FLEM 8 - let's try this again!

[buffo]

Hey guys...

OK, now that the holidays are over with, how about we try to get the next FLEM off the ground. The one in December had to be canceled, but we did have some cool ideas for that one (including spending a day playing rock band and guitar hero before the actual laser event). So how about it? Is everyone still up for this?

I checked with the boat club in Tavares, and the venue is not available that last week in February like we were talking about. However, it *is* available the first weekend in March. So how does March 5th and 6th look for everyone? I'm thinking we can do the guitar hero stuff on Friday the 5th, and then do FLEM on Saturday the 6th. Of course, we'll still get together for dinner Friday night, and after dinner we'll go back to the venue for the traditional pre-FLEM lase-off...

Does anyone have a problem with the first weekend in March?

Adam

[Experimentonomen]

I wish. Judging from video footage, flem7 looked like it was alot of fun. Anyways as i live in sweden, it´s alittle too far away

[Lazerjock]

I will be out of state the weekend of the March 5th & 6th. Sorry

[Stuka]

I don't anticipate any Winter / Spring get-aways (laser-related or otherwise) for me this year...

[allthatwhichis]

I am good that week and the week after; they switched my on call from starting on Friday to starting on Monday. I will be on call from the 16th to the 22nd of February.

[flecom]

think i should be available that weekend

[mophead]

We wouldn't know until closer to time.

Maybe.

[ljk]

As far as I know that should work for me.

[daedal]

I might be available that week...

I've got a project launch that week (March 3rd)... so I might not be able to get out Thursday night or be off Friday... It all depends on how things go though

--DDL

[buffo]

Well, it's confirmed... FLEM 8 is on for Friday, March 5th and Saturday, March 6th.

I had my Mom reserve the venue for the two days so we could do the Guitar Hero / Rock Band thing on Friday, but if we get bored with that, we can always set up the lasers early!

Sorry to hear that you can't make it, Chris. You will be missed. (And so will your home-made rum!) And Randy, yeah, I understand about all the job-related traveling you'll be doing. Just make sure you can make it to SELEM 2010! (And if you do decide to do a mini-vacation to Disney / Universal, give me a heads up in advance and we'll see if we can do another FLEM around that date.)

Ljk: Would be good to see you again - it's been almost a year since you've attended a FLEM... Can't wait to see what your projector looks like now! And Frank, if you can make it, how about you bring some of the shows you've put together for the museum in Miami? Would be fun to watch some of those, I think.

Doug: Keep in touch with me... Was really looking forward to some Rock Band / Guitar Hero jamming. I know it's a hell of a drive for you though. Let me know if it's a bust. (I can bring my equipment down if you can't make it, since I have a full set for both now.)

Mo: Not sure if I'll be up for drinks on Thursday night before the event or not - I'll have to play that by ear. But if your schedule changes, give me a shout! (I'm sure Paul will be up for it...)

Aaron: Do you think you'll be available on Friday during the day as well? Since you're so close, I could use a hand setting up.

I think Astroguy will be able to make it to this one, and I'm hoping that DZ can make it too. (No promises though, since he's still dealing with a newborn who isn't sleeping through the night yet!) Also Clandestiny said he's OK with the date.

I've mentioned it to Justin at Pangolin, but there's no word yet if his schedule (or Bill's) will allow either of them to attend or not.

More news: DJMatt is thinking about making the trip down from NC. Yeah, it's like a 10 hour drive for him, but he's a die hard! We'll see as we get closer I guess. (I'm also trying to get RGB-gas to make the trip, but he may be tied up with work...)

Anyone else?

Adam

[daedal]

Awe man! Now I have to go see how we can fudge the schedule...

Off to discuss with the management... Wish me luck

--DDL

[flecom]

how about you bring some of the shows you've put together for the museum in Miami? Would be fun to watch some of those, I think.

no problem... I have a LOT of content at the moment

[Astroguy]

As of now it looks like I can make it.

Fred

Well, it's confirmed... FLEM 8 is on for Friday, March 5th and Saturday, March 6th.

I had my Mom reserve the venue for the two days so we could do the Guitar Hero / Rock Band thing on Friday, but if we get bored with that, we can always set up the lasers early!

