I'm currently working on several articles for MMD, such as researching the
self-playing Davis calliope who's picture I put on the MMD Web site a few
days ago.  Robbie and I are also working on an article about the joint
AMICA/MBSI band organ rally in Sierra Madre CA over the 4th of July
holiday weekend. Now that my color scanner is working, I'm going to try to
get some photos of that rally and a previous one onto the MMD web site.

I'm interested in doing a series of projects that would introduce children
to mechanical music.  Much of what we adults play with is either too
abstract for children, or too expensive to let them play with.  I remember
a toy with a wide rubber belt with bumps molded into it that played music
when you turned a crank.  Could such a thing be built with common parts ?
Or perhaps a Bouteillophone, as at:

     http://www.cnam.fr/museum/musica_mecanica/a/coeur/bouteille.html

     (Philippe, is it possible to get some more photos of this ?).

In the meantime, I'd like to encourage people to get some new discussion
threads started, and to keep alive some of the current ones with poten-
tial.  If you've not seen something discussed which you are interested in,
please bring up the subject.  We have hundreds of "lurkers" here who must
have some questions which aren't being answered by the current discus-
sions, or might get an interesting discussion going just by introducing
themselves.  Please speak up.

Jody Kravitz, MMD