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=Prompts for hanging out in a spreadsheet=
<div class="article Spreadsheet_Routines layout-2" id="Spreadsheet_Routines">
<div class="hide-from-website">
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 09.44.58.png|thumb|class=title_image|Screenshot of the Ethercalc spreadsheet, which served as a guideline, workshop and discussion space, as well as documentation of workshop outcomes]]
</div>


Anja Groten, Karl Moubarak
<div class="hide-from-book scriptothek">
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 09.44.58.png|thumb]]
[[File:ethercalc-prompt-1.png|thumb|https://ec.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-1-connect]]
[[File:ethercalc-prompt-2.png|thumb]]
[[File:ethercalc-prompt-4.png|thumb|https://ec.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-2-play]]
[[File:ethercalc-prompt-5.png|thumb|]]
[[File:ethercalc-prompt-6.png|thumb|https://ec.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-4-cook]]


[[File:liquify.png|thumb|https://ec.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-3-liquify]]


“Ethercalc Hangouts” is a series of mini workshops that derived from a shared excitement about spreadsheets. The short daily 30 min sessions can be sprinkled throughout a longer period of time, for instance to create a sense of togetherness among people who collaborate but do not share the same physical location. They invite to spend time together and collectively explore the expressive and collaborative potential of spreadsheets.
[[File:Screenshot_2022-08-24_at_09.47.52.png|thumb]]
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.55.04.png|thumb]]
[[File:time-table.png|thumb|Time table HDSA 2021]]


We propose to use Ethercalc as a meeting place, an open source instant web spreadsheet tool, developed by Audrey Tang building on wikiCalc. Similarly to Etherpad people can edit documents at the same time. Ethercalc is typically used for inventories, survey forms, list management, brainstorming sessions, budgets, time tables, all features we found essential for collaborative organizing!
</div>


Each session kicks off with a short prompt. Prompts can be repeated, edited and iterated on.  
===Spreadsheet Routines===
<span class="author">Anja Groten and Karl Moubarak</span>
“Spreadsheet Routines” or "Ethercalc hangouts" is a series of mini workshops that emerged from a shared enthusiasm for spreadsheets. The thirty minute daily sessions can be repeated for an unlimited period of time, and are intended to cultivate a sense of togetherness among people who, for example, collaborate regularly but don’t live not in close proximity. Through the exercises, participants are invited to spend time together and collectively explore the expressive and collaborative potential of spreadsheets.


As a meeting place, we propose using Ethercalc, an open-source collaborative web spreadsheet editor developed by Audrey Tang and built with SocialCalc. Similarly to Etherpad, Ethercalc allows users to edit documents simultaneously. Ethercalc is typically used for inventories, survey forms, list management, brainstorming sessions, budgets, and timetables—all of which we found essential for collaborative organizing!


'''Daily Ethercalc Routines '''
Each session kicks off with a short prompt, which can be repeated, edited, and new iterations created.


Duration: Daily 20-30 minutes routines, synchronous collective hangouts on Ethercalc.
==== Daily Ethercalc Routines  ====
''Duration: Twenty-thirty minutes per day.''


'''Note to facilitator(s):'''


Note to facilitator(s):
Pick a time for the Ethercalc Hangouts that works for all participants (consider different time zones). Prepare the sheets beforehand and release the links to the sheets every day a few minutes before the agreed upon time. You could do that via email or a shared chat room.  
*Pick a time that suits all participants (consider different time zones).
Everyday participants will meet simultaneously on the new spreadsheet link to follow a new prompt. The prompts can be interpreted freely. Participants are free to continue creating Ethercalc Art also after the 30 min daily routine is completed
*Prepare the sheets beforehand and release the links to the sheets a few minutes before the agreed time every day. You can do that via email or through a shared chat room.
You may invite participants to create their own prompts and host a session. 
Consider to send additional updates and reminders, motivational posts, screenshots of some of the outcomes and highlights.
*Every day, participants will open the linked spreadsheet to respond to a new prompt. The prompts can be interpreted freely. Participants are free to continue creating Ethercalc art after the thirty minutes is up
*You may invite participants to create their own prompts and host their own sessions.
*Consider sending additional updates and reminders, motivational posts, and screenshots of the outcomes and highlights.


