beeker ideas

Interesting2008

Jim Le Fevre's Turntable Experiments

A very special day indeed.  Again.  In spite of a kind of Panadol/cold induced delirium (mine personally, not a mass state of mind).

A couple of my particular highlights, and by that I mean the things that when I close my eyes are still gloriously whirring around - there was lots of other brilliant stuff too.

Jim Le Fevre demonstrating his incredible turntable zoetropes.  I can't find much from him round the internet, but you can see an example of what he did for us at the end of this video here.  Really, really wonderful.  As is the stuff before it.

James Houston down from Glasgow with his first from university (received the day before) to play us this.  I don't know if it was just me, or me and my Panadol, but I was transported.  Obviously it's just breathtakingly beautiful.  But I think to see it 'live' with so many other people was an experience to treasure.

This kind?

This is partly up here because I'm trying to get at what Tom means by round and round moonwalking.  But that discussion also reminded me how much I love this clip.  Amanda's funny pursey lips!  Piers' totally out of time clapping.  Simon.  Genius.

compering

Image courtesy of the lovely Lauren.

I'm going to be one of the comperes at Interesting2008 this year.  I'm very excited, but not having ever been a compere before, not quite sure what to do.  Tom suggests I 'descend from the roof by sticking a sword into a long dramatic roll of fabric and abseil down. Then, when you land on the stage you laugh, cocking your head and whisking it backwards with a flourish and slapping your hands together.  That could be the start.'

Anyone other thoughts?

fix my street

A little gem (one of many) from Matt Jones at Interesting. At Fix My Street you type in your postcode, and then get to see and report all the goings on that need fixing. If you enter something pressing, your local council is obliged to sort it out pronto.

Genius. And also a nice smidgen of intelligence into areas you don't know about. Presumably pressing local concerns could range from knifings in some areas, to street's overcrowded with those posh buggies that run you off the pavement in others. A little window into the local.

interesting 2007

Courtesy of Roo.

A very, very special day.  I've been a bit blown away by it.  I can't tell the story better than the Flickr pool does, but I did want to say thanks to everyone involved, including the organiser.  Lots of people there were marvelling at the feat of bringing so many great and diverse individuals together.  I think it's partly a talent for appreciating good things.  I only know a very few people who are really good at this (you know, properly), and they bring out the very best in everyone they meet.  So Saturday felt like the best of some lovely, fascinating folk. 

Now.  I was going to pick out highlights before I realised there were too many.  All of it really.  But I do have two special mentions to people I don't even know how to link to (so I hope they see this somehow): the technical team.  Now they were ace - a big part of me not feeling nervous like I thought I would.  And the Other Russell (the backstage photographer).  He was tremendous too.   

Here's where to catch up with the podcasts as they start coming in.

IMMEDIATE UPDATE

So I just saw this.

On here.  (Roo I hope you don't mind me nicking all your stuff.)  And it kind of sums it up for me.  So I had to have it here.

i want one

Been doing some more digging around for Interesting 2007 materials when I found this clock based on the one in the Sesame Street pinball sequence.  I want one a lot.

Feeling much less nervous about the talk since my two favourite speakers at PSFK (Niku and Iain) both used lists for theirs.  Which is what I'd been planning on.  I think lists are good.  Especially with not loads of time.  Yikes.  Who am I kidding?  It's quite scary.   

interesting stalling/stalling interesting

I thought I'd try and write some of my Interesting2007 bit today.  So of course I'm blogging about it and starting to worry a bit instead.  But I realised I hadn't mentioned it on here yet, so it's absolutely a valid thing for me to write about it.  Before I start writing for it.  Should be a smashing day.  Hope to see lots of you there.

So.  Suppose I'd better just get on with it.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrup.  (What the kids now say at the end of things, instead of Boom.)

little atoms

Little Atoms is a diamond. I've not delved much yet, but just look at that lineup so far. I feel like I've bought a new book full of promise, discovering this. I've been wilfully stretching my blog reading recently, and have some more links to post in full, but this one I had to do at once.

Thanks to the Guardian's top 10 web picks. Which isn't too shabby itself.