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Tech Fasting: Don't Let Technolgoy Use You

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:35:00 -0500

I shared the concept of tech fasting at Ignite, which was during the after-party for BarCamp Nashville 2009. The idea is if we take breaks from technologies that are hurting us, we’ll learn how to best use them, and not allow them to use us. Here are the slides. What do you think? Do I have a career in telling jokes in bars?

Setup a Community Photo Email Address with Twitter & Flickr

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:49:00 -0500

Here are 4 steps on how to set up an email address a group can use to email and text photos to a community pool.

Photos can automagicly be sent to a Twitter account, Flickr, and your website.

This is free as long as you don’t need a custom email address like pic@yoursite.com or you won’t be collecting more than around 500 photos a month.

Here are some good uses for this crowdsourcing method:

Weddings: Put an email address at tables and capture moments not caught by the photographer.
Twitter Groups: Enhance groups using retweetbots such as the PredsFans and give your photos a central location.
Promote Events: Plan an epic Halloween party and ask users to submit how their costume is coming, or award a Twitter follower a prize for a specific photo during a social media campaign.
Tech Events and Mixers: Make it easy for people to upload to your photo pool by giving them an email address at events like BarCamp, CS Mixer, and Geek Breakfast. Configure Flickr to add your hashtag to uploads.
Concert: Engage concert goers by allowing them to upload photos of the show and give them a reason to visit your website.

1. Setup a Twitter account.

Remain logged once you sign up or login if you already have one so you can integrate your Twitter account with Flickr.

2. Setup a Flickr account.

If you are setting up a new account you will need to setup a free Yahoo account if you don’t already have one. Just follow the steps after clicking the Sign Up button at the bottom, right.
After logging into Flickr, pick your screen name.

3. Integrate your accounts.

In your account settings add a blog. Select “Twitter” as the type and click “Next.”
Click the “Go to Twitter to Authorize” button.
In the new window from Twitter click the “Allow” button.
Flickr will now direct you to a page with your “Flickr2Twitter upload-by-email address.”

It looks something like this: pithyphrase2twitter@photos.flickr.com with “pithyphrase” being the unique phrase they give you.

You can always find your “Flickr2Twitter upload-by-email address” in the email tab of your account settings.

4. Setup your email alias

Gmail
1. Setup a new account by clicking the “Create an account” button at the bottom, right.
2. Select a email address related to your photo pool.
3. In the “settings” area, click Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
4. Select “Forward a copy of incoming mail to…”
5. Paste in your “Flickr2Twitter upload-by-email address” in the “email address” field.
6. Click “Save Changes.”
Custom Email
1. If you want to use an email address with your current website, contact your mail administrator to see if a custom alias can be created and if they have instructions on how to do so.
2. If you want to create a custom email address such as pic@yoursite.com with a website that doesn’t exist yet, you will first need a website domain name. You can purchase a .com domain name from many places. For instance Go Daddy sells them for about $11/yr and they include a free mailbox in which you can setup email forwarding. Check to make sure this offer still applies if you decide to buy a domain name.

TIP: It is a good idea to add additional aliases if you can for common misspellings such as pic, pics, photo, photos, picture, pictures, pix, pix, etc.

How can I add the photos to my website?

One of the easiest ways is to insert a Flickr slideshow on your website or blog.

How do captions work?

Via email the subject of the email becomes the Twitter text and the Flickr title. The body of the message becomes the Flickr description.

Via text “Multimedia Message” becomes the Twitter text and the Flickr title. The text message becomes the Flickr description.

So encourage email.

How many photos can the group upload?

Your group will be able to submit over 500 photos a month. This is based on average camera phone quality and the space currently allotted by Flickr’s free account. If you need more space, a Flickr pro account is $24.95/yr.

How long do uploads take?

When setting things up for the first time, my tests were delayed by 2 hours. Now that everything is setup, uploads take about 30 seconds to a minute for me. It’s a good idea to let people know they should allow 5-10 minutes for their uploads so they don’t try to upload over and over and create duplicates.

