Tag Archives: Robin Ince

Sea Shambles update

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Things have changed (but not the event date) since my March 3, 2020 posting about the Sea Shambles event in London’s (UK) Royal Albert Hall. It will now be livestreamed by the Royal Albert Home (series) and The Stay at Home Festival on May 17, 2020.

[downloaded from https://cosmicshambles.com/words/news/sea-shambles-at-home-guests]

You may recognize Cobie Smulders (fourth from the left) from her stints on television (How I Met Your Mother and Stumptown) and in the movies (the Avengers films). Here’s a little more about her from her IMDb (Internet Movie Database) entry, some of which helps to explain her presence,

Cobie Smulders was born on April 3, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch father and an English mother. As a girl, Cobie had set her sights on becoming a doctor or a marine biologist. …

…

Is a certified scuba diver and former model.

Here’s more about the updated Sea Shambles event (from the Cosmic Network Shambles May 17, 2020 event page),

With the live version of Sea Shambles sadly unable to go ahead for obvious reasons, it’s time to bring a rejigged version of the show direct to you on the same date and time, May 17th [2020] at 7:00pm [BT]. [For those of us on the west coast of Canada, that would be 11 am {PT}.]

Among the exciting names who will be joining hosts Robin Ince, Helen Czerski and Steve Backshall on the night are physicst Professor Brian Cox, astronaut Chris Hadfield, actor and ocean advocate Cobie Smulders, rock band British Sea Power, science broadcaster Liz Bonnin, poet Lemn Sissay, comedian Josie Long, marine biologist Helen Scales, singer-songwriter Jim Moray, performer and rapper Ben Baily Smith, actor Samuel West, climate scientist Dr Tamsin Edwards, comedian Katy Brand, writer and broadcaster Natalie Haynes, actor Rufus Hound, violinist Dunja Lavrova, laserist Seb Lee-Delisle, performer David McAlmont, singer/songwriter Grace Petrie, actor Reece Shearsmith and musician Steve Pretty. And, of course, we’ve got a bunch of surprises up our sleeves too…

So join us on a celebratory online voyage of discovery of our own blue planet and how we are best placed to protect it. We might not be on stage but we’re still bringing everything you’ve come to expect from one of the Cosmic Shambles Network’s signature variety shows. Including running over. This is set to be a 3 hour + extravaganza.

Lucy Noble, Artistic Director of the Royal Albert Hall, said: “We’re so excited to present this special version of Sea Shambles as part of the Royal Albert Home series. We would have loved to welcome audiences to the building to experience this spectacular show, but at the moment of course that’s not possible. This ‘at home’ version is the next best thing, with a truly staggering line-up of guests from the worlds of science, comedy and music.”

The show will be free to watch but as with all the shows during the Stay at Home Festival there will be a tip jar where people can leave a tip to help artists and venues hit hard by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis as well the Royal Albert Hall charity itself. With all our profits from the original live show set to go to marine charities we’ll also be highlighting and encouraging donations during the show to our three chosen charities, Bite Back, Surfers Against Sewage and Oceana.

Here’s a link that will get you to the livestreamed event on May 17, 2020 at 11 am (PT): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBQmdbVeoKw#action=share

One last thing, Tara Lohan has written a May 7, 2020 article for The Revelator about a groundbreaking international treaty for protecting the high seas (Note: A link has been removed),

Most of us have never been to the world’s immense last wilderness and never will. It’s beyond the horizon and often past the limits of our imaginations. It contains towering underwater mountain ranges, ancient corals, mysterious, unknown forms of life and the largest seagrass meadow in the world.

Yet it begins just 200 nautical miles off our shores. Technically referred to as “areas beyond national jurisdiction,” these remote expanses are known to most people simply as “the high seas.”

Their vast, dark waters encompass roughly two-thirds of the ocean and half the planet and are the last great global commons. Yet just 1% are protected, leaving these vital but relatively lawless expanses open to overfishing, pollution, piracy and other threats.

That could change soon.

In 2018, after more than a decade of groundwork at the United Nations, negotiations officially began for a new treaty focused on conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the waters beyond national jurisdiction.

…

Sea Shambles in London, UK on May 17, 2020 (one night only)

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Should you be in London (UK) in mid May 2020, you might want to check out a special event, Sea Shambles, at the Royal Albert Hall. Here’s a bit of a preview,

Here’s more about Sea Shambles on May 17, 2020 from the Cosmic Shambles Network event page,

Due to popular demand we are BACK at the Royal Albert Hall with a brand new event. Our biggest and most spectacular show EVER!

Following the success of 2018’s hugely popular Space Shambles, The Cosmic Shambles Network are excited to announce their return to The Royal Albert Hall in 2020 with a brand new sea themed spectacular which is destined to be their biggest show ever.

