First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!
The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.
A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.
Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.
On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.
And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!
~ daisy
As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.
The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.
When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.
It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.
Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.
As always, thanks for your patience.
Go forth and fill your libraries with media.
Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.
These streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you.
I went to NYC last week! I made it to this awesome conference! I didn't have a ticket, but I made it in... AND got to see some awesome galleries and friends new and old! what a packed weekend.
I wore Harrell Fletcher's wrist band to get in! Suzanne Lacy indirectly bought me a beer! I was part of one of the most incredible critical social-practice-art-intense theory/practical conversations since/including all my art classes and it lasted forever but was so good for every minute.
Here is my powerpoint that I gave to the other Elsewherians when we returned:
Here are some key points i'm taking back with me.
- utilizing under-appreciated resources in a community - how can we bring value to these non-monetary exchanges?
- where are the non-art people in these conversations? how can we engage in this type of art conversation outside of an art circle -- is it necessary to be considered an artist in order to have the freedom to do these types of projects/get funding within our current system of understanding and advocating art in public practices?
- must get involved with the grassroots groups already tackling the project/ideas i want to consider in my artwork: they are the ones already connected and trusted by the community
- an ongoing need for a revolution: is academia a "safe zone" for us (artists) to develop ideas and projects that go back out into the "war zone" of real life?
- legislative art? does it give more structure/results than more esoteric art pieces? a way of having art take responsibility for it's power and the issues it responds to (benefits from?)
- how do you measure the success of a project -- is it art because it is measureless? does that lead to esoteric and meaningless art pieces? is that ok -- isn't it ok to dream and create without creating measurable results? what if the results are un-measurable and yet still have just as profound an effect as any other act and effort?
- distinct, political goal oriented projects can still have esoteric, indeterminable artistic moments.
- how do i avoid over-thinking and critiquing my work to the point that my theory paralyzes my action and making?
- there are always consequences to your practice: but where, and how, and who has control over those ideas once they are out in the world? We have to stop thinking we don't impact -- even if it is only impacting yourself.
- "If artists felt like they could do anything, why are 95% making paintings?"
- how can artists instrumentalize their cultural capital?
- do long-term goals paralyze immediate action that could be considered merely a "bandaid" to the larger issue? are the smaller projects still valid? necessary! how can they be incorporated and a valid contribution to/acknowledgment of the larger picture?
- be present to your human condition, compassion, feelings, thoughts, authenticity.
Claire Bishop
Zefrey Throwell
Zefrey Throwell
Audio Intro
first proposal deadline: November 6!
Call for Performance Proposals
The Art Shanty Projects and mnartists.org
are seeking individuals or groups interested in producing programs on
frozen Medicine Lake in Plymouth, MN from January 16 through February
14, 2010.
- bags of trash
- bagging, bundling, storing, hiding things away
- secrets
- cocoons
- sleeping bag brigades/forts/fortresses/armies
- sewing circles
- ice cream making
- ice-dying
- slowly made tiny ice igloos/sculptures
- freezing things into the ice
- carnival
- country faire
- rallying point
- a flag pole
- flag-making
- lots of flags all over the place like post-it notes.
- claiming lands; making continents; making forts; making a place /territory/rules/games/ways of speaking/walking/doing
- ice-risk?
- drawing maps on the ice
- dress making
- ice-dress-fashion-show
- ice-project-runway
- ice-iron-chef
- ice-friday-night-lights
- ice-freaks-and-geeks
- disney on ice
- installations all over the place
- mousetrap, the human ice-version
- making shish-kebobs
- fax machine games x 100
- ticket to ride out the wazoo
- letter writing
- movie making
- home movie reenactments
- olympics on ice!
- Childhood sleeping bags
- tea parties
- snow cones
- gladiators
- elaborate structures for random competitions(rock paper scissors, jumping jacks, shortest, thumbwars): get evan scofield involved.
- Mobiles... of ice?
- truck-ice-skiing
- sitting in a cool truck.
