The Library/Hackerspace Mashup

NPR has an interesting piece about a new wave in Hackerspace funding and facilities: Public libraries are partnering with hacker- and makerspaces in a win-win relationship.  The libraries, struggling with trying to stay relevant in the new digital distribution model for books and media, get the foot traffic they need while the hackerspaces get funding opportunities, proper facilities (not a small task), and an outlet for exposure to new members.  So far, only a few libraries/makerspaces have partnerships, but those participating are satisfied with the arrangement.

Sequence Animoog on your iPad from your PC with Fruity Loops over WIFI

animoog screenshot

Just playing around with the iPad app Animoog, which I believe is still available for $0.99 at the iTunes app store. This is a huge bargain on a really really cool app.  I won’t get into the specifics of the app, but if you want to know more about what Animoog is or how to use it, I recommend this YouTube video.

So, while playing around with the Animoog app, if you go into the setup menu there is a selection under ‘Refresh MIDI input(s)’ where  you can select ‘Off’ or ‘Network Session 1′.  This intrigued me!  Apparently you can use MIDI over the ‘Network’.  After some Googling I was still unclear on how to get this setup, so I thought I’d just tell everyone how I did it so you can get to making some cool tunes yourself.

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Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement

In the book Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement

author John Baichtal explains what hackerspaces are and he talks about how they work and who runs them. The book also features 24 hackerspace projects from hackerspaces all around the world.

Harford Hackerspace is featured in Chapter 15: DIY CNC ROUTER.

You can purchase the book from Amazon.com