Rohan Gunatillake gave opening keynote at Future Everything in Manchester. Thought-provoking, intriguing and, to some in the audience a bit baffling. I enjoyed it – here’s the Storify:
How Can Gen Ys Become Gen Wise?
Rohan Gunatillake
Storified by Brian_Condon · Fri, May 18 2012 01:25:29
Keynote Speaker: Rohan Gunatillake | FutureEverything ConferenceFutureEverything Conference Keynote Speaker Rohan Gunatillake presents one of the most original talks you are likely to see this year – on how people are using technology to reinvent Buddhism. Rohan was recently named in Wired Magazine’s The Smart List 2012: 50 People Who Will Change The World. Conservative, dogmatic and authoritarian…
Hoping Rohan Gunatillake, founder of urban Buddhism app, is going to help soothe my morning stress @FuturEverything #futr
The importance of good beginnings
Rohan says “memorable” can go one of two ways. At the beginning of a conference we have fresh minds and we don’t know where it might go.
Starts in 2007 in a meditation practice and study centre – and he met a young novice and realised that he was also 2nd generation Sri Lanken. They had lots of mutual connections. He was a monk in Thailand and saw something in Rohan and asked “Have you thought about becoming a monk” and I said no.
And we’re off! @rohan_21awake, explaining his experiences in Thailand #futr to begin his Keynote "Generation Wise" pic.twitter.com/btSQzxNRFutureEverything
@rohan_21awake : if you want to stay there for more than 3 nights you have to shave your head, and that includes your eyebrows #futr
Buddhism in the Digital Age
But he also realised that Buddhist practices can work in cities and big organisations. The are lots of people making Buddhist practice work in urban environments and in technology.
@rohan_21awake "Generation Wise wants to make Buddhism part of our lives but our lives are digital, relational, urban" #futr
"it’s not fashionable to talk about religion" and now we delve in to the thick of it, note convoluted subtitle #futr pic.twitter.com/YBzlwQAu
RT @bilalr: Buddhism as an innovation tradition, in inner technologies and design – by @rohan_21awake at #futr pic.twitter.com/OWMkOEHM
@rohan_21awake in full flow at #futr Buddhist practice in the Digital Age twitpic.com/9lysdm
“Inner Technologies”
RT @findmandy: Like @Rohan_21awake #futr description of the Buddah as a protoscientist- using inner technologies to gain insights into the human condition
@rohan_21awake "We’re here in a cathedral to external technologies. Meditation is an inner technology of attention and intention" #futr
@rohan_21awake talking about the Buddha and the development of "inner technology" #futr twitpic.com/9lyto6
Moving into the Zen aesthetic and a change in inner technology – about simplicity and Koan practice. The 3 grand traditions of Buddhism innovating and changing but in their own largely geographic areas. Once the hippies came along this changed – as some of them engaged and took the thinking back to the West.
But now it’s not in the Hippies – it’s in the Hipsters! Now you have all the traditions in one place whose teachers are baby boomers and it’s all a bit of a mess.
#futr Buddhism has now moved from the realm of the hippies to the hipsters.
Paraphrasing @rohan_21awake: hipsters are a growth market for Buddhism #futr
Hipster meditators. Ha. #futr
Lots of comment on Twitter about Rohan’s comments about Hippies to Hipsters transition.
Buddhist GeeksDiscover the Emerging Face(s) of Buddhism
Now he’s talking about Buddhist Geeks as “hackers of the mind” – and he made the Buddhify app as an example of meditation design applied to the modern world.
Buddhist geeks are "hackers of the mind" says @rohan_21awake at #futr twitpic.com/9lyy5s
@rohan_21awake #OMCru is a community of people all around the world practising meditation together, mediated by Twitter #futr
Buddhist geeks as mind hackers, online meditation communities, urban meditation, buddhify. Real food for thought #futr, and I’m an atheist!
Corporate buddhism – scary. Buddhist geeks – intriguing. Hacking operations of the mind – ?! @rohan_21awake at #futr
#omcru buddhify as learning mediation walking around the city #futr #wellbeing
RT @futrConf: @rohan_21awake : Buddhist geeks are working on hacking the operating system of the mind. They take it seriously. #futr
BrainBotBrainBot began as a trip to the Himalayan mountains to measure the brainwaves of meditating monks. In the summer of 2011, we won a grant from the non-profit healthcare incubator to help people be more mindful through technology.
His hypothesis is that using your phone will aid mental health – and eventually we will start to integrate technology into ourselves.
There seems to be hi-minded a Buddhist "inner technology" meme at #FUTR. I was going to talk about Data Wombles #pullmysocksup
@rohan_21awake : I get a lot of flak…someone’s writing a masters thesis on the spiritual disaster of [my app] @buddhify #futr
I like the sound of “algorithmic meditation”, I’d be so much more inclined to meditate if I had a robot teacher #futr
Now he’s looking at attention and activism and how we can soften the minds of activists as well – as a way to avoiding ‘burn out’ and the feeling of being overwhelmed. He sees this happening in the next 5 years – where inner technologies can play a bigger part. Mentions Steve Jobs (influenced by Zen aethetics) and Eric Ries and the Lean Startup movement.
