Listen up, gang. We’ve got some really big news. The Innovators Peak you know and love is getting a major makeover. And gurl, we’re looking good.
There’s a time in every website’s life when they have to make a choice to remain where they are and fade into obscurity, or evolve into a new, sleeker, sexier design. Innovators Peak is obviously going to choose the latter. We’re making the transition from our beautiful space here on Tumblr to an even sexier and trendier space on Wordpress. It’s going to be great.
While we’re a tad bummed to be departing from a medium that’s been so great to us, we’re even more excited to show you just how innovative we can get on Innovators Peak. Soon you’ll be gliding and diving into our stories about Denver’s best and brightest on a redesign smoother than Luther.
How I Got Over: The Power of Poetry and Storytelling
By Kaitlin Wasik
Do you ever have the urge to tell your story? Do you have life experiences that you wish you could share with others, but you’re just not sure how? Do you listen with envy to The Moth podcast and dream of that shining moment when you tell your most awkward date story to an engaged audience of listeners?
Well, five incredibly talented women in Denver have discovered a method for sharing their stories, and you can experience them live this weekend at “How I Got Over,” showing at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) on March 25 and 26.
However, don’t be misled; this is not amateur storytelling hour. These women – Suzi Q Smith, Jenee Elise, Bianca Mikahn, Toluwanimi Obiwole and Ralonda Simmons – are accomplished writers, poets, musicians and performers, and they’re bringing all these talents to the stage.
The Creative Process
“How I Got Over” began simply as five ladies sharing stories. Off Center, a branch of DCPA that creates out-of-the-box, unique theatrical experiences in Denver, began brainstorming this idea with Smith, a nationally known poet and finalist at the Women of the World Poetry Slam who lives in Denver. Beginning in the summer of 2015, Smith brought together a few local women she knew as strong writers and poets.
The women met regularly, over coffee or meals, and after months of meeting they discovered common emotions and struggles they had all experienced. Thoughts and feelings they once thought were foolish were now connecting them to each other. Now the question was: How can they portray these emotions and experiences to an audience?
For the last several months, these women developed, wrote, directed and ultimately performed “How I Got Over” to create a collaborative and authentic work of art. The show reflects their commonalities through each of their unique writing styles and poetic voices.
Not Your Average Play
Aligning with Off Center’s goal to engage theater audiences in innovative ways, “How I Got Over” is far from a traditional play.
As Smith describes it, “Written in the language of poetry, it is a reclamation of voice and a celebration of our survival.”
Elise, another writer and performer, with experience as a chef, punk rocker and poet, describes the show as:
“Black and brown women healing and expressing thoughts and situations that normally don’t get talked about.”
Following the opening weekend of the show, the performers have been moved and encouraged to hear audience members relating to their stories.
“It’s vulnerability in a way that we don’t usually get to express,” Elise says. “It feels like we’re oversharing, but in a way that you want. Just know you’re not alone, you’re not fighting by yourself; people are fighting with you and for you. This is a good place to realize that.”
The show covers an array of topics that every individual can relate to, regardless of their background, simply because they’re human. The performers provide strong, unique delivery, with a weaving of photos and media to enhance the messages.
“I hope that viewers walk away inspired to examine and tell their own stories and celebrate all that they have survived, to see themselves and others with empathy and courage,” Smith shares.
As we’re all faced with overcoming differences in a country filled with diversity, let us embrace the unique story of every person we encounter and strive to understand new perspectives. Let “How I Got Over” inspire you to listen and to share your story.
Shows start at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15. Tickets are available here.
There are three types of people in this crazy world:
People who write in comment sections on news websites.
People who read the comments and have trouble looking away, kind of like a train wreck.
People who avoid the comments sections altogether because the insanity that ensues sometimes is just unbearable.
And then you have the special ones who are charged with moderating the comments. A few of those people got together at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive to present on the panel, Comments Are Terrible: But They Don’t Have to Be. They talked about the highs and lows of building an online community, guiding productive conversations and the changing role of the journalist.
L-R: Talia Stroud, Erica Palan and Greg Barber.
The house was packed for this panel, with journalists and webmasters from various newspapers and publishers taking a seat to listen to presenters Erica Palan, Audience Engagement Manager at Philly.com, Greg Barber, Lead on Strategy and Partnerships at the Washington Post and the Coral Project and Talia Stroud, Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Director of the Engaging News Project.
Each presenter has their own war stories about taking down trolls, and there’s a collective approach to moving the trolls out from under their bridges to join the rest of humanity as productive people. During the panel, Palan shared a video from Philly.com that’s celebrities-read-mean tweets-meets-actual-comments-readers-make-on-news-articles:
Humor seems to be a must-have tool for journalists and publishers because they all agreed that in the end, they have one goal:
Build enlivened communities without hate speech or anger.
Comments Section Strategies
You can find the full presentation here.
There’s some debate over new websites comments sections. Journalists and publishers aren’t the same as social media sites; they’re not required to allow readers to comment or publically express their opinions. For many years, print journalism thrived without this two-way dialogue. So, the questions: What’s a good strategy for monitoring a comment sections? Monitor, delete, take them down? And really, why should news organizations even have comments? They take a ton of time and resources to monitor.
“Connection to the audience!” advocates Barber. “Comments are content too. The people who write comments are actually your most loyal users. They come back often, they stay longer, they are more likely to engage with you in ways that lead to subscriptions and events,” he explains.
Stroud agrees. “Comments are part of democratic norms. Comments have the potential to be a place where people can learn from one another, where papers can learn about their readership or find new sources,” she says.
Stroud has studied comment sections from a structural perspective and found:
Commenters are influenced by the architecture of comment sections.
