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November 27, 2007
Steve Jobs and Salman Rushdie: Separated at Birth?
Are Apple CEO Steve Jobs and "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie long lost brothers? You tell me.
Very strange indeed. -andy
Tags: brothers | coincidences | Salman Rushdie | Steve Jobs | twins
Posted by acarvin at 3:27 PM
November 21, 2007
Four Ways to Participate in NPR's Democratic Presidential Debate
Mark your calendars: On Tuesday, December 4 at 2pm ET, NPR and Iowa Public Radio will jointly host a Democratic candidate presidential debate in Des Moines. The event will be a first for the current election cycle, as it will be an audio-only debate - just the candidates in a two-hour conversation with NPR moderators, and not a TV camera in sight. It should make for an interesting discussion.
Meanwhile, there are four ways you can get involved in the debate:
Propose a question. Our debate moderators want to hear from you and find out what kinds of questions you'd like to see asked of the candidates. In particular, NPR is interested in hearing your best thinking regarding some of today's hot-button topics, including immigration, the environment, Iran and Iraq, China and healthcare, among others. And if you'd rather pitch a question on an issue that you think isn't being discussed much, you can do that too. You can also comment on any of the questions proposed by other people.
Blog from the debate. If you're a blogger who can figure out a way to get to Des Moines for December 4, please feel free to request media credentials for the debate. NPR hopes to have some bloggers participating at the event, liveblogging the debate and interviewing people in the spin room afterwards. Of course, you're more than welcome to liveblog it from anywhere else, but if you can get to Des Moines, it's an amazing experience to observe the spin room first-hand.
Discuss the debate as it happens. NPR news blogger Tom Regan will be liveblogging the debate as it plays out, along with a group of NPR reporters who will work to fact-check claims of the candidates. You can dive right in to the scrum by posting your own punditry in the blog's comment threads. Or, if you're a blogger, create a post of your own and tag it nprdebate so Tom and others can follow the conversation.
Mash it up! Following the debate, NPR will post the audio online. If there's anything creative you want to do with it, go for it, as we won't be placing any licensing restrictions on how it can be used. Again, it'd be great if you could tag anything you do with it nprdebate - I'm sure I and others will be eager to check it out.
I'm not sure when the Republican debate will be - they were shooting for the same week but the candidates had scheduling conflicts. Hopefully it'll be sorted out soon. -andy
Tags: blogging | Democrats | Des Moines | Iowa Public Radio | npr | nprdebate | presidential debate | questions
Posted by acarvin at 7:28 PM
November 17, 2007
Dulcimer Dance
Tags: dancing | dulcimer | Maggie Sansone | Maryland Renaissance Fair | music
Posted by acarvin at 8:07 PM
Might as Well Jump (Jump!)
I was trying to take a picture of the faces of these Bolivian dancers performing in today's Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade in Silver Spring, but by the time my camera phone took the picture, they turned to their right and jumped in the air. It's probably the one time I'm actually glad it takes the Treo 700pm something like a gazillion seconds before it shoots the picture. Now if could only have half-decent resolution....
Posted by acarvin at 2:23 PM
Radio Open Source is Back!
They're back!
Yesterday, Radio Open Source host Chris Lydon and producer Mary McGrath circulated an email announcing the return of the cutting-edge radio show, one of the first to weave blogging and social media into the core mission of the program. After going on an indefinite hiatus this summer because of funding cuts, Radio Open Source has moved its operation to Brown University.
Here's the text of the email:
Dear Friend of Open Source:The summer is over, and so is our hiatus.
The Open Source conversation is reborn at the Watson Institute at Brown University.
Please check in on what we've been up to at http://www.radioopensource.org .
Thomas Watson of IBM fame, who'd been Jimmy Carter's ambassador to Moscow, founded the Institute in 1981 to address the most urgent global risks of that day: nuclear hazards of the Cold War. Today the mission of the Watson Institute encompasses poverty, hunger, war and culture. My fellowship here commits me to keep exploring and innovating in the interactive new media - at the intersection of pod- and broad- casting where the new discourse of a global age is taking shape.
