dorkbot chicago

Paul Hertz at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday October 27 at 7pm

2011-10-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Paul Hertz at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday October 27 at 7pm

Paul Hertz will present his Processing library IgnoCodeLib (http://ignotus.com/ignocodelib/index.html), which should be available in a new version for this Thursday's Dorkbot gathering.

IgnoCodeLib provides a 2D graphics pipeline for geometry based on lines and cubic Bézier curves. It provides a useful set of graphics primitives, geometric transforms, hierarchical display list and document structure, simple facilities for permutations and random numbers, and above all, export of graphics and text to Adobe Illustrator, including groups and layers. All components in the library support cascading calls to draw(), transform() and write() methods. Drawing can be accomplished with a single line of code and file export is nearly as simple.

Paul will discuss his library and show some of the algorithmic images, digital prints, animations, and interactive applications he has created with the library.

Paul Hertz has been working with computational art since 1984, when he was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in Art and Technology at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he currently teaches in the Art History and Art and Technology Studies departments.

DATE:

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27 2011

TIME:

7 PM - 9 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Dorkbot summer hiatus

2011-07-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Just a note that Chicago Dorkbot is currently on a summer hiatus due
to a few cancellations and the weather (Enemy is an oven this time of
year!).

We'll be back in September.

We have a few people lined up but there's plenty of room in the
schedule, if you'd like to do a workshop this Fall/Winter please drop
us a line!

Ben Baker-Smith and Evan Kühl at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday May 26 at 7pm

2011-05-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ben Baker-Smith and Evan Kühl at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday May 26 at 7pm

Vaudeo Signal Opening Title from Ben Baker-Smith on Vimeo.

Vaudeo Signal is an ongoing exploration of the interconnectivity of sound and light. Media artists and medium hackers Evan Kühl and Ben Baker-Smith repurpose a variety of aging archaic audio/video hardware to forge synesthetic experiences.

Join Ben and Evan for a night of throbbing, squelchy, stroboscopic sound and light - in live performance and Q&A, as well as a screening of their self-titled 2010 release Vaudeo Signal.

Grotesque signal warfare will commence!

DATE:

THURSDAY MAY 26 2011

TIME:

7 PM - 9 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

dorkbot Chicago CANCELLED for April

2011-04-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

unfortunately our dorkbot Chicago event is CANCELLED for April. looking fwd to seeing yawl in May.

Joey Carr at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday March 31st at 7pm

2011-03-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

Joey Carr at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday March 31 at 7pm

A demonstration of techniques related to the algorithmic production of electronic noises and a discussion of the computer as an aesthetic model of cognition and culture.

"Live coding is not about tools. Algorithms are thoughts. Chainsaws are tools." -- the TOPLAP manifesto. I'm gonna present work and explain techniques related to miniature computer programs that beatbox, speak nonsense, and sing off key. I'll also discuss some ongoing "research" into stuff like linguistics, artificial intelligence, and cultural studies, and the way these disciplines inform my interpretation of live coding work.

DATE:

THURSDAY MARCH 31 2011

TIME:

7 PM - 9 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Nick Briz at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday February 24 at 7pm

2011-02-20T14:23:00.001-08:00

Nick Briz at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday February 24 at 7pm

Nick Briz is a new-media artist living and working in Chicago IL. He has been an active participant in digital culture and "dirty" new-media, specifically through his research and writing on glitch art as well as through his lectures and curatorial work in a number of institutions and events.

Nick will walk us through a recent project: the "Coldplay Song Generator," an app that generates likely Coldplay songs based on a set of conventions and formulae.

DATE:

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 24 2011

TIME:

7 PM - 9 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Philip Tibitoski & Devon Scott-Tunkin at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday January 27 at 7pm

2011-01-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

Philip Tibitoski & Devon Scott-Tunkin at dorkbot Chicago on Thursday January 27 at 7pm

Octodad is an award-winning adventure game about destruction, deception, and fatherhood. The player controls Octodad, a dapper octopus masquerading as a human, as he goes about a day of his life. His existence is a constant struggle, as he must master mundane tasks with his unwieldy boneless tentacles while simultaneously keeping his cephalopodian nature a secret from his human family. The game is a student showcase winner at the 2011 Independent Games Festival. It's free & available now at http://octodadgame.com/

Octodad was developed by students at DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois. Developers Philip Tibitoski & Devon Scott-Tunkin will share technical information about the game, its unique control system and where the project is headed next.

DATE:

THURSDAY JANUARY 27th 2011

TIME:

7 PM - 9 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Chicago Botluck! Thursday November 18th at 7pm

2010-11-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

In lieu of our monthly dorkbot meetup, let's get together and share food, conversation and strange electronic projects! Bring something to eat (if you like), something to drink (if you want) or something to hack (if you dare)! We'll have table space for your projects and/or food, and a video projector if you have something you'd like to see something large on the wall.

DATE:

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18th 2010

TIME:

7 PM - 9 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Alex Barnett @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday October 28th at 7pm

2010-10-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

Alex Barnett @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday October 28th at 7pm

Intro to PCB Layout with EAGLECAD

EagleCAD is a free and useful computer-aided layout editor for the development of printed circuit boards. This introductory presentation will briefly cover the merits and feasibility of using a layout editor and professional board house for inexpensive home projects. Alex will cover some theory behind circuit board behavior, rules of thumb for layout, and common "gotchas" for inexperienced board designers. The event will include a work-along tutorial where we will come up with a simple layout. The tutorial is designed for brand new beginners up to someone who has laid out a few boards and wants to learn a little more. Please bring laptops (windows, mac, or Linux). People are welcome to attend without a laptop, but it will certainly be more fun and useful to work along.

Alex Barnett is a musician and electrical engineer. His limited layout experience comes from interaction with full-time PCB designers as well as home projects.

Note: The software for this workshop is available to download for free from http://www.cadsoft.de/download.htm . We'll have the software at the workshop on USB thumb drives as well.