A pro/con section at the top of the comments can help tie commenters to some context and put parameters on the discussion or debate.
The buttons on the comment should be catered to the medium; instead of “like” or “dislike,” use “recommend” or “respect.” Strangely enough, people will hit “respect” for a comment they don’t like. For example, a Democrat will “respect” a Republican’s comments.
This all makes sense to the rest of the panel. “[We should] approach the comment sections as a place that must provide value. It’s interactivity on your storytelling,” says Barber.
Tools and Tactics for Managing the Comments Section
The comments section has the potential to do great things. “If we make connections with these users, we can cement stronger relationships that will lead to increased readership,” Barber explains.
So what about those dreaded trolls?
“Sometimes just reminding the commenters that their comments are racist, homophobic or misogynistic [works for curbing the trolls]. It is like a teacher reprimanding a third grader,” Palan explains.
Stroud agrees, noting that there’s research to back that up. “If a reporter enters the comment section and engages with the commenters, the instability of the comments drops by 15 percent! Just by asking questions and proving factual questions; we have some evidence that journalists involvement will help moderate a comments section.”
Palan and the journalists at Philly.com have noticed that trend too. “[We] tried it on Philly.com – and it really helped,” she says.
Keeping Up With the Comments
“It can be hard to keep up with comments, from Facebook and Twitter and other sources,” says Palan. “So much discourse sometimes on powerful stories. So with our resources, we have to clean up the stuff on our site (Philly.com).”
Barber chimes in, “If commenting sections are nurtured, paid attention to and engaged with, they will become communities. And communities can be argumentative and disagree, but they are also very supportive and empowering.”
The debate does rage on about moderating these comments. Stroud found in her studies that “About 42 of people think comments should be moderated, but about 42 percent think they are free speech and should not be touched,” she says.
And one surprising finding: “Sixty percent think journalists should be involved in the comments section and be engaging with commenters,” she says, which changes a journalist’s role from being a news presenter to a news engager, you know, in addition to the roles they often play as editor, producer and photographer too.
What We Learned from the Pros
#SXSW exclusive: Live demo of new open source comment moderation software from the @coralproject. #comments pic.twitter.com/hnISlKbEEy
— Joseph Neese (@josephneese) March 14, 2016
Use a monitoring tools like the brand-spanking-new Coral Project. The software helps to monitor online communities, and it’s what Barber works on, too. It’s open source, so it’s designed to be integrated with and used as a tool along with other software.
Make rules for your comments section. Post them at the top. Tell people what you’re talking about. See exhibit A from Philly.com.
Focus on nurturing the comments section. If you’re a moderator, it’s your job to remind commenters that there’s an adult in the room and there’s no space in your community for bigotry, hatred or disrespect.
Brothers Adam and Ryan Boyko are dog lovers. They’re Ivy League-educated scientists who’ve dedicated their lives to mapping canine genomes. At their South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Panel, Can Your Dog’s DNA Transform Human Health and Aging?, the brothers described how a dog’s unique status as the first domesticated species also makes it an ideal animal to learn more about human health.
Dogs share many of the same afflictions from which humans suffer, from Muscular Dystrophy to cancer to allergies. Thus, exploring dog DNA can inform us about the human genome. Here are highlights from their presentation.
The brother’s research started by tracing the dog species from the multiple breeds we see today, to the animal’s origins as an offshoot of wolves. “Looking at just the genetics of purebred dogs was like looking at the royal family and trying to find insights on the entirety of humanity,” says Ryan, a Harvard-trained computer scientist and big data researcher.
So, on his honeymoon with his — now — ex-wife, Ryan traveled across Africa to do genetic testing on what he called “village dogs.” His research eventually led him to Asia, specifically, Nepal, as the birthplace of today’s domesticated dogs. He found that outside of purebred species, across the world, dogs looked very similar in shape in size. Generally, they look like mutts.
After tracing the basic elements of dog genetics, the brothers found that the species vast array of different breeds, but relatively simple genetic code, made it a valuable research tool to discover more about human health. (Note: The specifics are pretty complicated.)
By investigating the gene mutations in the diseases that dogs and humans share, Adam Boyko, a professor of biomedical sciences at Cornell University, says we can more quickly discover how our shared DNA sequences can both cause — and can prevent — diseases.
Adam’s favorite anecdote involved Ringo, a golden retriever who showed the gene mutation for Muscular Dystrophy, but didn’t suffer from the disease. Luckily, Ringo liked to escape from his enclosure, and unintentionally sired four different litters of pups. One of Ringo’s offspring displayed the same condition, and by comparing the DNA of Ringo and his son, scientists were able to identify a compensatory gene mutation that inhibited Muscular Dystrophy from occurring in the dogs.
“People love dogs,” Adam says during his presentation, which wound back around to the Boyko brothers pitch: a gene-testing product for dog owners called Embark. With Embark, the brothers hope, they’ll not only provide dog owners with valuable information about the long-term health of their pets, but they’ll also accrue data that can help the human race. To get started, they’re looking for some high-profile dogs, like Bo:
@BarackObama is in town for #SXSW. Does Bo want to be the First Dog to #Embark and improve dog science and care? https://t.co/h7g5GLoI2m
— Embark Veterinary (@embarkvet) March 11, 2016
You can file this under “SXSW startup to watch out for in the next year,” since it already has $2 million in funding.
Business Revolutionary Dan Price Wants Us to be Our Own Best CEOs
If you don’t know the story of Dan Price, you haven’t been paying attention. Price, who owns a credit card processing company called Gravity, cut his pay by one million dollars in April 2015 and instituted a minimum annual salary of $70,000 company-wide. Price based the salary on research showing $70,000 is the point at which people truly reach middle class bliss.
