Lightning Temple: Energy Education - Recently Updated Pages

Control System

spacehippy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:11:37 CST

Initial Design: single Arduino solution to control PureData

Once distance tests with RS-242/TTL failed we adapted our design to incorporate midi as a transport. Designing board with both midi in and out capabilities proved difficult due to ground loops and lack of functional opto-isolation chips. The revised design called for midi-to-usb conversion at the master pod to alleviate the need for midi-thru loops.

Requiring midi-out brought us to need an Arduino within each pod and with the buttons being out only data source an arduino shield had to be developed to handle all functions of the pod:
- button state detection
- lighting control
- midi-out

Buttons

the 8 buttons per Arduinio gave us plenty of digital input pins. we no longer needed shift registers, and could use a simplified button circuit:
http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Button

RGB LEDs

the lighting control came after much experimentation with very bright RGB LEDs. These were broken out to their own board with independent power supply. the Arduino could not drive the high powered LEDs and placement needed to be more flexible. The Arduino controls the RGB values via three PWM pins and a common ground. The values are reversed due to the odd relays we acquired. (ie {R=256,G=256,B=0} is BLUE)

Midi-out

The midi-out circuit is very straight forward with only two connected pins and a dangling ground. These wires are thin and continually come loose and cause trouble.

PCB

Fritzing.org has wonderful layout software that was used to generate the green image above. Soon they'll support eagle export, which will open up the design to any board shop. André Knörig has been an amazing resource by helping with the PCB routing and our submission into the Fritzmas contest.

Code

#include <MIDI.h>
//**************************************************************//
// Name : lightingTemple buttons //
// Author : Matt Pinner //
// Date : 30 Aug, 2009 //
// Version : 1.0 //
// Notes : Code for listening to 8 buttons, //
// : sending midi, //
// : fade RGB LEDs //
//**************************************************************//
// Resource: http://www.arduino.cc //
//****************************************************************

////////////////
// Shift Config

int podNumber = 6;
int debounceDelay = 10; //milli

int buttonCount = 8;

// Color arrays
//int black[3] = { 0, 0, 0 };
//int white[3] = { 100, 100, 100 };
//int red[3] = { 100, 0, 0 };
//int green[3] = { 0, 100, 0 };
//int blue[3] = { 0, 0, 100 };
//int yellow[3] = { 40, 95, 0 };
//int dimWhite[3] = { 30, 30, 30 };

// Color arrays... flipped for our h/w
int black[3] = { 100, 100, 100 };
int white[3] = { 0, 0, 0 };
int red[3] = { 0, 100, 100 };
int green[3] = { 100, 0, 100 };
int blue[3] = { 100, 100, 0 };
int yellow[3] = { 0, 5, 100 };
int purple[3] = { 40, 0, 40 };
int dimWhite[3] = { 70, 70, 70 };

int fadeStart[3] = { 10, 90, 100 };
int fadeEnd[3] = { 100, 90, 10 };

int buttonStartNoteStart = 42;
int buttonNote[] = {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9};
int buttonState[] = {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
int buttonPrevious[] = {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
int buttonPin[] = {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12};
long lastDebounceTime[] = {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};

//define where your pins are
//int clockPin[] = {4, 12};
//int latchPin[] = {5, 13};
//int dataPin[] = {7, 9};
//int potPin[] = {2, 3};
//int podCount = 1;

/////////
// Midi Config, Local Variable
#define CHANNEL 1
#define LED 13 // LED pin on Arduino board

byte incomingByte;
byte note;
byte velocity;
int action=2; //0 =note off ; 1=note on ; 2= nada

//////////
// Color Config, Local Variables

// Output
int redPin = 9; // Red LED, connected to digital pin 9
int grnPin = 10; // Green LED, connected to digital pin 10
int bluPin = 11; // Blue LED, connected to digital pin 11

int wait = 1; // 10ms internal crossFade delay; increase for slower fades
int hold = 0; // Optional hold when a color is complete, before the next crossFade
int DEBUG = 1; // DEBUG counter; if set to 1, will write values back via serial
int loopCount = 60; // How often should DEBUG report?
int repeat = 0; // How many times should we loop before stopping? (0 for no stop)
int j = 0; // Loop counter for repeat

int previousWrite = 0;
int stepIndex = 0;
int stepR;
int stepG;
int stepB;
//int buttonColors[8][3] {black, white, red, green, blue, yellow, dimWhite};

//////////
// attract mode
int timeoutMs = 10000;
unsigned long lastActiveMs = 0;
boolean forward = true;

// Set initial color
int redVal = red[0];
int grnVal = red[1];
int bluVal = red[2];

// Initialize color variables
int prevR = redVal;
int prevG = grnVal;
int prevB = bluVal;

//no buttons pressed yet
boolean deactivated = true;

/*****************************************************************************
* Setup pin outs for RGB and MIDI
*/
void setup() {

pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);

// Color Setup
pinMode(redPin, OUTPUT); // sets the pins as output
pinMode(grnPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(bluPin, OUTPUT);

for ( int i = 0; i < buttonCount; i++) {
pinMode(buttonPin[i], INPUT);
}

// if (DEBUG) { // If we want to see values for debugging...
// Serial.begin(9600); // ...set up the serial ouput
//} else {
MIDI.begin();
//}

setNextColorSteps(green);
return;
}

/*****************************************************************************
* The primary event loop.
*/
void loop() {
deactivated = true;

for ( int i = 0; i < buttonCount; i++) {

int reading = digitalRead(buttonPin[i]);

// If the switch changed, due to noise or pressing:
if (reading != buttonPrevious[i]) {
// reset the debouncing timer
lastDebounceTime[i] = millis();
}

if ((millis() - lastDebounceTime[i]) > debounceDelay) {
// whatever the reading is at, it's been there for longer
// than the debounce delay, so take it as the actual current state:

if (reading != buttonState[i]) {

buttonState[i] = reading;

if (LOW == buttonState[i]) {
//Serial.println(i);
//Serial.println("HIGH");
buttonPress(i);
} else{
//Serial.println(i);
//Serial.println("LOW");
buttonRelease(i);

