to locate blood clots, find cancer cells, localize placenta, and test pharmalogical drugs [Ericksen 84]. This fits in to how the mood ring can vaguely determine mood: "The basic idea is that areas of the body in which circulation is poor will have lower temperatures than areas with good circulation" [Ericksen 84]. When a person is excited or stimulated in some way, a common reaction is blushing, which is when capillaries move closer to the surface of the skin and heat it up. In this way, the mood ring is accurate in that it senses a rise in heat which is related to happiness and arousal.<br />
<br />
The process has limitations, however. It is delicate; like most temperature-measuring devices, liquid crystals are most accurate when the context of the measurement is not changing. "[L]iquid crystals can be used to measure the absolute temperature of a process provided proper calibration can be performed. [...] Perhaps the most obvious is to keep the system temperature constant" [Ericksen 90]. One of the problems with mood ring technology is that the color displayed on the ring is more affected by external temperature than body temperature. Furthermore, "to make the color change clearly visible, the surface to which the liquid crystal film is applied must be black or first dyed black" [Ericksen 89]. This is why mood rings are black when not in use.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Patents ==<br />
Although the actual mood ring was not patented, many related objects were. Some were precursors to the mood ring and others were successors. <br />
<br />
'''Heat Sensitive Novelty Device'''<br />
<br />
The Heat Sensitive Novelty Device was patented by Bill James in 1974. The abstract of the patent states that it is “a novelty device which utilizes the iridescing qualities of liquid crystalline material to effect variations in colorations of the device upon application of different temperatures.” The multiple devices used are demonstrated as rings, bracelets, tie pins, earrings and necklaces. The devices as ways of showing the wearer’s mood were not touched upon. They were merely to be used as amusing accessories that changed colors when body temperature fluctuated. (James) <br />
<br />
'''Skin Jewelry'''<br />
<br />
Rita Frenger invented a type of jewelry that could be attached to the skin by an adhesive underside. She claims that this color changing piece was more advanced than the mood ring in that it could be attached to the skin anywhere and in its lower price. The device would contain a precious or artificial stone, a back plate, a layer of adhesive, “a sheet of flexible and resilient material,” and a second layer of adhesive for the skin all within a retaining object. All of the components of the jewel would be capable of transferring heat to the stone which is made of “heat sensitive, color-changing material.” <br />
Depending on the temperature of the wearer ranging from 80oF to 90oF, the jewel would change colors. Frenger is careful not to legitimately call her invention out on its ability to display its wearer’s mood. “It is alleged that the colors reflect the mood of the person wearing the jewelry,” she states in the patent’s descriptions. She does however, provide a list of what the changing colors are supposed to mean:<br />
Black: Frigid<br />
Grey: Irritable<br />
Yellow: Melancholy<br />
Green: Cuddly<br />
Blue Green: Amorous<br />
Blue: Sensuous<br />
Dark Blue: Passionate<br />
When the temperature of the wearer is 80o the stone will be black and as temperature slowly increases, it will makes its way toward dark blue. (Frenger)<br />
<br />
'''Mood Collar for Pets'''<br />
<br />
In 2004, a collar for determining a pet’s mood was patented by Michele Levan. The collar contains one or more mood stones composed of liquid crystals and as with the heat sensitive novelty devices and skin jewelry, uses body temperature to express the animal’s mood. <br />
Levan articulates the need for her pet mood collar because of the increase in Animal Separation Disorder and emotional problems with pets today. The animal’s owner would therefore be able to determine when their pet was in a tense state, for whatever reason. <br />
“The ‘mood stones’ are exposed to the body of the pet on the interior side of the collar and attached to the collar by metal component of other suitable means. The collar is made of any suitable material currently being marketed and secured by a buckle type fastener.” The collar was made in various sizes to be suitable for both cats and dogs. (Levan)<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Symbol of Control for a Shifting Culture==<br />
<br />
The mood ring allows its wearers to see their own emotional state, and thus allows them an attempt to control or moderate themselves. This possible interaction establishes the mood ring as a technology of increased self-awareness. This promise of the mood ring reveals the needs of the culture that it is consumed by. Thus it can be deduced that the culture itself is in a state of chaos and uncertainty. This chaos and need for introspection can best be understood in the context of history. <br />
Although invented in the 1960’s, the mood ring did not reach its peak of popularity until the mid 1970’s, a time during which America was experiencing a cultural shift. This cultural shift was the end of hippie culture, and the beginning of environmentalism and the economic recession due to the oil crisis. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==A Medium of Therapy==<br />
<br />
The ideal use of the mood ring displayed and expanded aspects of group therapy and self-help.<br />
The mood ring allows for its wearers to communicate their emotional state to other individuals they come into contact with; giving strangers insight into their mental state. This aspect of the mood ring reflects the growth in popularity of group psychotherapy during the 1960’s and 1970’s. It also reflects the beginning of a more casual and everyday relationship with therapy. <br />
The 1960’s witnessed a rapid expansion of a variety of alternative healthcare social movements, the most well known of which was self-help: member-designed psychotherapeutic support groups. The real-time emotional monitoring abilities promised by the mood ring reflect this cultural interest of the era. (Archibald)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Stress Indicators==<br />
<br />
Mood rings were accompanied by keys that indicated what colors corresponded to what emotional states. There are some slight variations on these keys depending on the manufacturer of the ring, yet they generally coincide. <br />
Below are some examples.<br />
(place attached images here as links?)<br />
