First things first: we promise we won’t ask this often… but if you are looking to donate before the end of the year, consider the MAL? We can’t keep doing the things we’re doing (or doing new and bigger things) without ongoing support from folks who think we’re worth having around. Our support fund is here and every bit counts. As an additional thanks, all donations over $5 in the month of December will get one of this year’s yet-to-be-released limited edition stickers.
Otherwise, November was another busy and exciting month for MAL. We’re bad at counting, but the steady stream of visitors, classes, and researchers that came through the lab definitely tallied at more than 300 people.
In addition to lots of folks in the building, we had an excellent time off-site at this year’s Whaaat!? Arcade. We’ve partnered with every iteration of Whaaat!? Fest so far, creating a mini-MAL called “That Kid In Your Neighborhood’s Basement” and bringing a range of different systems and games for fest-goers to experience. Check out this thread from Whaaat!? on Twitter for more photos.
We’ve continued our work on other/alternative networks by further developing our presence on Mastodon. We’ve joined the lurk.org community (partially administered by former MAL resident Roel Roscam Abbing) and our handle there is @mediaarchaeologylab@post.lurk.org.
Lori and libi were also admitted to the M.O.R.E. project and are currently attending a weekly online class that will result in both having their Technician-Class ham radio licenses. We’ve also expanded our network of related projects, partnering with the podcast Our Friend the Computer to do some collaborative work in the coming year. So - keep an eye out for some new projects in various audio realms!
Finally, Director Lori Emerson gave a talk on the MAL as well as about her recently published book The Lab Book: Situated Practices in Media Studies for the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos in São Leopoldo, Brazil. And, Managing Director libi was interviewed about the lab on the LightTwist show.
That’s a lot of news! Thanks for reading, friends!
-MAL