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Hans Ulrich Obrist & Simon Castets Interview Bill Noonan
HANS ULRICH & SIMON
You have been working in restaurants as a day job for a few years now. Tell us about that experience.
It revealed to me the complex organizational systems, of both the people and the utilities required that operate throughout culinary infrastructure, and how such combinations of individuals and supports of the setting are organized for efficiency, high performance and speed. Moreover, it assists in understanding how certain factors contribute to the formation of the archetypal 'insane chef'. I feel as though the high-pressure mantra of 'the push' is significant, as a driving force, which necessitates a continual challenge against perceived physical limitations. With a longstanding interest in technology, the specificity of a gastronomic context hosted a keen study of specialized culinary equipment, obscure alchemic cooking methods and to what ends these are applied in high-end restaurants. I think also my childhood obsession with gizmos and gadgets has affected how I deal with extremity of gastronomic culture in my work—fixating on specifics, deconstructing mechanisms and then recreating them through a 'hack' methodology has been the kind of curiosity which forms the base for several of my works. For example, in learning about sous vide, I built an immersion circulator using an aquarium bubbler and a fish tank temperature controller. More recently though, after working 10 days at a ramen pop-up venue, I became interested in this idea of the experience economy and the particular kind of hype attributed to transient businesses and gastronomic settings. Perhaps too, the hype surrounding the ramen pop-up, and around gastronomic culture in general for me seems to operate similarly to the early stages of Modernism—as opportunities for the 'new', 'exciting' and 'memorable'.
How do you relate to the work of artists like Daniel Spoerri, Rirkrit Tiravanija, etc? And the restaurant experiments of Gordon Matta-Clark, Allen Ruppersberg, etc? Would you open your own restaurant?
I feel as though there are similarities, but I tend to see my work as the anti-social younger brother. For example Tiravanija's work from the onset aims to generate social interaction and foster human relationships. However I feel like I'm trying to work towards a one-on-one psychological engagement with the viewer, playing on the potential to trigger a sense of nostalgia or flashes of memory on a level that is unique to each individual, which is, moreover, a strategy used in contemporary gastronomy. Although, aesthetically, I am fond of his ad hoc and temporary set ups, as it feeds into my interest in growing gastronomic trends such as pop-up shops, food trucks, etc, which are all pretty commonplace within Melbourne. In some ways too, I feel like Matta-Clark acts as a precursor to these trends. The performativity of something like Matta-Clark's restaurant 'Food' is particularly interesting in the way that its ideas have perpetuated through concept restaurants like El Bulli, The Fat Duck and Alinea, which incorporate performance acts like cooking tableside, the use of dry ice and liquid nitrogen within the restaurant setting. In this sense, I feel it has become a new kind of theatre for the new bourgeois, in that it has a rehearsed practice for a 'spectacular' and 'magical' experience. I also like Matta-Clark's idea of making inedible food and I feel like it correlates in an interesting way with the way contemporary gastronomy has shifted the focus towards the conceptual and the philosophical in presenting their dishes, to the point where complete inedibility seems plausible. But to what extent does this matter? I feel reading Matta-Clark points to such an absurdity present now in gastronomy.
In terms of opening a restaurant, I feel like the whole 'artists-running-restaurants' thing has potential, whilst there are similarities between my artistic and gastronomic processes, I also feel, through realizing the scrap, ad hoc nature of my creative processes, that I would completely fail at the coordination and logistics demanded by such a position. Although I would consider making my own pop-up restaurant, after having worked closely with local Pat Breen on his Shophouse Ramen popup project, something like a permanent establishment is not on the radar.
You are developing a machine, which will create tasteless popcorn while diffusing the smell of melted butter. How does that aspect of deceitfulness play into your interest in sensation as a trigger for nostalgia? Is it as if Proust's Madeleine had no flavor?
'Deceitfulness' presents connotations that I wouldn't necessarily figure in my practice. For me it conjures ideas of scamming or deception, whereas I'm trying to utilize a more playful duplicity of senses, trying to prompt a more lighthearted reaction. Olfactory sensations are strongly connected with memory, and it is interesting that while the melted butter smell when diffused has quite a sweet artificial pungency, it still triggers an association with popcorn. I'm currently working on making a fully automated popcorn dispensary system, but funnily enough it still requires artificial means to actually prompt these associations. I find the smell of popcorn has a strong nostalgic attachment for a lot of people, and the prankster move of suggesting flavor with scent I see as a reflection of the multi-sensory quality of memory, and am thus aiming at presenting as many opportunities for senses to be crossed as I can. Whilst Proust's Madeline's memory is led by taste, the popcorn machine seeks to present the viewer with the tug of several sensations and associations, drawing upon the ritualism inherent in high-end gastronomy. What these restaurants do is align memory with the totality of dining experience rather than a single sensation, and I'm hoping to question what the effects of targeting multiple sensations has on the way memory comes to be manufactured.
Last week Restaurant Magazine announced El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, as the world's best restaurant. What do you consider the world's best restaurant and if you had the opportunity, what would you discuss with the chef of El Celler?
I was surprised to see Noma knocked off the top spot, considering the shift in recent years from molecular gastronomy to nature-based cuisine. Although I do feel like nature-based cuisine essentially builds on foundations laid by molecular gastronomy. Places like Noma and Quay still use many of the techniques and specialized equipment pioneered in the molecular movement. I find El Celler de Can Roca holds a certain resemblance to El Bulli, in its way of using science to generate playful experiences. With Joan and Jordi of El Celler, I would be interested in discussing the processes undertaken to form their cuisine. Does it start with technology and techniques? Or does the memory or concept form the foundation from which to proceed? Regardless, I find the process of ranking restaurants inherently problematic, as applying a ranking system has its limitations on how we perceive their importance in their respective locations, cultures, approaches and practices. I also feel like flagging a 'world best' inhibits creative potential in some ways, as it informs a standardization or homogenization of discourse. Establishing an ideal platform of quality and status prompts a status anxiety, which then induces trends, which in themselves limit the possibilities of a more varied gastronomic field. If here, we are considering the elusive notion of 'innovation' as the main criteria of judgment, I feel as though Alinea should take a spot as one of the best restaurants in the world. I see Grant Achatz pushing the limits of technicality to the point of generating distinctly innovative ends. For a few years there, when El Bulli was top dog, there was a noticeable replication of the molecular gastronomy techniques practiced by Ferran Adrià. This happened for example, in Melbourne about seven or eight years back, when a local chef created copies of dishes from Alinea and WD-50, and it is these kinds of plagiarism that come with placing restaurants on a pedestal, which concern me somewhat, despite it being unavoidable. I feel like a more personal approach to cuisine, rather than relying on external criteria of status, is required.
Some of the world's best restaurants are relatively inexpensive, while some others are out of reach for almost anyone. What do you think of the correlation between price and quality when it comes to food?
I think there is definitely a kind of elitism within high-end gastronomic culture, with the correlation of paying more with 'experiencing' more implemented as a kind of blurry measure of quality fueled by the experience economy, and certainly this is significant in determining worth or status like we just discussed. However the issue here is that the high-end settings hold a very inflexible standard of what a 'proper' memorable gastronomic experience is, and they reiterate a fixed belief that simply 'experience is memorable'. Yet, this still manages to spawn a market through a growing pool of food bloggers who attach to the experience as a social status symbol. I personally find that more accessible, informal settings like Momofuku, Milk Bar and Ivan Ramen provide a much richer experience, perhaps because they allow for the diner to enjoy their food without the overbearing pretense of the solemn fine-dining setting. I find places like The Fat Duck, Noma and Vue De Monde build their esteem through inaccessibility, and this idea feeds into my own practice as an extension of that childhood craving for what you can't have. I feel as though even the valiant attempts of replication cannot satisfy this craving, instead fuelling a sense of deprivation and desire.
What do you think of energy drinks?
I don't drink them myself but I can see the appeal as a source of 'buzz'. When other people drink them, though, I find them to be more of an open declaration of determination, outstanding work ethic and efficiency. Like people trying to tell everybody around them and themselves that they are 'on a mission' or 'burning the candle at both ends' with something tangible and effective. I don't know to what ends this corporate ethos is particularly effective, but I do find the marketing and branding of these 'lifestyle products' more interesting than the thing as a consumable beverage.
Tell us more about the Food Jammers collective. Have you met them?
They are three artists based in Toronto, Canada—Micah Donovan, Christopher Martin and Nobu Adilman. Unfortunately I haven't met them but I am continually studying their work. They tend to enforce a 'hack' mentality and amateur inventiveness despite holding a strong understanding of the technicalities of more sophisticated machinery. They make things like taco vending machines, centrifugal pancake makers and flash cooling soda carbonators—and the somewhat basic functions of their products generate a humor through their elaborateness and absurdly specialized industrial design processes. In their show, their deconstruction of existing machines, use of industrial materials, and the demonstration of their craftsmanship and problem solving all create a sense of play and even dry wit. I find that this whole process correlates to a childlike ingenuity and inquisitiveness—l mean, despite access to better tools and a better technical skillset, they are 'kids' in that they are still rooted to that primal, uninhibited DIY building process that largely influences my own work.
Making hack tools to do things hack makes it even hacker. There's a geometric curve, where hack just goes out of control. – Micah Donovan
Within your contemporaries, whose work do you most relate to? Do you sometimes work collaboratively?
