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Lazy Musicians Spawn Robot Ukulele
densetsu writes: "Three weeks ago, instead of forking over 5 whole bucks for an actual ukelele instruction booklet, I decided to teach myself for free using internet resources.
Now that my will (and fingers) have been broken, these guys offer a faustian shortcut. They built a Lego Mindstorms-powered REMOTE CONTROLLED self-playing ukulele. The site has some nice photos and mindstorms code. Rock super-stardom, here I come!"
Eat it Janitors, this post is for on by and all my homies. I'm leaving the country.
Ei Vois Vähempää Kiinnostaa!
So I'm a pervert. Welcome to the Internet.
For FP!
Eat it, biznitches!
CLIT. Are you a memb
Noos fo da nahds, stof dat mattahs.
I have been pwned because my
Lazy Open Sores Programmer Spawns Goatsex
Too bad they haven't provided mp3s. I would love to hear it play...
Can't wait for the tour.
The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination
- Douglas Adams
When was the last time you had an "E" Cup in your:
- Hand?
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When was the last time your "Rod" was between two huge Melons?
Huge, Heavy, and Happy - http://www.bigandbouncing.com/
I'm not a big reggae fan, so correct me if I'm wrong, but since when does reggae music include ukulelies (sp)? Could you imagine "No Woman, No Cry" (the only reggae song I know) played with a ukulele?
Very odd...
"Anyway, long story short... is a phrase whose origins are complicated and rambling...." - Abraham Simpson
Credits: onby
1. Introduction
As everyone knows, Open Source software is the wave of the future. With the market share of GNU/Linux and *BSD increasing every day, interest in Open Source Software is at an all time high.
Developing software within the Open Source model benefits everyone. People can take your code, improve it and then release it back to the community. This cycle continues and leads to the creation of far more stable software than the 'Closed Source' shops can ever hope to create.
So you're itching to create that Doom 3 killer but don't know where to start? Read on!
2. First Steps
The most important thing that any Open Source project needs is a Sourceforge page. There are tens of thousands of successful Open Source projects on Sourceforge; the support you receive here will be invaluable.
OK, so you've registered your Sourceforge project and set the status to '0: Pre-Thinking About It', what's next?
3. Don't Waste Time!
Now you need to set up your SourceForge homepage. Keep it plain and simple - don't use too many HTML tags, just knock something up in VI. Website editors like FrontPage and DreamWeaver just create bloated eye-candy - you need to get your message to the masses!
4. Ask For Help
Since you probably can't program at all you'll need to try and find some people who think they can. If your project is a game you'll probably need an artist too. Ask for help on your new Sourceforge pages. Here is an example to get you started:
"Hi there! Welcom to my SorceForge page! I am planing to create a Fisrt Person Shooter game for Linux that is going to kick Doom 3's ass! I have loads of awesome ideas, like giant robotic spiders! I need some help thouh as I cant program or draw. If you can program or draw the tekstures please get in touch! K thx bye!"
Thousands of talented programmers and artists hang out at Sourceforge ready to devote their time to projects so you should get a team together in no time!
5. The A-Team
So now you have your team together you are ready to change your projects status to '1: Pre-Bickering'. You will need to discuss your ideas with your team mates and see what value they can add to the project. You could use an Instant Messaging program like MSN for this, but since you run Linux you'll have to stick to e-mail.
Don't forget that YOU are in charge! If your team doesn't like the idea of giant robotic spiders just delete them from the project and move on. Someone else can fill their place and this is the beauty of Open Source development. The code might end up a bit messy and the graphics inconsistant - but it's still 'Free as in Speech'!
6. Getting Down To It
Now that you've found a team of right thinking people you're ready to start development. Be prepared for some delays though. Programming is a craft and can take years to learn. Your programmer may be a bit rusty but will probably be writing "hello world" programs after school in no time.
Closed Source games like Doom 3 use the graphics card to do all the hard stuff anyhow, so your programmer will just have to get the NVidia 'API' and it will be plain sailing! Giant robot spiders, here we come!
7. The Outcome
So it's been a few years, you still have no files released or in CVS. Your programmer can't get enough time on the PC because his mother won't let him use it after 8pm. Your artist has run off with a Thai She-Male. Your project is still at '1: Pre-Bickering'...
Congratulations! You now have a successful Open Source project on Sourceforge! Pat yourself on the back, think up another idea and do it all again! See how simple it is?
- poopbot: crapflooding since 7/8/02
... all well and good. But the question remains; why would you want to play an ukulele?
Bah!
.. and Sum41. The robot ukulele already has more talent than all of them put together.
tinfoilmedia
I think they're lying - why else would they provide no MP3's? It's not like the Late Great Bob is going to file suit under the DMCA. ** Got to work out why these things can LOOK like they may work, but everyone wants to hear 'em!
