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Archive for March, 2011

Who’s buying the £1,300 horse hoof shoes?

15 Mar
Naveen:

cheltenham festival horse hoof shoes

These designer shoes not only look like horses’ hooves, but also use 5,000 individual horse hairs. To be sold at the National Hunt Festival in Cheltenham, the horse hoof shoes have been designed using carbon fiber hoof and horse hairs by a team of fashion designers. The three pairs of knee and ankle-length zip-up hoof shoes will be sold for £1,300 (about $2,080) each. The proceeds from the sale will benefit the Prostate Cancer Charity.

Betfair, which commissioned the designers to design the shoes to celebrate Cheltenham Festival’s 100th anniversary, says that they are “the perfect accessory for racing fans who want to stand out from the crowd.” Model Louise Dainton, who walked down a turf catwalk wearing the horseshoes, said…

They are really comfortable and almost make you feel like you want to get on the track and gallop down the final furlong. I’m not sure they are for everyone but I definitely want a pair of hooves.

Are you in the line to trot?

Via: Daily Mail/BBC

 
 

Clever Conceptual Photo Manipulations That Tell a Story

15 Mar

Conceptual photo manipulations are all about depicting an idea, message, or story that a digital artist wants to convey to their viewers. In a conceptual photo manipulation the idea is the primary motive for the piece, not the materials, tools, or techniques that were used during its creation. These works are truly inspirational and tell a story through the characters, landscape, emotions, or through political or social commentary. In this collection you will find a mixed bag of clever conceptual photo manipulations, some of which include a bit of fantasy, surrealism, or humor.


Australia Post: Hug

E-mail and texting have made communication instantaneous and easy. But a hand-written letter has a personal touch to it. There is something about ink and paper that an email will simply never replace. This print advertisement for the Australia Post successfully conveys that message.


Liquid Fire

An excellent example depicting the metaphorical concept of liquid fire. It shows how fire would look if it was made of water.


Olympus: Eagle

This print advertisement by Olympus has a great concept and visual. It uses the frozen ice to symbolize that the action has been frozen in time by the camera.


Wakes You up With Every Bite

This amusing print advertisement cleverly uses Photoshop to convey its USP.


Falling Letters

Have you ever been so tired while reading that you felt the words are falling from the book? Here is a cool visual example of the same.


Creating My Own World

Creating My Own World in an impressive artistic concept. The ink represents the fluidity of imagination and creativity through which the artist creates fish, birds, butterflies and the world of his own. It has beautiful color, texture and a poetic touch.


Lens Coffee Mug

It’s hard not to like this cool coffee mug. It is made from the lens of a camera that has been fashioned into a mug. I think the image is the Photoshopped prototype (of the initial concept) of Canon mugs.


The King

The King has an interesting and thought provoking concept drawing parallel between king and pawn. The artist philosophically states that when the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.


Skinbonsai

Skinbonsai is a well executed but creepy photo manipulation of bonsai created from body parts.


Help

Poor grapes are looking really scared! This fantastic photo manipulation is humorous and heartwarming at the same time. The attention to the detail is mindboggling and the concept is skillfully executed.


Go Your Own Road

Go Your Own Road has a great concept. It advises you to follow your heart.


International Handshake

It would be cool if you could shake hands with your friend in another country without a long journey or jetlag. International Handshake is an awesome example of an Out of Bounds photo manipulation concept.


Apple or Kiwifruit

This advertisement for Polident Denture Care uses fruit as an object of focus. It shows fruits like apple, pear, sugarcane each with unexpectedly soft interiors. Here it refers to the softness of kiwi fruit when you bite an apple wearing their dentures.


Love is a Learning Process

Human emotions are complex. Love is the best/worst feeling to ever have, it can be so diverse at times that you can never be sure that you know all. Though I wonder if you could learn all about love or intricacies of human feelings from books. Simplicity, colors and subject of this photo manipulation is eye-catching.


Eat Me!

What would you call them? Eggheads? And are you ready to eat them! It has the wonderful humorous concept. The expression on each of the face and eyes can surely make you laugh.


Choose Your Face

Choose Your Face has a novel concept and the attention to the details is beyond words, it almost looks real.


Toyo Tires: Octopus

This print advertisement for Toyo tires cleverly uses octopus to go with their slogan "Griping Performance".