Since publicly announcing his plan last year, Price has become both a media darling and devil — celebrated as a business revolutionary, for giving capitalism a soul, and as a self-serving attention-seeker. He’s also currently embroiled in lawsuits with his brother and former business partner.
But during his talk at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, What I Learned from My Million Dollar Pay Cut, Price glossed over the controversy and instead focused on the thoughts and feelings that led him to seek not just a living wage, but a life-building wage for his employees.
Great session for our last day @sxsw featuring Gravity CEO @DanPriceSeattle "We are all CEOs, CEOs of our own life" pic.twitter.com/yxvhRf0iRY
— TrendyMinds® (@TrendyMinds) March 15, 2016
The Timeline: How It All Started
Priced provided a lengthy description of his formative upbringing. How he started a successful high school rock band; how he realized he was better at running the business-end of the band than actually playing bass and singing; and how he most connected with the small business owners and entrepreneurs during the band’s gigs across the U.S.
One coffee shop owner, in particular, who confided in Price about the exorbitant fees she was charged for credit card processing (her business’ fourth largest expense) led him to contact the credit card processor and negotiate a better fee for the coffee shop owner.
The World of Credit Card Processing
That experience led Price to embroil himself in the world of credit card processing. In the mid-2000s he started his own processing company in Seattle, seeking to provide fairer treatment and superior customer service to small business owners.
"I wanted to make credit card processing fair. That was the goal of @GravityPymts." -@DanPriceSeattle #SXSW
— Matt Dho (@MattDho) March 15, 2016
But as his company grew, and overcame a multitude of challenges that nearly bankrupted him, Price says he began to lose sight of the original reason he started the company: to help people. “I was proud, arrogant and afraid,” he says. “And how do we act when we’re arrogant and afraid? Most often, irrationally.”
Though he initially wouldn’t admit it, especially to himself, Price says the influence of the prevailing business culture and the fellow CEOs he interacted with led him to believe that his employees should be thankful to him for their meager wages (“market rates,” he justified) and that his exorbitant personal compensation was entirely self-earned.
“Wow, I made all these sacrifices and worked really hard so you could keep your job, and I’m getting beat up over it,” he told an employee who confronted him about the company’s low wages. “I acted like a complete victim,” he says.
The $1,000,000 “Ah ha” Moment
“We should all hike,” Price told the audience as he wound toward the ah-ha moment in which he instituted a $70,000 minimum salary. On a long walk in the outdoors with a close friend who was deeply concerned about a $200 monthly rent increase, Price wondered if his employees felt the same type of daily financial insecurity. Though he’d already been increasing wages by 15 percent per year over the previous three years, he decided on the hike do something previously un-thought of in the traditional business community.
“She was smart, and a hard worker, why was she struggling?” Price wondered, and then continued. “The people that I work with, I say they’re my partners, that I care about them, that they’re helping me fulfill my dream of providing fair and affordable credit card processing. But was I lying? It was a hard and scary question for me that I didn’t know the answer to.”
When he announced the $70,000 minimum salary, Price made the most of what he claims was completely unexpected publicity. He appeared on every major nightly and morning news show, and was the number one news story across aggregation sites globally.
A year into the experiment, Price says Gravity’s vital signs are healthy, and very promising in terms of sustainability and growth. But, he says, the $70,000 minimum wage, more broadly, is about more than just compensating his employees fairly.
“I’m part of a movement in business. Moving away from trying to make every last dollar for yourself and your shareholders,” Price says. “The future of business is about making a difference, making an impact. That’s the shift I want to dedicate my entire career to. It’s a huge wave that’s coming. The message we’re sending is to either convert to this way of thinking, or we’re going to kill you in the market place.”
In his final pitch to the audience, Price calls on the crowd, business owners or not, to not function as automatons to the establishment: “You are an entrepreneur and you are a CEO, you are the CEO of your life,” he says.
"You cannot trust anyone else to be the CEO of your life and career. It has to be you." -@DanPriceSeattle
— GravityPayments (@GravityPymts) March 15, 2016
“You can’t trust anyone to take that position from you. As a CEO you have to be accountable for what you do and what you know. If you know it’s wrong, even if directed by a boss, you cannot do it.”
Price continues, saying, “Be honest: If there’s a hard truth, if you have to tell someone about the realities of their business, you need to be honest about that. I’m pushing in that direction, I’m trying to find that. That’s the thing that gives me the energy and the drive to keep going.”
NBC’s new comedy streaming service is here, and they’ve kicked off their release in style.
This past Saturday, Seeso hosted their Denver launch party at The Commons on Champa, a public campus for entrepreneurship.
The gathering in Denver was just one piece of Seeso’s nation-wide launch. The streaming service kicked off their official release on March 12 with a star-studded party at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX.
True to SXSW style, the Seeso launch festivities would not have been complete without cutting-edge innovations in mobile technology.
For those who couldn’t make it to the main event in Austin, Seeso held launch parties around the U.S. in Denver, Philadelphia, Nashville, Seattle, Chicago and New Haven. Each community hosted a party featuring local comedic talent, plus a live stream of the main event in Austin played on television monitors, connecting attendees at all of the venues in real time.
Live comedy performances at SXSW showcased stars from some of Seeso’s featured content, such as Nate Bargatze from Conan and The Tonight Show, Todd Glass from Last Comic Standing, Megan Gailey from Conan, Todd Barry from Flight of the Concords and standup comedian Joe Pera. A guest DJ set from Lil Jon rounded out the evening.
Back in Denver, the party served up local catering, an open bar and a live comedy performance by Chris Voth, veteran of Last Comic Standing.
“I’m excited to be part of this,” says Voth, opening his routine. “All the major cities, you heard that they went through the list: Chicago, Philadelphia, Nashville, Seattle and New Haven. When you think of the big cities, Denver is right up there with New Haven,” he deadpanned.