   
==== Onboarding ====
'''Onboarding'''
[[File:Screenshot 2021-07-24 at 11.48.00.png|thumb]]
To introduce the practice of Ethercalc hangouts, we propose setting up a video call for the first time you meet on the spreadsheet. Facilitators can share some background information on Ethercalc, invite participants to set intentions for the daily practice, and take some questions.
* Ethercalc is a web-based collaborative spreadsheet editor.
* It is open-source. This means the source code of the software is visible, reusable, and extendable. Anyone can copy the code, make improvements, and develop it further.
* Ethercalc was developed by Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s minister of digital affairs.
* Ethercalc can be installed on any computer. You can run Ethercalc locally on your personal computer if you want to use it alone. You can host it on a local device like a Raspberry Pi if you want to collaborate with people in close proximity, or you can install it on a remote server, allowing you to collaborate with anyone in the world with an internet connection!


To introduce the practice of “Ethercalc hangouts” we propose to set up a video call when you meet on the spreadsheet for the first time. Facilitators can share some background around Ethercalc, invite to set intentions for the daily practice, and take some questions.
==== Ethercalc tips and tricks ====
BBB: https://lb.bbb.tbm.tudelft.nl/playback/presentation/2.3/edeae95a0e9780f9f6556c7f7fd7b5dbae46960c-1626708616507  
[[File:Ethercalc-inaction-02.png]]
 
* To create an unnamed Ethercalc, go to [https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/ <u>https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/</u>] and click &quot;Create Spreadsheet.&quot;
Ethercalc is a web-based collaborative spreadsheet editor
* To create a named Ethercalc, type [https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/ <u>https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/</u>] into your address bar followed by the name of your sheet.
It is open source. That means the source code of the software is visible, reusable, extendable. Anyone can copy the code, make improvements and develop it further. Ethercalc was developed by Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s minister of digital affairs. [add picture as visual footnote],   
* All the functions you need are in the toolbar (some are less visible than others).
Ethercalc can be installed on any computer
* Other people's cursors appear as cells with a blue border.
You can run Ethercalc also locally on your personal computer, if you want to use it alone. Or you host it on a local device like a Raspberry Pi if you want to collaborate with people in close proximity, your housemates for instance. Or you install it on a remote server. That allows you to collaborate with any one in the world with an internet connection! 
* Keyboard shortcuts are a little bit weird:
Ethercalc tour: [add screenshots]
** CMD / CTRL + C copies values and styles
 
** CMD / CTRL + V pastes values only
 
** Use the toolbar to paste styles
'''Ethercalc tips and tricks'''
** CMD / CTRL + Z goes backwards in history
 
** CMD / CTRL + SHIFT + Z also goes backwards in history
To create an unnamed ethercalc, go to https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/  and cllick "Create Spreadsheet".
** To move forward in history, use the toolbar
To create a named ethercalc, type https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/ into your address bar followed by the name of you sheet.
* The clipboard is shared, so watch out! You might be pasting someone else's clipping.
Once in your sheet, all the functions you need are in the tool bar (some more hidden than others)
* The edit history is also shared, so be aware that if you “undo,you might be undoing someone else's work.
Other people's cursors appear as cells with a blue-border
* If Ethercalc gets slow or stuck, refreshing the page will do the trick.
Keyboard shortcuts are a little bit weird:
CMD / CTRL + C copies values and styles
CMD / CTRL + V pastes values only
To paste styles, use the toolbar :)
CMD / CTRL + Z goes backwards in history
CMD / CTRL + SHIFT + Z also goes backwards in history
To move forward in history, use the toolbar :)
The clipboard is shared, so watch out! You might be pasting someone else's clipping
The edit history is also shared, so if you undo, you might be undoing someone else's work :-)))
If Ethercalc gets slow or stuck, a refresh will do the trick.

 
Session 1: “Connect” https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-1-connect
The 1st prompt caters to familiarization and learning about the quirks of Ethercalc formatting and functions. 

[See folder ‘connect’ in NC for images]

In text:
Hello good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
Say hi in a cell
We propose the analogy of weaving carpets, and imagine this spreadsheet as our distributed loom!
We prepared some carpets for you from row 30 onward. create couples by pasting your name above a carpet
(15 min) Meet each other on the carpet and go with the flow of weaving a carpet with the different formatting options and within your cells. 

* useful tip: the clip board is shared, so if you use the paste button, you might paste someone else's cells.


