February 2012
1 post
SPELEOLOGICAL SUPERPARKS →
(BLDGBLOG) As part of an overall strategy to rebrand itself not as a city of gambling and slot machines—not another Las Vegas—but as more of a gateway to outdoor sports and adventure tourism—a kind of second Boulder or new Moab—Reno, Nevada, now houses the world’s largest climbing wall, called BaseCamp, attached to the side of an old hotel. [Image: The wall; photo by BLDGBLOG]. BaseCamp is...
January 2012
2 posts
Streetview Stereographic is Warping Google Maps →
(Motherboard) Until now, I’ve almost exclusively associated hyperbolic fish-eye visuals with the stuff of machine elves and shitty skateboarding videos. But no longer – I’ll be damned if a new hack on Google Maps isn’t already letting me ride out this balmy Friday in relative projected complacency.
Streetview Stereographic (http://notlion.github.com/streetview-stereographic/) spins Google Street...
December 2011
2 posts
“You Wouldn’t Steal” Anti-Piracy Campaign in... →
(Neal Campbell) If you’ve watched more than a few DVDs, you’ve most likely seen this little anti-piracy video. It says,
You wouldn’t steal a car, you wouldn’t steal a handbag, you wouldn’t steal a television, you wouldn’t steal a movie.
Downloading pirated films is stealing, stealing is against the law, PIRACY IT’S A CRIME
An organization called BREIN hired Melchior Rietveldt to score the...
Short-Term Thinking Is Our Biggest Problem. Here's... →
(Jens Martin Skibsted and Rasmus Bech Hansen, Fast Company) In 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon asked China’s first premier, Zhou Enlai, for his assessment of the French Revolution, 183 years after the revolution’s conclusion. Zhou’s response: “It is too early to say.”
Although we believe that the democracy that resulted from the French Revolution can be judged a success, the...
November 2011
4 posts
Avoiding the Faddish Side of Gamification →
(BRIAN BERGSTEIN, Technology Review) Yahoo researcher Judd Antin says that encouraging users and employees to pursue points and virtual badges may not achieve the desired results.
The trend of applying elements of computer games to nongame situations relies on two assumptions. One is that people are more likely to do something—shop for something, let’s say, or go to a bar, or share...
Selective Attention and User Experience →
(UX Magazine) If you’ve been involved in usability tests, you’ve witnessed this scenario: a test subject is looking for a specific interface element, and even though he is looking directly at it, he can’t seem to see it. This idea of looking but not seeing is a well-known concept in psychology called inattentional blindness, or selective attention. The below video documents a study by Daniel...
Microsoft's new vision video →
So, here’s a Vision Of The Future that’s popular right now.
It’s a lot of this sort of thing.
As it happens, designing Future Interfaces For The Future used to be my line of work. I had the opportunity to design with real working prototypes, not green screens and After Effects, so there certainly are some interactions in the video which I’m a little skeptical of, given...
September 2011
2 posts
Scientists Reconstruct Brains’ Visions Into... →
(Gizmodo) UC Berkeley scientists have developed a system to capture visual activity in human brains and reconstruct it as digital video clips. Eventually, this process will allow you to record and reconstruct your own dreams on a computer screen.
I just can’t believe this is happening for real, but according to Professor Jack Gallant—UC Berkeley neuroscientist and coauthor of the...
13 Year Old Uses Fibonacci Sequence to Make Solar... →
(Red Ice Creations) While walking through a forest in the winter, 7th grader Aidan Dwyer thought he saw a pattern in the way leaves and limbs grew from trees. Some photography, measurements, and investigating the work of other naturalists confirmed that plants produce new growth following a Fibonacci sequence. Aidan Dwyer’s Experiment
This pattern, where the previous numbers are added together...
August 2011
3 posts
Human gait could soon power portable electronics →
[+]
(Nature.com) A new energy-harvesting technology that could capture the energy of human motion to power portable electronics has been developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The “reverse electrowetting” technology that promises to reduce our dependence on batteries. It converts mechanical energy to electrical energy using a microfluidic device consisting of...
