today's adventure in self-employment.

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Just because I get to wear pajama pants all day doesn't mean I'm not being productive!

When I discovered that I would be unable to work full-time in New Zealand due to the visa I was granted, I decided that I would take advantage of this time and use it to develop my talents and create my own art.  So far I have focused on taking classes in hooping, circus, and sword fighting, but a long-standing goal of mine has been to create a stop-motion puppet made from wire.

Sure, I know how to do stop-motion animation, but I tend to use paper cut-outs or Plasticine clay.  It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but over the past five years I have been teaching animation, not once have I created a wire-armature.   New Zealand seemed to be the perfect time to dive into such a project.

Originally I planned on creating a short film based on a script Seth wrote in college, but the idea of creating three puppets and multiple sets in my first go was a bit daunting.  I began drawing ideas for the project back in early March and even purchased most of the supplies, but it never got off the ground.  Since then I have developed a new idea that requires a lot less work and surprise, I was finally motivated to begin my armature!

Here he is in all of his glory…


Okay, okay, so he doesn't look like much, but it's a start!  I hoped to get a bit more done today, but then I realised I never purchased epoxy putty which is the next step in building up the body.  Oops.

Sneak peak of the storyboard


Now for something completely different…

Those of you who have been following me for quite some time know that I have used the Hummingbird Robotics Kit extensively both for personal projects and in the classroom.  The Hummingbird makes robotics easy for kids as it requires zero soldering and can be programmed using simple user interfaces or straight up code.  Bird Brain Technologies has a new version of the Hummingbird that goes even farther by combining it with the Arduino.  This allows for even greater customisation and more learning, allowing users to continue using the Hummingbird as their skills grow.

So why am I telling you this?  All great projects require capital to get started and the Hummingbird Duo is no different.    If you believe in the importance of technology in our schools, donate to this project.  If you want to see a small, edu tech business succeed, donate to this project.  If you hate small businesses and children, then perhaps you would just really like a cool robot for yourself, in which case, DONATE TO THIS PROJECT!  While you are on the Kickstarter page, you should also check out the Bunnicula video which was created by my dear friend Mandy and a crack team of Pitt students.

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