Perception

Sometimes you might have the wrong perception about yourself and that might stress you out. This is a great example that shows how you can use perfectly ordinary objects to make a powerful message.


Wild Horses

A fascinating photo manipulation where the woman’s flowing hairs are shown as horses. The peace and calmness on woman’s face and the running wild horses on the other hand symbolizes the constant thought process going on in our mind. Although outwardly we might seem to be calm and relaxed. A very original idea..


Listen

An unusual concept showing hands morphed into a mouth and ear. It depicts that everyone wants an ear to voice their opinion.


Lion show

Lion Show is a print advertisement for Zoo Safari. It has an outstanding concept backed by wonderfully executed visuals to match its slogan "blend in".


Don’t Get Drawn In

An excellent photo manipulation of an artist hand drawing himself.


Spiritual Milk

This is an amazing idea personifying the milk into spirit.


Strength in Every Pour

A similar concept as the one shown above but with the positive message. In this print advertisement the milk is personified to symbolize that it helps to support your heart and body.


Verbal Abuse

This powerful Public Interest advertisement campaign successfully illustrates how verbal abuse can be just as horrific as physical violence. It raises awareness of issue of vicious domestic verbal abuse.


Love Story

This is really a sad love story. It is amazing how you can tell a story with just one object. The old and faded effect gives it an interesting feel. The idea of using fruit to make something that seems so simple and yet universally recognizable is very clever.


Cigar City

A delightful and detailed imagination of city built from a cigarette’s ashes.


Life is Heavy

Another witty and brilliant piece of conceptual photo manipulation. It says something so philosophical in such a minimal and simple way.


Time Goes By

Time Goes By has creative concept of depicting fleeting time.


Reduce the Effects of A Disaster

A public interest advertisement by FEMA for Disaster Management and taking timely actions to reduce the effects of disaster. The concept is very clear and the brick typography is exceptional.


The Monster In The Mirror

The Monster In The Mirror symbolizes the hidden fear within us. The beautiful girl and the pastel colors makes the artwork more attractive.


How does This Make Your Tongue Feel?

This is how a tongue would look if it had a life of it’s own. A creepy and funny concept that can make you chuckle.


The Insight Story

An excellent campaign for the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung with visuals depicting political figures and characters. The general idea is that the newspaper digs down through the layers to bring the news and the image accurately brings forth the concept.


Elements – Fire

An amazing Photoshop work showing woman dressed in fire and solidified lava. The concept is beautifully executed with great attention to details like the clouds, the lava, the debris etc. The color scheme and the firey glow which reflects on the model’s body makes it an outstanding piece of work.


The Poisoned Smoke

A great piece depicting the harmful health effects of smoking cigarettes and tobacco. It is simple and powerful which makes the message very clear.


Surgeon Changes

An amazing poster illustrating plastic surgery and botox that goes behind a beautiful model’s face.


What More Can I Say

 
 

Houseplants Make You Smarter

15 Mar

You are probably aware that eating plants is good for you. However, what you may not know is that plants can provide benefits even if your taste buds run for cover at the first mention of spinach. New research is beginning to show that just having plants in your workspace may improve how you think.

In a study to be published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers show that the mere presence of plants in an office setting boosts one’s ability to maintain attention.

[More]
 
 

Tara Donovan

15 Mar

This year for my birthday, my fabulous boyfriend (who just so happens to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all things contemporary art) took me on a tour of his favorite galleries in Chelsea. After what has felt like the longest, coldest, darkest, and snowiest winter on record, he knew I was in much need of a good dose of artistic (and crafting) inspiration to raise my spirits.

While on our little adventure, I was particularly inspired by a collection of works done by Brooklyn artist Tara Donovan, being shown at The Pace Gallery on West 25th Street. At first glance, these "drawings" seemed to be simple canvases covered with gradient fields of light and dark or simple circles done in white and gray. However, when I got a closer look, I was completely blown away. Each piece is a large square (up to 8 feet by 8 feet) of gatorboard (like foam board but covered on both sides with wood veneer) that has been painted white and then "drawn" on by meticulously pounding in what must be thousands and thousands of nickel-plated steel pins!

