Show Notes for Technology and the Arts Podcast #6

Gregg Taylor, founder of Decoder Ring Theatre, is the featured guest on the sixth installment of the Technology and the Arts podcast. Other topics discussed are Gizmodo.com’s call for a boycott of the RIAA in March, Indiana University’s recent ArtsWeek event, and several interesting Web sites relevant to technology and the arts. Hosts: Brian Kelley, John LeMasney. File size: 22 MB. Time: 47 min., 15 sec.

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Featured Link

• Decoder Ring Theatre – Gregg Taylor, founder of Decoder Ring Theatre, is the subject of our “Dialogue” interview segment in this podcast. Decoder Ring Theatre is a Toronto-based group that produces audio programs in the style of old-time radio shows and distributes them via podcasts and various broadcast/webcast partners.

Other links related to this episode:

• Moodle at Rider University – See Rider University’s installation of Moodle, an open-source learning management system.
• Princeton Public Library’s Tuesday Tech Talks – John will be giving a presentation on his favorite 25 Firefox extensions as part of the Princeton (N.J.) Public Library’s Tuesday Tech Talk series on April 3 at 7 p.m. (ET).
• NJEDge.Net DLAAB – John talks about a recent NJEDge.net presentation he gave on distance learning technology being used at Rider.
• Google Reader – John talks about how he has been spending a lot of time reading RSS feeds via Google Reader.
• ccHost – ccHost is a Web-based infrastructure that may be used to host and allow for commenting, remixing, and distribution globally.
• Steampunk Keyboard Modification – A site that documents the building of a retro/steampunk-style keyboard that was fully functional and of a sufficient quality that it could be used everyday by a touch typist.
• ChangeThis.com – A repository for manifestos found on the Internet, ChangeThis.com aims to create a new kind of media that uses existing tools (like PDFs, blogs and the web) to challenge the way ideas are created and spread.
• How to Upholster a Tree Stump – Documentation of a New York City artist’s social/artistic project to upholster tree stumps.
• Pecha Kucha – A look at the Pecha Kucha presentation format. John made a Pecha Kucha Template in PPT format complete with timed forwarding slides so that you don’t have to.
• OpenCola – A brand of cola unique in that the instructions for making it are freely available and modifiable. Anybody can make the drink, and anyone can modify and improve on the recipe as long as they, too, license their recipe under the GNU General Public License.
• 4 Ingredient Bread recipe on Calorie-Count.com. This is John’s recipe for a wonderfully wholesome and tasty home baked bread using only flour, water, yeast and salt. 2 hours from bowl to mouth.
• The Machine is Us/ing Us – A fantastic YouTube video about Web 2.0 technologies produced by Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University.
• ArtsWeek 2007 at Indiana University Bloomington – Indiana University’s annual ArtsWeek event, held in conjunction with the city of Bloomington, had the theme of “Technology and the Arts” this year. Although the event is over, please check out the site to see what ArtsWeek was all about. The Sound Garden was of particular interest to Brian.
• JacksonPollock.org – This Web site, which is basically a blank page presented by artist Miltos Manetas, allows you to create art by using your mouse to recreate the drip or pouring techniques made famous by Jackson Pollock. The cursor moves the paint around and clicking the mouse changes colors randomly. It is based on Splatter, a drawing study by Mike Migurski of Stamen.com that is available for download and use under a Creative Commons license.
• 12 Podcasts for the Creative Class – FastCompany.com recently published this list of 12 podcasts “designed for the eclectic tastes of the creative class.” These include podcasts targeted at artists, musicians, scientists, humanitarians, chefs, Web 2.0 workers, freelancers, start-up founders, technologists, business owners, self-promoters, and strategists.
• BitTorrent Signs Online Distribution Deal with Film, TV Stuidos – ArsTechnica.com reports on BitTorrent’s agreement with some major film studios and television networks to offer online movie rentals and TV show downloads for purchase using BitTorrent’s peer-to-peer, torrent-based technology.
• Gizmodo’s March Boycott of the RIAA – Technology Web site Gizmodo.com has called for a boycott of the Recording Industry Association of America during the month of March. Read about the reasons for the boycott as well as Gizmodo’s Anti-RIAA Manifesto.
  
• Christian Beach – A good friend and former bandmate of Brian, Christian Beach is a talented singer-songwriter who has been a part of the Jersey Shore music scene for more than a decade. Christian, who be a guest of Technology and the Arts in our March 21 podcast, has left behind the synthesizers, samplers and drum machines from his earlier music projects and is putting the finishing touches on a solo, acoustic CD influenced by the likes of Hank Williams and Bob Dylan. Christian will talk about the technology used in recording the CD and his use of MySpace for a Web presence.

Photo courtesy of Decoder Ring Theatre.