Refresh Baltimore Visualizes Data with Paul Smith and Everyblock

Refresh Baltimore presented another hit speaker last Thursday-- Paul Smith from Everyblock continued the top Baltimore tech discussion that was jump-started with the Baltimore's Civic Hack Day on Feb. 12. His presentation showed us how mapping and visualizations may be applied to the newly released Baltimore data.

The data repository, Open Baltimore, has created a feeding ground for programmers and designers alike. Paul Smith made this apparent with his playful investigation into the Charm City Circulator bus routes. He mapped the routes of the orange and purple bus lines overlaid on a map of the city. By breathing life into this data we were able catch glitchy nuances and morphing pathways that showed Baltimore city life in action.

Smith's relaxed and curious nature allowed for an open discussion regrading city mapping. I look forward to seeing Everyblock in Baltimore!


Here are some companies, programs, and services that were mentioned during the presentation:

Mindgrub
Fuses technology with a training development process to create rich applications that focus on the end user experience.

Everyblock
Track and discuss what’s new in your neighborhood.

Google Maps Static API
Lets you embed a Google Maps image on your webpage without requiring JavaScript or any dynamic page loading.

Quantum GIS
Quantum GIS (QGIS) is a user friendly Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS).

Image Magick
A software suite to create, edit, compose, or convert bitmap images. It can read and write images in a variety of formats (over 100).

Google Fusion Tables 
Upload small or large data sets from spreadsheets or CSV files. 

Yourreps.org 
Web app created by Paul Smith U.S. Congress, State Senate, House of Delegates, and City Council representatives.

See.Click.Fix
SeeClickFix encourages active citizenship, by offering a variety of platforms to report your concerns. Report issues through our website, mobile apps, widgets, and voice mail. 

Socrata
Programmers get immediate and uniform programmatic access to government datasets.

Bear Hugs and Peacock Installations: Contemporary Museum's Cabin Fever Party

This past weekend I had a blast the Contemporary Museum's Cabin Fever party! I am a little biased since I helped plan the party, but this also means I have a unique insight into how it all went down.

A little background

After the Executive Director, Irene Hofmann, left for another opportunity on the west coast we knew that there would be a transition period that threatened to effect programming and events. Luckily, the Senior Administrator and Membership Director, Johaniris Rivera Rodriguez, was left in charge while the search for the new director began. She not only kept the museum afloat, but created an environment of unity and collaboration--promoting a solidarity among staff and supporters.

Cue the winter party

A challenge for the incoming director (Sue Spaid), members, fans, and staff to come together and pull-off an event of big ideas on an itty-bitty budget.

Platform Heels and Tunic Sweaters
The party kicked off with the exhibition opening of Agitated Histories--curated by Irene Hofmann. While you gossiped about art and sipped champagne, you may have caught a glimpse of a bear giving hugs and discussing modernist theory.

Peacock Punch
Meanwhile at the old Greyhound station, the artist duo "Peacock" was making last minute adjustments to the party space. Working feverishly the entire week before, Chris Attenborough and Sean Naftel transformed the old office spaces into installations and playful Cabin Fever puns. Highlights included The Shining twins frozen in time on adjacent TVs screens, a three-dimensional collage of skis in an alcove, and a red stenciled deer head that hinted at hunting season.

Fire Hoops and Loops
Making your way over to the party was easy, thanks to Regina Armenta (and crew) lighting the way with their flaming hula-hoops! Once the party had begun, she headed inside for a stilt walking performance--making sure to bring extra hula-hoops for guests. Regina, who runs Yoga on Wheels (again, I am biased since she used to be my yoga instructor), really took her performance to the next level and was a big hit at the party! It was amazing to see board members throwing caution to the wind to dabble in the often hilarious act of hula-hooping.

Hot Shots by the Fire
Entertainment included a slew of talented DJs and two amazing photography students from MICA that volunteered their time and skills to take photographs of guest posing in our rugged cabin themed room. Look out for a new museum Facebook album!