Brown and Watson overflow with blessings for Open Source, starting with the brilliant Rafael Vinoly building that both nestles and goads us to think anew. Nikita Khrushchev's son Sergei is upstairs writing, as is the exiled Zimbabwean novelist Chenjeria Hove, and former presidents Ricardo Lagos Escobar of Chile and Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil. Geoffrey Kirkman of the Watson Institute was right when he told me years ago: the same swath of visiting stars that pass through New York and Harvard come also to Brown, but here they stay longer and they talk more. Brown students keep knocking on my door - this new rainbow generation of "millennials," most of them with digital media skills and native confidence in the expanding universe of the Web.
Not least, my Watson fellowship and the combination of avid Brown students and first-class recording facilities have let us cut radically into the "nut" cost of producing Open Source. So, not for the first time in human history, adversity has forced us into a precious opportunity to get lean, cheap and experimental again.
"An American conversation with global attitude" could be the motto of the revived Open Source. As always, we need your partnership here to locate the topics, guests and angles that will keep it richly distinctive. All we want to be, as we keep growing up, is - as many of you suggested, and producer Mary McGrath distilled the message - "the best damn podcast" on your computer or your Nano. But how long should the conversation run? And how often? What new features do you want on the site? How do we keep it making it more interactive with "the people formerly known as the audience" and with the world beyond our shores?
What we learned in two years on the last round is that "open source" works as well for public conversation as well as it works for advancing software. We announced a "conspiracy of the curious," and people joined it - with an unending flow of show suggestions and witty, critical, often impassioned extensions of the on-air conversation.
We learned also that podcasting works. The proto-blogger Dave Winer and I claim together to have done the first podcast in human history just a little more than four years ago. Between us, at Harvard's Berkman Center, we were the Neil Armstrong of the podcast moon, and now everyone's going there. For good reason. Podcasting is the cheap, democratic, speedy, listener-friendly universal means of sharing and archiving original sound files of every kind. Can we keep it new, or newish?
To begin, we've fired up the podcast feed of our summer gab which went from the Oscar Wao novelist Junot Diaz to the late John Coltrane, from the cyber prophet William Gibson to the unheeded prophets of our quagmire in Iraq. And there is tasty talk ahead with another of the "global" novelists, Ha Jin, on his first fiction set in America - with "The War" documentarian Ken Burns, and with the canonical critic Harold Bloom at Yale, among many others.
Let us end by saying again: Thank you. We couldn't and wouldn't be embarking in these Open Source conversations without the community of you -- that is, without the yeasty, resilient, generous, hungry, faithful, world-wide community that built and sustained Open Source from the beginning.
As always, coming and going, Emerson speaks to a great deal of what we're feeling. This comes from the end of his marvelous essay "Circles."
"Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit. No love can be bound by oath or covenant to secure it against a higher love. No truth so sublime but it may be trivial to-morrow in the light of new thoughts. People wish to be settled; only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them."
Thank you for passionate, engaged, listenership and commentary these last two years. Now let us all together keep this "community of the curious" alive and growing.
So send us your news, your dreams and expectations, please, for the next ride on Open Source and reload your podcast here: http://www.radioopensource.org . Are you aware that you can subscribe (free) to the Open Source Podcast at the iTunes store? Go to iTunes, then the store, enter "open source podcast" in the search box, and then click on the Open Source icon and "subscribe" to get every episode.
In the spirit of Emerson: Onward, ever onward!
