NY Post screengrab - Click on the image and click on all sizes to view it larger for yourself.

This screengrab is from today. A story about an ex-professor getting prison time for possessing child porn ends with, “Some of the photos found on the 62-year-old’s computer depicted infants being sexually abused.” It is followed by the question: “Do you know someone who has made New York a better place? Nominate your hero for the 8th Annual New York Post Liberty Medals.” [link to story here]

The New York Post has sometimes been known for fun wordplay Headless Body in Topless Bar: The Best Headlines from America’s Favorite Newspaper in this case an editor should have picked up on this. It makes it seem like the Internet is an afterthought and the staff doesn’t bother to find the time to check what will end up on the screen. Big mistake: I would guess more people are reading the story this way than in print. Can anyone help me get the numbers to back this up?

You get another NY-based paper going through a web redesign [via: via] that prioritizes the display over content. The paper is a ditz with a status update and shiny pictures.

On the other hand the NY Times is doing neat things with their website – data visualizations, game, ads, facebook, facebook app, twitter, global edition, NY Times Reader.

By furtive glances, I noticed her eyes and that she was dozing a bit as I do in the mornings with her bags in her lap. Her two gloves were mismatched colors (dark blue and black) and underneath her long dress as she got off the train I noticed she had on white socks.

Told my Israeli coworker Naomi about this….her response: they’re crazy….I said it was similar to religious Jewish women covering up….she agreed but retorted….they’re crazy too….they are alike….

So we just have to get people to see their similarities…or an ingenius plan I heard in a recent documentary I went to see Encounter Point about workers for Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict….make all the smokers get their cigarettes from either the territories or Israel whichever is the home of The Other and people will get along in service of their nic fits…

I think it’s neat that except for a glance or two, at the odd sight of it, people went about their business. It’s one of the things I like about NYC…The countdown to leaving has begun so of course I have to appreciate it before I go.

Bjork at Radio City

Randomly had a hotel room not far from the show for the night through work. Watched some Bravo before going, an episode of Project Runway [Finale of Season 2] and Shear Genius which I had never seen before. Headed over to Radio City,

Bjork at Radio City

Row F in the orchestra is way further back then it should be because Radio City is one of these venues with double letter rows before single letter.

Konono N°1 were the opening act. They were ok if a bit repetitive by the end of their set. Made me yearn for the Afro-Cuban All Stars.

Björk was great but the venue was really wrong for her. I remember seeing her at the Tibetan Freedom Festival and much prefer seeing her outdoors. A lot of the crowd was dead and the energy of the hardcore people got lost.

One of the more bizarre points in the evening was when I told the guy next to me I think she has a wooden leg attached. The beats were really cool and I literally could have sworn for a bit that she had a third leg on that she was using to bang on the stage and create the extra beats. I took a bunch of photos focusing on her legs to prove / disprove the notion. It was actually a bit of fabric hanging form the dress that I was misinterpreting. It’s kind of funny that I didn’t think it too weird for her.

RCMH setlist is below. I am a bit jealous of those who saw her at United Palace theatre because they got Hunter and Immature (and Bachelorette and Hyperballad). Though we got All Is Full of Love and Jóga so I guess it balances out.

Setlist:

01 Earth Intruders*
02 Venus as a Boy
03 Aurora
04 I See Who You Are**
05 Oceania
06 Dull Flame of Desire***
07 All is Full of Love
08 The Pleasure is All Mine
09 Pagan Poetry
10 Jóga
11 Where is the Line
12 Army of Me
13 Innocence
14 Wanderlust
15 Pluto

Encores:

16 [encore break]
17 [band introductions]
18 Anchor Song
19 Declare Independence

*With Konono N°1
**With Min Xiao-Fen
***With Antony Hegarty

After the show I was hanging out by the stage door, at first in hopes of taking a photo of the setlist under the false assumption that the hardcore folks who nabbed it would be hanging out.

Saw Idan Raichel waiting around too. Normally I wouldn’t go over to someone famous but what the hell Bjork wasn’t coming out…Ended up talking to him about the Bjork show – he was really impressed by Antony Hegarty [Antony and the Johnsons] and about seeing him perform in The Idan Raichel Project’s very first show in Tel Aviv. I had even seen him perform back in the day when he was the keyboard player for Ivri Lider. It seems he is in NY a fair bit these days because he’s got a gorgeous NYC girlfriend.