DATE:

THURSDAY OCTOBER 28th 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Rosa Menkman: Glitched TONIGHT 2010.09.20 6 PM!

2010-09-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Rosa Menkman: Glitched
Thursday, September 30, 6 p.m | Rosa Menkman in person!

Every technology possesses its own inherent accidents. Rosa Menkman is a Dutch artist and theorist whose focus is on visual artifacts created by accidents in digital media specifically. She describes these as “the uncanny, brutal structures that come to the surface during a break of the flow within a technology; they are the primal data-screams of the machine.” Working at the experimental junction of glitch, noise, and new media art, Menkman creates glitch work and writes texts about codecs, interpolation, and compression going awry. This evening, Menkman will introduce a selection of videos followed by a real-time performance. Rest assured, the equipment is working, though it may not look like it is. This presentation coincides with GLI.TC/H, an international noise and new media conference taking place from September 29 to October 3 at various locations around Chicago. Visit http://gli.tc/h. Rosa Menkman, 2006–10, Netherlands, multiple formats, ca. 75 min (plus discussion).

ROSA MENKMAN (1983, Arnhem, Netherlands) is the leading international theory-practitioner of glitch art. She has written extensively on digital artifacts and noise, including the Glitch Studies Manifesto (2010). Her videos and real-time performances have been included in festivals like Blip, Europe and U.S.; Haip, Ljubljana; Cimatics, Brussels; Video Vortex, Amsterdam and Brussels; and Pasofest, Ankara. She has collaborated on art projects together with Alexander Galloway, little-scale, Govcom.org, Goto80 and the Internet art collective, Jodi.org. Menkman received her Master’s degree in 2009 and is currently a PhD student at KHM Cologne, writing on the subject of Artifacts.

Conversations at the Edge is a weekly series of screenings, artist talks, and performances by some of the most compelling media artists of yesterday and today.

CATE is organized by SAIC's Department of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation in collaboration with the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Video Data Bank.

Programs take place Thursdays at 6 p.m. at the Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State / Chicago, IL / 312.846.2600), unless otherwise noted.

http://conversationsattheedge.org

Processing.Android: Open Source for Mobile Innovation

2010-09-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Processing.Android: Open Source for Mobile Innovation
UIC Innovation Center
1240 W Harrison St, Chicago, Illinois 60607
October 1st-3rd, 2010

Processing.Android: Open-Source for Mobile Innovation brings together internationally recognized innovators from the open source software community, Chicago based startup companies, and students and academics from the areas of Art and Design, Computer Science, and Information Sciences. Keynote speakers Ben Fry and Casey Reas present the latest edition of Processing targeting Android devices, designed to simplify and streamline prototyping and development for mobile platforms. Processingis used by tens of thousands of students, artists, designers, researchers, and hobbyists for learning, prototyping, and production. Join us for the first public summit to hold Processing.Android workshops, presentations, and panel discussions. The event is free and open to the public. Workshops require prior registration.

PRESENTATIONS

Casey Reas: Coding with Processing as a Design Practice
Projects created with Processing, an open-source programming environment for visual designers and artists, are used to show the potential of writing custom software as a design methodology. Examples range from dynamic information visualization to art installations to object fabrication.

Ben Fry: Introduction to Processing for Android
The latest edition of the Processing project targets Android devices. Like the desktop version, it's designed for rapid iteration and to streamline how you develop and prototype. In addition, it provides a simple platform for building applications that make use of the affordances of mobile devices — touch input, location and tilt sensors, always-on network access, and portable, high-resolution screens.

Malcolm McCullough: Situated Technologies Too
Mobile communication applications can increase participation in locales. In the what is now called “augmented city,” the dynamics of socially-produced cultural tagging need not be reduced to wayshowing. Fixed accumulations of information often complement mobile technology in this regard. Locative media often increase the importance of others but sometimes make it ambiguous who is a user. At a cognitive level, the workings of attention suggest much more technological emphasis on context. This talk thus invites a broad perspective on embodiment, architecture and the city as complementary counterparts to the fascinations of the personal handheld device.

Daniel Sauter + Jesus Duran: Ketai in Motion
The variety of sensors built in 4th generation mobile devices offer new ways to interact with applications and services. Focusing on motion detection and image processing,Ketai in Motion is a research project that aims at capturing, processing, and interpreting multiple streams or sensory data. The presentation will feature the first release of the Ketai library for processing, and outline future development.

Sjoukje van der Meulen: A Plea for a Critical Approach toward (new) Media in the US
This presentation will discuss the work of the Czech media theorist Vilém Flusser (1920–91). While hardly known in the United States, Flusser's work is of crucial importance for all critical theory - and practice - of media. Flusser both continues the Marxist tradition of German media theory (Walter Benjamin and others) and upgrades that legacy to contemporary media conditions in the footsteps of a Marshall McLuhan. This talk is based on the essay, "Between Benjamin and McLuhan: Vilém Flusser's Media Theory," recently published in the New German Critique (Summer 2010).

Jer Thorp: Processing: From Mac to Mobile
In this wide-ranging presentation, Jer will show a variety of work built in Processing. These projects, built over the last two years, cover a strange terrain - from evolutionary computing to text analysis to interactive toys. He’ll also sneak-peak some new data visualization work from the New York Times R&D Lab, and will discuss the challenges and opportunities that arise from building for a mobile environment with Processing for Android.

Andres Colubri: The Future of OpenGL in Processing
OpenGL is a fundamental technology in the generation of real-time graphics. Recent developments in OpenGL (vertex buffer objects, shading programming, OpenCL) are bringing exciting possibilities such as manipulation of massively complex geometries, interactive non-photorealistic rendering and real-time HD image/video processing. Many of these features are currently being integrated into Processing, both on the Android and PC/Mac platforms. These ongoing developments will be discussed during the presentation.

