Sarah Brown

This month, we sat down with Sarah Brown, the latest addition to The LAMPpost blogging team and student at the CUNY Graduate Center. Look for Sarah’s posts here every other week, with another one coming up this week. In the meantime, check out her previous posts!

First, the classic: What did you do during your summer vacation? My husband and I went to Alaska. It was something we had been planning for a long time. It was pretty much the exact opposite of being in NYC. I read a novel and saw icebergs, eagles, and bears. It was amazing, but it is also good to be home.

How did you decide what you wanted to study in school? Well, I made the not-enormous leap from being a literature student to being an American studies student focusing on copyright. I don’t think there is any such thing as the lone genius with the totally original idea. We all build from one another and copyright restrictions don’t always reflect that reality or encourage cooperative innovation. It bugs me that we all seem to understand that on some level, yet the myth persists and affects how we view ourselves as participants in a creative process. In order to really talk about contemporary copyright I need to know more about new media, so that’s what I am working on.

Why did you want to volunteer with The LAMP? Last spring I interviewed this great young artist and teacher, Jennifer Jacobs. We met to discuss her artwork as part of the research I am doing for my thesis and ended up talking about education. She told me that one of her biggest challenges as a media teacher at Hunter College is convincing her students that technology isn’t just for consumption–-that they can use it to create. That really struck a chord with me. Some time after that I looked online for non-profit media education programs in NYC and here I am.

What are you most looking forward to this school year? As a student, I have a lot of reading ahead of me. I also get to do more interviews which I love because I get to hear people talk about work they are passionate about; it’s very motivating. As someone who works at a college, I am really excited about a website we have put together as a way to make resources for students and teachers in my department more accessible. I hope people will take advantage of it and help us to make it better.

What do you plan to write about on the blog? I wish I knew. So far, I have been going with whatever catches my eye, which can be a bit unwieldy as a strategy. I know that I am always interested in who is being left out of conversations about media. Especially when it comes to new technology, I feel like so much of what you read/hear assumes that everyone has an iPad on their nightstand and a BlackBerry in their pocket. Maybe approaching how the changing landscape of media affects those of us shy of the cutting edge could be a goal of mine. I am also always open to suggestions!

Bike Box takes to the street

What effect does the work have on the way you perceive or use such technology? For example, does creating or participating in bike box change the way you look at what an iPhone can do? SG: Developing an application on a cell phone presented some difficulties. In many ways, we felt limited by the off-the shelf technologies out there. For example, it is virtually impossible to create an application that works on more than one type of cell phone. Initially we were much more interested in developing an application on the Android, but we made a connection with David Gagnon of the Games Learning Society at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and he had already developed an open source software called Aris for the iPhone that we used as a blueprint for Bike Box.

During this process we have learned that there are a lot of people trying to capitalize on these types of mobile media applications. The competition in this industry restricts software developers because there is no standard operating system. Also, the learning curve is such that it reinforces boundaries between creators and users.

BB:This project came out of our shared interest in mobile media, and how GPS and wireless technologies can be used to enhance or complicate the experience of the spaces we encounter. When we began building the Bike Box iPhone app, we were constantly pushing back against the technology. An iPhone can do just about everything, and this is very seductive. But we didn’t want it to do everything. We wanted it to do just enough.

Though we’re excited to have discovered a technology that allows our project to work, we always hoped that the technology would be secondary to the project. That is to say, we’re far more interested in the audio content, and in how the audio relates to specific spaces. Although Bike Box is a screen-based application, we made it so that there is very little to interact with onscreen. We want people looking at the world, not the screen.

Why bikes? Do you see a relationship between bicycle travel and open source software or the practice of aural archival? SG: We were thinking of the bicycles as mobile recording and playback machines, creating a space for participation and discovery.

BB: We both like to ride bikes. We commute on our bikes, and we’ve gone on a couple long distance bike tours. But bikes are also a good technology for navigating through urban space. You can cover a lot of ground on a bike, but at the same time, it’s also easy to pull over and have a fine-grained experience of a place. Bikes also neatly straddle the public and the private, allowing for the autonomy and freedom of private transit without sealing your body in the private space of a car. On a bike, you still have a public body and a public presence, and you still have access to public space. Since the bikes are wired with speakers, even the act of listening to audio has been made public. Passers-by can eavesdrop on the same audio you’re listening to. So bikes allow for a physical exploration of the public sphere, and the app allows for a conceptual or intellectual or poetic exploration of the public sphere.