“I’m a Colorado native, and like most Colorado natives, I was born and raised in California,” continues Voth. “I’ve been here 10, 15 years, but I’ve got a sticker on the back of my Jeep that says I’m a native, and that’s really all that matters. Two dollars at Walgreens and you’re in — you don’t have to show documentation or anything like that.”
Event staff circulated the Denver party with iPhones on selfie sticks, allowing viewers to tune into the event’s live stream remotely using the Stringwire mobile app. Stringwire crowdsources user-generated video, enabling users to collaborate to cover an event. It automatically stores recordings online for future viewing and credits the user with the clip.
Adding to the lighthearted spirit of the evening, the Seeso Denver launch also featured a selfie competition, where people were encouraged to post their best selfies for the chance to win a Roku.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, was created in 1957 as a reaction to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik. The agency was tasked with recruiting some of the brightest scientific minds in the U.S. to develop technologies that keep citizens safe and maintain our nation’s status as a leader in science.
Today, that mission continues on a variety of fronts. At SXSW Interactive, the agency’s Deputy Director, neuroscientist Justin Sanchez, and geneticist Daniel Wattendorf spoke to a packed room about DARPA’s latest initiatives.
DARPA frequently makes the news for their developments that seem like they belong on the SyFy channel, spurring headlines like CNN’s recent one stating, “U.S. military spending millions to make cyborgs a reality.”
DARPA is taking neural interfacing from motor (controlling a robotic arm with your brain) to memory restoration #DARPAbio #sxsw
— Camilla Yates (@camilla_y) March 12, 2016
While cyborgs aren’t quite their main objective, and what they’re doing is indeed real, Sanchez and Wattendorf revealed a few potentially high-impact projects they’re working on:
Neurotransmitters that, when attached to the head of someone who’s suffered a complete paralysis, can allow the person to control a robotic arm. They can shake hands, give fist bumps and feel pressure on the hand. “Sidenote, we created the robotic arm, too,” Sanchez says.
Stymieing the next outbreak of Ebola, or an even scarier not-yet-known infectious disease. How? By linking effective antibodies to human DNA or RNA and injecting it into the sick individual. “This might sound like gene therapy, but we’re not putting the antibodies on DNA or RNA that interacts with the human body,” Wattendorf explains.
Restoring active memory in soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries by attaching electrodes to the memory center inside their brains. The procedure has shown a nearly 30 percent improvement in test subjects.
Using bioreactors (like fetal tissue) to create more blood from existing red blood cells, outside the human body — eliminating the need for blood donation. DARPA managed to do this, but at about ten times the cost.
Great to see #sxsw interest in the intersection of #govt and #tech. @dhsscitech @DARPA @GaryShapiro @GaryShapiro pic.twitter.com/bQBrTDspjf
— Adam Palmer (@AdamEcDev) March 15, 2016
It’s no secret that DARPA wants SXSW Interactive attendees to consider joining the agency to help speed up and grow their incredible innovation. Scientific stints with DARPA only last two to four years, which some of the attendees — who are usually ahead of the curve and looking to be a part of the next big thing — may find appealing.
In his final pitch to the audience, Sanchez voices the confidence of someone who has created a mind-controlled robot:
“We’re tasked with solving the world’s biggest problems. The future is only limited by our imaginations.”
Well, at least according to a highly acclaimed performing artist.
With 70 degree weather and clear skies, Austin gave a warm welcome to the 33,000-plus people attending SXSW this year, and provided the perfect setting for a Saturday night party. The hottest ticket was the Comcast Ventures Party.
Lights. Colors. Talent. And Ludacris and Lil Jon. That’s just a short description of what went down at The Belmont. The party thumped with the energy of hundreds of creative, innovative people coming together to talk music, tech, business and hopefully collaboration. Oh, and I suppose a little fun. Enough fun to keep two lines wrapped around the block of partygoers ready to venture in. (Ha. Ha.)
This year marks its 30th year running and these music headliners make it clear: It’s only going to get bigger.
Highlights from the Comcast Ventures Party include:
The people - From the bar to the stage to the upstairs and downstairs patio, the party packed a great crowd. Notable attendees included Community (yes, the television show) creator and producer Dan Harmon. Harmon and several notables from the Seeso event at Esther’s Follies had strolled over because this served as their unofficial after party. Besides comedy elite, investor and “startup muse” Christine Herron was in attendance, plus Marketing Land founder Danny Sullivan and Philly Tech Week organizers and advocates for a better Philly through technology, Technical.ly Philly.
Once a sleepy corporate investment arm, @ComcastVentures is now hosting a pretty banging Lil Jon #SXSW2016 party pic.twitter.com/BreHQzu8wT
— Technical.ly Philly (@TechnicallyPHL) March 13, 2016
The place - If you’re in Austin and haven’t stopped by the Belmont, you should. Located on 6th Avenue between Guadalupe and Lavaca Streets, it’s a beautiful hotel with lots of space both indoors and outdoors to mingle, plus some great city skyline views. Its classic-meets-modern decor makes for a comfortable yet upscale setting to grab a drink or coffee with that new connection you made at SXSW. Complementing its incredible floor plan was an on-point sound system and catered food from Austin's finest: Stubb’s BBQ.
The music - SXSW started as one of the country's premier music showcases. So when you have a party in this town, you better give everyone a reason to bring their dancing shoes. Ludacris and Lil Jon got us all moving with songs like Usher’s hit, “Yeah” which, let’s be honest, we all enjoy dancing to, making this crowd the loudest yet at SXSW.