Julio Obelleiro + Shawn Roske: Cing, Creative coding bridging Processing and C++
This presentation will introduce Cing, an open source library for creative programming which bridges the elegant and intuitive syntax of Processing with the power and flexibility of C++. Cing allows innovative and accessible experimentation with advanced capabilities such as 3D, Physics or Computer Vision. Cing is being developed for use on desktop platforms and it is currently on its first steps towards mobile platforms like the iPhone. Cing is developed by Julio Obelleiro, Jorge Cano and Shawn Roske.

WORKSHOPS (register online)

Ben Fry: Introduction to Processing for Android
This workshop is for people who are familiar with Processing and want to write programs for Android devices with the new Processing for Android. Bring your Android device to get up and running during the workshop. The differences between standard Processing and Processing for Android will be discussed as well as the future of project.

Casey Reas: Introduction to Processing for Programmers
This workshop for intermediate-level programmers (and up) is a brief introduction to using the Processing graphics library and environment. We'll cover how to code 2D and 3D interactive graphics and how to use libraries to extend the base software into other domains. This workshop covers the basics of Processing and assumes the participant understands programming fundamentals from variables to object-oriented techniques.

Daniel Sauter + Jesus Duran: Mobile Devices as Universal Sensors
This workshop focuses on using the Ketai library for processing, allowing to register the native sensors supported by the Android platform. The workshop covers data capture, processing and export via Ketai Motion, and introduces image capture via Ketai Vision. Bring or share your Android device to take full advantage of your mobile phone as universal sensor.

Jer Thorp: Processing.Android for Beginners
One of the key selling points for Processing for Android is ease-of-use. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to quickly produce applications for Android devices. We’ll walk through the basics of setting up Processing to develop for Android, and will create our own interactive sketches to run on devices. BYOA (Bring your own Android).

Andres Colubri: Fast 3D graphics in Processing for Android
The goal of this workshop is to introduce the new 3D renderer of Processing for Android, A3D. This renderer provides all the basic functionality required for three-dimensional graphics (camera, lights, texturing, etc.), following the API found in earlier versions of Processing. A3D also offers many advanced drawing capabilities on Android devices supporting OpenGL ES 1.1, such as offscreen rendering, Vertex Buffer Objects (VBOs), and 3D text. Level: intermediate to advanced. BYOA is highly recomended.

Julio Obelleiro + Jorge Cano + Shawn Roske:
Introducing Cing: Simplifying Advanced Capabilities for Creative Coders
This workshop will introduce the first steps to creating Cing applications. Cing is an open source library for creative programming which bridges the elegant and intuitive syntax of Processing with the power and flexibility of C++. The workshop will showcase how Cing facilitates the use of advanced capabilities through cutting-edge libraries such as: 3D & 2D graphics, Physics Simulation, Computer Vision, Advanced Interactivity, 3D worlds & animations, MIDI and 3D Sound, among others

Panel, moderated by Susan M. Fullman, and Daniel Sauter:
The panel will investigate whether a public university, such as UIC, with a mission that encompasses teaching, research, service and economic development should capitalize on open source platforms as a means to increase cooperation and collaboration with its surrounding community.

BIOs:

Casey Reas is a professor in the Department of Design Media Arts at UCLA and a graduate of the MIT Media Laboratory. Reas’ software has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions at museums and galleries in the United States, Europe, and Asia. With Ben Fry, he co-founded Processing in 2001. He is the author of Process Compendium 2004-2010 and co-author of Form+Code in Design, Art, and Architecture(Princeton Architectural Press), Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists (MIT Press) and Getting Started with Processing (O’Reilly).

With Casey Reas, Ben Fry started the Processing project in 2001, which seeks to ruin the careers of talented designers by tempting them away from their usual tools and into the world of programming and computation. Similarly, the project is designed to turn engineers and computer scientists to less gainful employment as artists and designers. Ben is principal of Fathom, a design firm based in Boston that focuses on understanding complex data through information graphics and interactive tools, delivered via the web, software-based installation works, mobile devices, or in print.

