ThingM September Newsletter!

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blink(1) POST KICKSTARTER UPDATE We have been hard at work turning the blink(1) into a reality!  The main focus for September was programming and manufacturing blink(1) chips - as well as developing the blink(1) packaging.More about blink(1): http://shop.thingm.com/blink1/ Questions: blink1@thingm.com UX BRIGHTON 21012 This November Mike Kunivsky, ThingM’s Co-Founder, will be speaking at UX Brighton 2012! This years theme is “Past and Present Interactions”.  A mix of practical and theoretical, commercial and academic – the idea behind this year’s theme is that knowledge of the past informs us to create better products for the future.THINGM BLOG We have posted a awesome new Seedkit project on the ThingM blog!  Let the Georgia Tech students introduce you to the world of digital puppetry, where they use BlinkMs to create the puppets personae.

ThingM Seedkit: Digital Puppetry

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The spring 2011 LCC 4730 course was a unique experience for the Georgia Tech students who participated that semester.  Professor Alexandra Mazalek and her students delved into the world of digital puppetry - the class project consisting of teams building a cat, gangster, security guard, small boy, and old lady puppets using various electronic devices.  The final performance was a museum robbery masterminded by the old lady.

The cat and gangster teams used ThingM BlinkM's to exaggerate the puppets personae.  The cat's eyes convey anger by changing color while the gangster puffs as cigar the audience can see. BlinkM's were a great choice for both projects since the LED's were very bright, allowing audience members easily see the puppets features.  The BlinkM Sequencer software allows the LED's to fade in and out as well as change color.  This is crucial to the puppets, which use color and lights to display emotion to come alive!

Mike Speaking at UX Brighton 2012!

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This November Mike Kunivsky, ThingM's Co-Founder, will be speaking at UX Brighton 2012!

This years theme is "Past and Present Interactions".  A mix of practical and theoretical, commercial and academic – the idea behind this year’s theme is that knowledge of the past informs us to create better products for the future.

More info: http://2012.uxbrighton.org.uk/

ThingM August Newsletter!

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blink(1) KICKSTARTER CONCLUSION As of last week our blink(1) Kickstarter campaign came to a close. We are both amazed and excited to announce that our campaign surpassed it's original goal by 400%! With over 2,500 backs and $132,000 in funds to launch blink(1) we're busy with the next stage of the project. A huge thank you to everyone for the support!

More about blink(1): http://shop.thingm.com/blink1/ Questions: blink1@thingm.com

2012 SEEDKIT LAUNCH For the last few years we've been offering students and institutions an opportunity to experiment and play with ThingM products through our Seedkit program. This year we've changed it up a bit, in exchange for a greatly reduced price, all we ask is participants commit to documenting and sharing their process with us. We'll hopefully inspire our ThingM community by sharing the best ideas on our blog and in our newsletters. This year we have two options, a whole schmogasborg of ThingM goodies called the Grab Bag, as well as a Wearables Kit specifically geared for soft goods.

All Seedkits are intended for educational, non-commercial purposes, you must have a .edu email address to request a Seedkit.

Grab Bag: http://store.thingm.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=11&zenid=t7024k8qvadlgb7hlhobnjcan3 Wearables: http://store.thingm.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=12

2012 Seedkit Launch!

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For the last few years we've been offering students and institutions an opportunity to experiment and play with ThingM products through our Seedkit program. This year we've changed it up a bit, in exchange for a greatly reduced price, all we ask is participants commit to documenting and sharing their process with us. We'll hopefully inspire our ThingM community by sharing the best ideas on our blog and in our newsletters. This year we have two options, a whole schmogasborg of ThingM goodies called the Grab Bag, as well as a Wearables Kit specifically geared for soft goods.

All Seedkits are intended for educational, non-commercial purposes, you must have a .edu email address to request a Seedkit.

Grab Bag: http://store.thingm.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=11&zenid=t7024k8qvadlgb7hlhobnjcan3 Wearables: http://store.thingm.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=12

ThingM June Newsletter!

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blink(1), THE USB RGB LED ThingM has just launched a Kickstarter for “blink(1)”. A USB RGB LED that builds on our BlinkM Smart LED. It’s a super status light that packs three dimensions of information (color, brightness and pattern) into a single tiny package that fits into any USB port on nearly every device.

It makes it incredibly easy to connect any data source in the cloud or on your computer to a full-color RGB LED so you can know what’s happening without checking any windows, going to any websites, or typing any commands.

For more information visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thingm/blink1-the-usb-rgb-led Questions: blink1@thingm.com

blink(1) UPDATES With 19 more days to go - we have nearly tripled our kickstarter goal and have attracted over 1800 backers! Below are project updates with all of the latest news:

New blink(1) Features. Two additional features are the "night light" and "server down" modes. The "night light" mode gives your blink(1) something to do when plugged into a non-computer USB jack like a USB charger or Mintyboost. You'll be able to load the blink(1) up with a light pattern to play when it's plugged into one of these devices. The "server down" mode is similar but would trigger the saved light pattern if the blink(1) doesn't receive periodic commands from the computer. Great for sysadmins but also useful for creating impromptu light shows on your friend's laptop!

Is blink(1) Open Source? Yes - but we're still cooking it! Some have asked is they could get advance access to the blink(1) schematics, firmware, or software SDK. We will release the design files for blink(1) as open source when blink(1) ships. We would like to release them earlier, but we've found that can be confusing as non-working prototype code ends up mingling with final production code. We are committed to making blink(1) a true Open Source Hardware (OSHW) device, but we want to finish this first version first.

Production Status. On the firmware & electronics side, the ServerDown and NightLight modes in the firmware mentioned in the previous update are now fully implemented. The extra chips needed have been shipped to us. The (hopefully) last PCB iteration before production has been ordered and is coming next week. We'll build a few more prototypes for testing from them.

blink(1) NOTABLE PRESS We're proud to say that blink(1) has been taking the world by storm! Friends like Fast Company, Notcot, and Trend Hunter are supporting and spreading the word. A few artilce links are below:

Boing Boing:http://boingboing.net/2012/07/14/usb-indicator-light-can-be-use.html Mashable:http://mashable.com/2012/07/09/blink1-usb/ Matuk (Some international love): http://www.matuk.com/2012/07/14/blink1-una-idea-tonta-o-genial/

ThingM Kickstarter: Meet blink(1)

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blink(1), the USB RGB LED

ThingM has just launched a Kickstarter for "blink(1)".  A USB RGB LED that builds on our BlinkM Smart LED.  It's a super status light that packs three dimensions of information (color, brightness and pattern) into a single tiny package that fits into any USB port on nearly every device.

It makes it incredibly easy to connect any data source in the cloud or on your computer to a full-color RGB LED so you can know what's happening without checking any windows, going to any websites, or typing any commands.

To support and find out more information visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thingm/blink1-the-usb-rgb-led   Questions: blink1@thingm.com