My WordCamp Whistler co-conspiritor, photographerKris Krug , shot video of my entire “Are you Worthy?” spiel with his new Flipcam and posted it in a YouTube playlist in 5 segments for your viewing convenience – in 2009 (when Youtube had a 10 minute limit). Meanwhile in 2018, I’ve stitched the bits together into one video for your viewing amusement.
Transcription of a talk called “Art and Tech are Old Pal” at Wordcamp Vancouver in 2010. Video no longer exists (thanks to blip.tv) but audio exists, as does a “round-up” of photos, tweets, artifacts, and so on. See “Consider Perusing” below.
Dave:I bet you’ve had a lot of knowledge today, so you’re probably pretty exhausted. I’m pretty wiped out but that’s mostly from the speaker’s dinner last night. Thanks to the organizers for bludgeoning us the night before. I really went there. This will be fine. I’m just going to pop in for just an hour or so. It turned out to be longest bus ride of my life on the way home. Overall, we’re good. So, Mr. John Biehler on keyboard. [applause]
So, I do my best thinking in the bath because you can’t do anything else. When you’re in the bath, there’s really nothing else you can do. You certainly can’t use your iPhone unless you put it in a little Ziploc bag. You shouldn’t be using your laptop. That’s just dangerous. I can’t use my vaporizer because I’d be electrocuted. So really, all that’s left to do in the bath is thinking.
Recently, I was in the hospital. Hit me the slide there, John. While I was recovering and having my scrambled eggs and stuff like that, I got to thinking about what a strange conundrum. What a strange piece of place of history that we live in with this tool. I was thinking about coming to talk to you guys. I had to have something because I really couldn’t think about it because I really couldn’t do much of anything.
I started thinking about how weird it is that all of a sudden art and technology were seeing these fruitions of time where all of a sudden a lot of you are making tools, writing codes, I went and sat in some of the things, and John’s talking about Map and all the new innovations of WordPress 3.0., I use the free WordPress.com, so I’m just letting you guys figured out how to build the tools.
But, all of a sudden, we’re replacing time that guys are making tools. You’re also expected or in some way producing content for these things. All of a sudden, you have this new publishing platform in front of you. I started thinking, because I’ve always been caught in space between art and technology as evidenced here with my King Tut exhibit there, that was pretty good and that’s the important part of taking risks, just proof and point about when you make art, you got to take some risks.
What follow is a transcription of a talk called “Are You Worthy – Publishing from Greeks to Geeks” at Wordcamp Whistler in 2009. Video and audio exists, as does a “round-up” of photos, tweets, artifacts, and so on. See “Consider Perusing” below.
Speaker:We really hoped you enjoyed today and I think you’re going to enjoy this last session. I’ve been looking forward to it since we started planning this. So with that I’m going to turn over to Dave Olson, he’s going to ask you, “Are you Worthy?”
Dave:So, it’s the end of the day, my brain is a little stretched — a lot of input, a lot of stuff. So, if you feel a little antsy, because frankly taking notes — I don’t know if I’m going to say anything that’s really worth taking notes.
I’m just putting this out there, if you want to come and sit down here or you want to pull your chair over, I’m an old hippie, so I was on dead tour. It’s all right you can come and sit down if you want. No big deal by the way. I’ll give you a moment to do that.
My ulterior motive for asking you to do that is that I didn’t bring anything to put on the projector. But I have lots of little odds and ends here. So, you’ll get a better view if you come and sit up front. That’s the way I like it — special shout-out to the ladies right back there.
I almost said I didn’t make any slides but I did make two slides here because people are always telling me that, “Dave, we really like your presentations, but damn it, would you give us a bulleted list?”
By exploring technological innovations from tubed oil paints and graphite pencils to telegraphs and mountain bikes, Dave will explain how scientific innovation spurs the creative process and how to balance the cranial hemispheres to foster the seemingly opposed disciplines of both building a publishing platform and producing compelling content using WordPress.
