dorkbot!

March 26 2008 - Chicago Dorkbot! 8PM - Brian Dressel and Luke Orland

Brian Dressel gave us an under the hood review of the Respondr.
Respondr is a large-scale interactive video system designed to provide
an immersive experience. Beyond digital signage, most flat surfaces
can be transformed: walls, floors, screens, staging, tables etc. Brian
will be giving an overview of Respondr's video tracking software,
real-time video analysis and it's ability to activate various games,
media, and effects.

Luke Orland showed off the OLPC
(One Laptop Per Child) computer. He'll cover the new tech innovations
that went into the design, the UI, and some of the philosophies on
which the OLPC initiative is based.

 

Feb 27 2008 - Chicago Dorkbot! 8PM - Chris Reilly and Todd Bailey

Dorkbot Chicago at DEADTECH
8PM-10PM - 3321 W. Fullerton Ave.
Pizza, Beer, and Haters got served.

Chris Reilly - a tour of "new school" fabrication techniques. Laser cutting, rapid prototyping etc. Chris walks us through production techniques used to create his work currently on display at DEADTECH.

Todd Bailey - a tour of "old and middle school" fabrication techniques. Mold making, casting plastics, etc. Todd walks us through production techniques used to create "We're Rollin', They're Hatin'"

Todd Bailey - Part 1 -Introduction to Plastics Casting


 

Jan 23 2008 - Chicago Dorkbot! 8PM - David Vondle

David Vondle presents

Sketching in Hardware:
Sketching is a tool for conveying and capturing information of an
appropriate level as quickly as possible. When conceptualizing
interactive systems, there is often value to bringing sketching off of
the notepad and realizing the interaction in technology. There are many
toolsets that lend themselves to sketching, I will be giving an
introduction to one: the open source platform Arduino, and will host an improvisational design session where we create a functioning game or interactive art piece.

POST DORKBOT UPDATE: Last nights Chicago Dorkbot at Deadtech was quite a success! Davide Vondle gave a quick overview of the Arduino and showed many cool ways the Arduino
can be combined with Adobe Flash to quickly mock up interesting games
(he calls this technique "Sketching in Hardware." He then convinced the
crowd to come up with a game we could quickly build using props he
provided.

The crowd concluded after finding a latex glove, a styrofoam ring, some
bubblewrap, and some red and brown felt, and a pressure sensor that the
game would be called "Busy Proctologist."

Gameplay involves "examining" as many patients in the day as possible
(measure by a 1 minute timer in Flash) without causing undue discomfort
during the rectal exam (exceeding a moderate pressure range measured by
the sensor and arduino.)

 

 


Goal
Maximize your profit by examining patients for polyps as quickly as
possible without exceeding the patients rectal discomfort threshold
(thus upholding the Hippocratic Oath.)

Scoring Points
To score a point you must insert your hand into the rectum and probe
for polyps while staying within the patients discomfort threshold
(measured by a pressure sensor connected to the arduino at the base of
the foam and felt goatse)

Negative Points
If you examine the patients rectums too forcefully you exceed the
patients pain threshold (as measured by the pressure sensor). This
violation of the Hippocratic Oath counts as a negative point reducing
your total score.

To Play

1. Put on the Latex Glove.

2. Insert your hand into the felt goatse
rectum and triggering the sensor at the bottom as many times as
possible without pressing to hard and exceeding "moderate pressure"
threshold.

3. Insert your hand repeatedly as frequently as possible.

 


Nov 28 2007- Chicago Dorkbot! 8PM

The Nov 2007 Chicago Dorkbot Meeting!
8PM Wednesday November 28th!

A self-proclaimed “multi-hyphenate,” Liz McLean Knight–the sole woman behind Quantazelle–is thoroughly immersed in technology, fashion, music, and the often-surprising overlaps between. She will be demonstrating and discussing the art of “micro-sampling” and other swell digital music production techniques. Once she gets going, this whole thing might turn into a dance party.

Michael Una, an audiovisual artist whose work “investigates how vibrating waves of energy and human consciousness interact” will present simple-but-effective techniques for controlling audio software and hardware with inexpensive, commonly found devices like QWERTY Keyboards, video game joysticks, and bicycles.

http://www.una-love.com
http://www.quantzelle.com

September 26 2007 - Dorkbot - Alexander Stewart , Taylor Hokanson, and Rob Ray

Alexander Stewart , Taylor Hokanson, and Rob Ray
gave an "under the hood" peek of the inner workings of their works on
display at Deadtech. Refeshments and Pizza were served and consumed
with a mad vengance. Videos of the presentations are forthcoming. We
promise

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