Andy Baio (blogger)
Encyclopedia
Andy Baio is an American technologist and blogger. He is the founder of Upcoming.org
, a former CTO of Kickstarter.com, and author of the Waxy.org blog.
In September 2008, Baio joined the board of directors of Kickstarter
, a "crowdfunding" website that helps people with project ideas (often artistic works) to connect with an audience of potential funders. Baio later joined the staff as Chief Technical Officer
in July 2009, stepping down in November 2010 to join Expert Labs
.
known as Waxy Links.
Baio often takes a stand against censorship on the Internet by hosting or linking to controversial content which some parties wish to suppress. This ranges from unauthorized mashups and other artwork where parody or fair-use claims are disputed to newsworthy video, such as that of 2008 United States vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
competing in a beauty pageant.
Baio was one of the first bloggers to draw attention to the Star Wars Kid
video, which depicted a teenager clumsily emulating martial arts moves for the camera. He was the first to identify the youth and interview him. In response to the negative attention the boy received, Baio later organized a fundraiser for him, raising $4,300 in a week.
When the parody cartoon House of Cosbys
was taken down from its original site due to a cease and desist letter from Bill Cosby
's attorney, Baio placed the videos on his own website. Baio later received a similar cease and desist letter but refused to comply, citing fair use and decrying what he termed "a special kind of discrimination against amateur creators on the Internet", since Cosby had often been parodied in the mainstream media.
In 2009, he produced Kind of Bloop, a chiptune
tribute album commemorating to the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis
' Kind of Blue
. The album's cover was a pixel art version of the original album's cover, which consisted of a photograph taken by Jay Maisel
. Attorneys representing Maisel demanded damages and that the resulting image be removed from the chiptune album, resulting in a settlement of $32,500 from Andy Baio.
Baio has also written for Wired
magazine and The New York Times
, and was a staffer on R. U. Sirius
' online magazine GettingIt.com.
Upcoming.org
Upcoming is a social event calendar website that launched in 2003, founded by Andy Baio. On October 4, 2005, Upcoming.org was acquired by Yahoo!.- Features :...
, a former CTO of Kickstarter.com, and author of the Waxy.org blog.
Internet Entrepreneur
In 2003, Baio launched Upcoming.org, a collaborative event calendar. The site was acquired by Yahoo for an undisclosed sum in 2005 and Baio joined the company as the site's Technical Director. In 2007, Baio announced his departure from Yahoo.In September 2008, Baio joined the board of directors of Kickstarter
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology and food-related projects.-Model:...
, a "crowdfunding" website that helps people with project ideas (often artistic works) to connect with an audience of potential funders. Baio later joined the staff as Chief Technical Officer
Chief technical officer
A chief technology officer is an executive-level position in a company or other entity whose occupant is focused on scientific and technological issues within an organization....
in July 2009, stepping down in November 2010 to join Expert Labs
Expert Labs
Expert Labs is a non-profit technology incubator intended to aid government access expertise from interested members of the public. Part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, it was formed in November 2009, following discussions with the White House Office of Science &...
.
Media
Baio writes mostly about technology and media on Waxy.org, and publishes a sideblogSideblog
A sideblog is a feature on a website, particularly a blog, that allows one to communicate smaller snippets of information than an actual blog post. The reasoning is that a blog post will require thought, argument and some semantic structuring of the post, while a sideblog typically displays "brief...
known as Waxy Links.
Baio often takes a stand against censorship on the Internet by hosting or linking to controversial content which some parties wish to suppress. This ranges from unauthorized mashups and other artwork where parody or fair-use claims are disputed to newsworthy video, such as that of 2008 United States vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
competing in a beauty pageant.
Baio was one of the first bloggers to draw attention to the Star Wars Kid
Star Wars Kid
"Star Wars Kid" is an Internet meme involving a video of a high school student from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, wielding a golf ball retriever in imitation of Darth Maul's lightsaber moves from the Star Wars films....
video, which depicted a teenager clumsily emulating martial arts moves for the camera. He was the first to identify the youth and interview him. In response to the negative attention the boy received, Baio later organized a fundraiser for him, raising $4,300 in a week.
When the parody cartoon House of Cosbys
House of Cosbys
House of Cosbys was an animated cartoon about a Bill Cosby fan who creates a cloning machine to clone a series of Cosbys, each with a different personality.There were four episodes made by Justin Roiland, each about five minutes...
was taken down from its original site due to a cease and desist letter from Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
's attorney, Baio placed the videos on his own website. Baio later received a similar cease and desist letter but refused to comply, citing fair use and decrying what he termed "a special kind of discrimination against amateur creators on the Internet", since Cosby had often been parodied in the mainstream media.
In 2009, he produced Kind of Bloop, a chiptune
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
tribute album commemorating to the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
' Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17, 1959, on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22, 1959...
. The album's cover was a pixel art version of the original album's cover, which consisted of a photograph taken by Jay Maisel
Jay Maisel
Jay Maisel is an American color photographer. His awards include the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Society of Media Photographers, and the Infinity Award of the International Center of Photography...
. Attorneys representing Maisel demanded damages and that the resulting image be removed from the chiptune album, resulting in a settlement of $32,500 from Andy Baio.
Baio has also written for Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and was a staffer on R. U. Sirius
R. U. Sirius
R. U. Sirius is an American writer, editor, talk show host, musician and cyberculture celebrity. He is best known as co-founder and original Editor-In-Chief of Mondo 2000 magazine from 1989–1993. Sirius was also chairman and candidate in the 2000 U.S. presidential election for The Revolution Party...
' online magazine GettingIt.com.
External links
- Waxy.org main blog
- Waxy Links links selected by Baio, each with a few words of commentary
- Kind of Bloop