Next Phase GVCS in 2 Minutes

We would like to create a sequel to the GVCS in 2 Minutes. Chris Traub of Strategic Executive Search whom I met at TED told me that my next step towards recruiting should be refining our message. So I am thinking of organizing a sprint/hackathon where we get scriptwriter/branding/animation people together to put together a script that would be the sequel to the GVCS in 2 Minutes and my TED Talk, and would really aim at explaining in 2 minutes how to turn dirt and twigs into advanced civilization That is difficult for people to wrap their head around, yet is to me so clear, not only in feasibility but execution. It is a constant frustration to me that I can't explain it to others.

The specs are:

• Language agnostic - so it would have to be in the style of the Full Printed explainer video - in speechless clarity.
• Explains the GVCS with just enough technical detail to inspire people with feasibility, but not too much
• Gets people to understand that they can do it, too
• Focus on life-size legos as the metaphor?

Problem:

• The technical feasibility of this is beyond the scope of most people
• Even further beyond the scope is that people can do this themselves

Background Materials

• 50 GVCS Machines - official list of the 50 machines for building a small civilization with modern comforts
• Open Source Hardware Pattern Language shows an introduction to the modular design pattern language for the GVCS machines. These need to be refined.
• GVCS in 2 Minutes - first quality explainer produced on the GVCS, 3 years ago
• GVCS TED Talk - talk at the TED Conference, which has taken the GVCS to the world stage
• 1 Day Production Run - extreme efficiencies of collaborative production demonstrated in Dec, 2012, where we achieved radical efficiency of producing a complex, 2000 lb machine in a Single Day, with largely unskilled participants. Digital fabrication was used to augment human capacity.
• OSE Character Brief explains the Promise of OSE, and others are beginning to Sing About It.
• Time Best Inventions 2013 - Others see the promise of our work.

• Makeblock - a Kickstarter project - an extension of Lego that includes electronics and precision, which shows the best example of a miniature version of what the GVCS has yet to deliver in a life-size version

Treatment

Based on the concept of legos and Makeblock as the extension of Legos to life-size machines, we can conceptualize a building system that radically democratizes the ability of any individual to build things regardless of the person's technical abilities. OSE has demonstrated the beginnings of such a life-size system, and OSE achieved radical efficiency of producing complex machines in a single day - with unskilled labor. Open source, modular design is the key to making this happen. We are now seeing that the entire 50 GVCS machines can be produced in 50 days, and a modern community can be built from this. The main questions that many ask are 2-fold: (1) How does a small subset of our machines magically allow all the important infrastructure services to happen? (2) How these are constructed- how is it ever feasible to build a minimum, multipurpose Swiss Army Knife for a new civilization? (3) Most importantly, how is such building ever within reach of non-geeks?

The goal of this explainer would be to address these questions. (1) can be addressed readily by walking the user through some key machines (3D icons, animated) to show agriculture, construction, energy production, transportation, fabrication, and high-tech production happening. (2) Can be addressed by showing how these are build from modules, and how the modules themselves are built by using some of the machines, and how the materials are made from scrap metal and even dirt (aluminosilicate = clay -> aluminimum metal). (3) Can be addressed readily by explaining what the set consists of, and showing a rapid build of many modules coming together, perhaps showing how modules are interchanged to create radically different machines like Transformers.

The main challenge will be for (1), to show a smooth flow of transition between machines - like an organism evolving from seaborn protoplasm to a full creature - and to show this in a sufficiently short timespan. (2) To make a general correlation between the machines and how they are built from modular components. (3) Making a metaphor from lego blocks and building real machines, or IKEA furniture to IKEA machines.

The last challenge to solve will be making this into a visual, language agnostic story like Full Printed.

Hackathon Sprint Plan

• Generate script
• Generate icon animations
• Refine design of modules of the Open Source Hardware Pattern Language, including technical design of modules.
• Generate 3D CAD, technical, so that part explosions/manipulations allow assembly and morphing to various machines. This means that some real CAD design needs to happen.
• Generate 3D CAD, artistic animations, from technical CAD
• Generate soundtrack
• Edit video components together

Links

• Remix the Commons - multimedia group
• Full Printed group
• Alpha Chimp