Aerogel
silica aerogel holds 15 guinness world records for material properties, including best insulator and lowest-density solid
head slice
(not that I usually notice, but its nice that the rights to this image are explicitly released)
Tomography: ‘Tomo’ is derived for the Greek word for a slice. Hence, tomography is any form of imaging where three-dimensional objects can be visualised slice by slice. X-ray computed tomography, otherwise known as CT scanning, is the most commonly used form of tomography.
Last breath in Alaska
In this work by Pascual Sisto, a plastic bag obstructs the Google Maps Street View of Minnie Street in Fairbanks, Alaska. Discovered while researching Google Maps Street View, Sisto preserves this “found object” by redirecting it to its own url, lastbreathinalaska.com, as well as capturing it as a back-up video, in case Google decides to reshoot the location. Swirling on a constant panoramic loop, the movement of the camera gives the abstract image an almost 3D-like quality. The piece documents Google’s fraught attempt to supply an accurate representation of Minnie Street, and, as such, Sisto sees Last Breath in Alaska (Found Object) as a response to the purportedly omniscient eye of the Street View feature, and the issues of transparency and privacy it raises. – Ceci Moss
via Rhizome
Thinking Globally, but Growing Locally @NYTimes
OUT OF THE BOX Josh Levine, 33, a Manhattan real estate broker who hopes to start a community farm, harvesting tomatoes as a volunteer at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett.
Josh in the Times! Another article about city folk putting down the briefcase and taking up the plow. Somewhat similar article here
The RFID photo booth by Touch
We built the booth in three days, with many design iterations, and ended up with a large white box with a picnic-themed grassy interior that allowed up to about 10 people to have their photo taken at once.
Inside there was an RFID reader, a camera and a screen that would show what was being recorded, as well as showing a countdown for picture taking. Outside a large LCD screen showed recent and random pictures from the booth, encouraging participation. By touching your tag to a reader outside, you could see pictures of yourself.
Over the course of the three-day event the photo-booth was extremely popular and resulted in literally thousands of pictures and social connections.
Cortical homunculus
A cortical homunculus is a physical representation of the primary motor cortex, i.e., the portion of the human brain directly responsible for the movement and exchange of sense and motor information (namely touch: sensitivity, cold, heat, pain etc.) of the rest of the body.
via project.ioni.st
Made In Queens
Two 12” bass speakers and two 10” mid-bass speakers mounted on rear cabinet. Custom-welded support brackets. Four 6×9” mids speakers up front. 2000 and 1500 watt bass amps and 1000 watt mids amp. DVD player and equalizer on handlebars.
Cassius lampshade by Fluidforms
A punching bag and a pair of boxing gloves are the only tools – waiting for the customer to form his or her individual lampshade CASSIUS. The initial form for the customer to beat into shape is a cylinder. Sensors in the inside of the punching bag transmit the punches to the computer, which morph the cylinder according to the positions of the blows. Each punch changes the shape of the object. The vision in the mind of the customer comes to life through physical power.
Large Hadron Collider nearly ready
Lowering of the last element (YE-1) of the CMS detector into its underground experimental cavern.
Joel Tauber - My lonely tree @Huffington Post
First came across Joel Tauber’s work in this most recent Log magazine – issue 12 (good issue by the way).
I have fallen in love with a tree in the middle of a gigantic parking lot. I cannot really explain how this happened, but love is a hard thing to explain. The tree is not something that most people notice, except as a source of shade for their cars. Yet, somehow – on a beautiful summer day in June 2005—I was drawn to the beauty of this forsaken California Sycamore tree, stuck in the middle of Rose Bowl parking lot K. I was touched by how lonely it was, and I was outraged by the many indignities it suffered.
The Hidden Power of Everyday Things @Forth Estate
by Alex Dodge
A five color UV screenprint with braille texture on 4 ply museum board. Printed by our neighbors at Axelle Editions.
Cock. Bull. Story. by Nikki Farquharson
My book of 30 simplified idioms, proverbs, phrases and quotes.
I find it interesting that we are able to understand a message or meaning from a phrase that should not be taken literally.
Reducing these idioms to three simple nouns doesn’t remove our ability to understand the meaning connected to these words.
We'll be back...
I’ve spent some time this afternoon appreciating all the good sign painting over on Jeff Canham’s website.
