Shepherd's Pie

Easy, Cheap, Animated Cartoon in 10 Minutes

2006-09-11T03:28:00.000-04:00

A Great new "Instructable" from Leevonk suggests using a whiteboard and webcam for an ultra minimal form of animation.

The Only Art On The Moon

2006-08-20T15:53:00.000-04:00

The only piece of art on the moon (depending, we suppose, on one’s definition of art) is a 3″-tall aluminum sculpture titled “Fallen Astronaut.” It was created by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck and installed by Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott, along with a plaque bearing the names of the 14 astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the service of space exploration.

In 1972, against the crew and NASA’s wishes, Van Hoeydonck created 950 signed replicas of “Fallen Astronaut” and sold them for $750 a piece.

a comment made...
Moon Says:
August 7th, 2006 at 9:38 pm

I’m not in favor of putting ANYTHING on the Moon, except maybe beautiful women!!!

Signed,

Moon

Mr. Rogers Goes to The Senate 1969

2006-05-25T14:07:00.000-04:00

"In 1969 the US Senate
had a hearing on funding the newly developed Corporation for Public
Broadcasting. The proposed endowment was $20 million, but President
Nixon wanted it cut in half because of the spending going on in the
Vietnam War. This is an video clip of the exchange between Mr. Rogers
and Senator Pastore, head of the hearing. Senator Pastore starts out
very abrasive and by the time Mr. Rogers is done talking, Senator
Pastore's inner child has heard Mr. Rogers and agreed with him."

See Clip here (YOUTUBE)

"Destination Earth" fantastic 50's animation

2006-05-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

"In this corporate-sponsored cartoon, Martian dissidents learn that oil and competition are the two things that make America great."

From the Internet Archive I found these great short films many which featuring the work of Tom Oreb and Vic Haboush who, I am finding, are masters of classic animation.

I cannot explain how fantastic all the animation concept work featured on Cartoon Modern and Cartoon Brew is.

Also check out Ward-O-Matic, for Ward Jenkins who is a heavily 50s influenced animator who includes a lot of process and devolpment work on his site.

Guilherme Marcondes' animated Short "Tyger"

2006-05-13T17:43:00.000-04:00

From Drawn...

"In Tyger, an animated short by Guilherme Marcondes, a giant jungle cat roams the city and transforms the urban jungle into a actual one, illuminating everything in sight with magic and wonder. Tyger combines puppetry, photography, and animation into the most original animated short I’ve seen in a long time..."

This film is gorgeous and brilliant! Absolutely orginal Guilherme Marcondes' entire reel is worth checking out. This man is a incredible designer. He used to be with Lobo, another graphic/animation studio with a beautiful reel.

Plusminus: Revolutionary electronics designs

2006-05-11T02:38:00.000-04:00

"Plusminus" seems to made entirely of one man, Dima Komissarov and the few examples of his work on the site are pretty exciting.
the Flashbag is a usb drive which inflates depending on how much content
is on hand.

The Flashbag was a bunch of blogs a few weeks back and was I how I can to Plusminus... but
most all I was blown away by the "Remobeads"a TV remote which you rotate in your hand like meditation or rosary beads...

"Nowadays TV-set is not longer accepted as a mere reciever - it had transformed into a cult object, the thing we can watch and interact with for hours, the source of our knowledge and inspiration. If you accept this statement with humor, as a matter of fact - go after our new design of TV remote - remote control combined with beads (remobeads). Now you can shift between channels effortless - just slightly pressing the beads. The beads are glowing, so you can easily see them in the darkness. As an option you can add a sound - enjoy listening to your favourite mantras while switching the channels. "

2006-04-22T15:33:00.000-04:00

I love this image from italian advertising/graphic agency Keller. Its unfortunate that it is not a real object. I think it would so amazing on a giant scale in a public library, or small scale in a home library.

Coyle & Sharpe

2006-04-21T03:52:00.000-04:00

"To look at them, you'd think them two well-educated, well-read, well-spoken, audacious young men. They are. They are also two young men who've rejected a conventional way of life in order to tape absurd, impromptu conversations with the innocent passer-by on a hidden tape recorder. Or, to put it another way (their way), 'We're just Renaissance Men who like to bug people.'"

Coyle & Sharpe made absurd style victimless prank comedy in the 1960s. They were shockingly ahead of their time and their work is still hilarious today.

Check out"The Efficiency Experts" from a television pilot they produced!

The "Turntable"

2006-04-19T17:25:00.000-04:00

This table design by Wiedenmann & Averdiek
blew me away. I would love to see this concept on a smaller scale like a school chair-table. I am a sucker for anything that can be both entirely conceptual and minimal at the same time... I think this table definitly succeeds!

via mocoloco

2006-03-28T03:08:00.000-05:00

Carmen D’Avino began his career as a painter in the 1930s. He’s been a World War II military filmmaker, a sculptor, and an avant-guarde animator in New York City.

more

PublicRadioFan.com

2006-03-18T05:57:00.000-05:00

Publicradiofan.com is a pretty great resource I found a couple minutes ago. It provides direct links to radio streams. I have been listening to a lot of wbez and wfmu live over the internet. Its great because its live radio, but you can see live playlists updated while you listen. And are an input freak and need to google and information attack any new piece of content you encounter.

Everything I Have

2006-03-13T01:46:00.000-05:00

Designed by Ross Cooper & Nic Woodley. The poster is decorated with over 400 hand-traced silhouettes depicting everything from a private jet to a garden gnome. The ‘scratch-off’ ink can be removed to reveal everything you have ever... loved, lost, created or destroyed. If you have ever played a lottery scratch card then you will be able to make this poster unique.

Via Beyond The Beyond

The Unseen Video

2006-03-11T00:42:00.000-05:00

A weather controlled, dynamic music video for Mike Milosh's - You Make Me Feel."

"The Unseen Video is much more than a normal, static music video. It is a video that is affected by the weather and local time from the position of the viewer.

We want to create new synergies between the music, the video and the surroundings of the viewer. Every little change in your environment ensures that you will never see the same video twice. The look of the video might slightly change within an hour, but will have a whole new character in a few months."

via infosthethics

LED Throwies!

2006-02-15T02:39:00.000-05:00

The Graffiti Research Lab has a delightful video of their LED Throwies in action. I don't want to ruin this by analyzing it too much... but I can confidently say this project in some way or another combines nearly all of my major interests and joys.

Via MAKE

Retrofuturology!

2006-02-14T12:29:00.000-05:00

"...THE SITE OF FABIO FEMINO', ONE OF THE FOREMOST ITALIAN EXPERT IN ASTRONAUTICS, FUTUROLOGY AND SCIENCE FICTION. THIS SITE, SUBDIVIDED IN VARIOUS SECTIONS, WILL MAKE YOU DISCOVER HOW IN THE XX CENTURY, AT THE TOP OF THE SPACE AND NUCLEAR AGE, THE FUTURE WAS IMAGINED BY WRITERS, SCIENTISTS AND ESPECIALLY ARTISTS..."