How stable is this solution?

Keep in mind this solution relies on Twitter, Flickr, their API’s, and your email provider to all be working properly at the same time. Also, Twitter’s integration with Flickr is currently in beta, so they may change aspects of this service in the future.

Two Kids Who'll Change the Nashville Music Scene, or Leave it

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:12:00 -0500

Prediction. These two kids will be innovators in the Nashville music scene if they stay, or they’ll thrive in a larger space.

Within Nashville’s musician-saturated limits lies Belmont University, the band camp of Music City.

Band campers include Josh Turner, Brad Paisley and Vince Gill.

This year’s winners haven’t graduated camp yet, but are already changing the Nashville music scene.

About half of Belmont students are music or music business majors, so when I was earning my journalism badge from Belmont, I watched this scene closely.

My Freshman roommate came from Germany to record as much Jazz as he could. He watched David Letterman at night not for the jokes, but for the Jazz.

I’ve watched and I’ve spent time actively discovering music in Nashville, but I’ve only skimmed the surface. I’m also not familiar with other strong music programs such as MTSU’s music program, so here’s one view of the city.

I don’t have a view from the Batman Building, but I can see a few hills from here.

And the winners are…

Winners of the 2009 Nashville Music Young Innovator Award

About this award: I just made it up. Just as the speed of the Internet spurs the music industry to adapt, I’ve created something new beyond traditional conventions.

The prize: The prize for the recipients is whatever they decide to give each other. Lame? perhaps. Sprinkled with a good dose of potential energy? Absolutely.

Keep an eye on Future and Lance Conzett, winners of the 2009 Nashville Music Young Innovator Award.

These kids have the strength of core to distinguish themselves among the masses and here’s why they’ll succeed in what they pursue. Oh, and it’s not because they have crazy talent.

Future

“Rapper/Producer/Singer/Songwriter/Futurist” -twitter

The Sci Fly Guy Blog

Free “Sci Fly” EP download

Future wins this award for his outreach methods.

He makes a plethora of music and shares his life and music in as many channels as he can.

He raps at parties, fashion shows, dances, anywhere that has oxygen it seems. I wouldn’t be surprised if I walked through a door tonight, and he was spitting fire on the other side.

This is how I’ve heard of him: He came to my space.

His latest project is a weekly mixtape project. The Overnight Mixtape, Vol. 6 was released Friday. I’m really impressed. His transparency draws you in, and after listening I was inspired to get entrenched in the creation of art.

Another outreach post is his twitter feed, where he has a knack for storytelling unlike many musicians using twitter today. He’s finding ways to invite people on an adventure, and people are getting addicted.

Below is the pilot video for project Sidewalk Scenes produced by Belmont University’s Belmont Vision. The video was shot by fellow award winner, Lance Conzett. Funny how innovative people naturally find each other.

Lance Conzett

“I’m a journalism student and a photographer and a multimedia dork. That, my friends, is a trifecta.” -twitter

Lance’s Online Portfolio

Lance wins this award for burying himself in music culture to the point that he is adapting physical characteristics of instruments.

Quick! Comment on what his face looks like this week after his high dose of shows and vinyl.

He’s a critic living in the sweaty, loud basement venues of our city and he knows things.

Not only is he entrenched in our city, he has the ability to describe the nuances of what he hears and sees using all the tools available: video, audio, web and print.

Below is a project Lance helped launch with Erin Carson. In response to the rise of The Daily Show as a news source, the Belmont Vision has entered one of the fastest growing spaces in news.

So if one of these kids approaches you and wants to collaborate, say yes.

They both are on track to graduate in 2010.

If they hand you a resume, hire them before they go on to bigger things in bigger cities. If they want to represent your record label or entertain your crowd, don’t be intimidated by the high top.

Say yes.

And if you are about to say no, you should check to see if your answer is as innovate as them.

What can you see from your view of the city? Who is changing the Nashville music scene?