Malcolm McCullough studies tacit knowledge in media environments. His booksAbstracting Craft (1996) and Digital Ground (2004) both became standards on human-centered design practices. McCullough teaches architecture and information design at the University of Michigan, and has previously served on the faculty at Harvard and Carnegie Mellon. Thirty years ago he was a pioneer in digital media at Autodesk. In the last decade he has given invited talks in a dozen countries. Currently he is writing a book about ambient information.
Daniel Sauter is an artist who creates interactive installations and site-specific interventions dealing with the cultural and social implications of emergent technologies. His work spans a variety of disciplines, Electronic art, Performance art, Robotic art, Sound art, Interactive Sculpture, and Software art. While technology plays an important role in his work, it is not foregrounded. He uses technology as artistic material, embedded in larger social and cultural contexts. Sauter is currently an Assistant Professor of New Media Arts and Program Coordinator at the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Art and Design.
Sjoukje van der Meulen is an art historian, theorist and critic. She received her Ph.D in modern architectural history and theory from Columbia University (Fall 2009) after the defense of her dissertation "The Problem of Media in Contemporary Art Theory (1960-1990)." Van der Meulen is currently a Visiting Assisting Professor of Modern Art History and Theory in the Department of Art History at UIC.
Jer Thorp is an artist and educator from Vancouver, Canada. A former geneticist, his digital art practice explores the many-folded boundaries between science and art. Recently, his work has been featured by The New York Times, The Guardian, BusinessWeek and the CBC. Jer is a contributing editor for Wired UK, and a frequent lecturer at the conferences and universities around the world. He is currently Data Artist in Residence at the New York Times.
Andres Colubri is a programmer, researcher, and artist. His interests range from algorithmic modeling of complex systems to creative use of computer code for subjective expression and experimentation. He originally studied mathematics in Argentina, then did research in the area of computational biology at the University of Chicago, and recently obtained an MFA degree in Design|Media Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is involved in several open source projects focused in the use of real-time graphics and video, among them the ongoing OpenGL integration in Processing. Currently a professor at Jeju National University in South Korea, and visiting lecturer at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Jesus Duran is an artist and technologist currently pursuing a Master’s of Fine Art in the New Media Arts program at UIC. His primary interests lie in exploring the impact that technology has on relationships between individuals, media and the sense of self. These themes often manifest themselves as Software Art, Interactive Installations, various media and anonymous releases.
Julio Obelleiro is an artist and engineer focused on the creation of interactive installations and large-scale projections that address the alteration of the viewer’s perception. His interdisciplinary work has been exhibited in festivals and venues such as Ars Electronica (Austria), File (Brazil), 10YearsAfter Festival (Seoul), The White Night (Madrid), Looptopia (Chicago), Urban Art Festival (Bucharest), etc. He has been recipient of the grants Fulbright and Torres Quevedo and has contributed to the publication AI Game Programming Wisdom (Charles River Media). Obelleiro currently teaches in the New Media Arts program at UIC and in the Art and Technology Studies at SAIC. In 2007 he co-founded the open source tool Cing with Jorge Cano.
Jorge Cano is a designer and digital artist who is currently working in human computer interaction and data visualization. In recent years, his body of work has been focused on researching the use of new media, mainly interactive video and audio systems, in order to study new ways of communicating with the viewers. In 2007 he co-founded the open source tool Cing with Julio Obelleiro.
Shawn Roske is an interaction designer and software engineer that recently joined the Cing team. For the past 12 years he has created web experiences, mobile applications and permanent interactive installations for company and clients. His current interests are focused on developing and exploring the capabilities of all the major mobile device platforms.
Susan M. Fullman
As Associate Dean at the University of Illinois College of Engineering Sue Fullman works to introduce Chicago area companies to early stage UIC engineering research and faculty resources. Fullman spent the nine years prior to joining UIC at Motorola creating several profitable mobile consumer solutions and highly successful high-end mobile companion products business. Prior to Motorola Fullman spent twenty years at United Airlines most notable for being first to capitalize on emerging internet technologies by developing and launching electronic booking and ticketing capabilities setting the stage for distribution to consumers through direct on-line channels such asual.com and M&A activities including funding of Orbitz, Internet Travel Network (ITN) and Hotwire.

CONTACT

Organizer:
Daniel Sauter
Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator
New Media Arts
UIC - School of Art and Design (M/C 036)
929 W. Harrison - 106 Jefferson Hall
Chicago, IL 60607-7038
info@processingandroid.org

Co-Organizer:
Susan M. Fullman,
Associate Dean College of Engineering, UIC
Interim Director, UIC Innovation Center

SUPPORTED BY

UIC Innovation Center
UIC School of Art + Design
Google
Fuzzy Math
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UIC Innovation Center
1240 W Harrison St Chicago
Chicago, Illinois 60607

Taylor Hokanson and Chris Reilly @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday August 26th 2010 @ 7 PM

2010-08-13T01:41:00.000-07:00

Taylor Hokanson and Chris Reilly @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday August 26th 2010 @ 7 PM

This session will detail the explosive growth of CAM (Computer-aided Manufacturing) technology in the DIY community. Specifically, Taylor Hokanson and Chris Reilly will present the process of developing the DIYLILCNC: a set of plans for an inexpensive, open source 3-axis CNC (Computer Numerical Control) mill that can be built by an individual with basic shop skills and tool access for about 700 USD. CNC devices are used to make highly accurate physical versions of digital 3D models, a process that was previously limited to the industry setting. The plans can be downloaded for free at diylilcnc.org.

Falling prices, increased computer literacy, and the availability of Do-It-Yourself CAM projects like DIYLILCNC and Makerbot put rarified, commercial-grade design tools and vocabulary in the hands of the average consumer. In fact, the accessibility of CNC expands the label "consumer" itself by providing an individual with a way to both produce and consume the objects that precisely meet their needs. This situation threatens the traditional model of industrial production that provides inexpensive, high-volume, lowest common denominator objects to a historically disenfranchised consumer class. Audio tape, the VCR, and Napster all caused a similar panic when they first arrived, in that they interrupted economic structures that enriched big business. In addition to describing the process of creating the DIYLILCNC itself, we'll discus these new challenges that accessible CAD/CAM tools pose to amateur and professional makers alike.

Taylor Hokanson is an Assistant Professor of Art at Oakland University in Detroit. His art practice uses technology as material to address technology as concept. The presence of altered or hacked electronics, such that their operation is impeded, is a common theme in his work (see the Sledgehammer-operated Keyboard, for example). Hokanson also works in conjunction with The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he performs research into computer-aided fabrication and education.
www.taylorhokanson.com

Chris Reilly is a Chicago-based artist, writer and teacher. He received his BFA with a focus on New Media from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006. Chris is currently employed as manager of SAIC’s Advanced Outptut Center, and a part-time faculty member teaching between SAIC’s Design and Film/Video/New Media departments. Since 2003, Chris has shown work in several solo and group art exhibitions in the US and Europe; he works with modded video games, virtual/augmented reality, scripting/programming and kinetic sculpture.
http://www.chris-reilly.org
http://www.rainbowlazer.com

DATE:

THURSDAY AUGUST 26th 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Jodie Mack @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday July 29th 2010 @ 7pm!

2010-07-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Jodie Mack @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday July 29th 2010 @ 7pm!

Jodie Mack presents a DIY zoetrope workshop in which we will make zoetropes (both slit and strobe) with record players, motors, etc; a thaumatrope workshop where we will make the actual discs (using drills to make them spin instead of string); and then a digital thaumatrope excercise where we take two unrelated images and explore alternating them in rapid sequences until the viewer sees a combined image!