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Drawings (Pins), 2010

1 Drawings (Pins), 2010

Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

2 Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

3 Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

4 Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

Drawings (Pins), 2010

5 Drawings (Pins), 2010

Drawings (Pins), 2010

6 Drawings (Pins), 2010

Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

7 Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

Drawings (Pins), 2010

8 Drawings (Pins), 2010

Drawings (Pins), 2010

9 Drawings (Pins), 2010

Drawings (Pins), 2010

10 Drawings (Pins), 2010

Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

11 Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

  • Drawings (Pins), 2010
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010
  • Drawings (Pins), 2010 (detail)

After being blown away by the show, I did a simple Google search of Ms. Donovan and was delighted to discover an entire body of similarly inspiring, spectacular work. I absolutely love the way she uses a single everyday material in each of her pieces (many being materials that I encounter every day in the TV craft room) to create sweeping and monumental works of true art. I also discovered (and completely understand why) she employs a virtual army of studio assistants (10-15) who help her meticulously create these incredibly detailed (and obviously time consuming) masterpieces. Check out the gallery below for a collection of photos of some of my favorites:

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Colony, 2009

1 Colony, 2009

Colony, 2009 (detail) - Made from pencils!

2 Colony, 2009 (detail) - Made from pencils!

Bluffs, 2009

3 Bluffs, 2009

Bluffs, 2009

4 Bluffs, 2009

Bluffs, 2009

5 Bluffs, 2009

Bluffs, 2009 (detail) - Made from buttons and glue!

6 Bluffs, 2009 (detail) - Made from buttons and glue!

Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006

7 Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006

Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006

8 Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006

Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)

9 Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)

Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)

10 Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)

Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)

11 Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)

Untitled (Pins), 2004

12 Untitled (Pins), 2004

Untitled (Pins), 2004 (detail)

13 Untitled (Pins), 2004 (detail)

Untitled (Toothpicks), 2001

14 Untitled (Toothpicks), 2001

Untitled (Molecule), 2010

15 Untitled (Molecule), 2010

Untitled (Mylar), 2007

16 Untitled (Mylar), 2007

Untitled (Mylar), 2007 (detail)

17 Untitled (Mylar), 2007 (detail)

Untitled (Mylar), 2007

18 Untitled (Mylar), 2007

Untitled (Mylar), 2007

19 Untitled (Mylar), 2007

Untitled (Mylar), 2007 (detail)

20 Untitled (Mylar), 2007 (detail)

Untitled (Paper Plates), 2006

21 Untitled (Paper Plates), 2006

Untitled (Paper Plates), 2006 (detail)

22 Untitled (Paper Plates), 2006 (detail)

Haze, 2003

23 Haze, 2003

Haze, 2003

24 Haze, 2003

Haze, 2003 (detail) - Made from stacked drinking straws!

25 Haze, 2003 (detail) - Made from stacked drinking straws!

Untitled, 2003

26 Untitled, 2003

Untitled, 2003 (detail) - Made from styrofoam cups and hot glue!

27 Untitled, 2003 (detail) - Made from styrofoam cups and hot glue!

Untitled, 2003

28 Untitled, 2003

Untitled, 2003 (detail) - Made from fishing line!

29 Untitled, 2003 (detail) - Made from fishing line!

  • Colony, 2009
  • Colony, 2009 (detail) - Made from pencils!
  • Bluffs, 2009
  • Bluffs, 2009
  • Bluffs, 2009
  • Bluffs, 2009 (detail) - Made from buttons and glue!
  • Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006
  • Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006
  • Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)
  • Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)
  • Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006 (detail)
  • Untitled (Pins), 2004
  • Untitled (Pins), 2004 (detail)
  • Untitled (Toothpicks), 2001
  • Untitled (Molecule), 2010
  • Untitled (Mylar), 2007
  • Untitled (Mylar), 2007 (detail)
  • Untitled (Mylar), 2007
  • Untitled (Mylar), 2007
  • Untitled (Mylar), 2007 (detail)
  • Untitled (Paper Plates), 2006
  • Untitled (Paper Plates), 2006 (detail)
  • Haze, 2003
  • Haze, 2003
  • Haze, 2003 (detail) - Made from stacked drinking straws!
  • Untitled, 2003
  • Untitled, 2003 (detail) - Made from styrofoam cups and hot glue!
  • Untitled, 2003
  • Untitled, 2003 (detail) - Made from fishing line!

