6 * 9 = 42
This video provides an example of some experimentations I conducted with creating C++-based slit scan processing effects. This particular example shows the use of the modulo mathmatic operator to repeate the temporal effects across the images height and width.
6 * 9 = 42
According to the book series The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, written by Douglas Adams, 42 is
“the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything” as calculated, over 7.5
million years, by the mammoth supercomputer Deep Thought. When faced with the answer to
the ultimate question, the beings whom constructed Deep Thought realized they did not know
what the ultimate question actually is. Thus, the beings built a second even more powerful,
planet-sized supercomputer to calculate the question. After millions of years, the program came
to a conclusion and it is revealed that without any doubt, that the ultimate question is: “What do
you get when you multiply six by nine?”. Everyone is baffled [61]. 6 * 9 = 42 is named after this
chunk of hitchhiker’s lore due to questions the installation invites about the role of digital
information, its deceptive meaning, and condemning finality.
6 * 9 = 42 seeks to bring attention to the deceptive nature of data while providing
critique on our trust in data and the menace of omnipresent surveillance. The installation
presents an iMac computer, with no keyboard or mouse, along with what looks like an unpainted
guitar pedal with a button and a single knob. As the viewer approaches, they
can see a temporally distorted video feed of their actions over the last few seconds. By pressing
the button, or by turning the knob, they can modify the underlying slit-scan algorithm11 which
displays its output on the iMac’s screen [63]. After the user is satisfied with their experience
playing with the system, they leave and go on with their day. Unbeknownst to them, the
underlying algorithm, the Chroma-Temporal Surveillance Bot (CTSB), has a sinister agenda. Ten
percent of the button presses randomly cause the program to perform a “political profiling” of
its user. The program saves the currently displayed frame, determines the red, green, and blue
color intensity for each pixel, throws out the green information, and determines if there is more
red or blue overall in the image. Based on the results of this chroma analysis, the program
designates a political orientation to the interactee and proceeds to tweet the analyzed image
along with a proclamation of the users suspected political orientation. None of this activity is
explicitly told to the user who only experiences a temporarily dropped framerate. In fact, the
user needs a computer, or internet connected smart device, to visit the CTSB twitter page to get
any idea of the programs secret agenda.
Related Works and Further Reading
Much of this writing originated from my MFA thesis. I have included the in-text references below. If you are interested in reading my MFA thesis and my other publications they can be found on the about page for website HERE. Furthermore, I have written on topics related to circuit bending and hardware hacking. Some of this writing can be found on this site HERE. Furthermore, there are writings on the topic of musical mechatronics hosted HERE which help to provide some external context for this project.
[61] D. Adams, The ultimate hitchhiker’s guide: [five complete novels and one story], Complete &
unabridged. New York: Gramercy Books, 2005.
[62] “FORM+CODE In Design, Art, and Architecture by Casey Reas, Chandler McWilliams,
and LUST.” [Online]. Available:
http://formandcode.com/code-examples/transform-slitscan
[Accessed: 23-May-2017].
[63] Andrew Davidhazy, “Slit-scan photography.” Rochester Institute of Technology, 17-Apr-
2006.