fisharepeopletoo

Bates Mill Motel

Given a fair wind and a bit of cash, Lisa is going to be building her own temporary hotel for people coming to this year's We Love Technology and thirty-first Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

It'll be housed in some of the empty floors in Bates's Mill, which is where we have our desks as part of the DRU and is the venue for the festival's most fantastic bits (and they were most fantastic last year - until you've seen a Latvian hammering six inch nails into a piano keyboard in the name of art in a gigantic hanger-sized former industrial shed you haven't lived).

For the Bates Mill Motel to be built will need things to fall into place quite soon (building your own temporary hotel is no small undertaking), but fingers crossed, and she already has some architects coming over from Rotterdam to have a look at the available floor space.

Even if it doesn't happen, you can see exactly how good it would have been from reading the WLT blog. Louis Vuitton Victorian-era suitcase travelling beds anyone?

Sheffield Wants to Join the Republic

Sheffield decides to join the Republic of M62pia.

(This movement is ready for its first T shirts.)

Smexting

"Smexting v. Texting while smoking, often outside a bar. The phenomenon is being spurred by smoking bans, most recently in the UK."

Having seen the poor smokers shivering outside all winter, this seems instantly recognisable and lovely (even though they are all busy killing themselves at the time.)

Given any in-between moments, we want to tear off and send one of those leaves (no pun) , as a comfort to ourselves as much as the person we are sending to.

It's from here, and I found it here.

Map of England

 

I stole it from a very clever selection of maps on b3ta, where it was posted by this bloke (i think). 

Coming to a Nokia 6131 Near Field Communication (NFC) Mobile Phone Near You Very Soon

Signs and Wonders?

One of the ways Blyk are trying to make money is sending text messages to people from Lethal Bizzle and The Streets. I've not seen the messages, but it would be daft not to write them in the first person. (Remember Static?)

Day of the Figurines. A town you walk around in in your head, pretending to be someone else, sending texts to people in the same town who aren't them.

Children on a school trip to Lewes castle, texting people from the past, delighted by their answers. And not caring how people who didn't have mobile phones could send texts. (How can light projected against a wall make us cry?)

Incorporeal

and corporeal.

I usually try and make myself stay away from Latin words, because when writing in English they are much less poetic than ones that come from old english and the vikings, but maybe that's a good one.

Because it's got corpse in it. As in dead body.

I've just used incorporeal when writing about wireless networks and data -- so what I've written would mean "things that don't have a body which will die."

It sticks out a bit, to be honest, as a choice of word, when "intangible" would probably do the job, and words that stick out are usually the ones you should get rid of, but it sounds richly strange, in the context, and it makes me think of alchemists, plagues and  Descarte fighting with the "evil genius" .

He says "a range of wires" --- 15th Anniversary of the First Text Message

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the first text message, Lisa asked everyone she knew to send her their last text of the day on the 3rd.

The results reminded me why I love text messages and mobile phones, and how I got started on all this marlarkey in the first place.

We all carry around a little device for artistic production - written and photographic - and for sharing that production, not just by sending it but by showing other people, hand to hand, the photos and messages we've got stored on our phones.

More times in the day, in more places, more people are making and sharing things of their own than for a very long time, and, in their own modest ways, taking the measure of the world as artists.

That must be a valuable thing for us all, individually at least - lets not risk any big claims for us collectively - and it's why I say a little prayer every now and again that mobile broadcast TV continues to die on its arse for a bit longer.

It would be a shame if all these tiny chances for creativity were swamped before we've made the most of them.

Here are some unexpected almost-poems from the 3rd, and god bless ya Mr Papworth:

"May i suggest you have cake for breakfast too"

"In the reli if you fancy it matron?"

"Bring cheese, we`re having chilli"

"Wow, funny how circumstances can give u an unexpected adventure! I realised that..."

"He says "a range of wires" "

And the rest are here.

Text Messages, 15th Anniversary of the First SMS on December 3rd

According to Wikipedia, the first ever text message was sent on December 3rd 1992 by Neil Papworth, and said "Merry Christmas".

What better way to celebrate that marvellous event, and get a couple of Christmas present stocking fillers at the same time, than by buying Text Messages, a selection of poems all small enough to be sent in a single SMS?

Still not sure? Read the 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon like this one:

"This book is absolutely fantastic. The text message is the modern casual poem, and Wilson's lyrical words are as understated as they are elegant and profound. They remind me of Roger McGough, Philip Larkin, and even the band Death Cab for Cutie. Wonderful short observations on everyday life. A lovely book I'll re-read and will take everywhere. More please Mr Wilson!"

And if that wasn't enough,  the last few copies of this unique first edition have a cover by renowned motion graphics genius  The Ronin, his only book cover to date.

But what about the price? The price is an amazing 3 UK pounds!

Have you ever wanted to colour in an emo?

“Or be in charge of rebranding the Earth?

What about finding the contents of a lunchbox in the wreckage of a city? If so, then this is for you!”

Andy Sykes, who drew the portrait of the beautiful lady monster Djik, as well as lots of fantastic animations, has organised a couple of giant colouring in nights:

Here is a YouTube video of lots of people having colouring in fun in the middle of a shopping centre in Leeds.

And if you are stuck for Christmas presents I don’t think there is anyone born who wouldn’t enjoy Andy’s colouring in book.