Rustic Computing refers to the construction of calculation machines
using pre-industrial or even pre-historic technology.  It reveals a
history of computing as the pastime of dilettantes, amateur scientists
and gentleman tabulators who construct machines to manipulate abstract
symbols with no practical application.  As these machines are generally
less efficient than conventional pencil and paper computation, they
allude to a more epicurean practice of computing for pleasure rather
than production.  Much like "Slow Food", Rustic Computing valorizes the
process as being more "natural", "traditional" and "organic".  During my
stay at moddr_ I will attempt to build several components for a
potential "heirloom computer" as well as to document a history of the
practice.



Brendan Howell (b. 1976, USA) is a media artist and an engineer. He has
created various software works and interactive electronic inventions. He
lives and works in Berlin, Germany and teaches at the Berliner
Technische Kunsthochschule.  He works as a developer for the Fritzing
project at the FH Potsdam, University of Applied Sciences.

More than 40,000 years ago, our Neanderthal predecessors invented the first music instruments from simple objects around them (bones and stones, sticks and skins…), without reference to any existing music history, and primarily for their own pleasure rather than that of others.

Nowadays, we use complex audio hardware and software which make it “easier” to make music, so long as we channel our creativity into such socially acceptable avenues as Western Classical or Minimal Techno. As with any established genre, the results are often completely predictable, and therefore quite boring.

But some of us, deep in our wild hearts, still long for the Stone Age simplicity of pure noise!

This 5 day workshop is designed for 8-10 people, possibly with a background in sound, but with no previous electronics experience. They are shown how to use simple objects from our modern environment (resistors, capacitors, transistors, LEDs, integrated circuit chips…) to design and build their own personal, customized primitive noise synthesizers. Each is a tiny world of its own, using primitive analog computers in combination with feedback, sensors and audio inputs to create a unique sound. Even from the same plan, no two are alike!

Participants are encouraged to use found materials for the construction of their personal instrument. The workshop concludes with a group performance and an invitation to the audience to experiment with each of the instruments which have been created.

the workshop will be hosted by moddr_

workshop times: monday 1st till friday 5th of June, daily from 11.00 till 18-ish
location: WORM, Achterhaven 148 in Rotterdam
participation fee: 50 euros including materials

if you want to participate please send a short motivation/background to
workshop@moddr.net

The goal of the experiment was to intercept the electromagnetic emanations from a standard PS/2 keyboard and decode the scancodes. Surprisingly and scarily we archived clear results and were able to distinguish between “;” (scancode 0×52) and “P” (scancode 0×4D). Check out the documentation page!

xxxxx micro_research - http://www.1010.co.uk/org/xxxxx_micro_research.html

we have a great programme lined up, full details below or via here

::

Al Jazari

Al-Jazari was an influential scholar and engineer who lived at the beginning of the 13th century, this project was inspired by his robot musicians who were designed to play at royal drinking parties.

Now, Al-Jazari is an installation which is livecoded entirely by gamepad, and employs a simple graphical language to allow robots to interact with each other and move over a terrain populated by audio triggers. The running code is displayed and edited in thought bubbles over each robot.

presentation LiveCoding

Slub artists Alex McLean and Dave Griffiths will give a presentation on livecoding, the art of programming in front of an audience. Screens are projected in order to display the entire process to the audience, thus making computer based performances more interesting and inclusive.

The presentation is an introduction to a more elaborate livecoding workshop series and event at WORM, which will take place in June.

WorldWideWave

WorldWideWave is a radio scanning and mixing performance apparatus, a mass feed of all radio stations and scanners that stream tothe internet. Finally, full visual access to all frequencies for denizens of the global north!
Valeria Marraco will go where no performer has gone before to have a close encounter of the proto-military kind and weave her way through the stratosphere of static and sound…

WWW is a project by WORM’s moddr_lab ArtistIn Residence Sofy Yuditskaya.

ROBOTCOWBOY

A futuristic expatriate American Space Ranger combines wearable computing, midi guitar, and live energy to wander the digi-range as a robotcowboy playing for dying astronauts. This is a lofi-guitar-compu-show with algorithmic balls from a DEVOspud, laptop-stomping idiot wearing exposed electronics.

“You are unwittingly controlled by your machines, I feel obligated to return the favor through sonic variations in time and booty shaking. I will protect you from the arcane sonic forces which threaten your very existence.”

In support of the world’s largest center of culture, The Pirate Bay, FAT Lab members (and in this case moddr_lab) will be throwing Academy Awards P2P gatherings in major cities around the world. Pirate Bay is currently on trial for “promoting other people’s infringements of copyright laws,” facing up to two years in prison and over $10M in fines.

On Feb. 22nd, we will load USB thumbdrives and other portable media devices with every single Academy Award nominated movie, which are to be announced this weekend. Awards Party attendees should bring their own thumbdrives & hard disks to freely fileshare every Best Picture nominee, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, et al… sneakernet style.

Let’s show the prosecutors of The Pirate Bay that file sharing is beyond the torrent: media leaked and people is in control. As a courtesy to the prosecution we will share King Kong in diskette too!

other Academy Awards Pirate-2-Pirate Locations:

Berlin:
Monday morning 23rd Feb
P2P breakfast club, bring your sticks!
@ cafe MÖRDER Borsigstr. 1, Berlin

Mexico City:
Febrero 22 - 7 pm.
@Bar Akelarre.
Regina 49. Centro Histórico.
(entre Isabel la católica y 5 de febrero)
Ciudad de México.
*Traigan USB!

Vienna
9pm, Sunday (Feb. 22)
Shambala Bar (Le Méridien)
Opernring 13
Vienna 1010

New York City
(TBA shortly)

more infoo here

“Be sure to take a bath before then so you have a chance of not spending this geekly magical point in time alone. [...] If you do find yourself alone, its just one more (VERY) good reason to hate Valentine’s day.”

The participating artists are: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (MX/CA), Manu Luksch (UK), Kaffe Matthews (UK), Knowbotic Research (DE/AT), Ludic Society (AT), Marnix de Nijs (NL), Erik Olofsen (NL), Ben Rubin & Mark Hansen (US), Alexei Shulgin & Aristarkh Chernyshev (RU), Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau (AT/FR), Mari Velonaki (AU), Eva and Franco Mattes aka 0100101110101101.org (IT), Mogens Jakobsen (DK).

says Dennis:

“… the public display of second hand family pictures. Instead of peeking straight into the living room, the window acts as frame to carry the story of an anonymous family. Bought online, the slides are given a second life as a result of this peculiar digital to analogue transaction.”

oh and gordo is somewhere around here

Find more information, scrying logs and th3ory here

Photo reportage is here and here