The idea is to ask interviewers their own questions assuming that they project their own interests into their interview partners and therefore might also have something to tell about the very same topics themselves. At very least that’s what we’re gonna find out.

#01 is with Kai Brach, creator of the wonderful Offscreen magazin.

All questions are cut out from the actual print product (in this case Issue #02) and glued to index cards. Kai then wrote his answers on these cards. Here we go.

Bonus Track • Making Of

More photos from Stefanie Schmitt (Thank you!)

Random groups of 3 jam for 10 minutes. Repeat.

Bring your own Synth. Battery powered, mini-jack for sound output. And headphones.

Everyone is welcome. We are really all beginners, somehow.

To join register at Agora’s website here.

Details? Process and rules • FAQ • Photos

The first update of my app Pinning is now available and comes with some significant enhancements.

More Minimal

In 1.1 I removed the grey card-like area around items to put even more focus on text itself. The cards metaphor is still there but only visible while editing and when adding a new item.

Responsive

Another advantage of this change is the increased responsiveness of the app layout. Due to the smaller item height, there is less overlapping and the organisation stays intact, even when switching between extreme screen orientations like from portrait to landscape on an iPhone 5.

The interface is fully responsive and works well across all possible screen orientations and dimensions. All items map relative to the available space.

Animations!

The second biggest change is something that screenshots cannot convey. I added animated transitions to most board actions like adding items by tapping and dragging, editing, removing items. This makes the app usage more fluent and seamless. Also items are now limited with their movement to the board, no more lapping over. If you try to move an item outside the board it smoothly bounces back.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

From Brain to List

I use Omnifocus on a daily basis for managing to dos and appreciate its powers. However brainstorming and creating lists in Omnifocus doesn’t work for me. It’s not fun. It’s not as visual as my thoughts are. It feels like work. WORK!

To be fair the interface is not terrible, but I feel like it gives the items you enter too much of an own face. I really like apps that consciously take a step back in that regards like Writeroom or Clear and let your thoughts and words speak for themselves as much as possible.

Mind Maps. Yes. Strings. No.

I dig the concept of mind mapping. A lot. However I actually don’t use it that much. Mainly because it’s hard for me to deal with the connection strings attached to notes by default.

I see the benefit from having an automatic serial outline of your graph without additional effort. Magic. However I find myself rearranging thoughts a lot until I get to a final structure. Until then these connections just get in the way. But yet I really like mind maps and find myself returning especially to MindMeister again and again once in a while.

At Night

I like apps with dark color schemes, especially since I am using Twitterrific for iOS. I like it when the screen disappears and the app merges with the surface of the physical device – granted it’s a black one, yes.

But really the best thing about a black background is that it doesn’t blind your eyes at night. Ever tried to quickly note a thought using the Notes app or Simplenote with all lights in your room turned off? It can hurt.

Boards.

Nevermind what the people tell you, the best tool to capture thoughts and do brainstorming is a blank black board. An empty but clearly dedicated canvas for ideas (and coffee offers).

I also like the approach of not only using boards as a way to capture and organise items but also to add additional layers of meaning to the spacial arrangement. Remember the Eisenhower method of using the alignment on the X axes for conveying the urgency and the Y axis standing for the importance of a task. And suddenly prioritisation becomes fun again.

Swiss Army Knives

I really like minimal and focused apps that do a single thing well. However I also do have a weak spot for apps that try to unravel the full potential of a platform by using all its possible connections and put the user into power to choose his/her own path. Drafts, I look at you.

With Pinning I am not trying to address all these fields and problems at once. The apps I mentioned already do a really great job in their dedicated areas. However you will find bits and pieces being inspired by these findings. These apps also stand for some sort of ideal context I can see Pinning being used within as extension, not as replacement. An ecosystem I would like to integrate with nicely going forward. Cheers.

