Some mugs will believe anything – #geekgirl sets the record straight.

It must have been a slow news day when this piece
http://www.zdnet.com.au/claws-out-over-geekgirl-trademark-339303290.htm was published.

It was either that or a PR bull-terrier behind an item adorably titled,  ”Claws out over geekgirl trademark.”

Lads’ Mag slug aside, it was the content that really ticked me off.  While the piece has been edited many times since it appeared last Friday, it did initially paint me as a copyright thug.

In the hope of beating down this beat up, I elected to do the “no comment” thing.  I’m a feminist, for goddess’ sake.  The last thing I want to  do is add fuel to the flame of a “catfight” story.

But, I’ve had enough of staying quiet. I won’t repeat the threats and insults pelted at the geekgirl door. Let it suffice to say that they have  been loud enough to tempt me out of silence.

Since the piece first appeared, the editors have amended their words.  As the edits took place, I changed from a freedom-eating monster into an unwilling partner in a dispute I didn’t start.

I’m glad the reporters actually got their reporting freak on and bothered to change this PR spin.  In the meantime, though, I’ve become the target of some pretty outsize abuse.

In recent days, I’ve been drenched in the sort of bile you only find on the internet.  For a day there, I became a trending topic. For a week now, I’ve been the object of scorn from a number of prominent online commentators.

Enough. Let me set you straight.

In 1995, IP Australia awarded me trademarks for ‘geekgirl’; this was in large part due to my recognised contributions to cyber-feminism and in mentoring women in IT.

In April 2010, IP Australia rejected the January application by Sydney-based IT consultant Kate Carruthers for the same name.

Kate’s initial reasons for her January application are still unclear to me. What is clear, though, is she has been building a PR narrative in which I star as the Copyright Monster with Fangs.

In recent days, she has claimed in media and podcast interviews that all she really wanted to do was “liberate” the phrase “geek girl” for use in everyday speech.

I might be able to understand Kate’s public and private actions if I was, say Time Warner, or Oprah Winfrey instead of a cyber-feminist nerd running a small business. And, you might be able to understand them if there was clear evidence of me running around issuing cease-and-desists to everyone and their dog.  Which I wasn’t.  Which I wouldn’t.  Try me. Say “Geek Girl” in conversation now.  Anything happen? No.  Marvel as I do not beat down your door and demand an immediate retraction.

Of course, you could be forgiven for thinking that’s how I’ve behaved. Kate did, after all, do an A-Grade PR Number.  If you ever need some good spin, use her people.

What catalysed the hate-storm was Kate’s assertion, expressed in direct quotes to ZDNet, that I had told her directly not to use the Twitter hashtag #geekgirl.

WTF?  She has since retracted this statement and admitted it is not true.

I just don’t “get” this absurd situation. I don’t get why Kate felt it necessary to protect something I was never contesting.  I don’t get why she’s nominated me as this month’s bete-noire. I don’t get why she never thought to pick up a phone or a mouse to talk this through. Most of all, I don’t get the hate expressed by a handful of hatey haters.

Things can move at such high-speed.  It would be great if we could slow down just a bit and wait  for the truth to arrive before hitting ‘send’, ‘post’ or ‘tweet’. It might also be nice to remember that behind those avatars you’re tearing apart to make your important point about IP, mindshare, liberty or whatever, there are people.

To be clear: yes, I want a fair and reasonable control of IP that is demonstrably and legally mine.  While I acknowledge and understand the many arguments against ownership of any kind: seriously. It’s not like Leo Tolstoy has called me to task, here. No. It’s a person who lists Business Process Reengineering, e-Commerce and Strategic Planning among her professional specialties.

I suspect that Kate, with her impressive business résumé, understands trademark law. I suspect that Kate, with her impressive business résumé, has a fairly cosy relationship to capitalism. So, I also suspect that she’s being disingenuous when she says she wants to “liberate” and “share”.  It feels to me that what she may want to do is “take” rather than “share”; all the while building up the “online reputation” successful business people talk about in Digital Marketing workshops.

I am proud of the little virtual place I have built. I am proud to bursting of the women I have mentored.  I am proud of never having gone  to business school or writing the words “Business Process Reengineering” on my résumé.

I am also proud to launch the new line of my merchandise, starting with:  ”Some mugs will believe anything” Buy now

*hugs* geekgirl

hashtag-geekgirl-mug

Soda_Jerk ‘After the Rainbow’

Five Wounds written by Jonathan Walker and illustrated by Dan Hallett #graphicnovel

A breathtakingly original, deep, dark story reminiscent of Patrick Suskind’s Perfume and Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Inspired by Italo Calvino, Jeanette Winterson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Uncanny X-Men, this surreal, darkly beautiful and unsettling graphic novel is by turns hilarious and horrific, grotesque and tender.

