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
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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
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.
Background: 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.
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.
My spiel was called “Are you Worthy?” or ‘history of publishing from Greeks to geeks’. I also previewed my upcoming Moose Camp and Northern Voice presentations a wee bit.
My WordCamp Whistler cohort and ace Vancouver 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 – huge thanks!
‘From Greeks to Geeks’ or ‘Are You Worthy?’ http://uncleweed.com/ Dave Olson (@uncleweed) gave a mind-blowing presentation at NerdCamp Whister (AKA WordCamp) about censorship, copyright, content creation, history, beauty, art, and the internet.
These 5 videos are the 5 10 minute segments from his talk. If someone wants the pieces to string together please let me know and I’ll get them in your hands.
Here’s my pitch so i can remember what i am spieling about:
Topic: Are you Worthy? Publishing from Greeks to Geeks
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 vigor for making your best stuff ever.
Bio:
Poet, podcaster, pundit, and chronic documentarian, Dave Thorvald Olson enjoys making arts and crafts, listening to vinyl albums, wandering in the forest, and soaking in hot springs.
Dave has traveled to 22 countries, worked as a mushroom farmer, fire juggler, and submarine tour guide, followed the Grateful Dead, and made a feature-length documentary film called HempenRoad. After founding, selling, and jettisoning several Internet companies, Dave now works for Raincity Studios, a Vancouver web agency.
Published in numerous magazines, journals, and books, Dave is most proud of his handmade poetry chapbooks, static montage art, and international audio hi-jinks. He publishes podcasts, poetry, and ephemera at a variety of sites – you can find them, if you are worthy.
At SXSW Interactive 2009, Robert Scales of web community building company Raincity Studios (now defunct) leads a conversation from the Maxell Studio on the trade show floor with his colleague, photographer (etc) Kris Krug, and Matt Mullenweg of WordPress. They discuss the variety of open platforms available for content creators and differences and similarities, and what the future holds for web publishers.
