On the DL

Geeks and Toys

by Jakob Dorof

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Published: Aug 5, 2008

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Thu., Aug. 7, 8 p.m., free, National Mechanics, 22 S. Third St., 215-701-4883, thehacktory.org, nationalmechanics.com

If you're looking for something different to do tonight, consider the options that the folks at the Hacktory are serving up for their Geeks and Toys evening at National Mechanics.

First up there's the LED Throwie Wall, a kind of acoustic, mechanoid dartboard recently invented by Rhode Island hackers AS220. To give it their own spin, the Hacktory has teamed up with local video game musician Alex Mauer — who releases his music on reprogrammed NES cartridges instead of those newfangled compact discs — and No Carrier, a Philly visual artist who uses graphics grifted from nearly fried hard drives and dusted Commodore 64s to craft his figures and landscapes. Together, the three have made an interactive, moving-target throwie wall that replaces the standard metal facade and guitar pickup soundboard with the 8-bit visuals and chiptunes of your youth.

As if that weren't enough, local musician Animal Style will be giving a performance using his re-engineered Gameboy setup and fuzz pedals to rock and get down. And right about now, the Hacktory boys should be finishing up work on UFO Bowling — an original game inspired by one they saw at a hacker conference in Europe — but they're keeping a tight lip about it until its unveiling. "I will say that it does involve cows, and it does involve bowling," hints event coordinator Far McKon. Don't lag on this one.

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