Stories and examples will draw from Van Gogh, HD Thoreau, Word Perfect, telegrams, Gnomedex, mountain bikes and the channeled scablands in eastern Washington.
Some of my pals rallied up WordCamp Vancouver recently and i was among many other pals as a speaker. Like last year’s WordCamp Whistler “Greeks to Geeks – Are you Worthy?” (video), I took the closing slot to tell my artsy/history stories after they all had a hectic day of technical learning.
Blurb
By exploring technological innovations from tubed oil paints and graphite pencils to telegraphs and mountain bikes, Dave will explain how scientific innovation spurs the creative process and how to balance the cranial hemispheres to foster the seemingly opposed disciplines of both building a publishing platform and producing compelling content using WordPress.
Stories and examples will draw from Van Gogh, HD Thoreau, Word Perfect, telegrams, Gnomedex, mountain bikes and the channeled scablands in eastern Washington.
Pod-radio-tech-speaker @todmaffin has some concerns and comments about “geek-Camps”
I notice that some of my social media friends in Vancouver have put together an excellent day tomorrow called WordCamp (a day about WordPress). There are sessions on using WordPress as a CMS, being curious for a living, SEO tips, and the inimitable Dave Olsen presenting “Art and Technology Are Old Pals.”1
{snip}
Locals still talk about Dave’s über-inspiring “Fuck Stats. Make Art” presentation at Northern Voice a couple of years ago for which he received a lengthy standing ovation. [↩]
Snaps
by John BiehlerPhoto John Bollwitt
Video
Note: Alas, video no longer available, leaving placeholder in case can be re-found
Likely that WordPress super dude Lloyd Budd will be in attendance – photo by @johnbiehler
Tickets are sold out so if you slacked — too bad for you. Along with my talk are even more of my cohorts are speaking including John Biehler, Nadia Aly and Tris Hussey. More to be added but this roster is already looking fine.
Like WordCamp Whistler, I am closing the show down and will be laying down a prezo about creativity and history kinda like last year’s “Are you Worthy? AKA Greeks to Geeks” talk.
Loading up the Suitcase – photo by Ianiv & Arieanna
In all the commotion in my life recently, i wasn’t sure what to talk to the people about as i wanted to make sure to spread my kind of knowledge but also tie it all in to topics they’d studied during the day, ergo: about WordPress, the blogging software.
The other night in the bath, i figured it all out – really stemming from a note in my original draft of F@ck Stats, Make Art talk from Northern Voice and SXSW – which points out that while the tools are different, the process of expression isn’t new.
Here’s the gist:
Title: Art and Technology are Old Pals
Description:
By exploring technological innovations from tubed oil paints and graphite pencils to telegraphs and mountain bikes, Dave will explain how scientific innovation spurs the creative process and how to balance the cranial hemispheres to foster the seemingly opposed disciplines of both building a publishing platform and producing compelling content using WordPress.
Stories and examples will draw from Van Gogh, HD Thoreau, Word Perfect, telegrams, Gnomedex, mountain bikes and the channeled scablands in eastern Washington.
Whilst tidying, I gathered up snaps of the materials in my suitcase plus various archiving notes and artifacts used in “Are you Worthy? – Publishing from Greeks to Geeks” talk presented at Wordcamp Whistler, January 2000.
The mighty power of web publishing should not be taken lightly. Traditionally, for stories to reach an audience required navigating layers levels or publishers, printers, editors, distributors but with WordPress, anyone can spread stories to a worldwide audience, instantly, for almost free. Awesome! But do you deserve this power? Of course you do – as long as you make something remarkable.
To make your work rise to the top requires diligent honing of your craft – from writing to photography. Writer and documentarian Dave Olson (AKA uncleweed) will offer reasons to push yourself to create art, as well as share practical methods for finding inspiration and following through to publication.
By exploring other forms of grassroots publishing, and exploring real-life WP examples, you’ll leave with a keen sense of your place in the history of personal expression, and a renewed vigour for making your best stuff ever.
