IMPORTANT NOTE: I have transferred the detailed notes in this blog to the intermorphic “BOSS Micro BR” forum which I have set up. It should be easier for people to track comments and find answers, as the forum can be searched. I would be very happy if people on this blog wanted to join the forum and post there.

No need to say to much here, simply see the intermorphic site – www.intermorphic.com.

Intermorphic is the new company from me and Pete, and we are building some fun and useful new tools, tools for generating ideas. We are drawing on the experience and knowledge we have built up from developing Koan and miniMIXA. When the products are released, we will be actively seeking feedback on how we can improve them and to make sure they are focusing on doing the main things people want to do with them (and getting that right is always hard!).

The first product we release will be liptikl, a lyric generater for songwriters and poets. As some readers of this blog may know, I am a guitarist and have been writing songs for years. However, the hardest part of all for me is coming up with good ideas for the lyrics – and that stops me finishing many tracks. I know I am not the only one, so I wanted us to look into this challenge and see if we could help people like me to get those lyrics sorted and songs done!

What we are building should help you break writers block, and come up with good and unusual word associations. I have already used the early versions to come up with some interesting ideas. Cannot say more now, you will just have to wait and see how it works when we release it!

The other 2 products we have to do are noatikl, a replacement for the legendary Koan Generative Music System,

and optikl, and light synthesiser.

OK folks, it is with a heavy heart that I report this, but as of today, all Tao Group employees have had their employment contracts terminated. I have just got back from a staff meeting with the administrator. This means, too, that Tao Group is no more as a company. I cannot really say what happened, but you will likely be reading about it from other sources.

Why this has happened is mainly around issues to do with the continued funding of Tao. It is a sad day that employees who have worked hard for up to 17 years at Tao now find themselves in this unenviable position, especially seeing as everything was starting to go so well for Tao.

So, what is going to happen to the various Tao intent technologies, and in particular to miniMIXA (of special interest to me and Pete, as we are the developers of this)? I don’t know yet. If and when I can say something, I will.

Please keep a check on Intermorphic Ltd, a company that Pete and I are, as of today, now getting on with in earnest. Intermorphic is developing multimedia tools to aid creative activity. In the first instance these will include generative music engines and lyric generation tools. This may be a niche area, but we are going to have fun doing it!

I wish success to all former Tao employees in finding new employment quickly, and I am sure they will, as they are a hugely bright and talented bunch. It has been an enormous pleasure and honour working with them and Tao these last few years (well, since we sold SSEYO to Tao in 2002), and they built some amazing technology.