Can you give me an idea about some of what I might hear en route? Is there a contribution that particularly alters the landscape? BB: There are a lot of great audio contributions. Stephanie Rothenberg and Joan Linder contributed a series of audio tags they call “Brooklyn Beijing Babel.” Stephanie and Joan are Brooklynites currently working in Beijing, and they found a number of sites in Beijing that are in some sense analagous to sites in Brooklyn. For instance, they recorded street sounds from a hip, happening district of Beijing that they “placed” along a hip, happening stretch of Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. Listening to the audio, you experience both spatial displacement and continuity.

SG: Paul Lloyd Sargent’s “Hydronym: Erie Basin Meets Erie Basin” traces the network of historic waterways connecting New York’s Erie Basin in Red Hook to the Great lakes region while leading you through the newly constructed shopping destinations there. His project collapses Erie canal history and the physical remnants of the shipping industry in a way that alters our contemporary experience of Red Hook.

What do you feel bike box might offer to student who is learning about creating and understanding the types of technology used for the project? BB: Bike Box hopes to model a relationship to technology that is interactive, investigatory, and productive. We hope it will also encourage an engaged relationship to space, and an interest in the geographical extension of our lives, our histories, and our memories. Given the current tendency toward virtualized human contact, we hope Bike Box will bring bodies into the street, that shared space of community and collision.

Jen Bernstein

We recently sat down with Jen Bernstein, winner of the Judge’s Award at The LAMP’s Best Desserts benefit last month, and author of LocalAppetiteNY.com. She spoke with us about food blogging, media literacy, why local food matters, her latest cookbook appearance and how it feels to win at Best Desserts.

How did you first get interested in blending an interest in new media with your passion for food? I started reading food blogs around 2002, and was hooked. I loved the personal window into other people’s lives and the escape it provided at times. It inspired me to try to cook more and try different things. Slowly, I started relying on blogs for recipes more and more. The internet allowed me to find a community of people that had similar passions. I always thought I wanted a blog but was afraid I didn’t have enough website knowledge. Eventually, a friend gave me the kick I needed and I’ve found that I can learn as I go along.

Your use of local ingredients is a hallmark of your recipes and cooking. Why is local so important to you? Local food is an important part of the “food movement” or our push towards eating real foods, not processed food products. It is not only about eating food that is organic (as that is such a loaded term these days), but for me it is the right choice environmentally as well as economically. Helping support small farms helps the local economy and keeps jobs in your region. It also cuts down on the need for food to be transported across the country or even further before it gets to your market. I have learned from experience that eating food that is in season, and therefore as fresh as can be, really does taste better. If you eat locally, you have no choice but to learn to eat seasonally, and that is one easy change everyone can make.

In your bio for the Best Desserts program, you mention that you think media literacy skills can make anyone a better cook. Can you talk a little bit about why? There is so much that one can learn online. There are blogs, magazine websites and online instructional videos to teach you what you don’t know. Need to know what to substitute for an ingredient? Ask Google. You can also get access to the food news sections of papers from different cities all over, or start off reading an online food news source that aggregates the different news for you, like one of my favorite sites, Food News Journal. The best thing about the internet is that food people really can find a community online.

Your recipes were recently included in a new cookbook called ThinkFood: Recipes for Brain Fitness, which has additional contributions by food bloggers from all over the world. Can you tell us more about the project? The cookbook project was really exciting. It’s the perfect marriage of new media, science and food. It is put out by a company called Posit Science, which sells products and games to increase brain fitness, things like improved memory, and focus. Anyone who signs up for the recipe of the week on the website will get a free recipe from a food blogger who developed a recipe using an ingredient that is considered good for brain health. Given my sweet tooth, I chose a recipe for my favorite health food – dark chocolate.

How did you feel when the judges announced that your strawberry cheesecake won their choice for Best Dessert? I honestly didn’t expect to win, I just wanted to do my best, so I was completely shocked when I heard my name. Then all I thought was, “Sweet!”