On May 17th 2020 The Cosmic Shambles Network and the Royal Albert Hall will take you on a celebratory voyage of discovery into the depths of our blue planet and how we can protect it, with a spectacular new show, Sea Shambles. Anchored by co-host of The Infinite Monkey Cage, Robin Ince with physicist and oceanographer Dr Helen Czerski, naturalist and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall and many very special guests, we’ll be turning the entire main auditorium of the Royal Albert Hall into a virtual underwater playground with everything you’ve come to expect from The Cosmic Shambles Network’s signature variety shows, including special effects, puppetry and so very many lasers.

Join Robin, Helen and Steve as they set sail with an all-star cast of scientists, comedians, performers and musical guests (we’ll reveal some, not all – don’t be greedy – very soon…) for a one night only event you’ll never forget.

Tickets on sale NOW!

As always we want to make these unique events as accessible to as many people as possible and so we’ve made sure there are 100’s of tickets starting at just £10!

As part of the event we will also be once again collecting for The Trussell Trust Food Banks and raising money for selected ocean charities.

Usually I’d include the link to the page where you can purchase tickets in the text about the event but this time, I’m directing you here. From there you’ll be directed to a seating chart where you can see which seats are available to you based on whet you are willing to pay for the seat. There’s more but it’s probably best you investigate for yourself.

As happens, I got interested in the group behind this ‘shambles and found this About Cosmic Network Shambles,

The Cosmic Shambles Network, was created in 2017, by comedian Robin Ince and Trent Burton of Trunkman Productions.  It was borne out of The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome (which started back in 2013) and Utter Shambles (2010), later Book Shambles (2015).

The Cosmic Shambles Network creates and curates podcasts, digital content and live events for people with curious minds. People who want to find out more about our universe through science, art, history, philosophy, music, literature. People who believe ignorance is not bliss. People who want to keep on discovering and learning about our wondrous universe and who want to have a laugh while doing it. People who believe that it is indeed our curiosity that makes us human.  We believe we can never stop learning – science will never be finished and that’s exciting. The Cosmic Shambles Network brings together the world’s leading scientists, comedians, writers and performers to create entertaining content fuelled by curiosity. The approach is fun, real, accessible. Amongst the shambles there’s something for everyone.

Enjoy! One more thing, I notice that the Space Shambles event of 2018 featured Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut.

The UK’s Futurefest and an interview with Sue Thomas

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Futurefest with “some of the planet’s most radical thinkers, makers and performers” is taking place in London next weekend on Sept. 28 – 29, 2013 and  I am very pleased to be featuring an interview with one of  Futurefest’s speakers, Sue Thomas who amongst many other accomplishments was also the founder of the  Creative Writing and New Media programme at De Montfort University, UK, where I got my master’s degree.

Here’s Sue,

suethomas

Sue Thomas was formerly Professor of New Media at De Montfort University. Now she writes and consults on digital well-being. Her new book ‘Technobiophilia: nature and cyberspace’ explains how contact with the natural world can help soothe our connected lives.http://www.suethomas.net @suethomas

  • I understand you are participating in Futurefest’s SciFi Writers’ Parliament; could you explain what that is and what the nature of your participation will be?

The premise of the session is to invite Science Fiction writers to play with the idea that they have been given the power to realise the kinds of new societies and cultures they imagine in their books. Each of us will present a brief proposal for the audience to vote on. The panel will be chaired by Robin Ince, a well-known comedian, broadcaster, and science enthusiast. The presenters are Cory Doctorow, Pat Cadigan, Ken MacLeod, Charles Stross, Roz Kaveney and myself.

  • Do you have expectations for who will be attending ‘Parliament’ and will they be participating as well as watching?

I’m expecting the audience for FutureFest http://www.futurefest.org/ to be people interested in future forecasting across the four themes of the event: Well-becoming, In the imaginarium,  We are all gardeners now, and The value of everything. There are plenty of opportunities for them to participate, not just in discussing and voting in panels like ours, but also in The Daily Future, a Twitter game, and Playify, which will run around and across the weekend. 

  • How are you preparing for ‘Parliament’?

 I will propose A Global Environmental Protection Act for Cyberspace The full text of the proposal is  on my blog here http://suethomasnet.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/futurefest/ It’s based on the thinking and research around my new book Technobiophilia: nature and cyberspace http://suethomasnet.wordpress.com/technobiophilia/ which coincidentally comes out in the UK two days before FutureFest. In the runup to the event I’ll also be gathering peoples’ views and refining my thoughts.

sue thomas_technobiophilia

  • Is there any other event you’re looking forward to in particular and why would that be?

