easy town websites
pre-launch diary
This diary was first published in the months before the launch of the new easy town projects websites. Luckily, I had no idea how long it would all take /:-)
Timeline
5 May 2022
Upcoming, The new websites
31 August 2022
The unintentional book
2 September 2022
dot.international, the book
4/5/6/8 September 2022
free downloads
8/9 September 2022
Oh, bloody hell
9/10/12/14 September 2022
ticking off
5 October 2022
The Hub book and TaCI
12 October 2022
After a little dance
12 October 2022
Progress Reports
upcoming
The new easy town websites
5 May 2022
This easy town website got a bit overloaded over the last year, so I decided to give some of the main ideas, derived from the easy town story, their own website.
The new websites are shaping up fine and will have a lot of new material to explore.
Since it doesn’t make sense to keep this website up to date on subjects that will soon have a new home, quite a bit of content has been removed from this page. But it will all back, only on different websites.
Update
18 June 2022
The new websites will be launched in July, and the launch will be accompanied by a live blog, giving you insights into the new websites, and into how it all came about, and what will happen next. And you can follow the rebuilding of this website live, which will then become home to an overview of all easy town ideas.
I started the countdown today, assuming that the launch will start on Jack’s birthday (18 July). But since an earlier or later launch might also be possible, I still keep my options open.
Update
8 July 2022
Today would have been a perfect day to launch all the new websites. Why? Because in book 2, travelling the 8th July is the day the travelling team set off on their journey around the world. It would have been fun to add little untold titbits every day and to keep you up to date with the travelling team’s progress. But the new websites aren’t quite ready yet. And it’s the dot.international book that takes more time than expected. Mind you, it’s worth the wait. I particularly love the dot.ideas in connection with the Edinburgh Festivals in August.
I still might get the websites ready for Jack’s birthday, but since I will also need a little rest before the launch week, I doubt, by now, that that will be the day.
Anyway, the launch week preparations are going well, and while this website will be transformed, the new websites will get additional content. Most days, it will be like new doors opening on all websites. In other words, the launch week will be a feast with loads of background information, some analyses, some surprises, new additions and even new worlds.
In the meantime, this website is shrinking further but only until its proper transformation into the hub for all easy town ideas can begin.
Update
31 July 2022
Jack’s birthday didn’t make it as the launch day, and another month is gone. I wish I could blame it all on the heatwaves and on exhaustion, but there is also the sheer amount of work, I keep underestimating, plus unexpected additions and adjustments.
On the other hand, it is great to see how far the ideas and the websites have come, and how the continuous moulding is worth the extra wait and the extra work.
The dot.book is in its final editing stage, and once that is completed, things should finally speed up again. By now the main dot.example, which uses the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the other festivals as a backdrop, has become one big story, a story which connects people from around the world with dot., a potential global fashion company which empowers creatives & small businesses. What I like about this story is that it is fun to read while illustrating how dot. could work to unearth this planet’s creative potentials and at the same time do everything to counteract the damage done to the planet and its people.
The book stations website has seen some key additions plus the fun story of Casey’s bookshop in the north-west of England which serves as the concluding example for the book stations worldwide idea.
The new websites will offer a range of free downloads. The downloads include introductions for The Hub, for dot.international, and for book stations worldwide, plus an updated teaser for 42 towns and counting, and a new teaser for We need to talk about sex.
In book 2, travelling, the 31st July is the travelling team’s last day in Sydney, before they take a holiday for a week. I am tempted to take a break too.
Well, I will keep you up to date. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
PS: For all the performers at the Fringe festival my very best wishes. Thanks to the dot.story, I’ve been thinking a lot about my time at the Fringe, and my thoughts are with you. I know how hard it is, but I also remember those times very fondly. Take care. Keep going. Have a great time. Stay safe.
Anniversary
Berlin, 10 August 2022, 17:23
In this minute, six years ago, I created the first file for the easy town story, a story which I had used during the previous weeks to explore the easy town ideas. Up until that day, I had no intention of writing down anything that wasn’t non-fiction. But then the idea to make this story into a book series popped up, and a little later I opened my computer and wrote the first lines for book 1, beginning: It all began with a letter
Luckily, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, how much the story and the ideas would grow, how many new ideas would come up in the process, how much I still had to learn, or how often I would have to edit and even rewrite a scene until I was happy with the result.
Today I am just glad that I didn’t know, because then I might not have had the courage to decide that yes: I want to keep this story alive, I want to write it, I want to share it, I want to use it to rethink– well, everything.
What kept me going throughout the years is that I love the story, that it is fun, rich, diverse, full of ideas, and that with this story I can contribute to rethinking whatever needs rethinking so that we don’t continue to harm ourselves, others and the planet.