Attention economy, why don’t we design with the mind in mind? Is silence actually silent from an attention point of view? Interesting #futr
QuestionsRe use of term Buddhism – does it become obsolete?It’s why we called it meditation by design – not Buddhism by design. Not necessarily using the transformative power.
great opening keynote by @rohan_21awake at @futureverything: meditation as internal technology of attention and intention #futr
@rohan_21awake interesting! Something to munch on this morning……. @VincentHorn
@rohan_21awake great talk Rohan! Really enjoyed it.
“Today INCA launches a Special Interest Group for ‘Ultra-Connected Smart Cities’ – those cities in the UK working to improve their digital infrastructure. The launch event at Manchester Town Hall has attracted a large audience wanting to find out what cities like Manchester, Bristol and Derby are planning. They also have an opportunity to hear about major private sector initiatives, including City Fibre Holdings plans for commercially-funded urban fibre to the home (FTTH) networks, and new wireless broadband initiatives.
The Special Interest Group brings together public, private and community organisations in a dialogue about how our cities can get the best digital infrastructure for future prosperity and economic growth.”
Storified by Brian_Condon · Thu, May 10 2012 12:06:24
Here’s the briefing material for the day:
“The workshop will start with a presentation on the vision, scope and process for the establishment of the Catapult and will be a chance for participants to understand and debate the range of ways companies will be able to work with the catapult, including strategic partnerships, delivery partnerships, and participation in projects and use of resources and facilities.
The main part of the workshop will delve into and debate the type of resources and facilities that the centre could provide that would benefit SMEs once the centre is established; note that this will not be about specific technology areas or projects, but about the nature of the gap that SMEs face and where practical support from the Catapult would make a big difference.
The information captured from the debate will be used as part of the ongoing development phase of the CDE Catapult and will form valuable input into the initial business plan for the centre.”
#CDECatapult meeting starts with 100 people @nick_appleyard @kramix @drgeep @brian_condon @JeremyS1
In a room with windows, high ceilings, room to breathe….. must be the SME day for the #cdecatapult !
RT @marekpawlowski: Interested to hear from anyone at #cdecatapult with a view on the importance of user-centred design in digital industry
At Bristol Science Park workshop on how SMEs will engage with #CDECatapult. Essential to find ways of involving them at the heart of it.
Nick is introducing the CDEC and some of the work that has been done on the CDE Catapult. Consultations going on over several years. Over the 7 catapults there will be £250m available to invest.
@nick_appleyard presents on #cdecatapult in Bristol pic.twitter.com/kBrr9A9HBrian_Condon
The playing field is the internet #cdecatapult
#CDECatapult will be important – flagship even – at the right point in history for convergence (e.g. of tech / creative).
Good question: what is a #CDECatapult? What does it do? Hopefully finding out, we’ll let you know!
Conference underway, briefing from @nick_appleyard on connected digital economy #CDECatapult pic.twitter.com/8Amy2jcsAlex Craven
Questions:How do SMEs get involved with the #cdecatapult
7 Catapults in total – ICT-heavy – centres to help grow the economy – looking at big conversations – all interconnected #CDECatapult
Catapults take on big challenges, big conversations of very diverse sets of people #cdecatapult
Aim of #CDECatapult: UK to be a global leader – where people/companies come to innovate for digital services/media/content.
End to end visibility of media content across infrastructure – how to monetise? #IP fits nicely here #CDECatapult
@EIP_Digital Don’t you think "end-to-end visibility" of content on the Internet is an oxymoron though? #cdecatapult
@brian_condon Depends on the level – packet-level can trace vs. content-level tracking (e.g. who has/is downloading what).
@EIP_Digital but the ISPs/Telcos keep saying they don’t do Deep Packet Inspection……#cdecatapult
@brian_condon They don’t but they could (at least technically). E.g. If legal structure was in place. #CDECatapult
We, as an SME working with digital data (legal services), also need help exploiting power of the Internet for global business. #CDECatapult
Good to hear @nick_appleyard recognising central role of UX at #cdecatapult. Hope today will define how #cdecatapult most effectively helps
SMEs much less well-behaved than delegates at other sessions – asking questions before the Q&A session! #cdecatapult
Graham was right – in the other meetings I’ve been to, people waited until the Q&A to ask questions – actually these participants wanted to get into the debate.
@graham_hitchen if you want disruption, they’re the ones to provide it at #cdecatapult
That’s a new slide on the governance structure of #cdecatapult
#cdecatapult shd be funded around £20-30m per annum around 100-200 people
Advisory board include sme representation #cdecatapult
Outline business plan by June, launch by autumn #cdecatapult
150 SMEs responded to registration of interest in #cdecatapult
Strategic partner of #CDECatapult – organisation w/ resources to help centre (mainly large companies/public bodies could be co-ops of SMEs).
