The Awesome Foundation

AF-NYC's Second Award - The Anywhere Organ

Congratulations to Matthew Borgatti and his Anywhere Organ!  AF-NYC loved his idea as much as bagels, coffee and bialys (and more). We kept our second award choice a surprise until last night’s second AF-NYC party at Zeitzeff in the LES, which was packed full of NYC’s most super, Awesome people.

M@ and his AF Award (picture @magnify)

Here’s M@’s original application:

Pipe organs are incredible, awesome instruments. One incredible aspect that contributes to their awesomeness is their ability to play a space. Each space an organ resides in reacts differently, creating different tones, and essentially allowing room for an infinite variety of instruments. Unfortunately nearly every pipe organ in existence is bolted irrevocably into a wall staring longingly at fornications all day. This is why I’m creating the Anywhere Organ.

I’ve designed a system where each note, each pipe of a pipe organ is attached to a central air supply through a hose. The air to each organ pipe is controlled by a solenoid valve articulated through Arduino. I’m writing modules to take MIDI keyboard information and translate it to the valves. Each hose is independent making for an octopus like instrument where each separate pipe can be installed with care and consideration relative to the space. This means the instrument can be installed anywhere; a park, a fire escape, an abandoned warehouse, a secret underwater cave. The pipes can be distributed to take advantage each location’s specific character and personality. It also means that anyone can participate in the project and take a turn. I’d like to get people playing with the Anywhere Organ so they can see the effect space has on music and sound, so they have a public venue to fool around with music, and to have an opportunity to collaborate with other musical artists to create new sounds with it.

Churches are switching over to digital music. This means they’re saving the expense of cleaning, tuning, and clearing dead pigeons out of organ pipes. It’s sad to see such a cool instrument phased out for the sake of cost and convenience but it’s inevitable. This also means that there are entire registers of pipes for sale on Ebay for a song. I’m slowly buying these up. I’m also reaching out to the awesome music and hacking scene in Brooklyn to begin finding collaborators who want to help create new music with the system and help me find amazing venues to install the project in. Here is a picture picture showing my conception of the system installed in a park: http://sinbox.org/whereverorgan.jpg

Thank your for your time. I hope the idea of this project makes you as excited as it makes me.

-M@

M@ talking with AF-NYC’s Lee-Sean Huang, Jesse Chan-Norris and Douglas Repetto (picture @magnify)

Listen to M@’s acceptance speech here and more pictures of last night’s event here.

Providence Chapter Brings Cash (and Chutzpah) to Downtown Drive

The Providence Chapter of the Awesome Foundation for Arts and Sciences has selected Steph Burbridge to receive its January award. Burbridge will use the Awesome Foundation Grant to create a mobile “trivia for cash” game in downtown Providence, an idea that borrows inspiration from a popular television show airing on the Discovery channel.

Burbridge’s plan is a playful marriage of daft fun and viral marketing aimed at showcasing Providence’s curious past, present and future through a rapid-fire trivia game that contestants will play while being driven around the city.  Contestants, who accept a ride in Burbrigde’s “cash cart,” will be subjected to a barrage of Providence-based trivia.  Players will win cash for each question they answer correctly.  Miss three questions, and contestants get kicked to the curb.

Segments, expected to be filmed over a three-day period later this spring, will be taped, edited and turned into a short production that celebrates city resident’s knowledge about their kooky capital city.  Burbridge—and funders at the Awesome Foundation—believe that game and the creation and broad release of the web video will be a great way to bring visibility to parts of the Providence experience not regularly featured in traditional tourism campaigns.

“I’ve always wanted to be a game show host.  And I love my city.  With this idea, I get to combine both into one super fun project,” says Burbridge, who works as a hair stylist at Seiren Salon on Wickenden Street. “One of the best things about the Awesome Foundation is that they fund really unique ideas that traditional programs would never consider. I think this project will be an easy and hilarious way to remind people about all the things that make our city awesome.”

“Steph’s idea is a great continuation of what we started when we launched the Providence Chapter of the Awesome Foundation a few months ago. Steph’s project will bring some much needed levity to the downtown scene and I am sure she’ll give all of us a lot to talk about,” says Melissa Withers, a trustee of the Foundation. “More importantly, if you look at the two projects we have now funded, you can get a good sense of the scope and diversity of ideas we hope to encourage.  I hope this will inspire everyone to get off their asses and apply.”

Awesome NYC Launch Party

Awesome NY have made their first selection! It was tough NY - you completely blew us away with amazing incredibly brilliant ideas.

