BarCamp Hamburg 2008

Hands-on conferencing in the Hansestadt! BarCamp Hamburg is in full swing in the welcoming OTTO GmbH offices. There’s 83 slotted sessions over two days. Quite a few sessions are talking about “x + 2.0″ (China, Mobile, Hotel, Browser Games, World Improvement), but thankfully there are a more innovative titles to be found: Cat Content, Journalism Outsourcing, and HowTo Make the Elephant Dance.

Zeitgeisty hero Kai organized a car-full of Berliner “alte Hasen” to journey through black ice and early-morning haze, arriving in Hamburg with time to spare. The OTTO building was easy enough to reach, and the friendly orga team greeted us at the door and handed out the best Barcamp tshirts to date.

The first round of sessions were scratched because of the bad weather, but around 11:00am the reverend head honcho Franz called us into the main room and officially kicked off the event. Half the room raised their hands to say they’re barcamp newbies — a great sign for bcch08’s outreach and internets affinity in Hamburg. Plus it was an active crowd: the line to introduce sessions went out the door, both on Saturday and Sunday.

Mobile 2.0 was the most packed session I visited (apart from semi-aggessive Google Android Demo). The take away lesson? A new game of buzz word bingo, which you can study from the Mobile 2.0 Cloud.

The Creative Commons 101 session went well! Zeitgeisty’s Nicole Ebber, CC Germany Legal Lead John Weitzmann, and I introduced the CC basics, which Peter live blogged (thank you!). It was great to see an attentive crowd. Lots of good topics were covered, and we even got to learn about a new CC-licensed project: Open Critics.

The rest of the time I popped in and out of sessions. There was lots of bustle, podcasting, and brainstorming everywhere at the conference. The chill corner earned a good reputation with massive branded beanbags, and of course the food tables attracted a crowd.

Huge kudos go to the orga team for the smooth logistics and excellent outreach. The catering was lecker, although discerning veggie dishes was tricky. The atmosphere was incredibly friendly, and I got to meet a heap of new folks. Thanks a lot to the sponsors for supporting the event, and thanks to all the participants for making it a fun and memorable barcamp!

Image: Barcamp Hamburg 2-10 by adesigna, available under Creative Commons NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Unported and bchh08 by Thorsten HH, available under Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 2.0 Unported.

Partizipatorisches Panoptikum

“Wer hat denn DIESES Foto gemacht?” Ein verdrossener Klick und das Fotoalbum blättert weiter. “Das glaube ich nicht. Es wurde wirklich überall fotografiert…”

Ärgern über unvorteilhafte Fotos, das gehört dazu zum Leben der Promis und Hollywood-VIPs, die tagtäglich Hunderte veröffentlichter Fanfotos entdecken. Nur zum Leben der Promis? Schon lange nicht mehr. Das Paparazzi-Prinzip betrifft schon längst auch ganz normale, durchschnittliche Menschen wie dich und mich. Willkommen im Netz!

Heute erleben wir die Folgen von allgegenwärtigen Digicams, Handys und Online-Exhibitionisten. Ob Konferenz, Party, Stammtisch, Klassenfahrt, Geschäftsausflug, Hochzeit oder Beerdigungen, eines ist sicher: Am Ende gibt es einen Haufen Fotos aller Teilnehmer. Neu in diesem Zeitalter ist, dass wir uns so total, digital nahe stehen, dass wir keine gedruckten Fotoalbumen basteln. Wir laden sie sofort ins Netz und schicken die Links rum, damit alle Freunde sie sehen – und viele Fremde.

Gefangen in radikaler Transparenz: Das “Partizipatorische Panoptikum”

Jamais Cascio (Worldchanging) hat dafür einen Namen, er spricht vom Partizipatorischen Panoptikum. Das etwas ungelenke Wort leitet sich ab von medialer Teilhabe (Partizipation) einerseits, vom Konzepts eines (nie wirklich gebauten) voll überwachten Gefängnisses des 18. Jahrhunderts (Panoptikum) andererseits. Cascio beruft sich auf David Brins Buch “The Transparent Society” und Steve Manns Aufsatz “Sousveillance“, der Überwachung der Überwachung von unten, Grassroots-Überwachnung. WIRED nennt all das: radikale Transparenz.

