Art + Architecture + Design
Web/Tech
Snoopstic: Espionage on the Cheap
Mar 16th
I’m sitting in Sea-Tac airport waiting for our flight to leave. We are going to LA for the weekend, so posts will be light…
But I did just get a blurb on this great 007-superspy device:
SnoopStick is a USB flash drive type device that allows you to monitor what your kids, employees, or anyone using your computer is doing while on the Internet. And, you can monitor them live, in real time, from anywhere in the world.
Simply plug the SnoopStick into the computer you want to monitor. Then run the setup program to install the SnoopStick monitoring components on the computer. The whole process takes less than 60 seconds.
The SnoopStick monitoring components are completely hidden, and there are no telltale signs that the computer is being monitored. You can then unplug the SnoopStick and take it with you anywhere you go. No bigger than your thumb and less than 1/4" thick, you can carry it in your pocket, purse, or on your keychain.
Any time you want to see what web sites your kids or employees are visiting, who they are chatting with, and what they are chatting about, simply plug in your SnoopStick to any Windows based computer with an Internet connection and a USB port. SnoopStick will automatically connect to the target computer.
Monitor both sides of IM conversations in real time or tell SnoopStick to display recent activity. Check the sender and recipient of every email sent or received. You can even log the user off, disable internet access, set time restrictions or even turn the computer off. All using your SnoopStick from any computer.
Viacom Sues YouTube for $1BILLION
Mar 13th
It’s all over the news today, and the YouTubers are having some fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00p84EFSmUg
From the NYT:
Viacom, the parent company of MTV and Comedy Central, sued Google and YouTube in federal court today, citing “massive intentional copyright infringement.”
Viacom, which has feuded publicly with YouTube and its parent Google about the unauthorized posting of its programming online, said it was seeking more than $1 billion in damages. Viacom’s suit is the most aggressive move so far by an old-line media company against the highly popular but legally questionable practice of posting copyrighted media content online.
In a statement, Viacom accused the video-sharing Web site of “exploiting the devotion of fans to others’ creative work in order to enrich itself.” It added: “There is no question that YouTube and Google are continuing to take the fruit of our efforts without permission and destroying enormous value in the process.”
Smartpox Rocks: Viral Marketing For YOU!
Mar 13th
Yet another viral marketing scheme? With this gadget you can register your email, url, phone number etc and get a little code block that will represent it. Scenesters "in-the-know" can then take a photo of the code (that you have cleverly placed on posters, flyers, [spraypainted--not authorized]) and then decode it with a little bit of software to find out who/what you are. Might be cool if it catches on:
"There is yet another way for the tech savvy set to express and promote themselves. By creating 2D barcodes (or “pox”), users can share text, links to one’s social network page or email address that can be picked up by strangers using their camera phones. Smartpox is a mobile “viral messaging” application that enables users to make these barcode tags containing personalized data which can then be put on business cards, stickers, posters, or other outdoor mediums for people to see and decode with Java-enabled phones.
After installing the Smartpox reader, phones capture and scan the pox-laden image to decode the information. For example, one may be planning a party or scavenger hunt and can embed directions/clues within the pox for the invitees to use. Bands can create tour posters with tags of their MP3s for fans to instantly access by taking a photo with their cell using Smartpox. For those with equipped camera phones, posting and sharing personal barcodes offline is a novel way to share information with people online.
Joost is coming, Joost is coming! The Best of TV and The Web
Mar 6th
We’ve been hearing rumors about this one for months, and though we still haven’t tested it on any of our systems, we thought you’d be interested in the "Next Big Thing":
"You won’t find videos of laughing babies, choreographed wedding routines, or epic karaoke performances on Joost. Unlike YouTube, this new online video site is not a hub for user-generated content, but rather a potential revolution in the way people watch network television. Formerly known by the code name The Venice Project, Joost is being launched by the same powerhouse dotcom entrepreneurs (Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom) also responsible for Kazaa and Skype, which naturally has created a lot of buzz for it.
Currently invitation-only with plans to open up to the public this summer, Joost brings good old regular TV to the Internet for viewing. Although it is similar to Slingbox in that the application enables you to watch TV on your computer, Joost is poised to be a hit in its ease of use: users simply download free software to “tune in”. A deal with Viacom is already in place, in which Joost will be airing MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central programming, as well as Paramount movies. Real time programming from networks such as National Geographic, Lime, and international TV distributor JumpTV will also be accessible for Joost users. For networks that fear YouTube, Joost may be the answer."
via trendcentral
TED Talks, Open Architecture Network, and the Allure of Changing the World
Mar 5th
"…it includes Murray Gell-Mann, the Nobel laureate in physics; Paul Simon, the songwriter; Richard Branson, the Virgin Group magnate; and the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
The occasion is the annual TED conference, named for the convergence of technology, entertainment and design— with a dash of social activism thrown in recently as well. It is expected to draw 1,200 people to Monterey, Calif., starting Wednesday." –NYT
This is a must-see; the TED conference is posting free videos of the proceedings here.
And in related news:
"In 2006 Architecture for Humanity won the TED Prize and was given one wish to change the world. We decided to wish for something simple: A place where we could all come together to improve the living standards of 5 billion people.