Dreamy Interfaces →
(Joshua Allen, UX Magazine) What is it about some computer interfaces that invoke dreams, while others do not? There are quite a few mundane factors that influence our dreams. For example, we’re more likely to dream about something we spend a lot of time doing, and about things that we do immediately before bed. But I’m interested in a different question: all else being equal, what makes one...
July 2011
8 posts
WatchWill Wright / Brian Eno discussion at the Long Now Foundation
11 ways to build trust within your group →
(Mike Henry) Trust is flexibility. It allows you to achieve more than you ever thought you could. Trust lubricates relationships and provides freedom of movement necessary for great team achievements.
Without trust, just like the moving parts of a car, your team will either break down or rust. If you continue to attempt great achievements, friction between members will cause the team to...
Death of the 'Next' Button →
(Technology Review) After ads, pagination may be the latest casualty in the conflict between readability and profitability. The makers of Readability, a simple bookmarklet tool that strips Web pages of everything but the content itself announced on Monday that users may soon liberate themselves from one of the web’s miniscule tyrannies: The ‘next’ button that turns readers into...
Silver pen has the write stuff for flexible... →
(Liz Ahlberg, Physical Sciences Editor | 217-244-1073; eahlberg@illinois.edu) University of Illinois engineers have developed a silver-inked rollerball pen capable of writing electrical circuits and interconnects on paper, wood and other surfaces. The pen is writing whole new chapters in low-cost, flexible and disposable electronics.
Led by Jennifer Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer professor...
Will Kenyan Superhighway Also Benefit China? →
Frank Langfitt/NPR
Three Chinese companies are building a massive superhighway in Kenya linking Nairobi with the city of Thika. The road, as wide as 16 lanes, is the biggest of its kind in East Africa.
by FRANK LANGFITT
(NPR.org) Chinese companies are scouring Africa for resources to fuel a red-hot economy back home, but Beijing is interested in more than just what’s underground.
In...
Ageing Icons with Freshness App →
I’ve previously written about the idea of visually ageing files and folders. The aim is to provide more metadata to the user visually—which of these folders did I just put here? What’s been here a long time and really needs to be filed?
In the spirit of Getting Real I’ve made a quick mockup app called ‘Freshness’ to demonstrate how these ‘ageing’ and ...
Persuasive Design →
By Loren Baxter / June 7th 2011
The UX discipline has been busy. In the last two decades, it has formalized the practices of information architecture, experience design, content strategy, and interaction design. Thanks to the insatiable drive of UX practitioners to improve and define the field, it will continue to grow, and persuasive design is the next practice it will supercharge and...
January 2011
6 posts
Kathleen Realness →
(DIS)
AdrianIII: This is AdrianIII for DIS Magazine, homegirl, and we’re here with Kathleen Daniels, video artist and musician. Original, differentiated, technologically poignant. First off, it’s a pleasure to speak with you, finally, even if it is asynchronous.
Kathleen Daniels: It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, but it seems like we are old friends.
I can see how we are old friends. How are you...
Richard Evan Schwartz →
Cyberthieves Target European Carbon Credit Market →
(NPR) In a case that is every bit a 21st century crime both in terms of what was stolen and how, thieves in Europe have made off with about $40 million worth of carbon emission permits.
The permits are issued in Europe to try to fight global warming. Authorities allocate a quantity of permits to each country, and those levels can’t be exceeded. Each country’s government then issues...
The Ecosystem Engineer: Research Looks at Beavers'... →
(Science Daily) Beavers are often called ecosystem engineers because they can radically alter stream or valley bottom ecosystems, said Melinda Daniels, an associate professor of geography who recently studied the connection between beavers and river restoration. Beaver dams create diverse river landscapes, she said, and can turn a single-thread channel stream into a meadow, pond or multichannel,...
Abu Dhabi weather project ‘creates man-made... →
(The Telegraph) Scientists employed by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE and leader of Abu Dhabi, successfully created more than 50 rainstorms in the state’s Al Ain region last year, mostly in July and August when there is virtually no rain at all. It is believed to be the first time the system has produced rain from clear skies.
