PANSE is a project by Paul Thayer (based in Reykjavik, Iceland) that stands for “Public Access Network Sound Engine”. Think of Panse as a musical version of Carnivore, where it exists as a streaming audio program with a built-in server. It’s meant as an open platform for artists to create “clients” or “modules” to connect to it and send messages to control the sound output, while Panse simultaneously sends out data about the audio being played which could be used to control visual output. Good to see more open systems being developed as artist’s tools to foster collective action and collaboration. I first met Paul in Copenhangen in 2001 when he showed his “Choirpiece for four computers” (also found at the above link) which features 5 networked iMacs creating music as an ensemble orchestra.