From the AP:

House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Ill., center, gets out of a Hydrogen Alternative Fueled automobile, left, as he prepares to board his SUV, which uses gasoline, after holding a new conference at a local gas station in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2006 to discuss the recent rise in gas prices. Hastert and other members of Congress drove off in the Hydrogen-Fueled cars only to switch to their official cars to drive back the few block back to the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Meanwhile, with gas topping $3/gallon in some parts of the country, ExxonMobil posted record profits of $8.4 billion in the first quarter.

this can't be real? america is a joke. a fuckin' joke. --SZ

Filed under: Retro, Video

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I can't even tell you how rad this is... mario's fire ball powers is brilliant! --SZ

Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened May 28, 1937, an estimated 1,300 people have leaped to their deaths from the span. Officials estimate that at least 24 people commit suicide there every year. "A documentary that records almost two dozen leaps from the landmark bridge has generated praise and scorn for its maker." LAT

pretty amazing that this filmmaker was able to capture these raw moments in these people's lives. --SZ

Renaissance a film by Christian Volckman. "... the film seems further proof that students of architectural design should stop pinning all their hopes solely on architecture, and consider guerilla careers as film, or even game, start-ups, using their graphic ideas and energy to take over Hollywood." awesome french film coming soon! --SZ

In Conjunction with the 4th IEEE International Workshop on Projector-Camera Systems (ProCams 2006); co-sponsored by ITP/Interactive Telecommunications Program, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.

Recently there has been an explosion of interest in systems that combine digital light projection with cameras and interaction. Projecting off the Wall is a unique art event that will bring together artists, scientists, and the public for a showing of projector-camera art installations and demos, and is sponsored by the Workshop on Projector-Camera Systems. Previous ProCams events have been held in Nice, France (2003) and San Diego (2005); however, this is the inaugural ProCams Art Event.

The ProCams workshop involves the worlds leading researchers in projection and interactive display technologies and has had increasing participation from the art community. With Projecting off the Wall, the conference organizers hope to foster connections between art and science that focus on the art as much (or more) than the technology. We are specifically looking for artworks that include both projectors and cameras as integral elements of a unique viewer experience. This includes work that:

* incorporates computer vision, object tracking and recognition
* utilizes and/or addresses passively sensed environments
* uses active and non-traditional projection techniques
* involves projection onto custom screens, surfaces and objects
* deals with the aesthetics of projected light and digital projection
* engages issues of ubiquitous camera surveillance
* includes real-time projected display of live camera input
* combines multiple projections in innovative ways
* uses projectors and cameras to create immersive and interactive experiences

In addition, outstanding pieces that explore the themes of interactive experiences and immersive displays will be considered.

The show will take place on June 18th at Tisch School of the Arts, 721 Broadway. Visit www.procams2006.org/artExhibit.html to submit a proposal. Limited funds are available to offset travel and shipping costs.

Submission deadline: May 15, 2006
Exhibition dates: June 18

ProCams: http://www.procams2006.org/
ITP Department, Tisch School of the Arts: http://www.itp.nyu.edu

only 2 more weeks to submit your masterpiece. --SZ

Cory Doctorow:
Hugh "Nomad" Hancock sez,

Strange Company have just released the first episode of their Machinima feature film, BloodSpell, under Creative Commons licensing (including a nice little rant on the page about why they're releasing three years' work for free.)

It's described as a "post-goth punk fantasy adventure" about a world where some people are infected with magic in their blood - when the blood is spilled, the magic comes out.

Over 10,000 man-hours of work have gone into BloodSpell, 99% of which were volunteer work. The full film will be about the same scale as the first Star Wars movie in terms of number of sets, characters, and number and complexity of action sequences.

There's some damned fine storytelling and editing/production work here -- machinima is still finding its legs, discovering what it's for, and the Strange Company folks are at the forefront of using the medium for feature-length drama, really getting beyond short comedy pieces. Link (Thanks, Hugh!)

day-lab has really awesome jewelry. i got the lucite pirate ship. --SZ

The Aphrodite Project: Platforms

The Aphrodite Project: Platforms is an integrated system of shoes and online services that combines the rich mythology of Aphrodite with the safety and advertising concerns of contemporary sex workers on the street. On view in Eyebeam's gallery May 2-13 will be a prototype of a silver-leather platform sandal with integrated LCD screen, speakers, internet connection and GPS tracking system. On May 13 visitors to the gallery will be able to track a model in real-time as she traverses the city wearing the platform prototype and join in a panel discussion between artists, technologists and sex work advocates. This event will conclude with a reading by Tracy Quan, performance by Ana Voog, Echo Transgression, and Melissa Gira, and live music by Natural Sphere. This event is open to the public free of charge with a suggested donation and will take place at Eyebeam, 540 W. 21st Street between 10th & 11th Aves.

