buzzzzzzz (computer! dorks! unicef! open architecture!)

Friday, October 17th, 2008

The ‘Bee’ is a computer that was presented at October’s Dorkbot hosted at Location One, a NYC area non-profit.

The Bee’s homepage of sorts describes the machine as thus:

The ‘Bee’ is a mobile communication system developed by the Innovations Unit in UNICEF’s Division of Communication. The Bee will allow communication, connectivity and data access in field conditions where such technologies are often difficult or impossible to use.

Essentially a computer built into a weather-proofed case that can be taken to areas around the world otherwise lacking information access points or which have recently been devestated by natural or man-made disasters. Further into layman’s terms, basically a bunch of dorks being really innovative and inspiring, building computers for purposes and conditions often overlooked or not understood by most Western countries. An example given was compiling a localized version of the English-language Wikipedia – sans images – for deployment into regions of Africa that lack books and other educational tools. I forget the voltage and power consumption of the unit, but I think it was said it could run off of 4 AA batteries (6 volts) for approximately 2 hours. So a kiosk with the computer installed, and an accompanying solar panel could theoretically power the unit indefinitely.

The “ecosystem” refers to not only the operating system – running Ubuntu Linux – but also the physical construction of the unit, which was designed to be able to be constructed from off-the-shelf hardware elements, so that no matter where the “Bee” was located in the world, one should be able to replace or upgrade a physical component without the need to order from a specific proprietary hardware source

The Unicef dorks in action. The Bee is currently powered up, running off of its internal battery, and the Ubuntu desktop (Hardy Heron) can be recognized.

The keyboard layout and mouse interface. (no F-keys, something they were going to hope to upgrade with future prototypes)

someone pretend-typing, to demonstrate a sense of scale.

The Unicef dork about to fold the Bee into a piece of luggage.

All that remains is the lid.

Keep a lookout for this thing making headlines in the coming months, as while it is definitely not a direct competitor to the OLPC XO-1 laptop and its mission, it is capable of overtaking it in other capacities.

recently:

Monday, October 15th, 2007

went kayaking on the East River!

(my feetsies in the boat, with north edge of Roosevelt Island off to the left)

anybody who lives in NYC must do this! You’re in a kayak, in the East River! How cool is that? And the water wasn’t all that cold either, so the splish splash and wet bum was actually quite pleasant. Anybody can do this, and it’s completely free! Did I mention it is FREE!? Visit licboathouse for details.

(view Flickr photos from our expedition)

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I spot some Location One residents dancing on the streets:

from left to right: Katia, Mafalda, Moira

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“How cool is that?” I thought, when I found out Barack Obama maintains a Flickr account.

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I got re-blogged by one of the best blogs around, Newsgrist, regarding galleries, museums, photography and social networks. I’ve always considered re-blogging as a type of acknowledgment, or a social networking type of homage, or simply a hat tip from one blogger to another. So thanks, Joy!

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attended an opening at Y Gallery, a new space in East Elmhurst, Queens.

whereas most people couldn’t fathom traveling this far out into Queens for a small opening, it reminded me that good art and even greater spaces are always possible outside the confines of Manhattan, and indeed in the coming years and decades this is where most of us, artists and curators and viewers alike, will be migrating to encounter art.

(view Flickr photos from the opening)

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I think I have become addicted to a song! Dethharmonic by Dethklok. I seem to find myself listening to it a dozen times a day!

listen to mp3

(Thunderhorse is an easy runner-up.)

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server upgrade was completely successful, and already worth the investment: the backend is extremely feature-rich, and I can’t recommend mediatemple enough for their great customer service and smooth operation (the upgrade was literally only 3 clicks and some patience).

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Fall has finally rolled in, and it’s sweater weather time. Me, I enjoy the cold. Fashion makes more sense in colder climates (after all what is there to wear really on the beach, in the sun?). Food not only seems to taste better but tastes more, especially hot food. And the tension of hot and cold when drinking a tea or coffee but standing outside in the cold, it’s soooooo satisfying!

