Short Bits

For those who couldn't make it to Bitnorth this year, and anyone else who wants to look back over the presentations, here are the slides and audio recordings from this year's short bits. We also have video recordings of some talks which we hope to make available in due course.

  1. James Duncan kicked things off with an analysis of Peak Oil and how we’re Halfway through the Oil Age (keynote 09, mp3).
  2. Pauline Wolff works as an urban planner, making her well suited to show us how transportation issues are more complex than just replacing one kind of fuel with another - Transportation Issues in Disguise (keynote 08 & pdf, zipped, mp3).
  3. Ian Rae explained the sport of Ultimate in Thanks Internet, we couldn't have done it without you (ppt, mp3).
  4. Pete Taylor used his 14 years in England to look at the British, and how their love of irony and playfulness informs everything about them - L'Homme Anglais - The Man in the Irony Mask (pptx, mp3).
  5. Rachel Dhawan encouraged us to buy local fashion, providing many reasons why (which, apparently, all lead to having more sex.) And she did it without pictures, thanks to an errant USB key - Buying Local Fashion (mp3).
  6. Alex Bowyer looked at why your computer needs to know which hat you're wearing in order to serve you better - The Importance of Persona (keynote 08 & ppt, zipped, mp3).
  7. Christine Davis hooked up her iPhone and a webcam to show us The Musical Instruments Hiding in Your Phone (unfortunately due to a technical problem, no recording is available - but Christine has recorded some clips you can listen to here).
  8. Jessamyn West, one of our keynote speakers, used a library story to show us why manners are simultaneously outmoded and tired and also the best way to get anything done - Stupid rules and how to change them (keynote 09 & various related files, zipped, mp3).
  9. Kamal Jain talked about disguise, and how our ability to take on new personas in virtual worlds is the lubricant we need when worlds rub together - Disguise as a Lubricant (pptx & various related files, zipped, mp3).
  10. Sebastien Pierre showed us tools for visualizing expenses, making it clear that without useful, fun, interactive visualization, open access to data isn’t that useful to citizens - Exploring Government Data (pdf & navigable web pages, zipped, mp3).
  11. Patrick Lozeau explained the problems of traditional research publication, and the open access movement that wants to encourage scientists, professors, and researchers to share and reference their content more openly. - Open Access (flv movie clip & related image files, zipped, mp3).
  12. Lionel Gibbons used his teenage daughter’s message-centric behavior as the basis for a chat about sexting, texting and the new literacy, concluding that while L33Tspeak might be annoying, it’s also part of the greatest resurgence of creative writing in recent history - Kids 2day (keynote 09, mp3).
  13. Archeologist Katrien Janin talked about how radiocarbon dating revolutionized her field, forcing historians to re-think wide swaths of our past - Radiocarbon Revolution (keynote 08 & ppt, zipped, mp3).
  14. Oliver O'Boyle talked about getting in touch with your feminine side (a topic set by his coworkers as a prize!), explaining how androgyny is a useful communications tool because adopting only masculine or feminine approaches to communication is limiting your options - Getting in touch with your feminine side (pptx, zipped, mp3).
  15. Sean Power played some jazz and spoke about how jazz influences most modern music. He also told us about the documentary he wants to make - 2 degrees of separation from Miles Davis (mp3).
  16. Alistair Croll observed that the tides of history are invisible to those who swim in them - Cars and TV are Ephemeral (keynote 09, mp3).
  17. JoAnn Robichaud showed us how root cellars work and how to keep food fresh by playing tricks on your vegetables - Root Cellaring (pptx, mp3).
  18. David Mirza Ahmad and Bruce Leidl showed us the issues facing the Internet as it becomes less neutral, and how Deep Packet Inspection technologies are being used in Iran to censor access to online resources - Net Neutrality (pptx, mp3).
  19. Rocio Tamez talked about the social pressures and cultural prejudices that make dating difficult in Mexico - Mexican Dating Difficulties (mp3).
  20. Jonathan Ginter blew our mind a little bit, offering a simple layman’s explanation of quantum physics and talking about Parallel Universes and the Biocentric theory (ppt, mp3).
  21. Julien Smith, our second keynote speaker, told us about the time he spent meditating in Japanese Zen Temples (keynote 09, mp3).
  22. Angela Case's discussion of footnotes and editorialization showed us examples of how apparently truthful narratives lie - Fiction in Disguise (pptx, mp3).
  23. Nicholas Kruchten showed us the Engineers Without Borders social network, and the dilemma of how social platforms like Facebook and Twitter can sometimes fragment an existing community - How I learned to love Facebook (but haven't stopped worrying) (pptx, mp3).
  24. Aine told us a story of possums, skunks, and small, fearless dogs, showing us what happens When the Fur Flies (files not available).
  25. Despite the FAA’s protestations, Ray Luk showed us How to Fly A Plane in 10 Minutes (pptx & two video clips, zipped, mp3).
  26. Inspired by early learnings in pirate radio, Bob Goyetche asked us Are you following rules that don't really exist? (mp3).
  27. Bryan Bogensberger took the meta approach to his fear of presenting and gave us an entertaining, Twilight Zone look at Mental Blocks, Phobias and Fear (pptx, mp3).