What I've been Doing with My Time.

I like thinking about the future and what will be possible someday.  But even more, I like participating in the future and making those possibilities come true.

I worked in robotics and programmed and built several difference kinds of robots.  One of my exhibits is traveling the country on loan from the Science Museum of Minnesota – it's called Robots And Us. I built the Robot Arm, the Combat Robots, and a face recognition surveillance kiosk for show.  It was fun.

I also used to work in factories, building automated processes for some of the largest food and beverage companies in the world.  Why'd I leave that?  Because I was building automated processes for some of the largest food and beverage companies in the world.  But the technology was fun.

More recently I've been spending some of my winter time this year and last working for The Performance Lab.  It's an exciting nonprofit venture to combine technology with the arts in creative ways.

I don't like the term video conferencing to describe the work.  It goes far beyond simple conferencing. 

What we do is to create an atmosphere where people can perform and practice from widely different geographic locations through remote technology.  For example, we'll set up cameras and screens and displays in such a way as to allow dancers to touch each other in a broadcast while performing an interactive piece.  I can't do justice to it with mere words, but it's impressive to see.

Suprising that this praise comes from me, I'm not the type of guy who like a lot of art and dance.  Most interpretive stuff sails right over my head.  I don't even like most paintings for the same reason. So, I'm not going to gush over that which truly hasn't touched me. 

We did a session once with an inner city school, where we connected an academy of dancers from Juilliard and a Choreographer from Los Angeles.  What we did was allow those kids to write and recite their poetry, mainly hip-hop of course and a lot of it was crude, raw.  Then the choreographer and dancers worked to interpret the piece with input from the poet.  Watching these sixteen year old kids who had come into the session expecting to disrupt it with their own brand of vulgarity being taken seriously and being included . . . seeing them open up and rewrite and work hard with people they'd never meet in their daily lives was astounding.  After the practice and rehearsals were over we set up a multi-location performance.  It left entire rooms of people in several auditoriums around the country teary, it was truly a “not a dry eye in the house” experience. 

We've also hooked up drama students from rural schools with professionals and worked on plays that span several screens.  The kids in Brainard, Minnesota handing off a wagon to kids in Rogers, Arkansas who drove it through a storm to reach the kids in Memphis. So fluid and natural for a venue that should be anything but. 

I've seen Juilliard instructors teaching interpretive dance to Fargo, North Dakota dancers.  I've seen those same dancers audition to be accepted at Juilliard, an opportunity that would have never happened before because the distances and probability. 

I'm a part of it and will continue to be so.

rick, watching in wonder.

Comments

[graeme]

thats awesome. in the right hands, technology is great.

[Success Warrior]

That's so cool.

[CV Rick]

It is both awesome, and cool.

[Mark]

technology + rick = ????

[Success Warrior]

= trick?

[CV Rick]

LOL . . .

you're going to be banned from my blog for stealing punchlines.

[Success Warrior]

Hey, I keep this blog interesting. People probably visit here just to read my comments. =)

[Mark]

it's true, I like to read SW's comments! :P

[Success Warrior]

Thank you Mark. It's a good thing I'm not the type to say, "I told you so."

[CV Rick]

yeah, that's a great thing, Mr. Magnanimous.

[Success Warrior]

I knew you would think so. I suppose I better keep visiting your blog so that others will come here too. Got to keep your self esteem up by keeping your visitor count up.

I'm here on this planet to do good deeds like that.

[CV Rick]

And here I had a whole list of other reasons you were on the planet.

1. target
2. target
3. target

you get the idea.

[Success Warrior]

You do have a point but listen to my point.

Sometimes it takes you a week or more to update this blog. Many of us are visiting each day. My comments give them a tiny reward for checking in. It isn't a complete waste. =)

I read your review on the card counters. In fact, I read quite a few of your reviews yesterday. I wish I had more time to read.

[CV Rick]

Now introducing Guest Blogger . . . to be found in the comments: Success Warrior.

bleh.

[Success Warrior]

That's an idea. Every day that you don't do a post, I'll do one for you. I like it.

Tomorrow is the butter story.

[CV Rick]

Shit.

I'll post, I'll post.

[Sister Mary Lisa]

That dance thing sounds so very cool.

Almost as cool as the butter story I'd PAY SW to tell.