Post-apocalyptic references are more and more frequent in popular culture. from threats of global warming, natural resource depletion, viral epidemics and World War III, it seems we are becoming desensitized to the potential of any one of these things happening... I mean, people are still buying house on the beachfront in Malibu, right?
As the art and design world runs parallel to the real life predictions, a few artists have used their imagination to render what it is we might be surrounded by in a not so distant future.
Following the example of Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Argentinian center will remove 40 thousand billboards (approx. 60% of all billboards) that have been ruled to infract on the city's code.
The agreement was reached between the city government and a committee of advertising associations.
In September 2006, Sao Paolo initiated a similar effort, which was documented by photographer Tony de Marco and his Sao Paulo No Logo project.
There are many ways to track the current presidential election, but this site has rendered over 500 websites into one ever-changing visualization map. The sources are quite evenly distributed to not lean heavily left or right.
This morning, Richard Branson unveiled the Virgin Galactic mothership in the Mojave Desert to a group of VIP's and press.
Soon enough, anyone can buy a ticket and go to space (though the price of the ticket will hold most of us back).
"Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson and SpaceShipOne designer, Burt Rutan, today pulled back the hangar doors on the new WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft that will ferry SpaceShipTwo and thousands of private astronauts, science packages and payload on the first stage of the Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space experience. The rollout represents another major milestone in Virgin Galactic’s quest to launch the world’s first private, environmentally benign, space access system for people, payload and science.
Christened “EVE” in honor of Sir Richard’s mother, who performed the official naming ceremony, WK2 is both visually remarkable and represents ground-breaking aerospace technology. It is the world’s largest all carbon composite aircraft and many of its component parts have been built using composite materials for the very first time. At 140 ft, the wing spar is the longest single carbon composite aviation component ever manufactured.
Driven by a demanding performance specification set by Virgin Galactic, WK2 has a unique heavy lift, high altitude capability and an open architecture driven design which provides for maximum versatility in the weight, mass and volume of its payload potential. It has the power, strength and maneuverability to provide for pre space-flight, positive G force and zero G astronaut training as well as a lift capability which is over 30% greater than that represented by a fully crewed SpaceShipTwo. The vehicle has a maximum altitude over 50,000 ft and its U.S. coast-to-coast range will allow the spaceship to be ferried on long duration flights.
An all carbon composite vehicle of this size represents a giant leap for a material technology that has already been identified as a key contributor to the increasingly urgent requirement by the commercial aviation sector for dramatically more fuel efficient aircraft. Powered by four Pratt and Whitney PW308A engines, which are amongst the most powerful, economic and efficient available, WK2 is a mold breaker in carbon efficiency and the epitome of 21st century aerospace design and technology.
The twin fuselage and central payload area configuration allow for easy access to WK2 and to the spaceship for passengers and crew; the design also aids operational efficiencies and turnaround times. WK2 will be able to support up to four daily space flights, is able to carry out both day and night time operations and is equipped with a package of highly advanced avionics." (Taken from the official Virgin Galactic press release).
Surely everyone has learned that electronic devices and water don't mix too well. A company called Golden Shellback claims to have a solution to the unhappy marriage, a special process that will transform a device so it can withstand a submerged activity.
It wouldn't be far-fetched to see major manufacturers adopting this method, though it may result in a slight drop of numbers thanks to the "oops, I just dropped my phone in the toilet."
From the Golden Shellback website: "Golden Shellback coating is a unique coating that protects critical operational equipment against damage and loss of function caused by exposure to weather and moisture. It is ideal for application in the electronics industry.
Golden Shellback coating produces a vacuum deposited film that is nonflammable, has low toxicity and has the ability to weatherproof electronic devices and other surfaces. It contains no volatile organic combustibles (VOCs). The clear, nearly non-detectable, uniform film is insoluble in solvents. When applied to clean, moisture free surfaces, such as plastic, copper, aluminum, metal, ceramic, steel, tin or glass, the coating is transparent with excellent weather proofing and anti-corrosion properties"
Total Recall
"How much would you pay to have a small memory chip implanted in your brain if that chip would double the capacity of your short-term memory? Or guarantee that you would never again forget a face or a name?"
Let Computers Compute. It's the Age of the Right Brain.
"I’M of two minds. As a matter of fact, so are you. And until recently, corporate America wasn’t doing much to take advantage of one of them. But now that we’re hip-deep in what has been called both the “Creative Economy” and the “Conceptual Age,” no one can afford to ignore the artist within: the right hemisphere of the brain."
Politics and Culture in the Iranian Blogosphere
"This case study is part of a series produced by the Internet and Democracy project. The initial studies include three of the most frequently cited examples of the Internet’s influence on democracy."
BMW Art Car Exhibition - Tokyo 9/05/2008 at 2:00 PM PDT Wallpaper steers us to BMW’s latest Art Car exhibition. Called Transparent Speed, the exhibit was designed by Jun Aoki and features an interesting take on the visualization of speed. According to Aoki,
‘It’s not an ordin...
MeeID: Consolidate Your Online Presence 9/05/2008 at 11:06 AM PDT MeeID (not to be confused with MEID) is a new web application meant to manage your online identity in a neat package. Amongst the dozens of “people search engines,” “lifestreaming” and “social networking” sites, MeeID ho...
Timebridge Meeting Scheduler 9/05/2008 at 8:21 AM PDT Timebridge is a new time (and headache) saving tool that helps you schedule meetings with people, no matter where they are or what calendaring system they’re using. The platform is free and easy-to-use: meeting members e...
PSFK Conference Asia Speaker Rob Campbell 9/05/2008 at 7:59 AM PDT We’re excited to have Rob Campbell, Managing Partner / Creative Brand Strategist of Sunshine Asia, joining us in Singapore at PSFK Conference Asia to discuss “How Creativity Liberates Business”. We asked him to share a l...
Oyster Card May Soon Utilize Near Field Communications 9/05/2008 at 7:15 AM PDT Tired of having your wallet crammed with dozens of old cards? Thanks to the success of a recent study of consumer use, we all may soon be seeing more implementation of NFC (Near Field Communication) in our daily lives. N...
University Goes Solar; Consumers Can Too 9/05/2008 at 5:31 AM PDT The University of California in San Diego has installed a 1.2 mega-watt solar array contributing to its earth-friendly arsenal of methane-powered fuel cells and utility provided wind-power, making it the greenest univers...