Idan Raichel with fans

I channeled my mother for this picture. These two fans came over and told him they were fans. Without asking him if it was ok I asked them if they wanted a picture with him. Then, I said – if that’s ok with you….it would have been assholic for him to refuse just like it was assholic for me to do what I did….It was a bossy, Israeli, Jewish mother – the matter was settled before he was consulted, like I said assholic thing for me to do. The girls got a cute picture…Sorry Idan….it was ridiculous. The price of fame I guess…

Didn’t end up waiting for Bjork. Had a great salad to go from Metro Cafe and got back to my hotel room to watch some more Bravo. I really don’t get the show Work Out.

Sidewalk Cafe has free live music (2 drink minimum, not too strictly enforced plus they pass a bucket around for the artists – suggested $5). I used to go all the time in college to hear Matt Sherwin play on Monday nights. The Trachtenburg Family Sldeshow Players are playing next Friday! I will be in Chicago though.

Ivan Sandomire's Guitar

It is difficult to shoot photos at Sidewalk Cafe because it is really dark there.

Just bought these at Ricky’s cause my Adidas sneaks are definitely not waterproof.

We were both hungry so we tried to go to the nearby, standby Zen Palate. Their kitchen was closed but we found a new, nearby, vegetarian falafel place Maoz Vegetarian that is open until 3 AM. We sat, ate too much, and talked. It was very fun. So sad that I had to go to work the next day.

The staff were helpful and friendly. Though there are very few places to sit. 4 stools to be exact. It seems like it is more of a lunchtime takeout kind of place. We were lucky, a couple was just finishing up as we got in. The falafel, Belgian fries and salads were good and fresh. It is a franchise business. We were told by one of the staffpeople that the founder is Israeli and opened the first one in Amsterdam. We picture a ישראלי מסטול (stoned Israeli) thinking up his big idea. Apparently, there are a bunch of them now in a load of countries. Good on him.

One of the other staffpeople is originally from Morocco and his English is amazing for having come here two years ago. He recommended a Moroccan singer called Pinhas and an online Moroccan music site to find him. Look under Par Chanteur for him or other artists. There’s some good music there.

Yes, we sat there a long time.

mom and me

Please take this opportunity to register to be an organ donor. It is an amazing gift you can give. My mom is the proud recipient of a kidney transplant. She was lucky. There are thousands of people on waitlists around the country.

Read more about my mom’s story here. You will also find links to more information about becoming an organ donor.

Presidential proclamation here.

In NY register here.

For organ donor families, recipients and loved ones Saturday, April 14 “Remember and Rejoice.” Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO) of Manhattan hosts its 12th Annual Ecumenical Service from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. Join TRIO to remember donors and their families, and to rejoice with recipients. No tickets or reservations necessary. All welcome. For information, call 718-597-5619.

playbill

Went to see the first preview of Inherit the Wind at the Lyceum Theater. The play is a fictionalized take on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial. A teacher is put on trial for teaching evolution in a science class, contrary to biblical teaching, and a high profile trial with the great legal minds of the day ensues.

It is left in it’s historical context even though very similar issues are still being argued in today’s courtrooms. The Supreme Court just recently ruled it illegal to force the inclusion of Intelligent Design in public school science classrooms as an alternative theory to evolution, ruling it religious in nature rather than scientific and you would probably then have to include the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The play was already really tight. It is a limited 16-week run. Christopher Plummer is amazing. I would watch him reciting the telephone book. I would watch him watch paint dry. He has great lines and is really captivating. He plays the character based on Clarence Darrow.

I find it funny that I already associate Brian Dennehy with two made-for-TV films he did based on real trials. Skokie based on a Free Speech trial. In To Catch a Killer he is scary, evil, serial killing clown John Wayne Gacy. He is also quite strong in Inherit the Wind.

There is a large cast and they are quite talented. Maggie Lacey does a great job as the conflicted Reverend’s daughter who happens to love the defendant. Byron Jennings is very righteous as the Reverend. Assorted townspeaople really add to the atmosphere – and seem like they are having fun.

I did not like Denis O’Hare as E.K. Hornbeck, a big city journalist who comes to town to cover the trial. He has great lines and I don’t enjoy his reading of them.

It is worth the price of admission to watch Christopher Plummer. I had seats in the first row on Stage. It is as though you are part of the jury. You sit facing the rest of the audience so at times you see people’s backs. At the same time tickets are cheap, $36 or so and you can’t get any closer to the actors. I recommend the experience; discounted tickets on the stage are also available at the fantastic Spring Awakening (am ready to see this for the third time, it is in heavy rotation on my iPod.) I am so excited to be seeing Duncan Sheik in May, he is supposed to be singing songs from Spring Awakening in addition to his stuff.