@JeremyS1 discussing role of SMEs in #CDECatapult: most innovation in the digital economy comes from them. pic.twitter.com/vXjT3RHAFrank Boyd
What’s the point? SMEs hv key role in this space. It’s abt innovation that comes fm SME space #cdecatapult
Internet is the lab, digital startups are researchers, SMEs the innovators #cdecatapult
Irene’s tweet above was much re-Tweeted and it seemed to capture the imagination and put the pieces together very cogently. Others also picked up on this theme:
The Internet is the lab – from Bell Labs to connected SMEs. #CDECatapult
@JeremyS1 : ability to be flexible, innovative is inherently an SME capability #cdecatapult
SMEs key to success of Catapult; in high velocity environment they are the innovators #cdecatapult
How do we harness SME capability for UK, and how do we grow and scale that #cdecatapult
Simplest ways for SMEs to be involved in projects but there are other ways #cdecatapult
Jeremy used a quote from Albert Einstein which @kramix links to SME participation:
"If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research." SMEs innovate through their flexibility #cdecatapult @wmgsme
New slide on role of SMEs in #CDECatapult pic.twitter.com/dVyvO4CwBrian_Condon
Collaboration is key. But I argue, convergence is the opportunity #cdecatapult
SME capability matching seems right up your alley @jaybal #cdecatapult
Some ways for #CDECatapult to experiment – not sure how this links to what’s already out there? pic.twitter.com/uP4tIUieBrian_Condon
#cdecatapult should model interdisciplinary working, addressing cultural issues blocking effective collaboration in the convergent landscape
Need for hack days – ideas generation as well as demonstrators- showcasing what has been done #cdecatapult
Like the idea of spare-time skunk works & themed hack days to experiment – IPR headaches abound though. #CDECatapult
@jeremyS1 singing praises of #SMEs: researchers, innovators, speed adopters, disruptors – with hotline to consumer appetites #cdecatapult
Collaboration between different entities to remove cultural boundaries & friction. E.g. Big & small companies working together. #CDECatapult
Reminder from @JeremyS1 #cdecatapult must reflect flexibility of digital industry it serves. Best achieved through dialogue with SMEs IMHO
Delighted UX is topping list of #cdecatapult proposals for year one capabilities. Hope multi-disciplinary projects will also get attention
@mcseain @nick_appleyard hopefully #cdecatapult capabilities can help facilitate some of that UX skill to make it easier for SMEs
Moving into questions now and the question of location for the CDE Catapult emerge. Needs to be maximum accessibility for the maximum number of people says Nick Appleyard. Jemy Silver argues that some things can be done virtually – not all the people at this meeting are in the room many of them are looking remotely. A questioner says that “Shoreditch and Manchester” are impossible to get to!
How does a 1-location centre help SMEs nationally? Very good question – virtual integration coupled to a physical location. #CDECatapult
Answer: one centre accessibility to everyone rather than be dispersed. Creating a singularity? #cdecatapult
Obvious really. RT @marekpawlowski: Perhaps single main #cdecatapult should link with existing regional hubs ….?
#cdecatapult TSB putting forward the case for the Catapult. Should it be one centre or spread out across the Uk?
Need right balance between physical/virtual – virtual first. Spend time fixing physical location problem – key. #CDECatapult
Of course, many in the room (especially us SMEs) were thinking that the ‘virtual’ stuff is all very well but most of us don’t have the bandwidth for serious telepresence applications.
Where should the Connected Digital Economy Catapult be located? Where SMEs are or where expertise is? Near strategic partner? #cdecatapult
@EIP and many SMEs collaborate from different national offices – tools and solutions exist. #CDECatapult
How do we create interactions, maintain all the conversations across the country? #cdecatapult
@ireneclng using business platforms such as our WMCCM infrastructure @jaybal #cdecatapult
#cdecatapult debate highlights the difficulty of creating operational model for Centre which purports to have micro/SME culture at its heart
I agree that it’s difficult – but it is possible. Needs a different approach to engagement than that which works with Big Companies and some new thinking on how resources are provided.
Naturally, location kept coming up:
Location is obviously a well-trodden touchy subject! #CDECatapult
@bjh_ip yeah – a difficult one alright #cdecatapult
A few questions about how a single physical #cdecatapult can be useful to SMEs throughout country. Is network of centres needed too?
TSB ‘supervising’ is too strong a term. aspiration is that #cdecatapult is independent and collaborative with voices of many
Good question: how does public/private split work? How’s does it differ from TSB? #CDECatapult
What’s in it for SMEs? Resources, expertise to help you scale, grow and compete globally? #cdecatapult
Obvious really. RT @marekpawlowski: Perhaps single main #cdecatapult should link with existing regional hubs ….?
@nick_appleyard about creating conditions & part of the environment leading to innovation. It’s free to make the decisions. #cdecatapult
Brokerage for microSMEs: where service-providers (attorneys, accountants, solicitors, consultants) can help w/ exposure. #CDECatapult
In Bristol and Bath SP; questioner says "Manchester and Shoreditch are impossible to get to…" I came here from Kent! Ha! #cdecatapult
Key challenges emerging: location, collaboration, resource, funding/bidding, and speed! It must be quick in this environment #cdecatapult
Lots of brainstorming and chat on the Twitter ‘backchannel’ – some of which I could only capture by tracking n=both ends of the conversation – difficult to follow without using the hashtag!