In the End (Ouch My Feet Hurt)

Through it all, what I enjoyed most about the party was the feeling that the hard work that everyone contributed really took the party to another level. I hope that this post helps those behind-the-scenes players know that they were the mini-marshmallows to the hot chocolate.

Baltimore Print Studios: Letterpress Workshop!

On Sunday, I had the distinct pleasure of participating in the Baltimore Print Studios first letterpress workshop. I very much enjoyed their previous class, though I was thankful that the heat was working this time around.

Taking us through a historical summary of the life of letterpress, Kyle Van Horn and Kim Bentley presented their passion for the medium through their expansive knowledge of the process. We started out on the Vandercook machines using wood type. I learned a variety of terms (quoin, furniture, type high, packing, etc.) that are still swimming around in my mind; luckily they provided us with powder-pink folded pamphlets for reference.

Our class of six banned together to experiment with printing wood type. I volunteered the idea of setting type for the Peppy Premarital Potluck I'm hosting on March 26th (two birds, one stone). We were energized by the rushed rolling, the clacks and clinks, and the subtle unpredictability of the resulting blocky letter forms.

After printing a variety of posters for my potluck, we were introduced to metal type and the platen press. Tasked with making speech-bubble coasters, we got to work sorting-through the catalogue of tiny letter forms and setting them with different sizes of leading to ensure even pressure. The press was smaller and used a stamping motion to achieve the desired result. I'm not sure if I'll put a water glass on these new fresh coasters, but I will be sure to heed the messaging provided by my press partner Emily.

Overall, I had a great time! If you're not sure if a BPS letterpress workshop is right for you, here are some perks for your consideration:

*Learn the fundamentals and history of letterpress in all its glory
*Bond and collaborate with fun interesting local folk
*Break bread at lunch in a bohemian restaurant
*Build muscle with the Vandercook two-step
*Take home colorful and useful souvenirs
*Achieve the know-how to rent studio time at BPS for your next printing project
*Do something different! Even if you're not a printmaker, designer, or artist of any kind you'll have fun exploring this medium.

Below is some candid iPhone documentation of the day:

Web Accessibility with Reinhard Stebner and Refresh Baltimore

I recently attended a Refresh Baltimore event on Web Accessibility. The speaker, Reinhard Stebner, was amazing. Honest and humorous, he made a big impact on my perception of web design and development. He is also completely blind. He spent the first part of the presentation answering questions about his lifestyle; cracking great jokes and making us understand a situation that is almost unfathomable.

What makes a website both accessible and usable? Using the JAWS screen reader he showed us how another group of people see the world online. Moving through various government websites, we heard how a 508 compliant website sounds. We also saw that most of the time these sites lacked usability. Reinhard also broke down the MICA website; made primarily of lists, it was difficult to find the main content of the page.

Here are some great points I learned about coding for a screen reader:
Limit your links.
Before the reader moves through the website, it sizes it up and gives the listener and overview of the content. "150 links" seems overwhelming and a little daunting and is something to consider in your editing process. What is necessary? What is extraneous?

Headings are for structure, not font styling.
As visual designers, we often see code as something we can twist  and manipulate in order to establish a visual dialogue. Yet if the site structure and design are not in sync, then the screen reader is unable to establish a hierarchy for the listener. For example, "News Headlines" is a H5 tag while the headline "A mischievous puppy was found trying to eat a giant rock" (true story from a minute ago) is a H2 tag.

Navigation should be made with divs and spans, not lists. I think everyone in the room scratched their heads when this was said. One of the first things you're taught about coding is how to structure a navigation and this is normally done with an unordered list. This list structure, however, is not conducive to the screen reader's logic. The span tag is not recognized by the screen reader, so it is one of the ways you can simplify your content for accessibility.

Display and visibility traits should come secondary to negative margins. If it's not on the screen, it's not going to be read. This varies depending on the screen reader you're using. It is best to have the necessary text, which may have been replaced by and image, visible to the screen reader to maintain the cascade logic.

