Trying again via Google Drive

 "Hidden Layer" Reveal

"What if you could see exactly what an actor sees the moment they step onto the stage? We’ve equipped Northcott Theatre students with cutting-edge smart glasses to reveal the invisible architecture of a live performance. Watch as digital blueprints and real-time script annotations collide with raw physical energy in this high-tech rehearsal."

The Tech-Forward Curiosity

"The future of theatre isn't just on the stage; it’s inside the performer's field of vision. We are merging 2026 augmented reality with classical drama to document the friction between human movement and data-driven cues. Experience a rehearsal where every movement is guided by a hidden layer of digital labor and precision."

The High-Stakes Visual Metaphor

"Step behind the curtain and into the data-stream of a modern masterpiece. These student smart glasses capture the precise moment where physical sweat meets digital blueprints, projecting technical cues directly into the performers' eyes. This is the invisible choreography of the Northcott Theatre, recorded like you have never seen it before."

Outline

The Invisible Script

• First-person POV shots from smart glasses showing the sudden transition from empty stage to a data-rich AR environment.

• Visualizing real-time script annotations and blocking notes floating in the air as actors navigate the rehearsal space.

• Setting the scene at the Northcott Theatre where traditional stagecraft meets the latest 2026 wearable spatial computing.

The Architecture of Movement

• Showing how digital blueprints and floor markings appear through the lenses to guide precise physical positioning.

• Interviews with student performers on how the AR overlays change their spatial awareness and muscle memory during complex scenes.

• Splitting the screen between the raw physical rehearsal and the data-driven view seen only by the wearer.

Technical Synchronization

• Capturing the moment lighting cues and sound triggers sync with the performers' movements via the heads-up display.

• Highlighting the friction when human error meets the rigid precision of the digital timing blueprints.

• Demonstrating the collaborative process between the technical booth and the actors through the shared AR network.

Labor Behind the Lens

• Documenting the mental load and creative effort required to filter a constant stream of digital data while performing.

• Macro shots of the smart glass hardware capturing the heat and intensity of a high-stakes rehearsal session.

• Exploring how these invisible layers of digital labor accelerate the learning curve for professional theatre production.

YouTube suggestion on rehearsal and glasses

 YouTube now makes suggestions for future projects. No offer of help on the actual video, this requires a subscription to other Google products. But you get thumbnail stills and lots of copy to persuade people to click to watch. Substsnce later. I was asking about glasses  but YouTube knows I have been thinking about Northcott and drama. So the suggestion is reasonable, will try it for a while.

The formatting is a bit strange. AI will sort this out later.

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The "Hidden Layer" Reveal

"What if you could see exactly what an actor sees the moment they step onto the stage? We’ve equipped Northcott Theatre students with cutting-edge smart glasses to reveal the invisible architecture of a live performance. Watch as digital blueprints and real-time script annotations collide with raw physical energy in this high-tech rehearsal."

The Tech-Forward Curiosity

"The future of theatre isn't just on the stage; it’s inside the performer's field of vision. We are merging 2026 augmented reality with classical drama to document the friction between human movement and data-driven cues. Experience a rehearsal where every movement is guided by a hidden layer of digital labor and precision."

The High-Stakes Visual Metaphor

"Step behind the curtain and into the data-stream of a modern masterpiece. These student smart glasses capture the precise moment where physical sweat meets digital blueprints, projecting technical cues directly into the performers' eyes. This is the invisible choreography of the Northcott Theatre, recorded like you have never seen it before."

Outline

The Invisible Script

• First-person POV shots from smart glasses showing the sudden transition from empty stage to a data-rich AR environment.
• Visualizing real-time script annotations and blocking notes floating in the air as actors navigate the rehearsal space.
• Setting the scene at the Northcott Theatre where traditional stagecraft meets the latest 2026 wearable spatial computing.

The Architecture of Movement

• Showing how digital blueprints and floor markings appear through the lenses to guide precise physical positioning.
• Interviews with student performers on how the AR overlays change their spatial awareness and muscle memory during complex scenes.
• Splitting the screen between the raw physical rehearsal and the data-driven view seen only by the wearer.

Technical Synchronization

• Capturing the moment lighting cues and sound triggers sync with the performers' movements via the heads-up display.
• Highlighting the friction when human error meets the rigid precision of the digital timing blueprints.
• Demonstrating the collaborative process between the technical booth and the actors through the shared AR network.

Labor Behind the Lens

• Documenting the mental load and creative effort required to filter a constant stream of digital data while performing.
• Macro shots of the smart glass hardware capturing the heat and intensity of a high-stakes rehearsal session.
• Exploring how these invisible layers of digital labor accelerate the learning curve for professional theatre production.