Jennifer Proulx

This month, we interviewed Jennifer Proulx, The LAMP’s newest board member. We asked her about why she decided to move from her career in media production to media literacy, what she’ll be doing in Chicago this summer, and about her love for the Red Sox. Sort of.

How did you get into video production? I suppose you could say I fell into it. I made a few videos in high school and was intrigued by the power of moving images and sound so pursued it formally in my undergraduate studies.

What were some of the highlights of your career? I feel a bit awkward creating a highlight reel when I feel there’s so much more to come! But here goes: Traveling around the world covering a yacht race, serving a year with Americorps in a 1st grade classroom, teaching video production to community college students, watching a pro-social program on H.I.V. that I cut at a film festival at the U.N., producing, directing, and cutting a video in support of the Reproductive Health Act for the New York Civil Liberties Union, and seeing my name on television for the first time.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about the media industry? That despite the myth, some edit rooms have windows, and even views!

Why did you decide to move on from production to pursue an M.P.A. (Master’s in Public Administration)? I had a blast making television programs and working on important projects but realized I didn’t want my boss’s job and had grown as much as I wanted in my role. I am looking for the next challenge or as Billy Bragg would say, “the great leap forward.” I’ve always been drawn towards social justice issues, specifically education, so decided to go back to school to learn the nuts and bolts of how to systematically create change.

What got you interested in media literacy? I had a professor named Michelle Wolf for an undergrad course. She has worked extensively on issues of media literacy, specifically with regard to body image issues. She instilled in me, and countless others, the importance of a responsible media and as cheesy as it sounds, when I left her class I felt I had a duty to go out into the world and practice what I learned from her course.

What are your plans for the summer? This summer I landed a fellowship to work in the Chicago Public Schools. I will be working on the 21st Century Learning Project which is an initiative to bring our classrooms into the 21st century with regard to technology. There’s a really exciting opportunity to help close achievement gap through technology. I’ll be working specifically on creating benchmarks, disseminating best practices, and updating evaluation techniques.

What makes the Yankees a superior team to the Red Sox? The Yankees have the swagger and glow of a World Series winning team, which they deserve. I predict Big Papi will continue to mash, leading us into a classic Yankees/Red Sox battle to the finish in late August and September. No matter what happens in the end, the Red Sox are always the superior team in my heart.

Meredith Summs

This month we interviewed Meredith Summs, the inspiring and vivacious program manager at MOUSE, a technology and education non-profit The LAMP has collaborated with on several occasions. Read on for wit and wonderment:

How did you get interested in media and technology?

Television was my babysitter – I think I first said “dada” to Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit. But I made the move from media-spectator to media-manipulator in college as the digital editing lab tech for the Anthropology Department. Now, I’m somewhat proudly that annoying friend who complains about exoticism in Avatar.

You know how parents will trick their picky kids by hiding shredded vegetables in the spaghetti sauce?

Just last week I provided very-amateur background vocals for a group of MOUSE students who were reverse-prototyping Super Mario Bros using only construction paper, thumbtacks, a Flip video camera and a post-it note mustache (click here to watch).

While it may feel like a fun digression, they are secretly learning how to develop their own video game for their MOUSE Corps Legacy Project – a student-led design project addressing local and global needs through technology.

What surprises you the most about MOUSE students?

I thought I knew what a computer geek looks like, but I’ve yet to see a single pocket-protector in my 5 years here.  MOUSE students defy stereotypes.

Look for us at the ISTE (International Society for Technology and Education) conference in Denver this June!  A group of super-star MOUSE Squad students will present on “Digital Youth Leadership” during the Student Showcase.

Click here to learn more about  MOUSE and The LAMP’s  most recent collaboration!

Photo by George Baier

This month we put the Spotlight on Cristina Stoll who works on print and graphic design for The LAMP. She has worked on a wide range of material with us, including the redesign of our LAMPlit resource guides, our own line of Flip cameras and a number of other items used internally and for promotion. Find out what she has to say about her work in publishing, her background in German and what she thinks every aspiring media professional should learn.

