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Social Signage: Digital Street Sign Gives Dynamic Directions

28 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Gaming & Computing & Technology. ]

The shape is a familiar classic – a central post pointing toward different destinations, sometimes near and other times a world away. This evolved version, however, replaces static locations and fixed directions with interactive ones.

Designed by Breakfast of Brooklyn, Points lets you input a query and receive both a written response and an orientation to go with it, giving distance and location along with other information.

The device is programmed with API data from real-time sources including regional public transit and, more broadly,Twitter, FourSquare and RSS feeds.

The resulting database gives passers by up-to-the-minute info as requested, displayed on 16,000 LED lights. It can also potentially display default local information automatically – about current news, events, performances or venues – when not otherwise (manually) engaged.

The intention here is to go beyond a simple touch screen, creating something recognizable at a distance, familiar to pedestrians and interactive both digitally and physically.

Aside from the creative challenges, fitting the required mechanisms for a smoothly-rotating effect into such a small space proved difficult but the designers are close to a finished product.

[ By WebUrbanist in Gaming & Computing & Technology. ]

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LEGO House: Experience Center Made of Interlocking Blocks

27 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

lego block building rendering

Fans wanting to fully experience the world of LEGO are sure to marvel at this newly-revealed hometown headquarters – the whole complex is being build up like a giant stack of interlocked bricks.

lego big hometown headquarters

Designed by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and set to be built in Billund, Denmark, the structure will have displays, cafes and shops surrounded by a public square.

lego building aerial model

Between interior and exterior areas, the completed project will have close to 10,000 square meters of programmed and open space, and its creators anticipate 250,000 annual visitors.

lego experience center interior

lego building at night

The building will showcase past, present and near-future LEGO designs, but also artwork made from LEGOs and other cultural phenomena beyond its original uses.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

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Accidental Art: Apple Maps Glitches Create Surreal Scenes

27 Jun

[ By Steph in Art & Photography & Video. ]

Apple Maps Glitch Art 1

All of the notorious glitches on Apple’s Maps app make it incredibly frustrating to use for practical purposes, but it still has value – as accidental art. When two-dimensional images are incorrectly mapped onto three-dimensional topography, the results can be fascinating, creating landscapes and architecture that look alien and futuristic.

Apple Maps Glitch Art 2

Apple Maps Glitch Art 3

Peder Norrby, founder of graphics company Trapcode, has collected the many glitches on the Apple iOS Maps app into a trippy gallery on Flickr. Houses in Barcelona appear to be puking trees from their windows. A vortex has opened in the middle of a Stockholm highway. Skyscrapers and stacked shipping containers look like they’re melting.

Apple Maps Glitch Art 4

Apple Maps Glitch Art 5

In this parallel universe, the laws of physics have apparently been suspended. Norrby explains that some structures, like bridges, viaducts, tunnels and roller coasters, are too complex for the app’s algorithms to handle. While criticism of Apple’s Maps app has increased reliance on its competitors, Google Maps isn’t entire free of glitches, either.

Apple Maps Glitch Art 6

Apple Maps Glitch Art 7

The mesmerizing beauty of glitches has led to an entire genre of art revolving around reproducing their eerie effects on purpose. Glitch art creates digital or analog image errors by intentionally corrupting files, or mimicking their appearance in traditional artistic media like paintings and sculptures.

[ By Steph in Art & Photography & Video. ]

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Chindogu: 14 Hilarious and Strange Japanese Inventions

26 Jun

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

Chindogu Bizarre Inventions Main

The first rule of Chindogu is, Chindogu inventions are essentially useless. The Japanese art of creating bizarre and funny tools for everyday life aims to solve basic problems in ways that are as impractical as possible. To qualify as Chindogu, these inventions can never be patented or sold, but they must exist in physical form, and, as rule #2 states, the creator must be able to hold them in his or her hand and think “I can actually imagine someone using this. Almost.”

Train Nap Cap

Chindogu Train Nap Cap

No need to worry about slumping over and drooling on a stranger if you fall asleep on the train or subway. The Train Nap Cap uses a suction cup attached to a hat to hold your head upright.

Sweep Shoes

Chindogu Sweep Shoes

Need to clean up a small mess? Slip on a special pair of ‘sweep shoes‘, with broom and dust pan attached. The logical next step (if logic can be applied to Chindogu) would be to take the dustpan shoe off the dump its contents, but it’s more fun to imagine the wearer contorting in ballet-like movements to empty it into the trash.

Butter Stick

Chindogu Butter Stick

To smear butter on a piece of toast, you could simply peel back the wrapper a little bit, and voila. You’ve got a butter stick. Or, you could put it in a totally unnecessary plastic tube that pushes the butter up like lip balm.

Toilet Roll Hat

Chindogu Toilet Paper Roll Hat

Isn’t it annoying when you’ve got a drippy nose, and you have to constantly wipe it? The Toilet Roll Hat takes care of that problem, keeping wipes right where you need them. For those times when you’re so sick, you don’t care that you’ve got a roll of toilet paper on your head.

