I had a cold for a week. Lots of coughing.

I’ve been getting down to the last petty annoyances on my motorcycle to-do list. I’ve replaced the control levers, replaced the clutch lever bushing - it actually pulls straight and smooth now, for the first time since I’ve owned it! - replaced the broken seat latch, replaced all the worn-out rubber bushings that hold the side panels on, replaced the headlight element (the high-beam didn’t work). The carbs need to be cleaned & synchronized, but that’s a bigger job than I want to deal with myself, so I took the bike over to Steg’s shop. Perfect timing, since we’re having a serious cold snap today! The bike will be in great shape by the time spring arrives in earnest.

I’ve been playing with an algorithm for generating percussion sequences. The idea is to create an instrument I can add to my music machine that will let me create and adjust percussion tracks on the fly, driving a MIDI drum module. The central conceit of my music project is that I want to create as live a performance as possible, and if this thing works out it’ll let me improvise drum tracks from scratch instead of just tweaking the ones I’ve prepared ahead of time.

The algorithm works surprisingly well, for the simplicity of its design. It’s based on Toussaint’s paper The Euclidean Algorithm Generates Traditional Musical Rhythms, in turn based on Bjorklund’s timing system for a neutron accelerator, The Theory of Rep-Rate Pattern Generation in the SNS Timing System. It all sounds very high-tech, but the basic idea is simply this: natural-sounding rhythms are those which distribute their energy as evenly as possible across the repetition unit.

I decided I would go back to a plain old USB mouse, which arrived today. It is a Trust Predator 2000 dpi High Performance Optical Gamer Mouse with seven buttons, adjustable resolution, and XXL Teflon Feet for Super Dynamic Movement. I don’t know what half of that stuff means but it is clearly meant to signify that this is a very cool mouse.

I bought it because it is black with red stripes and has a cool glowy LED thing under the scroll wheel. I like my new mouse.

If Microsoft founder Bill Gates unleashes more mosquitoes at this year’s Technology, Entertainment and Design conference, Nathan Myhrvold will be ready for him. Myhrvold demonstrated a “Death Star” laser gun designed to track and kill mosquitoes in flight. The device was crafted from parts purchased on eBay by scientists at Myhrvold’s Intellectual Ventures Laboratory.

Includes a video of mosquito wings getting burned off. Looks like they are using a blue/violet laser, as found in a blu-ray player: makes sense, as higher wavelength = more energy.

Of course I went out for a ride. I ran the Lake Washington bridges, not too fast but enjoying the cruise. The carbs might still need a little cleaning, but it runs pretty well for a bike that went to the playa and back, and has been sitting in my shop ever since.

The afternoon I’ve spent working on two pairs of yoga pants, one for me and one for Jeff T. I’m using the same design for each, though his will be 3/4 length and mine full, and I’ll probably give mine an extra pair of pockets so I can wear them out dancing. They’re pretty tame for dancing pants, though; I’m using matte stretch fabric in black and dark red, nothing shiny or fuzzy or otherwise attention-grabbing.

Parts for a pair of LED poi are scattered across my work table at the moment as I figure out how I am going to assemble them. I haven’t started any of the electronics work yet, but it’s a simplified version of the juggling ball prototype I made early last summer, so I expect it all to be straightforward. I’m using 3.3v circuitry this time, which means I don’t have to shift levels in order to talk to the accelerometer, I’m using plain ol’ AAA batteries instead of the fancy lithium-polymer rechargeable system, and I’m using a manual “wake up” button instead of an accelerometer-driven interrupt. Simple as can be.

Each poi is made from a pair of 3″ acrylic hemispheres, with a length of ball chain and a braided leather handle. I’m going to diffuse the light by sanding the insides of the hemispheres and painting them with aerosol window frosting. I think it would be simple enough to epoxy all the electronics onto one of the hemispheres; what I haven’t worked out yet is how to securely mount the battery box, how to keep the batteries from popping out during use, and how to attach the hemispheres together in such a way that it is still possible to change the batteries.

Come to think of it, maybe a rechargeable system would have been easier, since I could solve both of those problems with epoxy, and leave the poi permanently sealed.