Kyle R. Conway

Author: Kyle Conway

  • Being obsessive about detail is being normal | Spiekerblog

    Every craft requires atten­tion to detail. … Unless you are obsessed by what you’re doing, you will not be doing it well enough.

    via Being obsessive about detail is being normal | Spiekerblog.

  • Fedora Wallpaper

    Fedora Wallpaper

    Unfortunately it looks like I misinterpreted the deadline for Fedora wallpaper submissions. Enjoy.

    My late Fedora Wallpaper Submission
    My late Fedora Wallpaper Submission
  • Old Office Art

    Old Office Art

    I used to do repetitive work for pay. Office-type work in a building with cubes. I was surrounded by staplers, locked shred bins, clinging cash registers, and disorderly queues served by staff who didn’t care. When I had downtime I would take the humble office tools I found myself surrounded by and stave off boredom by creating art. I would use cheap plastic pens and office supplies to create art on discarded scraps of paper. I would arrange the office supplies on the scrap paper, trace a part of their outline with the pen, and then move them to another location and retrace to create images like a duck.

    I have kept these creations for the past 9 years. They have been folded flat at the bottom of a box that has moved with me from almost-Canada to nearly-Mexico. My packrat nature would not allow me to part with these artworks. I recently found them while cleaning out my basement and they were perfectly preserved between other things I should have discarded long ago. Instead of throwing them away I decided to do make them better.

    Now that I have a different set of circumstances and skills1 I decided to update those old pen drawings using krita, gimp, and inkscape. This new work has finally made these drawings useful after sitting for idle so long. My only goal 9 years ago was to keep boredom at bay. I very much hope that these artworks lift your spirits as they have lifted mine.

    The duck artwork was originally created on the back of a scrap piece of paper turned landscape. I used scissors for the rounded outline elements2 and a black pen for tracing. Digital FLOSS tools1 were used to augment these original drawings.

    You can see my art for sale here. I plan to add additional works as they are completed.

    1. a powerful computer, FLOSS, a pen input device ↩ ↩
    2. inner, large handle for body; inner, small handle for head; tip of scissors for beak and wings ↩

  • Measure Up | S.B.LattinDesign

    Measure Up | S.B.LattinDesign.

    What a fantastic graphic.

  • The GNU/Linux Lagniappes

    I’ve been enamored with free software since Windows Vista decided to disappear what I called my “trial run” Wubi install of Ubuntu. By the end of this “trial” I preferred GNU/Linux so strongly that I had forgotten there was another operating system (OS) installed on the computer.

    But then there was a problem. I couldn’t boot into GNU/Linux anymore. Vista was working fine but my preferred OS was missing. I would later discover that my first real issue with GNU/Linux was created by Windows. While this situation did not give me joy at the time, it was extremely fortuitous.

    The problem of a “missing” OS prompted my first visit to a support forum. I solved my own issue with helpful guidance from others. A total stranger thanked me or my efforts because they were experiencing the same issue and benefited from the solution I had discovered and shared.

    I switched firmly to GNU/Linux that day.

    Computing is now an activity I truly enjoy, benefit from greatly, and intend to utilize for the greater good. GNU/Linux is like a rabbit hole of lagniappes; the fringe benefits keep coming. This chain of positives is in addition to the software itself. I now know and care more intensely about computers, technology, sharing, IP law, programming, ethics, teaching, and more.

    GNU/Linux changed me. It changed me for the better. There is just one problem: I don’t feel like I’ve changed GNU/Linux. I don’t feel like I’ve given back enough.1

    I’ve been working to figure out what I can do to help GNU/Linux. Here are some things I’ve done for a while now:

    1. Introduce people to GNU/Linux
    2. Teach people about the value of the four essential freedoms
    3. Help people become users of GNU/Linux
    4. Donate to projects (e.g. Gimp)

    In a post about UX redesign, Máirín Duffy created a graphic depicting the chasm between use and contribution. What a striking image.

    CC-BY-SA 2014 Máirín Duffy.

    I was left with one burning question: how do I make the jump?

    While I continue actively contributing in the ways listed above, I recently came across a very different opportunity to make the leap:

    It is time to open the submission phase for Fedora 21 Supplemental Wallpapers… The deadline until you can submit your artwork is the August 16 2014 at 23:59 UTC.

    minor commitment: Create and submit a supplemental wallpaper for Fedora 21.

    In some ways I believe that this image-based contribution will be significantly less valuable than the educational, philosophical, and monetary contributions I am currently making. It’s not that I don’t think art is important2, it is more that I don’t believe I will clearly see the impact of the contribution so as to correctly assess its value.

    When I talk about the necessity of the four freedoms, specific people go away thinking differently. When I help people install GNU/Linux, I am able to see them begin to redefine their relationship with computing. When I donate to projects, I do so with the knowledge that my financial contribution is supporting those who support users. When I submit a wallpaper, I… just don’t know. I can’t imagine what the impact may be and I may never know.

    That’s why I’m making the jump. That uncertainty is, for me, a leap of faith. Let’s see if I end up on the other side.

    1. In truth, I don’t know that any individual could give back enough. ↩
    2. I know art is vital. ↩

  • Three Things: Six

    a minor commitment

    Pain
    – remained conscious throughout the day
    – stretched frequently
    – moved often

    Play
    – frisbee
    – nice weather
    – carefree time
    – directed interest

    Quality
    – minor accomplishments along the way on small projects that add up to major accomplishments
    – slowly built buy-in to more easily port success in one area to large-scale improvements in others
    – proved efficacy on previous projects of a similar nature

  • Three Things: Five

    a minor commitment

    A little lo-fi the other day…

    three-things-five

  • Transform any text into a patent application – Sam Lavigne

    I wrote a program that transforms literary and philosophical texts into patent applications. In short, it reframes texts as inventions or machines.

