But what are you doing right now?? 

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My Newest Cause: Free and Open Source Software 

I've been using Open Office for some time, but I've recently been converted to the "Open Source is the wave of the future" club.

Non-profit organizations especially can benefit from this software because it's easy to use--often cloned off of software packages you and your volunteers already know how to use. Plus, it's free, so more of your money can go towards archiving your mission. Finally, it's open, which means individuals rather than corporations benefit from it's success.

If you run a non-profit, you owe it to your constituents to at least consider Open Source software

Switch to Open Source Software

Do you need Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Adobe Photo Shop or any other expensive software package that you or your company can't really afford to buy?  Have you considered piracy because there seems to be no other choice?  Do you ha...

Maureen Carruthers: Gamer 

or small business owner

How to find gamers in your local area

Spielerz.com is a free on-line community for gamers, by gamers. Our goal is to help you spend less time looking for local players, and more time playing your games. If you play Board Games like Settlers of Catan and Caylus; Role Playing Games (RPG)...

Unique Settlers of Catan T-Shirts

A line of T-shirts (and other cool stuff) that are totally hilarious to a small fraction of the population and completely mystifying to everyone else.

Professional Lenses 

Plan Your Orlando Vacation

You've been talking about it, now it's time to do it!  Whether you go every year, or this trip will be your first, a vacation to Orlando is one you will never forget. There is so much to see and do in the Orlando area that vacation planning can b...

Need a Graphic Designer?

If you have great ideas that you would like to see realized in a logo, graphic design, illustration, or any other kind of custom artwork, Rebekah McGrady can help you.  Rebekah holds a BFA in Fine Art and has 10 years of artistic experience.&nbs...

Maureen Carruthers: Feminist 

Relationship Advice that doesn't Suck

but are you willing to give up part of yourself to get one?  Are you ready to re-make yourself into what society tells you men and/or women are looking for? You may think you are willing to do what ever it takes to be in a relationship.  Hop...

How to Organize your Life

Do you run around all day, only to find at the end of the day that you haven't achieved what you planned to get done? Is your "stuff" taking over your home?  Do you pay for a storage unit to keep things that are too valuable to throw aw...

Advice for the New Feminist

If you believe in equal rights and opportunities for all people, chances are you are a feminist.  If you think you aren't a feminist because feminists are mean, angry, man hating, hairy, lesbians (pick one or more) than this is the site for you....

Katharine Wright

You learned the story of the Wright Brothers in school, but some of the juicy bits were left out.  The Wright Brothers may (or may not) have had a third partner--their sister Katharine. History is unclear on her role--some say she was the real br...

Maureen Carrthers: Arts Administrator 

Let's just get the professional bio out of the way

Maureen Carruthers started her professional arts career at the Delaware Theatre Company in 1998 before moving to Blacksburg, Virginia, to continue her education in Arts Administration. During this time she worked for the Colquitt/Miller Arts Council in Colquitt GA, on Swamp Gravy; a community arts initiative combining the expertise of professional writers, directors and designers with the spirit, time and energy of volunteer actors to create theatre pieces based on the stories, songs and history of the region.

With Artists in Virginia's New River Valley Maureen developed ArtsMatch; an on-line community dedicated to creating new opportunities for artists to meet, support, and collaborate with each other.

In 2003, Maureen started with the Institute for Cultural Policy and Practice at Virgina Tech and for five years, first as the administrator and later as the Program Manger, she supported the work of arts organizations(primarily orchestras)through programs like the Orchestra Forum, the Community Arts Leadership Academy and Dual Leadership: Partnering from the Inside out.

Now Maureen lives in Ohio where she co-founded Spielerz.com, an on-line community dedicated to helping gamers find other players in their local area, consults and writes grants for individuals and non-profits, and promotes peace, love, and open source software on web communities like Squidoo.

Maureen holds an MFA in Arts Administration from Virginia Tech and a B.S. in Speech Communication and Theatre Arts from the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

People I admire 

Paul Graham: The Best Essay-writer Ever

Paul Graham notices what other's miss. He uses his experiences in art, programing and life to shine light into the crevices from which the best ideas grow.  Finally though his writing and though Y Combinator, he is willing to teach.