The range of emotional states, which the keys indicate, reflects an emphasis on relaxation and stress. Terms such as “tense”, “overworked”, “strained”, “anxious” and “in a stress situation” appear for the black and brown colors, while “relaxed”, “easy spirit”, “non-stressful”, “tranquility”, “free”, “in-touch” and “aware” appear for the blue and green colors. According to a search on medical subject headings, stress (psychological) was introduced in 1973. This means that stress became a subject of discussion and interest at the same time as the peak in popularity of the mood ring. <br />
A precursor to the mood ring as an emotional stress indicator was the Psycho Galvanometer, which was patented in 1941. “The method consists in initiating a controlled flow of direct current through the body under test and maintaining the current constant while measuring variations in potential due to changes in body resistance resulting from emotional or physical stresses.” (psycho galvanometer patent)<br />
The StressEraser is a modern day device with comparable stress monitoring abilities. “A handheld, portable biofeedback device for reducing stress in a human subject.” (StressEraser patent) This device works by monitoring your breathing through RSA waves. <br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
==Mood Rings in Literature==<br />
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'''Judy Moody Predicts the Future'''<br />
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A 2003 book for children ages 6-10 by Megan McDonald presents a young girl who finds a mood ring as the prize in a cereal box. A series of events in which the ring’s color accurately expresses the feelings of the wearer, leads Judy to believe that she has the ability to foretell future happenings. When she asks her teacher, for example, to put on the ring, it turns red for “romantic.” This propels Judy into a search for the woman Mr. Todd is in love with. <br />
The mood ring in the end however, proves to be obsolete as Judy comes to the conclusion that it was not necessary to predict the future. Her teacher’s outward mood and liveliness were entirely indicative of his current state. She then stopped using the mood ring and decided to “take the future into her own hands.” (McDonald)<br />
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'''Rick Kogan’s Article: In Search of Historic Mood Rings'''<br />
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In a short column in the Chicago Tribune in 1991, Rick Kogan wrote about the mood ring and the 70s. He creates a story of a journey around a small town looking for a mood ring with a young girl named Robin who wishes to purchase a mood ring solely because all of her friends have them. The child has no idea how the rings work or what the changing colors mean until she buys both a ring and an amulet to obtain a guide.<br />
As the narrator, Robin and an unidentified third party sit down to talk after the day of shopping, the 1970s fashion piece is explained and related to Muhammad Ali wearing one around the boxing ring. It shows, along with Judy Moody’s mother mentioning her having a mood ring when she was younger, that the mood ring is an emblem of the 70s. Much like Muhammad Ali in the article, a reminiscent talk about the seventies from anyone who lived during the time, will automatically include a reference to the mood ring. It provides an aspect of nostalgia. Perhaps this is why they are re-created today as toys, so adults can purchase them for their children and explain all about how they grew up as Kogan does. (Kogan)<br />
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==Re-Mediation==<br />
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'''Medical Mood Ring'''<br />
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In April 2004, an article in Technology Review gave a preview to a “medical” mood ring to come out possibly around 2009. The ring monitors the temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of patients with the aid of “two light emitting diodes.” Beams of infrared light are given off by the diodes and transmitted to the other side of the ring through the user’s finger. On the opposite side of the ring, a detector measures the “intensity” of this light by the volume of the blood and oxygen levels. The ring is intended to be used in emergency rooms and at home. (Medical Mood Ring)<br />
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'''Mood Lamp and Phone'''<br />
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In Psychology Today, Dawn Stanton mocks the accuracy of mood rings and some of its successors, like the Japanese made “Shoji Mood Lamp” and “Mobile Mood Phone.” <br />
The mood lamp measures the room’s mood by “analyzing environmental data.” Temperature, humidity, and the movement of the body heat and people in the room are evaluated through a microphone and several sensors. The lamp then changes colors according to the information. An LED light on the back of the mobile mood phone adjusts colors based on the speaker’s tone of voice. <br />
“In my dreams,” Stanton says, “A monitor that suggests how to improve a room’s mood… a phone that tells me the caller’s mood before I answer.” (Stanton)<br />
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'''Sun Jewelry'''<br />
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Spafinder.com now sells “Melanoma Bracelets.” When exposed to harmful UV rays, the bracelets color turns from white to purple. The bracelet’s goal is “to raise awareness about early melanoma detection & prevention.” (Melanoma)<br />
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==References==<br />
<br />
Archibald, Mathew. The Evolution of Self-Help. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.<br />
Ericksen, J.L. and D. Kinderlehrer, eds. Theory and Applications of Liquid Crystals. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.<br />
Fergason, James. "The Chameleon Chemical" Life Magazine, 1968.<br />
Frenger, Rita K. Skin Jewelry. http://www.google.com/patents?id=_fwxAAAAEBAJ&dq=skin+jewelry<br />
James, Bill G. Heat Sensitive Novelty Device. http://www.google.com/patents?id=wIx9AAAAEBAJ&dq=heat+sensitive+novelty+device<br />
Knoblauch, Mary. October 8, 1975. “Mood Ring monitors your state of mind” Chicago Tribune<br />
Kogan, Rick. January 13, 1991. “In search of historic mood rings” Chicago Tribune<br />
Levan, Michele. Mood Collar for Pets. http://www.google.com/patents?id=BCkQAAAAEBAJ<br />
McDonald, Megan. 2003. Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Cambridge: Candlewick.<br />
“Medical Mood Ring” Technology Review; Apr2004, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p18-18, 1p, 1c<br />
“Melanoma Bracelet” http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275<br />
Raesler, John L. Psychogalvanometer. http://www.google.com/patents?id=9EJcAAAAEBAJ&dq=psycho+galvanometer<br />
“Ring-a-mod” Newsweek, Oct. 27, 1975, US Edition, Business pg 82<br />
Stanton, Dawn. Psychology Today; Mar/Apr2007, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p19-19, 2/3p<br />
Wood et al. Methods and Devices for Relieving Stress. http://www.google.com/patents?id=4EObAAAAEBAJ</div>Lgarcia725