- trucks in general.
- hauling stuff.
- puppies! kittens! ice-pet shop! Stuffed animal making!!!!!!!
- locally-inspired play: bring a basically created plot with lots of open spots and involve local volunteers and local issues into the cast/plot: create the props and parts, have easily jump-in-a-ble roles and positions, be flexible to the community's needs.
- People's living rooms. Grandma's living rooms. Memories of grandmas living rooms. What happens in living rooms. What is a living room.
- Canadian border? Where the hell is minneapolis anyway (talk to athena?)
- Written as an outsider looking for a place to be.
I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.
I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.
Cheers,
Bad news. As many of you have probably noticed, the Amazon Conduit was not fixed in the last week's release. Unfortunately, there was an undetected bug that is preventing the conduit from working.
We are working on this bug fix and hope to have the Conduit back up and running this week.
I will keep you posted.
Thank you for being so patient.
Blog Action Day is every October 15th, when blogger are asked to post something about a single issue to show our strength and conviction as an online community. It's a great way to feel connected to the greater good, and the participation of so many bloggers to support the world's leading non-profit organizations is something you can do to help, right now. By blogging today, you're supporting some of the world's leading non-profits and sharing your voice for change.
This year's topic is climate change, and we'd love to read your thoughts on the topic. If you participate, leave us a link to your post in the comments, so we know to check out your post!
Go to www.blogactionday.org to learn more, get a badge for your blog showing your participation, and see some ideas for your post on climate change.
Can't wait to read your posts!
~ daisy
The last few weeks have been all about andy warhol, all the time. we were preparing and getting the town excited and ready for us and our celebration of receiving the national Andy Warhol Foundation Grant -- a real honor for us and Greensboro of this national forward-thinking arts recognition. We decided to announce it with a blow-out fundraiser party, aiming to match the national grant award with local donors' contributions.
Well, despite tensions running high, and working non-stop all week to produce this epic, three-floor, no-holds-barred, fancy and fun party, it turned out great. it was fun, classy, just the right amount of weird, warhol, silliness, delicious food, and staffed by some of the most attractive individuals in all of greensboro (we really clean up nice.) I had a lot of fun, I think the guests got what they came for, and we even had Father Time come through and have the chance to see the place all dressed up for the first time -- he was overwhelmed and awed I think.
Some favorite moments, because I'm tired, and because I do best in lists:
- having everything come together magically! every station set up, every bit of junk concealed and transformed into warholian party land! supporting people in making it work and knowing we all were working together to make this an amazing event for everyone.
- the delicious food and fancy drinks! not only did we get to eat such great treats from our favorite Chef Graham (which included walking back and forth from his walk-in freezer, down the alley, to our kitchen table!), but I got to be a bartender at the "Banana Bar" which was quite exciting.
- the photobooth with kirsten!
- getting my haircut on the fire-escape! by neighbor and fancy hair-stylist kyle britt! it fits in the theme because of warhol's Haircut films featuring Billy Name and Edie Sedgwick. the end product is a bit short (on one side...), but totally smokin'. and prominently displaying my rat-tail.
- seeing old friends!! Les, resident from last summer, and Chelsea, intern from last summer were both there! As well as some great people I've met this year but haven't seen in a while: Brian, Diana, Alister, and Natalie! who I've heard tons about from Blnkt, but now finally get to meet (what a great broad!)
- the banana plush pillow (about 4 feet in length) (in front of the desk). yep. i made it.
- dance party in the bathroom: actually, it was the "Factory Toilet Facilities", covered entirely (ENTIRELY) in tinfoil to resemble this (this too), and additionally with a newly silver-spray-painted floor as a last minute brillz-and-ridiculous idea executed by dan, kaylan, and brian (at about 3 in the morning, the day before the party). It started with the call of Ace-of-Base and just got better from there. the song lyrics, "boom boom boom, I want you in my room. Let's spend the night together, from now until forever" are really not leaving my brain any time soon.
