Be my digitally artifact-ed Valentine?

I'm practicing making digital artifacts for the edcmooc and thought I'd try my hand at a little Valentine's Day clip for my boys using Animoto.

Happy Valentine's Day beautiful people.

XX

Technology as God

Today is 'officially' the first day of our E-learning and Digital Cultures course.  With around 40,000 people ennrolled in the Mooc it is definitely going to be a fascinating experience.  Not only is it navigating the course requirements that will challenge my thinking but also finding the right niche in terms of expression.  There are a multitude of platforms and personalities... so finding the right mix may be my greatest challenge.

In week one we are looking at digital cultures in relation to whether they create utopian or dystopian experiences/cultures/environments etc. One of our resources this week is from Spain, Zumbakamera’s short animation, Bendito Machine III.



Firstly, I'll just say I LOVE the fact that we experience a mini 'film festival' each week as part of our course content.  Hooray to the EDCMOOC creators you've definitely sparked my enthusiasm straight up.

Back to school

I'm gearing up for the EDCMOOC course which is due to start this weekend. There is an overwhelming amount of information available on all sorts of platforms.  Time, for me, has been a limiting factor in embracing the pre-prep dialogue.  Truth be known I'm still loving the notion of it being semester break and I'm grabbing every opportunity to lap up as many days down on the coast as I can possibly squeeze in. 

I'll will however be pleased to dive into the more formal structure (???) of the MOOC and find my own rhythm & voice in it all.

Sir Ken Robinson's Ted talk will hopefully set the mood for some creative learning.

x

Born to be Wild

Yesterday we took 2 little monkeys to see "Born to be Wild' at IMAX. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing this film I'd recommend you do. If I'm honest I was totally hit by a pang of admiration....& jealousy. Seeing these two women living with such incredible purpose, not purely for their own benefit but the benefit of so many sentient beings, was highly emotive.
Oh, and the boys loved it too.... not quite for the same reason.

Here's the trailer:



Happy Monday. x

Making use of dead spaces for public use. Hooray

I had to share this amazing project. It's so wonderful to see people thinking outside the square and making use of dead spaces in out city's for public use. I'd love to see more of it here in Melbourne.
I'm sharing my enthusiasm for this Lowline project, hoping it comes to fruition and has a ripple effect throughout the world. There's so much dead space out there that we could put to good use. What better way to create and inspire communities.

:: more about The Lowline here.

They have 75 days to raise $75k. If achieved a generous angel donor will match that amount, allowing them to hit their research target of $150,000. This critical funding will help them complete their engineering studies and business plan - and make the case to the Mayor, the Governor, and the community that a Lowline park makes good sense for their neighborhood.

Good luck guys. I really hope your dream comes true.

A couple of other 'dead space' favorite's are Prinzessinnengarten located on a formerly empty plot at Moritzplatz, in Berlin (you can read about it here) & The High Line, a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It is owned by the City of New York, and maintained and operated by Friends of the High Line.  There's a great clip here of the Highlines history narrated by Ethan Hawke.

It makes so much sense.

Get pickled.

This makes it looks so easy. I'm going to give it a go. xx

a little Tuesday romance.

Shot entirely on a Nokia N8 mobile phone by James W Griffiths. This film was the winner of the 2011 Nokia Shorts competition.

Sweet. x

What makes you vulnerable?

mmm, I'm married to a 'researcher' so this made me laugh. It's also very beautifully researched and so honestly expressed....
Well worth watching (even if you're not married to a researcher).x

{these moments}

A, somewhat topsy turvy, Friday ritual (originted by Soule Mama).
Usually it's a single photo capturing a moment from the week. This week..... it's a slideshow of photos taken for my Gratitude Project. Put your feet up and enjoy the show. x

How to handle your customer service complaints...... with dignity.

A little bit of compassionate listening really wouldn't have gone astray United. : (

Here's an interview with David Carroll on big corporations, customer service and the individual voice.

PS. While we're talking music clips... musician Clare Bowditch's Offspring TV debut screens tonight on Channel 10 ... Yay, Clare. If you need to do a little catch up TV prior to the big screening here's the link.

Compassionate listening

Thich Nhat Hanh on Compassionate Listening

Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh says listening can help end the suffering of an individual, put an end to war and change the world for the better.

I came across this clip yesterday over at Oprah's Super Soul Sunday series. I've just finished reading Thich Nhat Hanh's book Touching Peace and compassionate listening is one of the things that really resonated with me........ I can be a little too quick to give my opinion, at times.

Here's to more compassionate listening. xx

Send in the wrecking crew.