They have been using giant ionisers,...
Vertical Farming: Does It Really Stack Up? →
(Phase III, Stealth Is.) The barge used one-tenth as much water as a comparable field farm. There was no agricultural run-off, and chemical pesticides were replaced with natural predators such as ladybirds. Operating all year round, the barge could grow 20 times more than could have been produced by a field of the same size, says Dr Caplow.
Solar panels and wind turbines on the barge meant...
December 2010
5 posts
New Race, Species of Human Discovered →
(Red Ice Creations) The ancient humans have been dubbed “Denisovans” after the caves in Siberia where their remains were found. There is also evidence that this population was widespread in Eurasia. A study in Nature journal shows that Denisovans co-existed with Neanderthals and interbred with other ancestors of the human species – perhaps around 50,000 years ago. An international group of...
Meditation too hard? Try Parkour! →
(American Buddhist Journal) If anyone else finds meditation too hard, raise your hand. It’s “boring,” some say. It’s supposed to be, others foolishly add.Yoga is great preparation for sitting. It was created by ancient India seers who wanted to be able to sit long enough to enter dhyana (absorption), levels of concentration they generally called samadhi.*
But yoga itself...
Researchers Discover Möbius Symmetry in... →
(Red Ice Creations) Möbius symmetry, the topological phenomenon that yields a half-twisted strip with two surfaces but only one side, has been a source of fascination since its discovery in 1858 by German mathematician August Möbius. As artist M.C. Escher so vividly demonstrated in his “parade of ants,” it is possible to traverse the “inside” and “outside”...
Leslie Nielsen: Gone Today, Here Tomorrow →
(Robert J. Elisberg) When Leslie Nielsen passed away on Sunday I had so many memories of him that were joyful that it was easy to push out the sad. I got to work with Leslie on several projects, and most-happily those included the Naked Gun films, during my earlier-life days as a film publicist. They’re among my favorite work experiences ever, and Leslie was a big part of that. He ...
Wikileaks chief: What will he do next? →
(The Independent) Julian Assange lies low in UK while enemies call for his blood
As a fresh batch of leaked files gave new urgency to worldwide controversy surrounding the publication of US diplomatic communiqués, there was continued mystery over the motivation, intentions and whereabouts of the man at the heart of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks.
Despite accusations that Julian Assange...
November 2010
11 posts
1,000 mph car to be built next year →
(PhysOrg.com) The “Bloodhound SSC,” a car expected to be able to travel at 1,000 mph (around 1,600 km/h) or faster, is on track to be constructed in the UK early next year. The design was finalized last year, as reported in this PhysOrg article.
Director of the project, Richard Noble, who once held the World Land Speed record, said construction of the full-scale car will begin in...
Give Thanks for ... Eel →
(New York Times) As the story goes, Squanto — a Patuxet Indian who had learned English — took pity on the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony who had managed to survive that first brutal winter, and showed them how to plant corn, putting a dead fish in each hole where a seed was planted. But before that, before the ground had even fully thawed, he taught them a perhaps more valuable skill: how to catch a...
With Kinect Controller, Hackers Take Liberties →
(New York Times) When Oliver Kreylos, a computer scientist, heard about the capabilities of Microsoft’s new Kinect gaming device, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on it. “I dropped everything, rode my bike to the closest game store and bought one,” he said.
But he had no interest in playing video games with the Kinect, which is meant to be plugged into an Xbox and allows players to control the...
What do you say about the end zone rules? →
(Chicago Tribune) Officials from the Big Ten conference Friday morning moved quickly to address safety concerns with the configuration of the east end zone at Wrigley Field for Saturday’s Northwestern-Illinois gridiron matchup.
Now, because the outfield wall is perilously close to the end zone, all offensive plays will head toward the west end zone, all kickoffs will be kicked toward the...
An Even Better, Though More Fatalistic, TSA Idea... →
(The Atlantic) I’m writing this at Reagan National, where a very nice woman from the TSA just complimented me on my shirt-and-tie combination (I’d take a picture of it, but I don’t know how, but you can see it tonight on the Colbert Report, on which I will make a brief appearance in order to discuss the federal manhandling of America’s testicles as part of the War on ...