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taking advantage of the server upgrade (which was already in the planning stages), because of my documenting the process of changing a Grand Theft Auto 4 billboard wall-painting in Canal Street/SoHo, NYC

(yes, I normally keep that many tabs open!)

I got picked up by some gaming blogs, and even got one of my images published on the frontpage of planetgta.com (owned by gamespy, which I’ve been a member of for well over 6 years), got dugg, and linked on gamekings which altogether made my stats absolutely shoot through the roof!

Gamers, dorks and geeks abound seem to have no problem leaving comments, and encouraging the documentation process. They seem to be less-reserved, and aware that this is just a ‘moment’. We’re all just living in the moment.

thinking about the moon

Friday, August 31st, 2007

the next few weeks are a unique situation for me. For the first time ever I have been requested to be a participating artist in an exhibition at the same gallery I am employed at. Fun.

Since returning from abroad I have hit the ground running, the problem is one finds oneself running in opposite directions! On the one hand I need extra hours for the money because, well, I have none. On the other hand I need to make the best work possible for the exhibition because, that’s my practice! As an artist I need studio time to develop my work but as an employee I’m expected to fulfill certain tasks. I handle all the installations at Location One, so that gives me a unique perspective; indeed, one variable of my work has changed just from the process of assisting with the installation, when the artists who schemed up this show mentioned possibly employing certain colour preferences, that set off a spark in my mind. Not sure if that would have happened if I was simply holed up in my studio (which reminds me of the importance of dialogue, discussion and interaction with people as an important process of one’s artistic practice – so simple but so crucial).

I’m in tune with this exhibition, because Crater NY as it’s called, isn’t simply a static visual exploration of the surface of the moon. It’s a lunar drawing contest in which the audience will actually create the show. A handful of artists have been asked to create objects or works for installing on the surface of the moon, restricting themselves to a loose scale. The works will be installed by Ligarano & Reese. But the public are being asked to attend the show and take up either pencil or digital tablet and draw what they see, to interpret this orbiting celestial body, seen right there on the gallery floor! They can focus in on an artist’s work or neglect them completely and concentrate on the surface texture instead; it is their choice really. Their drawings or digital renditions will be displayed on the gallery walls. To conclude the exhibition, after three weeks there will be a judging session in which a panel of judges review all the submitted works and decide a winner. And here’s the punchline.

The winner of the contest will receive a free acre of land on the moon! And the real estate is located inside the Sea of Tranquility, which is truly prized land!

As such, it is not important to me that people attend the opening, because this isn’t a show about the opening. It’s a show about the process and the course of time, and we are requesting people attend to draw, not to view.

You can pop in to see if drawing sessions are available, or call (212.334.3347) or email (info [at] location1 [dot] org) to register for an available timeslot.

I’m not going to tell you what my work is just yet! You’ll have to show up and draw it to find out!

these weeks – recap and beyond

Monday, February 19th, 2007

man when you get out of rhythm you really get out of rhythm.

another ‘four day’ stint without focused commitment to blogging and I found myself staring at the ‘post box’ as it’s called and wondering how to regain my momentum. and oddly enough it’s not a dilemma of not knowing what to say, it’s a dilemma of having too much and trying to remember where to begin again, of how to collect everything I should have said between then and now. i don’t want to ramble but i’m just too excited by it all so hopefully you’ll bear with me.

it was a crazy past-week for openings and shows. and it’s an even crazier week ahead. Don’t forget to sleep.

