Just arrived at work to find that HR had delivered Talky Tina’s swipe access by internal mail. That’s great news. That means Talky Tina is now officially employed as the health and safety officer at the DS106 Workplace and has open-access to all premises. Let’s look forward to an incident-free seven weeks.
Tag Archives: ds106
The other story at Skidmore
Stories can be found in the most unexpected places, even in the chat window of a live video stream. This Storify aggregates my experience of watching Alan Levine’s Making/Telling stories that matter keynote at Skidmore College via the Skidmore College Livestream.
Message for Mr Todd Conaway
Just arrived on site to find other DS106 colleagues hard at work. The construction of the new office building is almost complete and only requires a final inspection from Mr Todd Conaway to be signed-off. Hopefully Mr Conaway can make it down to the site sometime this week.
Message for Mariana Funes
I was late for my project meeting with Mariana Funes at the DS106 Open online participant office (OOPO), so I recorded this message to let her know that I’m going to arrive at the office later than I had planned. Sorry Mariana, I’ll speak to you soon.
Going to work with DS106
I just got to work and I realised today is the first week of Storytelling goes to work for the Spring 2014 iteration of DS106. Not wanting to miss out, I called CogDog from my desk to register my interest. Unfortunately, my call went to voicemail. I hope he gets my message!
Fridge magnets out in the open
“What we plan for the use of something is not necessarily how people will use it and we don’t necessarily dictate how they use it. We open it up and we hope for the best and a lot of the times we are surprised.”
It’s still one of my favourite quotes from Jim Groom’s February 2012 talk at Kansas State University. It fits with the practice of sharing out in the open. Sharing out in the open can help to create something what Alan Levine calls a potential energy for happy accidents to happen.
I would never, ever, EVER claim to be anywhere near the absolute awesomeness of Jim or Alan, but from my own wonky experience I believe what they say to be true.
I’m always surprised and flattered someone would want to use my strange photos of something like a supermarket aisle for a book about genetically modified food or a colourful photo of some hanboks for a school project or even a photo of a statue of Bhuddha from a temple in Busan South Korea for a fridge magnet.
All I know is that if I hadn’t operated with an open intent I wouldn’t have set myself up for a (possible) surprise. And I like surprises!
A big thanks to World Wide Gifts LLC for the fridge magnets that now reside in their rightful place on my fridge!
GIF your sassy animal – Parker the cat (Formerly known as Jones)
I don’t have a cat, but if I did I would call it Parker. Just like the cat that used to live next door.
The August Animated GIF Challenge: Challenge 4 – Where Did the Soda Go?

The August Animated GIF Challenge: Challenge 4 – Where Did the Soda Go?, a photo by Rowan Peter on Flickr.
Just like regular repetitive chicken.
Where Did the Soda Go? for Challenge 4 of The August Animated GIF Challenge.
The August Animated GIF Challenge: Challenge 2 – Dancing Jim All Over the World
The August Animated GIF Challenge: Day 2 – Hurry up and wait
The frame rate of the animated GIF does accurately represent the time required to empty the trash. It takes much longer.
Hurry up and wait GIF for Day 2 of The August Animated GIf Challenge.
Bobbin’ and weavin’ (and let the good get even)
Bobbin’ and weavin’ (and let the good get even), originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
Bob takes cover behind a car in a Heat themed Gun Crazy GIF celebrating DS106 GIFfest. There’s a lot of crazy gun action in Heat that I’m sure can be sampled for an animated gif. This animated gif sampled a shot from the gun battle in the street scene. I particularly like how the camera mirrors Bob’s movement from behind the car.
Automated holster action from Robocop
Automated holster action from Robocop, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
Automated holster action from Robocop for a Gun Crazy GIF celebrating DS106 GIFfest. Robo’s gun spinning and holstering sequence is reminiscent of a Sheriff in a Western. A lone (rebuilt) lawman responsible for cleaning up the town.
Moo Moo Says The Boid GIF
Moo Moo Says The Boid GIF, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
A dancing bird inspired Moo Moo Says The GIF for DS106 GIFfest. If only I read the assignment brief correctly. Animation is restricted to COWS ONLY. Other animals are not included in the assignment brief. Maybe, just maybe these boids could be considered an unofficial remix.
