Scott (Seamus) Kildall
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kildall.bsky.social
Scott (Seamus) Kildall
@kildall.bsky.social
Artist ⚡ Sensors and Soundscapes 🔊
Plants 🪴 Mycelium 🍄 Water Quality 💧 Microbes 🦠 Amateur Scientist

Also: Map Geek 🗺️ Cocktail-maker 🍸 DJ 🎧 Cyclist 🚲

https://kildall.com/
https://linktr.ee/kildall
https://github.com/scottkildall
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What happens when biology becomes programmable?

At my new co-working space, I stumbled across something called the RoboRoach, which is a kit that allows you to control a cockroach using Bluetooth. Yes, really.

Read the full story:
Hijacking a Cockroach
The other day, I was at my new co-working space, Frontier Tower, and I saw the RoboRoach control kit by Backyard Brains on the table in my new home in the bio lab.
biosymphonic.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Tree Sensor…looks like a Hand. Building on the tech of the Tree Sensor, I built a sensor that looks like a hand, and detects human touch. Maybe we could make a human-tree hybrid interaction.

#Trees #Sensors
December 14, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Getting mucky with Bacteria! On the shores of Lake Abert (SE Oregon), I collect bacteria samples for later data sonfication projects.

#bacteria #datasonification #LakeAbert #Oregon
December 12, 2025 at 3:34 AM
The First Breathers: Rise of the Cyanobacteria

Long before plants where around, the Earth was a dim, reddish world. Imagine metallic seas, toxic (to humans) air, and microbial mats glowing purple in the haze.

Read the full piece:
biosymphonic.substack.com/p/the-first-...
Rise of the Cyanobacteria
lnkd.in
December 9, 2025 at 1:59 AM
What are these Critters in the Microscope?
December 8, 2025 at 7:39 PM
More strange critters in a drop of water, taken from Summer Lake, OR. What are they?
December 7, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I made a very crude Tree Synth using p5.js. It's experimental, and hey, I included GitHub links to the code, too!

#data #science #sensors #trees #synth
December 4, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Checking out tree data from several different trees: Alder, Cedar, Maple and more. It's slow! What should I make from them?

#data #science #sensors #alder #cedar #maple #trees
November 30, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Can’t find the SAP

I made a "Tree Sensor" which detects sap flow on trees. But data is inconclusive. What's next? I don't know

#data #science #sensors #sap #trees
November 28, 2025 at 3:34 AM
I made a "Tree Sensor" which detects sap flow on trees. How does it work? Let me show you what I did to my poor trees.

#data #science #sensors #sap #trees
November 27, 2025 at 4:25 AM
A snippet of the "Bacterial Beats" performance with live music generated from Purple Bacteria. It was a full house this evening, and this video shows some of the sounds the microbes made.

#data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
November 22, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Music from Microbes!

I prepare the "Bacterial Beats" installation, where I make music from live electrical data from Purple Bacteria.

Whoa, what mad scientist stuff is happening here?

#data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
November 21, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Another book for the Xenoform Labs library! Building it up, one book at a time.

#drkarenbakker #karenbakker
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
A new read! Thanks Denise, my friend and coworker from ages, ago from the Exploratorium. Now I can learn about the bacteria that I’ve been cultivating.

#exploratorium
November 15, 2025 at 4:35 PM
This cherry tree looks pretty, but not a good cherry for humans, or for maybe, squirrels, either.

#LutherBurbankFarm #CherryTree #EvergreenCherryHybrids #Prunushybrid
November 14, 2025 at 3:34 AM
I joined Frontier Tower, a co-working space in SF. The bio-punk-lab, headed up by Elliot Roth will be my landing pad. Excited to have a spot to work that aligns well with my art-science interests!

#FrontierTower
November 13, 2025 at 4:25 AM
The plight of the American Chestnut Tree is a sad tale in botanical history, and the hidden consequence of an invasive fungus. This was an attempt to make a blight-resistant species.

#AmericanChestnutTree #LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #HybridChestnut #Castaneahybrid
November 12, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Electrical Data from Microbes!

After putting sensors in the microbial samples of Purple Bacteria that I collected, I got some compelling results. Actual electricity from them. Whoa!

#data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
November 11, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Can you get data from microbes?

I collected microbial samples from the Salton Sea near Bombay Beach, California. After incubating in the sun for about 4 weeks, Purple Bacteria emerged.

I got curious and placed sensors in them. Will they produce data?

#data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
November 9, 2025 at 5:08 PM
So many beautiful trees here. Would love to do a tree data sonification project here some day, or maybe just plants. This place is special. Western Hills Garden, want to collaborate?

#WesternHillsGarden #SnakeBarkMaple #Acerdavidii
November 8, 2025 at 3:51 AM
25 apples in one tree at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm in Sebastopol. Picking one would be like an apple roulette while.

#LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #Sebastopol #MultigraftedApple #Malusdomestica
November 7, 2025 at 3:34 AM
A special variety of apple at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm in Sebastopol. Not all apples are “successful” as far as humans go.

#LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #WintersteinApple #Malusdomestica
November 6, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Can I read bioelectric fields from earthworms? Here are my results.

#worms #sensors #data
November 5, 2025 at 2:30 AM
I set up soil bins in Nevada City with compost, native soil, and biochar (yep, even had to “activate” it). Then I dropped in sensors to see if they could pick up earthworm activity.

Can the sensors detect the bio-electric fields of earthworms?

#worms #sensors #biology
November 4, 2025 at 1:59 AM
A human-successful variety of avocado at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm. This one is adapted to a cooler environment.

#LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #AvocadoSeedling #Perseaamericana
November 1, 2025 at 2:51 AM