Chatting with Bryan Mathers about #ds106radio on #ds106radio

This is a two and a half hour tour-de-force of a free-ranging discussion about radio, art, and much more between myself and the great visual thinkerer: Bryan Mathers. My relationship with Bryan goes back to chance encounter in 2015 when I met him at a conference in Barcelona (thanks Doug Belshaw!). He has subsequently defined the visual aesthetic of Reclaim Hosting, and for that we will be ever grateful. 

Turns out he has been tuning into the #ds106radio, and he wanted to have a chat about that, and if you know how Bryan works, this means great visuals will follow. He is really amazing, he seems inspired by conversation and connection. The art he invokes is in many ways the by-product of a social exchange, it’s the very essence of working openly together. He reminds me why working collaboratively on just about anything is always better, at least for me, than going it alone. He was kind and generous enough to post his first fun at some art that was generated as part of this talk, so I figured it was high time to get the audio out given I had one job, and was already failing to uphold my end 🙂

I really love the idea of hand-stitched radio he came up with as a result of the conversation. Not sure if it was mentioned in the moment, but there is something so perfect about the metaphor:

And it was trippy to me how Bryan picked up on the phone ideas given I don’t think that came up either, but I really love it.

Not only for the call-in radio idea, but also because in 2012 or so Grant Potter created an 800 number for that would allow you to get right on the radio from anywhere, something I did a few times from a payphone in NYC 🙂

Ahhh, and Dr. Oblivion, what can I say other than he was always a visionary, and well ahead of his edtech time. I think he might be the patron saint of ds106tv more than the radio, but an icon all the same 🙂

I don’t ever need an excuse to jump on a call and chat with Bryan Mathers, so the idea he wanted to chat about was double treat for me, and while the conversation is long and fairly indulgent, the fact I may have turned him onto Bob Ross makes it an instant classic regardless. 

 

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3 Responses to Chatting with Bryan Mathers about #ds106radio on #ds106radio

  1. Doug Belshaw says:

    I caught the end of this conversation when you were live and it was awesome. That introductory meeting in Barcelona was fated to happen! I seem to remember Audrey Watters was there too…

  2. Pingback: Talking Reclaim Hosting with Lauren Brumfield on #ds106radio | bavatuesdays

  3. Aaron Davis says:

    Jim, I enjoyed listening to DS106 Radio Reclaim Radio after the fact. I love how you will start a long thread unpacking something, only to get halfway through it and basically stop and scrap it. I was intrigued by the discussion of aesthetic and the need for authenticity. I have also been left thinking about the saying:

    You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
    Love like you’ll never be hurt,
    Sing like there’s nobody listening,
    And live like it’s heaven on earth.

    Maybe a couple of things to add to that is:

    Blog like no-one is reading
    Talk on radio like there is no audience.

    Bryan’s discussion of re-doing his newsletter has me wondering about my own monthly contribution to the cosmos. It has developed over time, with the indulgent addition of my own voice. However, I wonder if the idea of subscriptions is in fact a burden to the whole process? I am interested in scrapping Buttondown and setting up means for people to anonymously to subscribe. This is one of the things that has intrigued me about micro.blog, the fact that you cannot see who is following. Only who is commenting.

    Last thoughts on the DS106radio cult revival, I was left thinking whether bringing it back now was just different. I recently stumbled upon Damian Cowell discussing TISM and wondering if it was simply a product of its time. Although Cowell continues to make music, it is no longer TISM aesthetic. How has the DS106 aesthetic changed and evolved since 2011? Or is it still the same?

    Sorry, I seemed to have transgressed. Stay safe and talk on.

    Also on: Read Write Collect

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