Nashville writer and editor Tracy Lucas on telling truth to our kids

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:16:42 -0500

Nashville writer and editor Tracy Lucas on telling truth to our kids:

Click the link above to check out Tracy’s blog and add it to your Google Reader. She’s touching on some great stuff, including how much truth we should be including in our children literature.

Hear Nate speak Saturday at BarCamp and Ignite

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:33:00 -0500

Come stalk me Saturday at BarCamp Nashville, a free “un”-conference for the digital and technical community.

It’ll feel like I’m stalking you with my new, creepy presentation beard—I like to ease tensions.

You can catch me speaking at two times…

1. CMS 101 - Tips and FAQs on using your “content management system” to update your website or blog

Time: Morning (See BarCamp Schedule) Cadillac Ranch free

I’ll be representing Sitemason, who is proudly sponsoring BarCamp for the first time this year!

Based on working daily with website managers from Nashville and beyond, I’ll share some of the most common and global issues people have with updating their website or blog, such as pasting from Word and creating email links. Join the session!

2. Tech Fasting - How technology uses you

Time: 4:00 pm Big Bang free with BarCamp name badge

In 5 minutes and 20 slides I’m presenting at the Ignite after party.

I’ll be telling a room full of technology junkies why they need to think about the negative effects of technology before it’s too late. I’m unveiling a flexible solution for creating built-in mechanisms to analyze these negative effects.

My brother recently presented an Ignite talk in Atlanta if you want to see the format. My only goal is to have a better intro than my brother’s awesome dance. Get it!

Artwork by George Dorrance

Here are some recommended BarCamp sessions from Nashville’s technology beat report Tom Cheredar if you need more reasons to come out Saturday!

See you there!? Will you still talk to me with my new, creepy presentation beard?

Someday/Maybe List

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:31:00 -0500

This is the list I keep of things I want to remember to work on eventually. I noticed some are already done.

go to a concert in a cave — I’ve got the venue lined up.
dye hair blonde √ (High school wrestling team group-stunt)
create secret rooms
tree house
wall library with ladder
work at a camp
learn how to shoot a gun √
learn lindy hop — I’ve tried a few times and keep forgetting
podcast
write sheet music for a novel
improv class √
karate
symphony √
visit grandparents √
write snail mail √
learn how to cook from mom √ (Dutch Baby Pancakes recipe PDF)
learn ice hockey
document friends in DVD — Just need to put it all together.
analyze myself by the changes in my personal websites
tattoo
learn how to street fight
made 3D video
commission artwork √
make a video arcade out of an old beige mac
look over short stories and submit one to publisher √
floor to ceiling dry-erase wall
read other world religion literature √
carve wooden sitting chair
learn short hand — I’ve got the vowels down.
write life document

Do you have a list?

Fabry and the Goldfish

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Fabry raises his wine towards the happy couple with his right hand. With his left he drops a piece of roll to the goldfish in the flower vase.

Through the vase, he watches the warped shapes of the best man talking.

Love is patient, the best man is saying.

Can I have what I want now? Fabry whispers to the fish.

The fish turns to listen and lets the carrot and roll bits fall around him like snow.

Fabry lowers his wine and finishes it in an Adam’s apple gulp.

Youngsters pour large cardboard boxes of flakes from the roof and it snows.

A barefoot woman in black tip-toes backwards through the line, low to the ground, pointing her camera at the advancing bride and groom.

Fabry slips away from the joy—It’s as real to him as snow in June.

The flower girl carries all the goldfish in a vase to the fake fountain stream. She tries to kiss the fish but forgets about the water. The water tickles her nose and splashes over her white shoes.

But I love them daddy! the girl says. Set them free darling. They’ll live a long happy life.

She bends at the waist and mixes the water of the vase with the water of the fountain, unaware the fish surely won’t survive the rapid change in temperature.

The bridal party folds the chairs and the family carpools the gifts home.

Fabry kneels by the pond and looks for his goldfish.

The fish walks out of the pond.

Can I have what I want now? Fabry whispers to the fish.