Feminos collection is incredible! There has to be near 100 pages of content. Unfortunatley, the commentary and captions are in italian. No matter, since the illustrations here are so fantastic.

Via Pruned

Taylor McKimens

2006-02-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

I submitted this to Paper Forest, though since it has been posted there... I can't resist sharing Taylor McKimens' work. A very literal feeling of walking into a cartoon.

Remote Controller Spiders

2006-02-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

Spider for Cats

Spider for humans

I would love to see how these guys handle!

Neth Creatures

2006-02-06T05:07:00.000-05:00

I think the Neth Creatures have to be my favorite designer toys on the market. These things are gorgeous. They have great colors and shapes like many toys. Though the materials in Neth's case are totally unique.

The Neth families are..

Natural: stone and wood patterns
Brushed: painted patterns with loose human style brush strokes
Flora: minimal plant growth paintings

Neth's designer "J," was also gracious enough to include a photo album of concept and manufacturing prep work. For any design student, this is fascinating.

Varini's Perspective

2006-02-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

Felice Varini's room and building paintings are pretty entertaining optical art. They are a true testament to how little we see. I think this could make for an excellent home paint job. Imagine seeing one shape from your desk, one from bed, couch, kitchen table, etc...

You have got to explore his site a bit to find the off perspectives. He has a huge collection of work archive. Including some lines that span giant buildings. Its pretty amazing.

Listening At The Border

2006-01-30T13:24:00.000-05:00

I really like this radio piece about a literal spy's experience listening to static audio in North Korea.

the PRX description...

"This work examines what it means to monitor airwaves on patrol, listening in from the perspective of a westerner trained in the nuances of a foreign language, navigating the borders of translation.
The piece has been created from a series of extensive interviews with a military linguist. His experiences as a spy and translator forever altered his listening skills and informed his desire to become an actor.
The piece combines the forms of radio documentary and sound collage, and seeks insight into the psychological, moral, and ethical implications of this listening activity."

Evironment Transformers

2006-01-26T11:54:00.000-05:00

"The history of Ortner & Ortner dates back to 1970. At that time Laurids Ortner, Manfred Ortner and Günther Zamp Kelp worked together in Düsseldorf as Haus-Rucker-Co. The projects they worked on over the following 15 years shifted programmatically between the areas of free art and architecture. Many of them anticipated later developments and had a sustained influence on tendencies and directions. Major themes, such as 'second nature' – the fusion of the naturally grown and the artificially created – or 'deconstruction' – the taking apart and new composition of buildings – were raised in an illustrative manner in projects and exhibitions."

Here are a few of their fantastic projects
"...Other devices included a collection of bizarre helmets with colored visors, flashing lights and stereo headphones. These plastic headpieces, with the names 'Flyhead', 'Viewatomizer', 'Drizzler' and 'Environment Transformer' (all 1968), were said to isolate the wearer from the outside world. The helmets placed a buffer between the real world and the senses of the person inside."

Yellow Heart

Mind Expander

via World Of Kane

The Hokusai wave with a mustache

2006-01-24T18:16:00.000-05:00

Over and over again I keep seeing the "Hokusai Wave" reappearing in different forms. I am starting to think it could be considered something of a 21st century "Mona Lisa" especially her mustache. If I were Momus or Neomarxisme, maybe I could semiotically break down the Japanese/Western forces at play here...

Street Gum Artist

2006-01-21T23:17:00.000-05:00

This has been around the net for a while, but it really is an inspiring story. Ben Wilson paints atop squashed pieces of chewing gum clinging to London Streets. Wooster recently posted this video about him.

ElectroPlankton

2006-01-20T05:01:00.000-05:00

"Electroplankton is an interactive music video game developed by the famous Japanese multimedia artist Toshio Iwai and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS portable gaming system. This unique software allows one to interact with animated "plankton" and create music through one of ten different "plankton themed" interfaces. This title is commonly not regarded as a video game in the fullest sense, but rather a "toy" because there is no objective, timer, or top score. Everything that the game has to offer is available from the beginning."
-Wikipedia entry

As soon as I heard the title... I thought "Yes! A videogame where you get to play as ocean plankton!" As great as that sounds, I was pleasantly dissapointed.

I haven't gotten a chance to play this game as much as I would love too, but the videos are pretty impressive. It seems like a worthy successor to REZ. I wish there was a lot of this kind of high quality content available for PCs, since it appeals to atypical videogame consumers.

I am not sure if others have noticed this, but ElectroPlankton seems to be a bit like a hybrid of "Well Of Lights" and "Music Insects" two installations by ElectroPlankton's sole designer, Toshio Iwai.

Also defenitly check out his projects "Tenori-On" light and sound instrument, and the "Sound Lens" a walkman which converts surrounding lights into sound.

Bar Made Of Books

2006-01-19T05:27:00.000-05:00

"...
One of our non-Vestal housemates worked at the Stanford library, and his job included the task of throwing away old books, which apparently the other librarians couldn't bear to do. We decided to rescue these books from that awful fate - and what better use for them than a bar from which to entertain our frequent guests?..."

Via Craftster

The Photography Of David Maisel

2006-01-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

"Ochre, rust, oxblood, jade, sage, sienna. At a lower elevation now, the air in the plane begins to heat, and we strain against our confines. We can almost give in to the languor of the engine’s drone; the motor-drive of the camera winds more slowly, the focal shutter closing its blackness on the scene like a heavy lid. The camera blinks, the lake blinks back, and we are gone."
-David Maisel, "The Lake Report"

"In 2003, photographer David Maisel "began to make aerial photographs around the perimeter of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, as part of a project that will ultimately cover much of the Great Basin. The Great Salt Lake is considered a 'terminal' lake, in that it has no naturally occurring outlets. Around its edges are industries of varying types, including evaporation ponds that cover some 40,000 acres along the eastern and southern shores of the lake."

Via BLDGBLOG

Mousetrap Stickers

2006-01-17T08:43:00.000-05:00

Brilliant and harmless, as always, internet revolutionary Rob Cockerham of Cockeyed.com[if you are not familiar, Cockeyed is one of funniest most impressive sites I have ever seen.] has designed these fantastic "Lifelike Oversized Trapped Mouse Stickers." In line with his Instant Outlet and Fake Clock.

See alsoRichard Shed's screw tape for another innovative sticker idea

Bioglyphs

2006-01-14T23:45:00.000-05:00

"BIOGLYPHS is an art and science collaboration initiated in 2002 by members of the Center for Biofilm Engineering and the Montana State University School of Art.

Two BIOGLYPHS exhibitions of living bioluminescent paintings were created by teams of student and staff artists, scientists and engineers in 2002."

Basically, those are petri dishes with bacteria painted into them. I think this would make for interesting sidewalk guides, or movie theater pathway lighting.