'This might be the loudest SXSW crowd yet... Yep this is the loudest.' @Ludacris #SXSW2016 pic.twitter.com/2IS0jGm5Qy
— Comcast Ventures (@ComcastVentures) March 13, 2016
We’re stoked to see what the rest of the week has to offer. Lots more to come with thought-provoking panel discussions, music by the incredible Ray LaMontagne and other interactive events.
Dispatches from the Comcast Social Media Lounge: Tipping Sucks
Welcome to the Comcast Social Media Lounge, a refuge against the storm of South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, where the snacks are hot and the couches are soft. No nappers seen. Yet.
Here, while eating a soft pretzel and enjoying a complimentary Austin Amber ale (yes, there’s free beer and wine starting around 4 p.m.), you just might hear one of the Lounge’s many guest lecturers say something super interesting or, drop a head-turning F-bomb.
Here’s what happened at the Comcast Social Media Lounge on the festival’s first day.
Danny Meyer on Why Tipping Sucks
Really interesting talk with Danny Meyer about their no tipping policy and tech in hospitality #ComcastSXSW #sxsw pic.twitter.com/alCn7SjVET
— susan borst (@susanborst) March 11, 2016
Danny Meyer, the owner of the Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern and the booming burger joint Shake Shack, hates tipping. He really hates tipping.
“Tipping is one of the most demeaning processes in human history. When you tip someone, you’re telling them that you don’t believe they would treat you well unless you tipped them,” he said.
“Does anyone know what tip pooling is?” he asks, referencing the practice of servers sharing their tips with the cooks, bussers and hosts, making them equally reliant on a customer’s gratitude.
“Yeah, it sucks!” Someone shouts.
“We’ve convinced you you’re paying the tip out of a separate pocket, but that’s B.S. We got rid of tipping at our restaurants, and showed our staff their wages wouldn’t go down as a result,” he said.
Meyer went on to discuss how we’ve also, over time, accepted that fast food must also be poor quality food, but the free pizza arrived and a large crowd coalesced around the snack table.
The POTUS
#ComcastSXSW lounge packed for @POTUS livestream, but @dhmeyer with great opening act re: evolution of restaurants pic.twitter.com/R35zryxeg4
— Todd Smith (@toddpr) March 11, 2016
The room was packed for President Obama’s keynote address, in which he urged the tech attendees to work toward better political engagement. At least half of the people who were at the Lounge to watch the Obama live stream had their heads in their smartphones. Guilty, but I was taking notes, promise! In case you missed it, you can catch the speech here.
Making the Pay Equity Problem Front-and-Center
Speaking on the (“F-ing”) insanity of wage equity, Shelly Zalis, the founder and CEO of the Girl’s Lounge, received a big response from the Loungers when she told the following anecdote:
“At a conference we hosted, we charged men one dollar for water, and women only 77 cents.”
Boom.
Great Music and Awkward Dancing
A few drinks into happy hour, hip-hop artist and social media maven Jersey Demic (2,744,029 Facebook likes and counting) performed a short set. Awkward dancing ensued.
Comedy lovers (or comedy likers, even), the time is now.
Seeso, NBCUniversal's brand spankin' new comedy-streaming service, is throwing down in Austin at SXSW Interactive with an exclusive launch party. All the high rollers will be there. (I think? I don't exactly know what a high roller is.) But here's the thing. We have a livestream, thanks to the wonderful folks at Stringwire, ready for you to tune in, almost like you're part of the party itself. Pretty cool.
Tune in on this page on March 12 at 6:25 p.m. MT to join in on the festivities, featuring appearances and performances from comedians (and Seeso stars) Dan Harmon (HarmonQuest, Community, Rick and Morty), Scott Aukerman (Bajillion Dollar Propertie$), Cameron Esposito (Take My Wife), and (many, many) more.
Your browser is not compatible with this live stream
Here’s How to Tune In to the Seeso SXSW Launch Party
Do you love comedy? Shut up, of course you do.
Everybody loves to laugh. From Amy Poehler to the Muppets to Weird Al, there’s something for everybody in the comedy game. Wouldn’t it be perfect if all of our favorite comedians and sitcoms were all in one central site where we could binge-watch to our heart’s content?
Well then you better get excited, comedy fans, because this is a big announcement! SXSW Comedy is hosting a one-of-a-kind party to announce the launch of the embodiment of comedy, NBC’s new streaming service Seeso, a comedy-exclusive service filled with content that’s only $3.99 a month. Damn.
Oh. Yes.
On Saturday, March 12, SXSW Comedy will be throwing a launch party hosted by Seeso. And I bet you’d like to attend, right? Of course you would!
“But, oh no! I didn’t purchase passes to attend SXSW, I can’t go!”
Wow, dude, that really sucks. Oh wait, no it doesn’t! Dry those tears, buddy, because even if you can’t attend in person, you can watch a live stream right here on Innovators Peak, thanks to the wonderful power of streaming platform Stringwire.
If you are at SXSW, and you’ve got a Film Bage, Interactive Badge, Gold Badge, or Platinum Badge, you really need to drop by The Belmont and get into some serious, no-kidding-around comedy. And yes, I see the oxymoron, and I don’t care. Try and stop me.
Listen up, you inquisitive members of society! We’ve got a mystery for you. Nine years ago, a Denver Post restaurant critic wrote a piece about his negative experiences at different local establishments (and they sound very negative, or at the very least he sounds kinda bitchy).
In it, he gives general descriptions of the restaurants and the names a few neighborhoods. A Washington Park bakery that serves burnt coffee. A Capitol Hill restaurant with an odd host station screensaver. A beautifully designed Northern Stapleton restaurant that likes to close up early.
Here’s the challenge: Restaurant critic Tucker Shaw never revealed where exactly these restaurants are. It’s a total mystery as to which restaurants he was critiquing. But, nearly ten years later, we want to find out. Like, really badly.
