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Archives for August 2010

Things to make and do

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Jamillah Knowles | 10:04 UK time, Tuesday, 31 August 2010


Hello all!

This week on Outriders there's a number of things to do. So I suggest you have a listen to the ­±è´Ç»å³¦²¹²õ³Ù and formulate a plan of action!

cate.jpgFor starters I had a great chat with Cate Sevilla. She's an online journalist, blogger and editor in chief of Bitchbuzz dot com. She's running some classes called to share her experience face to face and also point out that some of the relationships between mainstream media, PR and bloggers are broken.

bcs66thisone.jpgSo, once you have those lessons marked down, it's time to move on to a little short form film-making. 3 to 5 minutes long and your topic is "". I'm sure you must have something on that topic. It's being run by BCS, The Chartered Institute of IT and Sheffield Doc Fest. Sean Coleman is a writer/producer and he's helping to inspire people who want to enter the competition.


66ah.jpgFor those of you marking Ramadan, you may want to explore the world of Islamic search engines. The field still has a few glitches it seems but there's plenty to be explored not just for Islam, but onward through many other religions if the right algorythm is established. The newly apppointed Editor of , Ahmed F Al-Shegra gave me the low down on the good search.


66heather.pngIf you are putting all of this in your schedule then be sure to make room to also use your tech skills to help Pakistan. Heather Blanchard is the co-founder of . If you're not sure that computer skills can help in a world crisis when you are miles and miles away - then listen closely, Heather will put you right.
Thanks to @tenbus_uk on Twitter for pointing us in this direction.

That's more than enough to keep you all busy until next week. If you are also working on your own projects or you have seen something utterly amazing online that you need us to get into - then get in touch.
Drop me an email at Outriders at bbc dot co dot uk, say hi on Twitter where we are , or search for us on Facebook where we often post pre-production notes and questions.


jk-thumb-240x240.gifUntil next week!
~ Jamillah

Solder girls, hard time and celtic podcasting

Jamillah Knowles | 11:24 UK time, Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Hi all!

This week on Outriders we return to our roots and include a podcast and a blog for starters. Then a chat with some ladies who are creating their own hackspace away from the guys.
You can hear more about these things on the ­±è´Ç»å³¦²¹²õ³Ù of course but if there is a link or a name that you missed, this is where you can find those people and places.

tcy66.pngFor openers this week I got a lovely email from "Eddie Pearson" of podcast and blog. As some of you can tell, that's a screen name but an apt one at that. Eddie told me that he had reached his 100th podcast - something definitely worth marking. Most podcasts are made by individuals who spend their time on their passion whilst still running a family and holding down a job, so 100 podcasts is no mean feat. Take a listen to the podcast even if you are not a die hard Celtic or even soccer fan, there's more to The Celtic Underground than you might think.

jjj66.jpgOur Chris Vallance joined us this week too with tales of a blogger who has experienced more than most. Shaun Attwood is a blogger - is a fascinating diary of the years he spent in the Maricopa County Jail - one of the toughest America. The blog continues - but having completed his sentence and returned to the UK Shaun has now produced a book about his arrest and time in prison: Hard Time, a Brit in America's Toughest Jail.

mz66.jpgAlso this week I had the opportunity to talk to the solder-girls at . It's a place of general geekery and a chance for women to learn peer-to-peer the basics of electronics or to get some help and inspiration when it comes to developing their own projects. After last week's talk of hackspaces being fairly male dominated, I asked the women of Mz Tech to explain to me why they were not so keen to revisit some of the hackspaces and how an all female environment for tech works so very well.

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jk-thumb-240x240.gifUntil next week!
~ Jamillah

Make and do

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Jamillah Knowles | 10:31 UK time, Tuesday, 17 August 2010

Hi all!

This week our Outriders are a combination of do it yourself and those who can help you do it for yourself. Do it yourself and design are becoming easier via digital tools and creative communities and on the podcast we chat with a number of people who can explain how.