ORegan wondering what the stone is in the catapult? It is David and Goliath! #cdecatapult
Think #CDECatapult needs to be more than another incubator – lots of these already existing.
SMEs are the engine of innovation. SME asks if the #cdecatapult will offer real co-location office space and what support is up for grabs?
@ireneclng gov’t likes defining how parties have specific skills. Was at EU event where only uni’s spoke cos they had ‘ideas’ unlike SMEs.
@Acuity_Design if any group has the license to do things differently #cdecatapult shd have. Do we still remember how?
@Acuity_Design perhaps the counterbalance of large org power is the SME spring? #cdecatapult
@ireneclng metaphorical models of pivots, levers, etc may not help describe a political/financial creation #cdecatapult
Q. How do we make #CDECatapult profitable for microSMEs? Can commercial relationships help? [within EU-law]
Consensus growing that SME delegates’ disruptive potential inversely proportionate to their politesse to the hosts #cdecatapult
@creativeKTN Disruption as oligarchy meets artisans #cdecatapult
Now we are moving into workshop groups – will continue to add content to this Storify if possible.
#cdecatapult Groups asking what the Centre should provide. Be bold in vision and don’t just do what’s happening already. Make it special
My group discussing how #cdecatapult can work. 6 in the group – 4 from Universities.. Speculating about what SMEs might need 🙂
Lots of talk on how to make #CDECatapult worthwhile for SMEs – need to understand problems faced by SMEs – difficult for public bodies.
Creative thinking on #cdecatapult struggling with the need to fill in a form….
Workshop 2: why and how would a fictional SME get involved? (Designs for #CDECatapult on a postcard.)
Success for #cdecatapult will be in *how* it behaves rather than *what* it does
#cdecatapult cannot deliver incubation space or business support – but might be part of a local ecology where this is available in spades
Does #cdecatapult need operational (JV?) model combining very specific capabilities with a broader range of business incubation services?
During the feedback session for Workshop 2 we heard 2 minute feedback presentations from each of the working groups – indicating the wide-ranging ideas for scenarios for CDEC operation. A common theme of brokering relationships, building consortia, helping to take risk and coordination emerged.
Good discussion on a hypothetical SME. One thing is clear, SPEED is crucial. #cdecatapult
Tweets about #cdecatapult have reached 11,556 people http://t.co/LtBCzsPR via @tweetreachapp
#CDECatapult as broker – working on multiple geographic levels in UK; providing access to advisors. #brainstorming
Company has big idea – don’t have resources for design/manufacture/testing. Need project management by #CDECatapult. #brainstorming
SME based in innovation centre – recommended to #CDECatapult – put in touch with advisors & investors. Reduction in risk. #brainstorming
Need to answer what is in it for the SME? #CDECatapult #brainstorming
Bar to entry for #CDECatapult – incentive to join club & share. #CDECatapult
#cdecatapult scenarios all need "convening power", relationship building/brokering, intervention to accelerate and build scale and speed!
"We’re all into localism now." Does a national centre like #cdecatapult need local points of presence? Affiliated universities suggested.
A recurring theme for SMEs is "time". Don’t drain it: offer things that create more of it. #cdecatapult.
Service exchange. VC connections. TSB funding facilitators. #CDECatapult #brainstorming
Good day at #cdecatapult. Good recurring themes emerging- things are progressing but still work to do. Use of case studies worked well todayPeter L
Using scenarios and user journeys proved a powerful framework for generating ideas for #cdecatapult – we need more models like this.Frank Boyd
Agree case studies very useful. Thanks to all who attended. #CDECatapultBen Hoyle
Will be interesting to see how #CDECatapult progresses – broad themes emerged & there was momentum at end of day. The hard part follows…EIP Digital
Storified by Brian_Condon · Tue, May 08 2012 11:03:42
I’ve been thinking about this for a while – the idea of bringing together poets and technical people – geeks, coders, hackers – insert whatever descriptor you feel comfortable with. Of course, similar things happen all the time at #C4CC – but generally focused on projects and usually with a specific goal in mind – such as a performer working with a coder on a piece, or a fashion artist collaborating with an electronics engineer…
I phoned Will Montgomery of RHUL’s Poetics Research Centre and talked it through with him. He liked it; we talked about structure and approach – a conversation punctuated with short sections where participants talk about their work but with no formal presentations. A quick Eventbrite page with words mostly from Will. And a name “Text and Electricity”.
Text and ElectricityText and Electricity is an afternoon symposium designed to bring experimental poets together with those working creatively with technology: coders, circuit-benders, dorks and hackers.We plan a loosely structured and exploratory conversation, punctuated by short informal accounts from participants talking about their work and approaches.
Will and I did a bit of prep before the meeting, agreeing on our approach to facilitation and some back up themes if the conversation flagged (misplaced fears!). We decided to “let go” of the meeting as much as possible; hoping the conversation would flow naturally and that the approach would work.
popping down to Text and Electricity at the #C4CC now. may be interesting re: bringing together @OKFN coders w artists. http://t.co/fRSpDsBu
Beginning #textandelectricity at #c4cc . Wow. The intros are blowing my mind even before the conversations start.
