Events

Just an update on the lineup for next thursday’s (June 19th) dorkbot.  Hope to see you there!

• DIY Modular Battery Backup system (Uniterruptible Power Supply) for powering computer systems or other electronics or electrical equipment that needs to have a reliable battery backup in the event of a grid power failure – Chase Hammock
• How To End Bike Theft: The Honeybike Project – protect your bike or other vehicle with a high voltage alarm system – Luke Iseman
• Hacking $5 analog gauges -  Jason Pepas
• Tesla coil kits – Edwin Wise
• Balloon Lights Project – A combined work of Gray Mack for electronics and programming and Dave McGriffy for balloon/helium research
• Ambient Electronic Music – John P. Funk
• ArcAttack! will be making an appearance with their singing tesla coils
• Open Dork – bring your unfinished projects for showing off/brainstorming

Hello Dorkbot Austin! We are once again doing strange things with electricity!

Our next dorkbot is scheduled for June 19th, 2008 at Café Mundi @ 7pm

Currently we have 4 presentations, but we need 1 or 2 more to fill the boot. If you have a new project you are working on, we would love to see it and give you the chance to be the center of attention while you explain how it works. We should have a projector for you to use so you can show any video or powerpoint presentations that would go along with your project. If you would like to be a presenter, drop us an email at dorkbotaustin@dorkbot.org If you need help setting up or unloading/loading your stuff please speak up and we will be glad to help you get it done.

The presentations we have listed so far are:

• Luke Iseman’s DIY Bike Alarm Project How To End Bike Theft: The Honeybike Project – protect your bike or other vehicle with a high voltage alarm system that can’t be beat!
• DIY Modular Battery Backup system (Uniterruptible Power Supply) for powering computer systems or other electronics or electrical equipment that needs to have a reliable battery backup in the event of a grid power failure
• Jason Pepas on Hacking $5 analog gauges -  more info on his wiki http://jason.pepas.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
• Edwin Wise’s dual-resonant solid-state tesla coil “minibrute” – According to Edwin “I’m getting two-foot sparks on this thing before I blow the fuse on my variac, so that’s kinda cool.” more info at http://easternvoltageresearch.com/index.htm
• (INSERT YOUR PRESENTATION HERE – YES THIS COULD BE YOU!)

Electric Gongs, Theremin Guitars, Robot Percussion, Thummers, and More!

dorkbot-austin @ Austin Childrens Museum

April 10, 630-9PM (Presentations @ 7:00)

201 Colorado Street

after-dork party @ Jo’s – 242 W. 2nd

FREE event for kids of all ages

Featuring Strange Presentations by:

• Phil MacNutt – Modular Synthesizer
• Blake Sandberg – Theremin Guitar
• John-Mike Reed (http://www.bleeplabs.com) – Bit Blob toys and new Thingamagoop kit
• Seven Sexton – The Planck Stringed Instrument
• Eric Archer / David Nunez (http://delamaquina.com) – Electric Gongs and DIY Multitouch screen podium
• Craig Newswanger – Home Built MIDI controlled Instruments
• Jim Plamondon (http://thumtronics.com) – Thummer

Additional Music by ALIENS!, ArcAttack

There is no regular dorkbot meeting in February, after all.

Instead

Dorkbot-austin is proud to be co-hosting the February Geek Austin Happy Hour

This is also the launch party for the upcoming update of the dorkbotaustin.org website!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

J Black’s Feel Good Lounge
710 W 6th St Ste B

ambient, interactive art and lots of like-minded geeks and dorks
RSVP and more info @ http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/418904

Be sure to visit our friends at geekaustin.org as a central source for all things nerdy in Austin

Dorkbot13 on Feburary 7 – NEW LOCATION.

More details soon…

BREAKING NEWS

Mr. Fang and his Furby Youth Orchestra will be performing at dorkbot12!

Learn more at Artificial Music Machine

NOTE THAT THERE IS A DATE CHANGE

Thursday, November 15, 7PM

Cafe Mundi

1704 E 5th St. (a few blocks east of I-35)

(512) 236-8634

Yummy food and beverages to accompany your dork euphoria.

FREE EVENT

_update: 2007.11.08_
Mr. Fang and his Furby Youth Orchestra will be performing at dorkbot12! Learn more at Artificial Music Machine

### Presenters:
* Ward Christie presents a collection of his and his peers work, including his VRGoggle+Camera+harness that makes you feel like you are viewing your own follow cam in a first-person shooter. (It’s hard to describe in text, but believe me, it is simultaneously the geekiest and most amazing things you’ll ever see).