Platforms is designed to question moral attitudes and value judgments, especially with this marginalized section of the population: Who gets new technology and when? What is the true value of sexual services? Using an archetypal model, is it possible to reclaim the profession for modern women? What are the ethics of surveillance and tracking? Is it possible to ensure that this information will empower and not endanger sex workers? Is it ever possible to guarantee that knowledge will stay within the hands of those who it is intended for?

The shoes address creativity and art making as well as practical issues of design and marketability. It is my hope that in addition to creating beautifully crafted objects; the project will contribute to the current international debate over the regulation, decriminalization, and legalization of prostitution.

Ooh! I want these... I can watch America's Next Top Model while doing my catwalk. --SZ

We learned the hard way about a Toronto tradition for taking back the streets today- mass memorial rides for cyclists needlessly killed. Hubert Van Tol was a University of Toronto Professor and athlete- we rowed together on Lake Ontario (well, not quite together- he was twice as fast). Last Thursday a dumptruck turning right got him. This happens too often in Toronto (two cylists were killed on the same day) where the few bike lanes are full of cars and when it comes to enforcement, we quote Bob Dylan: "the cops don't need you and man, they expect the same". There are few North/South streets in the area of the accident and bike commuters are forced to use the ludicrously named Avenue Road, four fast-moving lanes, none for bikes- it just might slow down the rush hour traffic and we can't have that.

(This post continues on the site)

Unfortunately there are a few of these around Brooklyn. While I wish there wasn't a need for memorials like this, they are visually arresting. --SZ

Filed under: Nintendo Revolution, Action, Puzzle

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probably one of the best games ever. --SZ

AP - A judge changed a sentence from six months in prison to eight years after a teenager convicted in a drive-by shooting wrote a letter asking a friend to take over his marijuana dealings.

Sorry not art or tech related, but how was someone sentenced to 6 MONTHS for a drive-by shooting and then 8 YEARS for a letter? --SZ

Hamburger Eyes is a San Francisco-based photo magazine published tri-annually. They print some pretty great photos. --SZ

Mark Frauenfelder: The Graffiti Research Lab was at Maker Faire last weekend with a large black bus and a bunch of raw materials to make LED Throwies. Huong Ngo of G.R.L. was kind enough to explain to me how to make a Throwie. Here's a 1 minute video. Link

I'm totally in love with this project. I want there to be an LED Throwie event every week. --SZ

Xeni Jardin:

A Google Map with markers and short descriptions on sites where major nuclear accidents have occurred throughout history. Link (Thanks, Laurent)

Reader comment: John says,

I like this use of google maps, especially since there's a debate in ireland right now about building a nuclear reactor, but Laurent hasn't checked his facts. An exclusion zone of 4000 sq km around Chernobyl would mean I couldn't sit here in Dublin to point out the error.

Reader comment: Xopl sez,

4000 square miles does NOT mean 4000 miles in every direction. It means it is the square root of 4000 per side. It CAN be 4000 square miles of exclusion around Chernobyl and he CAN be sitting in Dublin.

Reader comment: Thomas Cowart says,

Reader John is incorrect. 4000 sq km is a square that is about 63.25 km (or about 40 miles) on each side. Since the exclusion area is probably circular, this is a radius of about 35 kilometers (22 miles) around the area. Dublin isn't _that_ close to Chernobyl.

never knew there were so many! --SZ

An anonymous reader writes "The Sci-Fi Channel's hit series Battlestar Galactica may soon be joined by a 50-year-prior prequel series, called Caprica. To be co-exec produced by Ron Moore and David Eick, the new series will follow the tale of the creation of the Cylons."

the elephant ass slide is amazing. I want to know the story behind that. --SZ

a sophisticated data visualization method for conveying relationships between any 2 or more sets of objects with a corresponding distance scale, & currently specialized for genomes. a large variety of plot & feature parameters are customizable & it can be combined with paired-location, scatter, line, histogram, heat map & cover elements plots. circos is free software, licensed under GPL.
see also gnom & schemaball & irc conversations.
[bcgsc.ca]

cool looking, I just don't know how you would read the data. --SZ

The Tactical Ice Cream Unit, a project of the Center for Tactical Magic, distributes ice cream but also information at a time when most channels of distribution, communication, and social interaction are mediated and constrained by the fervor of financial exchange.

