Religious fanaticism, terrorism and so on…
It’s that time of year again when we go firework crazy. November 5th was etched on my memory well before September 11th, but there are some parallels. Anyway I’ll be just doing virtual fireworks – wish I had a voting button, but then what’s the difference between this, this and this?
Friday, November 05, 2004
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Are the most interesting insiders outsiders?
I’ve been checking out what Marc Prensky said about Digital Natives inBristol
I’ve been checking out what Marc Prensky said about Digital Natives in
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Writing online
I wonder whether this is a space beyond the reach of international politics? Probably not. Bush's re-election is deeply depressing...and just to think I have to go to a meeting and talk about something good I've read! Maybe I'll choose a serial email narrative, kind-of-edgy kind-of-cool. Here's some links: this and this.
I wonder whether this is a space beyond the reach of international politics? Probably not. Bush's re-election is deeply depressing...and just to think I have to go to a meeting and talk about something good I've read! Maybe I'll choose a serial email narrative, kind-of-edgy kind-of-cool. Here's some links: this and this.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Happy Tree Friends ?
I didn't know quite what to think when my friend's 9 year old showed me this cartoon site. There are free feeds but they take a while to load. Meanwhile this idea (here) is an Australian import and seems like a fine idea to me.
I didn't know quite what to think when my friend's 9 year old showed me this cartoon site. There are free feeds but they take a while to load. Meanwhile this idea (here) is an Australian import and seems like a fine idea to me.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Tuned to a dead channel
Its 20 years since William Gibson brought us the word 'cyberspace' and the adventures of the punk cyborg Chase. The opening line stays with me: The sky above the port was the colour of television tuned to a dead channel.' That's magic. I've been visiting Gibson's blog quite a bit lately - that's interesting, too.
Bashment reaches Sheffield now, in the form of a new hair salon 'Bashment Barbers'. But I see that it's not 'bashment' but 'chav' that's tipped as new word of the year by askoxford.com.
Its 20 years since William Gibson brought us the word 'cyberspace' and the adventures of the punk cyborg Chase. The opening line stays with me: The sky above the port was the colour of television tuned to a dead channel.' That's magic. I've been visiting Gibson's blog quite a bit lately - that's interesting, too.
Bashment reaches Sheffield now, in the form of a new hair salon 'Bashment Barbers'. But I see that it's not 'bashment' but 'chav' that's tipped as new word of the year by askoxford.com.
Friday, October 29, 2004
New roles for digital writing
Most new mobile phones purchased in the UK now have picture messaging facility, some do short movie clips. Mizuko Ito charts an interesting development in etiquette with the cameraphone in Japan where users text first to check availablity. Read about it here.
Most new mobile phones purchased in the UK now have picture messaging facility, some do short movie clips. Mizuko Ito charts an interesting development in etiquette with the cameraphone in Japan where users text first to check availablity. Read about it here.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Local knowledge
Graffiti on hoardings around Sheffield claims that God is real. I was pleased to learn, this morning from another writer's addition that God is really Nigel! That explains a lot.
Jack's been talking to me about some of the fascinating work he's been doing over in Rotherham (and elsewhere in cyberspace). This is showcased on his website 'Personal Demons'.
Graffiti on hoardings around Sheffield claims that God is real. I was pleased to learn, this morning from another writer's addition that God is really Nigel! That explains a lot.
Jack's been talking to me about some of the fascinating work he's been doing over in Rotherham (and elsewhere in cyberspace). This is showcased on his website 'Personal Demons'.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Thinking with my fingers
I love the idea of thinking with your fingers. It builds on some of Frank Wilson’s ideas in his book ‘The Hand’. Torill Mortensen uses this to title her blog (which is full of interesting stuff). Meanwhile back at home, I now have Sonia Livingstone’s survey of
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Making tracks in cyberspace
What will happen when bloggers get easier access to mobile technology? Justin Hall who's looking at trends in the US and Japan writes about the possibilities of moblogging. Meanwhile media debate in Japan is addressing the ethics of news blogs and how blogging is changing the face of journalism. At the same time here's more tracks in cyberspace!
What will happen when bloggers get easier access to mobile technology? Justin Hall who's looking at trends in the US and Japan writes about the possibilities of moblogging. Meanwhile media debate in Japan is addressing the ethics of news blogs and how blogging is changing the face of journalism. At the same time here's more tracks in cyberspace!
Monday, October 25, 2004
My footprints
Wet footprints are the memory of my appearance at the office. They say that Thoth invented writing after watching the webprints of the marsh Ibis. This reminds me of how Vygotsky described writing as mnemotechnic. Now, in webrings and bloggings we print our footsteps in cyberspace.
Wet footprints are the memory of my appearance at the office. They say that Thoth invented writing after watching the webprints of the marsh Ibis. This reminds me of how Vygotsky described writing as mnemotechnic. Now, in webrings and bloggings we print our footsteps in cyberspace.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Art, music, life...
Just discovered the work of Martin Hill who does minature Golsworthy-like stuff with stones and pebbles. I loved the film Rivers and Tides which features Andy's work at Eden. You can see other stuff here.
French jazz has often been good, perhaps at its best with Cameroon-born Manu Dibango, but a new niche in 'world jazz' takes off with the arabesque flavours of Didier Malherbe. Life goes on.
Just discovered the work of Martin Hill who does minature Golsworthy-like stuff with stones and pebbles. I loved the film Rivers and Tides which features Andy's work at Eden. You can see other stuff here.
French jazz has often been good, perhaps at its best with Cameroon-born Manu Dibango, but a new niche in 'world jazz' takes off with the arabesque flavours of Didier Malherbe. Life goes on.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
What's news?