Five Wounds is the story of five wounded characters, all orphans: Gabriella, a crippled angel; Cur, the leader of a sect of dogs; Cuckoo, a gambler with a wax face; Magpie, a thief terrified of going blind; and Crow, a leper trying to distil an antidote for death. Via a series of mutilations, murders, kidnappings and dramatic escapes, everyone gets exactly what they deserve – or do they?

Museum Victoria is offering a $5,000 award for up to 2 young emerging new media artists

Museum Victoria are looking for innovative proposals for digital projects that can be exhibited online as part of a 3 year project called Talking Difference.

The aim is to inspire conversations between and within cultures about difference and commonality.

Your project could utilise any form of digital media. It could be a short film, interactive game, online interactive artwork, digital public art project, mobile phone application… the possibilities are endless.

 For more information and application form go to:
 http://museumvictoria.com.au/talkingdifference

#Melbourne – 100 proofs that Earth is not a globe

A cross-media, pseudo-spiritual journey in search of The Truth.

 6:30pm at the Next Wave Festival Club, Melbourne (for 7pm sharp space shuttle departure)
 6 performances only
 Wed 19 May – Fri 21 May 2010
 Wed 26 May – Fri 28 May 2010

Marking the much-anticipated debut performance season of Melbourne artist collective Tape Projects, 100 Proofs the Earth is Not a Globe is a live art installation and guided performance that is part science project, part religious intervention. Meet at the 2010 Next Wave Festival Club where your journey begins; a space shuttle will ferry you to and from state-of-the-art research facilities in a galaxy not too far away.

This secular and spiritual space mission will launch on six nights only – will you be aboard?
100 Proofs Artists: Jessie Scott, Eugenia Lim, Zoe Scoglio, Michael Prior, Lee Anantawat, Cait Foran, Tanja Milbourne.

 More Info:
 http://tapeprojects.org/
 http://2010.nextwave.org.au/

ENIAC Programmers Project – Honouring Computer Pioneers and Preserving their Stories #geekgirl

I just read about a cohort of bright young math graduates who wrangled ballistics routines on ENIAC a hulking valve proto computer in 1946. They developed routines and methodologies that helped to lay the foundation for our networked world. You can see a photo of the machine and the women programmers here:

http://www.eniacprogrammers.org/overview.shtml

They were long regarded as simply models posing in front of the machine, but it is now coming to light that they were actually the programmers, read more here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3951187&page=1 

(old story but interesting comments and content)

2010 Emerging Writers Festival – Friday 21 – Sunday 30 May #Melbourne

Venues: The Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas Melbourne Town Hall ● State Library of Victoria ● City Library ●Federation Square  

Bookings:  www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au

New Festival Director Lisa Dempster is thrilled to announce the the program for the 2010 Emerging Writers’ Festival, Australia’s only literary event dedicated to writers of all ages and styles.

2009 saw 6000 people attend the festival’s 15 sell out events with 300 writers, performers, publishers and mentors contributing to the event. In 2010, the EWF will double in size, curating 30 events and featuring 350 writers and artists as the festival stretches the definition of writing styles to include song writing, copywriting, poetry, prose fiction, comedy, writing for video games, journalism, screenwriting, theatre, experimental writing forms, memoir, blogging, opinion, comic writing and more.

2010 Emerging Writers Festival highlights will include:

First word – BMW Edge Theatre, Federation Square, 7.30pm, Friday 21 May
The Emerging Writers’ Festival burst into life by presenting the best of the festival – exciting new works by emerging writers, a Call to Arms by romantic fiction writer Toni Jordan, and a comic debate asking  ‘Love Vs Angst – what makes a better writer?’ Come and feel the love!

Zine Bus – various locations, 11am to 5pm Saturday 29 May NEW EVENT 
All aboard the world’s first mobile zine fair! Travelling the streets of Melbourne and culminating in a guerrilla zine market  at Federation Square, the zine bus will be fully stocked with independent emerging zines, with the most innovative displays of art, creativity and DIY ever to take to the streets!

Twitterfest – twitter.com/emergingwriters – May 24 – 28 , 2pm daily  NEW EVENT
Taking the Emerging Writers’ Festival to the world. Daily throughout the festival, Twitterfest will host discussions and interview writers… on Twitter! It’s social media mixed with literary debate – jump online to join the discussion. Hosted by writers from across Australia.

Wordstock – BMW Edge – 7.30pm Thurs 27 May
New work inspired by the songs of AC/DC. With songs, comedy, short plays and performance pieces, rock n roll will be given a different sort of spotlight. A one night only event and a performance highlight of the Emerging Writers’ Festival, Wordstock will reveals a whole new side of AC/DC. It will blow your mind (like dynamite.)  Hosted by iconic Melbourne rocker Clem Bastow.