Die Idee hinter dem “Partizipatorischen Panoptikum”: Durch die Verbreitung von Kameras und Aufnahmegeräten, deren Inhalte online veröffentlicht werden, entsteht ein umfassendes Profil jedes Bürgers.

Totale Überwachnung – freiwillig

Einen wichtigen Unterschied zur Situation der Gefangenen im Panoptikum gibt es aber: Wir werden wir nicht gegen unseren Willen überwacht. Wir dokumentieren uns selbst und unsere Umwelt freiwillig.

Und auch wenn es in der Onlinewelt so schlimm wie im Überwachungsgefängnis natürlich nicht steht, so hat das digitale Panoptikum doch einen dicken Haken: Niemand kann sich komplett entziehen. Selbst wer nicht aktiv ist im Netz, wird beobachtet (wie auf Rotten Neighbors), fotografiert (Street View Fun) oder aufgezeichnet (Sonic City). Unser Ruf und Profil setzen sich online durch tausende Links, Bilder und Referenzen zusammen. Wir sind, was andere bloggen.

Was können wir tun?

Wir können davon ausgehen, dass Kameras immer besser, billiger und vor allem immer zahlreicher werden. Online Foto- und Videoplattformen werden immer größer. Blogging wird immer mehr zum Mainstream. Anders gesagt, unsere Leben werden immer stärker dokumentiert, damit müssen wir leben. Aber wie? Abmahnungen zu schicken, um unvorteilhafte Bilder aus dem Netz löschen zu lassen, dürfte wenig helfen. Wie können wir dennoch nachts ruhig schlafen?

Eine transparente Gesellschaft hat durchaus auch Vorteile, zum Beispiel soziale Kontrolle. Wenn wir wissen, dass unsere Worte und unser Gesicht weit und breit im Netz veröffentlicht werden, dann machen wir uns Gedanken über unser Handeln, unseren Ruf und unsere Verantwortung. Gesunder Menschenverstand und einfache Faustregeln können helfen, unangenehme Situationen zu vermeiden:

• Sei fair.
  Du hast ein bloßstellendes Foto gemacht. Lohnt es sich wirklich, das Bild hochzuladen? Halte dich an die goldene Regel und verwende nur Inhalte, die du auch von dir selbst gerne online sehen würdest.
• Respektiere die Privatsphäre.
  Du hast oft Gelegenheit, die intimere Seite anderer Menschen zu dokumentieren. Im Zweifelsfall gilt: Frage das “Opfer” vorher, ob ein Foto klargeht.
• Trackback.
  Die Währung der Onlinewelt ist der Hyperlink. Wenn du Fotos oder Videos von anderen veröffentlichst, sage ihnen wo und frage sie, wie du am besten zu ihnen zurück linken kannst: Blog, Twitter, Facebook?
• Gewissenhaftes Tagging.
  Verwende Tags. Wenn Namen oder Beschreibungen fehlen, ergänze sie einfach per Tagging. Das gilt natürlich nicht nur für deine eigenen Inhalte, sondern auch für die Fotoalben deiner Freunde. Gemeinsames Taggen ist eine der treibenden Kräfte im Web 2.0. Hilft mit, all die Fotos wirklich nutzbar zu machen.

Die Zeit der Anonymität ist vorbei, jeder hinterlässt digitale Spuren. Das Internet vergisst nichts. Wir sollten das Beste daraus machen. Denn zumindest eines ist klar, wir haben endlich eine Antwort auf die Frage: Quis custodit custodes – wer bewacht die Wächter? Ganz einfach: Wir alle.

Bildquelle: “meiadeleite.com” by pmagalhaes available under (Creative Commons NC SA 2.0).

Original post: “Wir sind, was andere bloggen!” by Michelle Thorne on Blogpiloten, available under Creative Commons BY NC SA 2.0 3.0 Germany License.

Today’s News Tomorrow: New York Times Hoax

New York Times readers got a jolt of “liberal utopia” yesterday as part of the latest hoax by The Yes Men, Improv Everywhere, & Co. Thousands of printed newspapers were distributed across the U.S. by volunteers, relaying mock headlines like “Iraq War Ends” and standard sections about the national news, classifieds, and even a recall story about gasoline-powered cars.