Sorry to hear that you can't make it, Chris. You will be missed. (And so will your home-made rum!) And Randy, yeah, I understand about all the job-related traveling you'll be doing. Just make sure you can make it to SELEM 2010! (And if you do decide to do a mini-vacation to Disney / Universal, give me a heads up in advance and we'll see if we can do another FLEM around that date.)

Ljk: Would be good to see you again - it's been almost a year since you've attended a FLEM... Can't wait to see what your projector looks like now! And Frank, if you can make it, how about you bring some of the shows you've put together for the museum in Miami? Would be fun to watch some of those, I think.

Doug: Keep in touch with me... Was really looking forward to some Rock Band / Guitar Hero jamming. I know it's a hell of a drive for you though. Let me know if it's a bust. (I can bring my equipment down if you can't make it, since I have a full set for both now.)

Mo: Not sure if I'll be up for drinks on Thursday night before the event or not - I'll have to play that by ear. But if your schedule changes, give me a shout! (I'm sure Paul will be up for it...)

Aaron: Do you think you'll be available on Friday during the day as well? Since you're so close, I could use a hand setting up.

I think Astroguy will be able to make it to this one, and I'm hoping that DZ can make it too. (No promises though, since he's still dealing with a newborn who isn't sleeping through the night yet!) Also Clandestiny said he's OK with the date.

I've mentioned it to Justin at Pangolin, but there's no word yet if his schedule (or Bill's) will allow either of them to attend or not.

More news: DJMatt is thinking about making the trip down from NC. Yeah, it's like a 10 hour drive for him, but he's a die hard! We'll see as we get closer I guess. (I'm also trying to get RGB-gas to make the trip, but he may be tied up with work...)

Anyone else?

Adam

[allthatwhichis]

As of now it looks like I can make it.

Fred

I won't celebrate until this is valid on March 4th.

[buffo]

Hehe... Give Fred a break, Aaron. He's got a lot on his plate these days. Besides, he made the last one, didn't he?

We've got about 6 weeks to go until FLEM... Anyone else think they might be able to make it?

Adam

[mophead]

We're in the process of buying a house AND have to be out of our current residence by 4/1. Having said that, I'll call it a very dim maybe.

[gjason1]

Hey guys,

I am a newbie here, been reading up alot on the forums, the search function is my new best friend. I just came across the FLEM meeting you guy hold every year and would like to know if and how I can attend. I live in Orlando. Im an electrican by trade and own a small business and have a past of LED lighting as a hobby. Lasers seem to be the next step for me =P

Currently Im researching info on how to build my own DAC. I downloaded Popelscan ( Im on a budget here ) and Im wondering if DAC's are software specific. I will be using my laptop. Im 50/50 on building/buying a scanner. I simply want to use this in my first project of projecting a basic image/animation on a table top. Any information, suggestions, websites and brand names will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Jason

[allthatwhichis]

Hey Jason, where at in Orlando? I live a bit north in Eustis and work in Eatonville. Anyone who wants to can attend FLEM; it is a free event.

[f22warzone]

Should be able to make it .... maybe even with my projector if i can fit it in the bag : )..... wonder what they would say if i brought tit as a carry on :P

[gjason1]

Actually just north of Orlando. Im in Altamonte. Is the date set for first weekend in March?

[DZ]

Well it *looks* like I'll be able to make this, though I probably wont arrive until friday night sometime. I'm very much looking forward a nice weekend with loud-ass music, fog machines and lasers, oh, and it's nice to see you guys again as well. Glad to see there will be some new folks.

[buffo]

Hi Jason! Welcome to PhotonLexicon.

If you're thinking about building your own projector, then FLEM is something you don't want to miss. You'll have a chance to see several different home-made designs, and you can talk with the folks that built them. Take a look under the hood, ask a lot of questions, and by the end of the day you'll have a much better idea about where to start. (You'll also get more free advice than you can probably digest safely! )

You'll also get a chance to meet some very cool people, watch some incredible laser shows, and in general just have a hell of a good time. We are a vary laid-back, casual group, and we don't stand on ceremony at all. We do play well with others, however, so rest assured you won't feel like an outsider. We're just a big group of friendly geeks, really. And as Aaron already mentioned, there is no charge to attend.