the 10th (has it really been that long?) was the Project 1981 opening. I did manage to put some photos up on my Flickr account (oh there I gone and done it now! I said my Flickr! egads!) but I never got around to the meat of the show. I got talking with a friend at the opening about the dilemma of openings themselves. I mentioned that somebody else said I missed completely one piece in the show: because of the crowd, I managed to walk around a vitrine – I later went back to view it once the crowd started to breathe a little bit, but the point is that at openings, depending on the size of the crowd and the size of the space, sometimes seeing the work is just not possible. Not seeing it with certain comforts that is, like space, time and the absence of noise. My friend elaborated: I was told that the opening for the show was basically the run of the show. The work might stay up for another few weeks but it would be by appointment only, not ‘open’ per se. I was unaware of this and commented that it’s difficult because you want as many people to gather at the openings as possible, but you also want to see the work (or in the case of one piece to hear it, impossible at openings because of the noise volume of the crowd). As it would turn out the show is up for a couple extra weeks (the website indeed says until the 28th, by appointment), but for shows that really do only last a week, or a couple of days even, the problem of having the space and time to see the work and maximizing attendance is impossible to solve. But now that I think on it that we were even having that conversation, while immersed in the crowd, is the interesting bit – unable to enjoy the work as it should be but still able to exchange ideas.

two days later I returned to work, still sick at the time, and we had less than two days to complete our installation. while the largest group show I have seen installed in our space, the process was pretty chill and most things were dealt with simply as they arose. and while the opening was a success, I still can’t help but reflect back to the process of these installations themselves, which are sometimes easily the most rewarding part of organizing and installing shows:

(and sometimes way cooler than the work you’re meant to be installing!)

moving ahead Thursday night was the ‘My Country’ opening at the Hungarian Cultural Center. The two artists – Andrea Dezso and Miwa Koizumi, both artists I have worked with on other projects before – are highly aesthetically driven. Miwa carried out a performance for the opening where she used paper-shredded ‘wishes’ written down by viewers to create these small geological-esque paper hill formations and other structures; Andrea’s main body of work on display were approximately 40 small embroideries that illustrated things her mother once told her, many of which manage to be simultaneously sinister and fantastical, touching on topics such as sex, semen, aliens, digestive tracts – you get the idea!

Somewhere in the midst of all this activity also, Manami Fujimori paid a visit out to Flux Factory. Manami is an absolute delight! She’s nothing but energy, completely excited to see work and the spaces of artistic production and life. She was writing about Flux Factory and the crossover of artists who also involve themselves within an arts organization. She’s full of interesting questions and I can’t wait to read her thoughts (it’ll also help kick me in the butt and remind me to finally develop a ‘press’ section in the blog already!).

Finally a 3-day weekend!

Saturday night was the Building Show opening at Exit Art. It’s been a while since I’ve managed to get to an Exit Art opening, but as always it was well-crowded and generally up-beat. I got into discussions with several people since the opening and found that some people are more put-off by Exit Art than I ever have been or even thought to be. Their argument was that too much of the work tends to be ‘redundant’ or copied, and they’re not convinced by the progression of shows over the years. On the contrary I look at the space (I’ve only ever been aware of their 10th Ave site) and I’m completely in awe. And I’m not simply talking about the physical space, but the whole package: the space, the work, the location, the crowd, it all works for me. When I consider how much of the rest of the city is clogged with tourist traps and shitty bars, of course I find haven in a place like Exit Art which has consistently made me think and wonder about it’s programme. Maybe it’s more-easy for others to come to finite conclusions about their opinions, but I like to keep my nerves on-end!

Continuing on, I managed to squeeze in a few house parties as well, including one hosted by Stacey Allan, an old acquaintance that I studied with in Chicago and recently ran into again (again again I should say). Twas good to see her and she had a great crowd, including some Canadian friends of hers that I got discussing with about ‘Artist-Run Centres‘, a phrase and organizational structure I was really only recently introduced to – was intriguing to have such a primary conversation conclude so well, and made me want to travel to Canada this year to view and exchange with some ARCs. And thanks to the President’s Day holiday I was able to enjoy a birthday party on Sunday night for Marcela Cussolin whom I recently befriended (oh who am I kidding holiday or not I would have gone and partiiiiieeed wooooo … ahem). Another great crowd, I told another friend of mine that it reminded me of parties in the Midwest, where people are generally warm, relaxed but enjoying themselves, where the kitchen is usually a focus area (after all that’s where the liquor is) and music is of good selection (speaking of one of the hosts, Chris, had one of the largest selections of ‘mash-ups’ I’ve seen, and was the first person I’ve ever seen to actually interface with Front Row on the Macintosh).