• Musical styles? Any. Noise, Hip Hop, Electronica, Glitch, Ambient, Chip Tunes, Dance, Soundscapes. Any.
• Should I bring my own headphones? Yes, please. I’ll set up a small headphone amp. So you’ll be able to adjust your volume.
• How is this recorded? Stereo Mix. Simple.
• Will this be published? I’ll post the sessions here and on the event page. There won’t be any further “release” without your confirmation. If you prefer to stay anonymous, no problem, please let me know.
• No Laptops, really? Yes please. It’s all about pushing buttons and seeing what you hear and not hiding behind a screen. However if you have a device that needs a computer as sound source (e.g. Maschine) it’s okay to connect your controller and put the computer somewhere aside.
• Schematics? Schematics, schematics …
• But … why? Because we really need to make more music. And because it needs to be easier to jam out with people, especially with all these ultra mobile music making tools we now all own.

Note: Sorry, it seems like I have serious issues drawing chairs.

Coffee & What?! Read here. Join here.

I just prepared the tech setup for our next week’s coffee & synths session. Trying to keep it as minimal and portable as possible, plus: avoiding computers as point of failure and distraction. Currently all parts fit in a in small basket and can be carried around easily. So the only thing we depend on infrastructure-wise is access to a single power outlet. That’s it.

Main Parts

• 8 Channel Mixer
• 4 Stereo Channels Headphone Amp
• Stereo Audio Recorder

During the session the mixer and the headphone amp will be accessible to everybody. All relevant connectors and channels are color coded ➊ ➋ ➌ so you will know immediatly which knobs to turn to adjust your input or headphone level.

I can’t wait. This will be great fun. If you are interested and haven’t joined yet, you can do so here.

Let’s combine the two greatest inventions in the world. Coffee & Synths! Bring your iPhone, OP-1, Animoog, Nintendo DS, MPC or any other mobile music device or app and join our open session!

When

Saturday afternoon, March 16th, 14:00 – 16:00 Agora, Kurz vor Eden Café, Berlin, free. This will be a one-time experiment. But if it works, we might do it again. Who knows.

Participate!

All you need is …

• Your portable instrument of choice
• Headphones

→ Join the event at Facebook

How it works

We meet at the wonderful Agora Café, create random groups of 3 people per session, put headphones on and jam out!

Everyone is welcome. We are really all beginners, somehow.

Everybody brings their own sound device – this can be [insert endless list of mobile music making gadgets here] really anything that produces sound, that isn’t too big to fit on a coffee table and has a heaphone jack. We attach all devices to a little mixer so that everybody on the table gets the same mixed signal. Every session lasts excactly 10 minutes, then we form a new random group and repeat. Other people in the room won’t hear a thing, but the session will be recorded, so you can listen and share the sounds afterwards.

In detail …

1. All participants meet at 14:00
2. We form a session of 3 people, randomly chosen from the ones who join
3. To avoid confusion, in each session max. 1 participant takes the rhythm/drums part. he/she defines the tempo of the session.
4. We connect everyone’s device to the mixer.
5. Everyone puts on their headphones and adjusts their volumes.
6. Starting the clock.
7. ||| Play ||| No Style defined. Noise, Ambient, Electronica, everything can happen. All live and Improvised.
8. The session ends after excactly 10 minute. There will be a counting clock on the table visible for everyone.
9. From all people who did not participate in the session, again 3 people are chosen randomly for the next one.
10. Repeating steps 1-9 until it’s 16:00.

We do only 1 session at a time, so you will have some time to relax until it’s your turn again. But don’t worry. Agora Café is a cozy place to simply hang out, too.

Yes, ruuules …

• No prerecorded sequences please. Everything is played live and improvised.
• One device per session. Pick yours wiseley.
• No syncing.
• No acoustic intruments.
• No cords. No hassle. Keep your setup battery powered and as simple as possible.
• No laptops (on the table).

Questions? Post them to group, twitter or reach me via mail.