Geez, could there be a more nerdy fucken topic. How rediculous that anyone is interested in this shit. Jam your ukelele up your clacker and go and do something useful like getting a life.
So this is where all the Back Street boys/n-sync/Brittany Spears music is coming from.
Now let's see which is more sexy... Brittany or a Ukelelie playing lego robot...
hrmmm dilemmas dilemmas.
Have you hugged your Karma Whore today?
Strings We Be, the string manufacturer, hereby announce a change to the EULA. Should our strings be installed in any instrument, they should only be played by human hands. This excludes all chimpanzees, robots, and individuals with prostetic hands. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Madness is only a state of mind
Just image a Boewulf cluster of... ..Nah, it too early in the morning for that...
It's Britney, not 'Brittany'.
Does Mike fucks Jarvis, or is it Jarvis who fucks Mike???
Now all we need are robots that can sing and sound like our favorite artists and screw the RIAA.
My other sig is an import.
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Now let's see which is more sexy... Brittany or a Ukelelie playing lego robot...
Well they're both made of plastic and since Britany makes obnoxious noises from her mouth on her own, while a lego robot has to be programmed for it, I say go with the robot.
>
. . . but not new. And these guys actually have sound samples, too . . .
honestly, the ukelele is a good first step (if it in fact works as mentioned previously) and doing a guitar wouldn't be that much more difficult. Maybe 1 degree. You'd only need 4 "fingers" to do a guitar and maybe a motor to move them up and down the fretboard...You could do a lot of kewl stuff.
:-)
But robot players will NEVER be better human players!
Error: Success
does it come with a remote-controlled campfire?
decades of blood, sweat and tears. Trillions of man hours. Trillions of dollars. Trillions of bugs. And after all that, we get remote controlled musical instruments.. wait a minute...
C001, YEAH BABY!
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OK
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Ukelele's are such simple minded instruments (don't get me wrong, I've passed many the doobie to a nice Oo Ka ley ley song).
This is evidenced by the fact they could implement this with and RCX
For a real system, you're better writing it in on an Atmel 8 bit RISC microcontroller One friggen instruction per cycle. Not a few hundred or so.
using one of the nice embedded C Compilers
Geez does that Basic code look silly!
loop [
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 85 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 84 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 84 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 82 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 84 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 84 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 85 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 73 1 1
waituntil [switch 11] play_note 73 1 1
With an AVR, you could play the music like the Gypsie Kings with one processor! I'm talking multiple 12 strings!
You wouldn't need a beuwolf cluster..
But, it would be pretty cool.
All kidding aside, I wish I had the time to do this kind of stuff. Writing Java code for "Big Business" gets very boring, though, it feeds my family.
Memorize these definitions, and pooping at work will become a pure pleasure.
ASTAIRE A subtle toe-tap that is used to alert potential TURD BURGLARS that you are occupying a stall. This will remove all doubt that the stall is occupied. If you hear an ASTAIRE, leave the bathroom immediately so the pooper can poop in peace.
CAMO-COUGH A phony cough which alerts all new entrants into the bathroom that you are in a stall. This can be used to cover-up a WATERMELON or to alert potential TURD BURGLARS. Very effective when used in conjunction with an ASTAIRE.
COURTESY FLUSH The act of flushing the toilet the instant the nose cone of the poop log hits the water and the poop is whisked away to an undisclosed location. This reduces the amount of air time the poop has to stink up the bathroom. This can help you avoid being caught doing the WALK OF SHAME.
CRACK WHORE A crapper that has seen more ass than a Greyhound Bus. Telltale signs of a CRACK WHORE include pubes, piss stains and shit streaks. Avoid a CRACK WHORE at all cost. Try finding out when the janitor cleans each particular bathroom. Don't forget with a good cleaning, a CRACK WHORE can become a SAFE HAVEN.
ESCAPEE A fart that slips out while taking a leak at the urinal or forcing poop in a stall. This is usually accompanied by a sudden wave of panic and embarrassment, similar to the hot flash you receive when passing an unseen police car and speeding. If you release an escapee, do not acknowledge it. Pretend it did not happen. If you are standing next to the farter at the urinal, pretend that you did not hear it. No one likes an escapee; it is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makes both parties feel uneasy.
FLY BY The act of scouting out a bathroom before pooping. Walk in, check for other poopers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave and come back again. Be careful not to become a FREQUENT FLYER. People may become suspicious if they catch you constantly going into the bathroom.
HAVANA OMELET A load of diarrhea that creates a series of loud splashes in the toilet water. Often accompanied by an ESCAPEE. Try using a CAMO-COUGH with an ASTAIRE.