Marcela Cussolin with Andy and cake (NOTE the cake was effing delish!)

OHHHHHH otherwise it was the same-ol’ same-ol’. Yeah, right. In other news I finally got cracking on my upcoming lulu book, working from a newly acquired Epson V350 photo scanner. That thing is a beaut! Most-importantly for my own work, and it’s such a simple design feature that really goes far, is the lid can detach and fold back so you can get large items on the flatbed! Wonderful! The other thing heavily weighing on my mind these days is baseball. Spring training games are just about to begin, and I’m about to do something I’ve never done before, which is invest in a major league sport: I plan on purchasing the ‘premium’ package that allows you to listen to/view every game online. I thought of doing this last year but got deterred because of a couple of reasons; but this year I’m committed to it, I want to see specific pitchers pitch, certain batters hit, and follow more games and players. It’s a hefty investment but it’s not about a financial question, it’s a love for the game.

And the week ahead is nothing easy. Is February always this busy? this weekend initiates THE weekend of art fairs around the city, and for the first time I can say that I’m possibly not interested in them. Of course I’ll end up attending one or two, but I won’t be thinking if I don’t see them all then I’ve fallen short, the way I have in the past (oh the guilt!). Truth is there’s always more going on than one can achieve, so one can’t imagine to do it all. Okay okay, you could imagine, but like I’ve said being from the Midwest means practical living and if I can’t do it all then I’ll just do what I like and be happy with that.

See you next time, folks!

Related websites:
Flickr folder for Project1981 opening
Flickr folder for the Building Show opening at Exit Art
Flickr folder for Marcela Cussolin’s 26th Bday party

live on the internets

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

You can watch me work today, painting a wall in the Location One gallery. Will take a few hours and I’ll enjoy a few breaks on the screen for ya. Image to the right shows my paint bucket and basic tools strewn about. I’ll probably lower the angle a bit so you get a bit of roller in the face.

[livestream here]

hello, and goodbye

Friday, January 19th, 2007

Hello. And goodbye.

(work from Hello exhibition at Flux Factory, unknown artist, opens tomorrow)

So seriously, I’m a little behind on my end, with a bit much on my plate at the moment. Which is epitomized by tomorrow’s events: I’m working probably around 12-14 hours, not pleasant; should be in as early as 11am to prepare some things before opening at noon – don’t expect to leave until around midnight; while invigilating the gallery all day tomorrow we will simultaneously be setting up for a duet-concert by Yuka Honda and Petra Haden in Location One’s performance space; we’re already stretched for resources, and by half-4 today they had only started practicing their second song – they’re asking to stay late but we have to get out of here, it’s Friday after all; i’m supposedly DJing the event, which I wasn’t asked to do but was put on the bill and expected to return – I have NO set list prepared, and I won’t spend my evening tonight stressing out over what music to play tomorrow!; last night the bulb on my eVo v1 projector blew – it’s being installed for the next exhibition at Flux Factory, and word is that the artist pulled out the power cord while the projector was plugged in and running!; it took me over an hour to open up the housing unit and examine the bulb – took so long because of a stripped screw that had to be drilled out with a strip-kit; and oh yeah that show (image above is a piece in the show, unknown artist at this moment) opens tomorrow, at the same time I’m working the concert at Location One, so basically I won’t be able to attend the opening at my home because I’m working a concert for the man (or two women, in this case). Earlier this week I thought I might be able to leave the concert right at the end, and make the tail end of the ‘Hello’ opening at Flux Factory, and then I got told that the space needs to be completely cleared out for Sunday afternoon when some musicians are renting the space for rehearsal – what this means is my mates and I have to spend an hour after we finally kick everybody out cleaning and re-arranging furniture (thus pushing us towards midnight) instead of letting the facility’s janitor take care of it, since they don’t come in until Monday. Bloody bullshit scheduling if you ask me.