How did you get interested in the publishing and print media industry? My interest developed in high school. I spent many hours absorbed in the production work of the school newspaper and yearbook. In all cases, I was interested in the technical aspects of publishing — software, workflow, and output. This led me to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where I studied print media as an undergraduate student. At RIT, I focused on hands-on, collaborative projects outside of the classroom to determine where I wanted to steer my career post-university. After graduation, I received a very unique position in book publishing at Penguin Group (USA) in New York.

As a pre-press associate for the Penguin Group, what is a typical day like for you? There is no such thing as a typical day. Daily, I am expected to troubleshoot and/or consult on technical issues as they arise — so, I never know what exactly is on my plate until the minute it happens. However, I do try to limit this to 50% of my day. The other half, I focus on development projects, which range from assessing the creative workflow to researching new publishing technology to teaching group training courses. My department is very small and young, two people under the age of 26, but developing at a rapid pace.

When someone approaches you about design or layout, what are some of the first things you consider as you start working? I’m not a trained designer, so my work is strictly influenced by the content and the people publishing it. When I work on projects for The LAMP, I focus on clean, simple design in which the content can be easily understood and re-purposed.

You also have a strong background in German language and culture. What got you interested in German? Have you found any major differences in working for a German company versus an American company? I am a second generation German-American, so I grew up around German culture and language. While at RIT, I was able to learn the language more in-depth through minor studies and a study-abroad experience in Marburg, Germany. I also took the opportunity to work as a co-op student at Fogra in Munich. This experience greatly influenced the way in which I work today at Penguin Group. At Fogra, people were diligent in their work and less focused on the glamour. You were respected for the work you contributed and your expertise. I enjoyed working in this atmosphere. American work culture is very different, and in many cases, the exact opposite of this. However, I am glad to work for a more progressive company within a small department that understands this philosophy.

How did you come to be interested in media literacy? I first became interested in media literacy in Rochester, New York where I involved in some community volunteer projects. The interest evolved once I began working in publishing and became familiar with The LAMP’s work.

What part of your work do you enjoy most? I enjoy helping people. Finding new and effective ways to teach creative professionals is always challenging, but their appreciation and respect makes it worth it. The designers that I support daily in the Young Readers division are progressive and open to workflow changes that help their creative process.

What advice would you offer someone who is interested in pursuing a career in print media? I would recommend having a technical background, to some degree, before entering the industry. This really helps you understand where the industry is going and how to evolve with it.

Chesley Andrews (photo by Spiffae)

This month, we interviewed our web designer Chesley Andrews, who took on the daunting task last summer of overhauling thelampnyc.org. She runs her own studio, Dossier, and happens to be looking for a few good interns–email her at chesley@dossierstudio.com for more information and to learn more about her work.

How did you get interested in design? Growing up I was always artistically inclined (lots of painting, collage, and drawing) as well as an avid reader. I was also super into my mom’s computer and would spend hours on KidPix, Microsoft Paint, and even Mario Paint (my one Nintendo game). It wasn’t until I met a graphic designer in college, that I realized there was such a profession and it that combined my love of art, typography, and computers. Everything fell into place after that.

What inspired you to start your own studio? Well, I spent a year or so working for James Ellis of Studio IV/Athletics. Athletics is a design collective in Brooklyn, made up of about 7 guys who all have their own studios but share studio space and collaborate on projects. They encouraged and helped me to eventually create my own studio, but it was always something I wanted to do, it just ended up happening a lot sooner than I expected! What I love about working for myself is that I get to work with so many different types of clients/businesses/styles, there’s always something to learn. Setting my own hours ain’t half bad either.

When a client approaches you for a project, where/how do you start? First I try to get a feel for who the client’s target audience is, and think about what would be the best way to communicate to them. This involves thinking about colors, typefaces, layouts, patterns, and weighing different web technologies. There’s always a lot to learn from the client since they know their industry and audience so well. I always ask them to send me examples (usually links and screenshots) of different “looks and feels” that they like, as well as examples of what their competitors are up to.

What changes have you seen in the web and print design industry since you started working? Well the web design industry is always changing, the languages that the web is built on are constantly evolving, so as a developer, you really have to be disciplined about learning and teaching yourself. Thankfully there’s a general culture of openness and sharing on the web, so there’s always a free tutorial, design element, or piece of advice to be found.