Christopher Lydon and Mary McGrath
Mazel tov, Chris and Mary! -andy
Tags: Brown University | Christopher Lydon | Mary McGrath | podcasting | public radio | Radio Open Source
Posted by acarvin at 2:02 PM
November 14, 2007
Interview: Viral Video Campaign Captures Guantanamo Interrogation Techniques
The human rights group Amnesty International has launched a new anti-torture campaign that's attempting to capitalize on the viral nature of Internet video to raise awareness about interrogation techniques reportedly used in Guantanamo Bay. The campaign, known as Unsubscribe Me, seeks to rally Internet users to demand that policymakers unsubscribe from policies that condone harsh interrogation techniques. The first of three videos is now online, and it will undoubtedly be controversial.
Produced by Marc Hawker and Ishbel Whitaker and starring Jiva Parthipan, Waiting for the Guards is a film short depicting a prisoner forced to squat in a "stress position," balancing on two cardboard boxes while a hood envelopes his head. As the prisoner struggles to maintain the position, an indifferent interrogator lounges in the hallway, killing time by pacing around and calling up his daughter on his mobile phone before picking up the interrogation where it left off.
To make the film, Hawker and Whitaker subjected Parthipan to six hours in the stress position. So when you watch the video, his agony is not acting; he's actually experiencing the interrogation technique first-hand.
Here's the video. Be forewarned that it's very unsettling, and not at all appropriate for children.
This week I had the chance to interview Marc Hawker and Jiva Parthipan about their experiences making the film. Here's what they had to say.
Andy Carvin: How did this project come about? Did you approach Amnesty International or the other way around?
Marc Hawker: We were asked to be part of a consortium in a pitch to come up with a strategy for a campaign to give people a place to make their voice heard in protesting about the use of torture and the abuse of human rights in the so-called War On Terror. We came up with the word "unsubscribe." It was a simple, but powerful idea - take a word that is widely used on the Internet and politicize it - for people to unsubscribe from human rights abuse. The consortium won the pitch and we devised the campaign concepts together.
As part of the campaign we were asked to make three films on what are called "enhanced interrogation techniques" which are used by the CIA and endorsed by the US government. Amnesty and we believe these techniques are torture and must stop. It devalues what we hold dear in our societies.
Andy: Jiva, what attracted you to the project?
Jiva Parthipan: Much of my art practice is concerned with, the manner in which power is negotiated in the interpersonal, social, geopolitical and sexual spheres. Therefore this seemed a natural choice to make. Furthermore, on a personal note, I was brought up in Sri Lanka and my uncle went missing when taken into questioning by the army. So I am very concerned about torture.
Andy: Marc, how did you convince Jiva to participate?
Marc: We approached Jiva, who is a performance artist, because he both understood endurance performing and also had his own personal political views that were aligned with the campaign. We did not have a problem convincing him to undergo the extreme nature of the filming as he understood the principles and trusted our approach. Both him and us insisted that we would have medical supervision on the set and we would never go beyond what Jiva could bare. We agreed a code word - the word "green," which Jiva would shout if the pain got too much. Of course, people who are in detention around the world by the CIA in "black sites," secret prison camps and foreign prisons have no such back up, and no such get-out clause.
Andy: Jiva, were you worried how the experience might affect you?
Jiva: Not much. I have made durational endurance based works before.
Andy: So what was the production process like?
Marc: This was the strangest experience for all involved. We kept the film crew as small as possible, as this was going to be a very intimate shoot. We wanted as little distraction as possible. Everyone knew what was going to happen, so there was a sense of tension everywhere. None of us knew what the experience of filming was going to be like.
What was important to us was to shoot this horror as beautifully as possible. This was a core concept to the filming. We needed to find a way that people would continue to watch something they felt shocked by. So a lot of time was spent composing what the shots would be before we actually started filming.
Jiva: Altogether there were 29 takes. Each time I was put into a stress position and would stop only when my body couldn’t take it any more and I started to squat involuntarily or fall off the box.
Andy: What kind of emotional or physical response, if any, did you have from watching Jiva in the stress positions?