And even though I write this story, sometimes I just sit back and think: Wow, where did that come from?
Book 1, beginning and book 2, travelling are available on this website. And there will be more on how the book series came about in the launch week.
This is all for now. Happy anniversary.
It’s official
Berlin, 12 August 2022
It’s official, the main example for how dot. could work is a story — or you could say, it has grown into a story.
dot., Edinburgh, Tunis and the world
Quote from the dot.book introduction:
Part III is the highlight of the dot.book. It’s the story of Leathan, a young designer in Edinburgh, who starts to work with dot. at a time when the local dot.station is in trouble. Together with Calli, a local designer who takes him under her wings, they come up with an idea for the Edinburgh Festivals that gets everyone talking — and laughing, and that might turn the dot.station’s fate.
As the story proceeds, it illustrates the workflows and dynamics of dot. while spanning its net across the world, just like dot., and bringing together creatives and craftspeople from around the globe, just like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
dot., the book
The main locations of the story are: Edinburgh, Scotland; Tunis, Tunisia; Montevideo, Uruguay; other locations in Scotland; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Ghent, Belgium; Panama, Panama; Newcastle, England; Athens, Greece; Nairobi, Kenya; Wellington, New Zealand; New Orleans, US; and Colombo, Sri Lanka. And the characters — well, they are from all over the world, especially those working at the dot.headquarters near Tunis.
The unintentional book
Berlin, 2 September 2022
I am still a little in shock. Unintentionally, and in only a few weeks, I wrote a book. And yes, it’s the dot.story.
It all started as such a small, clever idea. Hey, why don’t I exchange the slightly dull descriptions of the dot.teams with little examples, mini-stories to illustrate how the teams could work?
I mean, I have been using stories quite a bit for dot., for the book stations (check out the craftspeople in Prague, case 3) and to illustrate other business ideas. And those stories stayed small, and showed no intention of outgrowing their surroundings.
But this story, the dot.story, it just kept growing. Mind you, I love it, but it’s kind of funny and strange how blindly I stumbled into it, and that at a time when my priority is actually to launch all the websites.
Well, that is stories for you, they have a life of their own, and if you aren’t careful, they just sweep you away into Storyland.
At some point, the dot.story had grown so big that I had to take it out of the dot.international book, and now the dot.story gets its own publication.
There is still a little way to go. At the moment I let the story simmer, before it gets its final read.
In the meantime, the other websites get more attention again. There will be more news in the next days.
dot.international, the book
Berlin, 2 September 2022
dot. has kept me so busy over the last months that I am especially happy to announce that the first dot.book is completed. Both books: dot.international, the book, and the dot.story will be available on the new website.
dot. is an idea and business model for a global fashion company which empowers creatives, small businesses and communities.
‘dot. could become a melting pot for any fashion designer who is fed up with exploitation, and who’d like to try a new business model.’
book 1, beginning
free downloads
Berlin, 4/5/6/8 September 2022
The new websites will feature a number of free downloads, which will be completed over the next days.
4 September
- The book stations tour is completed. The tour introduces book stations, pepper books publishing, the bespoke books network and book stations worldwide with charts, quotes and examples.
- The dot.tour completed, an introduction into the dot.business model, with charts, quotes and examples.
5 September
- The teaser for we need to talk about sex completed. This free download includes a preview, a short story and quotes from book 2, travelling, plus graphics
6 September
- 42 towns and counting got an update and now includes links to some of the new material on the upcoming websites. Also, some of the graphics got a makeover.
- The photo catalogue and the related files got an update. All technical stuff. But it had to be done.
- The short story Casey’s bookshop got a download file. This story isn’t half as big as the dot.story, but likewise a story which illustrates ideas. In this case the ideas for book workshops, bespoke books and quite a lot more regarding the future of books, Casey’s bookshop and Casey’s home: Blue Meadows.
8 September
- The Hub Tour is completed. A first step to a new internet.
‘The marketing team pointed out that dot.’s offers are so diverse that even if they wanted to manipulate customers, they could only manipulate them into being themselves.
dot.story, the book
ticking off
Berlin, 8 September 2022
Finally I can do some ticking off. The free downloads are all completed now and will be available on the new websites.
The next and long awaited step is ticking off websites. There is a good chance the first websites will be completed today, meaning everything will be ready for the launch, except for a last check just before the big day.
Here they will be listed …
(In the evening)
Well, not today.
I’m too tired by now to trust myself with ticking off anything now. But hopefully tomorrow will be something of a ticking off feast.
Oh, bloody hell
Berlin, 8/9 September 2022
Bloody hell!