Jeff K

ad66.jpgTo open with Jeff Kowalski the Vice President and CTO of showed me around the company Gallery to describe how one of the larger and older SF tech companies is making advances. When it comes to design, Autodesk aids clients who create almost everything from sustainable architectural design tools, rapid prototyping and even digital systems for films such as Avatar.

noisebridge66.gifElsewhere in the same city, hackers are making their own designs and working together in creative ways. Noisebridge is the hackerspace in the mission kitted out with machine tools, coders who teach and filled with multiple ideas and projects that encourage further creativity. spends time there working on his own projects with friends and he kindly took a moment to tell me more about it.

mitch66.jpg - friendly outrider, inventor and maker has been touring the Mid-West of America and parts of Canada checking out other hackerspaces and spreading the word. He was one of the founders of Noisebridge and shared the origins of the idea that turned into a community.


w66.jpgHere in the UK the hackerlab and hackerspace communities are also thriving. On Twitter the Manchester and Sheffield spaces chimed in with their very busy schedules of fun goings on. Check in there to find out more. In East London, is run by Jonty Wareing and provides all manner of support for its members.


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That's all for this week, if you are up to something we should know about then you know what to do.
Email me at outriders at bbc dot co dot uk, come and say hello on or have a search on Facebook and join us there for various discussions throughout the week.

jk-thumb-240x240.gifUntil next week!
~ Jamillah


San Francisco set

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Jamillah Knowles | 09:56 UK time, Tuesday, 10 August 2010

sfbridge600.jpg

Hello digerati!

This week's podcast is a collection of voices from San Francisco, California. The home of social tech and start ups that created applications we use every day.

sq66.pngFirst up, Randy Reddig of tells us how a small addition to our smart phones or iPads could change the way we pay with plastic. Not only does the device enable payments between individuals, it emails you the receipt complete with geolocation. Smart thinking.

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fs66.jpgFresh from the oven is . An app for your phone so you can catalogue and rate dishes in restaurants. With a focus on food rather than venues, founder Alexa Andrzejewski is taking on check-in apps in a more granular fashion. Something for those of us who have specific food requirements.

mroth.jpgSomething more familiar amid the new kids on the block is . The photo sharing website has grown phenomenally and recently has refreshed its pages to make the most of the images on site. Matthew Rothenberg talks about dogs on roofs and how much of flickr is made up of kittens, babies and sunsets.

fiona66.jpgThanks this week go to SF resident and highly connected lady - Fiona Tang who helped arrange the interviews in this edition. Thanks Fiona!

There will be a little more from San Fran next week, but in the mean time, drop me a line and let me know what has lit your fire in a wired way.
You can email me at Outriders at bbc dot co dot uk, come and say hello on Twitter, or search for Outriders on Facebook where you can join our pre and post production conversations.

jk-thumb-240x240.gifUntil next week!
~ Jamillah

Electrifying fashion

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Jamillah Knowles | 15:59 UK time, Wednesday, 4 August 2010

On the Outriders podcast this week, a collaboration with Zoe Kleinman technology reporter for the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú news website. Together we have explored the world of e-clothing.

For starters Zoe chats with Ryan Genz and Francesca Rosella of . They make incredible lights up gowns for performance as well as more wearable every day items that you or I might light for a night out. Here they are during the interview in their East London studio and workshop.

One of the many places you can source home made electronic clothing and items adorned with familiar electronic parts is . The online market for creators and sales has seen a flourish in design and use of electronic components on clothing and as jewellery. Adam Brown of Etsy explains the market and it's trends.

Friend of Outriders is no stranger to the arduino and clothing world of design and electronics. She came into the studios with her wonderful musical T-shirt that she created, programmed and stitched herself. Impressive works like these are made easier with a big arduino and maker community online.

Electronic clothing need not be only artistic or cosmetic in its design principles. is an expert e-clothing creator in the United States. She kindly took a moment to talk to me about her work and discuss how haptics for the visually impaired need not mean carrying a stick, when you can wear something fashionable as an alternative.

I should get my needles and pins and conductive thread out to see if there is something to make that I can wear too! If you are up to something creative online, then let me know.

Drop me a line at Outriders at bbc dot co dot uk or come and say hi on the usual social networks.

Until next week!
~ Jamillah

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