I should mention that some people will be drinking at the event. I hope you won't be offended by that... Don't worry - it's not a drunken bash or anything, but there will be alcohol there. On the other hand, if you're not afraid to kill a few brain cells, feel free to bring whatever beverage you enjoy. Just make sure you quit in time so you're OK to drive! There is a Holiday Inn Express across the street if people need to spend the night. Also, smoking is not allowed in the building, but there is a patio where you can smoke if you want to. (I'll probably have some cigars with me too, if anyone is interested...)

FLEM is held in Tavares, which is not that far from Altamonte Springs. (Figure an hour by car, tops.) If you need directions, have a look at the first post in this old thread for FLEM 5, which was held last year. The venue location hasn't changed. (We had 3 FLEM's last year, all at this location.)

Normally we all try to get together Friday afternoon to set up our gear in the venue. Then we all go out to dinner, and after that we come back to the venue for a little "pre-FLEM" laser fun. But the actual event normally starts on Saturday morning around 10 AM.

However, this time we'd like to try something new. There are several people who are interested in playing rock band and/or guitar hero, so we thought it would be cool to set up a video projector and hook a game console up to the awesome sound system we set up for these events. (3 amps, 4 speaker cabinets, and 3200 watts RMS of total output power!) So we're thinking about getting together Friday morning to play Rock Band and/or Guitar Hero during the day, before taking the projector down and setting up the lasers that afternoon. If you can make it for both days, that would be great, as we'll probably have lots of free time on Friday to talk shop. (Saturday may be more hectic just because of the large amount of equipment we'll have set up.)

So for this event, the gaming fun starts on Friday morning, March 5th, at 9 AM. We'll probably break for dinner around 6 or 7 in the evening, and we'll go back to the venue around 9 PM for some laser fun on Friday night. Saturday morning, March 6th, we'll get cranked up for FLEM proper, and that will probably run until midnight or later. (We're usually out of there by 2 am though.) You are welcome to attend for as much or as little of the event as you wish, either one day or both.

Also, I'll be in town at least 1 day early, so I'm thinking about getting together with a few local members in Orlando for drinks on Thursday night. If you're up for it, you're more than welcome to join us. More about these plans to follow as we get closer...

If you want to read up on past events, just look through the meet and greet sub-forum and check out the "FLEM" threads. Also, there is a larger, annual event called SELEM (South Eastern Laser Enthusiast's Meeting) which is held every August in North Carolina that you might want to look into. Basically it's the same thing as FLEM, but in a larger venue (500 seat auditorium) with lots more people. There are some videos on youtube that you can search for - they'll give you some idea of what you're in for. (Here's one that was shot at the last event.)

And again, welcome to PhotonLexicon. Hope you like it here... I'm sure you can get plenty of help should you decide to build your own projector. You are fortunate to have several experienced PL members living within a short drive from your area, and as a general rule, we enjoy helping new folks. So if you've got questions, ask away. But I would suggest that you hold off on buying anything until you've had a chance to see some of the projectors that will be set up at FLEM.

Adam

[gjason1]

Adam,

Thank you for the invitation, and detailing the weekend at FLEM. I will surely mark it on my calender to attend. I own a small business so Fridays are late days for me, however Saturday will work great. I will see how it plays out. Im really excited to come, it will be me and my (lil cutie) girlfriend attending. I have lots of questions on my mind. Being new, I'm still trying to grasp the fact a gavo can move more than 30k times a second!! Thats incredible.

To be honest with you, Ive only seen a green laser at an Epcot firework show, never have I seen a blue or purple. I have a degree in electrical engineering and have made up some really neat electronics devices over the years so putting together a laser scanner shouldn't be too difficult. I have an idea of what I need to build a decent projector, im very hesitant in buying anything overseas, I just don't know who to trust. I'm sure you guys have very reputable company's you purchase from. Again I'm excited to learn and meet fellow laser enthusiasts. My dad passed away 2 months ago, we have always done projects together. I think he would have been amazed at the mechanics of a laser projector. I will see you in a little over a month.

Take care, Jason

[gjason1]

BTW,

Join Date Jan 2006
Location Charleston, SC
Posts 2,147,483,773

Thats funny !!

[buffo]

Hehe... Little inside joke there. Details in this thread if you're interested. (The real number should be something around 7000 I think.)

Adam