For those who are in NYC, make sure to hit up the NYU-ITP show
In tribute to my alma mater, I submit to you, my wonderful readers this wonderful video (found via Erik Fabian of GoodMeet)
Description:
This is dedicated to all fans of Queen and hey let’s not forget about Mike Myers and Dana Carvey of Wayne’s World.
No effects or sampling were used. What you see is what you hear (does that even make sense?)
Atari 800XL was used for the lead piano/organ sound
Texas Instruments TI-99/4a as lead guitar
8 Inch Floppy Disk as Bass
3.5 inch Harddrive as the gong
HP ScanJet 3C was used for all vocals. Please note I had to record the HP scanner 4 seperate times for each voice. I wanted to buy 4 HP scanners but for some reason sellers on E-Bay expect you to pay $80-$100, I got mine for $30.
I keep hearing parts of the song are out of tune. Keep in mind the scanner and floppy drive are not musical instruments. These are mechanical devices whose motors tend to drift and can cause some notes to be out of tune.
A few months ago, I discovered The Moth podcasts. The Moth is a non-profit, and essentially an open-mic for storytelling. A.J. Jacobs, one of The Moth storytellers, recently told a story about outsourcing, which is where I first heard about Virtual Assistants. While you’re reading this, click play below. Take some time and watch the podcast.
The podcast, though, is only a summary of the article A.J. wrote for Esquire.
[read the full article here]
So after hearing this podcast, I was a little conflicted. Should I really hire a virtual assistant?
There were some practical questions. For example, if I hired someone, what should they do? Should I hire someone to handle work I should be doing? Afterall, if I can’t get something done myself, is it worth doing?
I put my conflicts, worries, and anxieties aside. I was inspired. At first, I really wanted to hire Honey from India, the assistant that A.J. Jacobs worked with. What firm did she work for? With that question, I was off. I started my search. There were many more options than I could ever hope for. I looked around for a while, and signed up for a few but finally settled on BPOVIA.
Unlike AJ’s outsourcing firm, BPOVIA is based in China, not India. What’s truly amazing is that you not only get 1 person, but a whole team of people.
After signing up for 10 hours of help and assitance, I received a confirmation email from Yvonne within 24 hours. In addition to doing repetitive tasks like data entry, they also provide many other services, including Graphic Design, Accounting, Invoicing, and even Tax Prepartion!
BPOVIA uses Basecamp to manage tasks, to-do’s and store files. I’ve been using Basecamp to run things on my end for over 1 year, so I was very pleased to see they use the same online software.
Above all, they are incredibly kind, and apparently can do everything. I mean EVERYTHING! For proof, take a look at my chat transcript below.
I still have another 9 hours to go with BPOVIA and am already considering getting more time…
Check back for another update at the end of my 10 hours.
In the meantime, here are few other links I pulled up…
New modes of communication create new meanings, and new narratives. With the rise of the twitterverse, new vocabulary has given way to new modes of dialogue.
a canary torsi is currently commissioning the creation of a new work using Twitter + Twitter’s API. Participants will be asked to take 2 existing twitter feeds of 2 fictional characters and develop a new art work in the form of:
1. an installation
2. website, micro-site, or web app
3. data visualization
4. or any other suitable medium
The (fictional) Twitter feeds (@Doghebitedme and @Darkbloom8) are connected to a live dance performance that takes place in public bathrooms. They are the two characters in the piece. The dance is set to premiere in New York at the Gershwin Hotel in June 2009. If selected, your piece will be shown in conjunction with the June performance and will be promoted with the staged show.
We want to see projects addressing these questions + themes:
How are asynchronous conversations taking place online?
What is public and private information?
The winning proposal will receive $1000 to create their work.
About the Author: The twitter feeds are written by Rozalia Jovanovic, a writer in Columbia University’s MFA program who was a recent fellow at The MacDowell Colony. Her writing has appeared in Guernica, Elimae and Esquire.com, and is forthcoming in The Believer.
About a canary torsi:
a canary torsi is a new structure under which Yanira Castro makes work alone and with others. It is a repository, a card catalogue, a way of inciting others, housing the things we make and making them available to you. It is a way of presenting.
Yanira Castro is a director/choreographer living in Brooklyn. She has made dance installations for theaters, warehouses, bathrooms, a cellar, a former bathhouse. She is interested in constructing scenarios for people that engage different ways of experiencing live performance: you are separated from your companions upon arrival; you are given your own headphones to overhear a surgery; you watch a live performance from a TV in your hotel room; you are shut inside a bathroom with two people having an emotional exchange. She forces a personal encounter with the work. Yanira is the instigator of a canary torsi and is currently engaged in the creation of interactive cyber-environments that act as stand-alone works and are connected to a live performance.
Written by jakilevy at 9:33 pm on December 6, 2008
Nicholas Felton, a Graphic Designer, releases personal annual reports. Kind of reminds me of Josh Klein’s project, Own Your Stuff, where he tracked all his personal items.
