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The amazing Beatjazz Hands 3D-printed gestural digital music interface

A few days ago, my colleague Eric Mack brought together eight of the coolest items produced by 3D printing - I'd now like to add a ninth. Digital music artist and inventor Onyx Ashanti has spent the last couple of years creating a wearable system to help him break away from the confines of the front of a computer screen and create improvised music using wireless gestural interface controllers. His original prototype Beatjazz controller was made from cardboard and featured pressure sensors, accelerometers and an iPhone. The vast majority of the latest version has been 3D printed, and it looks and sounds incredible.

Ashanti - who currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany - told us that he's been playing digital music for almost 20 years, has spent three years on tour with Soul II Soul and played on the award-winning Basement Jaxx album Kish Kash. He calls his music Beatjazz, which is inspired by the flow of music in DJ sets and described as the creation of continuous live, improvised digital music. He told us that the music results from interaction with an array of software synthesizers, each played one at a time, recorded into a buffer and then looped. The process is repeated until an on-the-fly sonic orchestra is created. The player can add effects, add or remove existing loops, or throw in some new ones when the mood dictates. Beatjazz also caters for gestural control over synths, effects and loops.

The software side of the system is built and designed in Pure Data, and is interfaced using a hardware controller. Ashanti says that he developed his Beatjazz control interface because he had reached the limits of what he could achieve using a midi wind controller. He also admits to being somewhat frustrated - and even a little bored - by using an interface built to resemble its real-world counterpart or always having to stay in the same spot while looking at a computer monitor to create or record music.

"I couldn't understand why I had to hold my hands and head in this configuration when a digital instrument doesn't need an acoustic tube to make its sound," he explained.

He was struck by the idea that breaking down the controller into separate mouthpiece and handheld key units would allow him more freedom of movement when controlling the Beatjazz system. The control interface developed by Ashanti is a three-way wireless network made up of a head-mounted pressure sensor and two hand units, the latter each sporting four pressure-sensitive pads, two joysticks and an accelerometer. The instrument is played using modified saxophone fingerings and exhaled breath registered on a sensor. The multi-color LED lighting is not just for effect, as each color represents a different sound being produced.

"Each of the three units uses an Arduino Fio running Firmata to interface with the sensors, and XBee Series 1 wireless transceivers for communication - with 1mW transceivers on the interface nodes and 63mW Series 1 Pros on the base station nodes," Ashanti told us. "This allows for strong signal on the base station side and reasonable power consumption on the interface side."

Information from sensors on each unit is sent wirelessly to a computer, where the Beatjazz system translates the dance-like movements and controller commands into digital music output.

Ashanti headed to online crowdfunding portal IndieGoGo to help fund his first prototype in January 2011 and, although he failed to reach his funding target, enough money was raised to build a working prototype of the system from cardboard, guitar picks and an iPhone running TouchOSC. He was subsequently invited to New York to demonstrate his system for TED, a video of which can be seen online.

Full build plans, files and schematics for the early prototype also made it into Volume 28 of MAKE magazine.

Plans to build a better prototype from carbon fiber were abruptly changed when he was introduced to 3D printing in September of last year at the Maker Faire in New York. Fashioning build components by hand can result in finished products that look hand-made, whereas professional-looking designs can be achieved using software on a computer and a 3D printer. Another crowdfunding appeal provided Ashanti with the funds to buy an Emaker Huxley Reprap open-source 3D printer that was also being crowdfunded at the time. The unit's exposed circuitry inspired a number of the design choices for the new Beatjazz controller.

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The amazing Beatjazz Hands 3D-printed gestural digital music interface

Google launches shop for digital books, music, movies and games

Reporting from San Francisco

The Internet search giant says users can now store up to 20,000 songs for free and buy millions of new tracks, download more than 450,000 Android apps and games, browse e-books and rent movies on the digital media hub.

"This is a smart move to position itself as a content provider. Google now has an offering that can rival iTunes," SearchEngineLand.com editor Danny Sullivan said.

Google, a competitor to Apple in the mobile market in which the share of Android-powered phones by some estimates overtook iPhones last year is trying to catch up to Apple in selling digital media directly to consumers.