Sean Covel

You've seen Napoleon Dynamite?  Well this is the man behind the masterpiece.  There were others I'm sure, but since he drove Heather and me to the grocery store in the middle of the night because he had a car and we didn't, hosted sword fig...

Liz Lerman

Liz Lerman is founding artistic director of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Her dance company features a multi-generational ensemble that creates, performs, teaches and engages people in making art. Throughout its 30 year history, Dance Exchange has defin...

Mike Carruthers

This lens is a celebration of the life of my father, teacher, coach, director, and mentor Michael Carruthers.  

My Favorite Things 

Penguins Video Showcase

Thanks to movies like March of the Peguins and Happy Feet, Peguins are enjoying more popularity than ever before. Plus, they are absolutely adorable. 

Good Wine in a Box

It's hard for me to believe, but recently I bought wine in a box.  On purpose.  Just to have around the house. This is slightly embrassing because I used to make fun of mom for her wine in a box drinking.  In my defense, boxed wine has...

What's up with LOL Cats?

I was not an early adopter in the whole lolcats craze.  In fact for a long time I felt like this guy.   Now that I've come around to the joy that is cats doing cat things with badly spelled human interpretations of what cats might say if th...

My Del.icio.us bookmarks 

Things I think are important enough to click the little "tag" icon

TV Lenses 

MythBusters

What happens when you mix science, and special effects experience, and then add them to Cable TV? The Discovery Channel's run away hit--The MythBusters. But who are the Mythbusters?  Stick around and find out! 

Jed Bartlett

You know what gives me hope  about the state of American Politics?  The West Wing.  Not the place, the TV series.  It may be true that we've lost our path, but if we can collectively imagine (with Aaron Sorkin doing the heavy lift...

Geek TV

If you don't follow the shows below, your geek card is in danger!  Borrow*, rent or by the DVDs below before the Geek Police find out. *We take no responsiblity for loss of geek card if the geek from whom you try to borrow turns you in. 

Great Television now on DVD

Are you tired of scheduling your day around when the Networks think you should watch TV?  Do you avoid the water cooler at work, because everyone is talking about a series you aren't watching, and think it's too late now to catch up?  Are y...

Aaron Sorkin

This Lens is a tribute to Aaron Sorkin, the best television writer in the industry today

The Latest Google News on Maureen Carruthers 

I totally expect this to be empty, but if it's not, make sure to send me an e-mail so I don't miss it!

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Say Hello! 

if you stopped by, I want to know about it

Say hello, let me know if I know you in real life, tell me which lens you like best, give me ideas about what my next lens should be. This lens is all about me, so the least you can do is let me know you were here. . .< / guilt >

SemperFidelis Great lens Liz. Makes me want to do one on myself. 5* Posted October 18, 2007

Susan52 Very nice to meet you here, Maureen, and thanks for tagging my recipe lens. How cool! Susan Posted October 17, 2007

Coming to visit 

Visiting Ohio? Come say hello! (Call first) ;)

I still don't think I know you 

an epiloge

If I had to give myself a single title that covered every aspect of my life it would be "Translator." I don't use that term for what I do very often though because people wouldn't really understand what I meant. Ironic, huh?

While the only language I speak is English (plus some pretty rusty American Sign Language) my best gift is the ability to hear and understand what a person (or organization) is saying and translating that into a language their audience can hear.

When I volunteered in Ireland I literally repeated what my fellow volunteers said in my American accent so our Irish hosts could understand what they were saying--and vice versa. I remarked that I was translating "English to English." It was a joke then, but upon further reflection realized that I'd been doing such translation for sometime.

Arts Administration is in many ways all about translating English to English. All of the arts, but especially the performing arts require lots of individuals with very diverse skills and temperaments work together to create on piece of work. And then the value of that work needs to be communicated to a community and sponsors in a way that speaks to them. Arts Administration is all about that bridging work.

Marketing? Translating English to English. I have a product or service that I think is great-- but I need someone to talk about it in a way that my consumers will see and understand it's greatness for themselves. See?? Translation.

Conflict Resolution?? Good conflict resolution isn't about deciding who is right and whose wrong it's about really hearing where everyone is coming from, finding common ground and solutions that work all around-- often what you need to make that happen is a facilitator--who helps translate the needs of one party into terms the other can hear.

So, I call myself a translator--but I can't put it on my resume yet because, well it doesn't translate ;)