Probably people like Andy Hudson, Michael Georgetti and Danny Frommer for their more playful kinetic work. I'm particularly drawn to the rawness of the mechanical processes in their work, and as a continuation of my 'Food Jammers' interest, the kind of visible crudeness in their mechanisms is something I also see important to demonstrate in my practice. More recently though, I've been working with lights and custom electronics partially inspired by the work of Ian Burns and Benjamin Forster. I relate to someone like Burns through that idea of combining readymade objects with custom supports and frames, and the way technology blurs with institutional mediations and contexts. Although I'm not necessarily trying to make 'accessible' work, I feel like I can harness nostalgia in a way that has the capacity to connect to a younger audience. I have not collaborated with other artists as of yet—further negotiations still need to take place.
Tell us about the chefs you admire.
There are a few… Locally, Ben Shewry and Nicolas Poelaert for their understanding of nature based cuisine. Internationally, Ferran Adrià for pioneering the molecular gastronomy trend and bringing specialized equipment and processes into broader use. Grant Achatz for his continuing technical development and innovation, as well his continued online presence and ongoing documentation of ideas. Michel Bras as a pioneer in developing the nature based cuisine now central to much of contemporary gastronomy. Then there are those like Wylie Dufresne and Massimo Bottura whose food is more eccentric and playful, often referencing childhood, low culture and traditional cuisine as culinary concepts. I think of, for example, Dufresne's play on 'eggs Benedict' and Bottura's 'broken pie' and find that it shows a charming wit that characterizes their cuisine. Continuing on the 'playful' notion, Momofuku's David Chang assisting informal dining back to a reputable status—emphasizing his simple but favorite term "delicious". I also find that Momofuku's Christina Tosi really works on memory. While cereal milk, pretzels and popping candy may be arguably frowned upon as 'lowbrow', the use of these 'low status' culinary items within more traditional culinary conventions really assists in sparking memories and sensations typically so far from such contexts. Lastly I admire Magnus Nilsson of Fäviken, for the way he strictly adheres himself to new Nordic cuisine. His understanding of cuisine is incredibly complex, and the dishes have a purity in the way they are distilled from their concepts—one which immediately comes to mind is "A tiny slice of top blade from a retired dairy cow, dry aged for nine months, crispy reindeer lichen, fermented green gooseberries, fennel salt". A real game-changer.
Can you tell us about your unrealized projects? Your dreams? Your utopias?
I would ideally like to build a chamber vacuum sealer machine. I'm currently working on figuring out the mechanisms involved and how I can recreate them using other machines and materials. Also, more simply, trying to push sound as a memory trigger is something I would like to extend upon. With my popcorn machine I am thinking of connecting a small radio microphone near it, then rigging it to the Raspberry Pi central control unit, and transmitting the amplified sound to nearby radios. Essentially, it would be a kind of surround sound popcorn experience. An ultrasonic bath is also in the works, and also an assemblage of Gastronorm trays and transducers controlled by a 2003 iMac G4. The readapted use of an ultrasonic bath after Modernist Cuisine means this equipment's function has expanded to a process of 'cavitation' when vacuum sealing French fries, and I connect to this convoluted process very strongly. Maybe somehow I don't fit the overly ambitious artist archetype of my generation—there is no concrete five-year plan or anything. Whilst still considering exhibiting in a formal setting like a gallery, I'm also considering other kinds of spaces to work in—particularly commercial contexts, as I feel they might strengthen the work in some way. With an interest in pop-up shops and industrial design, I'm thinking of assisting in fit out design at some stage, and perhaps this will also inform my work—I think of artists like Sasufi and Brodie Wood, who have work that sits comfortably between art and design, and feel like there are valuable associations to be drawn. Not working to the point of say, opening up a cardboard furniture store, but still operating outside of 'producing art' in some way, and hoping to find importance in a simple, satisfactory utopia. Being 'happy' in one's environment is a somewhat simplified way of understanding utopia, but I hope through experiencing it in some way, it might open up to me a more complex idea of what utopia is.
Where are your next exhibitions? What's planned for 2013?
I'm currently working with two other artists on an exhibition concerning craft, and while referencing its turbulent status in association with art, celebrating its continued presence and growing acceptance in fine art contexts throughout Melbourne—the working title being Kraftwerk: Ohm Sweet Ohm. I find there is a continuing hesitation to reference 'craft' directly in art, with a particular stigma and associated aesthetic still very much attached, and it is through craftsmanship that we hope to bring the debate back to the very essence of fabrication in general. More immediately, I'm looking to exhibit the popcorn machine at an artist-run space locally—something small and tight to really concentrate the scent of melted butter. Planning for 2014, I am currently negotiating with another artist a show that critically deals with the largely unformulated, yet rather strong relationships between art, gastronomy, and local pop-up culture. Their roles in the experience economy and as cultural capital are quite significant, particularly here in Melbourne. On the level of experimentation, working with sounds of heavy duty industrial materials like worksite radios and extraction fans in combination with consumer oriented electronics, further work with the Raspberry Pi microcontroller, and continuing to work through my main material of cardboard. Still no five-year plan though.
Is your time-based art inspired by John Latham? How do time and art even relate?
On a simple level, I feel like the implicit gap of time reinforced in nostalgic sentiments is a level through which I can engage with the viewer. Through referencing recreational activities of a bygone era, there is a certain ability to control emotional responses in that they act as involuntary triggers of memory. I see Latham's approach operating similarly to the draw of nostalgia, be it through the more simple relationship between childhood and adulthood. I see the dual trigger of reflection and immediacy of nostalgic reference points as a way of flattening an overview of one's own existence, trying to reveal to each individual their capacity to reflect on their progress and emergent character.
Are you part a group of artists? A movement?
As a Melbourne-based artist, although I am not in an artist collective per se, on a basic geographic level I still feel attached to a group. I think the sense of isolation outlined in the Provincialism Problem is no longer a constraint to the Australian art market with the advent of the Internet. Although, I feel like there is still a kind of marginalized mode of production here, with a noticeable consistency in aesthetic from dominant schools. Although perhaps these trends may not be specific to Melbourne, somehow informed by imagery from overseas even, but there is definitely a broader movement around the ubiquitous plywood plank, platform or object. But basically I'm wondering how these micro-aesthetic movements come to be formed. As for something like nostalgia, is such subject matter thought through collectively by way of multiple artists dealing with this? Or, from its nature, can it only be dealt with individually? Arguably it is not that simple, but it still seems required that people find taxonomical conventions to make sense of respective practices— such as 'dealing with nostalgia'—in order to attempt an understand of the subject matter. In any case, is it still possible for an artist to function, or deal with their subject matter autonomously? Or are they immediately grouped or thematized? On that token, maybe I am in a group, just one that I am simply not aware of.
Apart from some puns here and there, not really. I see a kind of poetry on the menus of some high-end restaurants, though. Here I mean, the complete lack of adjectives that has become a trend leads to some interesting linguistic outcomes, like one of Alinea's dishes titled, 'Lamb……..?????………….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'. The elusiveness of some descriptions really serves to heighten anticipation, also then concentrating on 'total experience' surrounding the dish, which in itself is a common characteristic of contemporary gastronomy. I see Michel Bras as important in this discussion too, as his food operates like poetry in some ways, or I guess transposing poetic conventions into the way the dishes are composed. I mean, with a dish such as 'Gargouillou', which has over 50 ingredients, each has its own importance in the syntax of the dish. It is also constantly changing, and I feel like this improvisation assists in defining this unique poetic language of food.
Who are some Australian pioneers who influenced you?
I think the two main culinary figures would be Ben Shewry and Shannon Bennett. Shewry I feel brought this notion of 'foraging' for food to a more widespread appeal in Australian cuisine, emphasizing a delicacy with nature through sustainable practices, and I think that getting back to basics plays an important role in my own practice. But also, more simply, they were both local examples who contributed in harnessing my interest in the specialized equipment and experience economy of high-end cuisine. Bennett really enforced that notion of 'dining as experience' here, for example using a coffee siphon to make bouillabaisse in five minutes. There is also that element of nostalgia inherent in Shewry and Bennett's working process, though arguably to different ends, but both still using personal memories and experiences as a foundation for their work. For example Shewry's approach centers around his New Zealand upbringing, whereas Bennett's work moves to reference his childhood memories in a more playful manner, with dishes like "Lemonade and pop rocks" and "Lamington".
What role does chance play in your process?
Well, I guess a lot of solutions I come up with are pretty chancy, with the engineering usually determined throughout the haphazard working process. There are a lot of creative decisions determined by just constantly shifting the plans and the structure as I make the work, and working predominantly with cardboard allows this kind of flexibility to take place quite easily. Rather than strictly defining the model for construction before making the work, #hacksolutions allow happy accidents and unforeseen technical hurdles to work together in strengthening the conceptual foundations of my work, and I find reacting instinctively rather than methodically really makes for some innovative technicalities.
Did the computer or does the computer change the way you work?
Despite having a pretty hands-on approach, I definitely still see computers informing my works, as most gadgets usually have. Though, through the Internet, I can sift through niche forums, video tutorials and sites about gastronomic and art culture trends, upon which content I heavily draw influence and technical skill sets, with a lot of the passionate amateur hobbyists on YouTube really influencing my working process. This instant transfer of information, too, really serves as a fertile platform of feedback, although quite swiftly and informally. Here, thinking of someone 'following' or 'liking' on Instagram as generating an efficient global circuit really makes for interesting new forms of valuation and critique of art, as simplistic as they are. On a more basic level though, I am pretty fond of word processing.
When did you have or use your first computer?
In 1993, a year after I was born. It was a Macintosh Classic, naturally. I have since then always used Mac computers. This is why I'm particularly keen to get out my old 2003 iMac G4 and incorporate it into my work somehow, with the nostalgia around outdated forms of technology interesting as an inevitable result of being raised in an era of rapid technological growth. How many young artists remember Kid Pix?
