New Blankets built its first Suitcase Supercomputer in 2008. SuitSup I
was based on 25 Sony PSPs and a backstage co-ordinator PS/3 running
YellowDog linux (and a bit of thrashing into Pd now and then).
The New Blankets SuitSup has been on display around the country, at an
Architecture conference in Italy and in the Harlem public schools for the
last two years. Subsequent SuitSup forays by New Blankets have involved
-Sylvania Meso tablet, -Personal-media-player -Android tablet components.
New Blankets was incorporated in California as a public benefit non-profit
501(c)(3) in 2008. Miller Puckette has been on our board since New
Blankets was first hatched.
Satchmo Awards:
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In addition to "full-on" Suitcase Supercomputers, New Blankets has always
maintained a "Satchmo" gambit as well. (Explanation: Small suitcase =
satchel; Satchmo one of the most inspiring musicians we know of.)
Our "Satchmo" SuitSup is a 4-element test version of the SuitSup concept
-- small enough to be affordable, but since Satchmo includes multiple
units, it is still possible to design and test interaction-capabilities.
(A backstage "conductor" processor may be used, or not. Some ensembles
have conductors, some don't.)
Based on Miller's generous initiative and effort with RPi, New Blankets
will be giving a number of "Satchmo Awards" soon. These will consist of 4
RPi processor "kits" (= 4x RPi, power supply, 8GB SD card with Miller's Pd
config). If you would like to suggest someone to receive a "Satchmo
Award" we'd like to hear from you. The nominee should send us a brief
description of what they'd try to do with 4xRPi You can nominate
yourself; no need for false or genuine modesty to impede.
There isn't any proprietariness or secrecy (or too much organization) with
our Satchmo Awards experiment to Pd-list -- You can copy Pd list on any
communications you like, or not, or whatever you like. If New Blankets
continues get good ideas for Satchmo proposed, we'll continue to give out
Awards -- until our RPi supply (or our money) runs out. Right now we have
30 RPi complete kits in preparation for a "Pd/RPi" workshop that Miller
will be giving at CrashSpace LA on Oct 7 . We're anticipating that some,
but not all, of our initial 30 units will be gobbled-up in that outing.
Hit it, Satch!
Joe Deken, New Blankets