    This is just plain awesome software art. Just look at this patent by Kafka! If a visual artist out there doesn’t start creating the visual figures for these wonderful patents I’m going to have to pick up a drawing aparatus and do it myself.

    Transform any text into a patent application – Sam Lavigne.

  • Three Things: Four

    a minor commitment

    Mother’s Day
    – a clean living room and kitchen
    – contact with family
    – space for children to play

    Computing
    – reclaimed an older machine I can still use
    – started using the R project
    – began creating a wallpaper for Fedora

    Tea
    – a pleasant end to the day
    – relaxing body and mind
    – conversational aid

  • Three Things: Three

    a minor commitment
    – three things: one
    – three things: two

    Enjoyment1
    – a walk in the park
    – beautiful weather
    – an early start
    – a park
    – a snack

    Books2
    – a decision pre-made
    – a collection pre-created
    – a clear objective
    – a step-by-step pathway to success

    Cleaning3
    – something you are interested in to listen to fedora.next
    – no distractions
    – a clear and meaningful objective
    – tea

    1. consider making this outing one you repeat. ↩
    2. with many unnecessary books taking up space in boxes in basements I decided to give paperbackswap a trial run. So far so good. ↩
    3. happy mother’s day ↩

  • Three Things: Two

    a minor commitment
    – three things: one

    Basement Cleaning Activity1
    – Loud children’s music by the brilliant Justin Roberts provided the soundtrack
    – Simple objectives for my little helpers (e.g. these in the box; these on the table; these in the garbage)
    – The only distractions were game-oriented and fun

    Bedtime2
    A combination of:
    – The stories they request
    – The poems of A. A. Milne — some favorites: Buckingham Palace and Independence
    – Patience

    Book Selection3
    – You’d pre-selected them first
    – You chose from the much smaller pre-selection
    – They were awaiting action when you arose for the day

    1. tl;dr — fun music and clear game-like objectives won the day ↩
    2. tl;dr — (1) let them choose a few. (2) finish with something good that you enjoy. (3) wait. ↩
    3. tl;dr — remove the unnecessary ↩

  • Three Things: One

    a minor commitment

    Breakfast1
    – The coffee was strong
    – We arose to bright sunshine
    – We were up earlier than usual
    – There was laughter and smiles

    Data2
    – We put in the work — when it didn’t make sense — in order to capitalize when it did
    – We honed our skills on other projects which enabled quick completion on this important one
    – We pushed for a better timeline when the argument was strongest
    – We worked with the relevant stakeholders

    Dinner3
    – Great (new!) flavors
    – Quite impressively from scratch
    – Rambunctious, beautiful, hilarious children
    – Good friend
    – Weather change: cooler, windy, rainy (brief hail), thunder

    1. tl;dr — good weather, food, and company ↩
    2. tl;dr — we cared early, prepped often, pushed when necessary, and collaborated ↩
    3. tl;dr — well-prepared new flavors and interesting weather with good friends and children makes for a great time ↩

  • Three Things

    It is astounding how simple it can be to cultivate happiness. Each time I encounter another way to increase happiness and improve well-being I am awed by the simplicity of the action required and the largess of the result. Dr. Seligman, a positive psychologist, suggests the following for a better life:

    “Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well.”

    I’ve done similar reflections before for the purpose of synopsizing the day, reevaluating present exhaustion, mitigating negative thoughts, or simple journaling. Intuitively and experientially I know that this type of reflection is undeniably positive and that it takes a negligible amount of time. So why don’t I use this beneficial exercise consistently?

    A minor commitment to myself: set aside 10 minutes to reflect on three things every day starting today.

    via A Simple Exercise to Increase Well-Being and Lower Depression from Martin Seligman, Founding Father of Positive Psychology | Brain Pickings.

  • The Unruly Closet

    It would probably be beneficial to copy the idea motivated by the image linked below. The individual has selected and photographed meaningful combinations of his clothing. While I’m not particularly vain, it is clear that engaging with my wardrobe would help me to rid myself of what is numerically a nightmare of items. I have a bizarre assortment of pre-college/marriage/grad school/etc. clothing.

    I’ve encountered many pieces of advice about wardrobe reduction over the years and the perspective was always negative. This series of photographs focuses on the positive aspect of intentionally selecting combinations of clothing. It seems to me that it would be easy to replace damaged or over-worn items with relative ease when necessary because it would be clear what part of your wardrobe had been lost. I also imagine that this would keep my closet from becoming too unruly because I would truly know what was in there.

    My clothes – Imgur.

  • My Clown Backstory

    • I was born between the first & second World Wars.
    • I sold newspapers for my family but was fired when I created too many paper hats.
    • My soul occasionally rises and falls with the sounds of the ocean which carried my grandfather to this country from Bologna.
    • I don’t touch knives on account of the missing pinky finger on my left hand.
    • I didn’t lose the finger because of a knife… though that seems like the most likely scenario.
    • Fictionally, I lost my pinky finger while chasing a balloon across a farm field. Damn Windmill!
    • I stopped believing in the truth when my father gave up clowning and became a tax collector.
    • When I sit on the curb my large legs press my knees up next to my chin. From this position they more easily create a tunnel into which the water from passing cars can more efficiently be directed into my face.
    • When Nixon was elected I sat on the floor and didn’t get up until I was arrested for blocking the overpass of the freeway.
    • When Lincoln was shot and killed I wasn’t alive… but I laughed heartily at the illustrations.

    [Troy, I found this and had to share it here. This is a great memory.]