- a really delightful sleepover with 5 of my favorite people in my bed... such a late night and so much effort put into making this party happen, that we all were giggle-y and filled with stories of what happened that night and what went into making it happen. needless to say, the space feels a bit empty this evening.
- the brunch in the morning, with everyone really sleepily eating delicious strata (prepared by fabulon board members cliff and neal) but enjoying the sun in the alley-garden, and really being with each other in a relaxed and stress free way -- the party is over and we don't have to be crazy anymore!
- foot-baths. my feet get really really dirty when i walk around barefooted, especially in the wet-floor dishroom. as anthony and i discussed, it's really good that my feet are small and fit in small buckets.
- more doing, less planning. as many of you know, i do a lot of scheduling, planning, making planners, making schedules, reworking, list-ing, etc. in fact, i would go so far to say that I am really quite a master spreadsheet maker (really learned from the best -- my grandfather). They are my specialty. BUT. one problem is that I end up spending a lot of time making lists, and then the time is gone and I have yet to accomplish something. strange. So this week I have experimented with the phrase, "more doing less planning" to much success i think. examples:
- i finally did my room installation! it's a full-forced fort (ya hear that will!?!)!! so much so, that in combination with anthony's fort-esque installation, we're really ready for full-blow friendship-wars between our two basecamps. ideas for what to throw at each other, please drop a comment.
- kitchen labels. i might learn how to spell "labels" someday. i finally took it on and am looking at my role as Kitchen Kommando as an art piece exploring domesticity within a necessarily highly functional context. Any ideas or recommendations about food-artists or kitchen-artists please send them my way.
- working on my website! ok, still nothing to show. i know i know. but i also have reassessed my goals and i'm going to be making a very basic one first, and upgrading it as i go and as i figure out how to do more web-coding-internetz stuff.
- organizing my digital life. i moved to an ELECTRONIC CALENDAR. what?!?! and organized my internet bookmarks to not be so centered around my hampshire life (tear). AND, i joined twitter. i'm not sure what this really is useful for, or if it's a good idea or not, but whatevs. now you can follow more random online thoughts of mine. ok, this is a slightly boring #6, but i know you all are really interested in what i've organized recently, and my digital social life.
- posting on my blog. and my more professional blog. which is a little intimidating trying to blog professionally.
- looking up residencies and places to go for next year... hub-bub in spartanburg SC? working within the miami school district as an art person project maker leader teacher? setting up a art-workshops-community-building-organizing-recycled-sustainability-bike-coop-mobile-old-school-bus tour/project with mr. J gamble using the bus from this project!!?! going to israel?
- applying to go to israel. on birthright free trips gift wow! possible idea: extend the trip and stay in israel and do a residency there or something. ideas?
- maybe i should rename this post: "ideas?" or "please talk to me?" or "leave some comments dudes!"
i've also been missing everyone who i don't see everyday, and even some of them i do see everyday, a lot. so, i miss you. i know it's dangerous when i start reminiscing about first semester division 3... cause i know how hard and upsetting that was too. it's kinda scary taking on your life and doing stuff with it. declaring that i'm up to something big and i'm out to make a difference. i almost couldn't even write that cause now you all know and will hold me up to that. darn.
i'm really really really excited for my upcoming visitors: my parents!! and then, allison!! wow! what a treat! oh man, so excited. in fact, i made a map of greensboro aliya hot spots (ok, some of them are specifically for my dad, and some are just kinda lame, but.) for their visits! Look how cool this place is! look how much fun you'll have if you come to visit me! limited time only. i head south november 7th. ish.
OFF TO MAKE SOME LUNCH!
(note: we as a collective have finally become slightly tired of eating so many frozen black bean veggie burgers. they have been the staple of all of our diets for at least the past 4 months, and i love them, but i am also slightly over-burgered-out...)
Links from my Neighborhood
Check out the RockMe. Schedule. I'm not sure if this is a...
All of us as Six Apart
Vox's parent company
