JayQClone

Wii Links

The more I look around the internet the more I think this project is going to be do-able because there are so many people who have already done things like this, even projects way more advanced than what we're tackling.  Below are links I've found...apparently it's much easier to get a wii to talk to a windows machine because of the Bluetooth protocols.  I'm gonna see if I can get my hands on a copy of Vista or XP and load it onto my Intel machine.  There's also a patch written in MaxMSP that will allow your wiimote to talk to your machine.

http://www.wiili.org/index.php/Main_Page

http://homepage.mac.com/ianrickard/wiimote/wiili_wimote.html

http://createdigitalnoise.com/viewtopic.php?p=3455#3455

http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~aka/max/#aka_wiiremote

Wiimote Mania

This site has a boatload of wiimote hacks, including someone who has used it to trigger samples using Ableton Live, which is the exact kind of thing I'd want to use it for.  It's brilliant.
http://createdigitalmusic.com/tag/physical-computing/

Knight Rider Switch

The old Knight Rider setup with a switch.  I realized that we had to do something with the LED's so I didn't want people getting mad at my piezo and decided to offer this little setup.  There's no snazzy sound like with the piezo so I kept my speakers on.  Enjoy.

Arduino Piezo Sequencer

Toys For Big Kids

Since we're all currently visiting Toyland I figured I'd point you to this story about one of my favorite places.  The Godzilla Beer Dispenser is yet more evidence that Japan is way ahead of us in the field of Monster-Generated Alcohol Dispersal Systems (MGADS to those of us in the industry).  The article goes on to discuss other toys developed for a more "mature" audience.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredphotos35/

IT Conversation Podcasts 2

The second podcast I listened to was an interview with David Lemberg here.  He has his own radio program called Science and Society, so what we're listening to here is basically a radio interview about a scientist that does radio interviews.  Not as interesting as the Wozcast.  I'm personally very interested in particale physics and the work that is going on in Switzerland wth the Large Hadron Collider at CERN which is why I decided to listen to this particular podcast.  All the excess material about which interviews he likes to do, and who are the most interesting subjects seem like wasted questions...the interesting part is the science of science, not the science of the interview.  The LHC at CERN (atom smasher) is a project decades in the making, and the goal is to create a microcosmic reproduction of the bib bang so that theoretical physicists working in the field of string theory can actually test their hypotheses.  This is a huge moment in the history of science because it will get us that much closer to understanding  the origins of the universe and will allow scientists to finally look for physical evidence and proof of largely abstract theories like string theory.

IT Conversation Podcasts

I listened to the Wozcast here.  This one was great for a number of reasons.  First of all it was an uninterrupted manic storytelling session whch is much more captivating than a radio-style interview where the interviewee is measured in his/her responses and employs the overly pretentious radio voice.  Woz takes us through the early days of his experience with electronics and his enthusiasm is contagious.  He talks about his lack of social skills and how this translated into his immersion into electronics and pranks.  I really admire his dedication to a field at such a young age (6th grade).  I often think that my childhood moved in the wrong direction because my heroes were anti-heroes that promoted apathy and ignorance.  For Woz, he had already gained the fundamental skills, limitless curiosity, and motivation necessary to make the breakthroughs that made him famous.