Toy Hacking at Teen Ignite

Line for the Circuit Bending Session	Patrick McCarthy & students
Overbooked class = floor lab	Patrick watches demo

Naperville's 95th Street Public Library hosted its first day-long Teen Ignite technology and arts seminar. Approximately 115 teens participated in over two dozen hour-long hands-on sessions. Roth Mobot's Patrick McCarthy gave a crash course in Circuit Bending and Toy Hacking to an overbooked crowd of 40 students in a conference room on the library's second floor.

"We'll just have to remove all the chairs." Patrick announced at the beginning of the session, "We'll 'hack' the room!"

You can read more about the event in this Chicago Tribune article, and the Trib also posted some video.

EGS7 (Experimental Garage Sale 7)

Annual Circuit Benders Experimental Garage Sale.

Roth Mobot's Minnesota Residency

Roth Mobot was awarded a grant* for a three day teaching residency at South Ridge School in Culver Minnesota. We taught over 120 students grades 7-12 the principles of prototyping experimental electronic circuits, and finally how to build an Optical Theremin, a light-sensitive tone generator.

On the last day of the residency Roth Mobot then performed a short circuit bent improvisation for some of the students in an open-ended circuit bent jam session. Before and after the performance various students from the school were invited to play their newly created Optical Theremins with Roth Mobot and their DIY electronic equipment.

The following day Roth Mobot held a free Introduction to Circuit Bending workshop at the Prøve Gallery in Duluth. Later that evening Roth Mobot performed a concert with Duluth's own Tim Kaiser.

* Funded in part by the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council with money from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008 and by Minnesota Power Foundation.

Roth Mobot at South Ridge School

Roth Mobot has been invited to South Ridge School in Culver Minnesota to teach students 3rd through 12th how to build experimental electronic instruments.

Then on Saturday, April 26th, from 1- 3 Pm they will be conducting a Introduction to Circuit Bending workshop at the Prøve Gallery in Duluth followed by an evening 's performance with Duluths' own Tim Kaiser.

Introduction to Circuit Bending
(BYOT) Bring Your Own Toy
Saturday, April 26th, 2014, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Prøve Gallery
21 N Lake Ave
Duluth, MN 55805 (map)

WFMT Radio at eSymposium!

Sunday, April 6, 2014, 12:00 - 4:00

Pumping Station: One

3519 N. Elston, Chicago, IL 60618 (Google map)

WFMT radio will be recording a documentary about the eSymposium that day!

AND PS:1 has graciously donated two spaces for us to use that day -- their electronics lab, and their new "music lounge." So we will have the ability to not only hack away at our projects as usual, but we will also have a space to set up our equipment and make some noise!

I've been advised that we should bring our own amplification equipment. I can bring a mixer, anyone want to volunteer on the amp?

Please be prompt -- radios and microphones wait for no one.

The Innovation Studio at the MSI

Roth Mobot's Patrick McCarthy was interviewed by WGN's Demetrius Ivory as part of their coverage of the MSI's month-long experiment in "teaching innovation." The MSI's Black Creativity Innovation Studio exhibit promotes science and engineering to museum guests and scheduled school groups. Patrick was one of the lead Facilitator's on the project and helped shape the guests' experience during their in-studio sessions.

David Novak's "Japanoise" National Book Tour

Roth Mobot performing on hacked toys before book reading

Peter Speer Q&A after book reading

Roth Mobot's Patrick McCarthy demonstrating homemade sequenced hacked toy