PLEASE BRING: old cds and dvds, things that have turning motors (record players, fans, drills, blenders, other automata) and strobe lights if you have them! Jodie will be bringing buckets, discs, one record player, one drill, and two motors (that may need rewiring)

Jodie Mack is a Chicago-based artist working in various forms of cut-out and stop-motion animation. She works with young filmmakers and spends her free time making pop-up cards and coordinating screenings and film festivals.

DATE:

THURS JULY 29 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE!

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Frank Wang Yefeng @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday June 24th 2010 @ 7pm!

2010-06-18T06:29:00.001-07:00

Frank Wang Yefeng @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday June 24th 2010 @ 7pm!

Frank Wang Yefeng will discuss developing digital graphics software and digital animation techniques at this dorkbot Chicago meeting. Yefeng will explain how he has developed methods for generating duplicated images and extreme slow-motion animation in the production of his most recent project entitled "A Figure." A Figure is exhibited as large scale a video installation, most recently in the exhibition Power of Copying at Xuzhou Museum of Art (China) and Effervescent Condition at Gallery X (Chicago).

DATE:

THURS JUNE 24 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

No chicago dorkbot this Thurs, but check out an awesome show at Enemy!

2010-05-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

As we mentioned last month, due to a couple different scheduling
issues there will be no chicago dorkbot this Thursday May 27th. We'll
resume on June 24th with a presentation by Frank Yefeng Wang.

This Thursday evening there is a show at Enemy (our friendly chicago
dorkbot hosts) featuring electronic improv group Koboku Senju playing
sets with local musicians. Koboku Senju is a 5-piece experimental
improv group whose roster includes no-input mixer druid Toshimaru
Nakamura and noise-blues guitarist Tetuzi Akiyama. Check it out!

Also, we're making good progress on our kickstarter drive to buy a
dedicated dorkbot projector - we've got only 9 days and $155 to go --
thanks for all your support & spreading the word!

rock
jake+jon

Brian Labycz @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday April 29th 2010 @ 7pm!

2010-04-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

Brian Labycz @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday April 29th 2010 @ 7pm!
free improvisational electronics: foundational concerns and confrontations

This presentation is an overview of electronics as instrument within an
improvisational context.

Topics to be covered:

anatomy of sound

electronics as instrument

the generator

interface

performance/aesthetic concerns

brian labycz is an improviser hailing from chicago primarily performing with electronics. he draws from a range of sources utilizing a modular synthesizer, acoustic instruments, digital manipulations, field recordings, and self-made devices to produce and explore various expressive forms. with a primary focus on improvisation his aim is to produce dynamic gestures with electronics in a live setting. the goal is to transcend gadgetry to arrive at a fully realized performance instrument. working as a soloist and in various group settings he has performed and released work in the us and japan. he has also organized events in chicago and abroad and is actively hosting the myopic improvised music series.

DATE:

THURS APR 29 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Brett Ian Balogh @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday March 25th 2010 @ 7PM!

2010-03-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Brett Ian Balogh @ dorkbot Chicago on Thursday March 25th 2010 @ 7PM!

In this era of unprecedented media conglomeration, it has become important for the public to take media into their own hands. This dorkbot presentation takes a do-it-yourself approach to broadcast media where participants will learn to construct their own low-power FM radio transmitters. Participants will also learn about the issues of legality surrounding micro-power broadcasting as well as artistic/activist uses of the medium.

Brett Ian Balogh is an artist and an instructor at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology, teaching courses in DIY broadcasting, digital fabrication and acoustics.

NOTE: This is a hands-on workshop in which we'll be building low-power FM transmitters. Brett has ordered the required parts for 15 transmitters, which will be available for $15. If you'd like to order/bring your own parts, or build more than one transmitter, Brett has compiled a Jameco order you can use, available here: http://usrbin.info/jameco_radio_parts.pdf

Also PLEASE BRING SOLDERING IRONS and 9-VOLT BATTERIES!

DATE:

THURS MAR 25 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Mitchell F Chan @ dorkbot Chicago on THURS FEB 25 2010 @ 7 PM!

2010-02-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

Mitchell F Chan @ dorkbot Chicago on THURS FEB 25 2010 @ 7 PM!

Mitchell F Chan is a Canadian artist currently based in Chicago, and co-founder of art collective Studio F-Minus. The project he will be presenting, A Dream of Pastures, is an interactive projection machine created from a clever assembly of 6 streetlamp bulbs, an old exercise bike, and a dozen wooden cut-outs. The project debuted in 2008 to a one-night audience of over sixty thousand engaged viewers and participants, and in April will feature in the exhibition Helios: Eadweard Muybridge in a Time of Change, organized by the Corcoran Gallery in Washinton DC and later travelling to the SFMoMA and Tate Britain. At Dorkbot Chicago, Chan will walk through the history of the project to discuss principles of light projection and shadow-casting, project durability for high-volume interactive exhibits, and finding funding and art-world audiences for DIY experimental media.

DATE:

THURS FEB 25 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

video from Thomas Bey William Bailey's dorkbot Chicago presentation

2010-02-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Thomas Bey William Bailey @ dorkbot Chicago 2010.01.28 from joncates on Vimeo.

above is video from Thomas Bey William Bailey's dorkbot Chicago presentation on 2010.01.28. thnx to all who came out, stayed after listening to Bailey's selections on the turntable/laptop set + thnx again to Bailey for the talk! - jonCates

Thomas Bey William Bailey - Radical Electronic Music at Dorkbot Chicago on Thursday January 28th, 2010

2010-01-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

Thomas Bey William Bailey presents Radical Electronic Music

What does “electronic music” mean in a world where nearly all recorded sound reaches us electronically? And what makes it a “radical” form in an age where nearly every minor deviation from the status quo is hailed as a “revolution” in affairs? What are the unique cultural strategies and social dynamics of ‘radical electronic music’ in the post-Techno era? Author and recording artists Thomas Bey William Bailey hopes to answer all these questions and more at his exclusive Dorkbot experience, discussing subjects including (but not limited to): the ongoing file-sharing debate, open-source music software, subversive uses of sampling technology, ‘microsound’ aesthetics, the real meaning of ‘extreme’ music, the debate over 'local scenes' vs. dissipated global communities linked through the internet, the new trend towards synesthesia (or sight-sound synthesis) in sound art, the shift in electronic music instruments from attempting to "emulate the real world" to creating one that is audibly alien...