Well, first there's official recognition of the rise of news blogs and then our friends at Firebox resurrect the Tamagotchi (here). We must be living in a retro world.
Well, first there's official recognition of the rise of news blogs and then our friends at Firebox resurrect the Tamagotchi (here). We must be living in a retro world.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Live links/dead links
Unfortunately, the fabulous hip hop link is now dead :weep: So, to compensate for that I'm now showing a couple of papers on the sidebar. And keeping up with the unofficial literacies subvertising themes here's a gallery of the work of Banksy who operates in Bristol and London. And this is the Banksy site (here).
Unfortunately, the fabulous hip hop link is now dead :weep: So, to compensate for that I'm now showing a couple of papers on the sidebar. And keeping up with the unofficial literacies subvertising themes here's a gallery of the work of Banksy who operates in Bristol and London. And this is the Banksy site (here).
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
My birthday and other ephemera
Yes, just a bit older, so I'm keeping up to date with hip-hop (click here: you'll need sound) and thinking of creating a digital archive of all those old cassette tapes in the glove compartment of my car with this.
Yes, just a bit older, so I'm keeping up to date with hip-hop (click here: you'll need sound) and thinking of creating a digital archive of all those old cassette tapes in the glove compartment of my car with this.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
The art of the flashmob
In the summer the BBC harnessed the power of the flashmob phenomenon to create Flashmob the Opera, a tastefully disruptive event staged at London's Paddington Station. This is now showing on Channel 3.
In the summer the BBC harnessed the power of the flashmob phenomenon to create Flashmob the Opera, a tastefully disruptive event staged at London's Paddington Station. This is now showing on Channel 3.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Remember those little brushes...
Remember those little brushes you used to get to clean typewriter keys? Another part of writing paraphernalia safely consigned to the past. But it's a whole new set of problems when you try to keep new writing tools clean. Remove those snack crumbs and dead skin from your keyboard with this little gem: the keyboard vac.
Then again, maybe that clunky keyboard is just a throw-back to the times of typing. What about a virtual keypad for your PDA - click here
Remember those little brushes you used to get to clean typewriter keys? Another part of writing paraphernalia safely consigned to the past. But it's a whole new set of problems when you try to keep new writing tools clean. Remove those snack crumbs and dead skin from your keyboard with this little gem: the keyboard vac.
Then again, maybe that clunky keyboard is just a throw-back to the times of typing. What about a virtual keypad for your PDA - click here
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Scandinavian Jazz
Why does all the best new jazz come from Norway and Sweden? In 1989 Miles Davis recorded Palle Mikkelborg's Aura suite in Stockholm...and since then, ECM legend Jan Gabarek, followed by the fantastic Nils Petter Molvaer. And now Eivind Aarset's stunning work on Connected!
Why does all the best new jazz come from Norway and Sweden? In 1989 Miles Davis recorded Palle Mikkelborg's Aura suite in Stockholm...and since then, ECM legend Jan Gabarek, followed by the fantastic Nils Petter Molvaer. And now Eivind Aarset's stunning work on Connected!
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Love in a cold climate
Another object of desire is the wearable MP3 player. OK if it's cold, wet or both - but as Ruth points out 'No good if it's hot!'. Have they considered MP3 shorts?
Another object of desire is the wearable MP3 player. OK if it's cold, wet or both - but as Ruth points out 'No good if it's hot!'. Have they considered MP3 shorts?
Friday, September 24, 2004
Whatever happened to Fist?
Graffiti has a long history dating back, as far as I know, to comments carved into the paving slabs of Ephesus and the Great Wall of China. The Silk Route exhibition at the British Library also showed interesting 'textual litter' in various languages uncovered by nineteenth and twentieth century archeologists. But the spraycan presented a new technology for unofficial urban literacy and marked a new departure in writing. Fist decorated bridges, billboards and buildings with his distinctive tag until the police caught up with him sometime in the 1990s. He was given a gaol sentence for his labours. What happened to Fist? His spirit lives on.
We're now witnessing the emergence of URL graffiti, where affinity groups and activists use this technique of subvertisement to direct the newly literate to their websites. But what would screen-based graffiti look like? Or could this be a way of describing some writing in the blogosphere?
Graffiti has a long history dating back, as far as I know, to comments carved into the paving slabs of Ephesus and the Great Wall of China. The Silk Route exhibition at the British Library also showed interesting 'textual litter' in various languages uncovered by nineteenth and twentieth century archeologists. But the spraycan presented a new technology for unofficial urban literacy and marked a new departure in writing. Fist decorated bridges, billboards and buildings with his distinctive tag until the police caught up with him sometime in the 1990s. He was given a gaol sentence for his labours. What happened to Fist? His spirit lives on.
We're now witnessing the emergence of URL graffiti, where affinity groups and activists use this technique of subvertisement to direct the newly literate to their websites. But what would screen-based graffiti look like? Or could this be a way of describing some writing in the blogosphere?
Thursday, September 23, 2004
BLOGGERS' BLOCK?
Am I suffering from bloggers block? No, I just gave it a break. Life got in the way. Now I'm getting some students into the blogosphere. It's going to be a bit wooden at first, but let's see how it unfolds.
I've been away in Turkey and access seems quite hard outside the major towns. I found internet cafes in the tourist places, but they were very hot and sweaty with slow connections. All I was able to do was check my mail a couple of times. That or melt.
Am I suffering from bloggers block? No, I just gave it a break. Life got in the way. Now I'm getting some students into the blogosphere. It's going to be a bit wooden at first, but let's see how it unfolds.
I've been away in Turkey and access seems quite hard outside the major towns. I found internet cafes in the tourist places, but they were very hot and sweaty with slow connections. All I was able to do was check my mail a couple of times. That or melt.
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