==== Session 1: “Connect” ====
The first prompt aims to help participants to familiarize themselves and learn about the quirks of its formatting and functions.
#Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
#Say hi in a cell.
#We propose the analogy of weaving a carpet. Imagine this spreadsheet as our distributed loom!
#We prepared some carpets for you from row 30 onward. Couple up by pasting your name above a carpet.
#(15 min) Meet each other on the carpet and go with the flow of weaving a carpet with the different formatting options and within your cells.


''*Useful tip: the clipboard is shared, so if you use the paste button, you might be pasting someone else's cells.''


Session 2: “Play” https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-2-play
==== Session 2: “Play” ====
#Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
#Say hi in a cell.
#(2 min) Find yourself a spot on the spreadsheet and draw an avatar in approximately 20 rows and 30 columns. Before you start, make sure to mark your drawing area. Add your coordinates and avatar names here.
#(10 minutes) Drawn your avatar!
#Name your avatar.
#Keep an eye out for instructions <br>The Ethercalc moderators will indicate there are 5 more minutes left to draw and when the time is up.<br>Once the time is up, do not touch the spreadsheet anymore. Just watch!<br>Your avatars will be moved to be paired.
#(10 minutes or as long as you wish) Go look for your avatar and see whose company you are in. Use the cells around your avatars to chat away!
<div class="visual-footnote img">
[[File:Ethercalc-drawing-08.png|thumb]]</div>


[See folder ‘play’ in NC for images]

==== Session 3: “Cook” ====
In text:  
#Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
Hello good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!  
#Say hi in a cell.
Say hi in a cell.
#(15 min) Create a drawing of your favorite dish (to be cooked from the picture at a shared meeting time).
(2 min) Find yourself a spot on the spreadsheet and draw an avatar in approximately 20 rows and 30 columns. Before you start make sure to mark your drawing area. 
add your coordinates and avatar names here:
#(2 min) Invent a new name for the dish (without describing it literally).
(10 minutes) Drawn your avatar!
#(5 min) Check out the other dishes and guess some of their ingredients (write in the column next to the dish).
Name your avatar.  
#Set a date to cook the dishes.
Keep an eye for instructions. 
The ethercalc moderators will indicate there are 5 more minutes left to draw and when the times up.
<div class="visual-footnote img">
Once the time is up do not touch the spreadsheet anymore! just watch! 
Your avatars will be moved to be paired.  
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.49.10.png|thumb]]
(10 minutes or as long as you wish) Go look for your avatar and see whose company you are in. Use the cells around your avatars to chat away!
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.47.17.png|thumb]]
</div>
Session 3: “Cook” https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-4-cook 
<div class="visual-footnote img">
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.48.58.png|thumb]]
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.49.30.png|thumb]]
</div>


[See folder ‘cook’ in NC for images]
==== Session 4: “Liquify”  ====
#Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
#Say hi in a cell.
#Liquidation is the prompt!<br />
Challenge the fixed boundaries of the cells, rows, and columns. Get inspired by streams, ponds, rivers, creeks, sinks, the deep seas, a toilet flush. Create a liquid environment that dilutes fixed boundaries and categorization.<br>You are not limited to one spot on the spreadsheet.


In text:  
<div class="visual-footnote img">
Hello good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.54.33.png|class=wide_image|thumb|Spreadsheet drawing]]
Say hi in a cell
</div>
(15 min) Create a drawing of your favorite dish (to be cooked from the picture at a shared meeting time)
(2 min) Invent a new name for the dish (without describing it literally)
(5 min) Check out the other dishes and guess some of their ingredients (write in the column next to the dish)
Set a date to cook the dishes.  
Session 4: “Liquify:” https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/routine-3-liquify 


[add screenshots from the spreadsheet to show the prompts. See folder ‘liquify’ in NC]
''The Ethercalc Hangouts took place throughout the H&D Summer Academy 2021.''