Studiomold's Global Coffee Table

2006-01-13T18:37:00.000-05:00

I can't stop thinking about this table. It isn't perfect, but it's just so playful...

It features a writable white globe for use with whiteboard pen.

via mocoloco

Vegetable Weapons

2006-01-11T20:59:00.000-05:00

"Ozawa [Tsuyoshi]'s Vegetable Weapon series began in 2001 and since then has been held throughout the world. Ozawa takes a photo of a young woman holding a "weapon" assembled from the vegetables and other ingredients needed to make a "hot-pot" dish popular in the area where she is from. He then makes the hot-pot and shares a meal with the woman and others."

brilliant?

Edible Estates

2006-01-10T23:39:00.000-05:00

From The "Gardenlab" who "...seeks to fundamentally shift the current self-reflexive culture of art and design, where formal novelty, hermetic discourse and the latest software dominate. The Gardenlab provides a balance to these forces by provoking thought on the inter-dependant relationships that define our communities and environment..."

.................................................................

"Edible Estates is an attack on the American front lawn and everything it has come to represent. It is an ongoing series of projects to replace the front lawn with edible garden landscapes responsive to local culture, climate and landscape."

“Edible Estates proposes the replacement of the American lawn with a highly productive domestic edible landscape. Food grown in our front yards will connect us to the seasons, the organic cycles of the earth and our neighbors. The banal lifeless space of uniform grass in front of the house will be replaced with the chaotic abundance of bio-diversity. In becoming gardeners we will reconsider our connection to the land, what we take from it and what we put in it. Each yard will be a unique expression of its location and of the inhabitant and their desires. Valuable land will be put to work.”

A bit much to ask... but a noble goal. I think this says a lot more about time and labor in the suburbs. There are bigger fish to fry.

Via Pruned (my new favorite website, whose post on the subject includes beautiful photos of the theory in practice)

Geological Investigation of the Alluvial Valley of the Lower Mississippi River

2006-01-07T05:03:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to be in love with a map?

Here is the largest version available.

Via infosthetics > Pruned (a fantastic landscape architecture blog

Time Probes

2005-12-30T04:33:00.000-05:00

From rAndom (brilliant bastards behind the pixel-roller)

"The time probes were formed around the principle of an analogue clock. The first iteration of the probes were constructed out of a quartz clock movement, a clip board and piece of card with a task and a clock face. The tasks were a set of questions based around how people perceive their sense of time from a moment, a day or a lifetime...In certain tasks, the participant was asked to attach the second, minute or hour hand to the analogue movement and wait for a time in which they felt compelled to fill in the clock face. Other tasks simply asked them to look back in time or look forward and make plans"

I liked this participant's idea of blocking time in terms of objects and tools used. Something interesting there...

MIT Blogs and Projects

2005-12-28T10:25:00.000-05:00

I could spend hours and hours following MIT link trails. I am generally a pretty big fanboy (ahem....cheerleader...) of The Media Lab and its particpants and projects, as well as The Aesthetics + Computation Group. These groups are, in my opinion, the "NASA" of product design. They get to create the bleeding edge of interaction in the abstract. They develop products and ideas that are unpolished, but set minds spinning about more concrete uses.

The Toy Symphony was a Media Lab project constructing instruments and notation software, essentially without learning curves. The results are historic.

"LittleVision: Storytelling in a Tiny World" was a class from Aesthetics + Computation group, where participants created pocket sized LED displays that loop webcam movies.

I have just only recently discovered their Comparitive Media Studies group, through it I found these two great projects.

The "Branding Cultures" blog

and

Project New Media Literacy "The New Media Literacies project (NML) is working to integrate new media materials into compelling activities for K-12 students for use in or out of school." Perhaps one of the most important studies for the new century.

Pixar At MoMA

2005-12-25T03:11:00.000-05:00

This is a great "podcast"(err.. mp3) interview about the Pixar show at the MoMA in NY...

"...Exhibition co-curator Ronald Magliozzi talks with BusinessWeek contributing editor Andrew Blum about why Pixar belongs on MoMA's walls, and the very special media installation that's causing museum visitors to gasp..."

This interview explains how and why Pixar's work relates to the canon of animation and exactly how conceptual their process is. Whether or not you are a fan of the computer rendered final versions of Pixar work, you have got to see the "flat" conceptual process of the Pixar studio. Their 2d work is incredible! Also at some point in the exhibit a zeotrope is used to make a 19th century style animation of the conceptual work, an neat juxtapostion of animation techiniques.

The orginal artwork from these amazing books is a major component of the show...

The Art of Monsters Inc

The Art Of Finding Nemo

The Art Of The Incredibles

The books do not feature a single still from the actual films, nor does the exhibit

A Bad Day L.A. : The Kozyndan videogame!

2005-12-23T00:39:00.000-05:00

Kozyndan my favorite cross continental romantically involved illustration team has crossed over to the not so obvious word of video games. Teaming up with the controversial celeberity game designer America Mcgee, "Bad Day L.A." is a kind of GTA satire. You play as a homeless man struggling to survive a series of epic disasters. Sounds gruesome? Don't worry, the tounge and cheek style of Kozyndan runs throughout.

The concept art page explains exactly how strikingly dissimiliar their style is to typical concept work

See a video trailer and series of screenshots.

Looks pretty exciting, and after reading his blog and interviews with America Mcgee, it seems he is setting himself up to be a legitimate radical in such a stagnant industry.

Andreas Gysin: Amazing net artist

2005-12-18T09:04:00.000-05:00

I had that feeling of... "how could I have just found you now?" when I stumbled onto Swiss software artist Andreas Gysin's site.

His works are some of the most exciting, innovative, beautiful things I have come across. Sky seems to be his most famous, and it does make for a pretty interesting homepage. Though I can't link to the rest of his works directly, they all vary quie a bit style and subject.

Mostly though I like his links page it includes some classic favorite sites of mine. And introduced a whole lots of new stuff...

Like the Evolved Virtual Creatures video from Made by Karl Sims in 1994

Also Charles Csuri who creating virtual bio models in the 1970s!

I had seen Sodaplay before, but was a afraid to post it until I had a better understaning of it myself. Basiclly, dots and lines and properties of physics are used in order to create moving creatures or designs. There is also a subculture who use the contstructure to make artificially "grown" amoeba which can crawl equally well. Its all really exciting stuff. I orginally found it through Theo Jansen's site(also linked on Gysin's page).

One of those days when you most stand up and scream "WE ARE INVENTING THE FUTURE!"

Claytronics or "Dynamic physical rendering"

2005-12-16T02:44:00.000-05:00

The actual research group from Carnegie Mellon

I like this more immidiate aspect of the theory...

"Even if claytronics doesn't immediately yield 3-D motion, it might be useful for producing 3-D shapes in the computer-aided design process, Goldstein said. Claytronics antennas could change shape to improve reception of different radio frequencies. A Claytronics cell phone might grow a full-size keyboard, or expand its video display as needed.

