I have not been watching the Netflix chess show because, idk, I used up my period piece quota for December on The Crown, and I’m also like, not super lining up for something that seems to be on the theme of, wow it sucks to be a competent femme in a male dominated space! even (especially?) if you have a lot of cute outfits! also smart people are damaged!! maybe in January I will get around to it, but I still haven’t caught up on the baby show, and that clearly takes precedence. I would also just rather watch Computer Chess again for the 5th time any day. the “we have a lady who is competing this year… way in the back corner” moment is effectively brutal without taking up 10-15 hours of my time.
I remember trying to explain Gamergate to an aunt at the peak of that nightmare, and she said something like, “I’m really sorry, I thought we had done more so that it would be better for your generation.” but do people even remember that now? it seems like maybe not, and maybe they would if there was a middling streaming platform drama about it. but maybe that would just be a bummer reminder for the people who had that trauma and those frustrations that people will finally get invested in your story only when very attractive people are acting it out on TV with very good art direction.
for all its dippy Ryan Murphy-ness, I did get a kick out of the alternate history of Hollywood earlier in the year. it was kind of nice to just like, chill in a period piece where people did the right thing and the good guys won and it wasn’t just tragedy porn about how everything sux and hasn’t gotten any better. it was a privilege to fantasize about how good things could be if people had tried harder sooner. sometimes I just want the good guys to win!
anyway, next week I am gonna write about jingle cats.
resource roundup!
amidst a lot of the usual “what I accomplished this year” posts, the only one that feels worth sharing to me is this one by Ire Aderinokun. this year sucked and it’s ok if you just kind of managed and didn’t self-actualize 10x (shout out to the person in a design workshop I did on Sunday who literally said “I guess some people just don’t care about self-improvement as much as I do” 🙄). it’s also extremely ok to try a tool or a framework and be like, yeah ok, I get it, but I’m gonna go back to the other thing I like! thank u Ire Aderinokun for telling it like it is.
first off, you should click this link because the website header is amazing. what a little trip back to 2008! but it’s also a pretty thorough tear-down of one man’s quest to optimize an LED menorah. minimal Judaica, what more could you want!
here’s a good bookmark-able. caniuse.com is a quick way to check if your frontend will be compatible with most browsers. for all u out there redoing your portfolios, be sure that whatever weird CSS trick you are using will work on whatever browser that recruiter happens to have!
being able to pick your tools is definitely a privilege, but if you have the ability or means to choose your software and want to move away from the big baddies, switching.software is a great resource to find easy-to-use alternatives to whatever you are hoping to replace in your digital toolbox. this looks especially useful for educators and community organizers who are looking for cheaper/safer alternatives to share with their communities!
for all my francophone friends out there, arobase is a French-language series, delivered via Substack, that serves as a weekly meeting with the people who make the internet. the latest issue features a conversation with Pauline Chasseray Peraldi on the theme of artistic engagement with Google Maps, read it here! even with my strained French, I’m enjoying the “Pépites” section every week, a little tidbit of an internet remembered.
omg I literally just had an idea for a project where I want to use a glitchy text reveal and then stumbled upon this tutorial for exactly that. who says you can’t will things into being! check it out.
open calls!
the Internet Girlfriend Club is seeking former Generation Y2K internet girlfriends and boyfriends and enbyfriends to share informally their experience as teenagers or young adults on the world wide web. u know I have some stuff in the works that I will be sending them soon, but you should get ur own butt over there and submit as well! submissions are rolling, with first come, first serve presentations in chapters of six. learn more here!
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. learn more and submit hereby December 18.
applications are due December 16 for the 2021 Data & Society fellowship. this is 10-month commitment, $25k stipend, the works. learn more and apply here!
education opportunities!
Make is hosting 2 sessions of a paper circuits workshop for kids with a holiday twist. why not level up your toilet paper tube advent candles with LEDs? the workshop is $25 will cover 3 crafts, with instruction by Maker Camp host and STEM educator Sandy Roberts. cute! sign up here. there’s a few other holiday-themed workshops via Make as well, like this one on holiday math crafts! these would make a great last minute xmas treat for the eager aspiring technologists in your life.
📅 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!!!!!
Dec 16-17! ITP/IMA’s winter showcase opens TOMORROW and will be available virtually, no RSVP needed! check it out here! the showcase includes 2 evening sessions where you can connect with students.
Thurs, Dec 17! 5:30PM UTC-5! Tech Learning Collective will be hosting a practical introduction to creating, using, and administering virtual machine systems. don’t know what a VM system is? no problem! you probably already use the underlying technology! even if you’re not a developer, a virtual machine can help you secure your web browsing activity, give you a sandbox to try out new software, and much more! learn more and register for this workshop here!
Sat, Dec 19! 2:00PM UTC-5! Cypurr Collective are rounding out the year with a cyber-security game show spectacular! they’ll be reviewing some of the bigger tech stories from the past year, plus discussing their cyber-security hopes for the new year. learn more and RSVP here.
Dec 11-20! CODAME’s 10th annual festival is 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!
bubble lights! weird aesthetic, simple concept!
*~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.
