There's a common narrative pattern in which a protagonist is saddled with some differentiating characteristic - big ears for example, or scissors for hands, or flatulence. At first said characteristic causes the protagonist to be shunned by their peers, but in a different context it turns out to be an advantage, enabling them to overcome a … Continue reading We got everything we need right here
Late last year I made a small prototype based on my Ignite London talk, 1794, by printing the 20 slides as Moo cards, with associated pages on this blog. Now there's a new version, using cards, stickers and an A3 sheet for you to play with the story. It's backed up with a new set of … Continue reading 1794 Redux
It's a pleasure to see - at risk of sounding like a Key Stage One Literacy Coordinator - that reading is hot right now. Amazon is starting to ship the Kindle DX worldwide Apple is apparently about to launch some kind of new device eReaders are predicted to be the hottest category at CES this … Continue reading Brought to book: some subtleties of social interaction
Be it known that at some point in the near future I plan to bloviate on the concept of the prospectus and its coming revival in new and unexpected transmedia formats. Consider this a prospectus. I'm so meta.
The Ignite London challenge of telling the story of my 1794 heroes in five minutes and 20 slides set me thinking about other ways to package up a narrative in the most minimal way. In parallel with preparing my talk, I used the slides as the starting point for some printed material. My experimental recipe … Continue reading 1794: Prototyping a small story
It was a delight to welcome the writer Steven Johnson to Leeds last week and to hear first person some of the themes in his book, the Invention of Air. We were, I think, doubly fortunate to hear Steven just a day after his appearance alongside Brian Eno at the ICA. It's worth listening to the … Continue reading The smallest book
If you saw my talks earlier this year at Leeds' GeekUp or Barcamp, you may recall I recommended reading Steven Johnson's "The Invention of Air" which tells the tale of pioneering scientist, theologian and political radical Joseph Priestley. "The Invention of Air" reveals, more than I'd previously appreciated, just how important were Priestley's experiments during his time … Continue reading Steven Johnson presents “The Invention of Air” in Leeds on 3 November
Steven Johnson's The Invention of Air sparks a delightful reverie on the pivotal role of 18th Century scientist, non-conformist minister and poltical thinker Joseph Priestley. Living in Leeds, I was vaguely aware of Priestley from local museums and the blue plaque at Mill Hill Unitarian Church on City Square. What schoolchild could fail to be … Continue reading Reflections on Reading of Mr Joseph Priestley and M Antoine Lavoisier While Travelling by Air Plane Between Leeds and Paris
We recently inherited a stack of Ladybird books and have wasted many happy hours inside the uncomplicated mind of the 1960s educationalist. Here's what we've learned: Computers do not have brains and they cannot really think for themselves A stockbroker in the City is probably more interested in financial news, and has time to read … Continue reading Everything I Know I Learned From Old Ladybird books
Matt Edgar writes here 