}
}
}

// save the reading. Next time through the loop,
// it'll be the lastButtonState:
buttonPrevious[i] = reading;

if (HIGH == buttonState[i]) {
deactivated = false;
}

} // end for each button

//if (true == deactivated) {
int current = millis();
int inActiveDurationMs = current - lastActiveMs;
if(inActiveDurationMs > timeoutMs) {
// lastActiveMs = current + timeoutMs;
stepIndex++;
// precise loop
//if (stepIndex > 1020) {
if (stepIndex > 1220) {
stepIndex = 0;
// if (previousWrite == 1) {
toggleColor();
//}
}

stepColor(stepIndex, stepR, stepG, stepB);
//}
}

return;

} // end loop()

void toggleColor() {
if (forward) {
forward = false;
//setNextColorSteps(red);
setNextColorSteps(fadeStart);
} else {
forward = true;
//setNextColorSteps(green);
setNextColorSteps(fadeEnd);
resendOff();
}
return;
}

void resendOff() {

for ( int i = 0; i < buttonCount; i++) {
MIDI.send(CC,buttonNote[i],0,podNumber);
}
}

void buttonPress(int i) {
lastActiveMs = millis();
// Serial.println(i); Serial.println("HIGH");
MIDI.send(CC,buttonNote[i],127,podNumber);
writeColor(blue);
return;
}

void buttonRelease(int i) {
lastActiveMs = millis();
// Serial.println(i); Serial.println("LOW");
MIDI.send(CC,buttonNote[i],0,podNumber);
writeColor(red);
return;
}

/* BELOW THIS LINE IS THE MATH -- YOU SHOULDN'T NEED TO CHANGE THIS FOR THE BASICS
*
* The program works like this:
* Imagine a crossfade that moves the red LED from 0-10,
* the green from 0-5, and the blue from 10 to 7, in
* ten steps.
* We'd want to count the 10 steps and increase or
* decrease color values in evenly stepped increments.
* Imagine a + indicates raising a value by 1, and a -
* equals lowering it. Our 10 step fade would look like:
*
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
* R + + + + + + + + + +
* G + + + + +
* B - - -
*
* The red rises from 0 to 10 in ten steps, the green from
* 0-5 in 5 steps, and the blue falls from 10 to 7 in three steps.
*
* In the real program, the color percentages are converted to
* 0-255 values, and there are 1020 steps (255*4).
*
* To figure out how big a step there should be between one up- or
* down-tick of one of the LED values, we call calculateStep(),
* which calculates the absolute gap between the start and end values,
* and then divides that gap by 1020 to determine the size of the step
* between adjustments in the value.
*/

int calculateStep(int prevValue, int endValue) {
int step = endValue - prevValue; // What's the overall gap?
if (step) { // If its non-zero,
step = 1020/step; // divide by 1020
}
return step;
}

/* The next function is calculateVal. When the loop value, i,
* reaches the step size appropriate for one of the
* colors, it increases or decreases the value of that color by 1.
* (R, G, and B are each calculated separately.)
*/

int calculateVal(int step, int val, int i) {

if ((step) && i % step == 0) { // If step is non-zero and its time to change a value,
if (step > 0) { // increment the value if step is positive...
val += 1;
}
else if (step < 0) { // ...or decrement it if step is negative
val -= 1;
}
}
// Defensive driving: make sure val stays in the range 0-255
if (val > 255) {
val = 255;
}
else if (val < 0) {
val = 0;
}
return val;
}

// Write given values to LED pins
void writeColor(int redVal, int grnVal, int bluVal) {

if ((prevR == redVal)
&& (prevG == grnVal)
&& (prevB == bluVal))
previousWrite++;

analogWrite(redPin, redVal);
analogWrite(grnPin, grnVal);
analogWrite(bluPin, bluVal);
prevR = redVal;
prevG = grnVal;
prevB = bluVal;
return;
}

// Write given value to LED pins
void writeColor(int color[3]) {
writeColor(color[0], color[1], color[2]);
return;
}

/* crossFade() converts the percentage colors to a
* 0-255 range, then loops 1020 times, checking to see if
* the value needs to be updated each time, then writing
* the color values to the correct pins.
*/
void crossFade(int color[3]) {

int stepR = calculateStepR(prevR, color);
int stepG = calculateStepG(prevG, color);
int stepB = calculateStepB(prevB, color);

for (int i = 0; i <= 1020; i++) {
stepColor(i, stepR, stepG, stepB);
}

// Update current values for next loop
// prevR = redVal;
//prevG = grnVal;
//prevB = bluVal;
delay(hold); // Pause for optional 'wait' milliseconds before resuming the loop
}

void setNextColorSteps(int nextColor[3]) {
stepR = calculateStepR(prevR, nextColor);
stepG = calculateStepG(prevG, nextColor);
stepB = calculateStepB(prevB, nextColor);
return;
}

int calculateStepR(int prev, int color[3]) {
return calculateStepFromColorPart(prev, color[0]);
}

int calculateStepG(int prev, int color[3]) {
return calculateStepFromColorPart(prev, color[1]);
}

int calculateStepB(int prev, int color[3]) {
return calculateStepFromColorPart(prev, color[2]);
}

int calculateStepFromColorPart(int prev, int color) {
int percent = (color * 255) / 100;
return calculateStep(prev, percent);
}

void stepColor(int stepIndex, int stepR, int stepG, int stepB) {

redVal = calculateVal(stepR, redVal, stepIndex);
grnVal = calculateVal(stepG, grnVal, stepIndex);
bluVal = calculateVal(stepB, bluVal, stepIndex);

// Write current values to LED pins
writeColor(redVal, grnVal, bluVal);

// analogWrite(redPin, redVal);
//analogWrite(grnPin, grnVal);
//analogWrite(bluPin, bluVal);

delay(wait); // Pause for 'wait' milliseconds before resuming the loop

/* if (DEBUG) { // If we want serial output, print it at the
if (i == 0 or i % loopCount == 0) { // beginning, and every loopCount times
Serial.print("Loop/RGB: #");
Serial.print(i);
Serial.print(" | ");
Serial.print(redVal);
Serial.print(" / ");
Serial.print(grnVal);
Serial.print(" / ");
Serial.println(bluVal);
}
DEBUG += 1;
}*/

}

single Arduino solution to control PureData

spacehippy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:24:21 CST

Buttons to PD :

Pod Board

shift registers to pd data flow

-success: add code to arduino for shift register encoding, and add code in pd interface to read from arduino as 48 distinct buttons.

Encoding:

115200 bps serial connection from Arduino sends state of all buttons/analog-dials as quick as possible as an Ascii stream.