Related media:

Inherit the Wind (Book) Authors:Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee Manufacturer:Ballantine Books Released:20 March, 2007

Monkey Business: The True Story Of The Scopes Trial (Book) Authors:Marvin Olasky, John Perry Manufacturer:B&H Publishing Group Released:15 May, 2005

Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial And America’s Continuing Debate over Science And Religion (Book) Authors:Edward J. Larson Manufacturer:Basic Books Released:02 October, 2006

The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA (Book) Authors:Gordy Slack Manufacturer:Jossey-Bass Released:18 May, 2007

The Essential Words and Writings of Clarence Darrow (Modern Library Classics) (Book) Authors:Clarence Darrow, Edward J. Larson Manufacturer:Modern Library Released:12 June, 2007

Inherit the Wind (DVD) Manufacturer:MGM (Video & DVD) Released:11 December, 2001

Skokie (DVD) Manufacturer:Evg Released:12 February, 2004

To Catch a Killer (DVD) Manufacturer:Image Entertainment Released:21 September, 1999

Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast) (Music) Artist:Duncan Sheik, Steven Sater, Skylar Astin, Lilli Cooper, John Gallagher Jr., Gideon Glick, Jonathan Groff, Brian Johnson, Lea Michele, Lauren Pritchard Manufacturer:Decca Broadway Released:12 December, 2006

Songs:

Korin Allal and Eran Zur – Cshe’zeh Amok – Hebrew Lyrics
Korin Allal and Eran Zur – Tmuna Impressionistit – Hebrew Lyrics
Eran Zur – Parparei Ta’atu’a – Hebrew Lyrics
Eran Zur – Leilot Shel Yareah Maleh – Hebrew Lyrics
Korin Allal – Motek – Hebrew Lyrics
Korin Allal – Ein Li Eretz Aheret – Hebrew Lyrics – Was kinda fun to listen to this song in a roomful of Israelis who have chosen to live in NYC.
Korin Allal – Hataba’at Nafla – Hebrew Lyrics
Korin Allal – Zan Nadir – Hebrew Lyrics – Not Zan Adir
Korin Allal – Eretz Ktana Im Safam – Hebrew Lyrics

Aqualung were fun as ever with a mix of old and new songs and cute banter. Pressure Suit is available as of today. I finally have a women’s aqualung shirt….damn American Apparrel….some of their XLs fit and some of them don’t….the cute Memory Man shirt fits! Lee and I both wanted shirts, the trouble was they didn’t take credit cards and we didn’t have cash so we ran out to get money from a nearby ATM (at the bodega where I ran to get batteries during the Robyn Hitchcock/Mark Pickerel gig)….the stupid machine wouldn’t take my card but did take Lee’s card. We ran back and the doors to the venue were closed….we weren’t too worried because the drummer was outside smoking a cigarette but I had left my camera with Jason and Kate and we definitely needed to get back in there….thankfully Jason thought to come out to open the door for us….

We then got to talk to Matt and I asked him to sign the Strange and Beautiful poster I got at the closing Tower Records (R.I.P) for me and Kevin….Kevin sent me their music originally and Strange and Beautiful and Brighter than Sunshine were a part of our soundtrack for our long-distance relationship. We used to listen to them together/apart.

Below are photos and videos from the show and a link to their CDs on Amazon:

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Strange and Beautiful (Music) Artist:Aqualung Manufacturer:Sony Released:17 January, 2006

Memory Man (Music) Artist:Aqualung Manufacturer:Sony Released:13 March, 2007

screengrab

How cool, Christopher Blizzard has blogged the notes I took from his talk at NYLUG. He also responds to what he meant by creepy.

I probably would have used surreal over creepy. But no need to be amazing at teh English too…

Dateline Israel: New Photography and Video Art

Went to a preview of Dateline Israel: New Photography and Video Art at The Jewish Museum. Got free tickets through Dor Chadash. Went with Jocelyn and we both agreed to go in quick, check out the stuff, and leave before anyone gave a speech.

The image in the postcard is Pavel Wolberg‘s “Qualqilya (Outskirts)”, 2002. It is a small exhibit with some quality stuff. Though “New” is a bit relative here, most of the works are from the early 2000′s, I had seen many of the works in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem when I was living in Tel Aviv from ’99-’03. Among the artists featured are Pavel Wolberg, Miki Kratzman and Gillian Laub. I was surprised not to see any works by Adi Nes and I’m pretty sure I was at the protest featured in the film by Amit Goren.

The museum has free admission on Saturdays if you want to check it out through August 5th, 2007.

Chris Difford’s description here.

Squeeze will be performing some shows as a group again!

South East Side Story (Music) Artist:Chris Difford Manufacturer:Luna Records Released:19 September, 2006

I Didn’t Get Where I Am (Music) Artist:Chris Difford Manufacturer:Drt Released:17 February, 2004

Squeeze – Greatest Hits (Music) Artist:Squeeze Manufacturer:A&M Released:18 September, 2001

I had called a consignment shop that was supposed to have wedding gowns. When I told them my size they said don’t bother coming in. Bridal Garden told me they have a handful in my size.

