Fez pics from Gnomedex 2008

The Order of the Fez was in full blossom in 2008 so my pal Jamie Nelson and I agreed to bring the sacred headgear to the Gnomedex geekfest that year. One of the attendees was a professional photographer and we have him to thank for these fine image.

Paul Roe, British Ink

I jammed my way into some very crowded Metro cars to make my way down to M Street where Paul Roe [Fez #30], the owner of British Ink was taking part in an art exhibition called Artomatic. Paul was doing pre-session consultations while his colleague, Cynthia, hummed away on a guy’s right bicep. He squeezed me in for a chat and I even got to sit in the tattoo chair. The interview ran just under 12 minutes.

Fez of Hope

Barb and I bought some souvenirs from street vendors while attending the inauguration. I kept thinking, “What I really want is an Obama fez,” not that I expected to find one.

This weekend I reached out to the Fezmonger himself and asked if he had considered making a commemorative fez. He politely explained that he had, but decided it would be exploitative. Besides, every Fez-o-rama fez is an original design.

Before giving up, I suggested I could make a contribution to his favorite charity.  As luck would have it, March is when the Fezmonger participates in the 24 Hour Cancer Dance-a-thon to raise money for the City of Hope.

So for a contribution of $250 to a very worthy cause, I am the proud recipient of the very first Fez of Hope. (see photo). I like that Jason’s (treatment of the) design is bigger than the man. His design is more about what our new president represents.

Suffering from latent anglophilia

“An Anglophile is a person who is fond of English culture and England in general. In some cases, anglophilia represents an individual’s preference for English culture over their own; the belief that English culture is superior; or an appreciation of English history. American anglophiles will often use English spellings, such as ‘colour’ instead of ‘color’, ‘favourite’ instead of ‘favorite’, ‘centre’ instead of ‘center’, and ‘realise’ instead of ‘realize’. (Wikipedia)

I love getting email from Keith Povall, author of Sturdy Soapbox. But I really wish he’d send me an MP3 file instead, so I could enjoy what I’m certain is a charming accent. Same goes for Phil Powell and James Smith, charter members of the Order of the Fez. I’d love to hear those lads read the back of a cereal box.

The newest members of the OOTF are John, Andy and Clive (Clive! How perfect is that?). They’re in a band I think. Brits all, but I’ve never heard their voices.

If you’re reading this, mates… how about recording a little something and sending it along. I don’t care what. I just want to hear that music that is the Queen’s English (or whatever you happen to speak). You can reach me at SteveMays@Gmail.com

The Tribal Fez

Seth Godin defines a "tribe" as: "a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate."

One my favorite tribes is The Order of the Fez. A short bus full men who like to wear fezzes. We communicate via blog and email. The notion of a "leader" is somewhat antithetical to fezorocity (our defining Force), but since I maintain the blog I perform that role as needed. More of a recording secretary.

This weekend two of our members sent a music video that nicely captures what the OOTF is about.

Taisir Yanis, Fez #16

انه في حين كان رأينا منذ اكثر من الدخان الابيض معبد فاس. حتى رفع رباعية لقطة Espresso ونرحب فاس # 16 ، taisir yanis. Taisir هو المالك / المالك وسوء الحمار barista من البن في المنطقة ، على مادة الكافيين في نقطة الصفر جيفرسون سيتي ، ميسوري. منزل fezzes # 14 ، 6 # # 1 و. Taisir كتابي من اللغة الانجليزيه هي… متشكك ، ولذا فاننا video’d التماسه للاستحقاق. جميلة نحن على يقين من انه يتحدث العربية ولكنه سوف يكون خلال ايام قليلة علينا قبل ان تحصل على النسخ. ولكن نظرا للطريقة التي تسير الامور ، نحن حظيت باهتمام انه قد يكون من المفيد ان يكون ليتحدث العربية الأعضاء في النظام. انا انفاق المزيد من الوقت مع نوعية taisir من طرف زوجتي حتى بوسعي ان اشهد على الجداره. انضم لي ان ارحب taisir الى النظام الملكي وتعالى من فاس. يمكنك استخدام التعليق على الوصله ادناه او البريد الالكتروني في taisir yaniscoffeezone@gmail.com. [Video]

Radio with pictures

Fezcast1I gotta face it. I’m a radio guy. I have neither the face nor the concentration for TV. That’s my take-away from this morning’s live webcast from the Coffee Zone. Just too many things to keep track of. Watch the chat stream, monitor the audio (which is several seconds behind what is being said), look at the camera… whew!

As I replayed our half-hour chat I found myself thinking, this would have been much easier (and less painful for all concerned) if we’d just streamed the audio. Pictures added nothing to our little experiment.

We had 9 or 10 people watching, giving us encouragement in the chat room like parents at a grade-school production of 12 Angry Men, whispering our lines from the wings (“Turn up the mic!”).

I think I’m going to look for some sort of live event for the next webcast. Perhaps the 4th of July parade or something. Stay tuned.

Fezorocity

Over on the Order of the Fez blog we’re asking the Brotherhood to submit essays defining (describing?) that ineffable quality we call fezorocity. Here’s one graf from Dr. T. Everett Mobley:

“Some years ago, one of the numbers presented in a high school choir concert was a choral setting of Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”. The director asked me to recite the poem for the audience before the choir sang.  Later, I was asked how long it took me to prepare.  I replied that there are those of us who have been waiting their whole lives for a chance to declaim “Jabberwocky,” and no additional preparation is necessary. Thus it is with fezorocity, yet it may be that this quality simply lies smoldering within you unrecognized, awaiting only enlightenment to quicken the spark.”