Action exercise:
Instructor provides a set of somewhat vague tasks to a few groups or individuals ("Draw me a tire swing" / "Write me a poem about fish" / "Tell me about [yourself | your selves]"). The instructor has a specific interpretation in mind, in advance ("An old tire from a dump truck, tied via blue-painted rope to hang horizontal to the ground, 3 feet from the ground, from a large branch of a willow tree" / "A haiku about salmon and how they are unpleasant when used as projectiles" / "Your favorite hobby, color, flavor of ice cream, but not physical characteristics or past job history"). These tasks are mixed among more specific tasks, whose initial description more precisely matches their intention ("Draw me a series of five overlapping lines that connect end-to-end, and form a five-pointed star").
The groups are set loose to perform their tasks, and are able to ask for further details. The results are scored on proximity to the intended result and perhaps on speed.
Performed in rounds, it would help to pick out when one is speaking too abstractly about something that, on the surface, sounds simple enough (How much detail do you really need to draw a tire swing?!).
Possible Trigger: After a few rounds to get a feel for how it should work, break groups up into sub-groups, where they take turns providing and performing these minor tasks. Have those providing write down their intention up front, and the performer record any questions they ask for clarification, so that it can be compared with results. The intention, clarifying questions, and results can be used to reinforce the desire to be specific up front by scoring based on proximity of result to intention and also based on the number of clarifying questions needed to create the result (with the ideal being having an intention specific enough that fewer clarifying questions are needed to create a result with close proximity).
A narrower set of tasks that would require less setup: Have two sets of colored sticks (straws from a dollar store would suffice) that match each other in color, length and quantity. Group A arranges one set in a particular arrangement, out of sight of group B. Group A provides an initial description of the arrangement in as much detail as they feel is necessary. Group B attempts to recreate the arrangement with their own set. Group A gets a score for the similarity of the result of B to their own arrangement.
Group B is then able to ask clarifying questions, and adjust their arrangement as they seem fit. Upon satisfaction, they are scored based on their result's similarity to group B's initial arrangement. Only after group B has been scored should they be able to see group A's initial arrangement. It would probably be handy to only allow a certain number of clarifying questions, perhaps X questions per round for N rounds of questioning with group B modifying their arrangement as needed between rounds.
I was thinking along the same lines. A set of similar images are presented to person A. A single one of those images is also presented to person B. Person B is to provide a description to person A, specific enough that A can accurately identify the image from the set.
The main difference from "Guess Who" would be that person B provides their description up front with multiple details, rather than detail by detail, back and forth, and person A has a single chance to decide.
If this were done in a setting with computers and internet connections, using something like google image search and keywords to generate the pictures might work. 'Redhead child' immediately comes up with many images which are suitable for such a game.
Along the lines of replacing cartoons with concepts, I had also thought to replace images with sounds, bits of music, tastes, in the proper setting. I am able to explain to someone many details of an image if it is in front of me, even if it is abstract. I am less able to do this with something I can't see. Explaining a bit of bird song, or a series of musical notes that are played by a certain instrument, where I lack familiarity, would be more intense and interesting (to me at least ^_^).
My preferences are A > E > B > The rest. I am definitely not free before 6:30pm Monday-Friday. I am fine with the library as a location, but would mention the price of parking. If one chooses to use the underground parking garage, the first 30 minutes are free (or first two hours if you have a disability decal), and then it is $1.50 per half hour afterwards.
There is metered parking outside that is cheaper ($0.75 per half hour, I think), but I believe is capped at a 2 hour duration (which might be totally fine if the meetup is less than that), and must be paid up front, whereas the garage is paid as you leave.
As far as alternative venues go, using libraries as the theme, the Taylorsville (4870 South, 2700 West) and Murray (5300 South, 166 East) libraries are right off the freeway, and have free parking.
Regardless of venue, it seems that our merry band are scattered around the valley a bit. I would be happy to offer my car for carpool services if it would help someone make the meetup. I'd prefer to keep the bounds of such service within Sandy to North Salt Lake, and West Valley to Mount Olympus, but don't let that stop you from asking if it will make or break your ability to come to the meetup!
I, too, intend to attend. Just have to make sure I haven't forgotten about any overlapping plans. You have my thanks, as well, for putting this together!
As I have been watching the videos, I noticed that chapter 13, video 6 on your list there links to video 7 of the AI class' website. Your video 7 link is to the youtube version of the same.
Thanks for writing this up, it is nice to have these sort of things broken down into bite-sized pieces that I can enjoy in between lulls in my day without a lot of backtracking to figure out where I left off.
Looks like the pavilion name may be inaccurate. According to this the pavilion is either Sugar Beet, or Sego Lily. Both on the south-side of the park, though one is east, and the other west. Both have nearby parking.
There's a map at the above site with the pavilions highlighted, to get a better idea, if you are unfamiliar with the area.
edit: After hearing from hamnox, the pavilion is Sego Lily, roughly south-west side of the park.