I’ve been working with Cem Adiyaman, an MFA Design graduate of School of Visual Arts on launching a series of podcasts

They’re in the iTunes store, the streams are wide open, and hopefully they’ll be in your library and on your iPod as soon as you check ‘em out.

Thanks to Unbeige for props too.

It’s a small piece of design but a big deal: today we released files to vendors for Rick Penberthy’s banners and yard signs for his fight to win a seat in the US House.90e3cbd23a439429ca2ef72cf100a12a->

WorldChanging reported an alarming change that has taken place at NASA:

NASA’s mission statement used to be “To understand and protect our home planet; to explore the universe and search for life; to inspire the next generation of explorers … as only NASA can.â€?

According to the New York Times article referenced, “to understand and protect our home planet” has been removed!

In order to keep the topic front-of-mind, they’ve charged the community with plastering the message everywhere. In response, we offer this image linking back to the article to anyone willing to support publicity of this disturbing development.

To include this image on your own page copy/paste the following:
<a href="http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004730.html"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/78/198019773_e153a70c27.jpg?v=0" /></a>

We’re making some changes around here and would like to point you to our new feed before this current one goes away. To keep recieving the latest from Citizen Scholar, please subscribe.

Thanks!

Before Citizen Scholar began on January 1st of 2005 and on most days since, I’ve turned to Josh Silverman for his strategic advice, optimistic perspective, and cleansing humor. Now, that advisory role is official.

As is the fashion for such things here, I’m happy to introduce Josh’s unedited biography, so you may gain some understanding about him. Thanks, Josh. I’m honored to have you with us.

A Bio:

Joshua (first name, because he is quick-witted, likes good-natured banter, and overall, because humor is recontextualized seriousness) Harte (middle name, because it’s the center of everything, and after Moss Hart, the 1930s New York architect-cum-playwright, who Josh’s father was a fan of [both of whom choose their words wisely]) Silverman (last name, because he mines a quality that is solid but not outré, and, as another perverse optimist [after Tibor], he consistently traces the line of goodness embedded within dark clouds, which is also relative to his being a designer, and/or relative to his Jewishness, in that ability to survive grave oppression) believes that comfort is measured by a relationship with language, and that words are barometers of belief.

As a designer for Citizen (a person at home wherever they are) Scholar (one who excels in a particular area of study), Josh makes it his business to want to know people really well: he would rather discover a place by walking on a street and talking with local inhabitants than be separated from his study by safety glass on the inside of a bus. Similarly, he appreciates the power of empirical research in guiding decision-making processes. Which is not to say he’s emotionless; nay, he is balanced in his quest to inspire experiences of the mind and the heart.

Speak Up is to be included in the Cooper-Hewitt Nation Design Triennial “Design Life Now.” The site, founded by Armin Vit & Bryony Gomez-Palacio, is featured in “Community” one of four themes in the exhibition, as a key example of (and catalyst to) design embracing technology for evolving relationships. The other themes are Emulating Life, Hand-Crafted and Do-It-Yourself Design, and Transformation.

The Triennial is on display from Dec. 8, 2006 through July 29, 2007 at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

I began contributing to Speak Up in April of 2006 (long after it was selected for this triennial).

It is always a hope to see dilligent work serving our clients and the public. Yesterday bore such a reward.

Since 2005, I’ve been proudly designing for Rick Penberthy (D), candidate for Florida’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rick’s campaign manager, Kevin Cate, has worked alongside me as he and Rick fight hard to get out their grassroots message to the public in Pasco County. His faith in and value placed on design and tactful communication have made our collaboration a pleasure and a success, each step of the way.

In April, Rick qualified for the primary ballet by petition, collecting over 5,000 signatures throughout the district.

Yesterday, the heavily trafficked site, Fire Dog Lake, provided a comprehensive overview of Rick’s campaign, his history, and the challenges he’s standing up against in the 5th district. Alongside this, they facilitated a massive grassroots fund-raising initiative and many of their visitors contributed to Rick’s cause, allowing the campaign to mail key communications to scattered and hard-to-reach constituents. During a day of four campaign events, Rick found a Wi-Fi connection at a highway restaurant and joined in the conversation on the Fire Dog Lake blog with his supporters—not only in Florida, but around the country.

Design, politics, technology, gererosity. To see all in civic action, this is what we work for.

I’m very honored and pleased to share that the family of contributors on Speak Up, the influential design blog, have invited me to join as an official author. Thanks to Armin, Bryony, and the rest of Speak Up for the warm welcome.