====References:====


In text:
* Sadie Plant, &quot;The Future Looms. Weaving Women and Cybernetics,&quot; Body &amp; Society, 1.3-4 (1995): 45-64. https://monoskop.org/images/1/13/Plant_Sadie_1995_The_Future_Looms_Weaving_Women_and_Cybernetics.pdf.
Hello good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
* Ethercalc source code, [https://github.com/audreyt/ethercalc/ <u>https://github.com/audreyt/ethercalc/</u>]
Say hi in a cell
* Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, “Radical Transparency, humor &gt; disinformation, poetry for machines, avatar politicians and giving non-human entities a vote with Digital Minister of Taiwan Audrey Tang,” March 22, 2021, in ''Interdependence'' podcast, MP3 audio, 1:18, [https://interdependence.fm/episodes/radical-transparency-humor-disinformation-poetry-for-machines-avatar-politicians-and-giving-non-human-entities-a-vote-with-digital-minister-of-taiwan-audrey-tang-X36XnWVg <u>https://interdependence.fm/episodes/radical-transparency-humor-disinformation-poetry-for-machines-avatar-politicians-and-giving-non-human-entities-a-vote-with-digital-minister-of-taiwan-audrey-tang-X36XnWVg</u>].
Liquidation is the prompt!
Challenge the fixed boundaries of cells, rows and columns. Get inspired by streams, ponds, rivers, creeks, sinks, the deep seas, a toilet flush,... create a liquid environment that dilutes fixed boundaries and categorization
You are not limited to one spot on the spreadsheet
* Erland Solutions, “Spreadsheets are Code - Felienne Hermans,” YouTube video, November 15, 2015, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMIBfzSqguQ <u>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMIBfzSqguQ</u>]
�The Ethercalc Hangouts were practiced throughout the H&D Summer Academy  2021.  
* Dani Deahl, “You can now make sick beats in Microsoft Excel,” The Verge, February 6, 2020, [https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/6/21126465/xl-studio-music-making-drum-microsoft-excel-daw-dylan-tallchief <u>https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/6/21126465/xl-studio-music-making-drum-microsoft-excel-daw-dylan-tallchief</u>].


<br>
<small>
[[#Platframe Postscript|'''Anja Groten''''s bio.]]<br>
[[#Platframe Postscript|'''Karl Moubarak''''s bio.]]
</small>


References:
<span class="spread">[[File:Screenshot_2022-08-24_at_09.47.52.png|thumb]]</span>
Sadie Plant "The Future Looms. Weaving Women and Cybernetics" https://monoskop.org/images/1/13/Plant_Sadie_1995_The_Future_Looms_Weaving_Women_and_Cybernetics.pdf
<span class="spread">[[File:Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.55.04.png|thumb]]</span>
ethercalc source code: [https://github.com/audreyt/ethercalc/]
</div>
very nice podcast (interdependence with holly herndon+mat dryhurst) with audrey >> https://interdependence.fm/episodes/radical-transparency-humor-disinformation-poetry-for-machines-avatar-politicians-and-giving-non-human-entities-a-vote-with-digital-minister-of-taiwan-audrey-tang-X36XnWVg
spredsheetss aare code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMIBfzSqguQ
Make beats with spreadsheets https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/6/21126465/xl-studio-music-making-drum-microsoft-excel-daw-dylan-tallchief

Latest revision as of 20:57, 18 November 2022

Screenshot of the Ethercalc spreadsheet, which served as a guideline, workshop and discussion space, as well as documentation of workshop outcomes

Spreadsheet Routines

Anja Groten and Karl Moubarak “Spreadsheet Routines” or "Ethercalc hangouts" is a series of mini workshops that emerged from a shared enthusiasm for spreadsheets. The thirty minute daily sessions can be repeated for an unlimited period of time, and are intended to cultivate a sense of togetherness among people who, for example, collaborate regularly but don’t live not in close proximity. Through the exercises, participants are invited to spend time together and collectively explore the expressive and collaborative potential of spreadsheets.

As a meeting place, we propose using Ethercalc, an open-source collaborative web spreadsheet editor developed by Audrey Tang and built with SocialCalc. Similarly to Etherpad, Ethercalc allows users to edit documents simultaneously. Ethercalc is typically used for inventories, survey forms, list management, brainstorming sessions, budgets, and timetables—all of which we found essential for collaborative organizing!

Each session kicks off with a short prompt, which can be repeated, edited, and new iterations created.

Daily Ethercalc Routines 

Duration: Twenty-thirty minutes per day.

Note to facilitator(s):

  • Pick a time that suits all participants (consider different time zones).
  • Prepare the sheets beforehand and release the links to the sheets a few minutes before the agreed time every day. You can do that via email or through a shared chat room.
  • Every day, participants will open the linked spreadsheet to respond to a new prompt. The prompts can be interpreted freely. Participants are free to continue creating Ethercalc art after the thirty minutes is up. 
  • You may invite participants to create their own prompts and host their own sessions.
  • Consider sending additional updates and reminders, motivational posts, and screenshots of the outcomes and highlights.