"It could be the ultimate Swiss Army knife," Mowry said."

via Make

Digital Notebook

2005-12-14T15:40:00.000-05:00

This is a project I have been working on with a fellow student. She is studying digital arts. It was inspired by your verbalized facsination with hypertext. It's not finished but, it's going on hold for a while, before we put the finishing touches on.

Click> FINAL

-ASHER

Magnum In Motion

2005-12-14T02:05:00.000-05:00

"Two years after the apocalypse that was called the Second World War ended Magnum Photos was founded. The world's most prestigious photographic agency was formed by four photographers - Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David "Chim" Seymour - who had been very much scarred by that conflict and were motivated both by a sense of relief that the world had somehow survived and the curiosity to see what was still there. They created Magnum in 1947 to reflect their independent natures as people and photographers, the idiosyncratic mix of reporter and artist that continues to define Magnum, emphasizing not only what is seen but also the way one sees it."

......

"Magnum In Motion editors blend powerful Magnum photography with audio commentary, text and graphics to create an immersive, engaging multimedia experience. Photographer commentary guides the viewer through the photo essay, while text and graphics provide additional information and enrich the viewing experience."

Each of these explain the point of view of artistic photographers. They explain both the mudane and intersting details of what the experience of the photographer can be. The stories behind the really make some of these pictures.

Great site. Great use of flash. Hope you have to time to watch at least one of these essays.

Natalie Bookchin's The Intruder

2005-12-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

A flash game where you must earn points to progress through a reading of Jorge Luis Borges story. The games are based on classics, and you switch games in a rapid ADD style. The creater/reader of the story has a great voice. This is a very interesting idea.

Via this great list of art games

Jonathan Goldstein's Old Testament

2005-12-04T01:32:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been obsessed with Jonathan Goldstein's(of This American Life) reinterpretations of biblical stories. Eventually a "Bible" penned completely by Goldstein will be released. He contemporizes(a word?) not the circumstances of the characters, but their emotions. It makes for some pretty interesting results. Note: these are links to full episodes with other stories...

Cain and Abel story is Act 1

Adam and Eve story is Act 3 (well worth the wait, its a great story and episode)

Joseph This is a flash animation of the story, which kind of ruins some of the more serious aspects of the stories. I recomend hiding the movie and just listening.

Russian Design Innovation Awards

2005-12-03T05:05:00.000-05:00

"Design Innovation Awards (DIA) — is the independent Russian award, which is granted for the best works in the field of innovation design and architecture."

These awards dont seem to have been covered by a lot of the design blogs. I think there are a few really interesting finalists... but I am really in love with "Oo" perfume packaging. Bubble packaging with scented air. So popping the bubbles applies a mist of perfume on the user. This sounds like so much fun. It gets my mind spinning around all the possibilities that those fun bubbles provide.

The Big Picture: Extreme Education Reform

2005-11-29T03:24:00.000-05:00

"... It's hard to imagine a school with no tests, no grades and no classes. But those familiar elements of education are missing at two dozen Big Picture schools in six states, each with no more than 120 students. They emphasize work in the real world, portfolios, oral presentations and intense relationships between students and advisers...."

NPR program on one of the schools

Years ago I was able to meet a principle attempting to launch Chicago's first "Big Picture"school. Then, it was just referred to as a "Met School," and there was not the unified front of Big Picture institutions with success statistics to back themselves up. The faith in passion and specificity is the most exciting part of Big Picture schools. Personally I believe that our confidence in learning has become lost in the breadth of the general curriculum. One interesting subject can be worth 20 boring ones in the eyes of students and educators. When you really press a student or educator about what the most important aspects of high school are... You rarely end up with the questions asked on standardized tests. Big Pictures seems to orient students around the actual answers... Responsibility and self/social awareness. Not to mention a welcome retreat back to pre-industrial age "apprentice" kinds of learning.

As We May Think

2005-11-22T17:03:00.000-05:00

The hidden manifesto behind the scenes of all the major information movements of the past years (wikipedia, google's digital library, and apparently Squid Labs)

There is this tremendous essay by Vannaver Bush. Published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1945, it's difficult the understate the essay's importance. Bush essentially outlines many of the functions of today's PC with suprising accuracy. Bush bases his "Memex" around extra tiny microfilm. It is especially noted as being one of the first documents theorizing of a hypertext system. At one point he nearly perfectly describes a typical web forum. One about Turkish longbows... Bush's connections between politics and computing were revolutionary . Bush imagined information design as a factor for succesful democracy. For this alone, the man is an icon.

To me, the great thing about an essay like this is the way it poses the question... Can we simply look at the world like a scale and predict a logical progression? Or is it that because Bush imagined these things we found ways to engineer them. It makes for a great case point for such a fundamental question.

Hell's Furnishings: Furniture Aesthetics after September 11

2005-11-21T04:39:00.000-05:00

Momus's article for Metropolis where he responds to finding "A Clockwork Orange" in the "Good Furniture" section of a Japanese video store.

"...You wonder why so many films have used immaculate Modernist design as a symbol of fascism, an enemy of human agency: Welles's The Trial, Tati's Playtime, Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451, Woody Allen's Sleeper. It's as if--for screenwriters, for literary people, for humanists--the achievement of a beautiful environment represents the end of all human struggle, and the termination of both their own utility and that of language. ..."

"...Japan takes the threat out of Western cultural products by stripping them of their transcendental values at the border. You could almost say that gays and Japanese prefer fetish (secretive, personal, deviant, diffuse, libertarian) to sexual intercourse (dutiful, social, normative, convergent, hegemonic). Intercourse is, finally, duty. Fetish is, in the end, glamour. ..."

via Marxy

Artist Larry Kagan and art of "Shadowing"

2005-11-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Larry Kagan pratices the art of sculpture "Shadowing" Its is a really entertaining form of optical art.

Most of his work is more far more complex than just the "number 3" but this article explains it best.

Lengths of curving, rusted metal cover a low worktable. A tangled twist of steel mounted on the wall reaches out in branches, its shadow forming a solid and unmistakable number “3.”

"There is nothing resembling a “3” in the object casting the shadow, nor anywhere else in Larry Kagan's downtown Troy studio. “There's no reason the thing that casts the shadow has to look like the shadow,” the artist says, sensibly.

Yet at first glance, it's hard to believe his work isn't an illusion, a deception, some kind of fraud."

Colour like.no.other (Advertising doesn't.get.better)

2005-11-14T13:11:00.000-05:00

Great fun to watch.

Sheer appreciation of the research put into this project. Sony really has pinpointed the best way to get their product seen by the people that they want to see it. Thanks to searchers like JRS.

Enjoy,
Asher

Transom

2005-11-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

"Transom.org is an experiment in channeling new work and voices to public radio through the Internet, for discussing that work, and encouraging more." The site is open submission, and encourages amatuer reporters to submit work.