You’ve made my GIFlist
You’ve made my GIFlist, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
A shopping themed You’ve made my GIFlist for DS106 GIFfest.
Lt. Vincent Hanna demonstrates how to feel the music

A Heat themed The Music Of GIFs for DS106 GIFfest.
Kaneda gets Gun Crazy

Kaneda gets Gun Crazy, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
An Akira themed Gun Crazy GIF for DS106 GIFfest (Extended).
Shotaro Kaneda gets Gun Crazy while battling Tetsuo Shima.
Two guys and their Miniguns
Two guys and their Miniguns, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
A Minigun themed Gun Crazy GIF for DS106 GIFfest (Extended).
With its rotating barrel, cascading cartridges and dramatic muzzle flash the Minigun seems to be the weapon of choice for movie characters who need to battle against great odds. Terminator 2: Judgement Day and The Matrix are two of the many films that feature a Minigun.
It’s a great day for sporting GIFs – Hockey
It’s a great day for sporting GIFs, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
A Flyers VS Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup playoff themed It’s A Great Day For Sporting GIFs for DS106 GIFfest.
What counts is that the rhymes designed to fill your mind (Turn up the radio)
What counts is that the rhymes designed to fill your mind (Turn up the radio), originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
A Public Enemy themed Rock ‘N Roll ‘N GIF for DS106 GIFfest. Yes. Public Enemy are rock ‘n roll like The Clash!
Fugazi forever rocking DS106 GIFfest
Fugazi forever rocking DS106 GIFfest, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
A Fugazi themed Rock ‘N Roll ‘N GIF for DS106 GIFfest.
Slayer rocks DS106 GIFfest 2012

Slayer rocks DS106 GIFfest 2012, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
Which other band is more qualified to provide a soundtrack to truly rock DS106 GIFfest other than the mighty Slayer? Nobody rocks a Rock ‘N Roll ‘N GIF for DS106 GIFfest 2012 like Slayer! Nobody!
ds106: Visual Assignment 24 – Troll quotes
Visual Assignment 24 – Troll quotes brief
Find an image of a well known figure, add to it a famous quote by someone related in some way to the figure in the image and then attribute the quote to a third, related figure. From the official site: How It Works.
- Get a picture of someone people idolise. Obi Wan Kenobi, Barack Obama, Captain Kirk — any beloved public figure will do.
- Slap on a famous quotation from a similar character from a different book or movie. Pick something close enough that a non-fan might legitimately confuse them. If you’re using Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation, for example, you’ll probably want to grab a quote from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica.
- Attribute the quotation to a third character, from yet a third universe. This way, nothing about your image is correct, and you’re trolling fans of all three characters at once.
I call this troll Total Kindergarten Alien Cop.
LIVE with Celebrations (from Port Moody)

You never know what you’re going to hear when you tune in to DS106 Radio. You’ll always hear a great selection of tunes via /AUTODJ, but it gets a whole lot better when someone unexpectedly grabs the stream and goes /LIVE.
It was a late Sunday afternoon and I was in my kitchen preparing our Sunday night dinner when @bryanjack grabbed the DS106 Radio stream. @bryanjack was trying to make his way home from a Saturday night out in Port Moody, which was proving difficult to so. I decided to respond to his broadcast.
Suddenly, his broadcast stopped and then started again. @bryanjack had made it home. I asked him to describe what he saw. @bryanjack described his surroundings. They matched his Instagrams. Perfect!
I could just make out the sound of wedding reception at Old Orchard Hall. Distant music and happy voices.
Then @bryanjack played some tunes. A perfect soundtrack to a Sunday night meal preparation in the kitchen.
I realised a little too late that I should have been recording his broadcast. So I grabbed my mobile phone, placed it near the speaker of my tablet device and the hit record. Of course there were technical difficulties and the sound quality wasn’t the best, but I managed to record a reasonable amount of his awesome performance.
Select Play to listen to @bryanjack playing ‘Born to run’ live on DS106 Radio from Port Moody while I cook in my kitchen on Sunday 28 July 2012.
