panoptICONS
To protest the irritation of constant surveillance, Thomas voor ‘t Hekke and Bas van Oerle, working under the name “Helden,” conceived of a project called “panoptICONS,” which involves placing “camera birds” — half-bird, half-surveillance camera — throughout the city of Utrecht.
“”panoptICONS addresses the fact that we are constantly being watched by surveillance cameras in city centres. The surveillance camera seems to have become a real pest that feeds on our privacy. To represent this, camera birds – city birds with cameras instead of heads – were placed throughout the city centre of Utrecht where they feed on the presence of people. In addition, a camera bird in captivity was displayed to show the feeding process and to make the everyday breach of our privacy more personal and tangible.” | via
Arcade Fire Teams With Google Maps for Interactive Video
Go and type in your childhood address at thewildernessdowntown.com to play the new, interactive video for the song “We Used To Wait” by Arcade Fire. You’ll get the best experience with the Google Chrome browser. The video was directed by Chris Milk and built in HTML5.
Read more about the project in this Wired article.
Propellerhead Creates Worlds Largest Drum Machine
Propellerhead recently decided to create a giant, 4×4 light-emitting device so large that you have to literally jump between each of the pads in order to trigger the drum samples. Then they just randomly set up shop outdoors somewhere and hooked everything up to a projector showing the Kong drum synthesizer that it was hooked up to, and hundreds of people just stood there in awe.
Kong is a new instrument added in Reason 5, which by the way, has benn launched on 25th of August. It is a $129 upgrade if you currently own ANY previous version of the program, $349 if you are buying it for the first time, and $449 in combination with Record, which is also getting an update tomorrow. More info here! | via
Tuned Pale Ale
Tuned Pale Ale is a product that explores the musical affordances in everyday objects and promotes social spontaneity. While drinking beer, people become musically encouraged and often start making start making music with objects around them. This product aims to promote more of this type of social interaction. This product aims to inform users about the musical qualities of existing bottles and to make the bottle a better instrument. | Via
UK’s first 3D Arachnophobia Clinic created by Sky
Sky 3D launch UK’s first arachnophobia therapy programme with Denise Van Outen.
Sky is using the power of 3D technology to tackle one of the nation’s most common phobias – spiders! About 50% of the population admit to being scared of spiders, so to help them face this fear head on Sky has created ground breaking new footage of these creepy crawlies in 3D. more images here… | via
Racer
Racer is an analogue recreation of a coputer racing game in the style of the classic WipeOut.It consists of a modified vintage arcade machine, a RC model car with a wireless camera,an a self-constructed racetrack/game level made entirely from cardboard. | Via & Via
Requiem for a Thought
Text message in the thoughts of the strange character lurking along the wall. The interactive bubble reveals the characters inner thoughts, as it tracks the characters movements. A collaboration piece between Paul Notzold’s TXTual Healing and Jared Gradinger with Pictoplasma. This piece was made during Les Grandes Traversees festival in Bordeaux France in July of 2010. | via
VR/urban: “SMSlingshot”
The SMS slingshot is a device designed to create digital augmented realities in urban space.
The device is shaped as a wooden slingshot with a build-in mobile phone display, a keypad and a laser. Users can type a text message and shoot it straight at a large facade. A projector pointed at the facade will show the message as a colour splash with the message written within.
The project is designed by VR/URBAN, a group of digital intervention-activists based in Berlin. They will demonstrate the device at various media-festival in the next couple of months. Check their website for dates and technical specs! | via & via
Buttons by Sascha Pohflepp
Buttons in a project by Sascha Pohflepp playing on the notion of the camera as a networked object. Unlike a conventional analog or digital camera, this one doesn’t have any optical parts. It is a camera that will only capture a moment at the press of a button by recording only the time it was pressed. Quickly after it begins to continuously search on the net for other photos that have been taken in the very same moment and displays on the screen. Essentially, it is a camera that – using a SonyEricsson K750i hidden behind the boxing – takes other’sphotos. Photos that were created by someone who pressed a button somewhere at the same time as its own button was pressed. | Via
Billboard Magazine – What they’re made of
Billboard Magazine had this installation in rock bars in Sao Paulo, in which people could show the world what they’re made of.
Production: formentera.com.br | marcosk.com | Via
Pillow Talk – Networking Long Distance Lovers
Pillow Talk is a project by Interaction Design Student Joanna Montgomery aiming to connect long distance lovers. Each person has a pillow for their bed and a sensor fitted into a wearable chest strap, which they wear to sleep at night. The chest sensor wirelessly communicates with the other person’s pillow; when one person goes to bed, their lover’s pillow begins to glow softly to indicate their presence. Placing your head on the pillow allows you to hear the real-time heartbeat of your loved one.
The result is an intimate interaction between two lovers, regardless of the distance between them.
The project is built using a transceiver from a Polar exercise watch, built into a circuit which runs via an Arduino board. The pillows contain a flat panel containing the circuit, small speakers and lights, which can slot into any pillow.
See more on her portfolio website or on the project blog.
Fixiestudio
Preview you bike design dreams on fixiestudio. Then you can calculate gear inches and skid patches from adjusting the cog and chainring sizes. Have fun! | via