JAILBREAK (Used in conjunction with ESCAPEE) When forcing poop, several farts slip out at a machine-gun pace. This is usually a side effect of diarrhea or a hangover. If this should happen, do not panic; remain in the stall until everyone has left the bathroom so to spare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.
OUT-OF-THE-CLOSET POOPER A colleague who poops at work and is damn proud of it. You will often see an OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER enter the bathroom with a newspaper or magazine under their arm. Always look around the office for the OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER before entering the bathroom.
POOPING FRIENDS NETWORK (PFN) A group of coworkers who band together to ensure emergency pooping goes off without incident. This group can help you to monitor the whereabouts of OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPERS and identify SAFE HAVENS.
SAFE HAVEN A seldom used bathroom somewhere in the building where you can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of the opposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a pooper of your sex entering the bathroom.
TURD BURGLAR A pooper who does not realize that you are in the stall and tries to force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that occur when taking a dump at work. If this occurs, remain in the stall until the TURD BURGLAR leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact.
UNCLE TED A bathroom user who seems to linger around forever. Could spend extended lengths of time in front of the mirror or sitting on the pot. An UNCLE TED makes it difficult to relax while on the crapper, as you should always wait to drop your load when the bathroom is empty. This benefits you as well as the other bathroom attendees.
WALK OF SHAME Walking from the stall, to the sink, to the door after you have just stunk-up the bathroom. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someone walks in and busts you. As with all farts, it is best to pretend that the smell does not exist. Can be avoided with the use of a COURTESY FLUSH.
WATERMELON A turd that creates a loud splash when hitting the toilet water. This is also an embarrassing incident. If you feel a WAERMELON coming on, create a diversion. See CAMO-COUGH.
I want to see a full sized lego drummer though.
Why stop there? Let's make a Lego Spinal Tap. We could have three guitarists, no, make that bassists playing "Big Bottom."
The exploding drummer would then be trivial: just dump a pile of Legos on the floor. Setting them on fire would be optional.
Ad luna, Alicia! Ad luna!
Player pianos were made back in Victorian times, and a piano is a "stringed instrument", isn't it? This (very cool) "player ukelele" uses modern computer code, where the pianos used a punch card-like system more akin to older computers. A player piano still had to have a human operator to work foot pedals etc. to give the tune depth and "personality", but in principle this could have been automated too, once the sequence was worked out.
I *do* wish they'd posted sound samples...
Freedom: "I won't!"
Sounds cool guys, how about posting some sound files?
You just have to love stoner geeks.
In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
I saw Nightline on ABC last night and they did the show on Grand Theft Auto III and its effects on society. It was rather interesting, they had a police officer on there describing how he felt while they showed the main character of the game beating on a cop with a baseball bat and shooting the ones that arrived soon after.
It frightens me that we allow these sort of games to be played by our youth, one of the things that the show focused on. With all of the hate and violence we already have in our society, games like this, Postal, and Doom may be all it takes to trigger a mass murderer. One fellow had a great point: why take the chance when there are already so many great games out there that don't involve going on a killing spree?
I'm not normally one to advocate the government intervening in our lives, but the fact that there were four thirteen year olds on the show playing the game and describing how fun it was to kill the prostitute after her 'sex act' to regain their money frightened me, and makes me think that even though we live in a free society sometimes we need to curb our liberties to guard our safety.
There are a number of really cool robot orchestras and bands and instruments at Ragtime Automated Music
None of them were done in Legos though...O=='=++
With this technology, they're well on their way to being the loudest band in the universe. Now we just need a good interplanetary internet backbone, so they can send the robot commands from orbit (preferably around a different planet).
-- Microsoft is the best becau[INVALID PAGE FAULT IN MODULE Signature.exe AT ADDRESS 0x4353]
... come with a Lego Tiny Tim??
100% Insightful
Wow, now we're one step closer to having giant robotic animals sing *AND* play instruments for us at Chuck E. Cheese!
My dog has fleas.
My dog has fleas.
My dog has fleas.
I've played the ukelele since I was a little kid. I own a Kamaka ukele whose value has appreciated with time; check out these prices.
http://www.ukes.com/kamaka.html
For a second there i thought it read "Lazy Musicians Spawn Robot Urkel"
Great, all we need is an automatic "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"
They don't say which operating system(s) they're using. Could give new meaning to George Formby's When I'm cleaning windows.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
or we could ask them to record one.
© 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This would be a great addition to Legoland . They could make one of those big lego statues of Bob Marley (I would recomend the one of Bob smoking the ganja )! It could play Marley hits on the hour, and have smoke come out of the joint on the half hour.
