June-July projects and ideas

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leila johnston

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Jun 20, 2013, 9:27:14 AM6/20/13
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Afternoon rat fans,

THE PAST

It's been quite a social month, by my standards. 

I found myself in London where I had a chat to Tassos Stevens, co-founder of Coney, and impresario of immersive and playful theatre experiences. It was supposed to be about some work I might do for them, but naturally I turned it into a conversation about Minotaur the Moosical.

While I was down there I was interviewed by Henry Cooke for his new podcast, more of which in a future newsletter, I'm sure. We talked about the importance of liberating technology from utility and giving it an important role in entertainment and performance. When it goes up you'll find out what I really think about the concept of teaching kids to be interested in computers, and I answered an unsurprising 'woman question' in, I hope, a more surprising way.

But mainly I was down for the excellent Caper birthday party, where I'd invited my pals Sarah Angliss and James Larsson to present and perform alongside Alex D-S ('Good Night Lamp') and our GFR thermal printer, in a mini Hack Circus.

I met up with Rob Barker, founder of Overlap, for a coffee and chat about work. It was supposed to be about that anyway, "but naturally I turned it into a conversation about Minotaur the Moosical"...

Speaking of, writing buddy Tim and I had a Minotaur workshop with our proudly Clavinova-owning composer Paul, and wrote a new song about moths. We're very happy with it. Those of you who've written songs about moths will understand.

I went to Leeds to attend a theatre workshop about digitising scripts in fun and interesting ways, on behalf of a new Nesta magazine I write for. Writing it up now. Honest. Any. Minute. Now.

THE PRESENT

My friend Anjali Ramachandran, Head of Innovation at the agency PHD, has mentioned me in an interview today. So lovely.

I'm currently printing out 200 documents from my thermal receipt printer, as my contribution to Tim Milne's curated art project, CONTAINER. It's a slow and not at all frustrating job. I wrote up a few reckons about the value of disconnected art objects and printed matter here

My pal Sarah Dobbs, co-founder of Den of Geek and organiser of the wonderful "Den of Eek" ghost stories evening last winter has published our stories. I wrote (and read out) something about doppelgangers, and you can buy the book here.

Tim and I launched a new humorous Twitter account this month – “8 bit Sex and the City: The lost episodes of this vastly misunderstood retrocomputing series”. In a parallel universe, the Sex and the City girls are as obsessed with 8 bit technology as they are with sex. “Carrie worries that all they talk about now is old computers.”  We’re adding a few new ones every day when we think of them. @8bitsatc.

I'm giving Twitter a rest for a while to give myself a chance to get literally anything else done. 

THE FUTURE

I'll be in London for the first week in July for a few social/networky things, including the launch of CONTAINER, and the London Maker Faire (Saturday 6th, Elephant & Castle) where I'll be helping Caper with their stall.

THE DREAM

I have an idea for another BBC BASIC graphic I want to try, but I really must finish the paid work first. Or at least, keep telling myself that. Or at least, keep telling you that.

The Bath Making Day workshops, featuring all the people you'd expect such a thing to feature, are just weeks away now. I'm "making" notes as I think of them. Also starting to think more seriously about building up Hack Circus into a Thing.

If you're in Sheffield next week or London the following week (first week of July) give us a shout, hein? If it's London, I might have the dog with me. Something to think about.

Did I tell you I've been doing weeknotes again? More of this sort of thing, slightly more regularly, over there.

Said too much.

L x




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