Divided into a "mother ship" (Central Command Van) and a "scout" (Tactical Ice Cream Cart), the TICU harbors surveillance devices including a 12-camera video surveillance system, acoustic amplifiers, GPS, satellite internet, a media transmission studio capable of disseminating live audio/video, and ice cream. With every free ice cream handed out, people are also handed out printed information developed by local progressive groups.

The TICU's surveillance suite provides grassroots access to mobile communications technologies to produce independent community news or to monitor such "un-American" activities as corporate dumping or police brutality. Equipped with a mobile satellite internet system, the video can be viewable in real-time and recorded via a remote website. Additionally, the various surveillance technologies are used to accumulate recordings which will provide a unique audio/video account of the local geography.

The TICU invites visitors to explore the interior, view documentation of the street operations, or collaborate on "missions". Local community groups may also suggest uses for the TICU (i.e. support a strike, a beach clean-up, protest, or a neighborhood block party). The vehicle can also supply activists with in-demand items (water, first-aid, film, gas masks, water balloons, etc.).

Providing food and food-for-thought, the Tactical Ice Cream Unit merrily activates public space with wholesome information and good humor.

Meet Aaron Gach of the Tactical Ice Cream Unit, on Friday April 28th at Machine Project, Los Angeles.

See also Vagamundo , an ice cream cart that invites pedestrians to play a video game that reflects the plight of illegal Latin American immigrants in New York.

Filed under: Culture, Video

. There's a great writeup at selectparks:

His work has been shown in many galleries in Australia, but until now hasn't found a big exposure online. For me, his non-interactive animations are more about what games ought to be than what a lot of games are. The kind of indulgence which triggers all the soft spots of delicious wrongness in a way Reality just doesn't appreciate.

PBCBSF2006 is probably the most frenetic, violent, and fun game never made. Check out the horrible quality YouTube video after the break, or download the torrent

and get seeding.

[Thanks, brad77]


Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006 Part 1


Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006 Part 2

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Since the start of this month, police and propaganda officials in China have launched their biggest crackdown on Beijing's counterculture hothouse - Dashanzi art district - where at least three galleries have been ordered to remove politically sensitive works, such as: a painting by Gao Qiang depicting Mao Zedong bathing in a Yangtze river the colour of blood; a child-like depiction of the 1989 Beijing massacre by Wu Wenjian; Huang Rui's cultural revolution slogan made up of banknotes bearing Mao's portrait.

Banknote by Huang Rui.

Despite the crackdown, the Gao brothers said the climate was improving. From 1989 until 2003, they were on the government blacklist and forbidden to leave the country. But they are now part of a new wave of Chinese artists wowing galleries abroad. Next week, they will visit Nottingham to recreate their renowned work, Hug, in which they persuade strangers to embrace.

Painting by the Gao Brothers

Compared with the first years after he opened his gallery in 1990 (the first foreign-owned space for contemporary art in China), Brian Wallace says the atmosphere is improving. "Ten years ago the officials would have been rude and taken the pictures away. Now they are polite and ask for pictures to be withdrawn from public view."

Image via Beausmith

Private and commercial freedom is almost unlimited, but anything public and political is subject to controls. Galleries in Dashanzi openly display nudity and sexually explicit pictures. But even a flat image of political leaders seems to make the censors queasy. One of the pieces that had to be removed is a grey painting of the current leadership all in the same dark suits and ties with the same hairstyle.

Talking about China, censorship and difference in culture, i'd just like to remind a story that made the headlines last year:

Berne's Museum of Fine Arts had removed Xiao Yu's sculpture made with the head of a dead fetus attached to a seagull's body from a Chinese art exhibition last year after a complaint that it was disrespectful to the dead.

At the time, ethics experts, artists and art lovers argued that keeping the work under wraps was an affront to freedom of expression.

Shangaiist reports also about a Dalian factory that turns corpses into art. They have a "Corpse Exhibition" in Shanghai on April 28 after touring many major cities in China including Beijing, Guangzhou, Changsha and Shenyang.

Via The Guardian.
Related: The China Connection (part 2) - Transmediale.

