A few thoughts...

...from the state of the internet link Ray sent today. These two themes stood out to me as pretty crazy/shocking/interesting. What about you? Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

1. I never knew Google owned so much, every time I turn around it seems like they are pushing into a new tech market. Maybe it is because I rely so heavily on it day to day, or that it knows what kinds of ads I like!!!

2. smartphones & shopping: Maybe it is because I worked retail/display in a small boutique for three years, but I am pretty amazed at these statistics. We sold so much merchandise based on impulse, personal relationship, and basic selling skills, it is interesting how people are combining this store experience with phone use to share pictures, etc. Also this second to last slide is funny to me....we could do anything with our phones but continue to play games with them :)

Back in the day...

Ever wonder what your favorite site looked like a year ago? ten years ago? You don't have to wonder, because as we all know by now, with a bit of searching you can find just about anything you'd ever want on the internet!

http://archive.org/web/web.php

the wayback machine brings up archived pages of websites.
Plug a couple in. You'll be amazed at how far we've come.

Young Chicago Authors

Young Chicago Authors transforms the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication, and performance education. They have performances and you can book a poet to perform at events, too. Louder Than A Bomb is the poetry slam event held in Chicago between young slam poetry teams throughout the midwest. I went last year and was completely blown away by the talent and stories that students performed. It takes place in the spring and I highly recommend going. Also, there is a documentary film about it they made last year, and the Flaxman Library has it! One of the Masters in Art History/Arts Admin students from last year did her thesis with YCA and helped design curriculum to accompany the viewing of Louder Than A Bomb in schools. Also it is pretty sweet that this is the largest slam poetry competition in the nation, right here in Chicago!

Chicago Artists Month Kick-Off

Over the weekend I went to the kick-off party for Chicago Artists Month. It was more like a collection of smaller neighborhood shows in Bridgeport. Before the show, I went to my two favorite Bridgeport spots: Pleasant House Bakery, with their amazing steak and ale pie, and Maria's Community Bar next door for some cider beer, my fall favorite. Then we hit up the SMALL pop-up shop at Bridgeport Art Center. SMALL stands for Small Manufacturing Alliance and this is their second show. In a huge loft space, local artists who are part of the Alliance showcased their amazing work. Here are some of my favorites, ridiculous speakers from B2 Concepts and a table from Rebuilding Exchange. The Rebuilding Exchange is an awesome organization / warehouse that has tons of....stuff!..for building projects. Old doors, light fixtures, mirrors, toilets, wood: all reclaimed from buildings in/around Chicago. They also have classes you can take to learn how to make things like mirrors, wood crates, and benches.

http://connectedlearning.tv/infographic Check this out. We'll be discussing it in class. Thanks to Rachel Harper (Alum of the program) for sharing!