Who are some other artists or designers you’re interested in right now? Nathaniel Kerksick of culturegraphic.com has a beautiful design sense, but what I really appreciate about his work is how he continually strives to create ultra-friendly and intuitive user interfaces that push the type of communication you thought was possible on the web. The best part is that he works with really good-cause clients like: Green Reportcard, Transportation For America, and the Obama Campaign.

Jonathan Harris of www.number27.org is another amazing designer/developer working more in the art/anthropology world harnessing technology to tell stories. His work is unreal.

Lorenzo Tijerina

Occupation: Currently, I am doing freelance videography and editing, working on everything from music videos to weddings to profile pieces. I’m also involved in some very rewarding work with The LAMP, teaching kids how to be more proactive when it comes to their media consumption.

Favorite blogs & websites: I use blogs to stay in the loop about what’s going on in Brooklyn and the rest of the city: Kinetic Carnival, McBrooklyn, Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, Brooklyn Vegan. TheSkint is a great place to find great deals around the city. I have an electronic subscription to The New Yorker and I’ll also turn to the New York Times Online and the Guardian for news. The Onion has a great website and I enjoy checking out their A/V Club. Sites like Gawker, Geekologie, and Videogum keep me hip. My son and I spend a lot of time together on YouTube not only posting our own content, but watching old music videos. Another favorite site of his is Sploder, where we can make our own video games. And with Netflix and Hulu it seems there are less and less reasons to turn on the television these days.

What got you interested in media literacy? I would have to say my interest in media literacy began with watching television as a child and recognizing patterns in the shows and commercials. I began asking myself why these patterns existed. Why, for example, did cartoons like He-Man always go to a commercial about eight minutes into the show and how did that effect the structure of the show?

In school I gravitated toward whatever audio/visual options were available, even if it was just operating the projector on movie day. By the time I was in high school I was very aware television was always trying to sell something and viewed even my favorite shows with skepticism.

In college I studied radio, television and film and that took my media literacy to a whole new level. We studied mass communications and learned the techniques used by broadcasters to manipulate their audience. When you think of what the average young person is up against when they turn on a television or, now, their computer, the need for media literacy is more important than ever.

You used to be an editor at Fox News. How does that experience change the way you look at media? I worked at several news stations. It was a great experience and I would be less than honest if I didn’t admit that I absolutely loved it. The pace and the excitement of live television is undeniable. Working in television you see that there is no grand conspiracy. The higher ups are driven by ratings and everybody else is just trying to do the best job they can. It’s very competitive. A great deal of what you see on television is motivated by stations just trying to keep up with one another. A lot of the theory I learned in school went out the window and it all became a matter of trying to outdo what the other guy’s where putting up. I did, however, see the answer to my He-Man question first hand. News has a very strict format dictated by commercials, i.e. all the real news is in the first block while the last block is reserved for the kicker (a fluffy story about water skiing squirrels or whatever).

You’re also teaching one of The LAMP’s workshops at Brooklyn Prospect Charter School. What has surprised you the most so far in working with the students? Working with the kids at Brooklyn Prospect, the biggest surprise was how aware so many of them are about things like target audience and viewer tracking. These kids are very cognizant of their value as consumers and as the children of consumers. It was just below the surface, but once we started asking them questions their response was immediate. You could literally see the realization on their faces when they were asked to think about why their favorite websites are set up the way they are. (Click here to see pictures from this workshop and others!)

We know you do a lot of video projects with your young son. Tell us more about that–why do you think that’s important, and what do you hope to impart? For us it’s mostly about having a good time, exploring ideas creatively. I want my son to be able to express himself any way he sees fit, so that’s part of it, too. I also try to pass on whatever knowledge I have about technique and get him to think about the ways stories are told, but mostly it’s just a way for us to spend time together.