We are awarding January’s $1000 grant to Ben Dubin-Thaler’s Cell Motion BioBus.

Come celebrate with us at the First AF-NY Award Ceremony on Monday February 8 at 8 pm, at the Apple Bar, 17 Waverly at Greene (no cover, cash bar).  Join us for a beer and meet the NY Micro Trustees.

Join our event on Facebook.

New York Makes First Award: A BIG LASER!

Awesome NY have made their first selection!  It was tough NY - you completely blew us away with amazing incredibly brilliant ideas.

But - this month, for our inaugural grant, we’ve picked a LASER TWEEZER that makes amoebas eat bacteria. 

Awesomeness to the MAX.

No - really, its a laser tractor beam that prods amoebas.  We’ve awarded January’s $1000 grant to Ben Dubin-Thaler’s Cell Motion BioBus.

We’ll be celebrating with Ben at the First AF-NY Award Ceremony on Monday February 8 at 8 pm, at the Apple Bar, Waverly at Greene. Come and join us for a beer, meet the NY Micro Trustees - and we’re working on getting the BioBus there too.  Beyond Awesome.

More on the BioBus:

The BioBus is a mobile science laboratory. Students on board explore the world around them with research-grade microscopes, and make their own discoveries under the guidance of professional scientists.  The BioBus has proven to be an innovative, effective, and attention getting vehicle for science education. Ben has been named “New Yorker of the Week” by New York One and have been recognized in regional, national, and international press for this innovative approach to bridging the “science achievement gap.” A laser tractor beam will be an awe-inspiring addition to the BioBus’ repertoire of excitement generating yet sophisticated tools and experiments.

We’ll let Ben do the talking, here’s his original proposal:

“How many projects are part lightsaber and part Magic School Bus combined into an awesome science adventure? First, I will build a laser tractor beam on board my BioBus. Then, during normal BioBus school visits, students and teachers from underfunded schools in the Bronx and across the country will perform their own experiments by poking, prodding, and perturbing cells using the tractor beam. I will document and publish the construction process in an open-source science education journal, allowing schools and science nerds around the world to build tractor beams of their own.

Every time someone uses the laser tractor beam to hold a bacterium still while they produce a movie of cell division, and then feeds those bacteria to a ravenous amoeba, they will have no other choice but to blurt out, “Awesome!” With extensive experience building laser tractor beams and as founder of the BioBus mobile science lab, I am the only person in the world prepared to do something this awesome.

I started the Cell Motion BioBus two years ago after finishing my Ph.D. at Columbia University. While at Columbia, I built two different laser tractor beam systems (a.k.a. laser tweezers) for my research on cell move, one of which is currently used in the undergraduate physics lab. After graduating with honors and building the BioBus, over 10,000 students at 50 schools across NYC and the country have come aboard our hands-on, high-tech, microscope lab and computer classroom. I’ve been told the introductory video on the BioBus website, http://www.biobus.org, is pretty awesome, so you might be interested in checking that out. Do-it-yourself experiments like building an economical laser tractor beam is possible because of breakthroughs in inexpensive, powerful diode lasers (e.g. skylasers.com).”

Ben will also publish his protocol for building a cheap laser tractor beam via the open-source PASTE project journal.

December Fellow Talk (Boston): "Tools for Improved Social Interacting"

Awesome Foundation for Arts and Sciences and dorkbot-boston Present:

Lauren McCarthy: Tools for Improved Social Interacting

http://lauren-mccarthy.com/socialinteracting/

Talk and Reception 
FREE EVENT 
Fri, Jan 15, 7-9PM 
sprout - 339R Summer St, Somerville

Directions:

Talk at sprout’s offices which are at 339R Summer Street just outside of Davis Square in Somerville, MA. It’s set back from the street, down the driveway to the right of 339 Summer Street; the “R” means “Rear.” 
Map: http://thesprouts.org/contact

Reception to follow at The Spirit Bar (2046 Mass Ave, Cambridge) — Mass Ave and Creighton near Porter Square, just across the street from the Hess station. 
http://thespiritbars.com

Lauren McCarthy will present her latest work of wearable devices at the next dorkbot-boston on January 15, 7PM at the offices of sprout at 339R Summer St, Somerville.

Funded in part by The Awesome Foundation, her Tools for Improved Social Interacting are items of clothing that use sensors and electronics to train the wearer to better adapt to expected social behaviors.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own projects to participate in OpenDork after her talk, a show-and-tell of people doing strange things with electricity - art and technology projects at all stages (sketchbook to polished) and of all levels of complexity are welcomed.