Like the Imaginary Foundation designs we've come to expect and covet, the latest batch of tees from the San Francisco-based company combines inventive 19th-century-tinged illustrations with irreverent one-line quips. Always a little absurd, the new collection brings in nautical references, vintage stereo equipment, and old-world fonts. Some shirts, like the "Original Nutter" shirt (left), are made using the "Dye Gain" process which creates the one-of-a-kind pattern and lends a silky soft feel.

$30 from the Imaginary Foundation Store.

Also on Cool Hunting: New From Imaginary Foundation, Imaginary Foundation does Flock, and Imaginary Foundation

TAGS: Illustrations, Products, San Francisco, T-Shirts,

Hey! I know this guy! He makes really interesting shirts. Glad he's getting some blog time. --SZ

Reuters - Seven young artists on Tuesday sued New York City over its strict anti-graffiti law, saying it violated their constitutional right to free speech.

oooh! I don't know how I feel about this. I love street art, but there is a definite find line between street art and bad tags (then again that's just a matter of opinion). From the looks of it though, the cops shouldn't be looking for spraypaint and markers. Kids will use anything - exacto knives, that gross glass etching chemical - to get their name out. I prefer looking at colors. --SZ

I'm not sure if I love or hate this project. Jenkins makes human bodies, baby bodies, and now ducks out of clear packing tape and then places them in public areas. --SZ

For those who believe that streets are for people as well as cars, here is the ultimate hybrid: a tent that looks like a car. Artist Michael Rakowitz says: "(P) LOT questions the occupation and dedication of public space and encourages reconsiderations of "legitimate" participation in city life. Contrary to the common procedure of using municipal parking spaces as storage surfaces for vehicles, P (LOT) proposes the rental of these parcels of land for alternative purposes." Do a mashup with Rebar's PARK(ing) and it will be just like a camping trip. ::Michael Rakowitz via ::WMMNA

Reminds me of this project (which Treehugger mentions below) where someone "rented" out of metered parking space to build a temporary park. Hope this is a new trend. --SZ

Today's link

Adult link
Dreamstripper Professional

Ensign Games has just released DreamStripper Professional. According to the release on the new game, it has lots of new stuff including mo-cap dances, a total control mode, AI facial movements, a resolution of 1600x1200 (up from from 800x600), new easy to use UI for dressing up the dancer, as well as more accessories, clothes and ways to customize your dancer.

when I grow up I wanna be a stripper. --SZ

An amazing piece of architecture. I need to go up there and see it in the flesh. --SZ

a series of 60 different drawings that each consist of a MS Excel 'worksheet', which is automatically set up as a grid. MS Excel is a popular program designed to track & compute numerical information, but is here used as a drawing tool. the drawings were made by changing cell preferences for background color, fill pattern, border styles & inserting 'comment' boxes, letters or words. see also pixelfest group art & sorting image pixels.
[danielleaubert.com & danielleaubert.com (video)]

I never knew Excel could look this cool. --SZ

Jason's photos of bland settings are really amazing. He's definitely worth checking out. Plus he's the "J" in J&L books a great little indie book publisher. --SZ

Extreme Craft sez: "Theresa Honeywell is tougher than you. Her work reflects her interests in the 'manly arts' with a feminine twist." Damn straight.

(via)

Reporting on Friday Late: Transvision.

Jason Bruges Studio created Visual Echos for the transvision event. A very long table top like surface contained a matrix of leds, with a video camera at one end. As the camera captured images it took rgb values and changed the leds at one end, travelling down the surface like a wave. Best explained by watching my video.

We remember when there were so many kids toys around the house that you just wanted to go out and bury them all. (Now it is shoes and purses) Here is a squeaky latex toy that lets you do just that- "If and when you get tired of looking at your Plant-Me Pet on your desk or shelf, you can literally bury the sculpture in a pot of soil (head-first, so as to cover the seeds), water it and place it in the sun, and -- voilá! -- the rubber will decompose and a plant will sprout." Made in Barcelona, home of the famous Stuffbump. from ::Branch, via ::Big Perk

UPDATE: Hey, I searched, really! But we covered the designers (and the Plant-me-Pet) earlier here. thanks, Petz

I'm excited about the new, creative ways people are coming up with ways to grow plants. Egglings were one great stab at it and now here's another. --SZ

Filed under: Retro, Video

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The Architecture Programme at the Royal Academy of Arts and World Architecture News have announced the winners of the Urban Eyrie: a Haven in the City competition. The brief was imagine a place where people can find personal space but still engage with the energy of the city around them.

