So, following up on the previous idea I had, recruiting Phylum Sinter, Praveen, and I (er, as Quantazelle) to do a rotating remix using the online Monome / Tenori-On / APC-40 / Launchpad (ie matrix / grid-based sequencing, etc) flash clone, Nudge, I invited m50 to play with me. Nudge is a very simple sequencer with preset synths (harp, organ, fx, drum kit), and–as m50 discovered–the ability to create multiple patterns, meaning you’re not restricted to one 16 bar loop–one could actually make a song out of this lil flash app.
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I designed a new t-shirt featuring a collage of a bunch of stuff I’m into. Check it out:
Quantazelle T-Shirt 2010 (Men + Women’s).

Check out these notebooks and address books in the form of a SIM Card, the SIMBook Notebook & SIMBook Address Book. Thankfully, they are useful in that they are not to scale–they are both 3.25″ x 5.5″. $6.00 at Fractalspin.

Circuit Bent Saturdays, The eSymposium
EVERY Saturday, 12:00 noon – 3:00 PM
Lizard’s Liquid Lounge, 3058 W Irving Park Rd, (773) 463-7599

To nurture the Midwest experimental electronics community, we host a free weekly “eSymposium,” a lateral lecture series where participants are both teachers and students. There’s soldering, tinkering, Q&A, show-&-tell, bending circuits, hacking toys, and Chicago’s only weekly Circuit Bent Open Mic. Stop by, join the eSymposium’s Google Group, or check out what we’ve been up to at youtube.com/eSymposiumChicago and soundcloud.com/eSymposiumChicago.

Here’s an article I wrote for the Fractalspin blog that’s a “DOs and DON’Ts” for men’s geek fashion:

“Geek Chic Men’s Fashion Fails and Wins” [via Fractalspin's blog]

Among the fails: LED belt buckles that visually scream GEEK; god-awful so-called “utilikilts;” NES Controller belt buckles; LED / electroluminescent t-shirts that either interact with sound or announce the presence of a WiFi signal by blinking / lighting up; bad haircuts; doing it wrong

Among the wins: G-Star’s men’s line featuring a futuristic Poindexter nod with their signature crazy-stich detailing; “nerd glasses;” intentionally-tousled hair and deliberately disheveled, dressed-down suit ensembles on Doctor Who’s Tenth Doctor (David Tennant); microcontroller cufflinks; J.Lindeberg; cool ties; Converse All-Star

So what do you think? Did I nail the WINs wholeheartedly or come down too hard on the geeks who are trying their darndest to be proud of who they are?

Here are some cool things that would be nice to have!

Korg KP3
A great tool for live performance, the KP3 allows you to control multiple effects parameters and manipulate samples in real time. On stage or in the studio, these gestures and moves can become powerful and expressive performance elements. More than a processor, the KP3 is a complete instrument allowing you to manage, recall, and play back samples; sample on the fly; and add dynamic processing to any audio signal or to the samples themselves. The KP3 comes equipped with 128 great-sounding effect programs Sure, the traditional essential effects are there – delays, flangers, etc., and they sound amazing. But using newly developed algorithms, the KP3 also provides fresh, exciting effects such as a grain shifter, decimator, a vintage analog style filter with a tone-bending drive circuit, and expanded EQs that are controlled directly from the pad. And moving beyond effects, there are also drum grooves and even RADIAS-inspired vocoder and synthesizer sounds that can be played free-form on the X/Y pad. WANT!

Pedobear Plush
Ah, the sweet dreams to be had to cuddle up the infamous child-chasing Pedobear.

Uh, or, um–not. The cuddly inviting Pedobear actually has more nefarious deeds in mind, so watch out, young’ns!

Although the lulz would be had, it’s definitely not a good gift for kids under 16.

M Audio X Session Pro Mixer DJ Controller
I had the earlier version of this to control Traktor. It was lightweight and did its job, so the new version would be good to have for more laptop-based performances where there aren’t vinyl turntables. The M Audio X-Session Pro USB MIDI controller is the easiest way to bring traditional DJ mixer-style control to the world of computer DJing and live performance.With a single USB connection, you get dedicated tactile controls for volume, pitch, EQ, cueing, transport and a crossfader. As a class-compliant USB MIDI controller, you can use it to control applications like Ableton Live, Traktor DJ Studio or any software that supports MIDI Learn, enabling you to bring DJ-inspired crossfades and filter sweeps into your live performances as well as studio productions.

Techno Fashion
The first roadmap into the relatively uncharted frontier of fashion and technology. And like any new world, this is one fraught with excitement, expectations and unknown potential. Comprehensive in scope and vision.’ Surface ‘Cerebral fashion gets the scholarly treatment by a writer intent on deconstructing the work of such artists and designers as Issey Miyake, Hussein Chalayan, Mandarina Duck, and Lucy Orta. Quinns book focuses on fashion as a multidisciplinary artform that encompasses architecture, interior design, and even camping equipment. Armed with thorough research and surprisingly personal interviews, Quinn makes fashion look smarter than the clothes could ever make the man.’ Black Book ‘Quinn’s book insightfully excavates the terrain of contemporary fashion and technology. From digital-display dresses to remote control couture, computerized clothing and i-Wear (intelligent wear), Quinn investigates the fusion of fashion with communication technology, electronic text.

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
I’ve read and worked from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and loved his recipes and instruction, so his vegetarian version should be awesome. Author of a dozen bestselling cookbooks and beloved columnist for The New York Times (“The Minimalist”), Chef Mark Bittman bookends his award-winning modern classic, How to Cook Everything, with How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian the ultimate one-stop resource for meatless meals. Refreshingly straightforward and filled with illustrated recipes, this is a book that puts vegetarian cuisine within the reach of every home cook. You’ll want to spend countless days in the kitchen with Bittman’s latest culinary treasure.

1,000 Graphic Elements: Details for Distinctive Designs
Great inspiration! Often, the small, delightful details make a piece shine, similar to the way unique buttons on a white shirt can give it an entirely new look. This book explores 1,000 of these embellishments available to graphic designers across all kinds of projects, from books to brochures, invitations to menus, CDs to annual reports. Exacting photography, which is accompanied by credits outlining the vendors and materials used, focuses on these details. This book invites designers to literally shop for ideas. Content is organized by type; if you?re in the market for an unusual binding, turn to the bindings section to see a wide collection of fresh ideas. Other topics covered include fasteners, graphics, unique materials, embossing, debossing, specialty inks, type treatments, interesting color usage, add-ons, die cuts, and much more.

Bendable LED Branches
I want a ton of these in different heights to decorate with! Too cool. The 36″ lighted branch has 5 LED lights and is the middle branch in the image above. These are LED lighted bendable branches. The branches work off a battery pack which is sold separately. The battery pack will power up to 3 of the branches at one time on 3 AA batteries. It has an on off button and a button if you want them to blink. The branches are beautifully crafted with hand-wrapped stems that are bendable into any shape you need. Use to light your wedding cake, ice sculptures, create unique centerpieces.

Oh and there’s lots more cool stuff! Here’s my Amazon Wishlist