WordCamp Brisbane talk – Cool Stuff Inside Gutenberg

I spoke at WordCamp Brisbane last weekend – my first WordCamp! I chose Brisbane as it seems like the strongest community in my part of the world. It didn’t disappoint – the 2019 event broke records as the biggest #WCBNE ever!

For my talk topic, I wanted to shine a light on all the work going into the Gutenberg project. This code base powers the block editor in WordPress, but there’s so much potential here.

Inside Gutenberg there’s a rich library of components that you can use to build the custom block your site needs, dashboard interfaces in wp-admin, and more. You can even use these packages outside WordPress – the possibilities are endless!

Demo – Page Soundtrack

To demo this, I decided to invest some of my spare time in building something fun that I might use. The idea was to add a soundtrack to blog posts and pages.

When writing a post, you add loops to the page. When the user is reading (scrolling) through the page, it will automatically sync and crossfade between the loops, a bit like a DJ.

The two blocks – a loop block and a play button – use Gutenberg components to allow the author to configure things like loop settings, and the page tempo. Have a play with it!

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Building a Dining Booth

A little while ago we had some work done on our house to make it better.

We swapped the windowless, dank bathroom out to the large sun-filled laundry (with a vaulted/angled ceiling), extended the hallway to the back of the house, and added a toothbrush nook.

Next to our kitchen there was a nice chunk of space, with a view out to the back yard (and forthcoming deck). I was really keen on turning this into a dining booth – a bit like a cafe/diner booth, but a bit bigger.

So I borrowed a circular saw, started measuring, and built it!

Vogel Street Party

In 2014 the first Vogel Street Party happened in the warehouse precinct in Dunedin. The reason for the party was to celebrate the local community making things happen & the general rejuvenation of the area.

It was incredible! 

From 3pm to 10pm on Saturday the 18th of Oct 2014:

  • the street was closed to traffic
  • street food vendors sold delicious wares
  • a huge range of activities for young and old were held
  • a HUGE LED wall screen showed animation, video and digital art
  • musicians performed over the afternoon
  • there was an upcycled street-fashion show
  • DJs played into the evening
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Also the party coincided with the Dunedin Street Art Festival. Local and international artists transformed walls around the area into vibrant pieces of art.

A strong group of volunteers made this happen. I got myself involved from day one and put a lot of energy into the website, booking the DJs, as well as curating & producing the digital screen content.

I also had the privilege of performing – DJing and triggering custom synchronised animations on the big screen.

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A huge thanks to everyone who contributed to the event, and the sponsors who backed us!

This post was originally posted in 2014; since then there have been more Vogel Street Parties every year (with a hiatus in 2018), each one getting bigger and better! See you at the next one 🙂