Would you describe your reproduction of devices as reverse engineering?
I think it definitely draws upon those principles in some way. The process reverses in the sense that a basic inquisitiveness and curiosity leads me to work backwards through mechanisms and functions, and then moves forward again in recreating hack solutions. I use self taught carpentry and engineering techniques, but translated wholly to cardboard-based structures, so a lot of it isn't too easy to teach yourself as there is no foundational knowledge, compared to a practice revolving around wood or metalwork. But in looking at other materials, for example in the immersion circulator, I made the work carry out the same function as a $1000 Polyscience water bath but instead using an aquarium bubbler, water boiler, fish tank temperature controller, so that reverse engineering and hack solutions were pretty significant in that process. I feel like this sort of amateur reproduction of specialist equipment is amusing in its potential failure, and also absurd in its means of continually attempting to generate alternative mechanical systems.
Polyscience 7306c, 2013. Cardboard, gastronorm, aquarium bubbler, immersion heating element, aquarium temperature controller, sensor. Photograph by Morgan Jones
What devices does a contemporary home kitchen need? What device would you like to invent?
It depends on the type of user really. I mean someone who is all about quick-'n'-easy meals probably won't braise meat at 60° for 2 days. So, whilst I think the Immersion Circulator is an incredible piece of equipment that should be brought into wider use, I still think it remains a step too far for home kitchens at this stage. I think that the divide between home cooking and restaurant cooking will still continue for a while, despite various books by Noma, Faviken and Alinea revealing more complex and involved processes, which wouldn't necessarily feature in more 'accessible' cooking texts. Although, this argument for 'accessibility' bores me a bit, as it implies a 'fail proof' method but also manages to bypass even the most basic techniques—here I think of microwave egg poachers and the 'slap chop', which seem to complicate a fairly simple process, despite their promise for ease and efficiency. You know, these consumers could really learn a lot by simple trial and error, which is a working method I'm not only fond of, but which I feel can lead to ingenious breakthroughs. On a basic level, you can really do a lot with a knife, some burners and some pans, but a lot of punters even resort to that easier chopping alternative. So in that sense, I think these sorts of products have potential to inhibit creativity to a certain degree, although, they also hold the capacity for new adapted functions. Like the El Bulli 40-second microwave sponge technique, which is a legitimate technique within high-end contexts. I mean, despite the sort of over-designed nature of these products, I think they can hold host to more creative outcomes, with the application of a more creative technical mentality. In saying all that, though, I hope that the Immersion Circulator becomes as ubiquitous and domesticized as the rice cooker, or the electric kettle. Personally, I've thought about making a sort of small-scale meat-smoking device, but I don't know how economically or ecologically sound my solution to the project would be.
Do you listen to music while cooking at home? Do you cook at home at all? What do you cook?
Not at home, but during the ramen pop-up we were cranking some Kraftwerk during prep and service and that really came to suit the whole experience. I mean, the cross cultural appropriation in reinterpreting ramen was echoed somehow in Kraftwerk's music, in that their translation from German to English lyrics didn't always make quite perfect sense. I liked the way it made a kind of self-deprecating setting in which to experience the noodles, with the self-aware irony in white dudes cooking their own ramen really pushed to the foreground. On a day-to-day level though, I usually stay in the studio late during the week, or I'm cooking in a commercial kitchen on weekends, so my own meals are relatively simple, like bread and cheese and cured meats. Although I want to spend more time with my charcoal BBQ—there is something very primal about cooking over coals and fire, and smoke is the greatest seasoning of all. Maybe this carnivorous attitude doesn't make me necessarily sit in with the vegan/gluten-free artist archetype so typical to Melbourne, but anyway. I think this interest sits within the trending rediscovery of ancient cooking techniques within international gastronomic circuits; you just have to look at Magnus Nilsson's dish of bone marrow cooked over coals, sawed in half to order.
What is your favorite recipe? Your dream meal?
Pig. It's on trend for a reason. Whole suckling pig cooked over coals would have to be pretty close to my version of gastronomic perfection. As for dream meals within existing restaurant settings, I would love to have the opportunity to dine at Noma, Alinea, Momofuku and WD-50. These places are indeed a class above in the experiences they present.
What do you consider the most inspiring occurrences of meals/food preparation in art history and cinema?
I consider Tampopo as one of the best cinematic expressions of cuisine and gastronomic culture ever made. It managed to capture the complexity and obsession of ramen within this sort of absurd western genre. It reveals the sort of precision and care surrounding this very casual, informally consumed dish of ramen, and the embedded passion that comes across with a devotion to the dish. I think it comes back to this notion of craftsmanship and this investment of time in order to develop a richer understanding of your craft, process and resulting product. As for art history, I guess The Last Supper is worth noting…
In the lyrics for his "Boyfriend" hit song, teen idol Justin Bieber describes a moment "Chillin' by the fire while we eatin' fondue". The Guardian identified it as one of the "Five Signs that [he] might be losing it". What do you think it says about the gastronomy trends of the 89plus generation?
I haven't heard the song, but I had a look at the lyrics, and I'm not certain if this is just a simple lyrical gap-filler or if it aims to comment deeper on the gastronomic experiences of a '90s child. I have fond memories of 'chillin' by the fire' but I cannot say I have had the luxury of eating 'fondue' by the flames. In terms of practicality, I can't really see fondue being suitable for a campfire setting at this stage either. Although if I really had to tug at the relationship it has with broader phenomena of gastronomy, perhaps it is simply the way mainstream products have capitalized on the informal and playful childhood experiences with food—I'm thinking here of those 'ready-to-share' chocolate bars, lollies and ice creams. But also, I think an entire form of cuisine from this has become more mainstream and accepted, and not simply a gastronomically frowned upon novelty. In saying all that though, I'm pretty sure he be 'eatin' fondue' because it rhymes with 'you'.
Do you have pseudonyms? Raoul Vaneigem told us it's urgent to have pseudonyms.
Well, I'm on Instagram @bpnoonan, so this is the closest thing I've got. It's my online pseudonym. I see web presence distinguished from physical reality and engagement as quite an interesting shift for the art community, and I feel like the only notion of ʻpseudonym' people really have now is from their online profiles or avatars.
What's your biggest work?
In terms of scale, the extractor hood has been by far the largest. Although in terms of time spent engineering, starting with mechanisms from scratch in the popcorn machine is proving quite time-consuming and labor intensive at the moment. But if I'm thinking about time spent troubleshooting, I would have to say the immersion circulator was quite a heavy task—convincing staff that something self-manufactured combining water, cardboard and heat was safe enough to exhibit, while not electrocuting myself in the process, was a little difficult.
What's your smallest work?
Outside of process sketches, one work last year titled ʻ63/63' was a series of works made by vacuum sealing frozen ink with 10x10cm pieces of paper in plastic, and then placing it in a controlled temperature bath of 63 degrees for 63 hours. This work was a direct response to the sous vide technique, and was one of the first works I made that dealt directly with gastronomic processes.
Are you a doodler?
Not really. Perhaps I don't match that ʻdrawer' archetype compelled to draw 24 HOURS A DAY. My approach to it is pretty methodical and controlled. Drawing for me acts like a tool for developing and analyzing technicalities that arise in the process, although in saying that, there is still that unconfined doodling aspect in the freehand execution of my drawings. So I do enjoy that prosaic ʻpen on paper' but don't feel an urge to scribble all the time.
What's the newest work you created yesterday OR TODAY?
A 1.2m wide diffused fluoro ballast within a bespoke cardboard frame. I'm not sure whether I'll be using it for the extraction hood, or just alone on brackets, but I feel the fluorescent tube's ubiquitous presence in both kitchens and contemporary art spaces is an interesting parallel.
What's your favorite museum?
I think MONA in Hobart, Tasmania, with the juxtapositions it draws directly with old and new art being quite an interesting vision. It proposes a re-thinking of traditional museological display, and by drawing on these conventions reveals something about the very nature of contemporary art today.
Do you have dreams?
Some nights in the ramen pop-up shop, when I was working 16-18 hours a day, I started to dream about ramen too, and it was great. Relating that experience to something like that film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, with a figure so wholly dedicated to his craft, is a continued point of fascination for me, and one that I feel demonstrates a rich commitment to oneself and their practice.
Tell us about an exhibition that inspired you.
In the Telling by Ian Burns. He constructed a series of kinetic sculptures imbedded with small cameras generating real time video works. Also through lights, glass, powerboards and other industrial materials, his playful manipulation of complex engineering and electronics was, for me, quite wonderful to experience. That whole relationship between heavy processes and a lighthearted encounter is a duality that I'm really trying to work with in my practice, particularly in the popcorn project.
Do politics and art mingle?
I think they definitely influence and inform each other. I feel like Boris Groys puts it pretty well in that "the goal of art, after all, is not to change things. Things are changing by themselves all the time anyway. Art's function is rather to show, to make visible the realities that are generally overlooked." So here, while politics really works to effectuate change, artists tend to focus on the processes of such change, and the resulting impact of such changes. But they definitely overlap—art influences and is at the same time influenced by politics. Because of this, I still find 'political artist' a pretty loaded label, and I can understand why artists are pretty hesitant in adopting this stance, as it does seem slightly tautological.
Bill Noonan met with Hans Ulrich Obrist and Simon Castets in Melbourne, Australia for the 89plus interviews series thanks to John Kaldor Public Art Projects.
89plus is an international research project inquiring about the generation of creative minds born in and after 1989.
Hans Ulrich Obrist is the co-director of the Serpentine Gallery, and co-curator of 89plus. He is based in London.
Simon Castets is an independent curator and co-curator of 89plus. He is based in New York.
Artist Bill Noonan met with curators Hans Ulrich Obrist and Simon Castets in Melbourne, Australia for the 89plus interviews series to discuss food, chance and immersion circulators.