An example message is encoded like this:

MESSAGE

PURPOSE

new message start

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

pod 1 all buttons on analog all the way down

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1024

pod 3 all buttons on analog all the way up

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1024

pod 4 all buttons off analog all the way up

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 512

pod 5 all buttons off analog half way up

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 512

pod 6 all buttons off analog half way up

denotes the end of the message

Arduino Code (DRAFT)

//**************************************************************//
// Name : lightingTemple buttons //
// Author : Matt Pinner //
// Date : 02 Mar, 2009 //
// Version : 1.0 //
// Notes : Code for using a CD4021B Shift Register //
// : //
//**************************************************************//
// Resource: shiftIn Example 1.2 //
// Contributor : Carlyn Maw //
//****************************************************************

//Define variables to hold the data
//for shift register.
//starting with a non-zero numbers can help
//troubleshoot
byte switchVar[] = { 72, 72 }; //01001000

//define an array that corresponds to values for each
//of the shift register's pins
char note2sing[] = {'A', 'B'};
int buttonCount = 8;

//define where your pins are
int clockPin[] = {4, 12};
int latchPin[] = {5, 13};
int dataPin[] = {7, 9};
int potPin[] = {2, 3};
int dataPinCount = 2;

int messageLength = buttonCount * dataPinCount;
char message[] = { 'Z', 'Y' };

void setup() {
//start serial
Serial.begin(115200);

//define pin modes
for ( int i = 0; i < dataPinCount; i++ ) {
pinMode(latchPin[i], OUTPUT);
pinMode(clockPin[i], OUTPUT);
pinMode(dataPin[i], INPUT);
}

return;
}

void loop() {

//Pulse the latch pin:
//set it to 1 to collect parallel data
for ( int i = 0; i < dataPinCount; i++ ) {
digitalWrite(latchPin[i], 1);
}

//set it to 1 to collect parallel data, wait
delayMicroseconds(20);

//set it to 0 to transmit data serially
for ( int i = 0; i < dataPinCount; i++ ) {
digitalWrite(latchPin[i], 0);
}

//while the shift register is in serial mode
//collect each shift register into a byte
//the register attached to the chip comes in first
for ( int i = 0; i < dataPinCount; i++ ) {
switchVar[i] = shiftIn(dataPin[i], clockPin[i]);
}

//Print out the results.
//leading 0's at the top of the byte
//(7, 6, 5, etc) will be dropped before
//the first pin that has a high input
//reading
//for ( int i = 0; i < dataPinCount; i++ ) {
// Serial.println(switchVar[i], BIN);
//}

//This for-loop steps through the byte
//bit by bit which holds the shift register data
//and if it was high (1) then it prints
//the corresponding location in the array
Serial.print("A ");
for ( int i = 0; i < dataPinCount; i++ ) {
for (int n=0; n < buttonCount; n++)
{
//so, when n is 3, it compares the bits
//in switchVar1 and the binary number 00001000
//which will only return true if there is a
//1 in that bit (ie that pin) from the shift
//register.
if (switchVar[i] & (1 << n) ){
//print the value of the array location
Serial.print(1);
} else {
Serial.print(0);
}

Serial.print(' ');
}
Serial.print(analogRead(potPin[i]));
Serial.print(' ');
}
Serial.println('!');
//white space
//Serial.println("-------------------");
//delay so all these print satements can keep up.
//delay(500);
//delay(50);

}

//------------------------------------------------end main loop

////// ----------------------------------------shiftIn function
///// just needs the location of the data pin and the clock pin
///// it returns a byte with each bit in the byte corresponding
///// to a pin on the shift register. leftBit 7 = Pin 7 / Bit 0= Pin 0

byte shiftIn(int myDataPin, int myClockPin) {
int i;
int temp = 0;
int pinState;
byte myDataIn = 0;

pinMode(myClockPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(myDataPin, INPUT);
//we will be holding the clock pin high 8 times (0,..,7) at the
//end of each time through the for loop

//at the begining of each loop when we set the clock low, it will
//be doing the necessary low to high drop to cause the shift
//register's DataPin to change state based on the value
//of the next bit in its serial information flow.
//The register transmits the information about the pins from pin 7 to pin 0
//so that is why our function counts down
for (i=7; i>=0; i--)
{
digitalWrite(myClockPin, 0);
delayMicroseconds(0.2);
temp = digitalRead(myDataPin);
if (temp) {
pinState = 1;
//set the bit to 0 no matter what
myDataIn = myDataIn | (1 << i);
}
else {
//turn it off -- only necessary for debuging
//print statement since myDataIn starts as 0
pinState = 0;
}

//Debuging print statements
//Serial.print(pinState);
//Serial.print(" ");
//Serial.println (dataIn, BIN);

digitalWrite(myClockPin, 1);

}
//debuging print statements whitespace
//Serial.println();
//Serial.println(myDataIn, BIN);
return myDataIn;
}

Lightning Temple

amoration — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:47:10 CDT

TECHNOLOGY THEATRE
The Lightning Temple is an interactive art installation and touring stage which incorporates alternative energy sources to create a new type of theatre , using audio modulated Tesla coils and other unique high voltage interactive effects.

We have designed adventures through science, rhythm, music and frequency patterns that immerse the audience in playful interactive opportunities to learn and grow.
While traveling to museums, arts festivals and events it will host performances by famous music and movement artists as we provide hands-on ways to explore the creation of energy. Lightning Temple installations are currently available for events in 2010 and 2011 -- please fill out our event request to initiate a new experience with our team.

Lightning Temple artists meet in Los Angeles on Tuesday nights. You can help by visiting our WishList and helping us source materials. Amoration is a 501(c)3 project of the International Humanities Center and donations to this educational endeavor may be tax deductible: for latest updates visit our blog.

We want to hear from:

Volunteers to design, build, operate & host events
Communicators and Filmmakers
Festival Organizers
Fashion designers and fabric/jewelry artists
Museums and Public Arts Commissions

You can visit Lightning Temple virtually on Health Comons inside our Second Life holodeck.

ABOUT THIS LIGHTNING WIKI

On this collaborative site the dedicates and designers of the temple are welcome to post links, inspiration, schedules, and details of our work in progress. Members message each other to keep in touch with our members. Dedicates, Members & Friends of the Lightning Temple can be found on our Members page. Members are welcome to add their relevant links on this page or in research. Our schedule will fill in with key festivals and touring opportunities. Please post your favorite events with contact details!