Baby Mop

Chindogu Baby Mop

What do babies do, anyway? They just lay around and get bodily fluids all over every surface in the house. Make them earn their keep with the Baby Mop. Maybe they’ll at least clean up their own messes while they’re crawling around looking for things to destroy.

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Chindogu 14 Hilarious And Strange Japanese Inventions

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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Insanely Ingenious: Longboard Stroller for Daredevil Parents

26 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

longboard stroller prototype

Insane, ingenious, or both, this design combines an alternative way to commute with your kids, assuming you can get past the skateboarding aspect and feel safe moving at speed while pushing your child in this contraption.

The most obvious (and essential) question: how secure is it? While it is hard to say for sure, a wide wheel base makes it more stable than a conventional skateboard, and the lower center of gravity from the weight of the child should help with balance.

longboard strollers urban travel

The push-bar element of a traditional stroller becomes a handlebar, also allowing for more control by the parent. This same bar wraps around to form a kind of roll cage in case of spills.

longboard stroller roll cage

While it is still a prototype at this point, the Longboard Stroller‘s creators at Quinny are working with Studio Peter van Riet to realize a fully-functional and marketable version of the design. Whether actual adults will buy the finished product and ride it with their children remains to be seen.

longboard stroller stacked prototypes

From its daring designers: “Quinny believes that you don’t have to leave the city when you become a parent; that for parents with a positive attitude and the right solutions, the city is a place full of opportunities. Quinny wants to create these solutions; seamless mobility solutions, so urban parents have the freedom to move . The longboard stroller is completely fitting this mindset; it’s a concept thought, a different way of thinking on how parents can move. It’s an alternative solution which makes it easy to travel longer distances in a nice, environmentally friendly way.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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Little & Local: Staircase Cinema & Sidewalk Library Projects

25 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

small local installation projects

Public art used to be synonymous with huge and impersonal and location-agnostic sculptures made of metal and marble. Countering that classic Modernist trend are installations like this pair: a set small, site-specific and community-oriented design-build projects located in Auckland, New Zealand, and New York City, New York, respectively.

small sidewalk stairway cinema

First, from Oh No Sumo (images by Simon Devitt), the Stairway Cinema, a sheltered spot for watching movies on steps rising right off the sidewalk and open to pedestrians passing by. Public participants are invited to curate the collection of films shown on the screen.

small movie theater stall

About its creators and inspiration: “Our ongoing goal is to experiment with architecture and the way it can engage with the public in unique and exciting ways. This project takes inspiration from the site and its inhabitants. The intersection of Symonds Street and Mount Street is a place of ‘hard waiting’. Bus stops and laundromats create a hard-scape of poor space for social interaction.”

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Little Local Staircase Cinema Sidewalk Library Projects

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Type Face: Monumental Figurative Sculptures Made of Text

25 Jun

[ By Steph in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

Jaume Plensa Typeface Sculptures 1

Giant human figures made of jumbled steel letters loom over public spaces in a series of monumental typographic sculptures by artist Jaume Plensa. The contemplative seated figures seem to watch over the landscapes and city squares where they have been installed around the world, from London to Rio de Janeiro.

Jaume Plensa Typeface Sculptures 3

(images via: chris huggins, jaume plensa)

Jaume Plensa Typographic Sculpture 2

(images via: terry madeley)

The text seems to wrap around invisible human forms, looking at times as if it is incomplete. Plensa’s work is not just thought-provoking, it is about thought itself and how words can shape our world and the way we interact with it.

Jaume Plensa Typeface Sculptures 4

(images via: terry madeley, jw sherman, anders sandberg)

Plensa has borrowed paragraphs from biblical texts, classic literature like Dante’s Divine Comedy, and poetry by William Blake. Stand beneath or inside one of these massive sculptures and you likely won’t be able to read much of the text – but that’s not the point.

Jaume Plensa Typeface Sculptures 5

Jaume Plensa Typeface Sculptures 6

(images via: tim green, lorraine 1 + 2, liza31337)

Conceptual dualities, like the play between negative and positive space, are intended to stimulate intellectual engagement, connecting the sculptures with the viewers on an intuitive level. The pieces often include ‘doorways’ so viewers can interact with the work, temporarily becoming a part of it.

[ By Steph in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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Urban Time Lapse: 15 Videos Show Cities at Super Speeds

24 Jun

[ By Steph in Art & Photography & Video. ]

City Time Lapse Main

Watch the frenetic motion of urban scenes around the world in mesmerizing time lapse videos created using thousands of still photographs. Often captured from some of the highest vantage points in the city, these city time lapse videos take us on tours of Shanghai, Dubai, New York, Melbourne and more, showing off monuments, street scenes, sunsets and city lights.

Melbourne

City Time Lapse Melbourne

Tilt-shift techniques make Melbourne look miniature in this entrancing time-lapse video.

