hey! it’s Black History Month! i.e. a great opportunity to make some time for new voices in your media intake. Modern Figures is a new conversational-style podcast elevating the voices of Black female scholars in computing. it’s presented by the Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences (iAAMCS) in collaboration with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and is intended to be easily understood by everyone- they especially want to inspire the next generation of Black women coders. the first episode dropped last week, and you can subscribe thru all the usual podcast ways. I’m excited to see new episodes roll out over the coming weeks, I always have a hard time finding computing podcasts that feel enjoyable, let alone ones that aspire to strengthen a diverse computing community.
resource roundup!
last Thursday I had time to drop by Supplyframe and catch Jean Rintoul’s talk on open source biomedical imaging, as well as demo her hardware and the OpenEIT software. after a few weeks of navigating startup nonsense in SF (if I hear one more one-liner that includes “BI,” “AI,” or “synergy” I will scream), it was exciting to see someone working on something optimistic & tangible. the OpenEIT dashboard is genuinely easy to use, and I’m excited for the Spectra hardware to be released for crowdfunding. I’m already imagining ways to improve the visualizations for creative applications. you can check out more about her project and sign up for updates on Crowd Supply!
Typetura is a fluid typesetting tool that lets you play around with text in a fun, visual UI. it’s still in early beta but is a nice sandbox for tinkering with type. it’s super easy to get sucked in to making your own little CSS type poems. check it out!
this tutorial on using Python to visualize the Recamán Sequence is a nice lil math moment to get you making generative art. if you’re new to Python, the author recommends using Code with Mu, which is a nice resource in and of itself.
ok this article is not even about writing code that other people can read, it’s about writing code that YOU can read. it has some nice practical tips for keeping your code understandable so you can easily pick up a project down the road and remember what the hell you were doing. the tips on naming conventions especially nailed me – for some reason I’m meticulous in naming my design files (011818-onboarding-dashboard.sketch), but when it comes to naming a function it’s always “footerStuff (number) { //I forgot what this does??? don’t delete! }.”
and, you might think you don’t need this beginner’s guide to CSS, but, tbh, based on some of the stylesheets I’ve seen, you probably do (if you’re using inline styles or !important more than a few times, something has definitely gone awry). it doesn’t have to be this way! if we all just took some time to understand what “display” actually means….
opportunities:
Pioneer Works is accepting applications for their 2019-2020 Technology Residency. this is a 12 week residency that supports creatives through access to advanced tools, practiced engineers, and connection to a larger multidisciplinary community. the deadline is February 15 so get cracking!’
applications for The Strange’s Decelerator are also due on February 15! this is a new retreat/residency hybrid offering “creative internet people” the chance to focus on their work from a beautiful Catskills location. “We expect Decelerator residents to work on strategic planning, project-related research, and other work that will help you slow down and make progress towards your overall creative vision.” this is a legit free residency that sounds like a great low-pressure opportunity to recenter your work. apply here!
? upcoming events!
Tuesday February 5! University of San Francisco! SF USA: Dr. Joy Lisi Rankin will be visiting USFCA to talk about her new book, A People’s History of Computing in the United States. the event is in McLaren 252 from 4:45 – 6:20. if you can’t make it to the talk, there’s a nice long read on The Nation about the book:
Rankin’s book is a powerful and densely detailed account of how digital culture in the 1960s and ’70s shaped our contemporary experiences of technology as a tool for social connection. As the hat tip to Howard Zinn in the title indicates, Rankin’s book locates the forgotten heroes of the personal- and social-computing movement in school classrooms and the academy, as well as the industry’s darker side.
Saturday February 9! Microsoft Technology Center! NYC USA: Unity Developer Day 2019 is kicking off in NYC. it’s a day-long event with a keynote from Kati Nawrocki. Looks cool and is pretty reasonably priced at $25. if you’re looking to get some Unity inspiration this week, it might be worth checking out. tickets are available here.
February 9 – 10! NYC USA: Eyebeam presents Refiguring the Future: an exhibition and conference grappling with the marginalizing states of technology, curated by REFRESH. This is 2 days of talks, hands-on learning, performances, screenings and more across 2 venues. You can (and should) get tickets on Eventbrite.
Wednesday February 13! Whitney Museum of American Art! NYC USA: artists Jonah Brucker-Cohen, Katherine Moriwaki, and Tamiko Thiel along with media historian and theorist Erkki Huhtamo will explore the evolution of virtual and algorithmic practices in a panel discussion in conjunction with Programmed: Rules, Codes, and Choreographies in Art (which you should also check out if you are in the area!!!). the event is free with RSVP.
now thru March 2019! And/Or Gallery! Pasadena, CA USA: And/Or’s current exhibition, Video Game Art 1970-2005, has been extended until March 2019. it includes work by Cory Arcangel, Myfanwy Ashmore, John Horton Conway, JODI, Joan Leandre, David Maynard, Penne and Teller, and Michael Smith as well as rare games on loan from the Supercade collection. looks worth checking out if you’re in the area!
just for lulz
ok this video killed me this week:
and lead me to this explainer on the phenomenon:
does this count as doing my Spanish homework?
*~housekeeping~*
as always, submit to the open artist call if you have anything in the works that you are excited about! and if you have an event or opportunity to promote (anywhere), please send me all the details. the next newsletter will cover the week of February 18 to 24, but I’m happy to promote events further in the future as well and keep them on the calendar.
I will also be offline from Feb 13 – 18, so if you have anything to promote next week, send it in before the 12th!