Select Play to listen to @bryanjack playing ‘a Josh Ritter song’ live on DS106 Radio from Port Moody while I cook in my kitchen on Sunday 28 July 2012.
Select Play to listen to @bryanjack playing ‘Dead flowers’ and ‘Suspicious minds’ live on DS106 Radio from Port Moody while I cook in my kitchen on Sunday 28 July 2012.

ds106: Visual Assignment 24 – Troll quotes
Visual Assignment 24 – Troll quotes brief
Find an image of a well known figure, add to it a famous quote by someone related in some way to the figure in the image and then attribute the quote to a third, related figure. From the official site: How It Works.
- Get a picture of someone people idolise. Obi Wan Kenobi, Barack Obama, Captain Kirk — any beloved public figure will do.
- Slap on a famous quotation from a similar character from a different book or movie. Pick something close enough that a non-fan might legitimately confuse them. If you’re using Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation, for example, you’ll probably want to grab a quote from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica.
- Attribute the quotation to a third character, from yet a third universe. This way, nothing about your image is correct, and you’re trolling fans of all three characters at once.
Phone club
Appliance manufacturer LG are currently promoting their new PRADA mobile phone by saturating tram stops in the local area with advertising posters. The posters feature actor Edward Norton and model Daria Werbowy. I think it’s Edward and Daria’s alluring pose with the new PRADA mobile phone and their promise of a more fashionable lifestyle is what made me immediately think of two things. The film Fight Club and a Troll Quote. For this Troll Quote I used the image of Norton combined with the infamous Tyler Durden dialogue “I want you to hit me as hard as you can” and then attributed it to a competing mobile phone handset manufacturer. I called this troll quote Phone Club.
Practising out in the open can sometimes lead to a happy accident
Practising out in the open can sometimes lead to a happy accident, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.
遺伝子組み換え食品との付き合いかた-GMOの普及と今後のありかたは? The way of dealing with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) now and in the future. Written by Ichiro Motoki. Photograph of page 81 from 遺伝子組み換え食品との付き合いかた-GMOの普及と今後のありかたは by Rowan Peter. Used with kind permission from Kaoru Kobayashi and Ohmsha Publishing.
“What we plan for the use of something is not necessarily how people will use it and we don’t necessarily dictate how they use it. We open it up and we hope for the best and a lot of the times we are surprised.”
This quote from Jim Groom’s February 2012 talk at Kansas State University reflects my own surprising experiences with sharing my work out in the open. My surprise came about when I was contacted by the co-author of a book seeking permission to use one of my photographs. I had taken the photograph for The Daily Shoot #ds446 – Sense of depth or dimension assignment for the Spring 2011 iteration of DS106. For me, the photograph had a single purpose. An exercise for The Daily Shoot, a record of my attempt at creating a sense of depth and dimension.
What surprised me the most was that someone wanted to use to my photograph at all, let alone for a for a completely different purpose. It’s likely the friendly request to use my photograph by the co-author of the book would not have occurred if I had not been sharing my work out in the open. Sharing this way allowed my photograph to be easily discovered by others and helped to create what Alan Levine calls a potential energy for happy accidents to happen.
The Daily Create (TDC) Archive: TDC 73, 75, 96, 98, 100, 101 and 102
This is my weekly archive of the work I’ve produced for The Daily Create (TDC).
The Daily Create (TDC) 73 – Make a photo that emphasises yellow
I went with the obvious banana.
The Daily Create (TDC) 75 –Read a favourite quote, emulating the author’s voice. Tell us why the quote is meaningful
This quote epitomises the energy and vitality of youth.
The Daily Create (TDC) 96 – Make a 5 x 5 video
It was a strange day. One minute I was in domestic mode and the next minute I was out at a lake.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXl92_45eoQ]
The Daily Create (TDC) 97 – A photo of a bumper sticker
Yeah, I’ve shopped at this online store before.
The Daily Create (TDC) 98 – Record one side of a conversation
A conversation I had with myself as I was leaving my office.
The Daily Create (TDC) 100 – It’s the 100th Daily Create
It’s not my parking spot!
