Sorry I can't be in class today, guys, I'm in Miami. But I want you to know that I'm still hacking away at this thesis!

I swear I was actually typing something.

Still, I was able to make a little bit of progress this week...so let's talk about that!

First off, I ordered some LEDs to play around with. I went with a small amount at the moment, so that when I can verify that what I want to do can be done on the scale I want to do it at, I can expand the chain of love. Visual feedback, HO! I also got contact information for the kids from my first user test thanks to DeAngela, so that'll give me some user testing to do all throughout November.

The next thing I did was order this book. After talking to my advisor last week, I looked at a lot of Turino's stuff, and his emphasis on research as regards participatory musical cultures speaks very much to the experience I want to create for my users.

While in the fabulous Wynwood Arts District, I came across this gem...

That's Play-In, and it's an indoor playground that specializes in encouraging kids to explore and experiment. While I was only able to stop in for a quick chat with the people running it, I got some insight into the importance of music education and tactile feedback to childhood development. In other words, it's a great case for the whole "play is good for kids" thing. Perhaps this might also help Sandra in her thesis, but it was a happy little accident on a day when I admittedly planned to not do any homework.

As for deliverables, here's the latest draft of my paper. Notice that it's not too different?

All the cool kids want to read my abstract and conclusion!

Finally, here are my thesis defense slides.

One more day left on this vacation, and it feels weird to not be in the ocean or a pool.