There are some really amazing pieces on the site. The very first piece I checked out "Craziest" introduced me to a whole new medium I never even knew existed: Vidlit.

Also check out Sweet Phil From Sugar Hill, which is one of the best radio essays I have ever heard.

The thing I like best about Transom are the articulate discussions. They make something I am only partially interested seem far more fascinating.

The site hosts Ira Glass's Manifesto, which when combined with the piles of questions and comments from readers, makes for a highly detailed analysis of both the business and style of public radio.

Animation Gold (UPDATEED)

2005-11-13T01:28:00.000-05:00

An entire Gorillaz Show's animation. There are a few very beautiful parts. Their whole show is way ahead of our time.

3D MTV Europe Gorillaz show!!!!!

and

John and Faith Hubley clips Not only were they innovative and talented animators! They are also the parents of Georgia Hubley of the band Yo La Tengo.

Lego Serious Play

2005-10-31T00:15:00.000-05:00

Why does play work?

* Play is special: if it's routine it's not play.
* Play is voluntary: it can't be coerced or mandated.
* Play is imaginative: you can suspend the rules of the real world.
* Play isn't explicitly productive: direct consequences don't matter.
* Play is unlimited and delimited: play exists for its own sake and is different from work.
* Play happens at an agreed upon location: but it can be anywhere.
* Play has its own rules: it is not constrained by the rules of work

Donald R. Pettit's Space Art

2005-10-25T01:02:00.000-04:00

"....I wonder what someone like Matisse could do with this ephemeral medium?" wonders Pettit. "Eventually, all the colors blended together yielding a rather dull looking green. I think we've discovered the true color of the Universe!" he joked..."

For more of Petitt's videos I turned to NASA's great video collection unfortunate, you can't link to search results, but I like the term "experiment." There is a whole universe of geeky Nasa fun there.

Petitt's playful experiments with salt in inflated bags created the first models of "planet formation." (you can learn a lot watching TV!) These videos are incredible!

Lego Design Work Above and Beyond Expectations

2005-10-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

Bricklovinfreakboy/Soren designs lego sculptures superior to anything the company itself has ever put out. His work has been kicking around the internet, but I recently took a long look and was really just floored. There is really a lot to be impressed by. Many of the designs themselves are quite original, let alone his great attention to color detail. Not to mention the engineering of many of the pieces' moving joints. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but there I like to think there is something for everyone to really be impressed by here.

Cassette Jam 05

2005-10-23T13:16:00.000-04:00

A Japanese guy's massive collection of blank mix tapes. Behold their beauty. My favorites are the exposed demagnetizers.

Via CocaineBlunts

The Best Question

2005-10-19T04:41:00.000-04:00

justcurio.us is an anonymous question and answer system, open to anyone, with one simple rule: to ask a question, you must first answer someone else's question. Question yields answer yields question. Strangers helping strangers.

I was asked...

"Since time is altered by mass/gravity and if there are more fat people in "red" states does this mean that there are more or less suckers born every minute there?"

SwarmSketch and Cumulative Design

2005-10-19T03:48:00.000-04:00

At SwarmSketch, users... "contribute a small amount of line per visit, then they are given the opportunity to vote on the opacity of lines submitted by other users. By voting, users moderate the input of other users, judging the quality of each line. The darkness of each line is the average of all its previous votes."

"We are currently sketching "Bird Flu", come in and contribute a line."

The "Links" page of SwarmSketch is essential. It houses some classics and obscure "cumulative design projects."

This kind of programing, I think, is a very telling trend. I hope it will ultimately lead to better search AI and better natural communciation.

via FF

PS2 BUBBLE WRAP

2005-10-14T19:38:00.000-04:00

Playstation2 bus stop ad with bubble wrap buttons. I think this is a lot of fun.

via NOTCOT

Shedder

2005-10-13T13:24:00.000-04:00

...ps, after you've visted the shedder, have a look at what they are doing @ potatoland.com

-Asher

The Snow Show

2005-10-13T01:48:00.000-04:00

"Some today’s most exciting artists and architects have joined forces to design works out of snow and ice.

All together over sixty icons and emerging talents from the fields of art and architecture, from over two dozen countries, have been invited to work together in this experimental and highly challenging process. The exhibition in Lapland will showcase a selection of these designs, which will be constructed into large scale, free-standing structures."

Zaha Hadid and Cai Guo-Qiang collaboration is very beautiful. As well as Lebbeus Woods and Kiki Smith's.

The Snow Show will recreated with new participants to coincide with the 2006 winter olympics.

More Papercraft!

2005-10-11T12:53:00.000-04:00

After seeing these paper architecture models, and these easy to do beautiful fish. I have become reinvigorated about papercraft!

Uncanny Valley

2005-10-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

While reading another's post on the 1st Ave Machine. The writer says the videos are "Model citizens of "Uncanny Alley." I didn't know what that was...

"The Uncanny Valley is a principle of robotics concerning the emotional response of humans to robots and other non-human entities. It was theorized by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970. The principle states that as a robot is made more humanlike in its appearance and motion the emotional response from a human being to robot will become increasingly positive and empathic, until a point is reached at which the response suddenly becomes strongly repulsive; as the appearance and motion are made to be indistinguishable to that of human being, the emotional response becomes positive once more and approaches human-human empathy levels."

I like to think that the highest level of "fully human" bots as an impossibility. I like these bots because they exemplify our emotional response on a different scale. They are abstract, designed objects. Our response can be equally extreme, yet not as a matter of literal "empathy."

1st Ave Machine

2005-10-06T23:55:00.000-04:00

1st Ave Machine video work mixes actual tape with amazing 3D animation work. This video takes still shots of plants and superimposes artificial minimally shaped growths on top. The growths blink and sway with the activity of a reef. All of this set to the "bleep/bloop" soundtrack. Needless to say after that description, the results are beyond staggering. Judging from stills and clips on the site, most of 1st Ave work seems to be a in a similar "augmented reality" vein, whether it be mechanical[a must see if you enjoy a nicely designed bot] or biological.

For easy flash free access to their work try this, as opposed to their beautiful (albeit bulky) site.

Via Future Feeder

BBC - Radio 4 - "Creative Genius"

2005-10-01T18:18:00.000-04:00

A great BBC radio program of understanding creativity. A wide variety of impressive scientists and artists weigh in on the subject. I have only listened to program three, but the whole series seems very really interesting. The science of analyzing creativity is still relies on vague definitions and infantile neuroscience. Enjoy. Its fascinating stuff...

Doomed Fish and the Incredible world of papercraft

2005-10-01T17:22:00.000-04:00

While Paper Forest has been featured regularly on two of my favorite blogs, Drawn and BB. I have definitly increased my intrest in it now that I have printer. Nearly everypost is a gem (I made the panda!). Papercraft uses the internet in just a magical way. I hope the trend of free papercraft design continues to increase in the coming years.

