Bristol is lit up
December 19, 2006 Posted by Clare in : Digital Challenge, Bristol, Bristol City Council, Media , add a commentSix weeks a go a group of us hatched up a plan to light up the council houses with projections. Last night it went live - see the fun here or come down tonight for the last night.
Light Up Bristol is a specially devised festive light show featuring 400 feet wide(120m) images.The show uses projectors to light up The Council House with a rotating array of colours, patterns and textures, from 6pm - 10pm on 18 and 19 December 2006. Sponsors and supporters include Aardman Animations, BBC Bristol, Bristol City Council, E3, Enable Interactive, Endemol West, Imagist, Solomon Hare, Smith and Williamson, South West Screen, Sub Sub, The Diners Card, Play Nicely and Watershed.
Knowle West Media Centre talks to Makala Cheung
December 18, 2006 Posted by Roz in : Digital Challenge , add a commentMakala Cheung.
Press and Communications Officer, Knowle West Media Centre.
6 November 2006
I travelled to KWMC where I met with Makala. Makala began by explaining to me the ways in which she currently uses digital media. She said that she uses the laptop to scan in and collate any positive publicity about Knowle West. She emails this information to Martin at KWMC, for him to upload the information to the Knowle West Website. She said that any press releases or publicity which she produces on the laptop, also goes on the website, whilst she laminates poster versions and takes them to be displayed on community notice boards at Knowle Safe and at The Park. She told me that whilst she rarely takes photos herself, many people send digital photos to her for inclusion on the website. Makala then talked about the issues forum and how she lets people know about it and signs people up to it at events. She explained that she will now be doing some training so that she can make website pages from gathered content as well as working to get people used to using the websites.
(more…)
Connecting Bristol with Disabled People
Posted by Jo in : Digital Challenge , add a commentAbilityNet has been working with the Connecting Bristol bid interviewing and emailing local disabled people and groups about what they would like to see in their digital future. Jo Greenwell, from AbilityNet, has been in contact with several groups and was at the Watershed Meeting on the 14th December with a range of alternative keyboards and mice. She briefly talked about the importance of the needs of disabled people being built in to the bid so that disabled people could shape their digital future.
Some issues raised so far by the people have included:
- The importance of the internet – “No internet that would hurt me”
- Broadband needs to be widely available so as to make and benefit from podcasts, mp3’s, videos and other ways of communicating
- Computers and access technology can be too expensive for people to buy
- Support is sometimes needed to overcome problems and give confidence to try out new things
- “It’s not just about physical access to computers its about who and what I can connect with”
- Web pages need to be designed with accessibility and usability in mind
If you have ideas on what you would like to see Bristol’s digital future and what tools support you need to be a part of it please email jo.greenwell@abilitynet.org.uk or write it here!
The hardware on show included the Intellikeys keyboard, which comes with different keyboard overlays to suit different users and the user can also design overlays to suit their needs. It is used in schools with different types of educational software and the keyboard can be tilted at a 45 degree angle towards the users which makes it more comfortable to use.
Barton Hill game workshop
December 15, 2006 Posted by Kevin in : Digital Challenge , 8 commentsOn wednesday night Drew Mackie and David Wilcox led a group of Barton Hill residents through a card game which tested and developed some of the ideas that have evolved as part of Bristol’s Digital Challenge bid. We then worked on creating some fictional, but realistic, user journeys for a group of people in Bristol, examining how the Digital Challenge projects impact, effect or improve their lives. It was great fun with everyone getting involved in breathing life into the characters, and seeing the real, life-changing opportunities digital connectivity can bring to individuals and to their communities.
David has blogged the event in detail on his site. You can also listen to local artist Jenny Sheehan discussing her feelings about the benefits of connecting people and communities to new technology in a short video filmed after the event.