As we went around the circle and people introduced themselves and mentioned their interests, I thought “This is going to work” and glancing across at my co-facilitator Will – I could see he thought so too.
John Sparrow Talks While Mark Rooke Listensbrian_condon
We started with John Sparrow, based in the USA, and talked about his work and generative text – projected on a wall outside the circle.
Itch AwayWelcome to Itch Away, which houses the poetry discussions and practical work of John Sparrow. New material will be added to this site on an ongoing basis. For now, please check out the blog. You can subscribe to it using the link in the left-hand bar.
Initially, I thought that I’d be able to facilitate, participate and Tweet. But it soon became obvious that something had to give – so I focused on the discussion and listening hard.
Our in-house polymath – @kat_braybrooke was active on Twitter – joining in the discussion in the room and beginning conversations with people on Twitter. What follows is Kat’s tweeting and some other material from the web.
@zeroinfluencer @stml, are your ears burning? we are discussing @weavrs & new forms of generative interactivity at #C4CC code/poetry meetup.
WeavrsStarting from interests given to them by their designers, Weavrs learn new emotions and grow to empathically reflect the interests of those around them. Social Formed from the social web, Weavrs publicly blog, checkin, comment and chat. Give them their own Twitter account and they’ll Tweet about their lives and answer everyone’s questions.
@robmyers last tweet pertains to you too. "how does one deal with language thats currently deconstructing *itself*?" cc @weavrs (via #c4cc)
@kat_braybrooke help it by growing its corpus and giving it new tools?
"the rise of blogging was a way to write ourselves into existence, but what happens when those blogging aren’t human?" @brian_condon #c4cc
Kat’s Tweet follows my reference to the work of David Weinberger and his blog – here is his post:
“Thursday, November 29, 2001
The Web vs. Computers Please allow me to state the obvious: the Age of the Web is succeeding in part because it is undoing the excesses of the Age of Computers. With the introduction of the PC, we spent our days staring into a screen, manipulating data and composing words in clicking silence. With the Web, we spend our days staring into a screen looking at other people, or at least looking at how other people choose to present themselves. But the Web runs through and on computers.
The way computers have changed us persists in our online selves. Just as we can manipulate symbols and words with computers, we can manipulate our selves on the Web, if only because Web conversations are mediated through written language and thus can be drafted and revised. Even the immediate conversations – chat, IM – occur through keyboards, allowing us to compose ourselves as we compose our words. We are writing ourselves into existence on the Web. Together.”
You can find his blog archive here: http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/archive/2001_11_01_archive.html
@zeroinfluencer @robmeyers u should come to next discussion! now talking post-post structuralism (hah), nodes, David Harvey, machines. #c4cc
David Harvey at Occupy London (12 November 2011)
"I’m trying to provoke a feminist analysis of flippancy." at #c4cc people now (inevitably) adding gender into the discussion about machines.
poet using "Internet as stimulus" to portray a march, while reading her poem from her phone at #c4cc – an interesting mesh of agency & code.
The poet Kat refers to is Prue Chamberlain and here is the poem:
Join Me on The BridgeIn an act of undeniable symbolism I have burnt my upper thigh with the iron while doing a shirt. Not a small affliction, no, but the welt…
talking more about @weavrs, avatarization, coding and ‘Self’ at #c4cc, we’re realising it’s all the same: authored, constructed poetry.
"language is now collapsing on itself… that might be horrifying." "but it’s also now dynamic and interactive. and that’s amazing." #c4cc
hahahaha, @lloyddavis. am especially amazed by the poignant nature of @LewDDavis’s most recent tweet [cough] cc @weavrs
@robmyers shared ur point re @weavrs at #c4cc discussion. really interesting fodder for intriguing conversation btwn coders & poets/writers.
KAIBRAY DOT COMKAiBRAY DESIGN: graphic/web design and online community-bulding for NGOs by kaitlyn kat braybrooke.
@therourke haha. nice to meet you. also, your glitchy avatar reminds me of those pokemon episodes that caused seizures amongst viewers 😉
@therourke ha. i like how you managed to mention ‘loops’ re: your seizure avatar. very #c4cc discussion 😉 speaking of: http://t.co/KRfNeIZf
Thanks @kat_braybrooke at #c4cc & @robmyers for positing @weavrs as "bots that think they’re human". I can feel a #PKD reference coming on
RT @therourke: PKD was 1st writer to posit robots that thought they were human. Do @weavrs have empathy? Some of #PKD’s did (cc @kat_bra …
Phillip K. Dick Android
@evanraskob ah, before i forget, here’s what i was talking about: #radcoco / http://t.co/VlhPe2Tt cc @federicacocco – and yours? 🙂
WE ARE LONDON’S RADICAL CODING COLLECTIVE.Somewhat unsurprisingly, I’ve been thinking a lot about the intersections between gender and machine languages lately. An article has been making the rounds on Twitter today that raises some key points about the so-called "women in tech" boom, specifically as applied to startups and small organisations in Silicon Valley.