"Mommy hurry! I want to see Bob get stoned!!!"
There was some stuff they didn't really mention on their site that people might be interested in. They used the Handyboard as their microcontroller system. You can learn more about it here.
http://www.handyboard.com/
This would also mean they are using Interactive C (a stripped down version of C) for their programming.
Now if only someone would "be lazy" and come up with the cure to cancer...
Seriously, though... I wonder how long til someone comes up with mods for any instrument out there... a piano wouldn't be that hard to do, you'd just need 88 fingers for your robot instead of 4...
Does Mikefucks Jarvis, or is it Jarvis who fucks Mike???
Now if Legos Held together A little stronger. Then you can make them play Bigger instruments. Like the Double Bass. I dought the Legos will be strong enough to play Larger instruments. That take higher action. To Bad there is no mind erector sets.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Does Jarvis fucks Mike, or is it Mike who fucks Jarvis???
They should spend more time on literacy skills, and less time playing with Legos. Or is that Lego's?
Ian Anderson, of Jethro Tull flutist fame, credits Eric Clapton with his success. He was just thinking about starting the band, and being the guitarist when he went to see Clapton (Cream maybe, I can't remember) in concert.
He realized he'd never be as good of a guitarist as Clapton, so decided to take up the flute as a gimmick, and it rocketted him to stardom.
Learn that Ukulele well, and you could be the greatest band since Tull. Who, you might remember, one the first Best Rock Band grammy. They have to be a great band.
Was this their project for that J-Term Lego Robotics class they linked to? Looks like a cool class.
;-)
For those of you that don't know - Midd (and many other liberal arts colleges) has a special winter term - the whole month of January taking just one class. Most of the classes offered are designed to be somewhat "fun" classes that allow students to get a taste of a field of study not related to their major.
Generally, you either take a class that has fun activities or one that leaves many daylight hours free during the week for snow-related activities. Ah, gotta love college.
final projects for the class
Of course, this means they actually did this back in January, and "the internet" is just finding out about it now. Maybe they have a full band at this point.
The leggo idea is uh... I just can't find the right word. But the most ambitious auto-musician project ever attempted (to date) has been the mubot
damn, i guess potheads DO have some type of motivation in this world.
How about a banjo-playing rock star?
Who am I to blow against the wind? -- Paul Simon
Kids these days....
Rock super-stardom, here I come!
ummmmm.... can anyone name a rock superstar who plays the ukelele??? Tiny tim???
.....
I think it's worth pointing out that both the guys who did this are students at Middlebury College, where for several years now "Lego Robotics" has been offered as a J-term class.
During the one-month January semester, or "J-term," you take just one class. Some of the classes are frivolous, though physics or foreign language majors tend to have to take things in their fields. Anyway, Lego Robotics has been one of the more sought-after courses. Partly because of the inherent appeal of Lego robots, partly because it has a schedule that allows a lot of days to be devoted to skiing.
Q: What's the definition of perfect pitch?
A: When you throw the accordian in the dumpster and it lands square on the ukulele.
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
Okay, so he's not a robot, but this thing is pretty cool anyway. He plays the guitar using mechanics controlled by his feet (one strumming, one chording) and then plays dobro & banjo to accompany himself. I've seen him around Cambridge, MA on the streets & have been much impressed.
http://www.guitarmachine.com/machine.phtml
Check this out.
Robot saxophonist and trumpeter from Japan.
Today most any piano can be converted to a player piano using similar tech as the lego player. It even uses CD-ROMS for its song data.
I could not find a site but I have also seen full size pianos with sytems like this actually inside the piano and the CD-ROM mounted under the keyboard so that one could accompany a song running from the CD.
"Don't mess with him, he taunts the happy fun ball."
she has done some pretty amazing mechanical things.
l
http://www.dialnsa.edu/iat97/Sculpture/horn.htm
Here's a robot violin, built over 65 years ago! And here's a "robot" mechanical harp, built in the 1920's.
Want to see something more recent? Here's a mechanical MIDI-controlled BANJO and GUITAR, currently being sold by a California company called "Ragtime:".
Sure, it's mildly interesting that they used their lego toys to get the mechanicals right, but people have been plucking string instruments with robots for at least 80 years.
...the one-hole skin flute?
...to live without a remote controlled self-playing ukulele?
Now our lives are complete!
Captured By Robots is this amazing one-man performance with one of the most intricate rigs I've ever seen. He's really impressive to see live, and I recommend checking his tour/shows page especially if you're on the West Coast. At least one regular slashdot poster has taken his /. handle from the guy's act (The Ape With No Name), or I'm assuming that's where it's from. s
I wonder if it is Jarvis who fucks Mike, or is it Mike who fucks Jarvis???