A reception will follow The Spirit Bar (2046 Mass Ave, Cambridge) where guests can try out Lauren’s devices.

Lauren McCarthy’s Tools for Improved Social Interacting are a “Series of wearable devices that use sensors to condition the behavior of the wearer to better adapt to expected social behaviors.”

• The Happiness Hat http://lauren-mccarthy.com/happinesshat/ trains the wearer to smile more. An enclosed bend sensor attaches to the cheek and measures smile size, a servo motor moves a metal spike into the head inversely proportional to the degree of smile. The smile size data is logged on a microSD memory card for download at the end of each use period.

• The Anti-Daydreaming Scarf contains a heat radiation sensor that detects if the wearer is engaged in conversation with another person. While he is, the scarf vibrates periodically to remind the wearer to pay attention and stop daydreaming.

• The Body Contact Training Suit requires the wearer to maintain frequent body contact with another person in order to hear normally. If the wearer stops touching someone for too long, static noise begins to play through headphones sewn into hood. A capacitance sensing circuit measures skin to skin body contact via a metal bracelet sewn into the sleeve.

• Lauren McCarthy is a designer, artist, and programmer, and currently an MFA student in the UCLA Design | Media Arts program. She received a BS in Computer Science ad a BS in Art and Design from MIT. Her work explores the structures and systems of social interactions, identity, and self-representation. She is interested in the slightly uncomfortable moments when patterns are shifted, expectations are broken, and participants become aware of the system. Her work takes any form necessary: video, performance, software, internet art, interactive objects and environments, and media installations.

Lauren was most recently working at Small Design Firm on projects for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has also worked at Continuum and the MIT Media Lab.

• Founded in June 2009, The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences awards $1,000 grants monthly to projects that advance the interest of Awesomeness in our universe. There are no requirements for applying, no definite criteria for deciding the winner, and no limitations beyond the necessity for being awesome. Winners receive the money in cash, check, or gold doubloons, no strings attached. To learn more or apply, get on over to http://awesomefoundation.org

• dorkbot-boston is a monthly meeting of artists (sound/image/movement/whatever), designers, engineers, students, scientists, and other interested parties from the boston area who are involved in the creative use of electricity. dorkbot meetings are free and open to the public. http://dorkbotboston.com

• sprout is a group of learners and teachers working to inspire the practice of everyday experimentalism by running science programs that are embedded in the community—drawing inspiration and resources from the people, places, and things that surround us everyday! http://thesprouts.org

Providence Chapter Makes Music With Inaugural Award

The Providence Chapter of the Awesome Foundation for Arts and Sciences is psyched to announce that Otto D’Ambrosio of D’Ambrosio Guitars has received the chapter’s first award.

D’Ambrosio will take his $1,000 and complete a functional, four-foot replica of the renowned hollow body guitars the Rhode Island-based craftsman builds for musicians across the U.S. This time, the rare wood and antique finish D’Ambrosio uses on his one-of-a-kind instruments will be replaced with durable fiberglass, kid-inspired colors and simple electronics to create a giant, playable guitar for music-hungry kids across Providence.

D’Ambrosio will begin work to complete the guitar in January, with an eye towards debuting an initial installation of the mobile unit in early spring.

D’Ambrosio’s proposal was selected from more than two dozen applicants, many of who have been encouraged to re-apply in the coming months (the Providence chapter of the Awesome Foundation makes one $1,000 award each month).

“I’ve had the framework for the guitar kicking around my shop for more than a year—the mock up was initially used in a magazine shoot,” says D’Ambrosio. “The frame, an oversized replica of a guitar I built for a customer, was too bizarre to throw away after the shoot. I’ve had several ideas for how to put it to use in a way, but it never happened,” says D’Ambrosio.

The Awesome Foundation offered just the “kick in the pants” D’Ambrosio needed to dust off the frame and refine his vision for the giant guitar.

“The discovery of music can be a life-changing experience—an experience that many kids never know,” says D’Ambrosio.  “Performing music helps kids build confidence and patience. I think music is a natural and familiar way to introduce these important skills to kids.  My idea is to bring some fun into what a child thinks musical performance is. I hope that the finished guitar, as it moves around the city, will give kids a chance to fall in love with music and musical performance.”

Construction of the guitar will be durable but simple, made and decorated to inspire creative musical play. The structure will be wood and fiberglass and fitted with a battery to amplify both the guitar sound and a microphone built to encourage kids to speak or sing. D’Ambrosio will incorporate a digital sampling device that will also make repeating rhythms from kids recorded music and vocals.

