[Robotgroup] de la máquina's Electric Gong exhibit at Austin Children's Museum Saturday

[David Nunez]

Hi all,

I'm sending this to a small group of friends and people I think would  
care.  We're preparing press releases and various other facades for  
next week, and I hope you don't mind if I include you on those as well.

You may already know that I've quietly started a design and  
technology company, de la máquina (http://www.delamaquina.com --  
check again on Monday; the site will be relaunched!).   As the first  
major project of the year, I've been working feverishly with Eric  
Archer to help bring his Electric Gong concept to the Austin  
Children's Museum as part of their new Play it By Ear exhibit.

I just wanted to invite you to the Play It By Ear opening all day  
Saturday.   Eric and I will be there for at least the morning to  
answer questions about the gongs.

If you come by, give me a call on my cell phone (512.796.9545) and  
I'll see if I can't sneak you in.

I PROMISE you these gongs will be the weirdest instruments you've  
heard all week.  We're also including a multi-touchscreen podium (so  
several people can collaborate on sounds and music together at the  
same time).  It uses a very similar technology to what Microsoft is  
using in their touch table product; although, this one, we built  
ourselves, and there really aren't too many places I know of that you  
can actually play with this kind of thing in person.

We've wrangled several amazingly talented people to work on various  
pieces of the exhibit including Rick Abbott, who made beautiful  
custom heatsinks for our driver coils and Justin Telepak, who  
patiently leant us his time, tools, and expertise for many of the  
wooden elements.

(seriously.  I do not exaggerate when I say the heatsinks are drop- 
dead gorgeous!)

So I was at the Austin Children's Museum until 5:15AM this morning  
working on the gongs (well, actually the touchscreen.  as in "The  
bane of my current existence" touchscreen).  I'll be going back there  
in a little while to continue hacking on the software.

I think when you are a tinkerer and you are trying to get a project  
done, It's important to remember Pareto's Principle (i.e. the "80/20  
rule"):  in this case, 80% of the work happens in the last 20hrs.   
And we're officially in the last 20 hours.

Wish us luck,
David
512.796.9545