This from a colleague Tobias Toft. I don’t get it. But I totally get it.
1. What was the last thing you bought ³of note?²？ Don¹t think too much, just answer.
A Houston Instruments Omnigraphic 2000 analog XY plotter from the 60s or
70s. I got it off eBay for a geek-out project where I’ve built an interface
for it with Arduino, so I can control it from the computer. So far I’ve
implemented my own protocol for it but I’m going to write some HPGL
compatible firmware so I can print line art from e.g. Illustrator on it. I
don’t know exactly what I want to do with it yet, but I’m sure I’ll find
something fun. Right now I’m thinking of doing something with fractals,
computational design/art, or “old school” data visualization with a
Sharpie marker and some grainy paper. Maybe a combination of the three :)
2. How did this purchase/item make you feel?
At first I felt good and excited about receiving the package. Then I felt
geeky for buying outdated lab gear. Then I felt a bit stupid when I
couldn’t come up with a proper answer when a friend asked me why I didn’t just buy
a printer. The only thing I could say was that I think plotters are cooler because they use real pens on paper. I still don’t have a better answer, but I really think that there is something fascinating about plotters (yes, I’m a geek).