Chicago

City Time Lapse Chicago

Over 30,000 still photographs taken by filmmaker Eric Hines in a span of four months around the bustling downtown areas of Chicago become a dizzying trip through the city in this time-lapse video.

London

City Time Lapse London

Sped up 17 times, this footage of planes queuing up to land at London’s Heathrow Airport gives the illusion of a miniature scene, with the planes as tiny toys.

New York

City Time Lapse New York

Animator and director Philip Stockton created this film, ‘New York: Night and Day’, to show the transitions between light and dark in the city using a mix of time-lapse and animation.

Moscow

City Time Lapse Moscow

Using a tripod, taking a small step forward with each photo, the creator of this time-lapse video of Moscow gives a feeling of sweeping movement through the city.

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Urban Time Lapse 15 Videos Show Cities At Super Speeds

[ By Steph in Art & Photography & Video. ]

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Street Retouch: Bus Riders Get Live Photoshop Treatment

24 Jun

[ By Steph in Art & Photography & Video. ]

Street Retouch Live Photoshop 1

Unsuspecting travelers waiting to catch a ride were shocked to see their own photos integrated into humorous advertisements on the walls of the bus stop shelter. Berlin-based Photoshop artist Erik Johansson took surreptitious photos from a van across the street, altered them in Photoshop, and projected the edited images onto the ad space on the shelter.

Street Retouch Live Photoshop 2

Johansson had to work fast, getting only a few minutes to take the photo, make his changes, insert it into a funny pre-made background and transmit it to the bus shelter. He also filmed the reactions of the surprised subjects, who suddenly found themselves integrated into ads for fictional films and products.

Street Retouch Live Photoshop 3

Street Retouch Live Photoshop 4

Street Retouch Prank was developed for Adobe Creative Days, an annual event that showcases creativity and innovation using Adobe products. It may be a prank, but it’s also an interesting look at how interactive the future of advertising is likely to be.

[ By Steph in Art & Photography & Video. ]

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Swirl World: 9 Cool McFlurry Flavors You Can’t Get Here

23 Jun

[ By Steve in Culture & Cuisine & Global. ]

McDonald's McFlurry international
McDonald’s McFlurry is the coolest thing on the menu but not all McMenus are created equal. Take these 9 cool McFlurry flavors… oops, our bad, you can’t!

Durian Crunch McFlurry – Singapore

McDonald's Durian Crunch McFlurry Singapore (image via: Facebook/McDonald’s Singapore Page)

McDonald’s is a proven master at thinking global while acting local and if you don’t believe that, feast your eyes (and nose) on the Durian Crunch McFlurry. This limited edition, Singapore-only dessert treat takes vanilla soft-serve ice cream blended with durian syrup, adds a crunchy topping, and is served in a squared off frosted plastic container.

McDonald's Durian Crunch McFlurry Singapore (images via: KavielTeo, Annagunn and Larsblog)

You’ll pay $ 2.80 SG (about $ 2.24 US) for each helping dished out from any of the innumerable McDonald’s Dessert Kiosk outlets scattered all across the city. That is, of course, if you love durian… there’s no middle ground when it comes to the “(stin)king of fruits.” Try bringing your Durian Crunch McFlurry into certain hotels or onto Singapore Mass Rapid Transit trains? That just might cost you a caning.

Bubblegum Squash McFlurry – Australia & New Zealand

McDonald's Bubblegum Squash McFlurry Australia (images via: Brand Eating and Pretty Random)

Sweet-toothed fast-foodies fear not, the Bubblegum Squash McFlurry does NOT contain squash in any way, shape or form so Aussie & Kiwi parents can forget about sneaking some veggies into their children’s diets. In fact, the word “diet” should not be allowed anywhere near this pink, white & blue confection concoction made from bubblegum flavored syrup and marshmallows mixed into vanilla soft-serve ice cream.

Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry – Canada, UK & Ireland

Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry (images via: Coloribus and Facebook/McDonald’s Ireland)

You might think the McFlurry is as all-American as Mom’s apple pie but it actually originated in Canada: a McDonald’s franchise store in Bathurst, New-Brunswick first introduced the spoon-blended dessert in 1997. Canada continues to refine a distinct McFlurry identity with the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry. Coinciding with the appearance of its main flavoring feature, the Cadbury Creme Egg, the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry is usually available in most Canadian, British and Irish McDonald’s stores during the annual run-up to Easter.

Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry London UK (image via: Out Is Through)

Not all stores in all regions add the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry to their menus, which can be frustrating to devotees of the sickly sweet chocolate-shelled fondant orbs in all their various permutations. How does one know they’re such a devotee? Taking selfies with your long-sought sweet treat in foreign locales like London (England or Ontario) is a pretty good indication.

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[ By Steve in Culture & Cuisine & Global. ]

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360Photography

Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

LEGO House: Experience Center Made of Interlocking Blocks

Accidental Art: Apple Maps Glitches Create Surreal Scenes