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Rock Art: Colin Howell—Igniting Passion and Art
A portrait of Margo Hayes based off an Instagram photo.
Colin Howell
"Want to go climbing?" Colin Howell's cousin asked him in 2013. Howell had never heard of climbing, and pictured the annual Devil's Staircase motorcycle hill climb in Oregonia, Ohio, not far from his home in Cincinnati. Instead, his cousin took him to the Urban Krag Climbing Center in Dayton. "I was instantly hooked," says Howell.
From an early age, Howell, born in Austin, Texas, in 1978, found an aptitude for art. He took the standard art classes from kindergarten through high school, and then studied visual communication at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, graduating in 2002. (He also earned a bachelor's degree in IT from the University of Cincinnati in 2012.) Howell worked in graphics for a print company north of Dayton and then did web design for a marketing firm in the city. However, he found commercial design stifling. "I didn't have the motivation to be creative," he says. "When I found climbing, well, that passion reignited the other. I started to enjoy being creative again."
This picture of Castleton Tower shows Howell's use of pen.
Howell has worked as an IT specialist for the past nine years in Cincinnati. He climbs at RockQuest during the week and heads to the Red on weekends. Predominantly a sport climber, Howell has also swapped leads on the Gunks's High Exposure (5.6), alpine and ice climbed, and bouldered. More significantly, he's given back by serving on the Red River Gorge Climbing Community board.
For his art, Howell usually begins with a pencil sketch and then makes several iterations, emphasizing contrast. "It's a challenging balance of knowing when to walk away from a piece. You never want to be done, because you can always find something to improve on, but putting too much focus on any specific detail can also ruin a piece," says Howell, who has an affinity for pen and ink, specifically the stippling he uses for destination landscapes. "I gather inspiration from the places I go, the places I want to go, and the people [who] influence me," he says. He's also made portraits of friends, as well as celebrity climbers based off social media photos. "I get inspired from the stories they tell and the imagery that's available," says Howell.
This Flatirons landscape was created using pyrography wood-burning techniques.
More recently, Howell has worked with pyrography, cutting Radiata pine into strips, gluing these onto plywood, and then burning landscapes into them—like his 23"-by-17" wood-burned picture of the Flatirons, Colorado. "I put myself out of my comfort zone to make it," says Howell. "You aren't adding anything new to the wood to bring out the art—you are actually changing it and creating something beautiful, and that translates to climbing."
Derson Vogel
Years climbing
Preferred art media
Pen-and-ink stippling, pyrography
sketchyclimbing.com
@sketchyclimbing
Issue 372Print ArticlesArtRock ArtPremiumColin Howell
Rock Art: Drawing Parallels—Landscape Artist Tessa Lyons
By James Lucas
Rock Art: Creating for Herself—Illustrator Stevie Lewis
Rock Art: Mixing Elements With Jezryl Castelo

