THINGM NEWSLETTER, OCTOBER 25, 2010

CONTENTS
– New Multitrack Sequencer!
– Solarbotics’ BlinkM video
– Crashspace on the Hackerspace Challenge
– Awesome projects on our blog
– Videos/slides of Mike’s recent appearances
– Upcoming Appearances

NEW MULTITRACK SEQUENCER
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We’ve updated Sequencer with a BUNCH of new features. First of all, it’s now multitrack on all platforms, which means that you can program or control 8 BlinkMs (or MinMs or MaxMs) simultaneously using an Arduino.
Moreover, you can now more of the great low-level features of all BlinkMs are available without any programming:
* Gradients!
* Copy and paste! We’ve finally addressed what’s probably the most asked for Sequencer feature. You can now copy and paste parts of sequences.
* Built-In scripts! More than a dozen built-in scripts may already do what you want your BlinkM to do: flash like a thunderstorm, flicker like a candle, blink like a stop light, etc. The new Sequencer lets you select these with a straightforward dropdown menu.
* Change BlinkM addresses. You can easily give every BlinkM its own address to control and program each one independently while they’re all plugged in to the same data lines.

Check out the blog post for the whole story:
blog.thingm.com/2010/10/new-blinkmsequencer-features/

SOLARBOTICS’ BLINKM VIDEO
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We’re a bit late on the uptake, but we’ve been meaning to share this great video about BlinkMs that Solarbotics (solarbotics.com), one of our distributors, put together last year. It goes through basic BlinkM functions and features a funky electronic soundtrack, to boot.

www.youtube.com/watch

CRASHSPACE ON THE HACKERSPACE CHALLENGE
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The Los Angeles-based hacker space that Tod co-founded, Crash Space, has been participating in a nationwide hackerspace challenge. Check out the latest videos on the what Crash Space did and how their progress is going. Check out the plentiful use of BlinkM MaxMs in their project, and the great lighting effect they get with them.

Crash Space Episode 1: www.vimby.com/video/sponsor/us/all/detail/10926

Crash Space Episode 2:
www.vimby.com/video/sponsor/us/all/detail/10928

AWESOME PROJECTS ON OUR BLOG
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Over the next several months we’ll be featuring a series of BlinkM projects that various folks have told us about. This month we’re showing Josh Villebrandt’s Ardupilot RC airplane drone with a BlinkM beacon. Josh needed to get a small status light so that he could see the status of the drone from the ground. The BlinkM MinM was the perfect solution, since it’s small, light, uses very little bandwidth or processing power (thus freeing the Arduino to control the drone), easy to program, but still full color and very bright.

blog.thingm.com/2010/10/blinkm-project-feature-ardupilot/

VIDEOS/SLIDES OF MIKE’S RECENT APPEARANCES
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Mike has been on the speaking circuit in support of “Smart Things,” his new book. He’s posted videos and slides of several talks on his blog.

From August’s Device Design Day, here is his talk on information as a material:
orangecone.com/archives/2010/08/information_is_.html

And from September’s Mobilize conference, here is Mike on service avatars:
orangecone.com/archives/2010/09/service_avatars.html

UPCOMING APPEARANCES
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November 10: Mike will be speaking at Symbian’s annual developer conference in Amsterdam, SEE.

www.see2010.org

Posted in October 2010