The whole of FutureFest looks great and I’m excited about being there all weekend to enjoy it. The following week I’m doing a much smaller but equally interesting event at my local Cafe Scientifique, which is celebrating its first birthday with a talk from me about Technobiophilia. I’ve only recently moved to Bournemouth so this will be a great chance to meet the kinds of interesting local people who come to Cafe Scientifique in all parts of the world. http://suethomasnet.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/cafe-scientifique/

 

I’ll also be launching the book in North America with an online lecture in the Metaliteracy MOOC at SUNY Empire State University. The details are yet to be released but it’s booked for 18 November. http://metaliteracy.cdlprojects.com/index.html

  • Is there anything you’d like to add?

I’m also doing another event at FutureFest which might be of interest, especially to people interested in the future of death. It’s called xHumed and this is what it’s about: If we can archive and store our personal data, media, DNA and brain patterns, the question of whether we can bring back the dead is almost redundant. The right question is should we? It is the year 2050AD and great thought leaders from history have been “xHumed”. What could possibly go wrong? Through an interactive performance Five10Twelve will provoke and encourage the audience to consider the implications via soundbites and insights from eminent experts – both living and dead. I’m expecting some lively debate!

Thank you,  Sue for bringing Futurefest to life and congratulations on your new book!

You can find out more about Futurefest and its speakers here at the Futurefest website. I found Futurefest’s ticket webpage (which is associated with the National Theatre) a little more  informative about the event as a whole,

Some of the planet’s most radical thinkers, makers and performers are gathering in East London this September to create an immersive experience of what the world will feel like over the next few decades.

From the bright and uplifting to the dark and dystopian, FutureFest will present a weekend of compelling talks, cutting-edge shows, and interactive performances that will inspire and challenge you to change the future.

Enter the wormhole in Shoreditch Town Hall on the weekend of 28 and 29 September 2013 and experience the next phase of being human.

FutureFest is split into four sessions, Saturday Morning, Saturday Afternoon, Sunday Morning and Sunday Afternoon. You can choose to come to one, two, three or all sessions. They all have a different flavour, but each one will immerse you deep in the future.

Please note that FutureFest is a living, breathing festival so sessions are subject to change. We’ll keep you up to date on our FutureFest website.

Saturday Morning will feature The Blind Giant author Nick Harkaway, bionic man Bertolt Meyer and techno-cellist Peter Gregson. There will also be secret agents, villages of the future and a crowd-sourced experiment in futurology with some dead futurists.

Saturday Afternoon has forecaster Tamar Kasriel helping to futurescape your life, and gamemaker Alex Fleetwood showing us what life will be like in the Gameful century. We’ve got top political scientists David Runciman and Diane Coyle exploring the future of democracy. There will also be a mass-deception experiment, more secret agents and a look forward to what the weather will be like in 2100.

Sunday Morning sees Sermons of the Future. Taking the pulpit will be Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales, social entrepreneur and model Lily Cole, and Astronomer Royal Martin Rees. Meanwhile the comedian Robin Ince will be chairing a Science Fiction Parliament with top SF authors, Roberto Unger will be analysing the future of religion and one of the world’s top chefs, Andoni Aduriz, will be exploring how food will make us feel in the future.

Sunday Afternoon will feature a futuristic take on the Sunday lunch, with food futurologist Morgaine Gaye inviting you for lunch in the Gastrodome with insects and 3D meat print-outs on the menu. Smari McCarthy, founder of Iceland’s Pirate Party and Wikileaks worker, will be exploring life in a digitised world, and Charlie Leadbeater, Diane Coyle and Mark Stevenson will be imagining cities and states of the future.

I noticed that a few Futurefest speakers have been featured here:

Eric Drexler, ‘Mr. Nano’, was last mentioned in a May 6, 2013 posting about a talk he was giving in Seattle, Washington to promote his new book, Radical Abundance.

Martin Rees, Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, was mentioned in a Nov. 26, 3012 posting about the Cambridge Project for Existential Risk (humans relative to robots).

Bertolt Meyer, a young researcher from Zurich University and a lifelong user of prosthetic technology, in a Jan. 30, 2013 posting about building a bionic man.

Cory Doctorow, a science fiction writer, who ran afoul of James Moore, then Minister of Canadian Heritage and now Minister of Industry Canada, who accused him of being a ‘radical extremists’  prior to new copyright legislation  for Canadians, was mentioned in a June 25, 2010 posting.

Wish I could be at London’s Futurefest in lieu of that I will wish the organizers and participants all the best.

* On a purely cosmetic note, on Dec. 5, 2013, I changed the paragraph format in the responses.