The paper was dated July 4, 2009, seven months after President Elect Barack Obama would take to office. The New York Times was not amused, but something tells me they were still flattered.

Nice one! d(^_^)b

XOOOOX Cut Up and Gone: Why I Like Street Art

I snapped this photo a while ago on a street near my office. I apologize for the bad quality — it was with my cameraphone. But what I really like about this image isn’t so much the figure or its style, but how the work’s message has changed since I first laid eyes on it.

A few months ago (or, at least, that’s when I first noticed it), Berlin street artist XOOOOX threw up the original stencil of the model, sans the cut-out lines. XOOOOX is one of the most well-known street artists in Berlin, whose work is about re-contextualizing high fashion through the manipulation of luxury brands and symbols placed in the “egalitarian” streets.

Recently, XOOOOX’s work was featured in an exhibition at the CIRCLEculture gallery, which is down the road from the stencil pictured above. A big name like XOOOOX drew quite a crowd, and many items were sold.

Then a few weeks later, there came a small protest. At least, that’s how I’m interpreting it. Another artist came along and painted the dotted “Cut & Go” lines around XOOOOX’s work.

What is this addition trying to say, I wonder? Is it in defiance to galleries and art markets, which take the “street” out of street art and sell urban works to big collectors, thus rendering the pieces high-end luxury items themselves? Or, are the lines instead augmenting XOOOOX’s own criticism of luxury goods — a comment on today’s fashion on the go, temporal and insatiable? Or, is the tag “Cut & Go” in fact from the nearby hair salon of the same name? A guerrilla attempt to advise with urban cool while fronting shameless commercialization and name promotion?

Who knows? I certainly don’t. Guess only the street (and the CCTV cameras) really do.

Game On: American Sporting Expressions

Anyone familiar with the American vernacular knows that Americans are big on sports. An impressive number of expressions and phrases come from the sporting world — and often from games played primarily in the United States. Baseball, American football, basketball, and even horse racing have contributed heavily to the vocabulary of Americans. It’s no wonder folks learning English can feel overwhelmed. Here’s a list of some common phrases that have made the leap from American athletics to daily usage.

UPDATE: After writing this, I learned that Wikipedia already has a great list dedicated to the subject. Thanks, Parker, for the tip! I hope my linguistic contributions still make the cut. (^_^)

Baseball

• Touch base: To (briefly) get in contact with someone. From the rule in baseball that you have to return to a base, or touch it, before running to the next one.
• Raincheck: To postpone something for another time or day. Originates from baseball games that get rained out, and the fans receive ticket refunds, or “rainchecks”, to return for the postponed game.
• Out of left field: Something surprising or unexpected, as in “it came out of left field.” In baseball, left field is the side of the playing field with the least amount of action, primarily due to the fact that most batters are right-handed, so that they hit into right field. A ball in left field is a much rarer occasion.
• Curveball: An action or discussion with a twist, often unpleasant. This word comes from a type of pitch that curves before reaching the batter, making it extremely difficult to hit the ball.
• Right off the bat: To do something immediately. Comes from when a batter hits the ball, and the players spring into action right as the ball leaves the bat.
• Winding up: To get ready for something. From the pitcher pulling back her arm before throwing the ball.
• Home field advantage: The extra leg-up you get from being in your own territory. From the assumed advantage the home team has from knowing the field and having their fanbase in the stadium.
• (Way) off base: Incorrect or out of place. Derives from being caught not on your base.
• Ballpark figure: Rough estimate. From the approximate sizes of ballparks, as compared to the precise measurements of the playing field.
• Bases covered: To have everything prepared. In baseball, the team in the filed ensures that they have a player marking or covering each of the bases.
• Heavy hitter: An important or influential person. From a batter who has a successful batting record.
• Strike out / Three strikes: To fail. California even adapted the “Three Strikes law” which stipulates a mandatory and extended prison term for people who commit serious crimes on three occasions.
• Game on: To be ready; to begin. The origins are pretty obvious, eh?
• Play hardball: To be or act tough. This phrase compares the type of ball used in baseball versus softball, as some consider softball a less difficult game than baseball.
• To choke: to make a mistake, especially under pressure.
• Play the field: To flirt with or date several people.
• Get to first base: To describe physical intimacies. Most people call kissing “first base”, but the definitions really vary as to what each base represents.
• Out of your league: Someone that is unobtainable, usually because they are perceived to be more successful or attractive. In baseball, when a competitor is more skilled and playing in a higher or tougher league.
• Eye on the ball: To stay focused; to be on track for a target or goal. In baseball, just try hitting or catching without watching the ball. You’ll soon learn why this is good advice.