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All articles filed in health
Interview November 17, 2017 November 27, 2017
The Art of Living: An Interview with My Father, Poet and Activist T.J. Reddy
There must be a direct correlation to art in terms of creativity and imagination. It's important to leave the environment and your life more beneficial and beautiful after you leave it than before you came to it. That's how I see the art of living.
Politics April 6, 2017 June 1, 2017
Fighting to Live: Navigating the American Health Care System with a Chronic Illness
Every day, I watch the most powerful people in this country, and some of my fellow citizens, casually argue that, after they've crunched the numbers, my life is just not worth it.
Politics March 27, 2017 June 1, 2017
A Tax for the Too Sweets
Once upon a time, I was all about a sweetened beverage tax. It was peak knee jerk reaction.
Zine is a digital publication from Philadelphia Printworks that is dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices. Through a team of talented contributors, Zine provides a platform for ideas that are unapologetic, authentic and revolutionary.
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Nell'aprile del 2011 è stato promosso al grado di tenente generale dalle autorità del Consiglio nazionale di transizione libico. Nel novembre 2021 Khalifa Haftar ha annunciato la sua candidatura alle elezioni presidenziali del dicembre 2021.

Biografia
Haftar è nato ad Ajdabiya, ed è un membro della tribù al-Farjani. Ha studiato alla scuola al-Huda ad Ajdabiya nel 1957 e poi si è trasferito a Derna per ottenere la sua istruzione secondaria tra il 1961 e il 1964. È entrato a far parte dell'Accademia militare dell'Università di Bengasi il 16 settembre 1964 e si è laureato lì nel 1966. Alla fine degli anni '70, ricevette un addestramento militare in Unione Sovietica, completando una speciale laurea triennale per ufficiali stranieri inviati a studiare in URSS, presso l'Accademia militare MV Frunze. Haftar in seguito ha proseguito l'addestramento militare in Egitto.

Da giovane ufficiale dell'esercito, Haftar prese parte al colpo di stato che portò al potere Muammar Gheddafi nel 1969, assistendolo nel rovesciamento del re Idris. Poco dopo, Haftar divenne un alto ufficiale militare di Gheddafi. Comandò le truppe libiche a sostegno delle truppe egiziane che entravano nel Sinai occupato da Israele nel 1973.

Come altri membri della giunta che ha rovesciato la monarchia, Haftar è un laico ed era un nasserista. Era un membro del Consiglio del comando rivoluzionario che governava la Libia subito dopo il colpo di stato. Haftar in seguito divenne il capo di stato maggiore militare di Gheddafi. Alla fine degli anni '80, Haftar comandò le forze libiche durante il conflitto ciadiano-libico, che si concluse con una sconfitta per la Libia.

Guerra contro il Ciad
Nel conflitto tra Ciad e Libia fu uno dei comandanti dell'esercito del regime di Muʿammar Gheddafi. Nel 1987, durante la guerra contro il Ciad, fu preso prigioniero nel corso della battaglia di Wadi al-Dum. In prigionia formò un contingente di circa  prigionieri libici, la "Forza Haftar", equipaggiata dagli Stati Uniti, col compito di rovesciare il regime libico. Fu rilasciato nel 1990 grazie ai buoni uffici statunitensi e trascorse quasi 20 anni negli USA, ottenendo anche la cittadinanza di quel Paese. Nel 1993, mentre si trovava nella sua residenza di Vienna, in Virginia, fu condannato in patria, in contumacia, alla pena capitale per "crimini contro la Jamāhīriyya libica". Alcune fonti parlano anche di suoi legami con la CIA, comunque smentite dallo stesso generale.