I especially want to highlight the work of Keisuke Saka. His automata are not only mechanical marvels, but are serious scupltures.

toyshop

2005-09-27T13:40:00.000-04:00

"toyshop is about 15 to 20 people, most of whom have background as artists and are people who are trying to create their own space in new york city and in the new york art world, both of which can be daunting and alienating if you allow yourself to be formed by them in a passive way without trying to search out new structures of your own for living and interacting."

i thought you might be into sollins.

love asher

Never Struggle For An Idea Again!

2005-09-26T20:50:00.000-04:00

About my Idea Generation Methods website
By Martin Leith

"...This website lists and explains every idea generation method I've encountered during the past 15 years. It is the result of extensive research; my many sources include books, management journals, websites, academics, consultants and colleagues.

The methods have been drawn not just from the worlds of creative problem solving and innovation, but also from other worlds such as organisational change, strategic planning, psychotherapy, the new sciences and the creative arts.

The methods are listed below. Each is linked to a description, and in some cases you will find full instructions for using the method to generate ideas..."

Instructables and Squid-Labs

2005-09-25T00:49:00.000-04:00

Instructables is a great new craft/mod/build/make site. What is especially exciting about it is that Saul Griffith of Squid Labs is a member of the site. So his post include some of the famous Howtoons, a comic series explaning enginnering principles in fun projects for kids. In these posts, are little videos of the guys from Squid-Labs actually playing with these projects! These men are among the most brillant engineering minds alive today. Here they are shooting marshmallows at each others' faces.

Rez and i/Overflow

2005-09-05T20:30:00.000-04:00

I'm Back.

While visiting Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry exhibit, Game On: The History of Video Games, I was lucky enough to spend some signifigant time playing an incredible game "Rez" for the the Playstation2. The game consists of a shapeshifting figure floating along a path in the center of a shapeshifting universe. You fire endless bursts of single shots which register as beats. When your shots connect with "enemies," they explode in more complex little beats. All of this is programed to align with the soundtrack(which is amazing). So you essentially are pigeon-holed into making pretty nice music and and visualizations. Despite it's simplistic sounding gameplay, I cannot explain how much the visuals alone hold attention. The whole game is unlike any I have played, in general, there is no comparable experience. I strongly encourage you to check out the videos on the official site.

Unfortunatly, there is no computer version. However there is an opensource computer version in the works called I/Overflow. In I/Overflow, there would be no soundtrack expect what you supply. The gameplay would be based on the mp3s and cds you play through the game. Revamping the remix nature of the game. An amazing idea, I hope this project can eventually pick up some steam, or a similiar type game is released officially.

Music Animation Machine

2005-08-18T01:20:00.000-04:00

"...The Music Animation Machine display is a score without any measures or clefs, in which information about the music's structure is conveyed with bars of color representing the notes. These bars scroll across the screen as the music plays. Their position on the screen tells you their pitch and their timing in relation to each other. Different colors denote different instruments or voices, thematic material, or tonality. And each note lights up at the exact moment it sounds, so you can't lose your place..."

These videos are a stunning contrast to what music visualization has come to mean in the dawn of Winamp and Windows media style psychedelic representations. Not that those aren't amazing, but there is something ultimatly more satisfying about actually being able to read the structure of music is the way shown here. It is the architecture of momentary sounds, and in this you can really see the brillance of their construction, much in the same way as the Coltrane skyscraper.

via Tom Dukitch's links

Pierre Bezier

2005-08-18T01:15:00.000-04:00

said this...

"Which are the parts played by experience, theory and imagination in the creation of a system? There is no definite answer to such a query. The importance of experience and of theoretical knowledge is not always clearly perceived; imagination seems a gift, a godsend or the result of a beneficial heredity; but is imagination not, in fact, the result of the maturation of knowledge gained during education and professional practice? Is it not born from facts apparently forgotten, stored in a distant part of the memory, and suddenly remembered when circumstances call them back? Is imagination not based partly on the ability to connect notions which, at first sight, look quite unrelated, such as mechanics, electronics, optics, foundry and data processing? Is it not the ability to catch barely seen analogies – as Alice in Wonderland did, to go "through the mirror"?

Will psychologists someday be able to detect in man such a gift that will be applicable to science and technology? Is it related to the sense of humor that can detect unexpected relationships between facts that look quite unconnected? Shall we learn how to develop it? Will it forever remain a gift, devoted by pure chance to some people while for others carefulness prevails?"

Medium: my favorite new artist.

2005-07-27T14:42:00.000-04:00

Via Wooster.

I just didn't want to let him fade back into the internet without archiving him myself. See also the flickr stream. This one from his flickr stream, has gotta be my favorite.

The $60 Cardboard Trashcan

2005-07-24T14:23:00.000-04:00

I am excited to start design school so that someone might explain to me how concept always seems to price a product, as opposed to it's material and manufacturing. Such a shame that products conceived in such a populist spirt with star power somehow always get away with this. If this isn't your style than perhaps the $75 foldable version is.

The $100 Laptop

2005-07-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

The minds over at the MIT media lab are at it again. Once again with amazing ambition, and matching success....

"What is the $100 Laptop, really?
The $100 Laptop will be a Linux-based, full-color, full-screen laptop, which initially is achieved either by rear projecting the image on a flat screen or by using electronic ink (developed at the MIT Media Lab). In addition, it will be rugged, use innovative power (including wind-up), be WiFi- and cell phone-enabled, and have USB ports galore. Its current specifications are: 500MHz, 1GB, 1 Megapixel. The cost of materials for each laptop is estimated to be approximately $90, which includes the display, as well as the processor and memory, and allows for $10 for contingency or profit."

The Mp3 Experiment

2005-06-21T06:54:00.000-04:00

Friendly pranksters Improve Everywhere arranged "The Mp3 Experiment" in December of 2005.

"...Audience members downloaded the Mp3 in advance, transferred it to their portable Mp3 players (or burned it to a disc for their portable CD players), and brought it with them to the theatre. Audience members were told not to listen to the track in advance. At the top of the show, a video projection instructed the crowd to press play simultaneously...There were no actors or hosts of this show, only the audience..."

here is the resulting video

The variations are infinite...

Imagining Ground Zero

2005-06-20T03:32:00.000-04:00

I have really enjoyed reading "Imagining Ground Zero : The Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site." This book chronicles the actual bureaucracy involved in developing the site, has spreads of all sorts of ideas and plans, and addresses some of the deeper issues at hand in relation to "the skyscraper." The idea of Ground Zero as a "medium" wasl eaped on by all kinds of artists, architects, and citizens. This book attempts to sort out exactly what that means. It also includes chapters explaining the winning proposals, The Freedom Tower and Reflecting Absence. It is difficult for me to understand architecture, but I happen to like Raimund Abraham's unofficial submission which involved 15 modest skyscrapers divided by four slabs marking the sundial times of the plans hitting, and then the building falling. While doing some research on it I found his response to the hysteria...