The fish jumps up and slaps Fabry in the face. Listen again. Love is patient.

Can I have what I want now?

The fish slaps Fabry in the face. Listen again.

Love is patient. Patience is an action.

Love is patient, Fabry whispers back to the fish.

The fish nods and walks back into the pond and dies.

“Fabry and the Goldfish” by Nathan T. Baker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Lessons from 3 Nashville Homeless Advocates

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:30:33 -0500

At the Wedding are You the Creative or the Friend?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Here’s the teaser trailer for a wedding video I made for friends.

Congrats Evan and Natalie! I felt honored to be a part of your day!

The wedding was over a year ago. I think it turned out fine, but yeah, a little late. All my friends are getting married and as a creative person I love to help when I can.

I’ve done a website, website, engagement photos, engagement photos and a video. Oh and I started a backup groomsman business.

I started saying no to engaged friends with video needs though. I found I can’t get it done in a reasonable amount of time. And at my level of proficiency, it takes more time to reach the level of quality I feel is necessary for such a meaningful capture.

Granted, this was my second wedding video. As a teenager I lost my first wedding video in an editing mishap. I’m also getting more proficient after learning how to juggle three cameras, but from helping friends I’ve learned my creative limit is the ceremony.

That’s when I’m not a creative friend, just a friend.

Creatives, under what circumstances do you tell a friend no? Married folks, what have you learned from working with creatives vs. creative friends?

What Should My Tattoo Look Like?

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:09:00 -0500

I want a single-color tattoo that wraps around my left forearm, but I don’t know what it looks like.

If I explain the concept, perhaps you can help me brainstorm the image.

The concept:

There are many motives for being creative. I want to be reminded to follow my motive of pleasing God. I feel I was created in his image, and therefore I have echos of his traits, such as the desire to create.

He created life. I mimic him because that same bug is in me and I find pleasure in creating things that are good.

Help me brainstorm:

Any ideas? I’ve thought of the image of a sandbox, or a kid holding up a picture to be placed on the fridge…

If you want to talk me out of it, you can comment below too, but you’ll probably have more luck with arguments of pain rather than permanent decision making.

5 Nashville Hippie Adventures

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:19:00 -0500

Overlooking Florence Alabama on the Fourth of July

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:26:00 -0500

15:01 | itunes | podomatic | mp3

Every Fourth of July the Rainer family hosts a fireworks viewing on their lawn, which overlooks the Tennessee River in Florence, Alabama.

The best view in the area is always teeming with family and neighbors.

This is my attempt at capturing the sounds of Florence and the heart of the Rainer household.

Photos of the gathering from 2006 and 2005.

Comics are a hotbed of creativity

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:19:00 -0500

I made the plunge into comics after realizing I had read less than a dozen in my life.

Thanks Amber, Tim, and John for helping me pick out some of my first comics the other day.

To commemorate my plunge, I’ve dug up the first comic I wrote.

I was 11 or 12.

I had forgotten I was such a PC-basher, and such an endering speller.

Here’s “Fred’s Adventure” my frist comic in full screen 3-page glory.

Comic geeks, what do you call the comic Oscar? Another question for comic geeks: Am I a suppressed comic geek if I read like two, created a few, then forgot about the magic?

You think twitter forces you to be pithy? Try saturating a story into text bubbles. Original stories thrive, and when it’s good… innovation at the intersection of visual and written story collide brilliantly.

One night this week I skipped beer with friends, for reading the next page in my comic book. Whatever—I’ll call it a phase.

We commit ourselves to well-crafted art. It’s why we NEED to see the next episode of Lost, or get Bryan Adams’ new CD.

I’ve been going through “Y: The Last Man” book by book at Nashville’s Great Escape, and leaving the story trail for my roommate, who is also hooked.

In the age of Kindle and the decline of newspaper readership, can you imagine physically walking somewhere so you have the next installment of a story?

As I walked to be inspired by the next installment of Y today, I knew the beautiful ending was that my level of commitment was being reciprocated with great story.