After brunch at a nearby Le Pain Quotidien. I walked over with a few friends. Gina pointed us to the section that had dresses in my size. We pulled off about ten dresses for me to try on. At the second or third one I tried on my friends heard me say ooooh. It fit perfectly when I put it on. This is the dress I am buying, it will have some slight alterations done to it but I AM DONE!

We also found a veil by Henry Roth. No, I had never heard the name before but the thing is beautiful and also a headpiece by Nelson D’Leon. The dress is Lorry Couture, which I can’t find any information about online….but if fits perfectly so who cares.

The shop sells dresses, veils, tiaras and little flower sculptures you can add to hair arrangements of people in the bridal party. I really like the fact that at least the large chunk of change getting spent for one day is going to help needy children as opposed to just the purchase of something I will wear once in my life.

I called Bill to tell him about my excitement. He got all depressed saying that he had hoped I would be his one female friend who would not lose her mind when it was time to do wedding planning and get really into stupid surrounding hoopla….Button I was sharing shopping excitement with you not wedding excitement and I AM DONE. This was not long, prolonged and miserable as it could have been.

I highly recommend The Bridal Garden if you are shopping for a wedding dress in the NYC area.

I didn’t get there super-early. My mom talked to some folks who had made there way from North Carolina and had been waiting since about 2 AM. Doors opened at 8:00. We got there about 9:30. There were plenty of dresses. Some of them were really gorgeous. Prices ranged from $250 (for dresses that cost about 900-1000) to $699. Some famous designers are in the mix.

Brides come with teams in matching silly hats and t-shirts. Though from what I’ve read about Boston it’s definitely not as crazy. Teams in NYC were happily trading gowns.

Here’s the thing – if you are not a size 10 or under it may not be worth your time. There are tons of amazing dresses for skinny folks…I am generally a size 10-14 (with broad shoulders). In theory bridal gowns should be one size up. I found that I could not close anything under a 16. Was trying on the few 16 and 18s I could find. My mom pointed out the ridiculousness of bridal gown sizes going up in number, at the time when you should feel your most attractive…There were also a couple of size 24s that were kind of ugly.

Also, if you do go take water and maybe snacks with you – wedding dresses are heavy so it is a workout to try them on for a few hours…staying hydrating is probably a good idea to keep you from getting irritated during what should be a happy, fun time.

Looking for any recommendations (NY based preferrable) for affordable wedding gowns that are not backless…in larger sizes.

Update: Wedding Dress Shopping Is Done

Khalifa Natour

Saw In Spitting Distance a one man show written by Taher Najib, performed by Khalifa Natour and directed by Ofira Henig as part of the Israel Non-Stop Festival 2007. Official description: “Winner of the first prize in Israel’s TheaterNetto Festival, this moving and ironic personal drama touches on all the complexities of the Israeli/Palestinian situation. Experience a rare collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian artists in this humorous yet painful story of a Palestinian actor with an Israeli passport trying to travel from Paris to Tel-Aviv to Ramallah on September 11, 2002.”

Winning first prize at the Theaternetto festival is a big deal. It is a really amazing international theater festival in Tel Aviv for one-person shows.

The show itself is funny, in the everyman against spirit-crushing beaurocracy to the point of the absurd where the only reaction you can have is to laugh in the face of it. Reminiscent of this recent story about US immigration officials. I could definitely picture it as a short film (the words and acting were really vivid) and told the actor so after the show.

Ofira Henig the director and Khalifa Natour the actor were on hand for questions after the show.

The first question, more of a comment, related to what big important statement they were making = how wonderful…She said: “I am an artist before I am an Israeli.” This had me wondering how long it takes before you can say that earnestly without a shred of self-doubt. So at this moment I wanted to hate her but I really enjoyed the rest of the comments so good on her. She commented that they did not want to be seen as an example of coexistence – a thing she believes does not exist. This is their story, a personal story, art, no conclusions should be drawn to either side from it and this is the most important political act they could do.

The next question asked if the play wasn’t too kind to the horrors that exist in the region. Her response was that this was a Palestinian’s playwright’s story. She was not directing the story of the Palestinian People, only the story of Taher and Khalifa. She continued to the questioner: You are looking for a demonstration, maybe. But Art shouldn’t be propoganda, it shouldn’t give answers. It should be more complicated than that and should make you ask questions.

Khalifa joins the conversation a bit late. They both relate that in Palestinian theater the question of who is telling whose story is important. They would like to perform the play more but they are both involved in other projects and the play was produced independently, not as part of a theater company’s repertory.

