MACHINE Notes

Notes from a Thing at the DNA:

1. The space filled up nicely, and was legitimately crowded at its peak. Having the tables was really excellent, and we actually could have done with more chairs. If this became a thing, I could see more tables with chairs filling most of the downstairs, and barstools with the tall bar-round tables in the upstairs along the railing. Especially for a lecture series given in a bar/pizza place, making sure that everyone has access to a table seems wise.

2. There was a little back and forth, but in the end it seems good to have a separate area that presenters can be in if they want. Mentally gearing up for a performance takes some amount of focus and concentration. I slipped upstairs for a while before getting on stage.

3. It's nice that the big room has more room, but I hadn't realized how that would impact the feel of the crowd. That is, in the small room upstairs you can almost touch the audience, they're right there, and you can see facial expressions and hear the chatter, etc. In the big room, you can't see anybody and you lose all but the loudest and most overt crowd feedback. Different!

4. I bet there is some way to take orders or prepare drinks and/or food prior to the intermission so that people can just pick them up, rather than there being a big crush. I can think of a couple of ways to facilitate this, but probably it won't be relevant since we'll only be in the big space for like one more show.

5. I was really glad that we started with a non-white female mad scientist to kick off the evening. If John had more time I would have loved to hear like five more minutes just about Ada Lovelace, just her exclusively. My own presentation was Balding Dead White Men of Science, which certainly has its place, but there are also other stories to tell.

Notes on My Bit Specifically

6. I think I like the "Part I", "Part II" technique and may keep it.

7. Thank god for Arlo. I really needed coffee and the line was very long, and Arlo just got me a cup of coffee. It was a little thing, but super helpful.

8. Was really not sure how the drinking game would go. I think at this specific event, with this particular crowd, it worked alright. Not sure if I'd do it again. If so, probably would be best right after the intermission, so people who are drinking could have a full drink at the ready.

9. Note for future presentations: our audience really likes to shout "Whores!" If you include ships and science, but no whores, they will find their own reasons to shout "Whores!"

10. I dithered before the show about whether to go with the red or the yellow cravat last night. I went with the red, but that was a mistake. Note to Future Arthur: If you're really not sure, bring both with you in case you change your mind.

11. Playing Rule Britannia right at the end was nice and I liked it. Had to rush a little to get done speaking during the instrumental part, but that was ok. Speaking while music is playing in the background has a very different feel, and I think it has a different effect, and I would be curious to play with that but I'm not sure Odd Salon is the right venue. If I was ever going to give a talk for 30 minutes, a soundtrack would be aces.

12. Listening to the audio of the show, it seems like you can hear when Steen is discreetly experimenting with sound effects. When Annetta is talking, there are a couple of spots where it sounds like she echos just very slightly.
1. The echo effect during the "Mad Scientist Drinking Game" bit was nice, but not mandatory.
2. The audio glitch was awkward but not catastrophic. The Odd Salon audience is friendly and generally sympathetic, and we're all on the same team.

13. There are (roughly) two Arthur speaking styles: Commanding Arthur and Gentle Arthur. There is room for both, but I think I like Gentle Arthur better. He will certainly emerge at the CHS.