Ok, my first attempt at Live-blogging. Here’s dorkbot:
7:00 – The groups founder introduces himself, and asks the group to introduce themselves as well, which is somewhat pulse-raising for me, since I’m fairly introverted.
7:05-15 – General intro to dorkbot, including website stats, listing of various tech/art shows.
7:15-53 – Auralizing DNA, R. Mark Adams, PhD – A very well-spoken presenter explains auralization (like audio visualization) of DNA. He talked about how he was inspired by “The Preservation Machine,” in which the main character puts sheet music into a machine, and animals come out. He walked through a basic chem 101 of DNA. He told us about how, in ascii, human DNA is about the same size as a dvd-rom.
He maps dna bases (atgc) to rhythm, amino acids (of which there are 20) to Melody, and the secondary structures (shapes, solubility, etc.) to the harmony.
It’s really interesting to hear dna mapped to music.
7:53-8:14 – John Singer, from the Joss Research Institute, demonstrates DIY Pulsed UV lasers. Most of the explanation of it is way over my head, so head to his website if you’re interested in it.
8:14-8:22 – A little break while the next presentation is set up.
8:22-8:47 – A demonstration on DIY LED’s useful for room lighting. Unfortunately the presenter shined it in my (and everybody else’s) eyes, so it’s kind of difficult to type right now with spots in front of me.
The presenter built the led for about $55 (pretty good for a DIY). He showed how led lighting would be less expensive over a very long time, but we’re better off waiting until led’s are more efficient.
8:48-8:56 – Roberto Bocci presents a movie about an art exhibit that interacts with participants.
Unfortunately my battery is about to die, so I’ll talk to you later.
