At the recent NewSchools Venture Fund Summit in the northern part of Silicon Valley, innovators and educators met to re-imagine what future learning technologies might be capable of. The gathering of 600 policy makers, instructors, entrepreneurs, and creators included now-notable philanthropist and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, who recently donated $100 million to Newark schools. (When asked why Zuckerberg did so, he said he’s thankful for the education he received and wants to help others have quality school experiences.) … more
IDSA, AIGA, IxDA, AIA, and SEGD have enough shared vowels to make your head spin, but you’ll be grateful for their collaboration when SF Design Week starts on Monday. Get on the wait list for Smart Design’s discussion of “Design, Technology, and the Meaning of Life” and D.Talks on “The Future of Experience.” Sitting down not your thing? Tour Frog Design before trying one of Public Bikes’ frames. It all leads to the Greener Mind Summit next weekend in Mendocino, where you can take personal productivity sessions next to a self-proclaimed disorganizational psychologist.
Educational tech startups, take note: while your accomplishments in both social benefits and development breakthroughs may be massive, you have quite a few calls to make about financial and employee reward models on your way there. Such was the takeaway at “Inside the Entrepreneur’s Studio,” a breakout at the New School Venture Fund Summit this week. Words to the wise included:
Decide whether to operate for profit or not-for-profit (do note that these are different structures and don’t just refer to your first year performance). Greg Gunn, co-founder of education software company Wireless Generation, asked entrepreneurs to consider whether private or foundation capital will be more attainable based on their missions. more
Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlasis the type of book one picks up in a museum gift shop and buys not for themselves, necessarily, but for a roommate or partner so it can live on a shared shelf or table. Author Rebecca Solnit has assembled an amazing team or cartographers, designers, writers, and research for a soft cover look at local history and geography. Its variety is fantastically browsable: between glances at the Mission (“North of Home, South of Safe”) and film hot spots, there’s a Where’s Waldo-esque look at the origins of the chemicals and cheeses that go into San Franciscans’ bodies. The part atlas, part urban policy tome is visually arresting–so much so that it’s even worth buying a copy for no one but yourself.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, me gusta San Francisco designer Jamie Lim’s new Kayu bags.
After launching a line of bamboo sunglasses, Lim has expanded to introduce the Lilian Envelope ($35) and Mel Tote ($225) made from manila hemp and created by artisans from the Southern Philippines T’boli tribe. Lim’s approach is a rare one in the region, whose economy was once sustained on hand crafted goods but whose natural processes have been undermined by the popularity of synthetic rattan. Kayu’s vegetable-tanned straps and $15 donation to Awareness Cambodia for school supplies for each bag purchased are a good looking breath of fresh air.
Part motivator and part story showcase, the new ILearnedToProgram project has earned nearly 500,000 pageviews from developers, students and general Internet users in its first weeks of existence. By inviting people to share their experiences and finish the sentence “I learned to program…”, it’s capturing and sharing the work of featured programmers, a third of whom are women.
The decision to overrepresent females (who are still the vast minority of computer science students and professionals) was a deliberate one, says creator Benjamin Chun, a CS teacher in San Francisco. He wanted girls to feel that they have a place—and adult role models—in the field. The project ultimately highlights the diversity of the industry by providing a shareable space for people to reflect on their own introductions to coding.
Visitors see one-sentence tales about the initial allure of programming, which range from empowerment to self-education and escape. Chun’s response? “I learned to program by reading comments in an HTML file.”
At a bachelorette party this weekend (and no, there won’t be more about that later), college friends were curious about a few fun wares from Turq. While I’m bummed that partners Lee Addison and Kat Mulford are hanging up their design hats (for now?) after nine years of creating, the good news for you is that the necklaces, earrings and bags are currently at a steep discount. They’ll be filling more than a few bridal bags this summer on my end–not necessarily for the price, but for the pieces’ go anywhere appeal.
At this week’s ODC conference Women Who Frame the World: A Symposium on Creativity, I was deeply struck by the work of sculptor and creator Beverly Pepper. It takes a lot to stand out in a group of presenting artists that included novelist Carol Gilligan, sound artist Kui Dong, and documentarian Eleanor Coppola (even a sampling of the total group reads like a coffee table book about major creative contributors, no?).
Pepper’s talk–Monumentality, A Life in Art–at the B’Way Theater focused on her “amphisculpture.” It includes very large scale sculptures with watercolors (“Sol y Ombra,” Spain, top right), cast iron, stones (the Italian “Omphalon,” top left), and steel. She’s as humble–”when I think about bodies in conjunction with my work, it’s mostly how I can’t get hit by it during the construction”–as she is visionary.
How does she know when one of her large scale pieces is complete? “When you step away from it and the only reaction is ooooohhh.” The same went for her dialogue with local lady artists.
After the de Young Museum presented Vivienne Westwood’s fantastical work, I was gun shy about seeing another area haute couture show. How could it measure up? Who else could create to that scale? Those shapes?
Thanks to a friend who’s new to the Bay Area, I got back on the high fashion train this week to find that the presentation of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s styles isn’t better–it’s just different. More items–from tunics to gowns and bolero jackets–are presented this time around, and you’ll want to give yourself a while to study the folds and fabrics. The show’s themes were curated by Vogue’s European editor at large Hamish Bowles and include Spanish Art, Regional Dress, the Spanish Court, Religious Life and Ceremony, the Bullfight, and Dance. It was the first time since seeing Ms. V’s work that I went into a museum wishing I could walk out with a bag of goods off the mannequins–Balenciaga’s geometry and craftsmanship are that good.
Culture of Future founder Jody Turner asked me to guest post for Fast Company recently. With pleasure!