Marc: We were shocked. We knew what to expect, but were taken aback by how quickly the experience became unbearable for Jiva. It was not normal for us to put someone in pain and anguish and keep them there as long as we can. It's just not a normal thing a director does. There was no acting from Jiva; his moans and shudders and physical shaking shocked us all. Of course, we also had a job to do - to capture it and film it as best we could do.
But it had an effect on us all. There was something surreally religious about it as an experience. The shape of Jiva in the space, his isolation and pain felt very much like a sacrificial lamb. It was very, very strange. All of the crew were hushed; there was none of the usual playing around and jokes. It was a silent set.
Andy: Jiva, were you surprised in any way in terms of how you handled the stress positions, either physically or mentally?
Jiva: I am a physically fit person and swim regularly. Before starting to do my own work influenced by live art and performance art I had trained as a dancer. So holding positions wasn’t new for me. I assumed I would be able to keep a position for about 12 minutes before my body seized. I was surprised that after about seven minutes my body couldn’t take it any more. Also the more takes there were, the less time I could hold the position.
Andy: At any point in the production process did you feel yourself becoming inured to Jiva's pain?
Marc: Never. When he shouted “green” and we cut, I would rush over to him with the medic and we would make sure he was okay. We brought a journalist and photographer down, and Amnesty were there as well. Everyone was focused on Jiva.
Andy: Even though Jiva was a willing participant, were there any concerns about the legality of subjecting him to this treatment, even if for documentary purposes?
Marc: There were all sorts of legal issues. Jiva had to sign a disclaimer; we had to have special insurance. We all understood that there were difficult ethical issues in what we were doing, but all agreed that the only way to show the obscene nature of these interrogation techniques was to present to the audience the reality in as authentic a way as possible.
Andy: Would you ever do anything like this again, or was it too disturbing?
Jiva: Involuntarily? No. Voluntarily? Yes, if that what it takes to get a point through.
I was lucky. I knew I could stop any time I wanted to. Also, the people around me were very supportive and kind. I knew what was going to happen after the film shoot - meeting friends - and definitely knew where I was. It bears not thinking what it will be like if you were in those positions for much longer, in an undisclosed location and not knowing what was going to happen next. One would tell anything that the interrogator wanted to hear!
Andy: How about you, Marc?
Marc: We are starting production on the next of the three films. This one is about waterboarding, a technique used again by the CIA. This involves pouring water over the cloth-covered head of the prisoner that makes them feel like they are drowning. This film will be different. Waiting For The Guards dealt with the separation of prisoner and interrogator. The "stress position" does not involve physical contact. The next film will. The interrogator is actively physically abusing the prisoner. It is going to be more brutal. We are looking for a way to film this new one with the same empathy Waiting For The Guards has for Jiva. We are at concept stage at the moment, filming in December and releasing the film in Jan 11th, the birthday of Guantanamo Bay.
Andy: How is the video being distributed?
Marc: The video is on YouTube, and we ask everyone who is behind the campaign to get the film out there. It is also on www.unsubscribe-me.org, where people can sign up to the campaign and download Widgets of the film to post on their websites and blogs. There are also MySpace, Bebo and Facebook sites with the film on it. The campaign was designed to encourage campaigning through social networking sites. We’d like to ask everyone to watch the film, and get it out there. The way our society handles itself over the next decade in confronting terrorism is critical. We can’t let our values be destroyed, and we need to hold those ordering, doing these acts, to account.
Tags: Amnesty International | campaigns | Guantanamo | human rights | interrogation | Marc Hawker | stress positions | torture | Unsubscribe Me | Waiting for the Guards
Posted by acarvin at 8:21 PM
November 12, 2007
Pakistani Flash Mobs Protest State of Emergency
NPR's Bryant Park Project has a fascinating audio slideshow about an ingenious protesting strategy being employed in Pakistan. Pakistani dentist and blogger Dr. Awab Alvi has taken Howard Rheingold's concept of "flash mobs" and applied it to rallying against the state of emergency in Pakistan.