Meta AI on Google glasses

I asked the Curator of the Museum of Learning from Home and the Designer of Campus Evolve and Online about Meta helmets and glasses. They both feature helmets in graphics from the future but I was disappointed at BETT in January when no human beings were there to explain Meta on the Lenovo stand. I discovered that Meta is rethinking some directions. Meta AI did have some info on Google glasses expected later this year. -

While Google has not officially confirmed a native "Be My Eyes" feature for its upcoming smart glasses, the company has a long-standing partnership with the service that makes such integration highly likely. For years, Google's Disability Support team has used the Be My Eyes app to provide specialized video support for users. 

Accessibility Features and Comparisons

Google's current and upcoming wearable technology focuses on features that support visual assistance: 

• Google Gemini & AI Integration: Prototypes use Gemini to identify objects and provide real-time translations.
• Lookout by Google: This smartphone app uses computer vision to identify items and read text. It has been adapted for Google Glass Enterprise Edition through partners like Envision.
• Comparison with Meta Ray-Bans: 
  Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses
   have direct integration with Be My Eyes. Users can call a volunteer by saying "Hey Meta, be my eyes".

Where is Blogger in the Google scheme of things?

Today I may have missed it but I could not easily find Blogger from the Gmail menu system. Lots of other things. When i tried the product page it was all about AI. No search box, no Blogger. But it turned up when typed into Chrome browser.

Not much has been done with Blogger in recent years but I have loads of text in here. Eventually Google AI integration will switch this to voice and edit podcasts, then collect text for a book or several. So meanwhile I have bits of text generated by AI that I will put into Blogger posts so I can find them later. Some of my output is for radio so i need to find the text in a radio studio. This typing is at home. 

Possible books

 I am coming back to this blog as a guide to the other blogs. Probably there will be links here as well. I have been doing more as tweets and YouTube , also radio, but the blog format has a lasting value. I started "hello spiders" when search engines first checked out blogs. I have always welcomed sharing content. The AI phase is a continuation as the bots seek "training" . The books below are continuations of ideas in other forms. There may be an AI assisted version or there may be a collection of texts from which an update can be created on any specific date.

Going of the Book

The Coming of the Book as a study of early book history. Clearly there is a continuing story. Probably needs to include PDF and digital formats online, also audio books and podcasts. The book has not gone.

Rougemont Global Broadcasting - The Early Years

RGB is a YouTube channel, also presented as a personal channel for Will Pollard. There is over a decade of content. Recently there is more teory about broadcasting and video. At the start there was more performance. There are clips from shows on Phonic FM. There is speculation on how YouTube can develop. So the book is a "story so far" up to whenever there is a version.

Fleet Street in Europe and Cyberspace

Based on the blog. This started back in the time of the Brexit referendum and has been stopped for a while. There has been a playlist of clips from television so this can be used as a basis for text. Also many tweets have been based on press clippings and screenshots. It has become clear that Trump is a related project. The newspapers mostly started in UK before first world war. Recently USA social media take over as main energy.

Augmented Locations for Designed Situations

This is a travel book for the walks connecting places where technology is discussed. This started with ExCEL, location for BETT and Learning Technologies. This is far to the East of the parts of London usually visited for conferences and events. The Elizabeth Line now makes it closer . But walking is a way to connect conversations following exhibits. The River Leae flows from the Olympic Park where there is now an academic base. Walks to the Elephant and King's Cross take time but the Elizabeth Line can help to break this down to several walks. (Continues in Lancaster and Exeter )

Fortress Farewell

Newsicals are musicals based on real events. Drama is a way to discuss issues such as how education can move online. There have been previous dramas based on a siege of the Fortress University. (Kendal Castle has been a location) The AI phase has shown that there are viable companies offering learning so that academics can choose to leave the campus. There may be lyrics and songs but a basic book is more probable.

Trying out voice from AI

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mxHW4j-rrO6OMQvxfhKu1dFmBrj-DZuWbyb-PRfWS60/edit?usp=sharing

The Exeter Street Arts Festival features stages and performance locations across the city centre, including at the Exeter Phoenix, Guildhall Shopping Centre, St Sidwell's Community Centre, and the Transit Shed, alongside other venues like 12 Bar on Paris Street and busking spots along the high street. Performances take place at numerous locations throughout the city. 

Key Locations:

Exeter Phoenix: A major hub with an outdoor terrace and Secret Garden hosting music and performances. 

Guildhall Shopping Centre: Features a dedicated stage for performances, including bands and artists. 

St Sidwell's Community Centre: Hosts performances on its outdoor green, with a specific "St. Sidwell's Centre Stage" mentioned for a performance. 

12 Bar: An intimate indoor venue on Paris Street offering soulful and indie music. 

Transit Shed: Home to the Reggae Stage, a specific outdoor venue at Exeter Custom House. 

How to Find More Information:

Follow @exestreetarts: The official Instagram and Facebook accounts for the Exeter Street Arts Festival regularly post updates on locations and the lineup. 

Check the official festival website: Look for the most recent event details on the website of an event organizer or partner. 

Visit Visit Exeter: Check the Visit Exeter website for event details and listings. 