I encourage you to check out Tara Donovan: Drawings (Pins) at The Pace Gallery (where it is on view until March 19) as well as her Untitled (Mylar) show that just opened there on March 4 (Ace Gallery in Los Angeles and Stephen Friedman Gallery in London are two other spaces that feature and represent her work). And the next time you find yourself in NYC, head over to the west 20s and check out the incredible work that is on display and completely free to public viewing. You wouldn't want to miss one of the best (and cheapest!) art experiences in the city.

 
 

Teaching the Mechanical Principles of a 1950s Navy Computer

15 Mar

analog_computer.jpg
How do you shoot a remote and fast moving ship back in the time 'computers' existed out of gear assemblies, rotary disks, sprockets, chains, cams, differentials, and a very good knowledge of algebra and trigonometry?

If a how-to explanation of the analog computer does not interest your geeky mind, then consider: how do you explain complex mathematically-driven machinery using simple infographic animation and narration, back in 1953 (and so, no After Effects, you know...)?

In short, the 50's era training film series explains how a mechanical computer was used to aim guns on a ship. Compared to today's digital computers, it almost looks like Rube Goldberg's abacus, but in it's day it was a game changer that proved devestating. Watch the series of (school television like) videos below.

Via boing boing and Engadget.

See also Walt Disney Mars and Beyond movie and Powers of 10 movie.

 
 

Conan O’Brien Kinetic Typography

15 Mar

Inspiration + Typography. Mmm. Message plus delivery. Content plus interface.

Posted via email from danielmiessler.com | posterous

 
 

Typographic world map and water colors

14 Mar

Typographic Map and Water Colors

Typographic maps are all the rage these days. Instead of drawing well-defined boundary lines, you substitute words or names, and the landscape shows up on its own. Nancy McCabe's maps, Charteis Graphein, are the latest addition to the genre. McCabe uses area names—oceans, countries, cities—for the letterpressed maps.

You can them in two varieties. The first is clean and simple, as shown below.

The second is a custom water-colored version (like up top). You can choose the colors if you like.

Grab a print for yourself on Etsy for $150 and $175, respectively.

[Design Ahoy]

 
 

Sperm Whales May Have Names

14 Mar

Subtle variations in sperm-whale calls suggest that individuals announce themselves with discrete personal identifier. To put it another way, they might have names.

The findings are preliminary, based on observations of just three whales, so talk of names is still speculation. But “it’s very suggestive,” said biologist Luke Rendell of Scotland’s University of St. Andrews. “They seem to make that coda in a way that’s individually distinctive.”

Rendell and his collaborators, including biologists Hal Whitehead, Shane Gero and Tyler Schulz, have for years studied the click sequences, or codas, used by sperm whales to communicate across miles of deep ocean. In a study published last June in Marine Mammal Sciences, they described a sound-analysis technique that linked recorded codas to individual members of a whale family living in the Caribbean.

In that study, they focused on a coda made only by Caribbean sperm whales. It appears to signify group membership. In the latest study, published Feb. 10 in Animal Behavior, they analyzed a coda made by sperm whales around the world. Called 5R, it’s composed of five consecutive clicks, and superficially appears to be identical in each whale. Analyzed closely, however, variations in click timing emerge. Each of the researchers’ whales had its own personal 5R riff.

‘This is just the first glimpse of what might be going on.’

The differences were significant. The sonic variations that were used to distinguish between individuals in the earlier study depended on a listener’s physical relationship to the caller: “If you record the animal from the side, you get a different structure than dead ahead or behind,” said Rendell. But these 5R variations held true regardless of listener position.

“In terms of information transfer, the timing of the clicks is much less susceptible” to interference, said Rendell. “There is no doubt in my mind that the animals can tell the difference between the timing of individuals.” Moreover, 5R tends to be made at the beginning of each coda string as if, like old-time telegraph operators clicking out a call sign, they were identifying themselves. Said Rendell, “It may function to let the animals know which individual is vocalizing.”

Audio: From a 2008 study of overlapping codas in pairs of sperm whales. One animal produces 1+1+3, the apparent group-level identifier. Both then produce overlapping 4R codas. After that, the first whale continues with 4R, while the other switches to 1+1+3. Finally, both make 1+1+3. The full meaning of such exchanges remains unclear, but they appear to reinforce social bonding.

