yaxu

yaxu, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

I'm looking forward to 1993
Edit: some context:

• This wasn't a proposal for a european rail network, it's a rough transfer of the London Underground map to Europe
• It does show that the eurostar would go from a lot of UK stations, a plan that was sadly cancelled
• image borrowed from @rhodri

yaxu, 2 months ago to random

Another academic conference with trendy eco themes but no environmental policy or statement, no info about online attendance, and no travel info apart from airports. We really need to shift these head-in-the-sand norms.

yaxu, 9 months ago to random

Maybe it's time to re-energise the old 'livecode' mailing list..?
You can subscribe here:
https://we.lurk.org/mailman3/lists/livecode.we.lurk.org/
I just tried prodding it with a new thread: https://we.lurk.org/archives/list/livecode@we.lurk.org/thread/JEGRHM5JWJ6PRGFNP4L5ONWCQNQBXUU4/

yaxu, 1 year ago (edited 1 year ago) to random

What motivates free/open source development (of music/live coding tech) for me:

Motivating:

• Having gigs to prepare for (I mainly write all this software for myself, then share it when it's 'done')
• Performing live while exploring/ learning about a new feature I've made
• Having unimplemented ideas/feelings for something and not knowing how the thing you're making will really behave when it's working
• Finding an alternative way of thinking about something
• Enjoying other people making weird stuff with the software I make
• Thoughtful criticism
• Running beginner workshops (so many insights and ideas come from the beginners mind!)
• Feeling of community

Demotivating

• Entitlement (including in feature requests)
• People who think people who release free software shouldn't have opinions (a weird but surprisingly common one, I guess a hangover from commercial software)
• Framing using freely shared source code as 'stealing'
• Praise (not really a demotivator, but it doesn't help)
• Supplier/customer relationships in general

yaxu, 5 months ago to random

I really recommend watching the Grindavik live feed with the Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack https://viewsync.net/watch?v=hvcP4kVVOnk&t=2978275.94&v=CMV850rhcQM&t=30&mode=solo
(you'll probably have to click 'live' on the grindavik one)

yaxu, 6 months ago to random

Ooh @algorave in the Sheffield Tribune https://www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/p/coding-is-the-new-clubbing-on-the

yaxu, 2 months ago to random

The guide to psychedelic rave, by Joe Muggs https://theshfl.com/guide/psychedelic-rave

yaxu, 1 year ago to random

CONVOCATION II: A Gathering of Language-based Artistic Research
Call for contributions, deadline 12th June 2023
https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/835089/2131136

yaxu, 10 months ago to random

Here's an open call for a paid Algorithmic Pattern (@alpaca) research residency with Then Try This (@thentrythis) !
We're still tweaking the details, so check back for updates, and let me know if anything is unclear or you have questions.
https://algorithmicpattern.org/2023/07/21/open-call-algorithmic-pattern-research-residency/

yaxu, 8 months ago to random

Good times exploring algorithmic alphabets in collaboration with @lukexi
How can continuous expression support discrete symbols, and vice-versa? What place can ambiguity have in programming? How could type inference work with spatial syntax? What does it mean to have a symbol that's composed of others? Or similar to two others? How can all of this be used in the production of 180bpm gabber?

yaxu, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

I've managed to get paid to develop free/open source software for 15 years or so now.. Via research student scholarship, university/institutional research grants, a non-profit-hosted research grant, arts funding, crowd funding, pay-as-you-feel tutorial videos, talks, running workshops on the software, and getting paid to use the software I make (music performances).

It's not always well paid and I've been really lucky at times, but it is possible. I've rarely felt exploited, I am really thankful for being able to have such a meaningful approach to work.