You Can’t Stop The Musing: Disco Lecture – Horse Bazaar, 397 Little Lonsdale St Tues 25 May, 6pm NEW EVENT
Everybody knows disco is fun. But is it good for you? Now that Disco is back (trust us, it is), the time has come to determine, once and for all, whether it’s part of the problem or part of the solution. *Triple J’s Craig Schuftan *presents the case for and against in You Can’t Stop the Musing – the world’s first Disco-lecture. Expect to hear from The Silver convention, The Chic Organisation and the Frankfurt School

48-hour play generator – Malthouse Theatre – 5.30pm, Sunday 24 May
Six (somewhat) rehearsed readings. Six emerging playwrights are given just two days to write a new play each. Teamed with an established director and team of actors, the results are presented on a Sunday evening of madcap and totally raw theatre. Previous 48 hour plays have developed into full length works.

In the Pub series – 26 May 7.30pm, The Workers Club Fitzroy
I Write What I Want, When I Want. We lift the shroud on the mystery of freelance writing. Our freelance experts talk about their journeys as freelancers, the ups and downs as well as their secrets to success. From journalism to comedy, our panellists will entertain and enlighten. Panellists: Chris Flynn, Ben Pobjie and more. Hosted by Joanna Brookfield. 

The Page Parlour – The Atrium @ Federation Square, 12 to 5pm, Sunday 23 May
Featuring over forty stalls selling everything from posters to books, literary journals to hand-crafted stories – all the good stuff that you won’t find in Borders. The Page Parlour is an independent press fair gathering the undiscovered, the underground, the obscure and the amazing all in one convenient market location.

Town Hall Program – Melbourne Town Hall, 9am to 5pm, May 29 – 30
A range of panels, interviews and conversations about the art, craft and business of being a writer.. Covers all styles of writing, from prose fiction, to song writing, theatre, video games, copywriting, poetry, comedy and more! Guests include: Michi Girl, Guy Blackman, Benjamin Law, Patrick Cullen, Jill Jones, Sean Riley, Julian Shaw, Katherine Charles, Declan Fay, Tom Taylor, Mel Campbell, Jeff Sparrow, Steph Bowe, Jan Sardi, and many, many more!

Blood Rites of the Bourgeoisie by Stewart Home #books

Release 14 June 2010. ISBN 978-1-906012-23-6

Why does the art world hypocritically promote female creative talent but simultaneously fail to accord wimmin artists the respect given to their male counterparts?

When wimmin aged 20 to 40 make up the bulk of the audience for art in London, why are they so under-represented in top curational posts and how exactly does this glass ceiling operate?

Just what has happened to the feminist movement now that the likes of Madonna and Lady Gaga are being held up as role models for prepubescent and teenage girls?

Can the background to these and related questions be illuminated by taking penis enlargement spam and replacing the generic ‘she’ and ‘her’ it invokes with the names of well-known artists and curators? Stewart Home believes the answer to this last question is “YES”, and  so he used endless extreme fantasies about famous art world wimmin as the starting point of his outrageous new cyber-novel The Blood Rites of the Bourgeoisie!

Written in the second person and in part generated from spam emails, Blood Rites of the Bourgeoisie is a shot in the arm for prose fiction; and a kick up the backside for the male dominated London art world. More shocking than 5000 volts of unadulterated electricity! Or, as Malcolm McLaren put it after reading the manuscript on his death bed:  “FEMINISM WITH BALLS.”

BTW: Blood Rites Of The Bourgeoisie also provides the low down on the run-up to the writing of the Belle de Jour blog and books.

Book Works £8.00.

Kissing frogs by Andee Jones. Finding #love online over 40 – is it possible?

Once upon a time, using a social dating website would have labelled you as ‘desperate’ or ‘lonely’. Now it’s a rite of passage for singles on their journey to find another. An influx of men and women, 40 and above, are braving the dating market ­constituting what is now a movement,  courtesy of the computer age. According to Australia’s largest social dating website, Oasis Active, men and women over the age of 36 years make up over 30% of those signed up and looking for love online.

But is love really just a mouse click away?

At 50-something, Australian psychologist Andee Jones found out. Looking for companionship with a view to love, but not marriage, Andee did what other single people seemed to be doing and launched herself into the wide world of online dating. What transpired was Kissing Frogs ­ a true but cautionary tale of the pleasures and pitfalls of the online dating scene.

About the author

Andee Jones is a Melbourne-based psychologist. She holds a PhD and has worked as an educator at both secondary and tertiary levels .

A psychologist goes looking for love online – and finds trouble!
$24.95, 176 pages, paperback (208mm x 148mm)
ISBN 9781921462191
Publication: July 2010
Category: Relationships

Snapshot – ‘Darlinghurst Eats Its Young’ – part of the Left Coast Festival

Thursday, May 20, 2010
6:00pm – 8:00pm
SEDITION-the barbershop
275 Victoria St Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
View Map

Description