Wednesday, June 4, 2003

City-by-city spending San Franciscans drink too much, Bostonians smoke too much, Chicagoans heat their homes too much and Washingtonians enjoy themselves too much: The two-year study of spending habits, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that New Yorkers spend the most on clothes, Bostonians spend the most on tobacco, Chicagoans spend the most on utilities and Washingtonians spend the most on entertainment -- not counting admission to sessions of Congress, which is free. The average San Franciscan, however, spent $744 on booze and $266 on books, out of an annual income of $70,237. The average resident of Los Angeles, by comparison, spent only $412 and $148 for the same items, out of an annual income of $53,514. LinkDiscuss [Boing Boing] It's gotta be the cost of wine versus the cost of wine coolers. :-) 8:12:43 PM

Friday night Something I wrote late one night last week... It's an unusual friday night here at the donsavage/cooly compound. I'm in the office, working on sorting out the mess, and Paulette is next door watching "White Teeth". Jackson is breezing thru another full night of sleep, and I can only count myself lucky on that front. In fact, it's looking pretty good on all fronts, now that I reflect on it. I wish I could say I was as comfortable here. You see, I'm still not sure what to make of myself, what voice to broadcast, what expression I desire... Oh how I can wordsmith a paragraph into minced meat, to work in stead of play the keyboard. And fatigue so easily when I've barely just begun. At least the minced meat tastes good :-) 7:54:27 PM

We Missed it But Hallmark Wants to Wish Guys a Special Day I've held off on blogging this for so long now... :-) [via Viralmeister] [Adrants] 7:44:15 PM

Digital Storytelling Festival returns Eight years ago I attended the first Digital Storytelling Festival in Crested Butte, Colo., at which a group of three dozen or so invited guests assembled to talk about the collision of narrative art and digital technology. It remains one of the high moments of my conference-going career -- and not only because Crested Butte is about 9000 feet above sea level. In the three successive years that I attended, the conference grew in size, and it acquired a more specific focus on how individuals -- professional artists and everyday people alike -- can use digital tools to tell their own stories and break through the logjam of "old" media. Yet that first event set a pattern of intelligence and camaraderie that held up through the years. I was unable to go to conference number five, in fall 1999, and since then the event has been on hiatus -- its founder and guiding spirit, Dana Atchley, passed away in Dec. 2000. But Dana's wife Denise -- working with Joe Lambert and Nina Mullen of the Center for Digital Storytelling, and with the core of people that have formed the Digital Storytellers Association -- has revived and revitalized the festival this year. It happens June 12-15, and I'm going to be talking there, along with a bunch of great people (including, as of now, Brenda Laurel, Harry Marks, Jonathan Delacour, Derek Powazek, Kit Laybourne, and many others). One big thing that's changed is the location: The festival has moved to Sedona, Arizona. Arizona in June may sound like a recipe for frying, but Sedona's up high (though not as high as Crested Butte) -- I've been there in June, and it's delightful. There's lots more info here. [Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment] I met Dana exactly once, in the hallway between the two sides of Moscone Center. I asked him if he'd like to see PuppetTime, and he gave me his contact info. Next thing I know, just a few months later, I hear he passed away... Joe and Nina are good people, too! I met them at their lab @ UC Berkeley. Good to hear they're firing up DStory again! 7:42:42 PM