She likens theater that demonstrates its politics to being sick on an audience. She does this less so in her later work even though she feels she is more radical than ever. She feels you have to touch the audience. You can’t punch or browbeat them. You need to make them feel something. I appreciate this sentiment a lot. I hate being at a performance and feeling like I am being hit over the head with a sledgehammer with the MESSAGE. She continues that they both work on works by Oscar Wilde, Chekhov and Shakespeare. Again she views this as the most political act one can do. That there should be issues of aesthetics and sophistication in art not just what you think.

When asked about the minimalism of the direction she responded it was a lesson in modesty. Not everything has to be Broadway. A good actor, text, lighting and music – you don’t really need anything else.

When asked about the play’s effect on Israeli and Palestinian audiences (It is performed in both Hebrew and Arabic) the response is that it has a big effect on Israelis because of the questions it raises within them. Is it about them, it makes them smile, theyr elate to it. That enjoyment raises questions and it’s quite strong though usually it is the people who are already convinced who attend.

The Palestinians feel immediate empathy. At the Arabic premier in Acco (Acre) there was a full house and from the very first word the audience was with him, identifying with his character immediately. They laugh really hard and empathize. They are laughing at themselves.

In Switzerland was the first performance they ever had abroad. There was complete silence. There were no Israelis or Palestinians in the crowd – all Swiss. They were panicked. It turns out they were really into it. They remembered every word but they didn’t allow themselves to laugh at the situation and to find the irony and humor in it.

There is a fine tradition of Gallows Humor. While this play is about facing beaurocracy rather than death – it comes from that same place where you can cry (with defeat or rage) or laugh so why not laugh or at least giggle hysterically.

For those who don’t know the One Laptop Per Child project aims to address the growing gap between technological haves and have nots in developing countries.

Below is my summary of his talk. I admit I don’t necessarily understand the more technical aspects of it:

The first thing he pointed out it is a humanitarian effort. It is not getting done for the sake of invention (though they are doing neat stuff) and not for the purpose of selling the machines being developed. He showed an image of an inventory of supplies from a Nigerian school. 1 first aid kit, 1 lever (for science lessons) a handful of items – these are their tools to learn.

The countries they are specifically targetting for now are Nigeria, Brazil and Libya. The project was originally the brainchild of the MIT Media Lab, whos goal 25 years ago was to get laptops into the hands of normal people. Now their goal has shifted slightly – to get laptops into the hands of kids, cheaply. There are technological problems with doing so, the details of which are later in the post. First, a little more about the project itself

OLPC is now a separate organization from the Media Lab and employs 14 people fulltime. (They reside across the street.)

They have some huge partners on the project: UNDP (UN technology group) eBay, Google, AMD, Nortel, News Corp., Quanta Computers (Makers of 1/3 of computers made today which are then rebranded – it is an entire city in Taiwan.), SES Global, Redhat, Brightstar, CNI, MEI, Marvell.

Of special consideration is the environmet the laptop has to be delivered to. Issues include, occasional power, occasional connectivity, physical environment that can be very dusty and hot (hottest recorded temperature in Libya was 58 Celsius = 136.4 Fahrenheit, cost has to be manageable (100$ pricepoint goal).

Unique attributes of the machine related to these issues are that it can be used in direct sunlight, it has low power usage, connectivity is via a mesh – each machine is a router in addition to a client, rugged construction and low cost.

Display is 71/2 inches across. Can be used in color or grayscale, is low cost, is 1200×900 at 200 dpi. He explains that most displays are powered by halogen when backlit – when this goes out the display is gone. Also uses a lot of energy – 20 watts. Here they are using LEDs instead of halogens and can get full brightness at 1 watt. In reflective mode it is a tiny amount.

In terms of power consumption they have a goal of 2 watts during average use. Partly due to the unique display, also the machines suspends “early and often.” In response to a question from the audience he says it takes less than 100 miliseconds to suspend and 50 miliseconds to resume. It can handle different kinds of power where most laptops are sensitive and need to use a specific plug and source. Here you are in places where people may be carting around car batteries as a portable power source. It regulates “dirty” energy well; DC not AC. There will also be human power devices. They will better than the hand crank on earlier models, which Koffee Annan broke it off during a demonstration….oops! It will be something like a yoyo or chord on a lawnmower.

With regard to networking: it uses mesh networking, has an autonomous wireless chip, bunny ears (people underestimate the power of a good antenna) ad-hoc connectivity, UI for networking environment. While in the Australian outback someone got it to work at 1.3 kilometers away from another point, usual would be about 600 meters. In response to a question the network chip is from Marvell, it has a driver and its own OS and when it is off it will still forward packets for others. He is hoping they will release the code at some point.