Loving the new Shins album.
Liberate yourself from the past.... send in that wrecking crew....& let go.
Love it!
x

Paris dreaming

Paris in motion from cinema23 on Vimeo.
** Slight motion sickness warning!

To all the fun times and future adventures. Happy Monday xx

Weekend roaming

We had a slow day on Sunday meandering around our city. Melbourne certainly turned on the charm. My heart still beats ever so fondly.
:: Stopped in at Federation Square for a squiz at the Tjukurrtjanu exhibition.
:: Marveled at the incredible, totally maneuverable, kinetic sculptures by Theo Jansen. Take a look at this TED clip of Theo discribing the mechanisms of his 'animals'....what an extraordinary mind!
:: Stopped here to stretch the legs and burn off some excess energy.
:: Checked out a friends new digs. An incredible apartment off Little Collins Street. Complete with a secret panel in the bookshelf....which opens to reveal..... the master bedroom. Very James Bond! It's also conveniently positioned above this patisserie.
:: LOVED the yarn bombing of the City Square. A project by Yarn Corner, a collective of yarn bombing artists.
:: Discovered that Matthew Flinders was only 40 when he died. What an adventurous spirit! He certainly navigated a lot in his short life (sorry for the pun).
We ate delicious, cheap food, managed a few humorous encounters with random strangers and totally dodged the St Kilda Festival. All in all, it was a perfect day out with my two favorite fellas.

I hope your weekend was full of great discoveries too. x

A beautiful video from Todd Porter & Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple


Our Life Recipe - Todd, Diane & Sierra from Todd Porter & Diane Cu on Vimeo.
Have a wonderful weekend. xox

Cooking makes us more human

Had Something to Say - Cooking from michael ruhlman on Vimeo.

I came across this great website White On Rice Couple yesterday while searching for a Salmon Corn Cakes recipe (it's a goodie, although I did substitute the parsley for celery top leaves,the breadcrumbs for almond meal and my salmon... was tinned).
The website is a collection of stories on food, life and travel told through photography. It offers up a visual smorgasbord....recipes, ideas, inspiring people, stunning photography. Todd Porter & Diane Cu have discovered the art of recording their passion for life & food and making it accessible.
They produced a couple of clips which came under the title of 'The Courage of Ideas' and this one above my Michael Ruhlman got me thinking...and made me smile. The idea of having at least one person in your tribe who likes to cook is a simple and beautiful way of looking at food and nourishing our place as humans in society. I hope you enjoy it too.
Food tastes so much better when made with love. xox

Nicholas Jones & the Nicholas Building

craft tv: Nicholas Jones from Craft Victoria on Vimeo.

I enjoyed this little doco on Nicholas Jones made for craft tv on Vimeo. If you love the Nicholas Building you'll also enjoy this. Beautifully shot, it makes me even fonder of this great city. Yay for craft tv.

it's a crochet world

NBC News at 5 from olek on Vimeo.

I found this video via the Slow Cloth Facebook page and had to share. It definitely brightened my day and provides great food for thought on this Crafty Monday. Possibilities really are only as limited as our own imagination!

Enjoy x

PS. Check out Slow Cloths page too. It harks back to my previous post on 'Slow Textiles'.

crafty mags that make me swoon....

My all time favourite textiles mag is Selvedge. There's an online subscription but somehow I don't think I can go past the joy of holding a copy in my hot little hands.

The beloved Frankie. I love the fact that you can now buy this brilliant little mag in the supermarket. Move over Women's Weekly and hooray to the fab Brisbane lady, Louise Bannister! (There's a great clip over at the ABC website from the 2010 Semi-Permanent Design event of Louise talking on 'Frankie Magazine: How To Launch A Successful Mag' which is well worth checking out....Sherry!)

Local Melbourne A5 mag Profile a small print publication (250 print run...so be quick)is interview based, heavy on inspiration both via text and photos...and launches today. Here's to a successful and ever expanding print run guys. Well done.

Craft: transforming traditional craft. A wealth of information. You could honestly get lost over there for HOURS! Be warned.

Paper Runway a hot new magazine where passion meets paper. They feature the latest paper sculptors, artists, illustrators, creators and quick DIY projects. It'll definitely make you want to whip out the craft box and get those scissors clicking.

Not craft, I know, but another mag I love to flip through Green magazine. The St Kilda library has a great collection of back issues too.... although any of you locals may want to wait a few weeks until I return my stash.

Over and out with another quote. This one by Albert Einstein "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." xox

Life In a Day

This gorgeous collection of clips is a collaboration between National Geographic and Youtube. It's directed by Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void) and produced by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise & American Gangster) but filmed by everyday people....like you and me... uploading their clips to Youtube.
It's very endearing and I'm hoping it will come to a cinema near me sometime in 2011.