DLB

Ah! sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done;

Where the youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves and aspire;
Where my sunflower wishes to go. 

William Blake (1757-1827)	P. 1793

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

A mesmerizing, interactive music video

Everything is a Remix Part 3 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix is a great four-part video series produced by Kirby Ferguson, a New York based filmmaker.  He explores the significance of collaborative creation and sampling, the key ingredients for innovation.  In summary:

Remix:  To combine or edit existing materials to create something new.  Yes, the term was originally applied to music, specifically hip-hop, the first musical form to incorporate sampling from existing recordings.  But we see the remix phenomenon throughout our lives and across industries:

• Of the ten highest grossing films per year from the last ten years, 76 out of 100 are either sequels or remakes of earlier films or adaptations of comic books, games, books, etc.
• Christopher Latham Sholes’ modeled his typewriter keyboard on a piano.  This design evolved for five years into the QWERTY layout we still use today.
• Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company didn’t invent the assembly line, interchangeable parts or even the auto itself.  But they combined all these elements and produced the first mass market car, the Model T, in 1908.

Ferguson defines the elements of creativity as Copy, Transform, and Combine.  Though ‘copy’ can have a dirty connotation, it is simply how we learn. 

“We can’t introduce anything new until we’re fluent in the language of our domain, and we do that through emulation…For instance, Bob Dylan’s first album contained eleven cover songs…Richard Pryor began his stand-up career doing a not very good imitation of Bill Cosby…”   I personally learned to play the piano by studying Mozart and Clementi.

Access to technology, and new interactive apps and tools, are now allowing everyone to become a content remixer.  It’s a beautiful thing.  As far as music is concerned, I have personally spoken with quite a few artists who would be excited to participate in breaking down the barriers and remixing the artist-fan relationship.  I believe it’s imperative for the music business as a whole to both embrace and encourage this mass remix culture.  

Which other industries do you predict will undergo a remix revolution?

I’d watch our pumpkin flicker on the wishing well at night

Strange habits and customs

Protected by my grandma’s robe.

The flash and sparkling lips

Give me back the hours that went away.

Between SF Music Tech and TC Disrupt, San Fran will be one hopping place next week!  If you are doing the Panel & Party scene, here are some tips and tricks to make the most of your week and the amazing people you will surely meet.

Set your sights and identify who you would especially like to meet.  Find out who’s coming by checking out Plancast, reading through attendee lists on your Eventbrite invite, or following the hashtags on Twitter. 

Make contact  Don’t wait until the big day.  If you haven’t already, reach out now to introduce yourself and make plans to meet up.  Whether it’s through an intro, Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora, or email, you can pretty much get in touch with anyone these days.  Be fearless and take initiative.

Do your homework  You obviously hope to meet with certain people because you already feel some sort of a shared connection.  If you really do care, you’ll take the time to understand them as much as possible- even before you meet.  Social networks, articles, blogs, Instagram, video interviews, etc are great ways to begin to understand who people really are, and what moves them- professionally and personally.  And your homework will give you the advantage of better recognizing people in a huge crowd.  (Although I still find it super hard to pick out folks from their pictures!)

People, not panels  Don’t get me wrong, there will certainly be some “not to be missed” moments.  But frankly, you can generally watch videos and hear recaps later.  Take advantage of being in the same place with so many people you admire, and use all your time, including breaks and meals, to connect in thoughtful ways.  Make an email list, Twitter List, and/or GroupMe list ahead of time, so you can not only stay abreast of what people are doing/thinking, but you can also quickly pull together an informal meetup, drink up, or after party.

Keep it going   Each night, or at least when you first get back home, record and organize all your new contacts.  No excuses, because thank god tech is making this easier than ever.  I’m going to be trying out the CamCard app, which imports contact info as you simply snap pics of business cards.  

Follow up and define next steps with people, and also follow through:  If you said you’d send something, or make an intro, do it.  Keeping your word, in every aspect of your life, is extremely important.  But no matter how well-intentioned you are, it’s hard to keep track of everything and everyone.  (Did you know the average person has 600+ ties in their network- and of course active tech users have more!)  So get yourself organized with a service that has a one-stop-shop social network overview and alert system for your contacts.  I personally use Mingly  (with full disclosure that I also know the awesome team behind Mingly!)

Tell me, what are some of your favorite tips and tools?  

Here’s to a productive and inspiring week!