The mythos and story behind the design of the Lightning Temple emerges from the photos, videos, links and research we weave together on these pages into a new evolution of ritual. We are problem solvers together taking you on a new type of scientific adventure. The Lightning Temple is a collaborative endeavor made possible because dozens of creative genii decided to do something extraordinary and new with their not-so-free time.

To get involved, join this wiki and say hi on Facebook, start a new thread on this site and tell us about your interest in the Lightning Temple. To schedule a performance or license rights to work in this wiki refer to the Artists of the Lightning Temple with proper attribution. Images on this site have been sourced from the commons design desk, sacred geometry texts and other images found around the web should not be reprinted without clear permission.

Contact Us

amoration — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:35:13 CDT

General Inquiries: lightningtemple@gmail.com
Have photos or video to share? Email gingercolfax@gmail.com
Interactivation Research: interactivation@gmail.com
PR & Event Requests: evoamo@gmail.com

Follow us on Twitter!

To speak with CTO Brent Heyning on Lightning Temple technology partnerships call 818.577.5744 or email lightningtemple@gmail.com with basic inquiries.
To invite the artists of the Lightning Temple to participate in your event please scroll down and fill out the entire request form below.

Talent

amoration — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:08:50 CDT

Research

R1B1 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:39:06 CDT

Here is a link to a multi-page PDF of topics, quotes, and links on some topics of interest to us.

Research Goals:

1. Safety limitations:
2. Audio amplification:
3. Harmonic resonance:
4. Participatory production:
5. Culture creation:
6. Properties of plasma?

Eventually we will create subpages here that can link to each event with a table that others can edit that captures information (distance a lightbulb is lit, etc)

Websites:

1. The Mythos of the angel and sacred geometry of Metatron (the voice of YHWH) and Shekinah (the dwelling/temple) from early Jewish mysticism
2. Eastern Voltage Research : Plasmasonic circuit boards
3. Flower of Life, Seed of Life, Tree of Life
4. The Golden Mean
5. Artichoke Productions - THE PLEASURES AND PERILS OF LARGE-SCALE PRODUCING. A great deal of ideas and such for producing and making a great event - These are the guys who put on "The Sultan's Elephant" large scale puppeteering event in England
6. Fantastic listings of frequency correlations here & here

Books and Videos:
Tesla research texts from WizWonka
Eastern Voltage Research
Examples of plasmasonic tesla arcs:

http://www.powerlabs.org/plasmaglobes.htm#%A0PROFESSIONAL%20PLASMA%20GLOBES:
This has some really good info on the technical considerations of plasma envelope construction. From gas type and pressures to envelope composition.

Bigger Picture:

Here, we would like to start compiling links to information and activities for transformation, stewardship, and harmony within our changing environment.
We are still considering formats for this, from checklists to social networking apps. Our first idea is to help you consider them along with us at sites like appropedia.com and empowethyself.com

See also: Statement | Brainstorming | Draft | Member

Temple

amoration — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:28:20 CDT

The temple is a collective vision of the next phase in evolution. Through a unique interweaving of ancient knowledge from past and present day modern technology, it seeks to expand our ideas of what is possible for the future. Created by a group of artists in collaboration, each element of its design and construction incorporates advanced concepts we see as models for future human development. One example of this is that we see a trend in modern times which blends the wisdom, values, and cohesiveness of past societies with the technological advents which afford us the freedom of movement and communication we experience in today's world.

Physical Description:
The overall design is based on the Merkaba, Flower Of Life, or Metatron's Cube. The installation has many components, but the shell of the primary structures will be truss and fabric designed for adverse outdoor environments. The central core will contain a nest of Tesla~coils to produce music and a blown~glass display of electrical power. The inner core can be explored and experimented with both day and night. Stages will be provided for concerts and scheduled performances.

Poetic Descriptions:
Lightning Temple's festival architecture, exhibits, daytime interactivation, and nightly theater help empower manifestival participants with the mutative power of intent and sound on reality. Audio plasma entangled within a 45' star tetrahedron nests in opto-electric strands of planets and DNA. The upright pyramid 's three camera eyes are mirrored by 3-sided video projections. Outside their rear-proejction screens lie 3 movement stages, with aerial rigs down to orchestral stages.

The Merkabic structure represents atoms, cells, human and planetary EMF and the tetrahedron-in-sphere packing geometry of the vacuum that connects and pervades all. A grounded Tesla Coil nest acts as the structure's root chakra. Interactivation stations, workshops, performers, and guided biochanting help participants feel grounded on Earth, balance their own chakras, awaken and raise the lightning Kundalini of the community Merkaba, and visualize the crown chakra in violet plasma.

Lightning Temple is pure energy and music, a temple of light and sound visible from a mile away. A soft geometric structure holds tesla coils in a core for musical amplification and visual stimulation. Both light and sound express vibrations and, as representations of deep primal forces, communicate beyond the power of words the raw experience of pure being. We would like to inspire people to act in civilly responsible and ethical ways because they feel a connection to others as members of the human community.

Intention:
Temples are places dedicated to honor and bring the focus of human attention to the unseen forces that underly our physical existence.
Electricity has long been a symbol of mental activity, and thus our temple is dedicated to bringing awareness to and honoring the spark of consciousness itself. Consciousness has been discovered through comparative studies in mysticism and quantum physics to be the medium through which energy manifests itself in material reality. It has also been seen in cross~cultural research done comparing religions and mythology that certain themes arise creating a universal psychological tapestry some refer to in terms of arche~types or the collective "unconscious". Our intention is to create a feeling of unity in the participants at the temple by drawing attention to the common experience of the human journey towards fulfillment.

Goals:

Use alternative and locally available sources of energy wherever appropriate (human, solar, wind)
Play music through tesla coils live with participants able to jack in their instruments
Perform a series of groundbreaking new shows with the best performers touring today
Open this space as a journey through the heart and soul of our shared spark and experience
Gain a better understanding of electrical fields as they effect humans in various settings.