And here is Evan’s blog
Computational Designer In Residence at Ravensbourne | pixelpusher :: pixel performance and artI’ve recently been appointed as Computational Designer at Ravensbourne, which allows me to continue developing open source software for art and design and also teaching people how to make things using software (and programmable hardware).
There’s also other activity – during the same week even – looking at this area:
Can Artists Help Us Reboot Humanism in an Over-Connected Age? | ArtinfoThis year’s "Seven on Seven" conference seemed to represent an emerging consensus among artists and technologists that it is time to slow down. But can we?
And of course, we need to think about what happens next. Positive feedback from participants. It was an extraordinary discussion – and I’m still thinking about it. We may do it again possibly in June. Let us know – add a comment perhaps. The important thing it seems to me is to connect people who might not otherwise meet; and see what happens!
@PrueChamberlain hey lady 🙂 thanks for follow, and rad to meet you at #c4cc meetup. would like to see more of your work re poetry/feminism!
@kat_braybrooke it was great to meet you – I’d like to hear more about your work & hacking, so if you fancy a drink around #c4cc let me know
Maurizio Pilu is explaining the various strands of activity needed to bring the Catapult into existence. It’s a pretty complicated process. You need to be on the Special Interest Group:
The Connected Digital Economy special interest group – a collaboration between the Technology Strategy Board and three Knowledge Transfer Networks – will be the main forum for engagement and discussions with businesses and academics and other stakeholders interested in the establishment of the Connected Digital Economy catapult.
Nick Appleyard describes the way the various strands of activity of the Catapult work together – using the slides that were presented on 17th April; I’ll make notes of anything particularly new.
CDEC will be a Company Limited by Guarantee – that’s the plan at the moment. But this will be separate from the activity model.
Multi-disciplinary nature of the CDEC asks one questioner – how will you maintain the balance between various stakeholders. Nick says that they are actively looking at this ‘live topic’. It’s going to be difficult to balance all the interests.
Jeremy Silver says that want to create a ‘free-er space’ where edgier things can happen.
Looking at relationships between Universities and SMEs – why is there no meeting around that?
How do we ensure that we have learning and gathering of the learning from the CDEC activities and projects.
Nick says they are starting with the Strategic Partners – they had so much interest that they had to ‘partition’ the discussions so they went for big organisations first and also “where we can have more bilateral discussions”.
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@ #CDECatapult hearing it’s objectives: 1.create wealth 2.drive new digital services 3.new apps & services crossing digital & physical world
Discussion of the importance of security and how it cuts across all the three topics areas – but in different ways. CDEC with some sort of security test bed or infrastructure project that could explore some of the security issues.
Another questioner says that there are lots of projects and test beds in Europe and N America – how about linking up with the European projects in this area?
Maurizio says that if you want to go that way “you might as well shut down the TSB”. He doesn’t see that the two are mutually exclusive. We meed to make sure we benefit “UK-based businesses”.
Questioner says that we need to get IT SMEs involved – 96% of them have fewer than 20 people and they deliver fro the economy. How can we do that? How about getting it into one Tweet. Nick says “Get into the market before it exists”.
Jeremy says, somewhat harshly he admits, that this CDEC is not going to work for everybody and there may not be SMEs that can become involved. They do want to get SMEs involved and agree that it’s important to look at the mechanisms for involving SMEs fully in the process.
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RT @andrewbud: #cdecatapult – the question of testbeds has arisen. TSB note no one is using European test-beds – so should the UK repeat the approach?
Serious discussion now about the culture and stance of the CDEC and how it needs to approach its task. Someone points out that the results on the spreadsheet may not capture the attributes of successful companies in the sector. There’s a bit of a debate about what the culture and stance of the CDEC should be to encourage speed and agility and to not be bureaucratic. Seems to be broad consensus that while the attributes and capabilities may be necessary but not sufficient (if you see what I mean).
Feedback session
Graham – we did the evaluation and we also discussed the ethos, culture and approach needed by the CDEC. In this sector, he also points out that the innovation often comes from an approach to openness and play; and the group were a bit concerned about the risk of an overly bureaucratic approach.
Ian – global e-commerce and health informatics came out as very high in the scoring of opportunities. The development of new businesses, help with PR and publications (out in the real world) and more help with the market opportunities as capabilities. Need to be engaged in the local community also. Security testbed and network testbed were Lso seen as important
Steve – similarity of outputs is very interesting he says.
Here are some of the thoughts of participants via Twitter after the event:
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Pervasive access to high-speed Internet scores very highly by the IoT workgroup #cdec #digitalbritain at BIS #TSB
Sarah says that the project was much bigger than the video shown today. “It really punched above its weight”. The making of digital objects was an important act of the project – reflecting back progress.
