At The Last HOPE conference, hackers will broadcast their minds and their iPods.

In the center of the summer's top hacker event will be a small isolation booth. "Radio Statler!" as the station is called, will send out a three day broadcast of all-original material. From the center of Manhattan, around the clock, discussions of the past, present, and future of technology, creativity, and humanity itself will be transmitted.

The first night of the conference, July 18th, the station will carry a program called Digital Music Night, hosted by Peter Kirn, editor of createdigitalmusic.com. The three hour live concert will feature a convergence of artists and musicians using custom, original tools for performing live in new and bizarre ways, including:

• Houseplants hooked up to live computer visuals and music
• A mutant trumpet, halfway between the digital and acoustic worlds
• Packets of data visualized as three-dimensional eye candy
• An animated digital art sketchpad controlled by Wii remote
• A set of digital gloves for gestural DJing
• A robotic drummer
• Computer-generated vocals that sing your spam folder to you
Live digital art made from vintage game consoles and computers

The station will give additional talk and interview time to the conference's speakers, broadcast the keynotes and other popular seminars, and offer attendees who don't speak at the podium a chance to share their ideas. Many hackers who already do their own podcasts are being asked to contribute and do special programs for the conference.

Program and content submissions are still being taken, volunteers are being sought, and the organizers are looking for promotional sponsors to help cover the cost of broadcasting. More information can be found at http://radio.hope.net/ or by emailing projects@hope.net.

For more information on The Last HOPE, visit http://www.hope.net.