What do glitter and glue, needles and thread, batteries and wires have to do with Human Computer Interaction? What can makers and crafters teach technology researchers and designers about the world and technology? How can CHI researchers engage with Do-It-Yourself communities? This session will be a dialogue about the relationships between academia and DIY communities. It will include presentations from the workshop organizers and participants who will demo and discuss their own DIY projects and then use them as springboards for open discussions with the audience. Come to see some interesting projects and to share your own insights and experiences.

When: 7:00pm Tuesday April 7

Where: Bartos Theater, Lower Level, MIT Media Lab (E15), MIT campus

Map: http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=E15&Buildings=go

Free and open to the public.

Leah Buechley is an Assistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab where she directs the High-Low Tech research group. The High-Low Tech group explores the integration of high and low technology from cultural, material, and practical perspectives, with the goal of engaging diverse groups of people in developing their own technologies. Leah is a well-known expert in the field of electronic textiles (e-textiles), and her work in this area includes developing a method for creating cloth printed circuit boards (fabric PCBs) and designing the commercially available LilyPad Arduino toolkit.

Eric Paulos is an Assistant Professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute within the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Previously he was Senior Research Scientist at Intel in Berkeley, California where he founded the Urban Atmospheres research group – challenged to employ innovative methods to explore urban life and the future fabric of emerging technologies across public urban landscapes. His areas of expertise span a deep body of research territory in urban computing, sustainability, green design, environmental awareness, social telepresence, robotics, physical computing, interaction design, persuasive technologies, and intimate media.

Daniela Rosner is a graduate student at the School of Information at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on how the design of social cues in information technology impact our interactions. She investigates how technology can support and strengthen ties between people using the artifacts they create.

Amanda Williams is a PhD student at UC Irvine. Her research interests are in the general area of Human-Computer Interaction, including but not limited to ubiquitous computing in urban environments, tangible user interfaces, computer mediated communication, and how Irvine got to be such a bizarre planned community. “If this whole HCI thing doesn’t work out, I’ll likely spend my time snowboarding and running a pi(e) shop.”

Tue, Mar 31, 7-9PM
Willoughby&Baltic Hackerspace
195 Elm Street, Somerville.
(Davis Square, alley between Joey’s Thai & the Subway sandwich shop)

Dorkbot-boston is a monthly gathering of people doing strange things with electricity. Bring your projects, in whatever state they are in, and bring 10 friends!

This months presenters:

• Todd Vanderlin (www.toddvanderlin.com) is an artist, designer, and technologist at the R&D Lab at Arnold, a Boston based new media agency. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, his research involves exploring touch and flocking interfaces, eye tracking, large-scale projections, computer vision, and sensory design. Todd is also a key contributor to the openFrameworks project (openframeworks.cc), a software toolkit for creative coding and art. His recent work includes software experiments w/ iPhoto, interactive projections, touchable sound installations, and a drawing robot.

• Gilad Lotan (http://www.giladlotan.com) is an artist, designer, and technologist at Microsoft Startup Labs, Cambridge. He is passionate about the intersection between culture, technology, and spatial design, made possible through interactive design. Previous work includes imPulse — a technological interface for augmenting intimate moments between people at a distance by allowing users to share their pulse with one another, stage design for Faust International Theater, Hong Kong, and Kotel — an installation that uses 3d technology and touch sensors embedded within a rock to interact with live images from the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Some of his work from his time at NYU-ITP is featured in Tom Igoe’s “Making Things Talk”

  “My background is in both computer science and design and my professional identity centers around bridging these two worlds. I am a seasoned traveler, anxious to learn about and experience new ideals and cultures. While I dream of a network that connects us all, social and cultural barriers are reproduced online. People tend to stay in their familiar neighborhoods, even when consuming through the safety of their screens. My goal is to create work that takes down these existing walls, and presents its viewers with a new perception for a diversity of cultural perspectives.”

• OpenDork – Everyone is encouraged to bring your own recently completed or projects-in-progress for OpenDork, a lightning round-the-room session of peer-review and general showing-off. Art and technology projects at all stages (sketchbook to polished) and of all levels of complexity are welcomed. This is the perfect chance to say, “Hey, I’m trying to do something interesting… here is what I’ve got so far. Can anyone offer suggestions to move forward?”

Tue, Feb 24, 7-9PM
Willoughby&Baltic Hackerspace
195 Elm Street, Somerville.
(Davis Square, alley between Joey’s Thai & the Subway sandwich shop)

Dorkbot-boston is a monthly gathering of people doing strange things with electricity. Bring your projects, in whatever state they are in, and bring 10 friends!

This months presenters:

• Oleksiy Pikalo (http://opikalo.wordpress.com/) is an independent inventor and artist who created a machine that can print intricate designs on lattes or other foamy beverages. At dorkbot, he will talk about the design process and technical challenges for building this artwork and demonstrate the device on tasty drinks. He’s turned this idea into a business (http://onlatte.com) and he will talk about how that process has been going.

  “Long time ago, I saw a great video about ‘Latte Art’, and figured that I absolutely must build a machine capable of printing the most beautiful art on top of my latte. So I bought a used x-y flatbed plotter (Philips 8155) on eBay and a great book by Matt Gilliland, titled ‘Inkjet Applications’ I put the two together, to get this nice Latte Art Printing Machine.”

