On the left is the M8, a remarkable little portable synthesizer (or “synthesizer sampler sequencer,” as the developer describes it: dirtywave.com) that I got recently. On the right is my iPhone running a piece of software called TouchOSC (hexler.net), which provides a customizable control surface. In between is a Micro-USB cable and an Apple dongle. Given how complicated so much technology can be, all the more so when trying to connect two pieces of technology from different manufacturers (don’t get me started on my I2C headaches — and if the term “I2C” is unfamiliar, you might count yourself thankful), I marveled at the immediacy of this connection, the ease with which I could suddenly not just set parameters but maninpulate them in real time.