For D’Ambrosio, this work is a departure from the typical work in the studio, which often demands painstaking attention to small details and nerve racking work with rare—and outrageously expensive—materials. D’Ambrosio, who’s been on his own since 1997, has created guitars played by musicians like Prince, John Mayer and The Edge.  Why would a craftsman who has studied with some of the best in the world—D’Ambrosio was only 13 when he took his first gig at the acclaimed Mandolin Brothers studio in New York City—take time out to build a giant guitar for kids?  Because he believes in the power of awesome.

“My experience making guitars tells me that this idea will work.  But it’s my experience as a father that makes me positive that the kids will really love it.  When my kids perform, I can literally see them growing as people.  Many kids are naturally drawn to music and performing. If we encourage it, even just a little, we can help them develop some pretty important life skills,” says D’Ambrosio.

“I build guitars every day.  I know that I am a lucky bastard. Being able to share a small piece of my work with the community would be, well, awesome.”

Hello, New York!

Happy New Year! The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is thrilled today to kick off 2010 by announcing that we are officially launching a new chapter of the Foundation in New York City.

Additionally, we’re honored and seriously pumped to be welcoming a simply stellar cast of micro-trustees steering this project and forwarding the interest of awesome in the universe, including:

* Catherine White

* Caterina Fake

* Chris Dixon

* Sam Lessin

* Clay Shirky

* Colin Nederkoorn

* Jesse Chan Norris

* Douglas Repetto

* And, AF-NYC’s Dean of Awesome, the Honorable Lee-Sean Huang

Since it’s January 1st, this means that applications are open once again on the main grant submission page. And if you’re in New York City, this means that it’s officially open season to grab a chance to become the city’s very first Fellow! Grants close once again promptly on January 15th, so it’s worth not delaying and submitting your project ideas as soon as you can.

You might notice that we’re short a few of our micro-trustees (the usual board is ten, to create our $1,000 grant). We’re still sorting out the details with the remaining slots, and we’ll be announcing them as they confirm in January! Stay tuned, dear readers.

Boston Fans: A Dean of Awesome Is Needed!

Based in Boston and want to be involved the Awesome Foundation?

Want to participate as a micro-trustee to the Awesome Foundation but don’t have the money?

Want to serve the interest of promoting and protecting Awesomeness in the universe?

Well, now you can! I’m glad to announce today that the Boston Awesome Foundation is seeking a Dean of Awesome to team up with our existing Boston board of 10 micro-trustees.

The Dean will participate with the rest of the trustees in reading/voting/choosing a winner each month (and will undertake the same Oath of Service), but will be completely freed from the usual obligations of being a micro-trustee in contributing $100 a month to our monthly fellowship award.

Instead, the Dean will take on the responsibility of managing and creatively expanding our monthly award event logistics, the chapter’s online presence (blog/twitter/etc), community building with our past fellows, and other scheduling for Awesome Foundation Boston.

If you’re interested in participating as the Dean, please drop a message describing your interest and what awesome things you’re involved in to tim@awesomefoundation.org by January 8th. We’ll be doing interviews then. Let us know if you have any questions!

Boston December Awesome Fellow: Lauren McCarthy

I’m happy to announce that Awesome Foundation Boston has chosen its December Fellow! This month’s grant goes to Lauren McCarthy, who specializes in the development of Tools for Improved Social Interacting.

What does that imply? Lauren writes, she’s working on a series of “various wearable devices that use simple technologies to condition the behavior of the wearer to fit better with expected social behaviors” These include:

A Happiness Hat (built) - which drives a metal spike into the head at a pressure inversely proportional to how much you’re smiling (seeing it in action is out of control - check out the video)

An Anti-Daydreaming Device (to be built) - a scarf that contains a heat radiation sensor that detects if the wearer is engaged in conversation with another person. While the wearer is engaged in conversation, the scarf will vibrate periodically to remind the wearer to pay attention and stop daydreaming.

And A Body Contact Training Suit (to be built) - a suit that requires the wearer to maintain frequent body contact with another person in order to hear the world around her. If the wearer stops touching someone for too long, all the surrounding sound will fade to static.

We’re glad to announce that she’ll be coming from L.A. out to Boston in January to debut her work and run a workshop/interactive event on social interaction technology. Stay tuned for details!

In the meanwhile, Lauren will be documenting and logging her progress online here. There’s also more details on how this stuff will work technically and more sketches available there as well.