Starting March 8th 2007, the Open Architecture Network will be that place. We hope you will join us in building a more sustainable future by sharing your designs and expertise.
Find it HERE
This is the Blogoshpere: Matt Hurst
Feb 28th
Pretty! And this is the explaination from creator, Matt Hurst (not Nathan Gilliat-correction 3:48PM):
Data – I took a hefty amount of blog data – approximately 6 weeks of full index from blogpulse. I then pulled out all the links in posts that were to other blogs and created a data set of blog to blog links.
Graph Building – By inspecting this data set for blogs that have reciprocal links (A links to B and B links to A) we can form a graph of what we might call a social network of the blogosphere.
Partitionaing – This graph will have distinct partitions. For two partitions (X and Y) there are no links between any blog in X and any blog in Y. Each partition may be thought of as a community.
Layout – Each of the communities can be laid out using a standard graph layout algorithm. Further, as there are non-reciprocal links between some of the communities we can actually use these links to layout the different communities with respect to each other (this can be thought of almost as hierarchical graph layout).
Projection – A blog is selected to be the centre of the image and the whole picture is projected on a hyperbolic surface (which gives it something like a fish-eye lens look).
What I have done in this instance is select a blog in a part of the graph that is off centre and used it to form the centre of the projection – thus pushing of the large core mass of the blogosphere to the edge of the hyperbolic surface.
via reBlog
Steve Boyer @ Upgrade! Seattle 3.8.07
Feb 28th
Steve Boyer is the ‘real deal’. Countless artists claim to cross disciplines, bridging the gap between art and commerce, finding new connections amidst the constantly shifting landscape of technology, culture, entertainment and communication. Boyer is one of the few with the chops to make that claim legitamately. He’s developed computer games, arcade games and toys. He’s worked as a software engineer, an audio producer and an art director. He holds two patents. All this while continuing his art practice, showing at SIGGRAPH, MoCA Chicago, Santa Barbara Museum of Art and many others.
Be sure to check him out next week:
"Humanity is undergoing an Evolution of Abstraction. The physical forms and social and economic structures that have previously defined human identity are disintegrating, often being replaced by their symbolic representations. As these new modes of being replace the old we are faced with a Crisis of Identity in that assumptions about what it means to be human are challenged by new technologies, social narratives and biological realities. But every crisis presents an opportunity and at this critical turning point in human history we have a unique opportunity to rewrite the narrative codes that allow societies to self-organize and prosper. and to re-synthesize what it means to be human.
In this presentation connections will be drawn between medieval trompe l’oeil painting, cellular biology, insect robots and reality television in an attempt to elucidate some of the opportunities (and risks) that are posed by electronic and bio-technologies and to examine the role of electronic media in both the writing and re-writing of narrative codes.
Upgrade! Seattle: CODE – The Evolution of Abstraction and the Crisis of Human Identity by steve boyer :: 7pm Thursday March 8, 2007 :: 911 Media Arts Center • 402 9th Ave N • Seattle, WA.
WeTube @ NWFF: “Outrageous Media Experiment” YouTube on ‘Roids…
Feb 21st
Friday night at NWFF get ready to take YouTube to the next level; WeTube!. It’s not exactly clear just what is going to happen on Friday night, but you can be sure it will involve large amounts of intoxicants and much laughter.
Oh, and did I mention it’s FREE for members!
Here’s the press release:
Saturday, Feb. 24 at 11pm
Northwest Film Forum – 1515 12th Ave. at Pike
$8.50 / FREE for NWFF Members
Northwest Film Forum celebrates the explosion of the internet video sharing phenomenon with an outrageous, one-of-a-kind live YouTube experience this Saturday!
The team of monkeys at the Northwest Film Forum have devised this special event in which our cinema is transformed into a big, comfy computer, and you, WE are the keys! We’re liberating YouTube from its normally tiny screen, and liberating you from your offices and bedrooms for a fun evening of internet video writ large on the big screen and experienced collectively. We bring you faux-academic musings on the phenomenon, a selection of outrageous YouTube clips, and live interactive games in which the audience will pick key words for live video searches. Get ready for laughs, drinks, head scratching, and VERY big pixels! Whether you’re a YouTube junkie or just want to see what all the fuss is about, this outrageous media experiment is not to be missed! And did we mention that its FREE FOR MEMBERS?!!!
For more information, please call (206) 329-2629
Google Master Plan
Feb 15th
Great info-graphics on this little YouTube movie. It sets out Google’s "master plan" which is, apparently, nothing less than global enslavement. Don’t miss it!
IQONS; Fabulous New Fashion Site
Feb 8th
Currently in the soft launch phase with plans to launch more formally later this month, IQONS serves as a platform not only for indie designers to show off their wares, but also as a style ecosystem where everyone from retailers, makeup artists and photographers to editors, publicists and financiers can display their work and connect. In addition to offering professional showcases, IQON profile pages also distinguish themselves by having spaces specifically inviting members to list their favorite designers and brands. The site also offers opportunities for appropriate brands and retailers to get on board, such as the forthcoming design competition IQONS Project (details to be announced soon) created in partnership with online fashion retailer Yoox.
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