Do you live in those neighborhoods? Do you know what restaurants Tucker Shaw is talking about? Have you been there? Have you had a similar experience?
Do any of these restaurants exist anymore? I mean, it’s been nine years, chances are if these experiences are that bad then I can’t imagine they’ve lasted terribly wrong. Then again, you never know.
…Or do you?
If you do know these restaurants and you want to play this little guessing game, or if you know what neighborhood these poor excuses for eating establishments reside in, you should head on over to EveryBlock, a forum for neighborhood news. You really couldn’t ask for a better public forum to gab about your neighborhood establishment and how they made you wait for 15 minutes before even asking if you want a drink.
Or you could even post about your own terrible restaurant experiences! Get in touch with your neighbors and gossip about having burnt coffee, being told not to order sushi when it’s on the menu or waiting an absurd amount of time for a cocktail.
Well, what are you waiting for? Get cracking, little Sherlock Holmes-wannabes!
From Brain Hacks to Smarter Cities, SXSW Will Be an Innovator’s Paradise
For those lucky enough, March is the time to saddle up because in a week, the city of Austin, Texas, will host the 2016 SXSW Interactive Festival. And as you may have guessed, Innovators Peak will be there. Guaranteed to be full of exciting events and good times, SXSW can be a bit daunting considering its scope. Luckily for you though, we did all the work. Below are our top picks perfect for Coloradans that will change your world. You can thank us later.
Already feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry: There are several lounges where you can network, recharge and relax between events. We’re already planning to hit up the Comcast Social Media Lounge to connect with major influencers. We’ll be the ones downing the coffee.
Prison Tech Boom: Social Outcomes and Entrepreneurs
Prison reform has been a hot topic, but did you know prison tech is booming? Find out more from the founders of Mission: Launch, a civic tech nonprofit that helps people reenter society after spending time in prison, and the founder of Flikshop, an app that lets the incarcerated receive personalized mail. Two of the speakers previously served time and will speak on their experiences and discuss best practices on how to support unlikely techies. // Friday, March 11, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Hilton Austin Downtown, 500 E Fourth St., Salon E
Hustler to Entrepreneur: Tech and Disconnected Youth
This panel discusses the abundance of creativity in the “hustle mentality” of disconnected youth that can ultimately develop into entrepreneurship with the right guidance. By discussing how TechTank, a program that fosters mentorships to build a local tech talent pipeline, worked to help Bronx youth become tech-savvy entrepreneurs, the speakers will discuss how to implement such programs in low-income areas. // Friday, March 11, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., JW Marriott, 110 E Second St., Salon C
Unapologetic Women Win Meetings in Jeans
This panel poses a question: Ever been in a meeting where the women are in suits and the men in jeans? From something like meeting attire emerges bigger issues related to being a woman in business like maternity leave and balancing work with family life. Featuring four leaders in Denver’s advertising and digital industries, this panel will offer solutions for success in industries that have yet to fully embrace gender equality from people who’ve been there. // Sunday, March 13, 5 p.m.-6 p.m., JW Marriott, 110 E Second St., Salon 7
Burning Man: From Free Play to Innovation Science
Coloradans know how to have fun, but who knew playfulness could be considered “a refined mechanism of evolution that acts as an engine of engagement and adaptability”? This expert panel – from an Oxford primatologist to a staff member of Burning Man – discusses how the creativity of play not only fosters social relationships, but is also “a precursor to innovation” and accordingly, how the future of innovation depends on tapping into our playfulness. // Monday, March 14, 5 p.m.-6 p.m., Westin Austin Downtown, 301 E Fifth St., Paramount 1
Next for NASA: The Journey to Mars
Considering Colorado’s growing role in the space game, this panel is for those wondering how far off The Martian is from happening IRL. First steps have already been taken with astronauts studying the effects of long-duration stays in space, but NASA is hardly slowing down. From the Kennedy Space Center being transformed into a next-generation spaceport to the world’s most powerful rocket undergoing manufacture and testing, find out from four NASA employees what we can expect to lead to the first steps on Mars. // Tuesday, March 15, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Austin Convention Center, 531 E Fourth St., Room 6AB
Smart Cars, Smarter Cities: New Transit Tech
Smartphones, smart cars, smart homes. What’s next for the Internet of Things? Smart cities, of course. With increasing network and mobile connectivity, there are new possibilities to address urban issues like congested highways and overburdened energy grids. This panel will examine the “physical architecture of smart, connected, shareable cities” from their appearance to transportation logistics to the impact of the sharing economy on urban living. // Saturday, March 12, 11 a.m.-noon, Austin Convention Center, 531 E Fourth St., Room 8ABC
Hacking the Brain to Treat Paralysis
After Ian Burkhart became paralyzed in 2010, he joined a clinical trial where a small chip was implanted in his brain. Months later, he became the first person to use brain implant technology to regain voluntary movement of paralyzed muscles. In this panel, Ian, his doctors and the engineer who developed the technology will discuss their shared journey and what’s to come of it. // Saturday, March 12, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., JW Marriott, 110 E Second St., Room 203-204
Believing Is Seeing: Tech+Attitude Trumps Blindness
In need of some serious inspiration? Check out this panel featuring Erik Weihenmayer, the only blind person in history to climb Mount Everest who helps people “harness the power of adversity” to pioneer forward. The other speaker is founder of Not Impossible Labs Mick Ebeling, an award-winning producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who’s reached new heights in creating innovative healthcare. These barrier-breaking innovators will explore what's now possible and what the future holds. // Sunday, March 13, 11 a.m.-noon, Austin Convention Center, 531 E Fourth St., Room 9ABC
Headin’ to Austin? Tell us what you’re doing and where you’re going on Twitter!
