[Lancaster] Maybe help others and maybe expand the Linux network ...discuss ? maybe logic ?

[Martyn Welch]

On Saturday 12 August 2006 19:51, sam wrote:
> I have been asked by Beaumont college to see what i can do or improve
> creativity to make some Decent, Proper Music they said ?, I am a
> musician and more recently a computer addict and my ideas so far are to
> enable the production of creative products wheather they be programmed
> products or manually made - I first worked with a piece of hardware
> called Sound beam which enables the triggering of sound via midi, this
> has some possibilities though it is limited too. There are other
> devices that i know of ( and i wonder what you know)  to enable
> disabled  access to computers so programming is totally possible,
> certainly cognitively only some students, just like any group of
> students,  will have the aptitude with assistance and technology
> development to improve on that aptidue.
>

A quick search on Google lead me to this:

http://larswiki.atrc.utoronto.ca/wiki

> It has been remarked, By Tech Sean Sanderson, that many of the students
> have very accurate control of their wheel chair control stick mcuh like
> the old games machine joy stick, it was also pointed out that a piece
> of conversion code had been made, named 'Midi Yoke', to use the Joy
> stick as a Midi controller , we wondered if there was a way to make the
> stick the instrument ,so that it's movements are assigned to musical
> note attributes ?
>

I should imagine it is possible, though I think you would need to find a group 
with a slightly more musical bias to be able to help you much with that. If 
you can convert the movements to Midi, I'm sure there are midi-PC interfaces 
compatible with Linux. This would allow you to write software to map the 
movements however you see fit.

I'm afraid I'm not remotely musically talented, though from an electrical 
point of view, it seems sound.

> So in the long run this is why i am writing to you guys, for lots of
> reasons, mostly because you know how to make things work, and there are
> lots of ways you can help us, i also hoped that there was some value in
> te project for you guys to expand the open source network.
>
>
> I guess software, but also calling any technicians for ideas  ?
>
> 0, I just wanted to put these ideas to the open source network to see
> what the collective conciousness said ?
>
> 1, Training a student to be the Beaumont College Linux Tech to do our
> Webste stuff ?
>

There are at least 2 different areas involved in that:

1) Training someone / a group to write websites. This will require a bit of 
artistic talent if you want the site to look reasonable.

2)  Training someone up on how to run a Linux computer as a server. This 
doesn't require so much artistic talent, but I'd say that a technical mind is 
a must and plenty of patience and determination. There are quite a few issues 
to concider when administrating globally visible computers (If that's what 
you want), including security.

> 2, Is there an open source version of myspace - except downloadable -
> abit like limewire but with an ID and instantl messaging ? No it's an
> idea i just have no idea how to make it, though i think there is worthy
> millage there,   why myspace.com ? - could any other network ?
>

Sorry - not familiar with myspace - that whole fad is hopefully going to pass 
me by.

From what I know, a myspace-style site should be possible to create, but I 
guess a *lot* of work has gone in to the creation of myspace and I'm fairly 
confident that you won't be able to download it.

That being said it is basically a CMS (content management system), and there 
are tonnes of those available for download- just they don't have the quick 
and easy ways to upload videos and alike.

> 3, One obvious way in i thought for the students was to get them
> started on a myspace.com for several reasons gets them on the computer,
> starts them learning code, in a fun, ish way, And it helps advertise
> the generic website to sell our new products, web banners, music, art,
> programming, anything Good.
>

I'd suggest getting a machine setup with a CMS, I tend to find Drupal quite 
good:

http://www.drupal.org/

There are tonnes of modules that let you make the site do things. It can be 
themed, these can be downloaded of created in-house if you have the talent 
and skills (there is a wealth of information on the web about how to do 
this). It would provide those who want it with a simple way to publish their 
content on the web.

> WHY do i think this is possible you might ask, because it has been done.
>
> These projects are big time, I am talking about Steve Varden,
>
> http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,1354188,00.html
>
>   he has taken his films to Cannes and to Sun Dance in Utah.
>
> steve also Flys just for fun and is a very funny man.
>

Good for him.

> i believe that with the right help Poeple can be enabled to create
> things which we can ultimately all share in and which gives the student
> more self respect and helps society accept  the disabled And makes
> society a richer place. I also believe that these ideas will spill into
> main stream life as we are talking about enabling people and people are
> fundamentally the same, so there must be something for us to learn here
> to.
>
> AND probably more importantly, i just hate the subject, Funding,
> Beaumonts funders Scope and making big loses on their charity shops,
>
> I say 'ScopeEbay.com'
>
> I hear there are ways of charities selling goods online already, any
> knowledge ?
>

Why don't Scope just get an Ebay account and sell items on there?

There are plenty of small businesses which run almost exclusively through 
Ebay. It really supprises me that they haven't already done this.

> I also hear Scope are an organizational mess to.
>

Which is, I guess, why they haven't.

> Now this does not mean that it is a non runner, it's just on the
> slippery slop.
>
> There is a  good team which the Boss is trying to add to.
>
> He will employ a business manager from september to help with marketing.
>
> There is also a motivated team of Funders who can make things happen
> given the right info, proposal pitch etc.
>
> So please shout if anything springs to mind, even if a tangent,
>
> at this stage i am investigating ideas.
>
> Though i do also have a pilot project to build so any ideas could also
> be included ?
>

Good luck,

Martyn

-- 

Martyn Welch (martyn at welchs.me.uk)

PGP Key : http://www.welchs.me.uk/martyn/pgpkey/
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