Apple's iTunes accounts for 70% of the market for digital song downloads, by one estimate. Google took the wraps off a digital music store to compete with iTunes in November.

Amazon.com is also focusing heavily on building a digital destination using its Kindle platform as a gateway to millions of consumers.

Gartner media analyst Michael McGuire said Google is smart to make its digital content easier to navigate and find.

"This is a crucial step Google had to take to keep competitive," McGuire said. "Google is trying to simplify delivering to consumers something they will pay for or load onto their device. Anything Google can do to streamline that is important. Google has got more Android devices in the world, but I don't think it's paying out as much to people who create apps or content."

Google says it will offer a different album, book, video rental and Android app at a reduced price each day for the next week. For example, consumers can buy "Where's My Water" for just 25 cents Tuesday.

"We're creating this notion that the consumer has a single relationship with Google as the ecosystem for their content," said Jamie Rosenberg, Google's director of digital content.

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Google launches shop for digital books, music, movies and games

EFI Customers Achieve Lean Label Production With Jetrion 4900 Digital Label Press

FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 7, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EFI(TM) (Nasdaq:EFII - News), a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today announced it has successfully completed deployments of the Jetrion(R) 4900 UV Inkjet industrial presses for lean label production at Consolidated Products Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn. and Repacorp, Inc. of Tipp City, Ohio. These customers exemplify label printers choosing the leading UV inkjet vendor to streamline their label production.

The new EFI Jetrion 4900 label production system is the perfect digital printing press to meet the growing demand for digital label printing. The Jetrion 4900 combines digital printing and digital finishing in a single system, increasing efficiency with the lowest cost per finished label. Integrated workflow saves customers time and money as they move from a label print file directly to the finished roll without interruption. The Jetrion 4900 can pay for itself with a minimal number of jobs per day.

"EFI is pleased to be at the center of our customers' success in lean label production," said Sean Skelly, vice president of EFI and general manager of the Jetrion business group. "Jetrion inkjet technology is focused on exceeding customer expectations for performance, application flexibility and total cost of ownership. Our collaboration with customers like CPI and Repacorp help us innovate in the areas our customers care about the most."

Consolidated Products, Inc. (CPI)

In business for more than 25 years, Consolidated Products, Inc. (CPI) is a provider of pressure sensitive labels and tags, offering digital printing, dome labels, high-speed laser die-cutting, RFID, and more. According to Kirk Icuss, president of CPI, "We first acquired the Jetrion 4830, and then partnered with EFI as an early installation site for the 4900 with the EFI Fiery(R) RIP to unify the color for both machines. The Jetrion presses give us the ability to respond to customer needs in a short time frame without the added cost of plates or dies and we deliver that increased value to our customers."

CPI is on a lean mission, assisting the company's customer base of consumer products companies and big-box retailers to reduce SKUs and label inventory and reduce scrap costs. Icuss continues, "In the compliance labeling business, we grade quality by durability of the actual label. UV durability of the EFI inks was a key requirement for us."

Repacorp, Inc.

Repacorp, Inc. is a full service print provider with four manufacturing plants located in Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona. Tony Heinl, vice president of Repacorp, says: "As a company, we constantly look at what we can do to help our distributors increase sales. The answer was definitely adding EFI Jetrion presses to compete in short run process printing. We estimate the short run label market at about 800 million dollars. The addition of our three Jetrion presses immediately made us a force in that market."

Repacorp prints a wide-range of label jobs on their Jetrion 4900, 4830 and 4000 systems, and relies on their high image quality. "Our Jetrion 4900 has near photographic quality, with outstanding color reproduction. Digital printing eliminates the need for plates and the laser system provides a tool-free method for cutting any desired shape," says Heinl.

The printers are also used to print multiple copies of a label with variable data information such as serial numbers, barcodes, 2D barcodes, parking decals or date and lot coding.

