Archive for May, 2010
thanks to all who came down on saturday, we had a whale of a time. missing dungeness already.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Thank you
Well, Variable 4 is over. With a neverending stream of tasks to attend to over the weekend, we sadly didn’t find the time to broadcast any live updates, but will be catching up with a series of wrapup blog posts.
After so many months of work, it was truly wonderful to finally be able to watch the piece in action as envisaged. The weather was beautiful — if consistent! — and it was great to have the opportunity to chat about the work with our varied stream of visitors. Thanks to all those who came down, and especially to the countless people who provided the project with their time and support.
An excellent last-minute addition was an unexpected visit from ITV Meridian’s weather team, who came down to Variable 4 to broadcast an on-site weather report on Friday night. You can see the excerpt on our Vimeo profile.
We’ve also been working with a very talented radio producer to create a short documentary feature, forthcoming on Resonance FM. Watch this space for details — plus several backlogged blog posts that we’ve not found the time to yet publish.
Weather forecast
An idyllic afternoon, data testing and tuning the sound spatialisation. The weather forecast for Saturday suggests that the weekend will be similarly sunny. It’s perhaps unusual for the organisers of an outdoor event to be hoping for changeable weather!
RT @DungenessRNLI Dungeness RNLI Lifeboat Station in Kent, UK is now on Twitter, latest shouts and other information will be posted here.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
just had a charming message from the estate of derek jarman expressing their well wishes for the piece. oh, dungeness!
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
coach tickets now all sold out – many thanks to all who’ve booked. we’ll shortly be emailing precise details of the departure location…
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
@keithjohnson51 looking forward to being there! glad to catch part of last weekend’s exercise too. see you on saturday…
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
RNLI Dungeness
With its exposed location and amplified speakers, Variable 4 is reliant on having a nearby source of power and shelter. We’re fortunate enough to have both of these things provided for us by RNLI Dungeness, who have been endlessly generous with their time and resources in the development of the project. It’s no exaggeration to say that the installation would not be possible without them in anything like its current form.
The station guards the busy Dover Strait between Folkestone and Rye Bay, in the latest of many incarnations since its inception in 1826. Founded just 2 years after the formation of the RNLI itself, the station’s history is documented in an e-book available on their website: The History of the Dungeness Lifeboats.
Anybody joining us at the weekend will undoubtedly meet several of the crew; they will also be on hand with tea and coffee, providing another vital public service!
for those who have not yet booked: just a handful of coach tickets remaining! http://www.variable4.org.uk/visit/coach/
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
& surround audio on a beach on a starry night = mesmerising. http://twitpic.com/1o6mvm
Sunday, 16 May 2010
dry run successful, after many tribulations. and thankfully literally dry. many thanks to all who helped!
Sunday, 16 May 2010
…and speaker cable. 1km of speaker cable – which, in total, weighs marginally more than me. http://twitpic.com/1npfue
Friday, 14 May 2010
nuts, bolts and twine: assembling a variable 4 installation kit. http://twitpic.com/1np0hz
Friday, 14 May 2010
RT @soundandmusic @Whispering_ITL: 3 free Whispering in the Leaves rainforest ringtones created by Chris Watson. http://tinyurl.com/35ymb33
Thursday, 13 May 2010
the deliveries continue to roll in: a rainbow of PVC tape, and some solar powered illumination. http://twitpic.com/1n6oac
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
one weather resistant laptop. thank you, captain bags! http://twitpic.com/1mxhxu
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
nuclear reactor cutaways: Dungeness B http://www.variable4.org.uk/news/203 (via @michael_killbot)
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Nuclear Reactor Cutaway: Dungeness B
Couldn’t resist posting this cutaway diagram of Dungeness B, part of the “World’s Reactors” series. You’ll be unable to miss the outline of its exterior on the Dungeness landscape, but — since tours were stopped a few years back, in the wake of September 11 — you’ll be much less likely to glimpse its innards.
Image © NEI magazine, via BibliOdyssey.
Incidentally, in Ken Oiller’s “Dungeness Remembered”, a memoir of a life spent in the area, there’s a brilliant account of the well-known local phenomenon of “The Boil”: a frothing area of hot water fuelled by the coolant outlet of the reactor. The extra warmth apparently drives massive bio-diversity in The Boil, and with it a significant increase in fish populations, making it an incredibly popular spot for the local fisherman.
RT @ideoforms talking at tonight’s dorkbotlondon on v4: meteorology, sound, algorithms and collaborative practices http://bit.ly/b3tQcl
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
blog: the last development trip before our dry run. measurements, deliveries and birds. http://www.variable4.org.uk/news/198
Monday, 10 May 2010
Development trip, 7 May 2010
may have just had our laptop weatherproofing dilemmas solved by none other than Captain Bags: http://bit.ly/aOM3bU
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Talk at dorkbotlondon, 11 May
The international dorkbot events are the discerning dork’s destination of choice to hear of the latest tech hobbyism, electronic arts and DIY. We’ll be talking briefly about Variable 4 at this Tuesday’s dorkbotlondon #69, with as much of the weather station as we can carry (which may, admittedly, not be much).
Expect some discussion of algorithms, weather systems, collaborative practices, and unforeseen hardware hiccups.
Updates to public transport info
IMPORTANT! For those intending to come down via public transport, please note that we have just corrected our travel information. Turns out that some previous details were out of date; many thanks to Liz Tucker for alerting us.
The recommended route from London is now the National Rail service to Ashford International (38 mins), followed by the 11 bus (timetable, PDF) to the Pilot Inn, which is a couple of minutes’ walk from the site. Do be aware before travelling that buses are relatively infrequent.
And don’t forget that we are also operating direct coaches from London Victoria, departing at 11am and returning at 6pm.
@jones_bulley
jonesbulley
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