Choreographic Objects: traces and artifacts of physical intelligence Principle and Co-Investigators: James Leach (Principle Investigator and Award Holder)Department of Anthropology, School of Social Science, University of Aberdeen Sarah Whatley (Co-Investigator)ceMAP, Coventry University Scott deLahunta (Research Fellow)ARTI, Amasterdam School for the Arts, NL Project Partners: Art Research, Theory and Innovation group, Amsterdam School for the Arts, NLWayne McGregor | Random DanceIntel, People and Practices Research Choreographic objects: traces and artefacts of physical intelligence is the title and focus of a series of three workshops centring on the output of four research teams working in collaboration with the choreographers William Forsythe, Siobhan Davies, Wayne McGregor and Emio Greco PC.
Paul talked about ephemera and digital objects such as the BBC indents (the hippos) and their relationship with RedBee media. He was very insightful on the dynamics of ephemeral content and the persistence in people’s minds not designed by its creators.
Clare Reddington says that the Digital Economy is a lot about enabling people to reconnect with the physical world with the help of digital technology. It’s about the layering and richness of experience. “We have to do better than Minority Report”. It’s about experiences. And the way digital changes the way we live. There is a speed function (cites Agile). Temporality and the creative economy.
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Good point well made by @clarered at #beyond text that digital economies are multiple economies. Not singular. #beyondtext
Bill Thompson says he has a problem with the term Digital Economy – and the concept. It needs to be about making the invisible visible. We want to liberate the BBC archive.
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@billt BBC took a long time to see value of what was on the tape was a lot higher than the value of the magnetic material #beyondtext
Sarah says we want more than the value of models and templates. We are seeing a proliferation. It’s also about engagement and values -both material and ethical. The future has to be about re-use of material. And new creation from combining these objects.
Paul Grainge says that he does not have a problem with the word content and there is ‘blurrring’ between disciplines.
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So @billt – is prepared to use the term “Digital Society” but not “Digital Economy” who knew? #beyondtext
Sarah says we are seeding the emergence of short-lived digital objects that don’t persist like photos or written documents.
Big discussions going on about archiving across different disciplines. And changes in the way archives are and can be used (such as pictures of children). And how about reputational issues of researchers ‘private’ notebooks.
Bill points out that the BBC has great difficulties in looking at the digitisation of archives and a ‘duty of care’ to the participants. The issue of online identity and provenance. How do you verify who can see it?
Andrew Burn – says that clearance has been an import aspect of his work especially about images of children. He agrees it needs to be handled carefully.
Until they got over the fear of the amateur, the funders found difficult to make progress
Bill Thompson says “it’s just trees into the swamp” as far as our level of progress is concerned. Sarah says we need to make the ways of entering art objects such as archives familiar.
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#beyondtext art students self-archiving and speakers at conferences having more than one conversation!
Semi-digitised existence – and multiple conversations. Says Rebecca Kill.
Creativity beyond text – where next for the Creative Industries?
Rebekka says it’s interesting that there is a ‘where’ in e title of this session. Was what we did really radical – at music festivals; would it have been more radical at a shopping centre or in a University.
Environments for Encounter Award Holder Dr Alice O’Grady Higher Education Institute University of Leeds Partner Organisation Rebekka Kill, Leeds Metropolitan University Our proposal explores the phenomenon of relational performance within contemporary music festivals as an emergent genre of creative communication.
Rebekka says this is the first time she’s seen the video – it was e-mailed to her this morning.
Dani Salvadori says she sees convergence in the ‘college’ job at Central St Martins; whereas in her university job at University of the Arts she sees divergence. Companies and students coming together – not a hard sell on either side. On university side sees divergence – means dealing with Science and Technology – this is largely a b2b role.
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The most depressing meeting I’ve been to recently was the #cdec meeting says Dani Salvadore of CSM at #beyondtext
She says that there is too much operational thinking and British businesses risk being left behind. It’s not just business – it’s also in science, technology and engineering education – too narrow.
Jeremy Silver says I have two jobs too: advising the TSB on Creative Industries and trying to help get the money spent wisely. And the rest of the time he works with small companies helping them to do ‘real stuff’. And he says that we haven’t updated our definitions of the Creative Industries. And these don’t help – especially when the redefinitions of terms seem to reduce the size of the industry.
The main problem facing the industry is what Jeremy describes as the incumbents’ dilemma and their difficultly in working out how to change. Legislative change – says the Digital Economy Act drove people further apart.
We have an inexorable drive to be businesslike – but we don’t all have to be businesses – not everything can become a business. Let’s not force everything into becoming a business.
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#beyondtext Dr Jeremy Silver asks does everything have to become a business? Dani Salvadori questions gap btween tech ops + creative design
Sally Taylor says that she works between Universities and culture. The list of 13 captive industries has lasted since 1997 – and is probably in need of getting rid of. There is huge demand she says and more creative people working outside the creative industries than in. Need to talk about creative people. It’s a difficult game she says. But “it’s yours”.
TCCE had a conference on Creativity in Business recently. There are positive and negative aspects to creativity in business. Some of the positives are the world’s most iconic buildings.
The problems to deal with are about people; and academics have a role to play.
Where next for the creative industries? How about de-industrialisation. Let’s abolish or radically reduce copyright terms – make things move faster. Less agonistic and maybe more effective.
Jeremy thinks that reducing the term to 12 years would be interesting but the incumbents won’t go for it – implausible.
