Associated since the late '80s with recordings of avant-garde improvisation involving live electronics, Tim Perkis has made a complex series of contributions to society that go far beyond twiddling knobs. In what he describes as a "checkered career as a researcher and engineer," Perkis has designed science and music museum displays in San Francisco, Toronto, and Seattle; created a type of robot gear for conducting auctions; consulted on multimedia art for the San Francisco Art Commission as well as the San Francisco airport; and invented a new apparatus for video and sound pro...