Just a short bit, since I'm tired after BEING INTERVIEWED BY WIRED!!!??!  Not that I'd brag about being INTERVIEWED BY WIRED or anything, just thought I'd mention, in pass, that WIRED INTERVIEWED ME about Project Calliope.

Anyway, two good results of the interview (besides being interviewed by Wired!!!).  First, I updated the project website, still at http://ProjectCalliope.com, to reflect the current progress and the current 'storyline'.  So if you want to build a satellite, and not just read about it, that's where the story is starting to shape up.  It's the same articles as I write here, but in meaningful order, not chronological.

The Calliope story shifted early on to 'lone mad scientist builds a music satellite in his basement' once the realities of the project appeared-- that it was both easier and harder than thought.  Easier to build, harder to manage.  The freedom of DIY is sweetest when flying solo, but that's also more work.  I'll leave it to Garth or Indexed to plot how freedom and work interact, suffice to say, I like being independent and I like working hard, so it's all good.

From the Wired interview, I was asked if I was an amateur astronomer.  Obviously not.  I'm an amateur engineer.  I'm a professional astronomer and science writer, but this project is all about engineering, and that's not my job by training.  That's part of what makes it fun, I suppose.  It's like being a NASCAR driver and thinking, hey, it'd be fun to actually build a car from scratch, wouldn't it?

Finally, for all you readers, remember this.  By the time this story ends, you'll be able to build our own satellite, should you choose, just by following my many twists and missteps.

Enjoy,
Alex
twitter @skyday, twice weekly at Science2.0