middledigit.net | jonathan hopkins

Uh oh. So awesome, I just reached for my credit card of the future. Waiting for iPhones to be used as turntables at some point this Summer and loads more impossibly cool stuff like this. Bring. It. On.

Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.

UPDATE - Just looked more closely and it looks like Mac OS X in action, using touchscreens with the software action running on the side.

[Via here, source of much goodness]

Technology moves super quick and over the past few decades we’ve come on leaps and bounds and pretty much take it for granted that we can broadcast live from our mobile phones. Every so often it’s nice to be reminded of that and I had one of those moments this morning.

Here is a link to what’s thought to be the oldest known recordings of computer generated music - in this case “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “In the Mood” - released ahead of the 60th anniversary of ‘Baby” - the forerunner of all modern computers. (Shame on you BBC for not allowing me to embed the player!) And here is a link to a great video explaining more about more the Manchester-based magical computer behind the music.

And, carrying on with the anniversary theme, here’s a guy retracing the very room in which the internet was born at UCLA (more details here on the forthcoming 40th anniversary of the birth of the internet).

Finding ARPANET: The First (Physical) Site of the Internet from Brad Fidler on Vimeo.

And to finish thing’s off - blending music and computers and the web - here’s a cracking rendition of Radiohead’s Nude, with the following band members (!):

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm & lead)
Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums
HP Scanjet 3c - Bass Guitar
Hard Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX

Big Ideas (don’t get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

Up watching Current (193 on Sky) - the best channel to watch whilst on the web I reckon. There’s a pod about the Techtonik phenomenon on and can’t decide if it’s silly or very cool. Thoughts?

Oh and I hit Mahalo for pretty much the first time looking for some vids. Pretty good results.

PS - one comment on the video above from someone with great spelling and command of the language made me smile:

you move liek a gay and they like it 0.o i am gonna earn my money liek antoher way gays

Nice.

There’s something a bit odd about this (just check out the video, me thinks they look a bit silly) - but, I just can’t resist even more music and DS action. This time Guitar Hero makes it’s debut on the DS using a nifty little plug-in-device-type-key-thingy. Looks a bit clunky if you ask me, but then again, I guess it means you can rock out anywhere. I think I’d be too conscious of looking like a bit of a tit with that thing plugged in. With something like Electroplankton or the Korg DS 10 (covered before) at least you can go a bit covert. Hmmmm, see how it goes - it’s out later this year. Video below of it in action.

Because then I wouldn’t have to get really frustrated at seeing stuff like this and not being able to get my grubby mitts on it - the Korg DS 10 synthesizer for the DS. There’s blatently going to be so many more things like this out over the next year. And I CANT WAIT.

With the iPhone/iPod Touch SDK out and Nintendo showing all the right signs - mobile music is getting even more exciting all the time. New Macbook Pro for me next week - means I can crack open my copy of Logic Studio and get Live and Reason up and running again. I haven’t done any tunes for a couple of years and now the potential to do so is just round the corner . . . I’m really rather excited about the whole prospect.

Via Wired (one of the only magazines I still absolutely have to go and buy in print, which actually gives me an idea - say you were reading Wired whilst clutching a mobile device, then let’s say that the cover had an RFID device in it and your phone could read it, wouldn’t it be cool if your web device served up supporting multimedia content whilst you were reading the mag? Hmmm, back to thinking about making music again.)

After being blown away by their first ‘T shirt video’ for D.A.N.C.E. (and then going on to buy the album), just stumbled on this mother of an 80’s logo fest from Justice via Charlie Gower. More here and also here - if you want to check out the guy behind it (yes he’s called So Me!). Like, a lot.

DVNO

D.A.N.C.E.

Just been sent this - a trio of geeks using a couple of iPhones and a Nintendo DS to make some tunes. With nice interfaces comes nice software. Can’t wait to see what’s in the pipeline and the implications for making music on the move. Below that is a another video of the ‘iAno’ in action that surfaced a few days ago. After Electroplankton, the continued success of Guitar Hero and Rock Band and stuff like the Tenori-On and lots of other stuff in development, the future looks very exciting indeed.

This has always been an absolute favourite of mine. I just remembered it YET again whilst thinking of some ideas for something exciting. Ben Dawkins is your man.

There is one Tenori-On left at BM Soho. Call 0207 439 2403 and ask for Hilit if you want it. £60 deposit, £539.99 on collection. I’d emailed in to enquire about availability and Hilit kindly reserved me one. But I don’t have £600 to splurge right now on amazing looking music gadgetry. Go on. You know you want it!

Check out the official site here if you’re thinking WTF (or watch th video below).

Nice story about the history behind the CD, shared with me by Jess. Always nice to have little human touches behind big “technological” things.