"If you announce a date a day in advance, the army and police show up" and they "beat the hell out of you," Dr. Alvi told the show. So he concluded it made more sense to organize very brief protests through telephone calls and other communication channels. At an appointed time, the protesters show up, pull out signs and shout slogans demanding an end to the state of emergency. After 10 minutes, they put away their signs and leave before the authorities can interfere with them.
"These flash protests are basically citizens protesting in a very smart way," Alvi said. So far the largest protest attracted around 50 protesters, who were quickly joined by random passers-by on the street. Pedestrians, though, have been somewhat puzzled by the brevity of each event.
"It's almost called a guerilla protest," he added.
Tags: Bryant Park Project | flash mobs | free speech | NPR | Pakistan | protests
Posted by acarvin at 1:37 PM
November 11, 2007
Kayleigh Wants to Do a Hand Stand
For whatever reason, Kayleigh seems to really enjoy assuming this position. It's particularly cute when she's got her hat, coat and shoes on, as you can see here. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 5:32 PM
November 10, 2007
Classroom Documentaries and the Mechanics of Storytelling
Right now I'm at PodCamp EDU, a teach-in at American University for teachers to learn about podcasting and video blogging. There are around 80 people in attendance, most of whom are new to media production. I just finished a 90-minute workshop about taking documentary film techniques and translating it into a K-12 environment. This includes taking the many roles associated with production, like researchers, producers, writers, camerapeople, etc, and distilling them into small teams of students; the production process; interviewing and shooting techniques; editing tricks like music and pacing, etc. I've posted a PowerPoint of my presentation, and hope to do the same of the audio once I get a hold of it.
Tags: documentaries | podcamp | podcampedu2007 | podcasts | schools | students | teachers | video blogging
Posted by acarvin at 12:20 PM
November 9, 2007
When Two-Year-Olds Want Air Time
I think it's just a matter of time before this happens to me. MJ Davis of the Bryant Park Project summarizes on their blog:
Today on the BPP, New York Times correspondent David Kirkpatrick joined us to talk about the role of evangelicals in the race to the White House. In the middle of the interview he was nearly foiled by his two-year-old son, Thomas, who wanted a piece of the action. A big piece of the action.Granted, Kayleigh isn't talking much yet, but she definitely babbles. And she doesn't like it when you're either on the computer or on the phone for too long. Sounds like a perfect recipe for her to get some free air time the next time I do an interview over the phone from home. Granted, she sorta has her own video blog and Flickr gallery, so maybe she won't be so intrusive. -andy ps - This post is a test of the uber-cool new Web browser, Flock. Barrie Hardymon of Talk of the Nation asked me how hard it was to post blog entries from the browser, so I figured I'd give it a try for myself. Piece o' cake.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: babbling | Bryant Park Project | David Kirkpatrick | Kayleigh | kids | NPR | radio
Posted by acarvin at 4:15 PM
The Mouse That Knows No Fear
"These mice are very happy with cats. They play with cats. But before taking the picture, we had to feed the cat."
So says Hiroshi Sakano of Japan's Sakano Labs, an an interview with Reuters. Sakano's team genetically modified a family of mice to suppress a particular olfactory receptor, which normally converts the mice's sense of smell into messages sent to the brain. They discovered that when the modified mice couldn't pick up certain smells, they lost their fear instinct. Normally, a mouse would run like hell when confronted with a cat, but these mice just want to hang out instead. Hope they have plenty of kibble for the cat, or that mouse is in deep trouble. -andy
Tags: brain | cats | fear | food | genetics | Japan | lunch | mice | receptors | research | safety | Sakano Labs | smell
Posted by acarvin at 3:15 PM
November 7, 2007
The Best Swedish Song Featuring a Cat on Horseback Ever
This video speaks for itself. -ac
Hat tip: Robin @ All Songs
Posted by acarvin at 3:37 PM