It’s that time of year again, folks. That time of year where we all gather in the beautiful town of Austin, TX to blend film, music, and technology into one giant festival filled with innovation, imagination, and inspiration.
I’m talking, of course, about SXSW 2016.
Once again, Innovators Peak will be attending the nation’s, nay, the world’s most interactive and groundbreaking festival we’ve seen in generations. We’ll be reporting from the ground, giving you the inside scoop on the next big trend.
We’re expecting big things at this year’s SXSW, featuring keynotes from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, co-keynotes Ellen Page and Ian Daniel and many other compelling speakers. There are tons of events, performances, and interactive demonstrations to attend, such as the Comcast Social Media Lounge, where you can connect, relax, and recharge. Think of it as your SXHQ.
If you’re planning on attending the festival of the year, here’s where you can register. But whether you can make it or not, be sure to stick with @InnovatorsPeak for updates, interviews, and more!
So, are you as excited for SXSW 2016 as we are?! Why are we even asking, of course you are!
The glitz. The glamour. The speeches; There’s no question that Oscar Sunday is one of the biggest nights in television. Xfinity and X1 want to make that night as memorable as possible. Whether you have some hardcore binging to do before the curtain rises, or you want to watch the ceremony again from every angle and perspective, here are five ways that will be sure to enhance your Oscar viewing experience before, during and after the big event.
Relive some of the most amazing Oscar wins
Yaaaas, Lupita.
From now until the big night this Sunday, X1 users have access to some of the best acceptance speeches from years past. 72 clips are available leading up to the Oscars, including Lupita Nyong’o’s stirring supporting actress win in 2014 and Sally Field’s acceptance speech for best actress in 1985. Reliving some of those iconic moments is sure to get you in the mood for what is shaping up to be one of the most historic Oscar nights in recent history.
Catch up on nominations past and present
Our personal choice for pretty much every award category? Mad Max: Fury Road.
Need a refresher on nominations or maybe you’ve yet to see any of the best picture nominations and you want to binge them all Saturday before the big night Sunday? Have no fear: X1 has over 20 nominated movies available for purchase, including The Revenant, Bridge of Spies, Mad Max: Fury Road and Sicario. Along with this year’s nominations, X1 will also be featuring a ton of past winners, like Titanic and The Godfather. Try your hand at our new and improved voice-search capabilities by quoting famous lines to find what you’re look for. Your friends might question why you’re whispering, “paint me like one of your French girls” into your remote, but it will totally work. Oscar related content will be available until March 31st.
The night’s biggest moments in real time
Jared’s acceptance speech had us in tears.
One of the most amazing things about the Oscars is that action is taking place everywhere, so much so that it’s impossible to fully experience them from just one camera angle. While you’ll definitely want to tune into Live Oscar Sunday February 28, if you want the full Oscar experience check X1 for some of the best moments from around the ceremony in live time. If you got up to make some popcorn and missed Leo’s groundbreaking acceptance speech (this has to be the year, right?), have no fear: it will be up on X1 immediately, so you can relive it again and again.
Re-watch until March 2, baby
Sometimes with award shows it can be a little sad that you can only watch them once. The night is full of exciting speeches and performances that sometimes just watching a three-minute recap clip online isn’t enough. X1 users will have access to the entirety of the awards show from the time it finishes airing until March 2. Watch the whole thing or pick out some of your favorite moments. It’ll be a lot easier than trying to hunt down a clip online, trust us.
Get the experience to-go
You can take your favorite shows with you on the go using the Xfinity TV Go app. Not only can you get all of the amazing content listed above on your TV but you will also be able to access a majority of it on your smartphone or tablet, meaning you can take the Oscars experience with you wherever you go. Some of the things you’ll be able to access on the app include past and present best picture nominees, iconic acceptance speeches and “Oscars Backstage,” all of which will be available before and during the big event. You can also access Xfinity TV Go on your laptop, so no matter what, you’ll always have access to the best Oscars content.
Walking through Five Points, the Denver neighborhood looks like it could be an up-and-coming cross-section of any U.S. metropolis. Full of art studios, new restaurants, and hip coffee shops, the cultural scene resembles many other art districts.
Look more closely. You’ll find the imprints of a rich history of jazz music, including world-class venues and legendary jazz musicians who have called Denver home.
Today’s Five Points, and the rich history of jazz culture in the area, are inseparable from Colorado’s black history. In the 1870s, black railroad workers established their families on 22nd Street, building a small community termed the “Deep South.”
Over the following decades, more black residents moved to Five Points. By the time the Roaring Twenties hit full swing, over ninety percent of Denver’s black population lived in Five Points—due in equal measures to politics and a strong sense of community.
The political climate in Colorado during the 1920s and 1930s played a large role in defining the evolution of Five Points, and in turn, Denver’s jazz scene. The Klu Klux Klan was embedded in Colorado politics. Mayor Stapleton, a Klan member, vowed to work closely with the Klan and drove policies that supported segregation. Five Points, the heart of Denver’s black community, was heavily segregated. Black residents could not live beyond the boundary of Downing Street.
Amidst these racial tensions and the stark political climate, jazz flourished in Denver’s black community. Five Points produced legendary clubs like the Rossonian, the Casino Cabaret, Lotus Club, and Benny Hooper’s ex-servicemen club.
Between the clubs and myriad jazz artists who called Five Points home, Denver was home to the biggest jazz scene between California and St. Louis. Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Duke Ellington are but a few of the jazz legends who performed in Denver.
However, segregation meant that legendary performers were not allowed to stay in the hotels and neighborhoods where they performed. Five Points residents opened their doors to touring musicians, offering places to stay.