I’m having a love affair and I’m-loving-every-new-second-of-it.

Video edition of this post:

Departure of Technology Entreprenuer Sparks Great Discussion

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:00:08 -0500

Departure of Technology Entreprenuer Sparks Great Discussion:

Click the title to view the discussion at Venture Nashville.

Dynamic Paintings of The Future

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:48:00 -0500

It calculates how close you are and enlarges the frame as you teeter close.

It creates the sensation of depth by merging inputs based on the distance between your eyes and your closeness. No polarization tricks. No glasses. No staring at a dot or crossing your eyes required.

The technology is seamless as air.

If you like, it recreates the weather in your precise location and spawns pixels of rain drizzle on a wet day and flashes of light during thunderstorm warnings.

It emits your daily does of vitamin D, which sets off a chemical response which pumps a mental association of childhood adventures into the crevasses of your brain.

The lifetime warranty guarantees if you spend at least five minutes a day looking at the painting, it will add two years to your life, or your money back—to whoever you specify in your will.

Art reviewers agree it reinforces the where of your belonging. They call it Essential.

Economists agree the price point for such an advancement in technology will make it accessible to every household. They call it Viral.

Dead artists agree in their well-catalogued notebooks it is the fulfillment of a prophesy. They call it Inspiration.

It can track the movement of a nearby fly and recreate the image of the fly’s legs touching glass.

If you like, you can teeter extra close and smash your hand against the paining, which responds and displays the fly fleeing from your input.

But the true magic is this.

Of all the reprints, none are the same. And in each instance of the billions of blinking eyes, large and small, that look into reprints of a Dynamic Painting, never—never even once, is the image the same as it was a millisecond ago.

They call it Window.

Stephen Yeargin wins first Nashville's Almost Impossible Crossword Puzzle

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:56:00 -0500

Congratulations to Stephen Yeargin!

He told me he put calls on Do-Not-Disturb to fully focus on the prize, which won him a retro Opryland Belt Bucklet. Get it.

He was able to win Nashville’s Almost Impossible Crossword Puzzle by solving the last clue:

CLUE: In the second fold below the clouds

ANSWER: John C. Tune

The second fold refers to the folds in the Cumberland River.

With the leaderhip of Stephen and other crossword champs, Nashville was able to collectively finish the puzzle in less than a day.

Which means… we’ll have to make the next one harder so more people have a chance to jump in. Many people realized what was happening only after there was one clue left.

The Winner’s circle from the last puzzle will be able to contribute clues, which could add to the difficulty and lengthen the time it takes for Nashville to solve the next puzzle.

Let me know if you have any other ideas on how to improve this experiment. It was great to see such a positive reaction. Thanks for playing and expect another soon!

Nashville's Almost Impossible Crossword Puzzle

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:35:00 -0500

HOW TO PLAY

Leave a comment to guess a word.
The first to a correct answer is honored below the puzzle.
Guess the last word to win a Opryland belt buckle!

Launch Crossword Puzzle in new window

ACROSS
4 Caped cab driver
7 Nashville’s showboat built by Jeff _____
9 TN’s richest county per household
11 Nine nudes
12 Grand Wizard’s view
14 Street named after dead horse who has a grave stone in Nashville
15 TN’s nobel prizer
17 31-floor message returns
18 Broken circle’s namesake
19 Moved to Florida pre-mall
20 24-7 coffee shop

DOWN
1 Memphis brought this exhibit
2 Inspired sweaty-toothed madman
3 Straight outta Cashville
5 She holds victory
6 Most on tap
8 In the second fold below the clouds
10 Sit-in participants: Fisk, TSU, American Baptist College, _____
13 Miracle - ______ = Frank + Kevin
16 Former Channel 5 anchor

Winners List

Grand Prize Winner: Stephen Yeargin

Jonathan Baker

WILLIAMSON - TN’s richest county per household

Nicholas Young

GORE - TN’s nobel prizer

Colin J. Hill

MUSICA - Nine nudes
CAFECOCO - 24-7 coffee shop

Tim Kerrick

FLYINGSAUCER - Most on tap

Chris Ennis

MEHARRY - Sit-in participants: Fisk, TSU, American Baptist College, _____
LORENZO - Miracle - ______ = Frank + Kevin
OPRAH - Former Channel 5 anchor

Samantha Y.

