this is literally the only scene I remember from Spaceballs with any fidelity. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am actually in the desert right now! this exact moment! but I banked this one early so y’all wouldn’t miss some events this week. I have to run and pack so I’m gonna skip my usual rambling intro, lol, (ummm idk, there’s new emojis???) but I hope u enjoy this week’s links!
resource roundup!
Julia Evans just released a new zine on SQL, and it’s 25% off until Friday! the zine also includes an interactive SQL playground with all of the examples from the zine so that you can play along and experiment with ease. you can grab a copy here. you should also sign up for her free Saturday Comics newsletter while you’re at it!
Adafruit has a new lil 5V mini fan available and I don’t know what I would do with it yet but it would be something cool (no pun intended)! yes of course you can use a cooling fan to, you know, actually cool a computer, but I bet you can think of 1000 other uses. maybe our robo-dragon friend from last week needs some ice breath? idk! you can learn more here.
if, like me, u have at least 1 old laptop that wasn’t worth selling but u can’t bring urself to toss, maybe you can find some inspiration for a second life for the hardware in this video:
Rachel Nabors has pulled together some nice introductory docs for anyone getting started with React Native! tbh I have an old project I am think of reviving/remaking as a React Native app so I’m bookmarking this one myself!
CSS progress bars! this tutorial is a nice lil way to add a stylish progress bar to whatever you’re working on. yes, HTML5 has a progress bar element, but it’s pretty specifically styled and might not work with your project’s l3wk.
opportunities!
Phoenix, Leicester’s center for independent cinema, art, and digital culture, is seeking proposals for new web-based artworks exploring the theme of idleness in online space. they encourage an open interpretation of the theme so long as the work is primarily accessed via a website. submissions are due by February 20, so get cracking! you can learn more here.
applications are open until January 31 for the Artificial Intelligence and Music PhD at Queen Mary University of London. if this feels relevant to your practice, take some time to apply, and I’m happy to connect you with some contacts in the program as best as I can. you can learn more here.
The Strange’s Decelerator is back with a spring program centered around the theme of Earth 1.0. past participants have raved about this program, so if this season’s theme feels relevant to your practice, take some time to apply by February 6. you can learn more here.
? upcoming events!
we are heading into some epic workshops/festivals/conferences for 2020, so I’m gonna start dropping in some bigger events that are farther out into the future so y’all can start thinking about travel for the year and snag those early bird passes!
Tues Feb 4! Data & Society Research Institute! New York, NY USA: Dr. Lior Zalmanson and Chancey Fleet will be in conversation about how the tech industry frames AI as a means to “solve” access to sounds and images by Blind, Deaf and disabled people:
How welcomed, effective and versatile are AI interpretations? What purposes (other than access) are served by their deployment and public promotion? Do they deepen and excite public engagement with the project of digital accessibility as justice, or do they offer permission to disengage?
if you want to take your understanding of accessible tech beyond adding alt text to an image, this sounds like a great opportunity to dig deeper. you can learn more and RSVP for this free event here.
Weds Feb 5! Platzi México! Mexico City, Mexico: Eventloop is back with their first event of 2020. this month’s talks are pretty commercially-oriented, but it’s a solid community and worth checking out, especially if you want to share a talk of your own this year! you can learn more and RSVP here.
Feb 5 – 7! Limerick, Ireland! the International Conference on Live Coding will be 3 days of talks, performances, workshops, and installations! I mean, if I could get a last-minute flight I’d think about it. you can learn more (or just pine over the lineup) here.
Fri Feb 7! Eyebeam! Brooklyn, NY USA: this free event will feature celebrated curator Barbara London in conversation with artist Christine Sun Kim. you can learn more and register here. ASL interpretation and CART will be provided.
also Fri Feb 7! Gray Area! San Francisco, SF USA: THE END OF YOU is an immersive pop-up featuring 11 Bay Area artists:
THE END OF YOU invites you to expand your perceptions of self. What might happen when we stop seeing ourselves as individuals acting in isolation, and experience the world as localized expressions of a much bigger whole?
the opening night is already sold out, bu you can still book a time slot for one of the upcoming sessions until the exhibition closes on March 1. you can learn more and book tickets here.
Sat Feb 8! The New School University Center! New York, NY USA/Worldwide: Processing Community Day 2020 is this Saturday! ok, so the headcount for meals cutoff was Jan 30, but it’s worth reaching out to see what availability there is for the many workshops and presentations on the calendar. you can learn more about what’s going on here. if you’re outside of NYC, check the official Processing twitter account here for events in other cities.
also Sat Feb 8! MotionLab.Berlin! Berlin, Germany: bring your pet projects, favorite electronics, equipment, microbial friends, specialist knowledge and imagination to this monthly hack lab from Berlin Science Hacking! learn more here.
Fri Mar 13! NYU School of Law! NYC, NY USA: this year is the 10th anniversary edition of the Open Hardware Summit, and friend-of-the-newsletter and all-around wonder woman Sophi Kravitz will give the keynote! you can learn more on the summit here and get your tickets here.
Mar 19-20! LIMA Amsterdam! Amsterdam, Netherlands: Transformation Digital Art 2020 aims to show and discuss excising and new strategies for the documentation, transmission, and preservation of digital art for and by artists, curators and conservators. this is relevant to my interests! the symposium will include several workshops, and looks to be a pretty stacked 2 days. you can learn more and register here.
Mar 27-29! Gray Area! San Francisco, CA USA: Algorithmic Art Assembly is back for a second year! this 2-day conference and music festival will showcase diverse artists using algorithmic tools and processes in their work. early bird passes are on sale now – you can learn more and get tix here.
just for lulz!
I have been loving every time one of Crows Crows Crows’ Unity tutorials slips into my timeline and I get like a full minute in before I’m all wait a second….
*~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. the next newsletter will cover the week of February 10 – 16, but I’m happy to promote events further in the future as well and keep them on the calendar.