Thomas Bey William Bailey is a multi-disciplinary artist and cultural researcher, whose work has manifested itself as books, articles, music releases, sound installations, experimental radio shows, and completely undocumented or personal creative actions / interventions. He has lived and worked in Japan, Central Europe,and the U.S., struggling to overcome the psychic fatigue which is unique to our 21st century congestion culture. His work critiques and frames this culture by avoiding the obvious, easily perceptible middle ground and instead focusing on 'micro' and 'macro' aspects of lived experience in an information-saturated epoch. To this end, Bailey's work tends towards either 'atomizing' life (e.g. making recordings of asthmatic breath and incomprehensible sleep-talking, strobing videos limited to only a couple visual elements) or illuminating its hyper-complexity with intense noise, etc. It is a celebration of 'life before death' and a valuation of intimate exploratory nature above mass technological progress. Many of these ideas are further fleshed out in Bailey's first book-length survey of his influences and allies, "Micro Bionic", published 2009 on Creation Books.

DATE:

Thursday January 28th 2010

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

David Vondle demos openFrameworks at dorkbot Chicago on November 19th 2009!

2009-11-15T18:41:00.001-08:00

Note: dorkbot is on the 19th this month, not the last thursday as usual.

Chicago-based interaction designer and hacker David Vondle will walk us through openFrameworks with an eye toward its use in computer vision, people tracking and multitouch, and also touch on electronic prototyping for digital experiences.

Openframeworks is a c++ library designed to assist the creative process by providing a simple and intuitive framework for experimentation.

The library is designed to work as a general purpose glue, and wraps together several commonly used libraries under a tidy interface: openGL for graphics, rtAudio for audio input and output, freeType for fonts,freeImage for image input and output, quicktime for video playing and sequence grabbing.

DATE:

Thursday November 19th 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Michael Esposito @ dorkbot Chicago on October 29 2009!

2009-10-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Experimental artist and researcher Michael Esposito will present some experiments and sound art from his recent work with Electronic Voice Phenomena. Michael recently completed an album in collaboration with Brent Gutzeit constructed from EVP recordings gathered at dorkbot Chicago's host, Enemy.

Michael Esposito is an experimental artist and researcher in Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). Over the years, under the Phantom Airwaves institution, Michael has participated in hundreds of paranormal investigations all over the world. He has conducted extensive research at many active locations and has developed a great deal of unique theory and devised many unique experiments within the field of EVP.

Working extensively with EVP's relationship to experimental music, Michael combines EVP with field recording and related frequency tones of research sites to provide an audio-archeological picture of both sides of the veil. Michael is currently published by Touch Music[MCPS] UK.

DATE:

Thursday October 29th 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

8bit Halloween ft. Bit Shifter CHICAGO

2009-10-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

hey yawl, our friend + previous dorkbot Chicago presenter Liz Revision is organizing an 8bit Halloween ft. Bit Shifter here in CHICAGO. yawl should chk it out. full nfo below! - jonCates

One of the premiere Game Boy-wielding 8Bit electronic musicians in the world is Josh Davis aka Bit Shifter, and subVariant and Front 312 are excited to have him perform at Ai Lounge on Halloween. Having played over 100 live shows armed with only two Nintendo Game Boys, and two home-brew aftermarket music programs, he has a dedicated following and has been known to ignite dance floors with his high energy live performances.

Tom Loftus of MSNBC.com says of Bit Shifter’s performance,“[B]y the time Davis jumped to his rave-up 'Parapersona Crash,' the walls started to shake and what little hesitation the audience may have had over dancing to a kiddy toy's 'bleeps' and 'bloops' vanished.”

“We booked him ...and I still think it's the most people that have been in the Tank at one time--hundreds and hundreds of people…” says Mike Rosenthal, Artistic Director of The Tank in NYC. “ Bitshifter just rocked the place--just blew us all away.”
Josh Davis says of the 8bit sound, “This is a really distinctive sound-set that anyone of our generation will have most likely been exposed to during childhood and as a consequence of that it became hardwired into our aesthetic sensibilities….but it was always off-limits creatively. So, people who grew up with 8bit and 16bit video game consoles--if they were musicians, they were able to dabble in just about *anything* else….”

Liz Revision of subVariant will open by digitally spinning minimal tech-house, glitch, and IDM; Mr. Automatic from Front 312 brings electro, new wave, and acid house; and Onefiftyone from Chicago Workgroup plays nudisco.

Bit Shifter explores high-energy, low-bit music composed and performed on a Nintendo Game Boy. The result is an unapologetically fun foray into an evocative and distinctive sound-set, executed on a console generally misperceived as being technically limited. Made possibly by two home-brew Game Boy music-making programs, Nanoloop and Little Sound DJ, Bit Shifter's music adopts and subverts the playfulness inherent in the familiar Game Boy sound-set, repurposing it into the service of novel idioms. Based in New York City, Bit Shifter has performed over one hundred shows worldwide, having recently circumnavigated the planet in a 20-date world tour with fellow chiptune compatriot Nullsleep.

subVariant is a Chicago-based record label and events production company known for its both its innovative electronic music releases and creative packaging, as well as its edgy and boundary-pushing live events and music showcases. Front 312 has been promoting an eclectic night in Chicago for over a year featuring house, electro, new wave and industrial at Liar’s Club, although individually its members have been churning away in various underground electronic realms, and have collected a diverse group of dedicated followers. Together subV and 312 bring their diverse crowds together to experience Halloween in a cool downtown location with an excellent, creative and diverse lineup unique in Chicago for Halloween.