Open decks not at 12 Bar during Exeter Street Arts Festival. So where to look ?

Since open decks at 12 Bar are not an option during the Exeter Street Arts Festival, other opportunities for performers might be found at the official festival afterparty and at local, regularly-scheduled open mic events. 

Exeter Street Arts Festival afterparty at Exeter Phoenix

While the main festival features scheduled artists, the afterparty at Exeter Phoenix is known for hosting diverse acts and is a strong possibility for impromptu sessions, particularly if DJs or musicians are present. The festival afterparty is known to continue late into the evening after the main city-centre performances conclude. 

Ongoing open mic events in Exeter

If a dedicated open decks event is not advertised for the festival weekend, these established venues regularly host open mic nights where performers are often welcome to sign up:

Park Life Heavitree: For those looking to perform with a low-key atmosphere, this café is known to host regular open mic nights. A sober open mic event is advertised for the evening of Saturday, August 30.

South West DJ's (via Facebook): While the specifics aren't always current, this Facebook group serves as a community hub for DJs and is a good place to look for information about pop-up or one-off open decks events in the Exeter area.

Guardian news focus on point and click cameras

Print Guardian today reports that there is a new fashion for point and click cameras. A photo shows Megan Rapinoe at the Paris Olympics. Emily Dinsdale, Dazed magazine’s arts and photography editor, suggests this results from "a desire for authenticity in an era where deepfakes mean distrust for the visual image." Kodak has seen demand for film double in recent years.

But what interests me is the quick mention of the new Google phone camera as background. Other Guardian stories have reported on moves to ban phones in schools, moves to make social media illegal for people aged under 16, opinion about leaving phones at home when on holiday to encourage more reading from the printed page. Is it possible that print media face other issues? There may be nostalgia for newspapers and they survive on some scale but when will print journalists consider the proportions ?

The Guardian used to have specialised sections on Education and Technology during the week. There was usually some repoting on BETT, a tech show for schools. Recently the ExCEL event is mostly ignored by print reporting. There are no phones on display and Apple is not always there but Google and Microsoft show software that might appear on mobile devices. This year Adobe showed Adobe Express, online AI including images. Serif Affinity continued with classic desktop design tools. It is possible that phones will remain a mystery in schools but there are now Google adverts on UK television so the capability will become known. Apple may launch something before January but as always much is secret.

Somehow 18 year old students arrive at university with some knowledge of AI, even if phones ar illegal or confiscated in schools. BETT now has a section for HE called Ahead by BETT. Online search will find a basis for future discussion. The show will also be interesting. Expect a big stand for Kodak.

I  am finding that LinkedIn now can rewrite my text and also creates a header graphic.  

Guardian not reporting online education

 Another story about UK university finances. Front page of Guardian today. Not looking good. and again there is no mention of online , either as a marketing challenge given global trends or as a cost reduction option. There is reference to loans during the period of low interest rates. How much of this was for buildings? Was anything spent on platforms, digital innovation? Page 40 there is a full page ad for King's Inter High , online school. But Guardian editorial has decided to ignore online as part of education reporting. Will government eventually bail out HE and allow campus as normal indefinitely? During lockdown thee was an emergency move online. Changes in retail and office space have continued.

Making Time in Gardens

Hoping to get to Lancaster campus in September. But maybe not so memory / online links may work just as well. The Making Time Garden was outside the Northcott theatre for a year as an art project. Then just carried on for a while. Then demolished and replaced as part of a new design for the Spine. It is near the Education offices and towads the Art area at the Spine far end. In the other direction is the InfoLab. I used to think that digital innovation could follow a walk from the InfoLab towards the Arts with more resistance as it continued. Now it is possible the digital has gone so far the conversation is in the reverse direction. How can AI be prevented from stealing the basis of creativity ? There will be a Cyber Security Leadership event at the George Fox Building, almost the end of the Spine in the other direction. Conversation during a walk is one possibility. Also online video with still photos as backgrounds. Or video edits.

Week of Library lecture

This week main event is lecture at Exeter Cathedral about medieval library. Background is Jeff Jarvis book about journalism and the Gutenberg Parenthesis. Print was an interlude, we are going back online to voice memory and speculation. So knowing more about how the medieval library helps to understand this. Also I have found Storyteller video on a riddle from the Exeter book. In voice form on YouTube. Also short story intended for print was read outloud on drama show. More later in formats other than txt.

Newspapers, a new phase

 I think the UK newspapers may be due for a change. Some are now expensive so I guess circulation will decline further. Sometimes they are hard to find. Also the house is full of previous ones that i have not had time to read in detail.

Meanwhile Twitter is a bit strange since it became X. Tweets still in there hiding but too much pro Trump material. Seems to be what Musk is promoting and much else turns up with it.

So I am going to try YouTube Shorts based on photos of newspapers as a format. Starting with repors on UK university scene. Link in future post.