YouTube makes people listen to themselves

Who knew? YouTube just released exactly this feature shortly after this cartoon came out.
It works for any video and re-reads your comment back to you - just in case you wanna know how dumb you sound... (optional, of course).

The art of non-verbal communication

We have to do way more of this sort of ambient communication - even if the translation tools don't work yet (with a decent reader you should be able to translate the QR code into a message, an image, a link...) How sweet will that get when a multi-storey carpark can be turned into an illuminated billboard and it still just looks cool and non-intrusive.

Full article:
http://www.psfk.com/2008/07/qr-code-fences-in-soho.html

Isn't the science so beautiful!

It seems to me that it is intrinsic to human nature to find things, pick them up and then bang them together to see what happens. Rattles, dolls, cars, fists, protons...

I am in awe of how stunning these 'science' photos are; really, you could contrast this with a wide spectrum of contemporary 'art' shows and an exhibit of these images would be stronger, more relevant, more interesting, more educational, more beautiful, more moving, more profound, more metaphysical, more physical, more more, deeper, harder, stronger, faster....
And the best bit is I have no idea what they're talking about, even as a geek...

From The Big Picture:
" The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27 kilometer (17 mile) long particle accelerator straddling the border of Switzerland and France, is nearly set to begin its first particle beam tests. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is preparing for its first small tests in early August, leading to a planned full-track test in September - and the first planned particle collisions before the end of the year. The final step before starting is the chilling of the entire collider to -271.25 C (-456.25 F). Here is a collection of photographs from CERN, showing various stages of completion of the LHC and several of its larger experiments (some over seven stories tall), over the past several years. (27 photos total)"

I love death

Neat animation. Cool song. Great combo. Real elegantly paced (imho) - and dark (with a D), which matches my mood rather well today...

by the way

A year out from blogging due to my graphic novel and the pressures of Google... wierd how when you're in the middle you forget to take notes any more... must find time to document.
tx

Making of Radiohead - House of Cards - Video

I love this video more than the actual video. Cool track but the data side of it is insane.

Multi-touch - the future is so, mmm, touchy.

I'm slightly surprised that Microsoft Surface - their amazing multi-touch vision of the future hasn't made a bigger impact. Is it just me? Surely a world where sticky fingers smeared on your pristine wide-screen was a good thing has to be welcomed... A world without ergonomic keyboards and RSI-inducing mice - it sounds fantastic! Even if it is microsoft. As an artist the idea of being able to draw straight onto the screen is really, really exciting, and the whole Minority Report style photo flicking thing is just so future-fantastic.
Maybe that's it - maybe it's all a bit Sci-fi. Maybe people just aren't ready.
Oh, OK, so I've been excited about this for ages - ever since I saw this fantastic Jeff Han demo of touch screen technology last-year (movie courtesy of TED). I'm ready - I love it. Bring it on. (OK, bring it on in a beautifully designed, twice-the-price, Apple version... but I'm still ready, waiting, credit card in hand.)

Street view is awesome

Maps have reached street level. 360 degree turns.
Just awesome.
I know some other sites have them too - but the Google one rocks.
Of course it will now take years to get London imagery and there is a whole bundle of privacy issues regarding image release! But in the mean-time let's just go wow for the tech. Wow.
Here's a link to Brooklyn Bridge, scroll around for the panoramic - or click the arrows to walk across it! Where does this end? (and I don't just mean the 360 coverage)
New York 360 demo