American football

• Pre-game: Drinking before going out to a bar or party. From the honored tradition of having beers before the football game begins. Closely related to tailgate parties, the alcohol-and-BBQ heavy gathering in the stadium parking lot, celebrated from the back of a pick-up truck.
• Pep talk: To motivate or encourage someone. Comes from the locker room speeches given by coaches before a game or at halftime.
• Take the ball and run / To run with it:  To move forward with something.
• Fumble: To make a mistake. In football, when a player drops the ball — which in fact is also used as an expression in its own right.
• Second string: Not the best; someone in reserve. Probably describes  someone who fumbles a lot.
• Stalling for time: To delay a decision or information. From football (and other sports) that use certain tactics to delay the game.
• Game face: To be serious or intense about something. An important trait in a sport like football, where intimidation counts a good deal.
• Game plan: To have a strategy.
• Time out: To take a break or pause. Strangely, this is what parents and teachers also call the corner where kids have to sit as a punishment for misbehaving. As in “Go sit in time out.”

Basketball

• Call the shots: To make decisions. In basketball, to decide who shoots.
• Caught flat-footed: To be unprepared. Players who are “on their toes” are prepared and quicker to move into action.
• Cherry picking: To take of someone else’s work; to take the easy route. In basketball, a player standing under the basket collecting someone else’s shot and making the basket for themselves. Also sometimes used for preventing the ball from going in the basket by grabbing the ball from inside the net.
• Out of bounds: To describe a taboo or unacceptable action. From many sports, including basketball, where the ball is out of play once it crosses the boundary lines.
• Long shot: To have a low probability of success. In basketball, taking a shot from far away, a long shot, has a lower statistical chance of making it in the basket than.
  
• Shag it: Now most speakers of British English will laugh at this expression, but no joke. American English uses “shag it” to say “fetch a ball”, for example after shooting it over the rim or, in soccer, over the goal posts. I won’t advocate using “shag it” frequently, but it’s a quirky enough sport phrase that I had to include it.

Horse racing

I never thought horse racing would have such an influence on the English language, but when thinking about sports idioms, it turns out that many of phrases are drawn from the days at the tracks.

• Homestretch: Near to completing a task. On a race track, the final leg of the race.
• Jockey into position: Working to put yourself in a strategically good spot. From horse jockeys pushing into an advantageous position during the race.
• Not up to scratch: Not having the right qualities or qualifications. In horse racing, this means the horse isn’t capable of winning.
• Charley horse: A muscle cramp, especially in the calf. Ok, this phrase doesn’t actually have anything to do with horse racing. Instead, it comes from baseball players who commonly got this type of cramp in their legs. There’s some speculation about how the phrase was coined, notably from the pitcher Charley Radbourne who cramped in a baseball game back in the nineteenth century. What a linguistically infamous muscle spasm.

Alright, that’s it for the quick & dirty run-through. For anyone daunted by the seemingly impossible range of American sporting expressions, don’t throw in the towel just yet. As much as Americans talk a big game, they have no problem using speech that’s not loaded with athletic nuance. Here’s my pep talk: The ball’s in your court. There’s still plenty of time to rally and get yourself up to speed. You can’t win ‘em all, but remember, it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings.

Images: [John P. Henry, Washington AL, at Polo Grounds, NY (baseball)] (LOC), Fenner, Penn. (LOC), Carnegie playground 5th Ave. N.Y.C. (LOC), and Monmouth Horse Show [jumping] (LOC) uploaded by the Library of Congress. All images in the public domain.