Rientro in Libia
Nel 2011 è tornato in patria per sostenere attivamente l'insurrezione contro il regime di Gheddafi. In marzo un portavoce militare ha annunciato che Haftar era stato nominato comandante dell'apparato militare, ma il Consiglio nazionale di transizione ha negato tutto ciò. Ad aprile Abd al-Fattah Yunis ha assunto la funzione di comandante in capo delle forze armate ribelli, Omar al-Hariri ha assunto la carica di Capo di Stato Maggiore di Yunis e Haftar è diventato il numero 3 della gerarchia dell'esercito, col grado di tenente generale.

Tentativo di golpe militare

Nel febbraio del 2014, Haftar apparve in televisione per annunciare che il Governo libico era stato sospeso. Il suo annuncio fu subito smentito dal Primo ministro libico ʿAlī Zaydān, che lo qualificò come "ridicolo". Più tardi, nel mese di maggio, Haftar tornò agli onori delle cronache internazionali lanciando l'Operazione Karāma (), ossia "dignità", sferrando un attacco contro le milizie filo-fondamentaliste a Bengasi, assaltando del pari con armi pesanti la sede del parlamento libico a Tripoli.

Haftar sosteneva che i gruppi islamici, definiti sotto la comune sigla "Libya Dawn" (Alba della Libia), avevano preso il controllo del Parlamento libico. Egiziani ed Emirati Arabi Uniti intervennero a sostegno del governo libico con bombardamenti contro gli obiettivi della Libya Dawn.

Nell'autunno 2014, le forze islamiche conquistarono la città di Derna a 330 km dall'Egitto. A febbraio 2015, l'uccisione di 21 cristiani indusse la fuga di 15.000 egiziani oltreconfine.
Fra i numeri più rilevanti del conflitto interno e con lo Stato islamico: un terzo della popolazione libica emigrata in Tunisia, 30.000 morti nel solo 2014, e la produzione di greggio precipitata del 90%.

Ministro della Difesa e Capo di Stato Maggiore in Cirenaica
Il 25 febbraio 2015 il gen. Haftar, forte dell'esplicito sostegno politico e militare egiziano, espresso dal Presidente al-Sīsī, viene nominato ministro della Difesa e Capo di Stato Maggiore dal governo cirenaico di Tobruk, nell'intento di sconfiggere le forze islamiste tripolitane. Haftar sostiene che la sua strategia militare si ispira principalmente a quella del grande comandante e Compagno del profeta, Khālid ibn al-Walīd.

Si è circondato di un gruppo ristrettissimo di collaboratori, tra cui due dei suoi figli, Ṣaddām e Khālid, che comandano due brigate, mentre gli altri suoi figli, ʿUqba e Ṣādiq, lo consigliano in materia economica e diplomatica. ʿAwn al-Ferjānī è il suo braccio destro militare. D'altronde, in seno al governo di Tobruk, Sālim Maḥmūd al-Ferjānī dirige la Sicurezza dello Stato (spionaggio), Belqāsem al-Ferjānī la Sicurezza Interna (controspionaggio) e Ayyūb al-Ferjānī gli investimenti militari, a dimostrazione che i legami tribali del generale sono ancora determinanti, visto che anch'egli fa parte della tribù cirenaica Ferjānī. Infine, Fāḍel al-Dīb è il suo consigliere politico.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

 Rapporto dell'Organizzazione dell'ONU per i Rifugiati su Khalifa Belqasim Haftar che riporta le sue precedenti attività anti-regime e il suo susseguente esilio

Storia della Libia

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Who better than Oprah to conclude the series? I wanted to end on a positive note and with an exhortation to make 2019 a great year.
I hope the quotes inspired you and push you to be the best you can be. I know they helped me, which is why I started designing quotes in the first place, a few years ago. I really do not have much to add to Oprah's words, but I am planning on making them the mantra for this year and beyond.


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Davis Love III, wife escape burning house: 'Total loss'
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March 27, 2020 4:25pm
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Davis Love III has harsh solution to the LIV Golf divide
Tiger Woods making big change for major return
New analyst abruptly leaves CBS' golf coverage
US Ryder Cup names two vice captains
Two-time U.S. Ryder Cup captain and major championship winner Davis Love III lost his house in a fire early Friday morning.
Love and his wife, Robin, were the only ones inside the home, located in St. Simons Island, Georgia, when the fire started, but managed to escape without injury.
"While everyone in our family is saddened at the loss of our home that was filled with so much laughter and incredible memories, we're very blessed that everyone is safe and unharmed," Love, who had been trying to sell the home for $5.15 million, said in a statement. "We've very thankful to the first responders who made a valiant effort to save our home, and we're keeping things in perspective as people across our community and around the world are struggling with the current unprecedented health crisis."
A 911 call came in at 5:18 a.m., and first responders were on the scene within six minutes, according to Glynn County Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Randy Jordan, who added that the source of the fire is still unconfirmed.
"It was completely engulfed in flames at our arrival," Jordan told ESPN. "It is a total loss."
The 21-time PGA Tour winner, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017, recently joined CBS Sports as an on-course reporter.
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Learn how to see the inner drive, willpower, determination, inspiration, and motivation needed to transform.
The idea behind the expression, "Seeing is believing," dates back to Biblical times. That's right-it's as old as snot. People have been rehashing this controversial conflict between empirical evidence and faith throughout much of modern history.
What you can see with your eyes and measure with your senses tends to take the cake in everyday life. From school to work to fitness, we follow cold, hard facts.
Nutrition, physical training, and supplementation-the three key spheres of fitness are also dominated by facts, science, and results. We've got to see the proof to believe the plan.
But what about the motivated needed to follow the plan? Can you "see" inner drive, willpower, determination, inspiration, and motivation? Unfortunately, it doesn't. The first step to shaping up happens in the mind--where you might never see it.
Here's a breakdown of how you can get motivated once and for all. You're going to have to believe in yourself enough to stick to the program before you see results.
Anyone can follow a plan for a month or two.
Do you have the drive to make it a lifestyle?
The first step you need to take is not necessarily to join a gym or say, "Okay, today is Day 1 of my diet!" Instead, change your point of view about the dieting and/or transformation process.
Transformations don't just happen. There's no magic supplement or lucky metabolism handed down by genetics. Okay, there may be one or two of those out of a million. But whether you can or can't buy the top supplements or the best of the best trainers, you can still transform your life.
Check out what transformation expert and Bodybuilding.com athlete Kris Gethin has to say about motivation: Superficial types of goals tend to make people quit sooner and even minimize enjoyment. That's a lose-lose situation if I've ever seen one.
You've got to really want the change. Not just because you want to be ripped like a maniac and on the cover of a magazine; not just because you want to attract the star football player; not just because you want to prove something to the people who judged you or called you names. Achieving any of those things may be positive consequences of your transformation, but they won't fuel you forever. Focus on what Gethin calls "limitless motivation" to get you through.
Having trouble staying motivated? What do you need to become successful and stay that way? Limitless Motivation. Kris Gethin can show you how.
We're talking lifestyle change for the better. More energy. More happiness. Better relationships with your friends and family. A better inner you to match a sexier outer you. Forever.
If thoughts like these can start to motivate you, you're on the right track.
Let's get real. For every successful weight-loss or muscle-building story you've looked at, there are another hundred people falling off the rickety wagon. Imagine that the "journey to the land of being super-fit" is a lot like the infamous Oregon Trail video game. Very few will make it to the end. Jimmy dies of dysentery. Susan breaks a leg; she dies. Your oxen drown. Your sister falls off the wagon, literally, and dies as well.
Of course, nobody dies from falling off the fitness wagon, but the point is that many obstacles stand in the way of achieving the best shape of your life. But it's not impossible.
If you're one of the many people who've strayed from the path, or lost your way entirely, don't be ashamed or disheartened. Maybe your self-confidence is low, or it's never been that high to begin with. It's understandable that'd you think, "Well, I'm just born this way; it's genetic, and nothing I do can change it." I won't judge you for thinking that. But you should realize that you're condemning yourself to a life of, "Jimmy got dysentery and died," rather than, "You made it to the end of the Oregon Trail and lived happily ever after."
The one thing that every person who completes a body transformation has in common is the belief that success was and is possible. Ponder this: Would someone actually commit to training day after day; eat foods that don't satisfy the same cravings; and monitor the results every step of the way if she didn't believe in herself once and for all?
If it seems unlikely, that's because it is.
can go read something else.
Now that you understand that you must change your mindset, let's get you motivated with the repetition of a mantra. A mantra, in this case, is a saying that when repeated has the power to help you change your mindset for good.
"I, (your name here), will be among those great people that have made dramatic transformations to their bodies and lives because I now believe in my own mind that I am no different than they are and will do whatever it takes to make this transformation happen for me. I have no doubts about this and my time to succeed is right now!"
Wait a second--you read that in silence, didn't you? When you hear great leaders make speeches, it inspires you, right? And when you hear your favorite song live, it stays with you forever, right? This is no different. When you hear the words being spoken aloud in your own voice, it will inspire you.
Now, let's combine the idea of a mantra with the "Rule of Seven" that people in marketing use. The rule says that a prospective customer must either see or hear your message seven times before he buys your product.
In the most confident voice possible, recite the statement aloud, with pride and excitement-not once but seven times!
Go ahead and write this statement down in bold writing. Tack it up in your bedroom. Then make another copy and hang it in your bathroom. Keep going until there's one in every room you visit! All negativity can stop right now because you will do this for yourself, for your family or loved ones, and for all of those people that believe in you like you should believe in yourself.
Whatever you thought was previously impossible should be deleted from your mind. If you want an inspirational story to help you do this, just look at the story of wheelchair bodybuilder Nick Scott. That's right, I wrote wheelchair bodybuilder.
His nickname is The Beast. It was chosen for a reason.
Nick suffered a spinal cord injury and was told he'd never walk again. But instead of letting his life slip away, he took control of his health and transformed his body and mind. Check out videos and pictures of Nick's success on his BodySpace profile: The Beast.
Step No. 4: Take It to Infinity and Beyond!
Yes, I'm using a Disney-Pixar quote to describe motivation. But is anyone going to argue that Toy Story is not an inspirational movie? Buzz Lightyear did indeed have to believe in himself before he took the plunge. Stories about self-confidence and the power of the mind are everywhere.
Now that you've said your mantra out loud seven times, you might be starting to feel its power. Maybe you don't have a plan of action, but you know that you can succeed. You have new energy. You have more confidence.
In your mind, the transformation will already be complete. All you have to do is go through the physical measures to make it a reality. Fortunately for you, you're already in the right place. You can get a detailed nutrition and workout plan from Find a Plan that fits your level of fitness (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), and you can even find online training buddies and a community of support on BodySpace.
Whenever you get down on yourself, cheat on your diet, or feel guilty for skipping a workout, just repeat your mantra and visit Bodybuilding.com to find new avenues of inspiration. Remember, transforming your body is not a one-time deal; take your life in your hands and commit to a happier, healthier you.