Claire Mysko (photo by Kate Glicksberg)

This month we interviewed author Claire Mysko,  co-author of  “Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? The Essential Guide to Loving Your Body Before and After Baby.” Available online and in bookstores starting today, the book tackles the body image issues many women experience before and after pregnancy, some of which are exacerbated by a baby-crazed media. An expert on body image and self-esteem, Claire is also the author of “You’re Amazing! A No-Pressure Guide to Being Your Best Self.” This self-esteem guide was named to the 2009 Amelia Bloomer list, a project of the American Library Association which recognizes empowering books for girls and young women.

Occupation: Writer, speaker, consultant

Favorite blogs: Glossed Over, BlogHer, Jezebel, Salon’s Broadsheet

Favorite websites: girlsinc.org, about-face.org, adiosbarbie.com

What inspired you and Magali Amadei (co-author) to write “Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?”, and how did the book come into being? Magali and I had been working together for years to raise awareness about body image issues and eating disorders. We first started talking about the idea for this book when Magali was pregnant with her daughter. Her recovery from bulimia had been all about shifting her focus away from the numbers on the scale. Then suddenly, it was as though everywhere she turned people wanted to talk about weight. During pregnancy, everyone wanted to know how much she had gained. After she gave birth, every other new mother she encountered wanted to commiserate about how she was planning to shed the pounds. We realized that pregnancy and new motherhood bring up huge appearance-related anxieties for women–nearly 80% of the women we surveyed for this book admitted that they have concerns about the body changes that come with pregnancy and motherhood. Yet women don’t have much support to deal with this pressure in a healthy way. Instead, we get loads of tabloid stories about celebrity new moms who lost their baby weight in five minutes.

In your book, you talk about the power of tabloid magazines and the “baby bump watch” stories they run on celebrities, and you research and interview celebrity moms like Bridget Moynahan about how they handle the pressure. What surprised you the most in your research and in talking to them? Women tend to feel insecure when they compare themselves to the stars’ “perfect” bodies. But all the workouts, diets, and glammed up photo shoots don’t add up to happiness and fulfillment for celebrities. In fact, a lot of them regretted the amount of time and emotional energy it took away from them at a crucial time when all they wanted to do was bond with their babies.

How do you want women to respond when they see magazines telling them how to “get your body back?” The media term “get your body back” is a setup for disappointment. Even if women are able to get back to the same weight they were before pregnancy, they need to understand that there are some things about their bodies that will be permanently changed. Not only that, but a child permanently transforms your entire life. New motherhood is a time to focus on moving forward.

Tabloids report on Nicole Kidman's "post-baby" body.

You also mention that the number of People magazine stories about pregnancy, babies and postbaby bodies more than doubled between 2003 and 2005. Why do you think there has been such a recent surge of interest on the topic? There is a huge profit web attached to celebrity pregnancy and baby fever, and with the proliferation of online media, including celebrity gossip blogs, the potential for profit keeps multiplying. The problem is that these images and messages are selling the Mommy Brand–the must-have maternity and baby gear and the designer diets and workout plans. None of that has anything to do with the real work it requires to be a parent.

How would you suggest women balance the value of tabloids as items of entertainment, as opposed to prescriptions for the “perfect” life and being a “perfect” mommy? It can be fun to escape into the glossy world of celebrity entertainment sometimes, but it’s important to keep a healthy perspective and look at those stories with a critical eye. Most women we talked to were well aware that the stars have teams of nannies, chefs, and personal trainers, and even that images are routinely retouched. And while that awareness is certainly a step in the right direction, it doesn’t necessarily protect women from feeling the sting of comparison, especially during pregnancy and after childbirth–times when we are more vulnerable and prone to self-doubt. When we asked women to describe their feelings about the media’s coverage of celebrity pregnancy and motherhood, some of the most common words we heard were “ridiculous,” “unhealthy,” and “frustrating.” If you are consistently feeling bad about yourself when you read those articles or look at those pictures, the best way to take care of yourself is to limit your exposure. We also encourage women to use their voices to talk back to the media. Too often we internalize the negativity and assume there is something wrong with us, when really the problem is with the media we’re consuming. If you see or read something that irks you, send an email, make a comment, or write your own blog post about it.

Of course, there’s so much more in your book about the importance of and challenges to maintaining a healthy body image. Where can we find the book? The book is available in bookstores October 1st. It can be found online at Amazon and Indiebound.