In Harness at Aggregate Space

An Aggregate Space "Selfie"; West Oakland, CA; June 2013

I'm grateful to both Aggregate Space and The Featherboard Writing Series for granting me time (and a desk away from my home office/studio) to focus on new writing and photograph projects. Having begun work on my two e-chapbooks (described in more detail here), I'm even more enthusiastic about the possibilities. I spent most of today in Aggregate Space's second floor office and editing area, where I wiled away the hours ruminating on some of my early hunting experiences in dove fields.

Disappointingly, it seems unlikely that the e-chapbooks will be available by the time the residency ends in early August, but the kind folks at The People's E-book have agreed to let me be a part of the second wave of Beta testers for the platform. Currently, I plan to produce two limited edition print (i.e., non-digital) chapbooks in partnership with Aggregate Space and The Featherboard Writing Series, and then I'll turn those limited editions into freely distributed e-books after the residency's end.


Image credit: copyright, Christopher Reiger, 2013

Sci Foo On My Mind

Summer solstice moon over the Googleplex; Mountain View, CA; June 2013

My father-in-law is a glass-half-full kinda guy. In the midst of any conversation about science, medicine, or technology, it's not uncommon for him to proclaim, "This is an exciting time to be alive." Indeed, it is. But when I fell into bed early on Sunday morning, my head giddy with ideas from the first full day of Sci Foo Camp, my father-in-law's optimism seemed understated. Spend 48 hours with -- to list just a few of the approximately 250 participants -- a computer scientist studying machine learning and music, a theoretical physicist turning the idea of gravity on its head, a marine biologist eager to solve the mysteries of whale sharks, a genomic epidemiologist intent on elucidating outbreak transmission dynamics, and a national security strategist currently implementing the White House's terrorism-related information sharing priorities and...well, you come away with much to ruminate on and a lot of notes to parse. In short, Sci Foo Camp made for an extraordinary weekend!

Off to Sci Foo this weekend!

I'm excited to head to the Googleplex this coming weekend for Science Foo Camp! Usually referred to as Sci Foo, the eight-year-old invitation-only "unconference" is organized by Google, the science journal, Nature, Digital Science, and O'Reilly Media. Sci Foo brings together "between 200 and 300 leading scientists, technologists, writers, and other thought-leaders at the Googleplex for a weekend of unbridled discussion, demonstration, and debate." (You can learn more about SciFoo here.)

Selene and I were invited because of the BAASICS mission, and I'm pleased to see that one of the proposed SciFoo sessions is titled "Building Better Art-Science Partnerships." Naturally, we're looking forward to engaging in lively, informative conversations with other participants about the art-science interface and to explaining what it is we aim to do with BAASICS and why we feel it's so important. That said, while BAASICS got me invited, I'm super jazzed about attending (and perhaps participating in) many of the other sessions that have been proposed. A few of my favorites:

- Using Emerging Technologies to Advance Conservation
- Science Advocacy
- Rethinking National Security
- Defragging Government (How Can Scientists and Engineers Help?)
- Science and Popular Skepticism

To my way of thinking, Sci Foo's interdisciplinary angle and relaxed format are outgrowths of Bay Area culture, a place where idealism, art, science, and technology commingle, often with exciting results. I'm encouraged to see sessions like "DeFragging Government" on the list, and I have the impression that many of the Sci Foo participants recognize our responsibility -- both that of the individual and the group -- to be active beyond our more particular spheres.

BAASICS will be live tweeting from the event and I'll provide a short update -- with photographs -- after my return.

Image credit: ripped from the Sci Foo Camp website

Aggregate Space Summer Writer-In-Residence

Miscellaneous chapbooks

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be the Aggregate Space Writer-In-Residence this summer. I'm honored to be the first participant in the artist-run space's new program and I'm looking forward to my time in West Oakland! (For readers unfamiliar with Aggregate Space, I recommend reading Kelly Inouye's interview with Conrad Meyers II and SD Willis in SFAQ. As Inoyue writes, Meyers and Willis "basically created a gallery, artist studios, metal and wood fabrication shop, small theater, and office space out of an empty warehouse.")