Teach For Nigeria (TFN) is a Non-profit organization focused on developing a movement of leaders across the nation who are committed to ending educational inequity. Through a two-year Fellowship, TFN recruits Nigeria's most outstanding university graduates and young professionals of diverse academic disciplines to teach as full time teachers (called Fellows) in underserved schools. Through this experience, Fellows gain exposure to the realities of Nigeria's education system and begin to identify their role in building a wider movement for educational equity. Teach For Nigeria deployed its first set of Fellows in Lagos and Ogun state in September 2017.


Creative Royston is a voluntary arts organisation which manages Royston Arts Festival and other arts and cultural events through-out the year.
The main weekend of this years' festival will take place from 28-30 September and has the theme 'Voyages of Discovery'.
Roy ston & District Museum & Art Gallery sits at the heart of Royston community and celebrates the wonderful stories of the town and its people.


The 30-liter container should we fill with water at 60 degrees Celsius. How many liters of water 80 degrees C hot and how many liters of water 20 degrees Celsius warm we have to mix?
Do you have a system of equations and looking for calculator system of linear equations? Tip: Our volume units converter will help you with converion of volume units.


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Transitioning to Civilian Life: A Successful SkillBridge Story
When active servicemen and servicewomen are preparing to leave the military, there is often some uncertainty about how to transition into their civilian careers.
The SkillBridge program is offered through the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to help ease the transition to civilian life. Through SkillBridge, service members receive industry training through apprenticeships or internships during their last 180 days of service, while still receiving their military salary and benefits.
NSTAR is proud to be an authorized SkillBridge organization and to support this amazing benefit. We are very proud to share that we have hired our first SkillBridge program participant, Brandon Howe. Brandon completed his last 165 days of active duty at our Boise facility and became our full-time Boise shop manager this past October.
Brandon's Journey to NSTAR
Brandon enlisted in the Air Force on June 13, 2001. He was an E-3 Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Specialist (TAMS for short) based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. After that, he continued his service at other Air Force bases in Misawa, Japan; Clovis, N.M.; Okinawa, Japan; and Charleston, S.C. In all, Brandon served for 21 years.
When he was preparing to leave the military, Brandon was interested in finding a SkillBridge placement in Boise, Idaho. Originally from Utah, Brandon and his wife were looking for a town or city with a similar landscape and a relatively small population. He had already lined up a SkillBridge placement with another company, but he had also interviewed with NSTAR for a post-military job. The program with the other company fell through, and Brandon was able to join NSTAR.
"The SkillBridge program, especially with NSTAR, has been absolutely phenomenal."
—Brandon Howe
Once he became engaged with NSTAR through the SkillBridge program, Brandon found it easy to transition his skills to the semiconductor market. Brandon is applying his expertise with aircraft mechanics and hydraulics to his day-to-day tasks working on semiconductor manufacturing equipment in our Boise facility. He's enjoying the opportunity to grow his knowledge in new areas, such as electrical, by taking on new projects under his supervisors' careful training and guidance.
Another advantage of the SkillBridge program is mentorship to further facilitate the transition to civilian life. Brandon's mentor is our Boise office director, Ron Peterson. He was able to help Brandon transition into the workforce by guiding him not only through NSTAR policies and procedures and technical projects, but also through tasks that had been handled automatically by the military during Brandon's 21 years of service, such as timecards and insurance forms.
Semiconductors: An Unexpected Career Path
The semiconductor industry wasn't on Brandon's radar as a potential career, given his background in avionics. However, after being exposed to the work at NSTAR, Brandon is grateful that the SkillBridge program introduced him to a new industry.
"The biggest thing – and what I liked the most – was it opened me up to a whole career field that I didn't know existed."
Many servicepeople coming from the Air Force can be close-minded about career possibilities and desire to remain in the aviation industry when leaving the military, Brandon explained, or they think they only have the experience to remain where they are. He encourages anyone who thinks that to consider the semiconductor industry instead, because many of the machines and tools require the same skill set – and there are huge opportunities right now in the U.S. semiconductor market, as many leading manufacturers are growing their operations here.
Military members who are nearing their last 180 days of service can visit the DoD SkillBridge website for more information on how to apply to the program – and hopefully find a new career with NSTAR.
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Tag Archives: 5-for-the-future
Andrea Middleton 7:44 pm on August 29, 2019
Tags: 5-for-the-future
Five for the Future: proposed scope and mockups
Last year I posted a proposal for a Five for the Future acknowledgement page, which discussed multiple approaches for how to achieve the goal of acknowledging companies that pay contributors to work on the WordPress project as well as motivating more companies to sponsor more contributors. My recommendation was to create a tool companies could use to publicly pledge employee time, with pledges that would link to the WordPress contributor profiles of those employees. Promotion of the program would guide potential participants to a landing page that describes and explains the benefits of the program, featuring contributor case studies.
In June, WordPress.org Profiles and jobs.wordpress.net were updated to help with transparency, and make it easier for companies to find and hire people who wish to become sponsored contributors.
Based on public feedback and technical considerations, I think the proposed approach from last year is viable, and worth a try.
This post includes a more granular description on how the project could work, including some mockups for easier visualization. Below the slideshow of mockups, you will find explanations and more details.
View the prototype or see additional states in Figma.
This page explains the Five for the Future program, outlines the benefits to companies and contributors, and helps individual contributors or companies find their next steps. The marketing team and I collaborated on the spec copy for this mockup.
For freelancers or micro-agencies that would like to participate, there are two options. The simplest is by filling out the Contributor tab on your profile with the number of hours per week you wish to pledge, and the teams you plan to contribute to. Once you click "save," an automated notification will go to the team's Slack channel, announcing (for example):
"@julialopez just pledged 5 hours a month to work on Core and Documentation! 🎉 Please reach out and help them get involved in a cool project!"
We'd add another field to the Contributor tab of the WordPress.org Profile, to make it easier for people who currently contribute to a team on a volunteer basis, and are interested in being hired to contribute to WordPress. If a contributor clicks the "I'm interested in being hired to contribute" box, then some kind of "Hire me!" graphic element will appear on the front end of the contributor's profile. There will be no messaging capability; we'll assume that contributors looking for WordPress work have included ways to contact them on their WordPress profile page.
Another method for freelancers or micro-agencies to participate, would be to follow the company prompt; which I'll describe next.
If, when a pledge is submitted, the organization names one or many contributors, each contributor will receive this email from WordPress.org, asking whether the contributor would like to accept the invitation to link their profile to a pledge.
Email Preview
A company does not have to name contributors to pledge time, and can edit their pledge to add or remove contributors. Every 6 months, the company will be prompted to update their pledge.
Pledges will be displayed (in random order by default) on a Five for the Future page that can be filtered alphabetically, by number of contributors, and number of pledged hours per week.
Feedback time!
Based on these descriptions and mockups…
Do you have any concerns about what you're seeing?
Do you have any suggestions based on what I've written about this already?
#5-for-the-future
Andrea Middleton 8:03 pm on June 19, 2019
Tags: 5-for-the-future, contributors ( 2 ), profiles ( 3 )
Updates to WordPress Profiles and jobs.wordpress.net
WordPress profiles now include some additional fields that contributors can use to share how much time they dedicate to the WordPress project, which teams they work on, and whether or not their contributions are sponsored. All of the contribution fields are optional, and won't appear on the public profile unless the hours and teams fields are filled in.
The Profiles edit screen, showing the new Contribution tab
That little [Sponsored] tag next to "Contributions" will appear on your profile only if the other Contribution fields are filled in, and only if the option chosen under "sponsored" is "yes."
Screenshot of a WordPress profile, showing the results of having the Contributions tab filled out
Hopefully this will be a gentle first step toward some version of the proposed Five for the Future program (discussed on this blog last November — wow, time flies!). I think it will also help with transparency, and might facilitate how teams set internal expectations for how much time different contributors might have to spend on a project or ongoing task.
Somewhat related, jobs.wordpress.net now features a new position type: "Contributor." Hopefully this will make it easier for companies to find and hire people who wish to become sponsored contributors.
Feedback and Call for Volunteers
This is a first iteration, so if you have concerns or suggestions, please share them in a comment on this post!
Welcoming more sponsored contributors into WordPress teams might happen more gracefully if there were some clearly stated expectations for avoiding conflicts of interest (perceived and actual). If you'd like to collaborate on creating a first draft for this in order to gather public feedback, please also comment on this post! 🙂 #contributors
#5-for-the-future, #profiles
Andrea Middleton 7:04 pm on November 5, 2018
Tags: 5-for-the-future, profiles ( 3 )
Proposal: Five for the Future acknowledgement page
tl;dr: let's increase the number of companies that dedicate employee time to WordPress by building a tool that allows companies to make public pledges of dedicated time.
In 2014, @matt launched the Five for the Future initiative, saying that "organizations that want to grow the WordPress pie (and not just their piece of it) should dedicate 5% of their people to working on something to do with Core — be it development, documentation, security, support forums, theme reviews, training, testing, translation or whatever it might be that helps move WordPress' mission forward." WordPress-based organizations responded by contributing more dedicated time to the open source project, which has helped WordPress grow to power 31% of the Web.
A discussion was held at the 2017 WordPress Community Summit about how we could encourage more companies to contribute more dedicated employee time. @liljimmi suggested that if there were a page where all companies participating in Five for the Future were listed, then smaller companies would see that they could have an impact too. This got a lot of people thinking about outreach to companies of all sizes, and how we could encourage participation in Five for the Future.
A year or so later, here's a proposal that takes this concept and runs with it! Main collaborators on this program proposal include: @chanthaboune, @hlashbrooke, @_dorsvenabili, @iandunn, @angelasjin, @coreymckrill, and myself. Hand-sketches are from me; other mock-ups by @iandunn and @mapk.
Props to Tracy for the idea that sparked this, and thanks to the many people who gave early candid feedback.
Exceptionally long proposal after the jump!
Acknowledge companies that sponsor volunteers to work on the WordPress project.
Motivate more companies to sponsor more volunteers.
Potential challenges
Defining the kind of contribution that would "qualify" for this.
Identifying what contributions come from people whose work is being sponsored by a company.
Deciding what qualifies a company to appear on the page (minimum number of hours, licensing practice, company size, etc).
Holding companies accountable, if we think that's important.
Defining how we treat companies and sponsored employees on WordPress.org.
How do other projects do this?
How do other open source and/or volunteer organizations acknowledge and recruit contributors, specifically support from companies? We looked at the following organizations in a comparative analysis:
Established open source projects, such as Linux Foundation, Mozilla, Joomla, Ruby on Rails, Wikipedia, Node JS, Nextcloud, PHP, Python, and Drupal
Non-profit organizations that work with volunteers, including: Doctors Without Borders, New Horizons, Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, and Red Cross
Nearly all of these organizations make an appeal to contributors with the promises that their contributions will have a powerful impact, that they will be recognized for their work, and that their work will help the project/organization thrive for years to come.
Most open source projects place more emphasis on individual contributors, and don't directly acknowledge companies that support the project by sponsoring contributors. Drupal is a notable exception to this practice.
Gamification is common. Badges are very popular, as well as being able to filter by the most commits (Github is a very common tool for this). Python even gives cash awards to noteworthy contributors.
Possible approaches
Option 1: The activity stream firehose
One option would be a completely automated system. All volunteers would share what company, if any, sponsored their contributions. Contributions could be shown in an activity stream, in which activities are grouped by company, and sorted by the most recent contribution. Additional sorting and filtering options would be available.
Advantages: No administrative work/moderation needed.
Disadvantages: Information overload; company visibility is low.
Option 2: Curated case studies
Another option would be a page that shares the goal and vision of the 5ftF program. Included would be rotating examples of participating contributors, like case studies curated from a broad cross-section of the open source project.
Advantages: compelling content, lots of useful information.
Disadvantages: selecting contributors to highlight could be contentious; limited number of companies acknowledged; lots of administrative work to maintain content.
Option 3: Pledged contributions
Companies make a public pledge to dedicate a certain amount of time to the open source project. Then their employees complete and confirm the information about intended team and intended time. All pledges would be public and listed on WordPress.org.
Advantages: Company/volunteer reported & verified; would not require much ongoing moderation.
Disadvantages: Potential for abuse/misrepresentation.
After considering these three possible structures for a Five for the Future program, I think the most effective method is a pledge program: allowing companies to publicly declare how much dedicated employee time they plan to donate to the WordPress project.
This approach would work towards key goals for the Five for the Future initiative:
Recognize the companies that sponsor volunteers to regularly work on the WordPress project.
Ensure a stable contributor base, by motivating more companies to sponsor more volunteers.
The program would allow companies of any size to submit a pledge indicating the number of hours they intend to commit to the WordPress project. After making the pledge, the company notifies its contributing employees, who then edit their WordPress.org profiles to indicate the company that is sponsoring their time. This will allow a contributor's sponsored time to be credited to the company that is enabling them to contribute much more time than they (presumably) could give, if unsupported.
On their profiles, all contributors will be able to share how many hours a week they dedicate to the project, and on which team(s). If a contributor's work is part of Five for the Future, they will be able to link to their company's pledge on their individual profile.
Privacy note: The intent here is that a contributor must intentionally link their individual profile to a published pledge. No matter what a company pledges, the individual contributor won't show up on that pledge unless they link to the pledge and save. Then the company contact associated with that pledge will have to accept the link — active consent should be required on both sides.
This will help contributor teams identify what people have been pledged to work on their projects, which should help with recruiting people to work on specific, possibly longer-term, team projects. Once a pledge has been made, companies and individuals will be encouraged to keep their details up to date as needed.
Historically, we have recognized individuals for their contributions to WordPress, without connecting that work to their companies, even if their time has been sponsored. By asking companies to make a pledge of time, we hope to offer increased recognition to all parties who actively participate in the Five for the Future initiative.
Companies that have made a pledge will be listed in a public, searchable, and filterable archive that displays:
company name & logo
number of contributing employees
number of hours pledged
teams contributed to
As we receive more information from Five for the Future companies, we can consider whether we recognize companies further by publishing individual company pages. We hope that this will also encourage additional companies to make their own pledges and commit employee time to the WordPress project.
Companies and sponsored contributors will be expected to update and resubmit their pledge after a period of time – this will make sure that the page remains current at all times. For privacy reasons, individual contributors won't be listed on a pledge unless they choose to link to the pledge. Companies that wish to make a Five for the Future pledge will be asked to agree to follow project etiquette and meet our expectations for promotion on WordPress.org.
Despite the disadvantages of the curated case studies idea, that's still a great way to show organizations what kind of impact their participation in Five for the Future can have. If possible, we'd like to include a case study or two on the Five for the Future landing page on WordPress.org, which would also include some persistent content like: "Why donate employee time to the WordPress project?" and/or "Convince your boss to donate your time to WordPress.org." For case studies, we'd want to rotate the content at least every 6 months. We may want to feature contributors who are doing some of the less "glamorous" or visible work that nevertheless has a strong positive impact on WordPress.
How will we know this is making a difference — what can we count?
number of people whose paid time was pledged to the project
number of companies participating
percentage of teams with at least 1 sponsored contributor
number of pledged hours
number of people sponsored at least 20 hours/week ; number of people sponsored for 40 hours/week
We'd love your thoughts on this approach to Five for the Future acknowledgement! Here are some specific questions, but please ask about anything that concerns you, in a comment on this post.
Should we require users to be logged in to wordpress.org to be able pledge? (This would stop spam and make editing easier in the futur.e)
Should we auto-publish pledge submissions, or should a moderator review them first?
Should we set a minimum company size for participation in this pledge program?
Do you think this might help teams find people to work on less "glamorous" contributions?
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A leading provider of services for Medicare beneficiaries, healthcare providers, and medical equipment suppliers in over 35 states, supporting the needs of over 24 million Medicare beneficiaries and 100,000 healthcare professionals nationwide.
The Client faced a dilemma. The national healthcare services provider was closing a branch office, and needed to swiftly relocate thousands of critical records to a new, secure location. The office was nowhere near any EDM facilities or staff, but the office was closing in a matter of days, and needed a secure way to audit, seal and transport 1,265 boxes of records before the deadline.
Recognizing that the client was in need, EDM staff rallied to action. EDM's team worked with the Client's staff to audit the cartons against the manifest. The EDM team completed the audit, shrink-wrapped, sealed and locked each carton, and stacked the loaded pallets onto the truck. The cartons were then transported back to EDM's facility, where every carton was rechecked to verify the seals and locks were still in place, then placed onto racks for storage in the EDM warehouse. The entire project was completed in one day, ensuring the Client could close its facility on schedule, and knowing all of their records were safe.
The key benefits to the Client included: 1) Fast, efficient collection and transportation of documents from a soon-to-be-closed facility in the Midwest to an EDM secure storage facility; 2) Rigorous audit of all 1,265 cartons against the client's inventory prior to loading; 3) Rapid delivery of service in remote location that required staff to travel hundreds of miles; 4) Securely stored cartons in an EDM facility where they can be easily accessed by the client on demand; and 5) Multiple security measures including sealing and locking all cartons, and a security tracking process to ensure the documents never left EDM's possession.


