1. Barnaby Walters: typical Barnaby 01:00 insanity: implementing a patch browser and window manager in #puredata with weeeird semi-documented metaprogramming

    For those unfamiliar with , the equivalent in python would be creating a script which, in order to get user input, writes another python script containing a reference to the first, which, when run by the user, sends its output back to the first script. Which then launches another python process (based on the results of the first sub-script), and manages it’s status.

    It’s a programming paradigm which makes absolutely no sense in any other environment, but in puredata is surprisingly elegant — a pleasant side-effect of the programming environment and end-user environment being effectively the same.

    Btw, this is the first experimental step towards the most exciting project idea I’ve had in quite some time… watch this space!

  2. Aaron Parecki: What happened to the old one?

    @aaronpk classic case of uneducated, path-of-least-resistance response to time-pressurised tech problem :/ saw key was expired, wanted to fix it, didn’t know only public keys expire not private ones, no obvious public key renewal UI flow in GPGTools UI, so made a new keypair. I suppose I’m stuck with the new one now as I revoked the old one. It’s a pity, as I actually got a few people to sign my old key, not that that seems to have a practical use case…?

  3. Joschi Kuphal 吉: Wrapping up a very productive @indiewebcamp Berlin 2016 w/ a lovely bunch of people pic.twitter.com/sFfL45VN0n

    @jkphl sounds like you had a great time! Sad I couldn’t make it this time, other projects got in the way. Definitely want to attend/help organise IWC stuff in Germany in the future!

  4. Aaron Parecki: haha yeah, specific colors can be trademarked. Keep in mind that the trademark is only valid within the service or product category. So it just means someone else can't start a shipping company that uses the same brown as UPS.

    So we just have to hope UPS doesn’t suddenly “pivot” ;) The package this email was about might be of interest to you… I’m getting an X-Carve! Mainly for hurdy gurdy making, but all kinds of ideas for silly stuff to make for IWC… stamps? wooden badges?

  5. Barnaby Walters: Event: Tanzimpro/Balfolk Workshop in Múltí Kúltí https://waterpigs.co.uk/img/kreistanz.jpeg When: Saturday the 26th of March 15:00 until 18:00 Where: Múltí Kúltí, Barónsstígur 3, Reykjavík What: Tanzimpro (“Traditional European Dance-improvisation, also known as “balfolk” or “eurodance”) is a form of music and dance which has evolved all over Europe for centuries, and continues to do so today. Casting aside the nationalism, gender roles and silly costumes so commonly associated with “folk dance”, tanzimpro focuses on the intense, flowing connection between dancers, music and musicians as everyone involved improvises and reacts to each other. If that sounds like fun, come along and learn the basic grooves for a variety of common dances (wickler/slängpolska, schottisch, polka, waltz, mazurka, polska… if we have time!) as well as techniques for building connection with your partner and the music, and ideas for improvisation and variations. No need to bring a dance partner along if you don’t have one, you’ll probably end up dancing with everyone anyway :) Entry is free, donations for the musicians and dance leader are gladly accepted. Who: Barnaby Walters (Hodgepig, Buzz, Duo Gerhardt & Walters) is a hurdy gurdy player and builder who, after spending ten years playing various folk and traditional music, discovered tanzimpro two years ago and wondered what he had been doing with his life for the previous eight years. Trying to make up for lost time, he has since danced and played for dancing in Iceland, Turkey, France, England, Germany and Austria, most recently as half of Duo Gerhardt & Walters. Benjamin Bech (Bech and Bomholt, PÚLK, Vildspil, Tyrolerband) is an excellent dancer and clarinet player from Denmark, currently researching Icelandic traditional dance music.

    Thanks to everyone who came to the workshop on Saturday! It was great fun to dance with you all, and to get some international perspectives on polka traditions :) I hope you all had as good a time as I did!

    If you missed it, didn’t hear about it or want to do it all over again, we’ll be running a similar workshop at this year’s Vaka festival in Akureyri (15th-18th June), and there’ll be all sorts of other nice stuff going on too.

    Until then, keep up the nice music and dancing in Reykjavík, I’m looking forward to being back :)

    P.S. if anyone took photos, it’d be great to have copies — posted here is fine, emailed in high resolution to barnaby@waterpigs.co.uk is even better!

  6. Shane Becker: The “we don’t know each other” song and dance that Yoda and R2-D2 put on for Luke on Dagobah is pretty great.

    @veganstraightedge additionally: when all watched in order (prequels, Clone Wars, OT), the most emotional scene in the entire thing is in A New Hope when R2 runs into Obi Wan and he says “hello, little friend” and you think “OMG they’ve been through so much together and now they’re totally going to pretend they don’t know each other for some reason actually what’s up with that?”

  7. Shane Becker: The “we don’t know each other” song and dance that Yoda and R2-D2 put on for Luke on Dagobah is pretty great.

    @veganstraightedge my headcannon: R2’s memory was never wiped after the clone wars, so he(it/they?) spent the entire original trilogy trolling EVERYONE. I keep meaning to pick out a bunch of scenes where R2 is making bleeping noises and add subtitles implying that he’s actually trying to tell everyone what’s going on (“vader’s your father”, etc) and everyone’s just ignoring him.

  8. Tom Morris: For the blockchain enthusiasts angry at my scepticism, how is Namecoin getting on? Can I read your Namecoin-backed blog yet?

    @tommorris I’m hardly a blockchain enthusiast but it might still be possible to read my site at barnabywalters.bit if you have a namecoin DNS resolver set up. I experimented with namecoin a bit purely for the experience. Results: it does actually work, and isn’t a terrible experience (terrible being relative to the current system for buying and managing domain names) but whether or not using a blockchain for DNS is actually scalable or at all feasible for the entire web I have no idea.