Slashdot Mirror

Pretty rude to name malware after a well-established series of tinker meetings/presentations (that's been going on since before anyone started using the word "maker.")

Sounds like dorkbot has a legal course of action for trademark infringement and tortuous interference with business since no one would want to go to their meetings for fear of catching some virus.

BTW - what is the HTML tag for sarcasm for the humor impaired?

Pretty rude to name malware after a well-established series of tinker meetings/presentations (that's been going on since before anyone started using the word "maker.")

See if there's a Dorkbot chapter in your vicinity. Odds are, wherever they meet won't have free parts for you, but might not mind you discreetly using your butane soldering iron.

Oh, they have. A friend of mine did her PhD on computationally-enhanced textiles.

Do-it-yourself rapid prototyping machinery is roughly in the same state that home desktop publishing was back in 1980. Fabrication devices like 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers, and soon robotic garment makers will eventually become cheap enough that you will likely have access to one (if not in your home, then perhaps at your school or local crazy artist co-op). The thing is, most people have such a consumption mentality that given the opportunity to design and make things for themselves, they really have no idea where to begin. Fortunately, this is starting to change as people realize they can take an active part in designing and making the world they live in. Communities like Make Faire and various local flavors of DorkBot (go find yours!) are around to help educate and support your inner nerd. Personally, I've made a sort of 3D Logo language for programming physical shape that can be produced on a laser cutter.

I recommend Dorkbot, the global technological art organization. There is likely a chapter near you. Go, watch, then ask to present your tech project!

+1 for Hackerspace. In the same tech vein, try DorkBot. There's one in every major city around the world!

I just came back from a conference in France including a maker faire element. Plenty of geeky/artistic women there, and you'll have a huge amount of fun. Just go with an open mind, and try things you wouldn't normally do. Another thing to try might be http://dorkbot.org/ - kinda hard to describe - they do "strange things with electricity" but another creative/tech mix. Take a look and see if there is a group near you.

Dorkbot

If you live in a geek-friendly city, try http://www.dorkbot.org/ (the idea is not to be social, but to do "Strange things with Electricity", but you meet a lot of artist/geek types and will probably be appreciated for your geekiness in that crowd.

Tech Conferences

Go to technical conferences (e.g., SIGGRAPH, etc.) in areas that interest you (or your own field). Find out what social events are going on at night and join them. You may not meet many girls, but you might meet like-minded geeks. [The TCL conference that I attended one year had the most fascinating group of dedicated people I've ever seen anywhere.]

Ballroom

Take ballroom dance classes. M/F ratio is excellent (in favor of M), and engineer/geek types seem drawn to this activity. You will also learn excellent social communication skills (dance is all about communication) and inadvertently meet girls.

Sailing

Geeks/engineers seem to be drawn to sailing. There may be relatively cheap sailing clubs in your area.

Dungeons & Dragons

This should be obvious. Even if you're not drawn to the game, you will meet fellow geek types who socialize this way... Sci-fi conventions might afford the same thing, although I have not tried this.

[Most these assume you live in a large-ish city. I'm stuck in a smaller city where most of these don't apply]

Much to my surprise, I have found that Los Angeles has a fairly significant geeky underbelly, for example:

Dorbot SoCal
Barcamp LA
LA G33k Dinner
Mindshare LA
Machine Project

Here is a calendar of LA tech events.

At my alma mater, engineering students in the Society of Automotive Engineers club of University of Saskatchewan, entered these contests back in the 80's before budget cutbacks. The year I graduated from high school, 1986, they had a record breaking gasoline powered car that went 5,691 miles per gallon. I think they, or someone else, went over 7000 miles per gallon a few years later. Even in those days 2000-3000 miles per gallon was being achieved by many teams. University of British Columbia achieved 3,145 miles per gallon in 2006.

All the same, I'd like to see the test done with the consumption of an entire gallon of fuel, especially record-breakers. Over a 1000+ mile journey, a lot can happen to decrease fuel efficiency, such as engine contamination, varying atmospheric conditions, etc. Of course, these cars are so tiring to drive, with the driver lying down horizontally and peering around the toes, the fatigue factor will demolish any extrapolated record.

there is a video of posey being demoed at a dorkbot pittsburgh meeting here: http://www.allartburns.org/dorkbot/dorkbot-200704-weller.mp4

Dorkbot put on shows based around the intersection between art and technology - robots, electronic music, all sorts of weird and interesting stuff (their tag-line is "people doing strange things with electricity"). They have groups which hold meetings in cities all around the world. See http://dorkbot.org/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorkbot.

Carl and Tom spoke at one of the Pittsburgh dorkbot meetings. There's iPod video and MPEG-4 of their presentation in the March archives.

Carl and Tom spoke at one of the Pittsburgh dorkbot meetings. There's iPod video and MPEG-4 of their presentation in the March archives.

Warper is a party for people interested in the latest evolution in DJ culture. Conceived by live electronic music performers to build community, showcase creativity, and share knowledge in the NY area and beyond.
Each party consists of a program of music created and remixed with the power and flexibility of the latest music technology. Music performers and creators bring their laptops, instruments, drives, controllers, and ideas to share and showcase.

If you live in or visit NYC, there's a venue that sort of specializes in experimental instruments and music, some free jazz and other stuff. It's Tonic, on Norfolk in the Lower East Side, and they've earned a solid reputation for hosting some great musicians of lesser known genres. John Zorn has played there many times.

One night I saw a guy put a cello bow to a tiny wooden contraption with audio pickups attached. He proceeded to produce some eerie and beautiful music. Others followed with homebrew synthesizers. Weird, intriguing night.

Columbia University has a computer music program, and some of the students there host a monthly demo called dorkbot, for people making experimental music, audio, video, robots etc.. It's held in a dozen other cities, check the website.

Two radio stations that carry new and experimental music programs are WFMU and WNYC. FMU has numerous programs which spotlight other music, while WNYC carries a single show, quite good, called New Sounds, hosted by John Schaefer. It's a bit on the pedigreed end of the spectrum, and although John Zorn is a frequent reference point, I haven't heard him as a guest on the show, though I'm not a regular listener. Most definitely worth a listen, it's on each night at 11pm ET.

Both can be heard online, and both stations maintain archives of their shows.

If you live in or visit NYC, there's a venue that sort of specializes in experimental instruments and music, some free jazz and other stuff. It's Tonic, on Norfolk in the Lower East Side, and they've earned a solid reputation for hosting some great musicians of lesser known genres. John Zorn has played there many times.

One night I saw a guy put a cello bow to a tiny wooden contraption with audio pickups attached. He proceeded to produce some eerie and beautiful music. Others followed with homebrew synthesizers. Weird, intriguing night.

Columbia University has a computer music program, and some of the students there host a monthly demo called dorkbot, for people making experimental music, audio, video, robots etc.. It's held in a dozen other cities, check the website.

Two radio stations that carry new and experimental music programs are WFMU and WNYC. FMU has numerous programs which spotlight other music, while WNYC carries a single show, quite good, called New Sounds, hosted by John Schaefer. It's a bit on the pedigreed end of the spectrum, and although John Zorn is a frequent reference point, I haven't heard him as a guest on the show, though I'm not a regular listener. Most definitely worth a listen, it's on each night at 11pm ET.

Both can be heard online, and both stations maintain archives of their shows.

Waving your hands around in a analogue space above sensors to create music is a weird experience - quite unlike playing the keyboard or strumming a guitar.