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EFI Customers Achieve Lean Label Production With Jetrion 4900 Digital Label Press

Insert Coin: Instaprint offers portable photo booths for Instagram (video)

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. While the design hasn't changed much since we spied Instaprint precisely a year ago, the creators behind the Instagram-connected photo printers are now looking for cash -- your cash. Pitched as an event or party service, you can assign specific tags or locations to the printer, hopefully assuring all those instant snaps have at least a passing connection to whoever or whatever paid for all that photo paper. The technology is all a bit Polaroid, as the printers themselves are ink-free Zink types, limited only by however many blank sheets you have inside. Instaprint has set itself the heady target $500,000, with $260,000 of that sum going towards existing hardware and future production. The $399 investment option will net you your very own InstaPrint system, while sepia-tinted image obsessives can offer up 1,449 for the pro kit, containing one WiFi hub printer, three more connectable InstaPrint devices and 80 sheets of inkless paper for your premier cat photo collection/ food gallery get-together. See how it all works right after the break. Update: With 22 days to go, last week's Insert Coin star, the Unruly housing for GoPro cameras, has assembled $16,255 of its $25,000 target. There's still time to make the adventure camera add-on a commercial reality -- donate over $128 and you'll nab one of the first multi-mount frames off its production line.

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BREAKFAST uses crowd-funding to develop the device for consumer use NEW YORK - March 2, 2012 - Today BREAKFAST launched Instaprint on Kickstarter. Instaprint is a location-based photo booth that turns Instagrams into physical prints. Set the device to listen for a specic hashtag and/or location and watch as it prints out all Instagrams with those tags, comments and all. Breakfast released a few prototypes of Instaprint last year and they have since been rented for use at various large-scale events - from store openings to product launches, even nding their way to The Grammys and Lady Gaga concerts at Madison Square Garden. Now Breakfast wants to create a consumer version of Instaprint that can be used anywhere: weddings, bars, restaurants, retail stores, large and small events, ofces, and even just to have on your wall at home. The funding raised on Kickstarter will allow BREAKFAST to rene the existing Instaprint prototype into a consumer-ready device. Supporters of the project can pre-order a Home Kit of one Instaprint for $399. For higher volume printing, multiple Instaprints can be daisy-chained together. Kits with two, three and four Instaprints are available for $749, $1049 and $1,449, respectively. For anyone that contributes without pre-ordering a device, collages of Instaprint prints are also available as a reward. If the Kickstarter project is successfully funded, the Instaprint kits will ship in early Fall 2012. Throughout the Kickstarter campaign, Breakfast will stream a live "try-it-out" feed of Instaprint printing people's Instagrams from around the world. Anyone that posts an Instagram and tags it with #instaprint can visit the Instaprint page on Kickstarter or instaprint.me to watch as their photo is printed

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Insert Coin: Instaprint offers portable photo booths for Instagram (video)

Health Fayre – ‘Looking After The Whole You’

by IOM College

The Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education hosts this years annual Health Fayre, with the theme of Looking after the whole you, on Wednesday 14th March. College students, local young people and the general public will have an opportunity to find out about healthy choices and local support agencies.

The wide range of topics to be addressed by the thirty plus voluntary and statutory agencies in attendance includes fitness tips from the NSC, support for problem gambling with Gamcare, advice on stopping smoking with Quit4You, guidance on healthy ways of expressing anger from the Psychological Therapies Service and information and awareness raising of ovarian cancer with a representative of UK Ovarian Cancer Action in partnership with IOM Anti-Cancer.

Local reiki therapists will offer 20 minute stress busting treatments and Isle of Man College Hair and Beauty students will provide a range of treatments including Indian head massage and face mapping. Yoga sessions with Barbara Thorn will be held throughout the morning and Digger, Daisy, Lucy and their furry chums from Paws for Therapy will also be on hand for people who want to find out about animal assisted therapy.

Anne Gundry, Head of Student Services at the College said; We are delighted so many local agencies have agreed to attend the Fayre and provide information on topics which are of real

relevance to young people in their everyday lives. Contributors will present information in an easy to understand, interactive, informative and fun way. Between them they will address the full meaning of health physical, emotional and mental well being.

The Fayre will be opened by David Anderson, Minister for Health, at 9.15 a.m. and attended by Peter Karran, Minister for Education; it will run until 1.00 p.m. A programme of activities will be available at the College Reception. Although the Fayre is targeted at young people aged 16 plus, anyone is welcome to attend. For further information, please phone Abbie on 648254.

-ENDS-

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Health Fayre - ‘Looking After The Whole You’