• Ryan O’Hara is an engineer and owner of an independent design firm focused on unique consumer electronics (ohararp.com). At Maker Faire, he gave live demonstrations of how to use stencils and hotplate to include SMT (Surface Mount Technology) components in art projects. Since SMT has come up on the mailing list a few times, Ryan has graciously offered to give us tips and techniques that should help clear up how we might approach using SMT in our own pieces.

• OpenDork – Everyone is encouraged to bring your own recently completed or projects-in-progress for OpenDork, a lightning round-the-room session of peer-review and general showing-off. Art and technology projects at all stages (sketchbook to polished) and of all levels of complexity are welcomed. This is the perfect chance to say, “Hey, I’m trying to do something interesting… here is what I’ve got so far. Can anyone offer suggestions to move forward?”

Also mark your calendars:

• [03/07] Deadline: Dorkbot-Seattle Strange Things – http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotsea/events/pdstwe4/callforartists.shtml
• [03/31 7PM] Dorkbot-Boston 200903

Dorkbot mailing list for art/technology event announcements and discussion:

http://groups.google.com/group/DorkbotBoston

• Jan 15 – 7PM: Arduino Users Group Meeting @ Willoughby&Baltic Hackerspace, 197a Elm Street, Somerville
• Jan 16 – 730AM: The State of the Robotics Industry in New England @ Charles Hotel, Regatta Bar, 1 Bennett St, Cambridge
• Jan 19 – 1-4PM: Celebrate Luminous Windows (light and holography art) (free w/ museum admission) @ MIT Museum(K)
• Jan 19 – 7PM: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (http://www.coolidge.org/node/2163) ($)
• Jan 20 – 1230PM: Talk: Peter Semmelhack of Bug Labs @ Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, 2nd floor (R)
• Jan 20 – 6PM: Cyberarts Festival Volunteer Party Party! @ 9 Myrtle Street, Jamaica Plain (RSVP: info@bostoncyberarts.org)
• Jan 21 – 7PM: Nano Robotics Applications in Modern Medicine @ CRMI ($/)
• Jan 22 – 7PM: Noise Night – Circuit Bending @ Willoughby&Baltic Hackerspace, 197a Elm Street, Somerville
• Jan 23-25: Vericon Scifi, Gaming, Anime con (http://www.vericon.org) ($R)
• Jan 27 – 7PM: Dorkbot-Boston 200901 (location tbd)
• Feb 8 – 9AM-2PM: NewBCamp (http://www.newbcamp.com/)
• Feb 12 – 5PM: Ignite Boston 5 @ The Hooley House, 25 Union St., Boston (R)
• Feb 12 – 7PM: Noise Night – Circuit Bending @ Willoughby&Baltic Hackerspace, 197a Elm Street, Somerville
• Feb 16 – Feb 21: National Engineering Week: Robotics (K) @ MIT Museum
• Feb 24 – 7PM: Dorkbot-Boston 200902 (location tbd)
• Feb 25 – 630P: Democamp Boston (http://www.eventbrite.com/event/238695946)
• Feb 26 – 7PM: Noise Night – Circuit Bending @ Willoughby&Baltic Hackerspace, 197a Elm Street, Somerville
• Feb 28 – 7PM: Boston Robotics February Meetup @ Willoughby&Baltic Hackerspace, 197a Elm Street, Somerville
• Mar 31 – 7PM: Dorkbot-Boston 200903 (location tbd)
• Apr 4-9: CHI 2009 (www.chi2009.org)
• Apr 24-26: Megapolis Audio Art & Documentary Festival (megapolisfestival.org)
• Apr 24- May 10: Boston Cyberarts (bostoncyberarts.org)

(/) – Links to more info below (R) – RSVP required ($) – Not Free (K) – Especially great for kids

Calls For Art / Deadlines (local unless otherwise specified)

• ASAP: Boston Cyberarts Festival: email to info@bostoncyberarts.org: bostoncyberarts.org
• Feb 6: share.tv – performance-based artists working in experimental media (sound, video art, net.art, new musical interfaces, etc.): http://share-tv.us/
• Feb 11: Megapolis Festival (Audio focus) Performances, presentations, and workshop submissions: megapolisfestival.org/blogalogadingdong/?page_id=3
• Feb 18: SIGGRAPH (New Orleans)- BioLogic Art, Emerging Tech: http://www.siggraph.org/s2009/galleries_experiences/index.php
• Mar 13: Tufts gallery: http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/homepage/x512387111/Tufts-gallery-seeking-artists-for-juried-summer-show

Classes and Workshops (most are not free)

• Willoughby & Baltic Classes (ex. ArtBot, Arduino for Artists, Urban Games): http://www.willoughbybaltic.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=46&Itemid=120
• MIT Independent Activities Period (Jan 5-Jan 30): http://web.mit.edu/iap/

Links & details

• Dorkbot-boston: www.dorkbotboston.com
• Nano Robotics Applications in Modern Medicine- Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation (http://crmi.org) @ 154 Moody Street, Waltham, MA 02453 – Admission: $10.00 7:30 PM – What used to be medical science fiction is now reality! Join us for an engaging discussion by Dr. Dinos Mavroidis, Director of the Biomedical Mechatronics Laboratory at Northeastern University. Professor Mavroidis will explain how science is fusing nano technology with biological tissue to aid in diagnosing and curing diseases. His international team of experts are using tiny robots smaller than atoms to conduct MRIs, repair bad blood cells, and deliver drugs from inside the body.