“Celebrities were closer to the community because of the segregated condition in the United States,” reminisces Harriet Butcher, the legendary jazz dancer, in an interview with RMPBS. “I met Langston Hughes at the YWCA.”
Image: Veronica Penney.
Not only did jazz celebrities mingle with the Five Points community, but jazz music had a way of breaking down racial boundaries. The Rossonian was one of the few places in Denver where white and black people could rub shoulders.
“It brought white people into Five Points who’d never been there before,” remembers Beatty B.C. Hobbs, jazz saxophonist. “All mixed up. No such thing as segregation.”
“They mixed with us. They found out we didn’t rub off. We were human, just like they were,” explains Charlotte Cowens, a jazz pianist who performed in Denver during the height of the jazz movement.
Jazz music in Denver had a way of bringing everyone together, not just blacks and whites. The Al Rose Trio was the first integrated trio in Colorado—Al Rose was Jewish, Lee Arellano was Spanish, and Charles Burrell was black.
Fast forward to present day Denver and the jazz scene is still alive and well. Clubs like Nocturne, Jazz at Jack’s, and El Chapultepec frequently feature jazz acts. Dazzle on Capitol Hill is listed as one of the “World’s 100 Great Jazz Clubs” by DownBeat Magazine.
KUVO/KVJZ, an all-jazz public radio station, also calls Five Points home. The station, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, hosts the annual Live at the Vineyards show at Ballistreri Vineyards in north Denver. Live at the Vineyards pulls jazz stars to Denver each year, last year featuring five-time Grammy winner Diane Reeves.
Image: Chris Coble
Perhaps the most prominent jazz event in Denver is the Five Points Jazz Festival. Held the third weekend each May, the Five Points Jazz Festival draws a crowd of over 25,000 each year to watch more than 30 artists perform at venues across Five Points over the course of the weekend.
If you’re looking for ways to honor Black history beyond February, consider diving into the local jazz scene. You won’t be disappointed.
Tip of the Peak: Does a Clean Desk Mean Less Stress?
By Glenn Krieger
Workspaces are subjective. What may be a filthy nightmare to one person is an organizational haven for another. Sometimes people keep a messy workspace, and they get nothing accomplished. Other times people keep a very neat and tidy workspace, only to find that they’re uninspired. And some people have nothing there, and are perfectly happy. It’s really a matter of what works best for you.
That being said, what we may believe works for us, may not actually work. Believe it or not, there’s actually a rhyme and reason to maintaining a solid workplace, yet keep it personal so as to keep you happy.
There’s one thing we all know; a drab, grey collection of cubicles is soul draining. And I think most of us can agree that those young, hip workspaces with pinball machines, ball-chairs, and hackey sacks are a bunch of childish nonsense.
So what is actually the perfect workspace? Let’s keep organization in our pocket for now, we all know that’s important. Well, let’s make this a little personal and take a look at my own workspace:
Pretty sweet, right? Not too cluttered, but not exactly spotless, not filled with knick-knacks but not exactly void of visual pleasures. But there’s more than meets the eye. There are actually quite a few lessons you can learn from my beautiful workspace.
Let’s go through them, shall we? We shall.
Be Inspired
Sometimes all it takes is an inspirational cat telling you to “hang in there!”
Add a Little Green
Or some “green” in my case. My request for an office plant has yet to be answered, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s called imagination people!
Anyway… getting off track here.
Studies show that office plants improve both the visual aesthetic of an office and worker concentration and productivity. This is the “duh, we kinda knew that already” part of this piece. But some people still don’t do it! Trust me, it totally helps. I can tell by the looks on my other co-workers’ faces.
What’s That (Wonderful) Smell?
Do your hands get dry or ashy? Would you like the occasional fresh scent? Then you should probably invest in some lotion. The lotion (or “hand cream” as it’s so fancifully labeled) that I use smells like Christmas. So every time I use it, I feel just a little warmer inside. Like the feeling I get after that first sip of Christmas scotch. …except it’s totally not, because that wouldn’t be appropriate for the workplace.
Have a Sense of Humor
If you can’t have a good chuckle every now and again while you’re at work, then… that sucks. What makes me laugh is a charming photobooth strip of my sister tenderly eating a cupcake at our cousin’s wedding. I mean, how could you now laugh at that? Add a little humor into your workspace and your soul will thank you.
Get Comfy
Sometimes it gets chilly in the office! That’s why I keep my sweet MailChimp hat nearby in case of the ol’ shivers. Your sense of comfort may differ. Perhaps some slippers would be a nice addition. Or even a classic comfy sweater. But whatever it is, make sure you’re comfortable.
Yes, those are stunner shades. And yes, they go great with the hat.
Whatever your preferences may be, make sure that your workspace is a place that you’re happy spending a lot of time in. You need to have just the right balance of comfort, humor, and inspiration without anything being distracting.
Sure, you may be comfortable in your underwear playing video games and eating Doritos (as we all are), but that’s not exactly work appropriate. You may find the smell of a Limburger and onion sandwich appealing, but (and trust me when I say this) nobody else does. You may only relax to Willow’s “Whip My Hair” on repeat, but you’re only going to drive everybody else crazy.
Point is that you still have to be considerate to your fellow officemates. They’re there to be productive too, and you should respect that. Your personal preferences don’t trump other people’s.
However, you should be able to bring your personality to your workspace. If you can’t look around and see the little treasures that give your soul some joy, then how can you expect to be productive? Just by putting your head down and doing it? I mean, sure, but that’s a surefire way to have a miserable drone of an employee.
Take a look at your desk, is it everything you love about yourself? Does it inspire you? Does it take you away from work for a brief second? Does it relax you? Does it make you happy to come into work?
