Seb Lee-Delisle - Javascript, hardware and everything in between

Seb Lee-Delisle is running the Javascript Graphics and Animation workshop at Beyond, Sam got the chance to ask him some questions ahead of the conference. Seb shares his background and runs us through some of his hardware and tech choices.

Seb can you give us a brief run through of your journey as a developer over the years?

Hmmm, I'm not sure how brief I can be :) I dropped out of a Computer Science degree after two terms (around 1990), then got work temping in print design (it was during the DTP boom). Then I got a job as a designer / illustrator for a company that made software for the Commodore Amiga, CDTV and AmigaCD. It was a small family business and there wasn't enough design work so I started doing the code too. I learned C there.

Then I left to pursue a career as a musician, I set up a record label for my band and that's how I learned to make websites (we got a lot of press for being one of the few bands to sell music over the internet). I took freelance web design work on the side, and then when the band split up in 2001 I took various jobs developing projects in Director and Flash, as well as JavaScript. Then I started my own company (Plug-in Media) and focussed on making Flash games for clients like the BBC, Sony, Microsoft, and Nickelodeon. We won 3 BAFTAs for our projects, but then we parted company in 2011, and I focussed on my own digital art installation projects, as well as running workshops and speaking at conferences. And I've been doing this for a few years now!

Your work PixelPyros, Laser Light Synths, LazerArcade and I’m sure many others involve physical hardware. Do you have any advice for developers looking to move from the web and gain more of a focus toward hardware?

Hardware is in many ways similar to software - it involves logic and deduction and of course programming. The Arduino in particular is a great route in to playing with hardware, and if you really don't wanna use a C-like language you can always use firmata with Jonny Five to communicate with hardware via Node.js. Or use one of the JS enabled boards like Tessel and Espruino. Or even use a Raspberry Pi to interface with hardware. You have a lot of options, and you already have a headstart just by knowing how to use computers and hopefully code.

Also - find a local makerspace!

You have a workshop called Stuff That Talks To The Interwebs, can you tell us more about that?

Well it's my cheeky re-naming of the Internet of Things, which is a silly name. Stuff That Talks to the Interwebs (STTTTI or ST4i) is still pretty silly but at least it's on purpose :) I'm attracted to any technology that is so new that everyone is excited about it but no one knows exactly what to do with it. This is the perfect time to have fun, experiment and try out silly ideas.

So this workshop is the perfect chance to get started with the Arduino and use it to connect to the internet. It comes with a kit full of stuff that you get to keep, including sensors, wires, flashy lights, and an wifi-enabled Arduino. It's been hugely popular so far and I'll be setting up some more workshops next year, with a new updated workshop kit. You can find out more at st4i.com

Seb you’ve done it all – working in an agency/studio environment, your own client work, working on large non-commercial projects and running your own workshops. Is there a particular path you would recommend or advice you could give to developers?

The reason I'm where I am is because I've always pursued (and more importantly, finished) my own projects. They've been essential to learn different programming languages and environments, and keep my interest and excitement about making things. I've been part of open source projects, and always tried to share everything I've been working on. This has basically led to my current career, where I get to work on my own projects full time. But it all started with stuff I was doing in evenings and weekends.

Are there any software tools or technology you’re particularly excited about at the moment?

It's got to be Arduino! Particularly an Arduino compatible board called the Teensy. That's what the Light Synths are based on. I just love building things, basically.

Finally can you tell us what skills and techniques attendees will leave with when attending your JavaScript Graphics and Animation workshop at Beyond?

I will be showing you how you can use JavaScript and HTML5 canvas to make graphical effects and animations. It's a good grounding in the basic concepts of creative coding, and hopefully it'll inspire you to experiment more on your own ideas.