I’m not a royalist, but the Queen gone feels like a punch in the stomach, like there goes another bit of continuity, stability, even some sanity.
And then the jesters pop up in my mind. One smirks: ‘Well, she saw Liz Truss and thought, “No. No, I’m not doing this again.”’
And another jester says: ‘Prince Charles. I mean, Prince Charles, he is Queen Charles now, right?’ And another exclaims: ‘The Queen? The Queen? How did she get out of the storybook in the first place?’ And then a memory wriggles itself into the crowd and quotes from the easy town story: ‘Jack wasn’t a royalist, but like with the other issues — apparently — he hadn’t really thought about it. And England without the Queen felt kind of naked. And the English weren’t naturalists.’
And a quiet voice whispers: ‘I wish you had stayed with us some more years.’
These were my thoughts last night. Then I lit a candle and had a bit of wine in memory of the Queen, feeling puzzled and struck.
There is a lot about monarchies that needs to be addressed. But not today.
Rest in peace.
ticking off
Berlin, 9/10/12/14 September 2022
For some more days I will focus on the websites which are ready to be completed.
List of completed websites
9 September
I do feel like taking off today, puzzling some more, mourning …
On the other hand, having a list of completed websites by the end of the day will cheer me up.
- 1/8 – The website for the ripples foundation is ready to go /:-)
- 2/8 – The website for book stations is ready to go /:-)
It’s not quite the list I hoped for, but I did some groundwork for the other websites too, and I ticked off some 33 points. That’s not too bad.
10 September
- 3/8 – The website for dot.international is now completed, and for the first time in weeks, it feels like I’m finally getting closer to the finishing line. Quite a bit of additional material on dot., fashion and business practices is also ready for the launch week.
12 September
- 4/8 – The website for the Hub International is ready for launch, plus additional material and a new photo special which is an unexpected story in pictures.
14 September
- 5/8 – The website for We need to talk about sex is ready to go — and to rock /:-)
slowing down
Berlin, 16 September 2022
I have been a bit feverish over the last days and need to take it easy for a bit.
Next on the list is the final check of the Hub book.
update
Berlin, 25 September 2022
I’m still moving slowly at the moment, but pieces keep coming together and others fall into place.
I added more details to the dot.story. It’s grown so much. I’m still amazed.
And today, I do some work on the photography page to the sounds of the Berlin Marathon: ringing, rattling, drumming, whistling, clapping and cheers, down on the street. Earlier I did some Marathon photos for my street life collection, and around noon, with the sun out, I did some more for the Berlin ghosts and Berlin moved photo series.
All photo pages are now removed from this website. Two will come back in the launch week. All photo series, photo prints and more will be presented on the new photography website this fall.
The support the projects page is down too. It will get a proper update and then return on the last day of the launch week.
The Hub book and TaCI
Berlin, 5 October 2022
The Hub book passed the final editing round. It’s the kind of content I like: it’s relevant, and it make me smile.
Let me give you an example. The Hub is the idea for an all-including internet platform, and it has certain perspectives, like:
The user is a human being, not a sheep waiting to go baa.
The Hub perspectives
Plus, the website for towns and cities international (TaCI) is now complete. It’s a special website which will gradually unfold during the launch week.
Next up are the final pieces: the last reading of the dot.story, the final additions and adjustments for the easy town books website and for the photography website, plus a few more preparations for the launch week.
That means, launch week is approaching.
After a little dance
Berlin, 12 October 2022
Now, I am sitting again, but I am still smiling broadly.
Nearly everything is completed now, and I will wrap the pre-launch diary today.
But first the news:
dot.story
The dot.story passed the final reading, and as it happens, the story ends on the 12 October. I only noticed that today. It’s one of those small coincidences that make me smile.
The dot.story will be available on this website and on the new dot.international website once all websites are launched.
easy town books
The new home for the easy town books got a last brushstroke today, and now it is also ready for the launch. Contrary to some of the other new websites this is a rather quiet, focused one, and it reminded me why I started to split the content of this website in the first place: there was just too much all at once on this website.
All websites are now ready except the photo website where some technical adjustments are still required.
Wrapping up
Berlin, 12 October 2022
With most websites completed, all books ready, all free downloads uploaded, and a lot of material prepared for the launch week, it’s time to wrap up the pre-launch diary.
Part of me wishes, I could have reached this point a lot sooner, but seeing all the ideas and stories which emerged in the process of getting the websites and the books ready, I mostly feel very happy and proud about how things turned out.
Over the next days I will complete the photo page and add some preparations for the launch.
And then I will take a break, take a moment to get my breath back, to recharge.
Progress reports for the upcoming websites
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last updated: 24 October 2022