Tickets are $20 at the door, $15 presale at http://www.fractalspin.com/bitshifter, or $17 day off with an RSVP to http://chicago.going.com/bitshifter.

The first 30 people with presale tickets will get a free surprise treat bag featuring cool stuff from local businesses and online shops.

A very limited amount of free tickets for people video game industry are available. Send a link to your LinkedIn page / corporate bio / other credentials to lizk {at} subvariant . com as soon as possible.

Ai Lounge is at 358 W. Ontario, Downtown Chicago. The night runs from 10pm – 3am. A late night sushi menu is also available, as is $10 valet parking.

Bit Shifter interview

Bitshifter-"The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" (Weezer cover) by quantazelle

AUDIO:
“The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” vocal track
from Bitshifter (Weezer Cover)

http://subvariant.com/media/Bitshifter-04TheWorldHasTurnedAndLeftMeHere.mp3

AUDIO:
“Activation Theme” by Bitshifter (Original Instrumental)

http://www.8bitpeoples.com/mp3/get/370/8bp059-02-bit_shifter-activation_theme.mp3

VIDEO:
“Bitshifter Interview”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BifjWTFAvMU
TEXT:
“Interview with Bitshifter” (Longer, more technical
interview)

http://www.chaoscontrol.com/?article=bitshifter

GOING
(DISCOUNT LINK): http://chicago.going.com/bitshifter

PRESALE TIX: http://www.fractalspin.com/bitshifter

subVariant: http://www.subvariant.com

Liz Revision: http://www.lizrevision.com

Joe Hahn & Tyler St Clair @ dorkbot Chicago on September 24 2009!

2009-09-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Joe Hahn & Tyler St Clair @ dorkbot Chicago on September 24 2009!

Joe Hahn aka Protman is a programmer and computer music artist based in Chicago. Primarily composing with software inspired by late 80s mod trackers like Impulse Tracker, Schism Tracker, and Renoise, he also implements the use of game controllers and other input devices with PureData to translate them into midi controllers and custom sequencers. Joe is also a proponent and often host of monthly computer music battles called "Iron Chef of Music" where contenders locally and worldwide via telecommute simultaneously spend two hours creating a new piece of music out of a single audio sample. After two hours there is an exhibition and discussion of all the track submissions where cheffers can learn about software and technique from one another. Joe is also working to open a museum and workshop in Chicago with a focus on diy/circuit-bent music hardware and software.

The Milwaukee, WI native Tyler St Clair (Stagediver/Dispyz) has been an avid user and abuser of trailing-edge computer technology since 1995. During the first half of 2009 he released two lo-fi, 7" vinyls on the Radiograffiti music imprint, which were written and recorded on the Amiga line of computers using several well-known trackers such as MED, and OctaMED.

Throughout the years though he has been known to play shows/eliminate boredom using modified and circuit-bent gear including (but not limited to) a VIC-20 & MC-505. He also began work on several Atari 2600 sample playback utilities back in 2003 and has even been seen as a supporter of the UK hacking scene, evidenced by musical submissions to the Hackervoice UK podcast.

He also has the natural ability to see through clothing.

More info on his recent hardware projects/vinyl releases can be found at
http://www.radiograffiti.org

DATE:

Thursday September 24th 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

Rob Ray @ dorkbot Chicago!

2009-08-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Electronic artist Rob Ray rides his water bike out of the militarized salt flats of Wendover, Utah to return to Chicago and present alternative energy technologies for electronic artworks! Ray (the former organizer of dorkbot Chicago and DEADTECH electronic arts center) will explain the technical, fiscal, and creative implications of alternative energy technologies on sound, video, and interactive artworks at the August dorkbot Chicago meeting. He may even also describe the subversive potential of reprogramming ATM machines with an "under-the-hood" tour of the ATM kiosk construction, electronic card-reader and push-button interaction systems, and movie and video game creation.

DATE:

Thursday August 27th 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

open for this month (August) dorkbot Chicago

2009-08-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

hi yawl

we are currently open for this month (August) dorkbot Chicago so if any of yawl have suggestions or wanna present please let us know! we have sum presenters who are preparing for later months but currently August is open, so let's discuss possibilities
looking fwd to hearing bax from yawl!

jonCates
http://systemsapproach.net/

low pass filter circuit from July dorkbot Chicago workshop!

2009-08-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Kevin Meinert's low pass filter circuit from Sandra Rosas Ridolfi's July dorkbot Chicago workshop! more documentation coming soon...

Sandra Rosas Ridolfi @ dorkbot Chicago!

2009-07-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sandra Rosas Ridolfi rips open some audio circuits and leads a hands-on workshop building Voltage-Controlled Envelope generators from scratch at July's dorkbot Chicago. Grab a soldering iron, wire strippers and some components and get ready to hear yourself audio processing!

DATE:

Thursday July 30th 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

FREE

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

schematics and photos from mark beasley & tamas kemenczy's crt hax

2009-07-13T12:40:00.001-07:00

mark & tamas posted some great photos & schematics from their crt hacking presentation last month: http://arcanebolt.net/

Mark Beasley and Tamas Kemenczy @ dorkbot Chicago!

2009-06-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Mark Beasley and Tamas Kemenczy will demo a few mnml vga hacks to bend naive cathode rays using microcontrollers and some old crt monitors from the beige days.

Mark Beasley is an artist/educator making software, video, performance and web art.

Tamas Kemenczy branches and merges interactive fiction, the demoscene and programmable spells.

