Hello mortals. I am Inflatable Spiderman.
I just wanted you to know that I’m here, watching over the city and protecting you.
Well, technically I’m not protecting you. I’m an oversized balloon lodged in a shop window, and therefore completely useless at thwarting crimes. Well, I suppose you could distract a purse-snatcher by yelling “LOOK, IT’S SPIDERMAN IN THAT WINDOW” and then hitting him with a bag of onions when his head is turned, but your robber would have to be pretty easily distracted.
Oh, and I also wanted you to know that it’s very hot in this window display. I feel like a moth being burnt by a magnifying glass, and my Spidey Sense is making things twice as annoying by warning me it’s getting hot. I’m too hot for all that nagging. Damnit.
I am Inflatable Spiderman, and I am watching your ice cream. Come closer. Come into my web.
Umm…
…so yes, let’s get on with the tech links, shall we?
RE-LIVE THINKING DIGITAL IN YOUR OWN HOME
Hey, do you miss Thinking Digital already? If you’re counting down the days to TDC 2014 like a kid waiting for Christmas, you’ll be pleased to know that the first few videos from the 2013 event are now up and ready to view.
If you waddle over to the conference’s Vimeo page, you can hear from artist Alexa Meade about making 3D models look like 2D paintings, young inventor Jack Andraka on creating a new way to test for pancreatic cancer, and experience designer Aral Balkan on whether design can be evil.
There are many more to come. But just to whet your appetite, here’s Jack’s tale…
“COMPUTER ON A STICK”?
For the last few years, Andy Hudson’s Broadband Computer Company has been working to create an operating system that’s easy to use, even if you’re completely freaked out by computers. That system is called Alex, and it’s been particularly useful to folk who don’t want to do anything more advanced than get email, surf the web and manage photos.
Andy’s now using that system to power COAST, which he’s describing as a “computer on a stick”. The idea is that people plug in the USB stick and use a computer, without leaving anything on the host machine. He’s currently in talks to sell 10,000 sticks to a German company, and wants to offer them to local schools.
He had a quick chat with Sky Tyne and Wear about the project, which you can catch here.
BLOO STEELE
Ignite100 graduate and random chat platform Blooie has officially announced the signing of Jonathan Steele, the Boba Fett-loving DC Presidents player who’ll be joining the team as a designer. Find out more on the blog.
DUNGEON KEEPER TO VISIT TEESSIDE
Last year, video games veteran Peter Molyneux’s company 22Cans shoved a project on Kickstarter called Godus, which was envisaged as an innovative re-interpretation of “god games” such as Peter’s own legendary title Populous. The campaign steamed past its £450,000 goal, reaching £526,563.
However, there was an added bonus in store for students on Teesside. 22Cans had pledged that the university with the most student pledges would receive a guest lecture from Peter, who is known for his work at Bullfrog, Lionhead and Microsoft. That university turned out to be Teesside, who say the lecture will take place later this year. You can find out more here.
THE SECRETS OF TABLE TENNIS
Inspired by his well-known (and very charming) vlogging friend Louis Cole, Givey founder Dave Erasmus has started capturing his life on video. His first effort takes us on a whistlestop tour of Dave’s London, from the first Givey office to the place where he takes on all comers at table tennis (and probably loses).
Cheer him on enough, and he may even make this into a series…
THE BOOK CLUB
A few days ago, Startup Book Club founder Jeremiah Alexander asked me if was interested in selecting a book for the next gathering in August. It’s a daunting responsibility, so I did what any sensible person would do and palmed off the task as soon at the earliest opportunity. As a result, the book for the August 7 meeting will be The Myths of Innovation, an interesting volume created by Scott Berkun. It’ll also take place at Quillam Brothers, a new tea house in Newcastle that I’ve been meaning to go to for flippin’ ages.
By the way, the book was one of a number of excellent recommendations from Christopher Murphy, the Belfast-based writer, educator and designer who gave this great talk at this year’s Industry Conference.
IT’S BAAAACK
Oh yeah, and despite insisting roughly 4,000 times that he wasn’t going to do it, Industry Conference organiser Gavin Elliott is bringing back the web professionals event in 2014. It’s going to happen on April 22 and 23, and you can register interest by typing your email into the white box on the bottom right of the Industry Conference site.
PLACES TO TRAVEL TO
Designer Naomi Atkinson has launched her own photoblog featuring shots of places she’s been, and there are some great pictures in there. Have a look for yourself at Places To Travel To. The first set comes from Northern Ireland.
ON BETAROCKET
We find out more about Usable, the Ignite100 team that wants to help your projects run on budget and on time (Usable: What’s In Your Project?)
BLOGPOSTS THAT ROCK
Martin Bryant talks about the quantified self and where it’s going. Show of hands: Who wants implants? (Tell Me Everything About You: What’s Next In Quantified Self?)
Matthew Ingram talks about the legacy of Doug Englebart, and whether we’re losing sight of “big-picture” thinking (Is Silicon Valley Suffering From a Failure of Imagination?)
Chris Yeh shares some tips about how to manage your to-do list (The Bell-Curve of To-Do List Productivity)
Stephen Fleming makes the argument for why Atlanta isn’t Silicon Valley, and why that doesn’t make it a bad place to build your startup. Some decent points here about culture, clusters and cost of living (Startups for Grownups)
Addiply features in a Street Fight Mag article about the role of walk-through ads in hyperlocal publishing (Do Walkthrough Ads Have The Zip That’s Missing In Hyperlocal Publishing?)
I’ve never watched Game of Thrones, so I have no frame of reference here. But it’s one of those “What [popular thing] Can Teach Us About [stuff]” articles. Yay (Kill Your Darlings: What Game of Thrones Can Teach Us About Innovation)
GOT A SPACE IN YOUR DIARY?
Do you have the urge to learn a new skill, meet like-minded designers, developers or entrepreneurs, or just network in the sun (or the dark)? Find out more about what’s on offer in the North East tech calendar at TechDiary.
Remember, you can share your own news or list your event by emailing john@betarocket.co.uk. And if you’re nearby, don’t crowd Inflatable Spiderman. He looks antsy.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
(Screw this, I’m off…)