The WSJ has an interesting profile of Jim Plamondon, a guy that quit his job at Microsoft to invent a new musical instrument, the Thummer, above.

The Thummer is a bizarre control keyboard that uses a pair of joysticks to control volume, a set of buttons to play notes and an internal motion sensor, so that players can change the sound of the instrument by the way that they move it.

If that sounds a bit familiar, there’s a good reason: In the fall of 2003, as Mr. Plamondon was playing the videogame Halo, when he realized he could use thumb sticks like those on his Xbox controller to shift sound effects. That inspiration, combined with a little inspiration from historical exotic keyboards, led to the Thummer.

With a handful of working prototypes, Mr. Plamondon is searching for investors. Taking stock of his savings, he says he has about six months left before he’ll have to find a full-time job.

Here are a few more examples of the Thummer in action: