who among y’all is old enough to remember this aesthetic of motivational poster??
I want to say that certain execs at my first real job really truly had this kind of crap up on the walls (not my department boss, but like, some of the less self-aware leadership team types), but maybe I am just remembering the demotivational posters meme boom of the early 00s, back in the day when meme genres would last for actual years and not just like, 45 minutes on tiktok.
the only office poster that has ever really stuck with me is one that my dad had in his office when I was a kid. it featured a photo of a man, collapsed on a chair with exhaustion, surrounded by a pile of film stock (actual film stock! how old timey!!) with the headline: “It’s easier to be done than to be satisfied.”
I feel like that’s a pretty good mantra at this point in 2020. it’s easer to be done, and to survive, than to be satisfied or thrive right now, so just keep on chuggin’, babies. we’re gonna make it! whatever you’re making or doing these last few weeks of the year, let’s just be DONE and worry about being satisfied later.
resource roundup!
here’s ur winter reading list! no srsly.
speaking of reading lists, have you poked around in the Cyberfeminism Index yet? well, you should!
this week I am helping a client to salvage & rebuild a WordPress site that went dead thanks to their hosting service killing support for the version of PHP they need, so this is your annual reminder that tools like the Wayback Machine and Rhizome’s Conifer are a very good way to like, recover and preserve your work!
I got to catch a bit of Sam Aaron’s workshop on live coding with Sonic Pi this week (thanks, Shawn!), and during the stream he issued a challenge to encourage viewers to write and share a bit of code that he can use in a live performance today. all of the snippets will be shared in a public repo, so that everyone can continue to remix and collaborate. what a cute concept! you can check out the challenge here and the performance (15:00 UTC-5 today) here.
Purry Booth is an adorable recreation of the purikura experience by Rachel White, and in this thread she gives a little insight into her creative process and tools and hints that she’s working on a blog post about more of her process! rad!
open calls!
the Learning to Teach Creative Technologies Remotely Virtual UnSymposium has an open call for speakers with presentations on teaching remote or hybrid classes or hosting online events. if you’ve been making it work this year with your educational programs in spite of the pandemic, this is for you! learn more and submit here by December 18.
applications are due December 16 for the 2021 Data & Society fellowship. this is 10-month commitment, $25k stipend, the works:
The current moment demands new thinking on the role of race in the theory, practice, and study of data-centric technologies. For the 2021-2022 program, Data & Society is seeking two to three Faculty Fellows whose research projects specifically focus on issues of race and technology. Continuing Data & Society’s history of work on fairness, equity, and civil rights, these faculty fellows will bring a justice-oriented perspective and intersectional approach to their interrogations of race and data.
learn more and apply here!
Bismuth Works is seeking a technical/vfx artist with experience in writing shader coder for a contract role. I know we have some shader queens on this list so check it out if you’re looking for a gig this winter.
Babycastles is looking to offer more online workshops/streams, so reach out to them if you’d like to teach!
? upcoming events!
this is ur friendly annual reminder that we are in winter showcase season i.e. if you are considering applying to any kind of creative technology program in the near future I highly recommend making time to check out the kind of work that is coming out of their communities!!!!!
TONIGHT, Dec 9! 5:00PM UTC-8! shameless self promotion alert! tonight, Gray Area will launch an online showcase for work from the Artist Incubator and Creative Code Immersive programs, including a new project from urs truly! having just seen some of the works-in-progress from my classmates, this will be worth checking out! learn more and RSVP here.
ALSO TODAY, Dec 9! 14:00 UTC! today is Processing Community Day at Coimbra, with LIVE programming literally now! go check it out here!
TOMORROW, Dec 10! 13:00 UTC-5! join the first cohort of UAL’s MSc Creative Computing students at their online graduate showcase tomorrow for a live stream exploring this mix of computing and creative practice! learn more and RSVP here.
also TOMORROW, Dec 10! 18:00 UTC-8! Ethics in Technology are hosting a special event + comedy show on the theme of promoting equal rights for women, featuring a panel of legislatures, attorneys, doctors, and technology leaders. learn more and get tix here!
Dec 11-20! CODAME’s 10th annual festival launches online this week with a mix of live events and anytime experiences! this includes over 16 workshops on topics like composing music with code, generative poetry, and even making AR holiday cards! learn more and get tix here.
just for lulz!
if you’re not feeling the hype on Cyberpunk 2077 but still want to dream of a neon future this winter, this thread from Everest Pipkin is full of indie gems that are worth your time and $$$:
*~housekeeping~*
if you have anything in the works that you are excited about (an event, a workshop, a new project), please send me all the details. if you wanna share links or chat, there is now a Discord server that you can use here.