The machine uses 800 miliwatts in suspend mode, It gets 10 hours per charge at normal usage.

With regard to the rugged construction: it has no moving parts, no fan, very few connectors, internal bumpers, rigid construction and it is sealed (dust issue) also there is a rubber keyboard which is actually more expensive so it can be washed. He hopes that one day they will be able to throw it in a dishwasher – have to solve issues of disipating heat and sealing even moreso.

In response to questions: It will have 802.11 style bandwith, it should be better than cellphones, would like each machine to have an individual ip address, but there is a shortage in ip addresses, there are some universities in India where the whole school shares an ip address. Goal: ipv6 internet.

Currently they have reached an approximate $150 price point for the first generation. It is a different economic model than with most technology. They don’t want to add features. They are happy to use older processers to drop the cost. It weighs about 4.7 pounds – most of which is the batteries.

With regard to issues involved in designing for kids: He admits they are doing something new and it may not work. They have a desktop that is very iconic since text is hard to internationalize. (There are different keyboards being built for different countries.)

Elements of Sugar (the OS). It has an activity model (there aren’t applications rather activities.) It has a zoom metaphor, presence model, frame and journal.

Zoom: kind of like in a game where you can see the map view or actual view. You can zoom in to your activity. A bit further out you see only you and the options you have. A bit further out you can see your friends. Further still you can see everyone represented on your screen and what activities they are a part of. There is chat built into all activities (uses XMPP chat protocol).

Frame: a rectangle border around the screen. Top has zoom features. Right side has representations of your friends (can hover over their icon and a name and picture will appear). Left has a clipboard. Bottom has activities you can take part in. All icons based.

Responding to audience: OLPC is part of a vision. It is not about one in a classroom or five per school. An entire country or region has to commit to one laptop per child.

Ages 5-6 can begin with it. The goal is to have the activies scale to different skill sets as the kids grow with the machine. For example TamTam is a music player with 3 versions. 1. player 2. track editor 3. synthesizer. It is an important concept having a low barrier for entry but no ceiling.

How hackable is it? Will 7 or 8 yr olds be taking it apart? It is all in Python and is simple to hack and add stuff. Can get at the nodes. Should be able to change the UI over time. It would be the same model as firefox extensions.

Squeek/Small Talk has an etoys distribution for it for drawing. A choice was made to use Python because it was quick to do. Some will be redone in C to make it smoother. Always with an eye to be accessible and open.

Have you considered working with poor communities in developed countries? Not yet. Some talk of working with aboriginal communities in Australia and Canada but it is not the first goal coming out of the gate. In the developed world you have to support everything – AIM, Windows, Office. We can affect millions of kids in the developing world if we stay focused. Libya has 1.2 billion million kids. [source for number] China and India were too large to start with.

The UI is it ASCII or Unicode? Have you considered making it a tablet since people are familiar with using pens? It uses Unicode, there is a different keyboard for each country. There are issues with languages. Spanish, Portugeuse, Arabic. Arabic is hard because of combining characters. Thai is nearly impossible – there are no spaces between words, you need a dictionary for linebreaking. But there is a good team working on the languages end. It has a dual mode touch pad on this demo but it has electrical problems so they are not sure if they are keeping it. 1.5 or 2.0 should have a touchscreen.

Tech support? Kids should be ale to do it themselves or just replace the machine at $150. Designed so it can be fixed but at that pricepoint you may not need to.

How do things like files, moving things, names work? You save things in your journal. It is time-based like a weblog. You cans end items in your journal, make them public, can add metadata so you can describe and search through it. Top of frame also has a search bar. Learning for kids is about creation and exploration. Journal replaces a file system. Visibility of an item helps remind how current it is. There is a 1/2 gig of storage. The model is one of working with a full hard drive at all times where older items naturally fall off. It has 3 USB ports so a USB key (pendrive) may make the journal bigger.

Could you boot another OS off the key? Yes. Has run Eudora Fedora on it in the right configuration.

Zoom metaphor works with the search too.

Activity bundles. They are self-contained programs. Easy to give to someone else. Would contain their own dependency files. (with Debian packages can have dependency issues, needing to download tons of other stuff to get something to work) With limited storage have to consider what you are adding. Model is of a toolbar. You chould be able to drag it and give it. It is free so you wouldn’t have licensing problems.

How do you build Sugar? It is not well-documented yet but there was a recent article in Redhat magazine.

In short it is about learning. Encourages sharing (people work in groups on activities, share their journals, extensions), creation and exploration. It is easy for people who haven’t used computers but can grow with the person.