YOUNGBUCK - Straight outta Cashville
PEACE - 31-floor message returns

Defycreative

ATHENA - She holds victory

Tony Grotticelli

BOAT - Nashville’s showboat built by Jeff _____

Levi Cole with the assist from Andrew Duthie

BATPOET - Caped cab driver

Stephen with assists from Samantha Y.

MBA - Inspired sweaty-toothed madman
INTERSTATE65 - Grand Wizard’s view
JACKSON - Broken circle’s namesake
PYRAMID - Memphis brought this exhibit

Lance Conzett

ENQUIRER - Street named after dead horse who has a grave stone in Nashville

Jessica (No link to twitter?!)

HANGMAN - Moved to Florida pre-mall

FOLLOW UP POST:

Stephen Yeargin wins first Nashville’s Almost Impossible Crossword Puzzle

Piecing Together Chapter 11

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:03:00 -0500

My computer froze as I wrote chapter 11 of my story.

Even though the excerpt was a draft and riddled with errors, I couldn’t stand the thought of losing a nuance of what I had just created, so I took some photos of the screen. I ended up not loosing anything, but decided to piece the images together for their own sake. Here’s the result:

Click for larger image

Nashville's tech community spawns gpsAssassin mobile game

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:41:00 -0500

Kill your neighbor.

That’s the motto of gpsAssassin, the iPhone application which became available on iTunes yesterday.

Players scan for targets and launch mafia-style attacks on nearby friends.

“What has been great is the huge community support that we have received,” developer and co-founder Jackson Miller said in an email.

For the over 50 beta testers and numerous contributors to the game, killing neighbors cultivated a community which fed the game’s development.

Nashville companies including Griffin Technology, Sitening and Firefly Logic have released iphone applications, but not necessarily with the same degree of community input.

Nashville’s growing technology scene may indicate a shift in the readiness of Nashville to be known not only for its music and healthcare industries, but also for technology, according to co-founder Nicholas Holland.

“Many feel we haven’t had a major success - something that is so innovative and/or cool that [it] garners world-wide attention,” Holland said in an email.

“We’re hoping that gpsAssassins can solve that problem due to its Startup Weekend roots and the innovative combination of GPS gameplay with social interaction.”

Co-founder Nicholas Holland grabs lunch at Nashville Startup Weekend
last October, where he pitched the idea for new iphone game, gpsAssassin.

Last October Holland presented the idea of gpsAssassin at Nashville’s first Startup Weekend.

Startup Weekends are gatherings of community members which work to launch various companies in a weekend.

In less than a year, and after co-founders Holland and Miller put in an estimated 500 hours each, the project went live.

“We thought this would be much simpler when we started,” Miller said.

“We have had a really incredible group of beta testers working with us for several months. They deserve a lot of credit for the high quality of the gameplay and mechanics,” Miller said.

Co-founder and lead developer Jackson Miller discusses new iphone
game, gpsAssassin, at Nashville Startup Weekend last October.

Players can create custom weapons, so they can kill their friends in as many morbid or cute ways they can imagine.

Health, armor and money are tracked during gameplay.

“I can easily say that gpsAssassins wouldn’t be half as fun (or feature rich) if it wasn’t for the excellent feedback of the local players,” Holland said.

The game is currently $4.99 and available from the iTunes store for the iPhone. Planning has begun to support other mobile devices.

Holland and Miller formed Side Hobby LLC to launch gpsAssassin.

Buy it now to support the launch party, according to an online message from Holland, who mentions a free version will eventually be available.

More Online

Official gpsAssassin website
Tom Cheredar reports on Nashville iphone development, including gpsAssassin
Mar 8th, 2009 Nate News Review of beta game:

1:32 | mp3