Years ago I funded a wonderful project. We raised money to pay musicians to play classical music scores so that we could record them and release them immediately into the public domain. That effort was a success.
Now, I’m finally able to share the fruits of the second project to do the same with the complete works of Frédéric Chopin. This is a wonderful collection. Please listen here. Please download. Please share.
I’ll talk about this more later. For now, enjoy.
Had an idea for a thing. At the moment I’m calling it <broken poets>.
Clark was having one of his moments. "There were roughly three thousand people using public transport that day; thirty-four where riding on the bus in question; eighteen were Caucasian, twelve were Hispanic, two were black, two were Asian; nine were wearing hats: three where dark, six were light; one of the Hispanic women was wearing gloves – it wasn't cold that day; three of the Caucasian women were wearing winter coats – it was not cold that day; and one of the Caucasian men noticed this disparity in dress before the crash that killed thirty-three of them – I should not have questioned them about their seasonally inappropriate attire so close to the end of their mortal lives." The department store worker asked again, "do you need this gift wrapped, sir?" "That would be nice. I could give it to someone if I chose to. It's always good to have your options open. You have a very nice choice of attire that is seasonally appropriate." "Thank you. Just one final ribbon –" "Tremendous! I can tell you're going to live for a long time. God doesn't take the talented or well-dressed."
An awesome, educational, fair use-using post about studying, recognizing, and appreciating components of visual storytelling.
So I want you to watch this movie and think only about staging, how the shots are built and laid out, what the rules of movement are, what the cutting patterns are. See if you can reproduce the thought process that resulted in these choices by asking yourself: why was each shot—whether short or long—held for that exact length of time and placed in that order? Sounds like fun, right? It actually is. To me. Oh, and I’ve removed all sound and color from the film, apart from a score designed to aid you in your quest to just study the visual staging aspect. Wait, WHAT? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? Well, I’m not saying I’m like, ALLOWED to do this, I’m just saying this is what I do when I try to learn about staging…
Hit the link at the very bottom for a soundless, black and white version of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ask yourself what modes of study IP law is functionally preventing. [hint: some interesting ones]
via A one-of-a-kind marketplace from Steven Soderbergh. – Extension 765.
ToDo list: added.
I prefer to use encrypted email. My public key fingerprint is 4FF3 AA1B D29E 1638 32DE C765 9433 5F88 9A36 7709. Learn how to encrypt your email with the Email Self Defense guide.
via An email signature to encourage encryption use | parker higgins dot net.
I used to do repetitive work for pay. Office-type work in a building with cubes. I was surrounded by staplers, locked shred bins, clinging cash registers, and disorderly queues served by staff who didn’t care. When I had downtime I would take the humble office tools I found myself surrounded by and stave off boredom by creating art. I would use cheap plastic pens and office supplies to create art on discarded scraps of paper. I would arrange the office supplies on the scrap paper, trace a part of their outline with the pen, and then move them to another location and retrace to create images like a duck.
I have kept these creations for the past 9 years. They have been folded flat at the bottom of a box that has moved with me from almost-Canada to nearly-Mexico. My packrat nature would not allow me to part with these artworks. I recently found them while cleaning out my basement and they were perfectly preserved between other things I should have discarded long ago. Instead of throwing them away I decided to do make them better.
Now that I have a different set of circumstances and skills1 I decided to update those old pen drawings using krita, gimp, and inkscape. This new work has finally made these drawings useful after sitting for idle so long. My only goal 9 years ago was to keep boredom at bay. I very much hope that these artworks lift your spirits as they have lifted mine.
The duck artwork was originally created on the back of a scrap piece of paper turned landscape. I used scissors for the rounded outline elements2 and a black pen for tracing. Digital FLOSS tools1 were used to augment these original drawings.
You can see my art for sale here. I plan to add additional works as they are completed.
I’ve been enamored with free software since Windows Vista decided to disappear what I called my “trial run” Wubi install of Ubuntu. By the end of this “trial” I preferred GNU/Linux so strongly that I had forgotten there was another operating system (OS) installed on the computer.
But then there was a problem. I couldn’t boot into GNU/Linux anymore. Vista was working fine but my preferred OS was missing. I would later discover that my first real issue with GNU/Linux was created by Windows. While this situation did not give me joy at the time, it was extremely fortuitous.