The Daily Create (TDC) 101 – Take a photo in which the mirror is a major element
Car park corner mirror.
The Daily Create (TDC) Archive: TDC 62, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70 and 71
This is my weekly archive of the work I’ve produced for The Daily Create (TDC).
The Daily Create (TDC) 62 – Take a picture from the inside of something looking out
Looking through a glass.
The Daily Create (TDC) 64 – Make a creative photo of some sort of boundary
I was trying to emulate a bleach-bypass effect for this photograph (without resorting to Googling a tutorial). Not sure if I’ve hit the spot. Maybe, needs moar grain!
The Daily Create (TDC) 66 – Tell the world in 5 minutes or less why DS106 is the best
I try to keep things short.
The Daily Create (TDC) 68 – Tell a story of beauty in 3 seconds
Juxtaposition.
The Daily Create (TDC) 69 – If you had 3 moar hours to live, what would you do, where would you go and why?
I’d go on a DS106 Family World Tour of course!
The Daily Create (TDC) 70 – Windows, gates and doors represent the liminal state between two realities. Photograph that idea.
An old door that leads to a new reality.
The Daily Create (TDC) 71 – Reverse. Shoot video of some dynamic action, reverse it and then post it.
Coffee cup in bin.
The Daily Create (TDC) Archive: TDC 29, 30, 47, 54, 55, 60 and 61
This is my weekly archive of the work I’ve produced for The Daily Create (TDC).
The Daily Create (TDC) 29 – Something upside down that is never seen that way – Coffee cup
I have a clean desk.
The Daily Create (TDC) 30 – The place where you lose things in your house – Under the shelves
I always lose things under there!
The Daily Create (TDC) 47 – A photo that features your favourite colour – Red
I like red.
The Daily Create (TDC) 54 – Record the sound of an ordinary thing and make it hard to guess (TDC54)
Can you guess the sound?
The Daily Create (TDC) 55 – A picture of an instrument that measures something – Retractable tape measure
We use the metric system.
The Daily Create (TDC) 60 – Draw or digitally design a circle. Fill in the circle with the colour or colours that reflect the way your body feels today – Black
It’s a black hole.
The Daily Create (TDC) 61 – Make a video of you writing a line from a movie – Fight Club
I took the ‘I want you to hit me as hard you can’ line from Fight Club.
The Daily Create (TDC) Archive: TDC 22 – 28
This is my weekly archive of the work I’ve produced for The Daily Create (TDC).
The Daily Create (TDC) 22 – A photo of two related objects of drastically different sizes
Toy trucks of slightly different size.
The Daily Create (TDC) 23 – A photo that freezes or isolates the motion of an object
Basketball against the late afternoon sky.
The Daily Create (TDC) 24 – Make a creative photo silhouette by aiming the camera into a bright light
An early morning silhouette.
The Daily Create (TDC) 25 – Record the sound of something that gives you comfort or makes you feel safe
The tap of the keyboard can be comforting.
The Daily Create (TDC) 26 – A picture of your feet that shows the kind of day you’re having
Odd day. Odd socks
The Daily Create (TDC) 27 – A picture that represents or expresses something loud
The noisy drill.
The Daily Create (TDC) 28 – Without saying any words, make a 10 second ringtone with only your voice
A wheezy cough ringtone may guarentee an immediate answer to your phone call.
Speed reader – Visual Assignment 347: Photo It Like Peanut Butter
I used an old Weekly Shōnen Jump as source material for Speed reader. I like it’s economic black ink on pulpy multi-coloured paper style. I also thought the Weekly Shōnen Jump imagery would be able to withstand a drastic reduction in colour palette; a byproduct of balancing the constraints of the gif file format, image quality and file size of the final exported animated gif.
While thumbing-through the pages, I used the burst-feature of my DSLR to capture some frames. I then used Photoshop to import the frames, adjust tone, colour and contrast and finally export a 64-colour animated gif.
Visual Assignment 347: Photo It Like Peanut Butter brief
Rather than making animated GIFs from movie scenes, for this assignment, generate one a real world object/place by using your own series of photographs as the source material. Bonus points for minmal amounts of movement, the subtle stuff.