Why does science need artists?

John Maeda Technology and Design Guru

Here is a interesting interview with John Maeda, author of "The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)", graphic designer and computer scientist. As an individual who has education in both the arts and sciences, John brings a unique perspective based on his experiences.  He believes that scientists need artists and art in order to inspire them to be innovative.  He uses Apple's iPod as an example of how merging science and design can create a superior product.  He also mentions the website Mint.com which 80% of the experience is about what the viewer see not the technology behind it. 

VSL : Very Short List

Image of a plants internal structure

VSL

Today I wanted to share a website I subscribe to.  Every day I receive a short one page email with three items interest.  VSL is short for very short list.  It is a "delightful e-mail that shares cultural gems from a
different curator every day."

Topics include tech, culture, style, design and food.  It's fun to receive the email each day and see what treasures are found inside.  I added the link to the site above so if you like little surprises and interesting gems then subscribe and Enjoy!

Toys "R" Us Sued over New Tablet

FuHu verses Toys "R" Us

Turns out Samsung's not the only one getting sued.  Yes!  Toys "R" Us is being accused of stealing too.  Charges being flung about include breach of contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, false advertising, unauthorized use of the "iconic butterfly shape", and trade dress infringement.  It's doubtful this battle will get as much press and attention as the one we just witnessed between Apple and Samsung but in the end it is no less important.  As the changes in technology continue to come at lightening speed no doubt the lawsuits will continue to follow at an equal pace.

New Crowdsourcing App Available 9/26

Participatory Culture

There's a new App available tomorrow that will "allow people around the world to compare and share their lives over the course of a week." (Smolan).   The purpose to this project is inform people just how much data they are putting out into the world about themselves.  We do it everyday from each Google search and Facebook post.  The data will be collected through users answering survey questions and from the smartphone's GPS and other sensors.  This alone will provide an abundance of data about us as a human race along with us... as individuals.   The results of the project will be revealed along with an E-book due out in November.  So how do you feel about this project?  Regardless whether you are interested in participating or not you can be sure your data is already being stored!

Crowdsourcing App Will Measure the World for a Week Through Smartphones

How Apple's story is like 'Breaking Bad'

Okay, so this one got my attention!

Breaking Bad, one of my favorite television shows.  These days I'm a bit sick of Apple this and Apple that, blah, blah blah.  But use my favorite television show as a means to draw a correlation with Apple and you've got me again. 

 A few of the comparisons drawn:

1.  Apples relationship with it's rivals.  Walter and Jesse's relationship with the rival drug dealers.

2.  Steve Jobs fights cancer.  Walter White fights cancer.

3.  Apples signature colors - white, black and shiny aluminum.  Walters Blue Meth.

4.  Both - in the "Empire" business.

Hopefully there are a few more Breaking Bad fans in my class and if so, here is the link to yet another Apple article - this one a little more entertaining!

CNN Tech Innovation /apple-breaking-bad/index.html

iOS 6 map mess was no big surprise to Apple

Google Maps Out!

Did you get your iOS6 upgrade?

I guess we iPhone users kind of have a choice, we could just ignore the message prompting us to install the latest operating system.  We could take the time to research what the new upgrade will change and we will potential lose as a result of the upgrading.  But really?  I know only one person who is even slightly interested in going that far and it's not me!  I believe we all select the install now button and hope for the best.  Yes it's exciting to see what's new, what additional features do we get, but we never really think about what we may be giving up.  Looks like we lost our Google Maps this time.  I don't know about you but I was perfectly happy with it.  I'm not so sure how I feel about the new mapping ap that Apple has decided to replace it with.  I'm not really interested in the corporate interests either so putting that topic aside I'd have preferred my trusty Google Map!

Art Book: Books on Art and Culture

Have you visited ARTBOOK.COM?  If not, it may have just what you are looking for.  You can spend hours reading the articles, viewing the images and shopping for books.  To have everthing at our finger tips today is truly amazing.  You can learn so much and experience and access art in a way that generations before have never experienced.  This site allows you to find books about any art related subject from  fashion, architecture, design, music, curator, series, and the list goes on.  Keep this site in mind when looking for Christmas gifts this year.  We are now entering the age of the electronic book but there's nothing like a real book for viewing art.

Image Atlas

I just discovered a new website.  "Image Atlas  investigates cultural differences and similarities by indexing top image results for given search terms across local engines throughout the world. Visitors can refine or expand their comparisons from the 57 countries currently available, and sort by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or alphabetical order." 

When first entering the website it can be a little confusing.  You are presented with a mostly black screen.  On the upper left there is a text box for you to enter you search criteria, the search button and and some clickable text that will allow you to choose the countries you would like included in your search.   On the upper right hand side of the screen you have two radio button selections for alphabetical and GDP.  This will return your search results in either order.  Have fun, play around and see what similarities and differences you encounter.