The problem of a “missing” OS prompted my first visit to a support forum. I solved my own issue with helpful guidance from others. A total stranger thanked me or my efforts because they were experiencing the same issue and benefited from the solution I had discovered and shared.
I switched firmly to GNU/Linux that day.
Computing is now an activity I truly enjoy, benefit from greatly, and intend to utilize for the greater good. GNU/Linux is like a rabbit hole of lagniappes; the fringe benefits keep coming. This chain of positives is in addition to the software itself. I now know and care more intensely about computers, technology, sharing, IP law, programming, ethics, teaching, and more.
GNU/Linux changed me. It changed me for the better. There is just one problem: I don’t feel like I’ve changed GNU/Linux. I don’t feel like I’ve given back enough.1
I’ve been working to figure out what I can do to help GNU/Linux. Here are some things I’ve done for a while now:
In a post about UX redesign, Máirín Duffy created a graphic depicting the chasm between use and contribution. What a striking image.
CC-BY-SA 2014 Máirín Duffy.
I was left with one burning question: how do I make the jump?
While I continue actively contributing in the ways listed above, I recently came across a very different opportunity to make the leap:
It is time to open the submission phase for Fedora 21 Supplemental Wallpapers… The deadline until you can submit your artwork is the August 16 2014 at 23:59 UTC.
minor commitment: Create and submit a supplemental wallpaper for Fedora 21.
In some ways I believe that this image-based contribution will be significantly less valuable than the educational, philosophical, and monetary contributions I am currently making. It’s not that I don’t think art is important2, it is more that I don’t believe I will clearly see the impact of the contribution so as to correctly assess its value.
When I talk about the necessity of the four freedoms, specific people go away thinking differently. When I help people install GNU/Linux, I am able to see them begin to redefine their relationship with computing. When I donate to projects, I do so with the knowledge that my financial contribution is supporting those who support users. When I submit a wallpaper, I… just don’t know. I can’t imagine what the impact may be and I may never know.
That’s why I’m making the jump. That uncertainty is, for me, a leap of faith. Let’s see if I end up on the other side.
a minor commitment
– three things: one
– three things: two
Enjoyment1
– a walk in the park
– beautiful weather
– an early start
– a park
– a snack
Books2
– a decision pre-made
– a collection pre-created
– a clear objective
– a step-by-step pathway to success
Cleaning3
– something you are interested in to listen to fedora.next
– no distractions
– a clear and meaningful objective
– tea
a minor commitment
– three things: one
Basement Cleaning Activity1
– Loud children’s music by the brilliant Justin Roberts provided the soundtrack
– Simple objectives for my little helpers (e.g. these in the box; these on the table; these in the garbage)
– The only distractions were game-oriented and fun
Bedtime2
A combination of:
– The stories they request
– The poems of A. A. Milne — some favorites: Buckingham Palace and Independence
– Patience
Book Selection3
– You’d pre-selected them first
– You chose from the much smaller pre-selection
– They were awaiting action when you arose for the day
Breakfast1
– The coffee was strong
– We arose to bright sunshine
– We were up earlier than usual
– There was laughter and smiles
Data2
– We put in the work — when it didn’t make sense — in order to capitalize when it did
– We honed our skills on other projects which enabled quick completion on this important one
– We pushed for a better timeline when the argument was strongest
– We worked with the relevant stakeholders
Dinner3
– Great (new!) flavors
– Quite impressively from scratch
– Rambunctious, beautiful, hilarious children
– Good friend
– Weather change: cooler, windy, rainy (brief hail), thunder
It is astounding how simple it can be to cultivate happiness. Each time I encounter another way to increase happiness and improve well-being I am awed by the simplicity of the action required and the largess of the result. Dr. Seligman, a positive psychologist, suggests the following for a better life:
“Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well.”
I’ve done similar reflections before for the purpose of synopsizing the day, reevaluating present exhaustion, mitigating negative thoughts, or simple journaling. Intuitively and experientially I know that this type of reflection is undeniably positive and that it takes a negligible amount of time. So why don’t I use this beneficial exercise consistently?
A minor commitment to myself: set aside 10 minutes to reflect on three things every day starting today.
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