HelptheTemple

amoration — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:26:20 CDT

Ways to Give:

Sponsor a Container! 20' of space to mural and share your message, to travel and be seen by thousands
Help us produce: Cosponsor our media packages, videos, stickers, web presences
Make a donation to Amoration Arts for materials
Pick a volunteer opportunity below and spend 5-55 hours helping us grow the Lightning Temple
Bring new people to our meetings or share the badge below on your site, link away and blog about the Lightning

We are currently looking for volunteers to take on the following projects:

BECOME A GUARDIAN for Black Rock City 2009

Production Manager (touring)
Fashion designers for Lightning Line
Seamstress/textile artists
Welding
Stage construction (wood) *intern available for partnership*
Truss lead (design, packing, installation manager)
Installation Associates
Performers of all types (cirque, music, fire/lightning, dance, etc)
Temple Artists (may be needed once or more November - March and for events)
Event Manager
Volunteer Coordinator (via wiki, we make it easy)
Chefs for team meetings, build sessions, installation crew
Fiscal Manager (accounting and keeping all receipts)
Social Media Lightning Lead (myspace, Facebook, YouTube and more)
Graphic design, visual effects, 2D, 3D and video/animation
Web programmer or integration specialist (able to crosspollinate #lightningtemple presences)
Wiki gardener

Resources to be donated/shared with sponsors and partners:

Canvas: 200m+, white and black
Aluminum Truss 2' and 1' box truss and many parts: contact WizWonka for details
Wood for stages (may be old shipping crates and unused wood)
(2) 20' Containers for shipment/touring
Packing materials
Solar panels for power systems
Power storage solutions

Guardians

amoration — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:01:09 CDT

At Burning Man 2009 we will need a few dozen temple guardians to take first responsibility for safety and security at this unique installation. Given the high tech equipment and nature of this structure we ask that guardians protect and care for the whole and these parts:

* Holding the space as a stable, intelligent representative of this project
* Discouraging climbing and asking all unauthorized climbers to get down or risk being electrocuted
* Remaining sober and present for questions, community needs and emergencies
* Facilitating safe work on site by Lightning Temple team members
* Being our first contact line with Black Rock City Rangers and other safety authorities
* Reminding young souls of all ages that defacing private art is a crime that will be documented and prosecuted
* Making sure no items walk away from the temple without authorization

Guardianship is an important responsibility and we ask for a specific commitment -- in turn we will provide you with training and a special gift for your service to the Lightning Temple.

You may add additional elements to your guardianship, focusing on:

MUSIC
SPIRITUAL SECURITY
PERFORMER SAFETY
STAGE MANAGEMENT
STRUCTURE INTEGRITY
FIRST AID/EMERGENCY RESPONDER
EDUCATION

Please consider your role carefully and sign up as you feel called and ready to join us on this adventure!

Interactivation

amoration — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:44:12 CDT

Interactivation is the integration of interaction and personal activation. We have been building this collaborative musical instrument featuring an audio modulated tesla coil at the core of the 12' wooden frame. Six stations feature 48 buttons with unique sounds designed to play together for public participation at events such as this early alpha build video from Maker Faire.

An upright bass coil is shielded by a structure for attaching pods for user controls, Cymatic tubes, etc. There are many opportunities for modular decoration.

Red Lightning: May 23rd Malibu

amoration — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:40:22 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

WishList

amoration — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:28:15 CDT

This is a list of items we are still looking for....let us know if you can donate or help us procure any of these items!

Interactive Station

6 - sheets 5/8" bending plywood
10 - sheets 3/4" inch paint grade birch plywood
16 - 8 foot long 2x4's (any wood fine)
1 - roll of 2" edge banding-maple
1 - large container of tight bond wood glue
1 - container of wood filler
6 - tubes of paint grade caulk, 25 year DAP
1 - roll of 1/4 inch foam rubber - 3 inches wide (40 linear feet needed)
3 - sheets 4'x8' 1/8th inch UV Acrylic
Machine screws and wood inserts - to screw in and remove easily (think ikea)
Colored wood stain - tinted stain or paint
Mac Mini Core 2 Duo computer
Cat 5e cable
RJ-45 connectors
shielded cable (multi-conductor)
1/2" EMT conduit
2" black steel tubing (10' sticks or longer)
1" x 1" square wire mesh
1/2" x 1/2" angle iron
3/4" thick wall tubing
1/2" steel rod
4" x 3/16" flat stock steel
Argon / CO2 SteelMix welding shield gas
2" x 1/4" flat stock steel

Temple Structure

20' aluminum box truss
Sound boards
Lighting boards
Lighting
Metal for welding
Glass
Plasma gases
Wood for stages
Acrylic (large pieces) for tall stages
Poly weather coating for wooden stages
Large wood screws
Microphones
Mic stands
Instrument stands
Aerial rigs, silk tissu, lyra

Costumes

Wire Mesh all sizes (window screens ok)
Copper, brass and steel wire
Leather scraps
Metal studs
Sheer white/silver fabrics
Opaque white/silver/black fabrics
Wearable OLED tech
Large amounts of spandex & lycra
Thread
Snaps and closures
Extra sewing machine

Power, Tech Tower & Security

Radios for team
1 EDAR for security
Scaffolding
Non-porous fabric or old parachute
Folding table
Extra power cables
Solar panels
Wind power generators
Wood for platforms
Solar LED lights for perimeter
First Aid Kit

Other Misc.

Gas/fuel cards for travel costs
Healthy food of all types
Water and ice for work crews
Transit for team members to Black Rock City
Housing for team members in San Francisco (Maker Faire 5/29-31)
Extra Burning Man tickets for team members
Extra crates and containers for shipping

Fundraising / Promotional

amoration — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:49:33 CDT

Gifts and pledges by cash, credit card and paypal can be made to the Lightning Temple through our 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Amoration.
Grants and organizational support are welcome, please contact Evonne Heyning if you have questions about sponsorship/event partnership opportunities.

EVENTS!
April 18th Earthly Event in Burbank: see map for complete directions 7548 Bloomington Ave in Burbank
Off the I-5 Hollywood Way, turn right at the Hampton Inn Suites across from Woodbury College -- Cohasset.
The turns come quickly and they'll be easy to miss -- but we'll be there late with great DJs. BYO + donation.

Red Lightning Events: May 1, May 23-25
Maker Faire San Francisco May 30-31
FoodArt Fundraiser Summer TBD
Poker Night TBD
Plump TBD
Mindshare TBA

Sponsorship provided by:

Copper Sponsor
kVA Effects, our first copper sponsor, is a leading Tesla Coil installation and development company providing coil equipment for this endeavor

Brass Sponsor
The Herb Gatherer "to steward the environment first, and to offer botanical products to the people second"

Aluminum Sponsors

Sponsorship

amoration — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:35:16 CDT

We welcome businesses, producers and service providers to partner with the Lightning Temple tour for energetic visibility!