How to get involved: wiki.laptop.org, Sugar mailing list + HIG (Human Interface Guidelines), read the article in Redhat magazine, write an activity, Development Mailing List, Fedora (it is based on Fedora and constantly trying to fix dependency issues)

Isn’t this ambitious? First thought: Crazy, insane, may be throwing away my career, then Holy crap this is gonna work.

There are about 12-14 fulltime employees with an army of programmers around it. There are 6 Redhat people and 150 Quanta people. We are small, not corporate, focused on this humanitarian nonprofit venture. Vista is for a monopoly in business and entertainment users.

Will it be used by adults too? In Cambodia, Nicholas has seen laptops used as a primary light source! Access to information will be there for adults too.

Can you switch to console mode? Yes, but there should be so many activities so you never get bored.

Has it been tested with kids since 10 or 15 years ago Apple did a test with kids with a mouse and the GUI (graphic user interface) and most couldn’t figure it out. Beginning to do some testing in Brazil. Also, laptops will be dropped off with a person who will train local people for about a month about the mouse, frame, zoom and interaction. Maybe it will work maybe it won’t but trying. It is about the kids and the organization learning.

How many are projected to go out? 3-4 Million in the first year. 50-100 million in the next year. For perspective 40 million laptops were made last year; 1 billion cellphones.

The laptops are darned cute. It was really fun to see all the adults in the room go up to play with them and trying to figure out how to use the camera in it – they have cameras too!

I asked Christopher if he was concerned about laptops being stolen and sold on a black market. He said they are working on implementing solutions such as having the laptops go dead if they are away from the school base for too long.

He was a great speaker and a nice guy. He was happy to answer questions in the middle of the presentation and wasn’t thrown off. It went a little over time. The NYLUG then went to a bar – I went home because I hadn’t really planned on being out. It was really interesting though and I’m glad I went. I was worried that it would be too techy for me to follow. It made me wish I could program…we’ll see how long that lasts – I’ll probably just ask Kevin to do stuff for me and he’ll say no :-) .

One of the words Christopher used to describe working on the project was creepy… I asked if he meant because it was such a large idea that can have an impact? He said not exactly. Maybe it has to do with an earlier comment he made about being a bunch of geeky tech guys who have no notion of the environment these machines will go into on a personal level. [Update: His answer here.]

On a different note it was a geekthrill to be at Google. They provided some nice food and drinks (including alcohol served by people in suits and foody uniforms.). Even the woman who greeted people at the door and showed people where the restrooms are had a big smile on her face. They must be a good employer…

This is an amazing idea. And the technological advances will benefit everyone (I know that’s not the goal) but we all want a screen that would work in direct sunlight and use less power no?

I think it makes sense to do twinning communities or children with the OLPC project. A wealthier community could buy one for the price of two and then those children in the communities would have a connection and ongoing contact. This would be like Jewish Federations twin cities or how in the 80′s people had a bar mitzvah with someone in the USSR who couldn’t have one. Another thought could be getting people to buy an OLPC laptop when they buy a computer for themselves or their kids. Maybe some of the corporate sponsors of the projects could offer credit for doing so.

This is another one of those moments where I think – this is the future – I want it now. :-D

Setlist:

1. Asbury Park
2. Damn Good Times
3. Bee Of The Bird Of The Moth
4. Fingertips
5. We Live In A Dump
6. Birdhouse In Your Soul
7. E Eats Everything
8. Why Did You Grow A Beard?
9. We’re The Replacements
10. Till My Head Falls Off
11. She’s An Angel
12. Experimental Film
13. Robot Parade
15. The Day
16. Spy
17. Older
18. Why Does The Sun Shine?
19. Alphabet Of Nations
20. Dr. Worm
21. Meet James Ensor
22. The Famous Polka
23. Drink!

Encore:

24. Feast Of Lights
25. Santa’s Beard
26. Snail Shell
27. This Damn Band
28. Twisting

Encore:

29. Don’t Let’s Start
30. Turn Around

Have nothing to add to this review which is ridiculously thorough with the banter. The opening act was The Last Car with Chris Anderson, Robin “Goldie” Goldwasser, and Amy Miles. They were good (they sing songs about Mr. T) they had to be – tickets were mislabeled with a Doors time of 8:00. Doors were at 9:00 (and it was cold!) and The Last Car went on at 10:00. TMBG went on at 11:00. We got out at 1:10…no Hanukkah party at Jocelyn’s for me but a great time was had by all.

Lee’at’s mom drove us to the show…Thank you Ann…We are again 15 instead of 30.