More Interactivity

With the subject of interactivity being the hot topic this week I wanted to share a web-site with you.  ARKive is an ever-expanding multimedia database that contains a wealth of information about the world’s most endangered species.  Their mission is to promote the conservation of the world's threatened species through the power of wildlife imagery.

Animal, plant, and fungus lovers can explore the site by zooming in on specific classes (mammals, reptiles, etc.), eco-regions (such as South America’s Atlantic forest), continents, and countries. Be sure to check out the Google Earth 3D interface that helps viewers learn about threatened marine species, and the site’s educational resource pages are geared toward specific age groups. But wherever you land, you’re sure to see a wealth of images and videos—each of which serves as a reminder of how much we stand to lose by letting any one of these species disappear. 

ARKive's 3D Google Earth Interface 

Science and Art Fusion

Blueprint for Bacterial Life

The image above is the E.Coli 2 created by Elaine Shemilt.

Elaine Shemilt's chapter on science-art fusion was very compelling to me.  I am fascinated by the contributions that art is making in the field of science.  We all know that artists have drawn, painted and created many images of plants, animals, human etc. for hundreds of years.  These images were primarily used for teaching.   The unifying of digital art with science has now opened the door for new discoveries.  Scientists have traditionally used graphs, charts, massive amount of numeric data to make determination and find causes and solutions.  The fact that an artist can take the same data and create a work of art that is able to expose an area that the was previously not apparent to the scientist is incredible.  Perhaps we will begin to see faster advances in the field of medicine and hopefully some cures for life threatening diseases.

Face Finding

Pareidolia

Wiki - Pareidolia ( /pærɨˈdoʊliə/ parr-i-DOH-lee-ə) is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon or the Moon rabbit, and hearing hidden messages on records when played in reverse.

There is a new trend in photography - face finding.  Amateurs and professionals alike are now finding sport in finding faces in unlikely places.  Ner Beck is a New York artist who has spent many years finding art and beauty on the streets of NY.  Here is a link to more of his photographs.  They made me smile and I will look at some common items a little differently from now on.

Put on a Happy Face

88 MOCCA: Multimedia

Today I stumble upon this great website.  It is The Museum of Chinese Contemporary Art on the Web.  Take a minute and be inspired.

88 MOCCA - multimedia

Self Portrait

Self Portrait

To start off I need to include a disclaimer.  I have never worked on a Mac or with Photoshop.  I found it very challenging.   So with this in mind, here's the background on my self portrait.  I feel that we, as humans, are constantly changing.  My portrait is a snapshot of my current life experience and as a result there are many things happening in this creation.  Looking at the photo as a whole it appears to be a random mishmash of color with a ghostly image.  Looking closer at the photo you will notice images from my life,  both responsibilities and blessings.  I am a single parent, I work full-time and I am now taking classes here at WSU in addition to receiving on going training in my profession.  Having so many things going on I have started to feel that I am losing a bit of myself.  Thus the ghostly image of myself in black and white.  I layered colored images atop to identify whats causing me to lose a bit of myself (work, school, home repairs, cooking, cleaning, parenting, the list goes on) and also images that are feeding my soul and keeping me forging forward (my child and our family pets).  Lowering the opacity of all the photos allowed me to blend images together giving a cleaner overall effect.  I kept the edges of the photos hard and straight in order to allow each overlapping image to be view more clearly by the eye when the scrutinizing each picture.  This also applies to the layers of my life as where one thing ends another has already begun.  The colors I used in the images were primarily red/purple/pink and yellow/orange/green.  This tied the feel of the overall portrait image together.  I was able to bring a green color from one of the photos through the black and white image of myself which changed the portrait eye color to green, which is my eye color.

My hope is that this self portrait is able to communicate a bit of who I am, at this moment in time, in a way that is subtly accented by the colors in my life.

     

5 Best Ways to Creative Success

 

5 Best Ways to Creative Success

 

I came across this short article by Simon Manchipp, co-founder of SomeOne design agency.  SomeOne is an award-winning London based design practice that strategically launches, relaunches and protects brands world-wide.  I believe it is always wise to take the advice of someone who had been successful and accomplished when I am pursuing new goals and dreams.  While reading the article "What Made Me - SomeOne's Simon Manchipp on the 5 Best Ways to Creative Success" it seemed like the perfect thing to pass along to those of us just starting down the path of design. The advice seem to really hit on some key considerations to living life in addition to being successful in the field of design. 

 

1.  Believe in weird.

2.  Keep on keeping on.

3.  Say yes.

4.  Be happy.

5.  Adore craft.

 

Please take a minute to follow the link and read the article.  You may find a jewel to carry with you and make you more successful in life as well as design.

 

What Made Me - Simon Manchipp on the 5 Best Ways to Creative Success 

 

SomeOne