Weeknote 19+20/2024
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it.
If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying
”End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH”
the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.
- Terry Pratchett
Verbs
Watching: Inside No. 9
Possibly one of the greatest TV programs of all time is back (yay!) for it’s final season (boo!) If you haven’t done yourself the great favour of watching Inside No. 9 then it’s time to get on BBC iPlayer (or some other digital means of watching media…) and start getting it into your eyeballs. It’s a (sometimes) comedy/mystery/thriller/horror anthology show that is, by a country mile, some of the most inventive and brilliant TV ever broadcast. Even the ‘weakest’ episodes of Inside No. 9 are exceptional and Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith who write, and generally lead, every episode seem to have some diabolical secret well of inspiration from which they are drawing as the sheer creativity on display is nothing short of gobsmacking.
The past week or two have also seen us taking in The Fall Guy - fun, silly, knockabout movie-making that’s great for a popcorn and pizza sort of evening. As well as Bodkin, which seems to tread on the territory of the exceptional Only Murders in the Building but emerges as something different enough to be enjoyable in its own right. And, of course, we’re now knee-deep in Season 3 of Bridgerton because sometimes it’s just a real pleasure to watch something that is the very best at being what it is.
Reading: The Mountain in the Sea, and How to Get 7th Graders to Smoke
A book that crams in science fiction, dystopic(ish) futures, artificial intelligence, octopuses, and robot Buddhist monks? Yes, please. I’m only halfway through this one, so it could take a downward turn, but so far this is like a heavenly mashup of Arrival, The Creator, Bladerunner, and My Octopus Teacher with strong doses of William Gibson, throughout.
“The great and terrible thing about humankind is simply this: we will always do what we are capable of.” - The Mountain in the Sea.
How to Get 7th Graders to Smoke is an article from Adam Mastroianni’s Experimental History blog/newsletter. Everything he puts out is fascinating and very funny and he has a real knack for exposing both our tremendous skill and insight and colossal blindspots and mistakes when it comes to psychology and the human sciences. This particular article looks at how even people who are professional people-changers (of which I am probably one, in some guises) can be terrible at changing people for all sorts of interesting reasons. Sometimes we are so bad at it that we actually manage to do exactly the opposite of what we wanted and end up turning 7th graders into smokers.
Preparing: LXDCON’24
In a few weeks, I’ll be speaking at LXDCON’24 - a global convention for learning experience designers that takes place online from June 11th to 14th this year. I always enjoy having opportunities to speak with people and to run workshops but this will be particularly fun for me because the theme of this year’s conference is “Let’s Play!” I’m, currently putting together my workshop, which will be on June 14th, and am having a great time thinking about how to bring people on board with the idea of using some of the tools, techniques, and methods of TTRPGs and role-playing games in their workshops and learning design work. In particular, I’ll be talking about a project called QUEST and the game that we designed especially for that project, as well as how the game system that we constructed can be used for all kinds of learning experiences. I’ve written a short blog post for Shapers, the organisation running the conference, which explains a bit more about the workshop - and I’m really hopeful that it will be a great entry point to playing with these sorts of approaches for lots of other learning designers
Gawping: Bobby Fingers: Fabio and the Goose.
I have waxed beyond lyrical about the creative genius that is YouTuber, maker, artist, and filmmaker Bobby Fingers before now and I don’t really like to double up in my Weeknotes with things I’ve recommended before but that’s where we find ourselves. Firstly, every video feels like its own astonishing creation. Secondly, it’s been six months since Bobby Fingers last blessed us with a YouTube offering. Thirdly, it’s magnificent. Enjoy.
Words
A double edition this week as we were away in Malta last week and I’ve only now had time to put a Weeknote together since we’ve been back. It was good to get some sun and some nearness to the sea - although neither of us plunged in as it was much too cold. Well, definitely too cold for me at least, though there were certainly braver folks enjoying the surf while we were there. It’s a strange place, I think, as it’s part Mediterranean island, part former British territory, part cruise ship stop-off point and I think, in amongst all of that, it’s maybe not entirely sure who it really wants to be. It was a fun place to spend some time, though, even if I did have to push on with work whilst we were there. We particularly enjoyed a chance to get out in a boat and tour around the various cities nearby Valletta. I’m not sure it’s somewhere we’d rush back to, I don’t think we really ‘clicked’ with it as a place, but then sometimes things are just not ‘your cup of tea’ and that’s perfectly fine.
Besides travelling, I’ve been working a fair bit on all sorts of examination and assessment things which has taken up the bulk of my time. I’m also prepping for LXDCON’24 as mentioned above. I’m looking forward to the chance to really bring the idea of TTRPGs and role-playing games and approaches to learning design which is something that’s pretty rare. There’s all sorts of talk about gamification, most particularly in digital learning design, but the actual instances of gamification are generally really weak. There’s even less, still, in face-to-face learning design which is a place where I think purposive games and game-based learning can really have an impact. I’m sure I’ll be thinking, and writing, more about this in the coming weeks as LXDCON approaches. There are a few other projects and proposals cooking away as well though nothing that’s quite ready for public consumption just yet.
Beyond that, I’ll be over in the UK in the first half of June so I’m already thinking about plans and itineraries for that trip. Part of it will be spent in Durham for a college alumni event and then part of it in London and Kent seeing friends and family, hosting my workshop for LXDCON, and for a very exciting wedding, too. The year already seems to be filling up and we’re only in May but don’t forget week 21 is coming around the corner which means we’re 40% of the way through the year already. I’ll just let that sink in.