Hey, Defrag Supporters-

Hope you all had a fun and productive summer.  Apologies for the long pause--there's been lots going on.

Over the summer we've made lots of headway on the editorial/content side, and have finished about two-thirds of the interviews, profiles and layout for the first issue.  This has been a particularly fun phase of the project for me, as I got to interview (via Skype, usually) an eclectic and talented bunch of artists and musicians from around the world. 

 Very inspiring to be not only shining a light on some great creative work, but also to be building a network of innovative artists around the globe, all interested in sharing and connecting across borders and supposed cultural divides.  It felt like the world was getting a bit smaller and defragmenting a bit with each interview. 

We were also able to work on design, and the new layouts are a big step forward from the version shown in the fund-raiser video.  I hope to post at least a short video of the "new look" soon.

Unfortunately, most of the tech/architecture work has been on-hold for most of the summer.  Steve, our tech-lead, is back in the saddle and working hard at a custom solution for delivering the app.  Steve has many years experience as a developer, working on large creative projects for clients including The Cartoon Network, Bronx Museum of Art and Nike. 

Welcome back, Steve!

Thanks to all our supporters for your help, input and patience.  Look for a "new look" video soon, as well as information about when the first issue/app will be available.

All the best-

David Olson

Founder, Defrag Project

Defrag Supporters-

Thanks to everyone who has supported the project with pledges large and small.   We've raised over the half the funding necessary to finish the first issue and are gaining momentum.  A huge thanks to those who have  blogged, emailed, tweeted and posted about the project--this helps enormously.  Please help spread the word!

We are adding artists, musicians, photographers, writers and projects from all over the world--very exciting.  Here are a few hightlights:

Ayush Ranka is a talented young photographer based in Bangalore, India.  His beautiful compositions subtly hint at a deeper, universal message.  From his artist statement: "Ayush believes that in a true democracy everybody has a right to a life with dignity regardless of their background. Any form of art has a very important role to play in fostering a sense of understanding between people in a very direct and unadulterated manner."

http://www.ayushranka.in/

Tammim Barghouti is Egypt's best known contemporary poet.  His latest poem was written during the protests in Tahrir Square in Cairo, were it was repeatedly read and sung aloud to the crowds as inspiration.  It will appear translated into English for the first time in the premiere issue of Defrag.  

Defrag will highlight the exploding digital music scene in South East Asia: Burmese dub-steb, Cambodian hip-hop, Chinese reggae...  A wild assortment of creative music that is ready to bubble up from the digital underground.

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If you haven't done so already (or recently), please consider posting the project url to your FaceBook page, tweeting it, or sending out to your personal networks. 

With a little team-work we can get this done and make Defrag a reality.

Thanks again for all your support and work-

David Olson

Founder, Defrag Magazine Project