Ricky Lee won the first prize for his ingenious solution integrated into the vertical neon advertising that flanks the classic Chinese street. People would be able to climb upon neon signs and relax into their own haven. There, they would be able to have a look at what's going on in the street while remaining hidden behind the structure of the signs.

List of winning proposals.

The Urban Eyrie display of finalists is at the Royal Academy of Arts - Architecture on the Ramp, London until 22nd May.

When Silvio and Paolo from Limiteazero told me a year ago they were planning to organise an event about new media art, architecture and performances in Milan, i promised myself i wouldn't miss it. Well... i will. Instead i will frolic in Berlin, give a talk in Maribor and watch my favourite trashy soap opera on a laptop.

Check the amazing line up (in english soon): new media art, architecture, sound&audioVideo (sic!) and book your ticket to Milan.

MixedMedia festival will take place at the Hangar Bicocca, Milan, May 25-28.

more chernobyl photos. --SZ

Garth from Extreme Craft pointed us to a fantastic story he did on artist Theresa Honeywell who created this knit motorcycle which is on display now through April 30th at the Georgia Museum of Art. Honeywell's work explores the cool tough male world with her pieces like the knit tool belt, knit jackammer, as well as embroidery work of tattoo designs. [ via ] Link.


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music video

Ah the video mash-up has been born. A visual mash-up for Danger Mouse's audio mash-up of the Beatles and Jay-Z. --SZ

I don't think this is ever gonna catch on, but it's a pretty interesting upgrade to the centuries old art form. --SZ

We love this, its like two Product Service Systems in one, with design and recycling thrown in. The Portland (Maine) Public Library takes old books and invited nearly 200 artists to turn them into art. 186 altered books were created and of course, being a library, you can borrow them! We like "leaves of grass" being reborn as "Field of Greens" and the Candy Dish that you borrow, eat the candy and refill before you return. See some of the books at ::Maine College of Art and then order at ::The Portland Public Library although pictures would be nice. via ::New York Times

A few weeks ago we posted some controvercial photos of street art done in the abandoned city of Pripjat, location of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Now, the artists have put up a website about the project. You can see it here.

All the photos coming out of Chernobyl are amazing. This is yet another example. --SZ

From Mantis:

"This was just begging to be tampered with. Harrods the self proclaimed 'world's most famous department store' situated in the rich West end of London decides to put up a billboard in Hackney Wick, one of the poorest parts of the East end of London with a question for us. I figured I would give them a more local answer."

I am so in love with Fecal Face. Since moving to NY, I realized how much I miss this SF-based site. It's an amazing example of how to inform a community about art haps. Rather than posting about every single art event in the city, they cater to people who enjoy a specific genre of art (not sure what the name of that genre is, but lets call it indie art). Because they're so specialized you don't feel so overwhelmed when you go to their site. I used it almost everyday in SF to find shows to go to. --SZ

tagging the world with unfinished knitting projects

this has been all over the place, but I just think it's so awesome I'm gonna tell y'all about it anyway! graffiti knitting is the new stich 'n bitch. --SZ

Filed under: Features, Nintendo Revolution

lists out there are longer, but those lists are full of untitled projects with no information about the game whatsoever. We hope to provide you some tangible evidence of Revolution titles and not just verbal commitments or praises by the developer community.

This list will be presented alphabetical by game title. A few of the developers we've listed are independent and still lack a publisher; we have provided below (when possible) outlets by which publishers can contact these firms. 

Without further ado, on with the list. All in all, 7 third-party developers have commited a grand total of 8 exclusive titles to the Revolution. It's no launch lineup, but it is a start:

Game Title: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles RevolutionSquare Enix

History with Nintendo: Once the mainstay of all its Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles, Square and Enix both moved to the Sony PlayStation after its release. Now merged into one super company, Square contributed one title to the GameCube, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Square Enix is currently bringing a number of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Mana titles to the Nintendo DS.
About the Game: Very little is known about the title, except that there is also a sequel coming out for the Nintendo DS. We suspect some connection between the two.
Using the Controller: Square Enix president Youichi Wada said the game would feature "online capabilities, magnificent graphics, and an intense use of the revolutionary control of the platform." In other words, currently unknown.
Release Date: Unknown, despite a rumored 2007 release.

Game Title: Flight Game [tentative title]
Developer: Japan-based Hudson Entertainment
History with Nintendo: Extensive;