A User’s Guide to They Might Be Giants (Music) Artist:They Might Be Giants Manufacturer:Elektra / Wea Released:03 May, 2005

After the freemeet saw Flushed Away, the new animated film from Aardman Animation (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit) and Dreamworks with Nick and Vincent. It is is a fun story about rats in England (much better than it sounds – if you are a fan of early Guy Ritchie work – there are some scenes you will love; the French frogs are fantastic) and has amazing actors doing the voices (Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslett, Ian McKellan, Jean Reno, Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis…). It’s not stop-motion animation but it still has some of the feel of Aardman work – there’s no mistaking the teeth. Not least of the fun is walking around Midtown pretending to be animated slugs – Eeeeeeeee!

Latest book

Going to see Bill Bryson tonight at Symphony Space. He will read from his new book about growing up in 1950s America. There is a great video for it at VidLit. I’ve been a huge fan ever since I read and listened to “A Walk in the Woods” about hiking the Appalachian Trail.

I may also just like that he is an American in England.

Sadly, it means I can’t go to tonight’s Forgotten-NY book signing and walking tour.

The Treatment

Went to see the treatment by Eve Ensler at The Culture Project tonight. Dylan McDermott (Eve Ensler’s adopted stepson) is a soldier with post-traumatic stress over torture he committed in the line of duty. Portia is the psychologist and soldier tasked with the job of getting the goods on his superiors and treating his disorder.

It had some interesting ideas [about psychological trauma, treatment and torture, transferrence, duty and military life] but didn’t go deep enough with these ideas instead just bludgeoned the audience with a simple message in flat-out exposition about the rules having changed, rules are good, we need them blah blah blah. At some point he says something about not wanting to talk about his mother and then spilling out his guts about his mother. Isn’t that a tired trope at this point?

The playwright should be given credit for using her work to protest something she finds unjust. We don’t seem very involved with this war like Vietnam…maybe it’s because we have cable now – it is not the only thing going on in your living room. The cynical part of me sees it also as an attempt to be relevant – The Vagina Monologues came out in 1996.

It’s like Colombian artist Fernando Botero‘s new paintings based on Abu Ghraib now on exhibit at the Marlborough Gallery. He is a talented artist, known for his pleasant figures with exaggerated proportions (ok they’re fat). Someone may want to tell him prisoners don’t usually look like that. On the one hand, good for him for protesting something ugly with his work. On the other hand according to a recent New York Magazine piece: “The buzz, helped Botero pieces break records at auction this year, two selling for over $2 million each.”

http://www.happybirthdaysara.org

Paper Dolls

Paper Dolls is a new documentary film by Tomer Heymann (Tomer VeHasrutim, Aviv) playing at the Film Forum through next week. Originally a 6-part television series, it is about Phillipino homecare attendants in Israel caring for old people in the orthodox Bnei Brak who are also transexual and preform drag shows as the Paper Dolls in Tel Aviv at night. It is a really good and touching film. It touches on their status in Israel, the place of foreign workers, has one deportation and one bombing, and most notably the very touching relationship between Sally and her patient Chaim. He gives her the poetry of Yehuda Amichai to improve her Hebrew skills and they have a genuine and beautiful filial relationship. Go see this if you can.

There is a podcast with the director at the Film Forum site.

Kav La’oved is a non-profit that works with foreign workers in Israel.

Do They Catch Children Too? is an amazing documentary on the plight of the Israeli-born children of foreign workers.

my flickr: NYC Photo Set

Jason Mraz and Toca Rivera at Housing Works Used Book Cafe.

All proceeds for all performances at this venue benefit Housing Works an advocacy and aid organization for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS.

The venue was so packed and sweaty it should have been group sex…it was my first real exposure to Jason Mraz – he was a cross between the laidbackness of John Mayer/Jack Johnson, the wackiness of early Barenaked Ladies mixed with random innocuous boybandness though most of his fans would probably kill me for saying so…

Another version of the audio here.

Great fansite here.

Other Videos here.

Posting 14 videos from that night below – sadly fullscreen on googlevideo doesn’t give you the true quality – don’t recommend looking at them at larger size.

1 Wordplay; Dramatica Mujer

2 Geek In The Pink

3 Mr. Curiosity (up tempo version)

4 Ghetto Blaster; Rocket Man; Tonight, Not Again

5 Plane

6 On Love, in Sadness

7 On Love, in Sadness (con’t.)

8 Talk (On working w/ Rachel Yamagata; on new guitarist); Unfold

9 Burning Bridges

10 Toca Joke

11 Please Don’t Tell Her

12 Talk (signs special edition with notebook of new cd for fan and poses for photo)

13 I’ll Do Anything (One Love); 0% Interest <-> Where Is The Love?

14 I’m Yours (incomplete)