The tunnel people of Las Vegas →
(Daily Mail) Deep beneath Vegas’s glittering lights lies a sinister labyrinth inhabited by poisonous spiders and a man nicknamed The Troll who wields an iron bar.
But astonishingly, the 200 miles of flood tunnels are also home to 1,000 people who eke out a living in the strip’s dark underbelly.
Some, like Steven and his girlfriend Kathryn, have furnished their home with considerable care - their...
Matthew T Strange howzer do u think u could... →
(Howard Kleiger) infiltrate from the source…space and time. the viral image would appear months later 12 months to birth. in order to immitate it quickly, friends can be deleted, but for th etrue potency of the4 viral form, key contributors will need to b…e not exactly “asked” buta secret agent strain who resides physically there must wear the t-shirt that has the...
Simulation Hypothesis: The Celestial Hackers... →
(Transalchemy) Solar eclipse consciousnesss amplification: Booting Up God/god! Booting up God/god
Boot Sequence
{Source} Boot up Gaia consciousness {source} Link consciousness to Gaia {source} Beam Gaia consciousness to moon {source} Boot up moon consciousness {source} link consciousness to moon {source} boot up consciousness amplification {source} Beam consciousness to venus {source}...
Randy Quaid says “Hollywood Star Whackers” are... →
(VigilantCitizen) Actor Randy Quaid alleges there’s a conspiracy to kill him and several other troubled Hollywood stars in order to gain control of their millions.
In a bizarre speech to reporters outside the Vancouver immigration office where he’s attempting to gain permission to live in Canada, Quaid said Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have been victims of a similar conspiracy.
The actor...
Would the Amish Use This Hand-Cranked Laptop? →
(The Atlantic) The non-profit One Laptop Per Child has engineered laptops for the world’s computerless masses. Given that billions of people don’t have electricity, OLPC has designed laptops that can operate off-the-grid, perfect for Rwandan cities, aboriginal Canadian settlements — and Amish colonies.
The Amish live in a constellation of agrarian spots in the northern United...
October 2010
17 posts
QWERTY history →
A watershed event in the received version of the QWERTY story is a typing contest held in Cincinnati on July 25, 1888. Frank McGurrin, a court stenographer from Salt Lake City who was purportedly the only person using touch typing at the time, won a decisive victory over Louis Taub. Taub used the hunt-and-peck method on a Caligraph, a machine with an alternative arrangement of keys....
Twins born black and white →
(Telegraph) Baby boy Leo and baby girl Hope were born by caesarean within a minute of each other but when the midwife handed them to their new mum, Shirley Wales was shocked to see the difference.
With light skin, blue eyes, and fair hair, little Hope is the image of her white father, whereas brother Leo has the same black skin, dark eyes, and thick hair as his Grenadian mother.
...
"Hiccup Girl" Jennifer Mee Charged with Murder →
(CBS News) A teenage girl who became famous after hiccuping uncontrollably for weeks has been charged with luring a man to a house where he was robbed and fatally shot. Jennifer Mee, 19, of St. Petersburg and two others are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Shannon Griffin, 22, on Saturday. Mee’s unusual condition landed her on the national “Today” morning show...
Las Vegas Death Ray →
(Bldg Blog) By now, you’ve no doubt heard of the Las Vegas death ray: “The tall, sleek, curving Vdara Hotel at CityCenter on the Strip is a thing of beauty,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. “But the south-facing tower is also a collector and bouncer of sun rays, which—if you’re at the hotel’s swimming pool at the wrong time of day and season—can singe your...
JILL-JET: Penn Jillette's Patented... →
(The Atlantic) This is an invention from Penn Jillette, the larger and louder half of Penn & Teller. He calls it the Jill-Jet and it was issued on July 13, 1999.
The abstract reads as follows;
A spa of a type including a tub for holding water and a user, in particular, a female user. The spa has a seat for supporting the female user in a seated position, a circulation pump having an inlet...