Copper Sponsors provide metal for the core in the form of wire, circuitboards and other needed materials to build at least six tesla coils and many associated lightning tools
kVA Effects, our first Copper Sponsor, is a leading Tesla Coil installation company providing surplus equipment for this endeavor
We are looking for at least one more immediate Copper Sponsor to donate supplies for 4 more coils to be built, early sponsors get more feature time!
Value: Photo link from the Lightningtemple.net site, mention in our proposals and printed posters, tour vehicle magnet logo, Lightning Temple robe, 10+ free tickets to VIP dress rehearsal April 2009
Cost of Sponsorship: $10,000 or equivalent inkind value

Brass Sponsors help us build the exterior temple and stages with canvas, steel truss, wood, metal and glass
The Herb Gatherer, our first Brass Sponsor, provides materials to build the Interactivation Core along with great support through natural products!
We are open to rental equipment and donations, see the materials page for a list of items we are currently sourcing
Value: Link from the Lightningtemple.net site, sponsors may be mentioned at January fundraiser or in print materials, 10+ free tickets to VIP dress rehearsal April 2009
Cost of Sponsorship: $5,000 or equivalent value in materials

Aluminum Sponsors are shipping partners that cover our touring costs for traveling cross-country with two 20' containers
Two aluminum sponsors will cover purchase of containers, murals with your logo/design integrated, truck rentals, gas, driver costs for April - October 2009 events
Value: Photo link and top mention on sponsorship webpage at the Lightningtemple.net site, cosponsor billing on printed materials, mural logo integration on touring trailers to be seen by hundreds of thousands in 2009, Lightning Temple Robe(s), 10+ free tickets to VIP dress rehearsal April 2009
Cost of Sponsorship: $20,000 (or gift of functional tractor-trailer with dedicated driver)

Gifts and pledges by cash, credit card and paypal can be made to the Lightning Temple through our 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Amoration.
Grants and organizational support are welcome, please contact Evonne Heyning if you have questions about sponsorship/event partnership opportunities.

Thank you to all those who have supported us with gifts of time, talent, materials, money and connections!

Performers

Zann — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:26:46 CDT

Maniacal~Wyrd Fire Tools, Aerialist, Lightning Rod	David Rona Music Director Guitarist/Composer Intuitive Visionary	Ysanne Spevak ilovestrings.com
Wandering Marionettes	Temple Priestesses	Brief video of performance
LaLaToy She Vocals	Zann, the Musician Flute and Drum	Many amazing fire performers are putting down their fuel and kevlar and picking up metal and acrylic to manipulate the lightning.

Members

R1B1 — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:31:36 CST

We have many departments listed here on our wiki (see sidebar menu) with greater detail on how this comes together as small teams working toward a common goal. Our team is now 100 volunteers + with rotating performance groups adding for a total network of many hundreds, mostly based in the Los Angeles area but also working remotely in many cities across the US. This members list includes contact information for some of our core leaders; please use this responsibly as your first contacts for our group.

Name

Email (only if public post please)

Website

Role

Brent Heyning

boomtoyslabs@gmail.com

http://www.toyshoppepro.com

Project organizer, Dedicate Design, Theremin

Evonne Heyning

evoamo@gmail.com

http://amoration.org

Communications, Dedicate Design, Mythmaker

Quin Mark Cabalquinto

markquin@gmail.com

Safety, Multimedia, Video,Technical Production

David Rona

ronarama@gmail.com

http://www.reverbnation.com/davidrona

Audio production and integration, Music performance and music performance (DJ) cat herder (electronic producer, guitar)

Ross Bochnek

interactivation@gmail.com

http://www.RoBoch.net
http://www.iGargoyle.com

Integration, Dedicate Design, Research,
Interactive Exhibition and Lighting Design

Awno Metta

Research, Sacred Geometry, Ritual

Christina Bullard

Glass Artist, Dedicate Design

Franklin Londin

http://teslacoil.com

3D Photography, Dedicate Design (coils)

Jeff Parisse

http://teslacoil.com

Tesla Coil Specialist, Dedicate Design

Ysanne Spevak

ilovestrings.com

Performer, violin

Matt Almanza

Installation, safety, first aid

Chris Colquhoun

Lighting of every kind, Keyboards, Taiko Drums and all manner of percussive instrumentation, mechanical designer, lightning toy design

Johnny Coy

Installation

Kim Williams

Supply Management/Installation, Welding

Anna Maltese

http://phoenixprojekt.com

Performer, Show Coordination

Jesse Wright

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daKVK3fojD4

Music Production, Drums, DJ

Jesselynn Desmond

Costumes, Performer: Lucent Dossier, Cirque

Mark Datig

Construction, Installation

Patty

3D visualization tools, holographic design

Alain

Choreography, Visual Design

Octavia Moon

Temple Priestess Coordination, Costuming

Luna Rabbit

Dedicate Robes

Laura Hippiechick

oghippiechick@gmail.com

http://theherbgatherer.com

Temple Fundraiser, Food Art

Strider

Project Logistics, Planning, Festival Partner

Maria

Events, Food Art

Claire

Installation logistics design - packing, crating, Grants editor, 3D photography

Michael Wood

avatar9x9@yahoo.com

people.tribe.net/indigomaelstrom

Performer Coordination, Design Concepts & Application, Servant

Bill Palmer

visuals/ visual performance

Madison

audio/ dj performance

Peter

Brain toys, interactives

Jefferson

Visual design, lightning toy design

VJ Vivia

VJ, Visual effects, EKTA brain tuning/art

Robb Pope

VJ, Video Design

Jedi Wright

jediwright@gmail.com

http://www.jediwright.com

Project environmental impact and sustainability manager. Textiles, fabrication, installation, event production, press/media relations, blogging, networking, solar hosting.

Amanda Rain

Mythmakers, Red Lightning Village contact

Add yourself to this list

Add your website

Tell us what you want to do!

