Jessa Agilo

The Bengals are politicos, who knew? They have been affixed to the TV all day waiting for the final election results. I am feeling sad about the state of the NDP but grateful to have a non-conservative government in the end.

Tuli is doing so good! Her alopecia is fading. Her allergies are more manageable -- no Duck seems to be the answer! She is gaining weight and running on the catwheel for the first time in a year! She is talking all the time (and getting into 🔥 trouble like her namesake all day too!)

We went to the vet! Where's the treats?

#bengalcat #bengallove #bengalsisters #bengalworld

Been hard at work preparing for 2 fellowships launching on Monday and submitting proposals for multi year operating funds. Need a little reward! Point Pelee? Elmira Gorge? Where would you go for a little day trip near Toronto in March?

Here is a statement I added to avoid conflicts between the two...
Plain language summaries (in blue text) help explain the contract, but only the full legal statements (in black text) are official. If there is any difference between the summary and legal statements, the legal text is what applies.

I also added a table of contents and have worked on an access and care section that clearly communicates promises and guarantees around access and care accommodations. Small things, perhaps. Small is good.

How can legal employment contracts be more accessible? I have tried to address this question this week by letting go of the templates I have been using for years and starting fresh with plain language summaries for every section in blue along with fluent language clauses in black. It's a start!

Happy bitter and disdainful day!

City of Toronto protects affordable housing and Propeller Art Gallery at 38 Abell St. for former Artscape tenants and their families News Release February 6, 2025 The City of Toronto, with funding from the Government of Canada, secured and protected homes as well as the Propeller Art Gallery at 38 Abell St., previously under the ma...

Good news. 20 rental live-work units and Propeller Art Gallery are protected at 38 Abell St after Artscape's receivership.

Sadly, we're still waiting on updates for owner units like mine, as 25% of my mortgage was with Artscape. We can't sell or remortgage if we want to until there's clarity.

I am Canadian. Doug Ford is premier of Ontario.

A double whammy to be concerned about? The ripples of pandemic shutdowns and loss of patrons are still very real. Facility gaps are also growing with many aging buildings. Textile Museum is closing for 9 months due to the effects of both. A story that is being seen at home and across the country.

Ford referred to Trump today as one of the best negotiators in the world. No. Trump is not a negotiator. He is a bully. Negotiators listen to facts and the stories and experiences of both sides. They are open to making decisions that are good for everyone. Please stop elevating this cruel man.

Kitties beg to hang out in the windows beds before and after sunrise and sunset. When the birds are out. And I'm wanting the blinds down.

Enough #2 (Video) - ArtsPond Watch the second edition of Enough, a series of unscripted lunchtime talks hosted by our founder, Jessa Agilo.

I did a second casual, unscripted talk yesterday about the evolving faces of research and the ways we are doing things are and aren’t enough for us anymore.

Would I have liked to have had a script? Isn't being present in the moment enough? You bet, to both.

artspond.com/2025/01/30/e...

Oh, I’m sorry, tech bros – did DeepSeek copy your work? I can hardly imagine your distress | Marina Hyde If China has done to Sam Altman what his OpenAI has been accused of doing to creatives, it would take a heart of stone not to laugh, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

Great headline. I can also hardly imagine their distress.

The good news is my mortgage will be fully paid off in just two more years!

My crip time has been big lately. I am struggling with completion of tasks and comprehension of the complexity in the issues I am working on. My approach to systems thinking and design is condensing to things I can hold in one hand. Never more than five things at one time. One for each finger.

I have been building some custom Airtable apps to easily capture and categorize descriptions and insights for website pages, activity reports, daily reflections, and more. Keeping a word limit for each is a helpful way to keep things nimble. I have now max 1, 3, and 5 sentences for each of the 3 Cs.

I am beginning to summarize almost everything I am thinking or working on using a trio of C's: CUE (headline), CONTEXT(short description), CODICIL (long description). Doing it often, in the moment, is a simple way to gather a hive of insights and reflections that can be used in multiple contexts.

I used to think long-form for everything. A tool or report? It's pages and pages that would take ages to make and read. I still lean this way. I still enjoy the granular with descriptive contexts, tangents. But now, brevity is the mantra. Attention spans are short. Quick insights are in demand.

Too big to fail. I remember that being said about Artscape in its heyday and while it was circling the drain. I am an owner in a 'F'artscape building. My mortgage is a 75% stake. It has been more than a year and I'm still waiting to hear who will take on the remaining 25%. Uncertainty sucks.

As I age, planning for succession has become a big part of my life. In this cruel and chaotic world, the belief there will be a future to pass our legacy to is an abiding act of trust, hope, and deep respect for the powerful promise of the youth of today. We broke the earth. They can make it better.

The approach that is working now is rough interface wireframing in Miro and Figma with detailed taxonomy and architecture in Airtable. Sometimes wireframes come first. But my OCD/ in the weeds nature 🤔 usually leads me into taxonomies really quick. It's not just a metabox. It's everything behind it.

Are you having trouble keeping up? It's not even the end of January and I am already months behind on my deliverables for the year. My head is to the grindstone lately. Trying to be kind to myself. But I miss being out in the world seeing art, hanging with friends, experiencing new things. Soon?!

I am amazed that the original timeline was for only 18 months. A lot has gotten in the way in the interim, like the pandemic and more. But we were very ambitious in the early days. Trying to be quick, light, iterative, agile. I wouldn't change anything now. I like intentional, slow, thoughtful more.

It's been 5 years of deep thinking and everyday tinkering. Still plugging away on developing an open source software platform for the arts with @artspond8.bsky.social. Learning so much about what not to do. A challenge to build interfaces and taxonomies that are both sensible and accessible.

Stay warm, Toronto. -26C this morning. I am lucky to be comfy in my condo. In 14 years, I have never had to turn on the heat. It never goes below +23C inside regardless of what is happening outside. Good bones. I'm on second floor with underground parking below. Not a lot of ambient heat rising up.

Enough #2: Research - ArtsPond Join us on YouTube Live on Jan 30, 2025 at 12:30 Eastern for Enough, the second in a series of lunchtime talks.

What does caring research look like to you? Join us on YouTube Live on Jan 30, 2026 at 12:30 Eastern for the second in a series of unscripted lunchtime talks with our Founder, Jessa Agilo.

artspond.com/2025/01/21/e...

For those saying it wasn't a Nazi salute.

Keep posting it. Keep sharing it.