* Chase Hammock presents his garage-built invention – Space Pod: A Space Pod replaces your desk and chair with an ultra comfortable fully adjustable seating system. All of the key comfort points in the Space Pod are adjustable so the Pod molds to your entire body. The Space Pod even boasts an integrated personal air conditioning system!

* John P. Funk brings new and working robot props from his movie production, an homage to B-movie sci-fi special effects with honest-to-goodness model making. He was a blue ribbon winner at Maker Faire.

* Learn details about the 2008 DorkbotAustin Workshop Series – a chance to get your hands dirty with everything from circuit bending to latex casting to subversive hacking.

* Before dorkbot from 5-7, drop in to the first gathering of the Austin ARDUINO SIG from 5:00-7:00 at cafe mundi. No agenda — just come with your boards, laptops, parts and projects and share what you’ve done. If you’ve never used an arduino, bring a board and we’ll get it to do the “hello world” blinking light and maybe turn a servo. A few loaner boards will be available. (see http://www.arduino.cc for more info about the Arduino)

### Coming up:
* Dec 20: DorkbotAustin Workshop Series 2008 – Deadline for Proposals
* Dorkbot12.5-First Night Dec 31/Jan1

### Tentative Season 2008 Schedule
* Jan 24, 2008 – Dorkbot13
* March (TBD) – Dorkbot14 – SxSW
* May 8, 2008 – Dorkbot15
* June 12, 2008 – Dorkbot16
* July 10, 2008 – Dorkbot17
* Sept 11, 2008 – Dorkbot18
* Nov 13, 2008 – Dorkbot19

Dorkbot12 will be held on November 15, 2007 at Cafe Mundi.

Presenters announced shortly…

dorkbot10: Fires and Motorcycles and Motorcycles on Fire!

Thursday, September 13, 7PM
Cafe Mundi
1704 E 5th St. (a few blocks east of I-35)
(512) 236-8634
Yummy food and beverages to accompany your dork euphoria.
FREE

## Presenters

* Paul Baker, video artist and projectionist for Sub Oslo, debutes his audio/video mix set: Solar Wind A/V System. 
Paul composes and performs video to accompany music.  He is a Sounds Seen VJ competition winner, and has just released his 2nd DVD  (http://www.youtube.com/dronetube)

* Luke Iseman presents Recycle Cycle, an electric motorcycle built out of an old rolling chassis with a cost of under $2000 to build. 

* Edwin Wise is back with bigger and badder versions of his Ruben’s Tubes.  FIRE CONTROLLED BY SOUND WAVES.

* David Nunez brings 2 work-in-progress mini-projects involving microwave ovens and houseflies.  

##Coming up:

### Fantastic Fest – Sept 20

Fantastic Fest, the Alamo Drafthouse’s festival of fantasy, horror and sci-fi films, teams with dorkbot to celebrate Austin’s electric oddities.  We’re programming Fantastic Fest’s opening night party on Thursday, September 20, 10 pm.  Filmmakers, freaks, oddballs, gorehounds, sci-fi nerds, fantasy freaks and cineasts of all flavors convene on Austin from around the country for this badass festival.  dorkbot is proud to inaugurate this year’s fest with a parade of fire, sparks and digital daring. 

In the words of Tim League, the Alamo’s co-owner and Fantastic Fest instigator:

 ”We are also proud to announce that the opening night party will feature an electronic onslaught by Dorkbot Austin. This town is a hotbed for the crossover intersection of creativity and electronics/engineering professionals. What that means for us is a chance to sip cocktails while cheering on the loud, crazed and potentially dangerous robotic shenanigans of Austin’s nerdcore elite. Tesla coil in attendance, no pacemakers allowed.”

NOTE: This special dorkbot event, which will include booze, food and all sorts of goodies, is only available to Fantastic Fest ticket holders or dorkbot presenters (send email to dorkbotaustin@dorkbot.org if you’d like to bring something).  Tickets are still available (http://www.fantasticfest.com/tickets.aspx).

### Austin Children’s Museum Dorkbot Science Sunday Sept 30 

Dorkbot-austin is working with ACM to bring presenters to Science Sunday on Sept 30. 

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING, EMAIL: dorkbotaustin@dorkbot.org

“Discover the facinating world of science with special guests who’ll bring their expertise to visitors on Science Sundays at the Austin Children’s Museum. Don’t forget, the Museum is free from 4pm – 5pm on Sundays so come and enjoy some science!”

## Maker Faire Austin – Oct 20-Oct 21 : www.makerfaire.com

[http://scifair.org/](http://scifair.org)
[http://labrats.org/](http://labrats.org)

via [Don Turnbull](http://www.donturn.com)