Additional Lightning Temple Friends, Supporters and Partners include:
The Herb Gatherer, The Do Lab, Toyshoppe Productions, International Humanities Center and Amoration, kVA Effects, Sugar Shack Arts Community, Burning Man LLC, Burning Life in Second LifeTM, The Broken Staples, DistinctiveFabric.com, Green Gurus.....add yours here!See a

FAQ

amoration — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:29:10 CST

Frequently Asked Questions for Future Travelers:

Is this is a scientific quest?
Yes, we seek to understand light and energy through direct experiences and interactivity. Our work is both educational, entertaining and designed for basic crowdsourced research. The mysteries we share with audiences blend the physical and metaphysical as our performers play out key scenes in our power and energy journey with musicians and the Lightning Temple choir.

Are you a green and sustainable movement?
We aim to leave no trace beyond our energetic signature in any space. Our work explores many forms of alternative and renewable energies and we encourage light makers, chemists and product developers to join with us to test out new ideas. In design we embrace Cradle to Cradle concepts to reduce our consumption and waste throughout; this plays out daily in the way we share healthy home-cooked meals and build with materials direct from quality manufacturers. Contact Jedi, our Beyond the Green director, for details on our sustainability education work at major festivals.

Are you an open community?
Yes, we welcome volunteers to join us from all disciplines! We aim to offer our design meetings remotely via virtual presence tools and plan to tour to many cities as our community grows. Our wiki is a great place to start.

How can I schedule a show with the Lightning Temple?
Contact Evonne and let's talk about your concept, ideas and needs. We offer many configurations based on your site and experience.

Why a temple?
We give the lightning a voice and opportunity to speak its mind, not limited to quick flashes and crackles. The merkaba temple shape echoes Metatron, known both as the scribe and voice of the divine and as the shape of human reach.

What is the Red Lightning Village?
Our Teslamatics camp will be on the playa in Black Rock City this year as part of the Red Lightning Village, a space where other teachers and wise people will gather to share their gifts. The scrolls of Red Lightning will be unveiled there.

Are you a cult or religious temple?
No. We are ecumenical (from all faiths) and do not have a doctrine beyond be good to one another. Some in our community are mystics, sacred geometry mathematicians, meditation teachers and shaman of many backgrounds; athiests and skeptics are equally represented for a balanced mix of scientific and insightful inquiry.

What are the ManorMeta Mysteries?
ManorMeta is a crystalline smart home where the mysteries of the temple are kept in scrolls by the temple scribes. We seed a new ManorMeta with every performance, designed to be a place where anyone can find home. There are many theatrical stories unveiled through Lightning Temple performances in various cities; videos, clues and 3D game activities will follow on our websites.

Why are you making this journey?
We share a belief in the inner landscape of creativity, ideas and inspiration. We love to go deep and share these gifts with you.

Schedule

Wizwonka — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:41:01 CST

Design and Dinner meetings are announced on this wiki, on our Facebook fan page and on our google Calendar.

Project due date: March 2009 for spring/summer/fall festival touring

Progress tracker:

Milestone:	Date due:	Date completed:
1. Finishing first round brainstorm wiki	September 1st	9/1/08
2. Designs uploaded	October 1st	10/1/08 and ongoing models
3. Budget	October 15th	November, released December for proposals
4. List of Performers	October 15th	October and ongoing, book created, training performers
5. First Coil Tests	November 15th	November and ongoing, first audio coils ready January
6. Winter Practice Session	January 2009	Video available of sessions
7. Building of Structure	February 2009
8. Rehearsal with all Players	March 2009
9. Flawless Dress Rehearsal	April 2009

Installation

amoration — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:00:12 CST

Lightning Core

Plasma ball, glass sculptures and at least five tesla coils tuned to be speakers, both high and low end sound. Plug and play for musicians and all types of instruments. Receivers for tesla coil/wireless at perimeters and outer stages of art installation to test how far energy transmits beyond the installation.
Resources: glass, SG-10 and midi-controlled tesla coils (circuit boards, metal, wood), core structure framing and supports, connected to soundboard

Plasma Electricity

Plasma balls, glass planets with representative metals and gasses, spark gap and plasma base pairs, optics, mirrors, etc. to affect projections
Resources: glass and Aluminum spheres, connecting rods, wire, fabric, rigid spirals

Stages and Video

Video cameras on interior and exterior stages enlarge the action, allow it to be mixed with each other, graphics, virtual sets, etc., and shown on all sides of the top structure point. 3K lumen projectors mount above the 3 doors, shoot through the plasma, and rear-projected on each of the 3 sides of the top point. 3D interactive video capable and ready.
Resources: slit curtain, video cameras, projectors, mixer/processor/server

Structure Materials

We create a sacred space with a grounded Merkabah structure and outlying stations for interactive art, meditation, and exploration. Aluminum or steel truss is covered in canvas or other breathable, paintable textile that will provide interior daytime shade for some plasma effects. We will try to stage performances on the raised outdoor platforms atop the inverted tetrahedron points.

People recharge themselves during the day, large performances expand out of the temple at night. At night the temple opens with fabric expansion.
Resources: Box Truss, canvas or similar fabric, wood round stages

Backline and Backstage Logistics:

touring, vehicles, talent affairs, guest relations, instrument and property staging, crowd control, and security.

Resources: vehicles; lift from ground level, shipped 20' containers, basic office kit for mobie use, radios and communication devices on site

Meetings Page

R1B1 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:09:10 CST

2009

1/26
-R1B1 began PCB layout for serial protocol conversion in Eagle

1/25
-Fieldtrip To The Future: kVA Effects
-Musical Jam Session with Audio Spark Dodger

1/24
-Brent began tuning elevated torus on his TC
-R1B1 began breadboarding TTL/RS-422/RS-232 converter circuitry
-Spacehippy took the reins on button and Shift Register Seeeduino
-Peter took Brent's scanned core sketches and made his own

1/23
-Fieldtrip To The Future: EON Reality
-VR Demos from Patty

1/22
-Spacehippy ported the shift register code to pd last night. He created an object (shifted-button) that should be able to handle reading a button value from a shift register through the stock firmata. It can be found here: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/382210/lightningtemple/shifted-button-reader.pd
-R1B1 got arduino and breadboarded button "working"

1/21
-General Meeting, buffet and breakout style
-MD demonstrated Ableton iPhone control, patches, and Pd
-R1B1 demonstrated controlling an LED from Pd to others outside our department
-Made plans to complete Protosquid by end of Jan., on schedule

1/20
-Toppled Fascist Dictatorship
-Rona tried out http://healthengineeringgroup.com/hegtechnologies/lsapro.html
Tthe guy who has this program on his laptop with the USB hand thing is willing to come over and demonstrate it.
-Rona posted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Fk5H0r360 of Nancy from The Integratron

1/19
-update from Sound Healing Open House
-evaluate our emphasis and interaction model
-Governors Island Summer art opportunities update
-Quin on Burncast about LT

We started with Shironda and I @ MD's, with Rona and Patty on Skype. Then, Spacehippy came by, and after he left, Peter came home. It was great- we had a tonal meeting and then a tech meeting. The tonal meeting was about our experiences with sound healers at Wayne Perry's recent open house, the Integra-outta-con-fuckin'-trol-a-tron, and someone who Shironda and Patty know, who might be the guy in Malibu who just had a gathering, but I'm not sure. We learned about Patty's work, and discussed 3-D video a bit too.