Onboarding

Screenshot 2021-07-24 at 11.48.00.png

To introduce the practice of Ethercalc hangouts, we propose setting up a video call for the first time you meet on the spreadsheet. Facilitators can share some background information on Ethercalc, invite participants to set intentions for the daily practice, and take some questions.

  • Ethercalc is a web-based collaborative spreadsheet editor.
  • It is open-source. This means the source code of the software is visible, reusable, and extendable. Anyone can copy the code, make improvements, and develop it further.
  • Ethercalc was developed by Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s minister of digital affairs.
  • Ethercalc can be installed on any computer. You can run Ethercalc locally on your personal computer if you want to use it alone. You can host it on a local device like a Raspberry Pi if you want to collaborate with people in close proximity, or you can install it on a remote server, allowing you to collaborate with anyone in the world with an internet connection!

Ethercalc tips and tricks

Ethercalc-inaction-02.png

  • To create an unnamed Ethercalc, go to https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/ and click "Create Spreadsheet."
  • To create a named Ethercalc, type https://ethercalc.hackersanddesigners.nl/ into your address bar followed by the name of your sheet.
  • All the functions you need are in the toolbar (some are less visible than others).
  • Other people's cursors appear as cells with a blue border.
  • Keyboard shortcuts are a little bit weird:
    • CMD / CTRL + C copies values and styles
    • CMD / CTRL + V pastes values only
    • Use the toolbar to paste styles
    • CMD / CTRL + Z goes backwards in history
    • CMD / CTRL + SHIFT + Z also goes backwards in history
    • To move forward in history, use the toolbar
  • The clipboard is shared, so watch out! You might be pasting someone else's clipping.
  • The edit history is also shared, so be aware that if you “undo,” you might be undoing someone else's work.
  • If Ethercalc gets slow or stuck, refreshing the page will do the trick.

Session 1: “Connect”

The first prompt aims to help participants to familiarize themselves and learn about the quirks of its formatting and functions.

  1. Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
  2. Say hi in a cell.
  3. We propose the analogy of weaving a carpet. Imagine this spreadsheet as our distributed loom!
  4. We prepared some carpets for you from row 30 onward. Couple up by pasting your name above a carpet.
  5. (15 min) Meet each other on the carpet and go with the flow of weaving a carpet with the different formatting options and within your cells.

*Useful tip: the clipboard is shared, so if you use the paste button, you might be pasting someone else's cells.

Session 2: “Play”

  1. Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
  2. Say hi in a cell.
  3. (2 min) Find yourself a spot on the spreadsheet and draw an avatar in approximately 20 rows and 30 columns. Before you start, make sure to mark your drawing area. Add your coordinates and avatar names here.
  4. (10 minutes) Drawn your avatar!
  5. Name your avatar.
  6. Keep an eye out for instructions
    The Ethercalc moderators will indicate there are 5 more minutes left to draw and when the time is up.
    Once the time is up, do not touch the spreadsheet anymore. Just watch!
    Your avatars will be moved to be paired.
  7. (10 minutes or as long as you wish) Go look for your avatar and see whose company you are in. Use the cells around your avatars to chat away!
Ethercalc-drawing-08.png

Session 3: “Cook” 

  1. Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
  2. Say hi in a cell.
  3. (15 min) Create a drawing of your favorite dish (to be cooked from the picture at a shared meeting time).
  4. (2 min) Invent a new name for the dish (without describing it literally).
  5. (5 min) Check out the other dishes and guess some of their ingredients (write in the column next to the dish).
  6. Set a date to cook the dishes.
Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.49.10.png
Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.47.17.png
Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.48.58.png
Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.49.30.png

Session 4: “Liquify”

  1. Hello, good morning / afternoon / evening everyone!
  2. Say hi in a cell.
  3. Liquidation is the prompt!

Challenge the fixed boundaries of the cells, rows, and columns. Get inspired by streams, ponds, rivers, creeks, sinks, the deep seas, a toilet flush. Create a liquid environment that dilutes fixed boundaries and categorization.
You are not limited to one spot on the spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet drawing

The Ethercalc Hangouts took place throughout the H&D Summer Academy 2021.

References:


Anja Groten's bio.
Karl Moubarak's bio.

Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 09.47.52.png
Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 10.55.04.png