"Q: I am interested in hearing your critique of the project at Ground Zero, as well as hearing your explanation for the design you proposed.

A: There was no hope from day one that the commercial world would really go for an architectural gesture that would be as radical as the event they claimed 9/11 was. Instead of saying, Okay, now Mr. Silverstein, lets get you some architects to build the most efficient commercial buildings there, they tried to cover their intentions by saying, Okay, now we need architecture. From day one, the project was a disguised commercial site plan. It is very clear that when the pragmatic force starts to dominate that process, they will do whatever they want and then more or less declare the imprints of the two commercial towers as sacred because of the original event. I think that is blasphemy. Its a fake you see thats what I called it at the beginning: the necessity of architecture to celebrate the sacredness; this is just the opposite. Its fake sacredness."

On one hand I agree, yet there is a part of me that is also really attracted to memorial architecture. When I think of the Vietnam memorial, I see a memorial space that seems to really work. It is apolitical, yet gives a sense of the immensity of the event. The scratching of the names seems to really serve peoples' pilgrimage and closure. We deserve the same for Ground Zero.

History Of The Super Soaker

2005-06-17T22:03:00.000-04:00

All today I was thinking about waterguns. They are toy which actually sucessfully subverts a violent object, while still maintaining a sense of healthy aggression. They can be secretive, minimal, or amazingly complex. Check out this odd "Wookie Water Blaster." Lately the head-mounted "Ultimate Water Gun" has been getting some press. There is a great seeming museum dedicated to the guns, yet the site seems to be really screwy.

The Super Soaker changed the water gun industry when they came out in 1988. The Soaker story is an interesting manufacturing and innovation story. As well as a personal pop culture moment from my childhood.

Le Corbusier's Modular Man

2005-06-17T21:01:00.000-04:00

When Le Corbusier became interesting in the "Golden Ration," he designed his own version of man as the model for the proportion. He was quite passionate about the sequence and wrote a book, The Modular, about it

"...For Le Corbusier, what industry needed was a system of proportional measurement which would reconcile the needs of the human body with the beauty inherent in the Golden Section. If such a system could be devised, which could simultaneously render the Golden Section proportional to the height of a human, then this would form an ideal basis for universal standardisation. Using such a system of commensurate measurements Le Corbusier proposed that architects, engineers and designers would find it relatively simple to produce forms that were both commodious and delightful and would find it more difficult to produce displeasing or impractical forms. After listening to Le Corbusier's arguments Albert Einstein summarised his intent as being to create a "scale of proportions which makes the bad difficult and the good easy."A more mundane motive might also partially explain this endeavour. Le Corbusier saw that such a system could be patented and that when it became universally recognised and applied he "would have the right to claim royalties on everything that will be constructed on the basis of [his] measuring system"...."

...a review by Michael J. Ostwald

I think this means he was proposing a measuring system, like the Metric. All objects would would be measured in their relation to the proportion. Everything drafted automaticly into the scale. It's a pretty compelling idea.

Thumbdrive VoIP Phone

2005-06-15T00:45:00.000-04:00

An installed version of VoIP software preset on the drive. You can plug this drive into a connected computer and make a call around the world. Far cheaper and technically more efficient than a cellphone. The next step may just be the ability to install VoIP on cellphone sized computers. You would be limited to only connected networks, but for many people that would make little difference.

Death to satellites?

via engadget

My Version Of J-me's Shaker

2005-06-13T18:13:00.000-04:00



Those caps are were part of a air pressure set, the threaded tips allow for a flat screw top to cover the hole. It is a cork jammed in with a coat hanger in the middle.

Here is J-me's  orginal

Death By Cake

2005-06-11T22:20:00.000-04:00

l

By JACE. A little bit Wayne Theibaud, and little Keith Haring, and a lot of Wooster...

Pause: The Greatest Music Videos & Their Directors

2005-06-10T23:52:00.000-04:00

From "The Submarine Channel," PAUSE is a quicktime archive of some of the most interesting music videos from directors like Michael Gondry, Spike Jonze, and Roman Coppola. Includes two sections of strictly animated videos. As far as Jonze and Gondry go, this pretty much cover's what's on their DVDs for free. Most of Bjork's videos are here. It also includes lots of more obscure, but equally amazing stuff. There are also interviews in a totally bizarre interface, most notably with the kinda reculsive Spike Jonze. This site is actually pretty old, it's in my head for a while. It is a great screen candy fix.

Also, if you are into it... Sonic Youth has a really comprehensive video collection

Scott Teplin

2005-06-09T23:18:00.000-04:00

Scott Teplin is an amazing artist. Check out his "Pinky" book. Check out his "Knowing Holes". Check out his "Dirty Slide". Check out his cutouts. Check out his trash. Please see his Sketch Archives.

Via Drawn

Plastic Pipe Hose Salt and Pepper Shaker

2005-06-09T18:54:00.000-04:00

>

I have always been really partial to this Salt n' Pepper Shaker design. I think this may be one of the most structurally imaginative  things I have ever seen.   I really want to make my own. Only I assumed the shakers are conjoined at opposing ends, with a divider in the middle. Only the agitated side would sprinkle, while the other would droop onto the tabletop. There are really just two seperate tubes. If I build one it will be much longer and conjoined.

From "J-me"

Subway Systems Of The World, Presented On The Same Scale

2005-06-08T19:42:00.000-04:00

Recalls the image of a squashed bugs on glass.
From internet artists Fake Is the New Real.

More Abandoned Stuff

2005-06-07T20:56:00.000-04:00

"Lost In Time" is a gallery of abandoned Russian buildings.

Via A Daily Dose...

Amazing Recent Photo Memes

2005-06-01T20:11:00.000-04:00

Scrap-Metal Dealers of Kazakhstan

Abandoned Japanese Amusment Park

Secret Wall Tattoos

Enjoy.

Thoughtless Acts

2005-05-29T12:19:00.000-04:00

Despite the rule of not reposting Boingboing. I have to add this amazing book/site. "Thoughtless Acts" a book published by IDEO which explores our creative and instinctual interactions with objects. The book features photographs of pencils used hair ties, and bags overtop parking meters. The introduction says it best...

"Some actions, such as grabbing onto something for balance, are universal and instinctive. Others, such as warming hands on a hot mug or stroking velvet, draw on experiences so deeply embodied that they are almost unconscious. Sill more, such as hanging a jacket to claim a chair, have become spontaneous through habit or social learning. Observing such everyday interactions reveals subtle details about how we relate to the designed and natural world. This is key information and inspiration for design, and a good starting point for any creative initiative."