Mainly, I want to look at the Lightning Temple's external communications to reel in our language about Sound Healing. Of course, we're still going to invite workshop leaders and healers, but it's too much pressure to imply that the focus of the Interactivation Station is healing.

Healing, especially self-healing is a personal thing. People have different healing needs because they have different abundances and deficiencies, such as energies/vibrations/frequencies. So, we need different ones for personal balance.

We're going to revive the element of the visitors' voices in Interactivation. We'll try to create synthetic sonic wave shapes that simulate vowel sounds. Those vowels could be applied to the different Solfeggio mantras, even at different frequencies. Visitors at a Pod could tone into a microphone to hear their voice through the coil. By pressing a button, they could hear a sonic wave shape associated with each mantra. They could then use their voice to create overtones, manipulate the synthesized audio, etc.

As for the tech portion of our meeting, Spacehippy, MD, Peter, and I discussed our Firmata findings and hacked at PDuino. With a pull-up resistor added to our test circuit, we hope to have a switch trigger a Pure Data sound for the meeting tomorrow night.

We'll research if the shift registers could be wired in parallel to the Seeeduino and its potential for easing the data interpretation in Pure Data.

Since our last LT group meeting, the Interactivation Dept. has been joined by Spacehippy, had 2 productive meetings; including contact with Shironda and Patty, gone to and reported on sound therapy sessions with Wayne Perry, as well as at the Integratron, plus made strong ties with its curators, who want Lighting Temple to setup out there! Our electronics have been delivered to Sugar, we rescheduled our kva tests, and we're anxious to start building the Core.

1/17
http://tama-do.com/roothtmls/schedule.html
2060 los flores canyon, malibu, ca 90265
Seasonal Harmonizing Concert with Fabien Maman (Jan 17) Join Fabien and his students in an improvisational harmonizing concert tuned with the musical key, mode and energy of the season in order to bring harmony to the earth and cosmic energies.

1/15
-R1B1 attended:
An Introduction to Sound Therapy & Vibrational Healing
Wayne Perry & The Sound Therapy Center of Los Angeles would like to invite you to an open house on learning the secrets to healing with sound & vibration. Join us for a discussion, Q & A, demonstration, guided meditation, toning circle & fun!

1/12
-Jeff managed to get the coil parts that Aron had built for him on Sat. in the mail. After a quick installation, Spark Dodger mini coil is now working in an audio modulated scenario.

1/10
- R1B1 demoed my PC copy of PD sending a message out to the Seeeduino to control the on-board LED.
-He also explained the role of each piece of hardware and software in more detail and answered questions like why I think the buttons are better than the joystick we tried, and why I think using one Arduino, instead of one per station, is possibly going to be easier, and certainly cheaper.
-Also, he's preparing everyone to keep the RS-422 hardware in mind. I explained how our cabling and other hardware, such as DMX capability on the daughtercard, will leave us room for future capability like lighting or SparkDodger control through PD.
-MD explained the sonic math of his latest sample PD patch

Discussed:
-Tis just the beginning, we need something to go with, could build upon. Since we're going to be exploring the Solfeggios so strongly at the beginning, I conceded that having a base Solfeggio frequency at each station could indeed be interesting enough; if we allow users to play with harmonics of them too, to create chords and even rhythms.
-We determined that buttons under a plate would indeed be good as a physical interface. We also discussed posible mechanical variations that could affect the experience of pushing several directional buttons with a plate laid over them. We're extremely inspired by the reactor core fuel rod controller from Total Recall.
-I wanted to introduce pots as analog volume knobs, but Matt was concerned that it could mean no sound at a station, and if someone doesn't figure it out, they could be disappointed with their experience. I reiterated how expressive I think analog inputs could be, and we began discussing something like a pitch bend wheel on a keyboard. Matt would rather users bend frequency instead of volume, and I thought that would be expressive too. Later, I realized we could use a floor sensor to set a minimum volume when users step on it, just so they know their station is working and to encourage experimentation, such as controlling the volume. We agreed that analog input isn't an Alpha priority.
-We discussed possible setups for the Steampunk party and Yuri's night, the physical interface, and what challenges we might face regarding interfacing the Shift Registers with PD.
-We wonder if t would be easier to initially program by sending the shift register data right into PD to determine which buttons are pressed and when.

Next Steps:
-We figured out that we can go ahead and assume 8 buttons per station, and that
-MD can go ahead and work on PD patches from the input of up to 48 buttons.
-Peter is going to try to learn more about Firmata and sample firmware.
-MD is going to write some PD patches based on the assumption of 48 buttons.
-I'm going to keep hacking at Seeeduino/PD Hello World communication, getting a button to trigger something in PD, and try to figure out how the Shift Registers will affect the data structures and their handling by PDuino.
-From that, we can hopefully figure out how best to code for the shift registers, both in firmware, as well as PD.
-I want Spacehippy to see the big picture since he's new to the project. He's a programmer, and we'll occassionally ask him to help wrap our minds around things, which he's already been helpful with, so thank you. He's been helping Peter and I learn about Firmata.

1/09
-R1B1 took a much, much smaller Firmata sample code than is included in the Example directory and commented the hell outta it. I identified 4 different URLs with documentation, and identified parts of the small code that were reserved, specific to the Firmata Library, Arduino IDE, or just sample variables. I identified the source of the parts of the code, as well as compiled comments that explain them. Next, I will attempt to alter and compile this sample firmware from an analog example to a digital example. I will then try to upload it and try it out with PD. That super minimal firmware should help us figure out what the hell's going on.