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Bitcoin Accepting Shops in Japan Increase Drastically, by 4.5x
The Japanese bitcoin market has added a significant number of bitcoin merchants this past year. Local publications such as NHK revealed that there were over 4,200 bitcoin-accepting shops in Japan by the end of 2016, demonstrating roughly an annual growth rate of 4.6x.
Rapid increase in the acceptance of bitcoin by merchants can be directly attributed to the Japanese government's recognition of bitcoin as money. In May of 2016, the National Diet of Japan passed a bill to regulate digital currency exchanges, declaring bitcoin as a legal form of money.
Establishment of Bitcoin's Legality
Local lawmakers further emphasized the role of the government in the development of fintech and cryptocurrencies, explaining that the collaboration between Japanese bitcoin exchanges or service providers and the nation's Financial Services Agency will allow the general population to build trust on bitcoin and consider it as a legal tender.
"[The Japanese government] also said when the legal status of the virtual currencies is established, more firms, including big conservative Japanese firms, will enter the market to energize the industry and facilitate the use of cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin. The new rule defines virtual currencies as "asset-like values" that can be used in making payments and can be transferred digitally," a local media outlet reported.
One important event which indirectly steered the Japanese government to thoroughly consider and evaluate bitcoin was the Mt. Gox theft in 2013, which resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in user funds. At the time, the Japanese government allocated resources and capital of its law enforcement agencies to assist Mt. Gox and its former investigation partner Kraken to look into the hack.
In 2013, Kraken stated," In November 2014, Kraken was selected to assist Tokyo District Court-appointed Trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi in the bankruptcy investigation of missing Bitcoin, receiving claims and distributing remaining assets to creditors of MtGox," describing the collaborative project of the Japanese government, Kraken and Mt. Gox.
Merchants Begin Using Bitcoin Despite Volatility
As the government continued to express their optimism towards bitcoin and its vast potential in the global financial ecosystem, an increasing number of merchants began to adopt the digital currency despite its volatility. In fact, some analysts and experts in Japan warned merchants against the volatility of bitcoin, stating that even in an upward trend, the highly fluctuating price largely affect the operations of local merchants.
"While it seems that opportunities to use bitcoin as a mean of payment are increasing, it is important to pay attention to the risk of price fluctuations," a Japanese analyst told NHK.
Regardless of bitcoin's volatility, major Japanese industries observed a gradual increase in the number of merchants accepting bitcoin, as a direct result of rising awareness of bitcoin and its efficiency as a global store of value.
Image from Shutterstock.
Posted in Bitcoin, Bitcoin News, BTC News, CCN, News


Don't have Amazon Prime or Best Buy GCU? No worries, because you can currently pick up the freshly released DiRT 4 at a large discount. Not just a little discount, but a surprisingly large 33% price cut for PS4 and Xbox One copies at Amazon on the North American console release day.
PC gamers aren't completely left in the dark, with discounts up to 23% off - though note that PC is facing a release date of June 9 instead of June 6 (which unsurprisingly confused a lot of people).
Reviews look to be positive, so a poor reception doesn't seem to be the reason for the big cut. For now, we're filing this away as an aggressive Amazon price robot - which means the deal can expire at any given time.
Given the delayed release date for PC is later this Friday, the Steam key above will still include the pre-order bonus offer of the Hyundai R5 rally car, team booster pack, and the founder icon.


February 9, 1619 -Â Philosopher and freethinker Lucilio ("Julius Caesar") Vanini is executed by the Parliament of Toulouse, France for atheism and blasphemy. Vanini was not, in fact, an atheist (more a pantheist). Nonetheless he denied the immortality of the soul; declared Moses, Jesus and Muhammad imposters;Â believed that the laws of nature applied everywhere in the universe and that life emerged spontaneously on earth; and even theorized that man arose from apes. He was only 33 at the time of his execution.
February 9, 1737 - Thomas Paine is born in Thetford, United Kingdom. Paine was an influential propagandist for both the American and French Revolutions. Like many of America's Founders, Paine was a Deist who declared, "My country is the World, and my religion is to do good." His influential works include Common Sense, The American Crisis, The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason. In this last title, Paine criticized organized religion and questioned Biblical inerrancy; as a result, he fell out of favor with both the American public and its politicians. He died in New York City in 1809, aged 72. Only six people attended his funeral.
February 9, 1944 – Poet, novelist and activist Alice Walker is born in Putnam County, Georgia. She is best known for her novel The Color Purple, which won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. She was named Humanist of the Year in 1997 by the American Humanist Association.
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Otto Löhr (ur. 1900, zm. 1989) – niemiecki kierowca wyścigowy.

Kariera
W swojej karierze wyścigowej Löhr poświęcił się głównie startom w wyścigach samochodów sportowych. W latach 1937-1939 Niemiec pojawiał się w stawce 24-godzinnego wyścigu Le Mans. W pierwszym sezonie startów uplasował się na czwartej pozycji w klasie 2, a w klasyfikacji generalnej był dziewiąty. Rok później doniósł zwycięstwo w klasie 1.5. W sezonie 1939 nie dojechał do mety.

Przypisy

Bibliografia
 Otto Löhr

Niemieccy kierowcy wyścigowi
Niemieccy kierowcy 24h Le Mans
Urodzeni w 1900
Zmarli w 1989


Mission Health is a large and complex organization. Our story begins more than 130 years ago out of a five-room house in downtown Asheville. Now a growing seven-hospital health system serving nearly 1 million people in 18 counties with more than 12,000 dedicated team members, our story continues today with some of the nation's highest quality of care and the compassion and integrity we were founded upon.
In 1885, a small group of women set out to establish a place in Asheville where the sick and those in need of a home could heal. The women of the Little Flower Mission couldn't have imagined their little hospital would result in the modern medical center that serves western North Carolina today. Read our story.
Our work inside of our hospital walls is only part of our work. Learn more how we're meeting our community's health needs through community partnerships, sponsorships and grants that make health, healing and access to care possible. Learn more about our commitment to our community.
Our goal is to minimize our energy consumption 30% by 2020. Learn how our teams are working to reduce our carbon footprint. Learn more about our commitment to the environment.
The needs of our patient population are growing and we are growing with it. Learn more about our current construction projects and how we are advancing healthcare.
Ranked No. 1 in North Carolina, Mission Health is also one of the top health systems in the nation.
Mission Health has been ranked among the Top 15 in the nation six times in the last seven years. We are committed to helping every person achieve their desired outcome through reliable, quality and patient-centered care.
Mission Health is committed to improving the lives and health of the people of western North Carolina. Here is who we are and how we do that.
As western North Carolina's leader in advanced medical care, we take our responsibility seriously. Our mission, vision and core values guide us as we work to heal our patients, care for every person and improve the health of our entire region.
Mercy: We work to create a caring and compassionate environment responsive to the emotional, spiritual and physical needs of all persons.
Excellence: We strive to meet and exceed our patients' and consumers' needs, and work collectively to improve every aspect of our care and services.
Respect: We value the innate dignity of all persons, respect their uniqueness and diversity, and enable the development of each person's full potential.
Integrity: We are consistently open, honest and ethical, and abide by our Corporate Compliance Program and integrity statement to always do the right thing by being honest in our interactions with one another, our patients and our business contacts.
Trust/Teamwork: We say what we mean and do what we say, and work collectively to improve every aspect of our care and services.