It's really sad to see people who do find themselves getting exploited for openly sharing of their volunteer work. It's also sad to see some people still treat free/open source software as a joke. I think it's generally just a much nicer world than locked-down propitiatory systems though, especially in terms of being able to hold on to OG emancipatory dreams of real personal/communal computing, but also (for me) in current reality.

yaxu, 7 months ago to random

Sheffield! The next pattern club live is coming up on 17th December, feat Leafcutter John, Tante Verte, Peter K Rollings and Epiploke
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/patternclub/1063539

yaxu, 6 months ago to random

Videos are up for the 2023 workshop on functional art, music, modeling and design (FARM) https://functional-art.org/2023/

yaxu, 1 year ago to random

Open Call - Happy to be supporting this arts residency exploring coding & algorithmic patterns with the mighty ame in Huddersfield.
"This open call is for artists who are interested in using technology, coding, computational processes, or algorithmic patterns to create sonic and/or visual works. It may be suitable for someone already working with computation, or for someone whose practice could benefit from exploring the use of computation."
Full details here:
https://amespace.uk/news/digital-gardens-residency/

yaxu, 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago) to random

In the UK, it's possible to apply for up to 7 years of full time funding to do fundamental research without any academic affiliation, via the future leader fellowships scheme. Most with recent experience of UK academia will see the advantages of doing research hosted by a small non-profit rather than a massive, deeply hierarchical institution.

I'm lucky to have one of these fellowships with the lovely non-profit, non-academic org @thentrythis , and will be talking about it as part of this 'webinar' https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/events/future-leaders-fellowships-round-9-business-competition-support-webinar/

TBH it'd be really hard to navigate the application process without academic experience (which I do have), but it's possible, and I have the feeling that success rates for business-hosted applications are higher than academic ones.

Also @amberfirefly wrote about the experience from an organisational perspective here: https://thentrythis.org/notes/2022/08/25/research-funding-for-small-organisations-our-future-leaders-fellowship-experiences/
#ukriflf

I think we have been the only non-profit to successfully apply for one of these and really need like-minded orgs to copy us!

yaxu, 1 year ago to random

Whiteness was invented in Barbados, in 1661.
"as much as whiteness enables power, it also fuels anxiety. Because the category is at once ill-defined but also bestows great power, people who find themselves in that category have consistently been at great pains to protect it"
https://theconversation.com/whiteness-is-an-invented-concept-that-has-been-used-as-a-tool-of-oppression-183387

yaxu, 1 month ago to random

UK folks, you have until midnight tonight to register to vote in the local elections. Takes 5 mins to register ! https://www.gov.uk/vote-uk-election

yaxu, 7 months ago (edited 7 months ago) to random

A weird thing about mastodon - there's no hyperlinks.. as in you can't select some text and link it to a URL. This must be an accessibility nightmare for people using screenreaders? and just seems really sad to miss out on this core feature of the web.

yaxu, 11 months ago to random

I'm doing a @tidalcycles q+a live stream tomorrow, first time in a long while! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXIPt8KcuuQ

yaxu, 3 months ago to random

Korvai experiment in Strudel https://strudel.cc/?pMQgZRfXV6Qf

yaxu, 2 months ago to random

What are some nice tracks that have everything hard panned either left or right? Particularly tracks beyond the early stereo era when crazy panning was the default. Orbital's input out is one example but there must be more examples.. People should do this more

yaxu, 1 month ago to random

If you're on an online community, please search "elephant in the room" and share what the elephants are.

Here's the ones from the future of coding slack:

• DCI architecture (not sure what that is)
• Haskell crypto
• Code quality
• Incoherence of ownership
• No one in UK government listens to evidence
• Functional reactive programming
• IDEs
• Browsers being crap at resizing in tiling window managers
• The elephant being the room
• Bret Victor

yaxu, 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago) to random

Next time someone calls themselves a 'futurist', maybe read the futurist manifesto they're alluding to..
"We will glorify war—the world’s only hygiene—militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman.
We will destroy the museums, libraries, academies of every kind, will fight moralism, feminism, every opportunistic or utilitarian cowardice."

Btw the techno-optimist manifesto quotes and references Marinetti who wrote both the futurist and fascist manifestos

yaxu, 1 month ago to random

I haven't used stackoverflow much, just had two answers I'd posted there. I deleted them both, and got the same email others have got.. Probably the most passive-aggressive email I've ever received.
By the way if you delete your account, they anonymise your posts. AFAICT, that's against the creative commons attribution share-alike license of the posts.

yaxu, 28 days ago to random

Anyone in Germany or Austria (on the route between UK and Slovenia) up for hosting me + maybe other live coders for an gig/workshop around 27th July or 4th August? Looking for a stop-off on the way to https://pif.camp/ by train