Rebekka questions the idea of deindustrialisation – and what it really means. Dani says it’s really happening and creation on the Internet is evidence of that. This country is “half deindustrialised” anyway.
Danger of programming in schools is that it will be pushed into ICT education and they will not realise that to make good computer games you needed to bring together music, narrative, writing etc.
Evelyn Wilson says we over fetishise the creative industries – the notion of boosterism cite by Kate Oakley. But what about what next for creativity?
Rebekka says there is no shared view of what ‘creativity’ means – don’t want a definition but the recognition that we are all on different pages.
Ghislaine Boddington says that internationally we have a good reputation and a very high level of quality for digital artists – it’s leading work worldwide. She mentions Creative Europe and the term Culture and Creative Sector – and says doesn’t mention “industry”.
One contributor says that we shouldn’t underestimate the impact of the English language. Dani says she doesn’t agree – most of the work is of a visual nature – language is not important.
We need the new stuff to come from creative work and be driven by that not led by industrial need.
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Sounds like the #beyondtext event was interesting lookin at tweets by @brian_condon @JeremyS1 @clarered
Rick Rylance mentions Creative Hubs, and the Nesta and Arts Council England. And he thanks Ruth Hogarth and other colleagues especially Evelyn Welch for their work.
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Goodbye everyone at #beyondtext and thanks for a brilliant day!
The speed of change during the programme has been amazing says Evelyn Welch – yet it is also surprising that the questions have remained constant, indeed have gained relevance as the programme has continued.
The themes have connected together on memories and performance, recording heritage and dealing with practical as well as theoretical issues. Very practice-based and participatory
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“Who actually owns the ephemeral content?” asks Evelyn Welch – she says all conversations ended up tackling the copyright issue #beyondtext
Larger questions of learning
Elena Isayev -serendipity is important and beyond text has enabled the space to allow serendipity to emerge. We also learnt how to get complex ideas across to people; including children and providing tools for them to think about things in a different way.
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Elena Isayev – “We got the kids to write in Etruscan, and because we didn’t tell them it was about literacy – they did!” #beyondtext
Graeme Milne saya that testimony from local people was of a different kind from that usually found by museums – it seemed to be more descriptive and about mobility and movement – needed to rethink how we saw these aspects. The was a real sense of Liverpool’s history and maybe they a thinking bait more comfortably about it’s past.
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Seems to me it’s the non-linearity of shared memory which is helping us ‘remember the future’ at #beyondtext
Helen asks about where the collaborations might go.
Elena says she is in conversations with other groups around the world. And also talking to the gallery about making apps and involving local school child’s. There’s also a social justice angle.
Sandy Heslop – publication and wider work on basketry – new perspectives and working with the existing group of collaborators.
Graeme Milne – looking at less formal oral history, less structure and you get people you would never encounter – but it raises clearance and copyright issues. How do we make the content persist and how long do people’s perceptions continue to affect the newer generations. Definition and identity of place.
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Really interesting discussion of an identity of a city that almost everyone buys into .- and suddenly somebody doesn’t #beyondtext
Discussion of place after Rebekka’s question – and how they avoided being sucked into the ‘pop music and football’ aspects of Liverpool.
Question on “Impact” and the ref. Elena says her project is an impact case study – though they started it before the REF changes it has become more visible. Graeme says their project will not be an impact case study though those things were built in from the start by e museum partner.
Growing into Music: a multicultural study of musical enculturation in oral traditions Dr Lucy Durán Higher Education Institute School of Oriental and African Studies Children who grow up in oral musical contexts such as the families of hereditary musical specialists commonly learn the body-language of music before they learn music itself.
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#Beyondtext’s Growing into Music explores how music is learnt and shared by children in countries with oral traditions bit.ly/H326Gb
Vimeo is a respectful community of creative people who are passionate about sharing the videos they make. Use Vimeo if you want the best tools and highest quality video in the universe.
From conkers to singing games, rude jokes to fantasy play, Playtimes brings together 100 years of children’s songs, rhymes and games. Explore war battles on bomb sites, rude jokes on council estates, and imaginary TV in the playground, to discover the fascinating world of children’s play.
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Another great #beyondtext project explores children’s playground games in a ‘new media’ age bit.ly/H0bOMq
From conkers to singing games, rude rhymes to chasing games, Playtimes brings together a hundred years of children’s songs, rhymes and games. Explore war battles on bombsites, rude jokes on council estates, and fantasy TV shows in the playground, to discover the unique and fascinating world of children’s play.
Mark Jacobs in the Chair with Paul Basu, Andrew Burn and Bob Ladd
There is a transposition of narrative from physical playground games into digital games – example of clapping games. Use of motion capture to capture forms of movement.
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Are children’s playground games adversely affected by mediatised cultures. You would enjoy this @culturevultures #beyondtext
Paul Basu talks about representing cultural heritage in Sierra Leone. Creating relationships between museums and people near them and also with museums in the UK.
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Why won’t Dinka songs about the civil war not be ere in 20 years? Bob Ladd #beyondtext @ shiny-tops panel