Label all your graphics and images with an ALT attribute. This is something that is well known, but is still not always implemented during the coding process. He emphasized that accessibility shouldn't be an afterthought, but present throughout the planning and coding process.

Load order is king. The screen reader works with load order to convey content. If your header is loading last, but your CSS is popping it up to the top of the page you're only creating a visual solution that will not work for a screen reader.

Overall, I'm excited that I was able to have this opportunity and look forward to the ones that follow. I may introduce myself as a web newbie, but I hope to continue to learn from experts and the Baltimore web community.

Baltimore Groups, Meetups, and Committees--oh my!

One of the best parts of working in a creative field is meeting other creative people! They are usually excited to share ideas and provide valuable feedback. If you're a full-time freelancer, there is no point in developing cabin fever--join a group, attend some Meetups, events, conferences, or even join a committee! The best part is that you don't have to travel far to find good company. Even if the event is a bust, you may end up chatting with a potential collaborator or client over a stinky cheese platter.

Here are a couple groups and activities that I have signed-up for recently. I am excited to meet creative professionals and maybe even make a couple friends!

Refresh Baltimore
Description: "We are a community of web-developers and designers who meet once a month to share ideas related to our industry. Our goal is to educate each other with new ideas so that we can help refresh the city of Baltimore, Maryland." http://www.refreshbmore.org/

Innovate Baltimore
"...a social community for creative technology leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, and enthusiasts in the Baltimore region."
http://innovatebaltimore.com/

Ignite Baltimore
"At every Ignite, 16 artists, technologists, thinkers, and personalities take the stage to answer this challenge. Our goal is to spark new conversations and collaborations across cultures and disciplines. The Baltimore City Paper named us "Best Nerd's Night Out" in their 2009 Best of Baltimore awards!"
http://ignitebaltimore.com/

Wordpress Group
"The Baltimore WordPress meetup gets together every third Monday and talks about a wide range of topics related to WordPress"
http://baltimoretech.net/meetups/baltimore-wordpress/

Create Baltimore
"CreateBaltimore is a participant-created conference for artists, cultural workers, entrepreneurs, and technologists interested in building a creative community in Baltimore."
http://createbaltimore.eventbrite.com/

Baltimore Tech
Baltimore Tech Hub/Directory--Meet the faces of the tech community! I hope to one day add my humble mug to this list of amazing professionals.
http://baltimoretech.net/

Contemporary Museum Winter Party Planning Committee
My good friend roped me into this, but I'm actually really excited to help plan and execute this annual event! I can't reveal any of our plans (yet), but it's going to be a blast and a much needed break from this cold, dark time of year.
http://www.contemporary.org/index.html

Strictly Business 3 Conference, Philadelphia, PA
ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers)
A huge photography conference that talks business to a range of professionals--from beginners to experts. Looking to network and meeting photographers that may be interested in a virtual assistant! I also will get to visit and reconnect with a friend from back home, so it's a two-for-one deal.
http://asmp.org/content/strictly-business-3

Baltimore Print Studios Adventure!

Yesterday I attended the Holiday Card Mini-DIY-Magnetic-Poetry Workshop at the NEW Baltimore Print Studios. I enjoyed it so much, I smiled and danced throughout the whole two-hours we were there. I knew Kyle Van Horn, bearded-man pictured below, from the MICA printmaking studio--he's a very helpful and knowledgable instructor! In this workshop we used a letterpress machine to create kick-ass holiday cards. Will I send them out? Who knows! I am just excited to have them. Here are some highlights from the day:

Kyle explaining the printing process we used.

Easy payment with the square! https://squareup.com/

Using the Vandercook Press!

Hurray!

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Neat Lens Options: 4-in-1 German Lens Kit

The holidays always tempt me to purchase goodies for myself. This is a super indulgent item that I am itching to purchase; a 4-in-1 German Lens Kit that provides four different effects that you would normally get with more traditional photography processes such as pinhole, plastic, glass, and zone plate. Above is an example of the plastic lens module.
 Check out the Subjektiv 4-in-1 Lens Kit at the Photojojo Store!