To me, the recognition of this phenomenon perhaps may share either meaninglessness of design, as our instincts subvert even the most carefully rendered objects, or proof of the even more carefully designed nature to come. In science fiction extremes the book indulges a fascination with a urban nature where our spaces and objects are completely fall in accordance with our instincts. Is this the current situation to some degree? How will our creativity survive in such a coddling environment?

The best part about the site however may be the growing collection of contributed Thoughtless Acts. I strongly suggest you check it

Big Box Reuse

2005-05-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

"As superstores abandon buildings in order to move into bigger stores, what will become of the walls that they leave behind? It is within the answer to this question that we are seeing the resourcefulness and creativity of communities dealing with a situation that is happening all over the country: the empty big box. Through travel and the study of buildings, Julia is researching the way people build their towns, creating the context for their own lives."

This is a really powerful idea to me. When people criticize Wal-Mart, and the like, they fail to acknowledge the infrastructure that goes into the construction of these truly impressive edifices. Check out this article about her and the project

Via Space and Culture

The Complete Guide to Isometric Pixel Art

2005-05-24T12:23:00.000-04:00

EBOY changed the face of pixel art. I have often seen their work featured as New York Times illustrations. When I do see their work in real print, I generally get all in a tizzy and exclaim to the other around me "Thats EBOY they are amazing, they are huge on the internet." They generally respond with an "Ehh... Looks like crappy nintendo, I could do that." In truth, they can't, and neither can I. That was until I found Drawn!'s post with a link to a Isometric Pixel Art tutorial.

****UPDATE ................................................................................... UPDATE ****

Also check out these political and pop cultural scenes represented in isometric form

Transformers Commercials

2005-05-21T11:59:00.000-04:00

The Transformers Archive has an amazing amount of material about all aspects of the Transformers/Beast Wars universe. Though I am not a big fan, that is only based on the fact that I haven't had much access to the show. Transformers are still today a massive source of design inspiration for many. These commercials give you quick free looks at the machines in action. It is hilarious and beautiful eye candy. Especially this japanese ad for sausages.

Senster: First Robotic Sculpture

2005-05-19T16:02:00.000-04:00

Commissioned by Phillips and built by Edward Ihnatowicz, a cybernetics sculptor, Senster was one of the very first computer controlled robots. While it was sessile, it responded with curiousity to movement and sound. While the design of Senster was beautiful enough to still hold up today, what struck me about it was its similiarity to Outerspace, one of my very favorite robots. The two both have a very minimal anti-humanoid form, and move in such non-threatening glides. I think they both represent the intelligent mechanical forms we can come to expect from the non military robot sector.

For the the most interesting collection of robots on the internet, check out Near Near Future's "Robots" archive

via Things

Link TV: Mosiac

2005-05-17T17:19:00.000-04:00

The website LINK TV puts together "MOSIAC," a pastiche of middle eastern news from around the region. Translated and based around subject, the programs provide a seriously necessary opportunity to view the world from "their side."

Also check out some of Link's other programing centers on globalization on all levels. Although there is a political agenda(liberal) it is far from extreme. Check it out.

via Stefan (thanks)

LED guitar tuner

2005-05-16T15:58:00.000-04:00

The "Strobopick" is a guitar tuner which uses LEDs to project the shadow of the strings in order to tune a guitar"...in seconds, without plugging in, in the dark, in loud rooms..."

Once again LEDs come to the rescue and find a solution to a problem we didn't know we had.

Alkanoglu Volkan's Drawings

2005-05-16T13:38:00.000-04:00

This architect has some pretty intense drawings. Very little information about the work, especially any actual architecture. Complex and strange mechanical stuff. Via Things

ShouldExist

2005-05-11T21:48:00.000-04:00

"...ShouldExist seeks to find answers to the good questions. What's wrong with our world? How can we make it better? Who would know best how to do this? Who is working on something similar? What do they have to say? What next?

ShouldExist.org is a non-profit website, founded on the belief that individuals are more successful when we work together through open standards, modularity and decentralized control...."

Created by Eric Hanson, ShouldExist is an open dialog where you can introduce your ideas to the wild, thereby making them non-elligable for a patent. Ideas already on the site range from "Green Hotels" to a public war crimes database

I recently submitted by idea for "Hypertext Shakespeare."
In case it doesn't make it to the site...

"Shakespeare great works (and eventually all "The Classics") released on the internet/cd-rom featuring the full text complete with loads of definitions and references. Understanding Shakespeare can be quite difficult when you aren't familiar with the specific events or mythologies he may be refering to. Students are often giving anandated and altered versions of the texts to aid their understanding. The hypertext format is undeniably more organic than footnoting systems. The question of whether or not these stories are still relevent to western society can be bettered addressed when we have a collected and natural system for reading them.

Based the model provided by Wikipedia/everything2 the works can be easily read in their nonalterted traditional state. However if a reader chooses to select a word or passage... a dictionary, or encyclopedia, or multiple literary analysis appears. The material selected would be asembled by a broad panal of experts, and represent multiple views on the passage and works at hand. Essentially, everything that is already avaible in a public library. This would just be a system that makes is compact and at our fingertips in a format that we are becoming more and more comfortable with.
The model could be extended to all classics, and perhaps even The Bible."

Gallery of Computation

2005-05-11T17:08:00.000-04:00

These are beautiful gallery of beautiful flash and java algorithms made by Jared Tarbell The images form by random programed instances like orbiting and dividing. They are entirely digital, yet seem so organic due to color choices and careful design. Some of my favorites are "Substrate" which mimics a city's growth, and Bit 10001 where you can change the perspective and see the action in three dimensions.

I found it while digging around Levitated's Evolving Computational Creatures a presentation which draws comparisons between a programed processes and natural ones.

Homemade Ambient Orb

2005-05-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

Also known as a "A wireless color-shifting abstract decoration." This heroic hacker took a simple tap-light and and built a color changing orb which responds to any input he chooses... weather, rss, stock market etc. The commercial device this is modeled after is sold for $150, whereas his cost just $50. It is a shame to building process takes intensive programing, and "high-voltage" semiconductors...

via hackaday

NYC PeaceMech

2005-05-09T11:23:00.000-04:00

No posts due to lack of personal time.

Today Wooster once again another tremendous post. A 4 foot poster was placed on on Rivington Street in NYC with a beautiful sketch, and writeup explaining the "LMDC Peacemech." A giant robot which would roam around the "Business district" around the former World Trade Center. The creation, and existence of the mecha would bring autonomy to New York City, and create a "anarcho-democratic" Utopia fit for the 21st century. Check it out

First Person Pinball

2005-05-03T11:37:00.000-04:00

This game is a stunning creation found via the selectparks archive. A force feedback eye level pinball machine. The player inserts his head into a helmet/box directly in front of table and watches as the ball hurdles toward his or her face. The best way to understand is to watch this fantastic video.

Fire Extinguisher on Core77

2005-05-01T19:06:00.000-04:00

This discussion and reworking of a fire extinguisher design explains everything there is to love about design.