August-September projects and ideas

[leila johnston]

Hello,

I never know how to start these things.

What did you miss?

Roo and I posted a new episode of Shift Run Stop in July. I interviewed nice Person I've Met, Dave Gorman, and Roo and I stole a room in his current workplace to record the usual chat about snack food, holidays and that rubbish new film that's a bit like Aliens. Listen here: http://shiftrunstop.co.uk/2012/07/05/episode-63-dave-gorman/

Duncan (suttree.com) and I went to Dublin to show people how to make things! It was O'MaaazzzInG!!!! We drank Guinness. We saw an individual with dwarfism dressed as a leprechaun. We gave away a tonne of expensive electronics equipment to small Irish children in the name of science. It was Dublin's first Mini Maker Faire and it was spectacular. 6,000 people passed through the excellent Science Gallery and Physics Garden over the course of the day, and BOY did my feet know it. Really adorable highlights video here: http://t.co/YGrUpEAA – and little video featuring Duncan and I here: http://t.co/0Bjm26yV

Then I got to the airport two hours early and watched the sun coming up over Dublin. Good God. When can I go back?

In a purely spectator capacity, I went to the Manchester Mini Maker faire a couple of weeks later, where I was very proud, as always, to see various people I already knew, and in particular to see my old pal Sandy's handiwork on extravagant show in the hallway. Stu Childs and Matt Venn have been developing things for the Polargraph for months now – James Jefferies and I met them at the Happenstance auditions and we do keep bumping into them everywhere. I've known Sandy for years, it's always exciting to see his cleverness popping up all over the place. http://stuartchilds.com/2012/03/polargraph-drawbot-pen-holder/ and polargraph.co.uk are your links for that. 

Following a few emails and civilised summery meetings on London roof terraces, I've just been entrusted with taking over the wheel of  The Literary Platform. It's freelance so I can do it from anywhere, and so far it seems to suit me down to the ground. I expect you can help me, here, and I can help you to help me to help you to help me etc x forever IDET. I'm on the lookout for interesting digital or "muti-platform" storytelling projects, experiments, people, opinions... you know the deal. Almost any of the people who read this newsletter could be a valid interviewee, so please do let me know what you're up to. And if you have an idea for an article you'd like to write, even better.

Back in London last week I popped into Go Free Range's very impressive new offices, and saw some of their thermal printers in their natural habitat, which was very educational and in its way... quite beautiful. All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.

And I think I've just bought a house in Sheffield, but let's not count our chickens before they're hatched. I'm not in Edinburgh, you'll notice. Because I'm running out of weeks, because...

What's coming up?

Tim and I are fiercely writing mental nonsense for something we're submitting to a comedy pitch that closes in September. Hopefully we'll wrap it up this week. We're also still going strong with regular updates on The Inner Head, a sort of messed-up guide to New Age beliefs and modern magicks. We rather think The Inner Head should be a book, perhaps an ebook any ideas? Would you buy that? We also just released a new EAOK download, Extreme Acts of Houseness – a guide to selling property.

In the first week of September I'll be heading to Brighton, first to give a talk at Improve Reality at Lighthouse on Thursday the 6th. Haven't heard of it? Perhaps you've heard of some of the sci-fi men who are going to be there, like Warren Ellis and Brian Aldiss. I think I might talk about Real Time Travellers. Then on the 9th I'm talking at the Brighton Maker Faire, probably about Making Things Fast. Never spent much time in Brighton before but I've heard it's full of people with things a bit wrong with them, so really looking forward to all of that.

October is another story, let's cross that bridge when we come to it.

Let me know about your Literary Platform-worthy news, and see you next time. Sorry if this seemed long. If it's any consolation, I've got a lot more writing to do*.

I never know how to end these things.

Leila

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finalbullet.com

*I'm not that busy really. Come to Sheffield, let's hang out.