Rendell stressed that much more research is needed to be sure of 5R’s function. “We could have just observed a freak occurrence,” he said. Future research will involve more recordings. “This is just the first glimpse of what might be going on.”

That individual whales would have means of identifying themselves does, however, make sense. Dolphins have already been shown to have individual, identifying whistles. Like them, sperm whales are highly social animals who maintain complex relationships over long distances, coordinating hunts and cooperating to raise one another’s calves.

Sperm-whale coda repertoires can contain dozens of different calls, which vary in use among families and regions, as do patterns of behavior. At a neurological level, their brains display many of the features associated in humans with sophisticated cognition. Many researchers think that sperm whales and other cetacean species should be considered “non-human persons,” comparable at least to chimpanzees and other great apes.

Compared to primates, however, studying the behaviors and relationships of whales is extremely difficult. They don’t take well to aquariums, and observations in the wild take place on their aquatic terms.

What’s been observed so far are just “the crude behavioral measures we get by following them in a boat,” said Rendell. “I’d argue that there is probably a vast amount of complexity out there in sperm whale society that we have yet to understand. As we get to know more about them, we’re going to continue to reveal complexities that we didn’t anticipate.”

Image: NOAA. Audio: Luke Rendell.

See Also:

Citation: “Individually distinctive acoustic features in sperm whale codas.” By Ricardo Antunes, Tyler Schulz, Shane Gero, Hal Whitehead, Jonathan Gordon, Luke Rendell. Animal Behavior, Feb. 10, 2011.

 
 

Smarter Than You Think: Poker Bots Invade Online Gambling

13 Mar
Card-playing software is now good enough to win tens of thousands of dollars on major poker sites, and human players aren’t happy about it.

 
 

4 Ways to Set Up a Storefront on Facebook

13 Mar

shopping_cart_thumb

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

With more than 500 million active users on Facebook, there are more potential customers using Facebook than there are logging into eBay and Amazon combined.

Most of these users don’t see the site as a purchasing platform, but more and more businesses are adding an option to use the social networking site to browse and buy their products. These four Facebook apps offer flexible options for adding a storefront to your business page.


1. Payvment


Payvment

Free beta app Payvment allows you to handle your entire e-commerce operation through Facebook. The app allows you to accept credit card and PayPal payments, which are credited to your PayPal account. You can customize charges for shipping and choose whether to charge sales tax.

Unless you disable the option, your products will also appear in searches people make on other Payvment storefronts when they choose to search “all of Facebook.”

Other helpful features include selling multiple quantities of an item from one listing, give discounts to customers who like your page and adding options like sizes or colors to item listings.

Store owners have access to their selling histories and order statuses, and they are able to send messages to buyers through the app. Implementing Payvment’s instant payment notification can help keep on top of orders as they’re made.


2. Storefront Social


Storefront Social

Shopping cart software Volusion‘s Facebook storefront creates a tab on your business’s Facebook page that allows you to showcase items in your online store. Some templates include options to tweet or share specific items, and shoppers can search by customizable categories or with a search bar. In order to set the store up, you need to install the Storefront Social app. The basic package costs $9.95 per month.

You cannot use the store as your sole storefront because there is no way to complete a transaction using the platform. Rather, people who wish to buy your products are directed to the product URL that you provide.

If you are a seller on eBay or Amazon, you could link to your listings on those sites, as well.


3. BigCommerce SocialShop


SocialShop

Like Storefront Social, BigCommerce SocialShop doesn’t allow transactions. Rather, it directs users interested in products to an online store — in this case, a BigCommerce online store — and allows them to share their products on their walls.

Because BigCommerce is a full e-commerce platform, it’s a more extensive Facebook storefront tab option. At $24.99 per month for the most basic package, it’s also the most expensive.


4. Ecwid


Ecwid

E-commerce site builder Ecwid also has a Facebook storefront option, but unlike BigCommerce SocialShop, the app allows customers to drag and drop products into a shopping bag and check out without leaving Facebook. You can integrate the same store on your website, MySpace profile, LinkedIn profile, or Tumblr by copying and pasting a widget code.

Basic accounts are free, but selling more than 100 items will cost you $17 per month.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, thesuperph

More About: e-commerce, facebook, storefront

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