DATE:

Thursday June 25th 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

Free

photos from Alex Inglizian's presentation

2009-05-31T02:43:00.000-07:00

Alex Inglizian rocking dorkbot Chicago!

thnx to everyOne for coming out to dorkbot Chicago with Alex Inglizian!

these photos are by Eric Leonardson, thnx Eric! more photos by Eric are on Flickr tagged "dorkbot" and "dorkbot Chicago": http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/dorkbotchicago/

also, if you took photos, please tag them with "dorkbot" and "dorkbot Chicago"

Alex Inglizian rocks dorkbot Chicago! May 27, 7 PM

2009-05-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

It's on again as Alex Inglizian rocks a presentation/workshop on "integrating hacked, modified, and circuit bent devices into a tempo synced electronic music system." This is your chance to get your hands dirty @ dorkbot Chicago and dig into a fresh plate of Chicago style dirty circuit bending! As always, dorkbot Chicago is FREE (as in pizza and beer, and also free as in speech and software)!

DATE:

Wednesday May 27 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

Free

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects, creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage science!

photos from Brian Comnes' presentation last nite

2009-05-01T04:49:00.000-07:00

Brian Comnes presenting analog vs digital distortion in audio electronics for dorkbot Chicago at Enemy Sound last nite

thanks to everyOne for coming by last night! and thanks to Brian for an electric talk & straight up nasty distortion jam afterwards

more photos are on Flickr tagged "dorkbot" and "dorkbot Chicago": http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/dorkbotchicago/

also, if you took photos last nite as well, please tag them with "dorkbot" and "dorkbot Chicago"

video documentation and digital download of the Brian's slides coming soon

distortion with brian comnes at dorkbot dorkbot chicago thurs april 30th(7pm)

2009-04-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hope you'll join us next Thursday, April 30th at 7PM for the next
installment of Chicago Dorkbot. This time Brian Comnes will take us
on a journey through crunchy tube labyrinths into a fiery halo of
home-made distortion gear. We'll also get a close-up look at some of
the technical and aesthetic differences between analog and digital
distortions, climaxing in an earsplitting A-vs-D cage match.

See you at:

DATE:

Thursday April 30 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

Free

WTF:

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is
"people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in
informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These
projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects,
creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage
science!

photos from Todd Bailey's presentation last nite

2009-04-03T05:02:00.000-07:00

Todd Bailey presenting "Where's the Party At v1.0", an 8-bit audio sampler in kit form, for dorkbot Chicago at Enemy Sound last nite. video documentation coming soon. thnx to all who came out and helped us restart dorkbot Chicago!

april 2009 dorkbot :: restarting dorkbot chicago with todd bailey

2009-03-20T10:20:00.001-07:00

RESTARTING DORKBOT CHICAGO!

DATE:

Thursday April 2 2009

TIME:

7 PM

LOCATION:

Enemy Sound
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave 3rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.enemysound.com

COST:

Free

DESCRIPTION:

Chicago's dorkbot restarts April 2 at 7 PM at Enemy Sound!

What is a "dorkbot"?! The idea of the international dorkbot network is
of "people doing strange things with electricity" and meeting in
informal, friendly environments to discuss their projects. These
projects could include hardware hacks, New Media Art projects,
creative code, circuit bent musical instruments or wild DIY garage
science!

On Thursday April 2, current dorkbot Chicago organizers jonCates and
Jake Elliott will give a short presentation on the past, present and
future of dorkbot in Chicago. The artist-run organization Enemy Sound
will host and Todd Bailey will present a sneak peak at a new project.

Dorkbot veteran Todd Bailey will demonstrate his latest project,
"Where's the Party At v1.0", an 8-bit audio sampler in kit form. Todd
is a Chicago-based electronic engineer & musician, well known in these
parts for his work on the Camp Gay art space and in the band Voltage.
More details about Todd and WTPA can be found at:

http://narrat1ve.com

dorkbot Chicago:

http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotchi/

Enemy Sound:

http://www.enemysound.com

new + old

2009-01-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

new events in APRIL 2009 + an archive of previous dorkbot Chicago activity

H3X3N dorkbot presentation May 14 2008

2008-05-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

IX by H3X3N @ DEADTECH
Saturday May 10
7 - 10 PM
FREE

H3X3N is a group of Computer Witches who have built an enchanted cube that casts magical spells on computers. This cube, called IX, is a New Media Artwork that will be shown at DEADTECH, an art and technology center and gallery in Chicago, this Saturday May 10. The IX cube casts spells on Windows, Macintosh and Linux computers, hacking and hexing these operating systems. IX combines traditional stage magic tricks and irony as elements of Hacker culture to create an Interactive Installation and Software Art project. IX has been exhibited previously at the Interactivos? exhibition at the Media Lab Madrid in Madrid, Spain.

H3X3N, a collaborative computer witchcraft club from Chicago, Mexico City Mexico and Linz Austria, is currently composed of Mark Beasley, Sandra Rosas Ridolfi, jake elliott, tamas kemenczy, Alex Inglizian, Nina Wenhart and jonCates.

Come play with the cube and cast spells that beautifully break computers at DEADTECH, 3321 W. Fullerton Ave. Chicago IL 60647 from 7 - 10 PM.

IX by H3X3N
http://h3x3n.net

H3X3N blog
http://h3x3n.wordpress.com

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

2008-03-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

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

Todd Bailey - Part 1 - Introduction to Plastics Casting

Todd Bailey - Part 2 - Making a Mold

Todd Bailey - Part 3 - A Two Part Mold

Todd Bailey - Part 4 - Preparing to Pour the d20.

Todd Bailey - Part 5 - Pouring the Part and Into the Pressure Chamber

Todd Bailey - Part 6 - Pulling from the 1-part Mold

Todd Bailey - Part 7 - Making a Silicone Mold (1 of 2)

Todd Bailey - Part 8 - Making a Silicone Mold (2 of 2)

Todd Bailey - Part 9 - A finished part!

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

2008-01-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

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.)

See Full Flickr Photoset.

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

2007-11-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

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

2007-09-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

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

Wed. Sept. 26, 2007! 8PM at Deadtech

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.