GizMag's Review of Samsung Tablets

I have owned the Nook Color, the Samsung 7 inch tablet and  now the iPad Mini.  Finally I am satisfied.  In my attempt to save a little money over the last few years I ended up only frustrated.  I completely agree that these tablets are "mid-range".  I have to say that I completely believe at this point Apple handheld products are the gold standard.

For GizMags review follow this link.

Kate Singleton's Art Hound

Check out Kate Singleton's  Art Hound weblog where she discovers new artists in various mediums she shares them with us.

If It's Hip, It's Here: Better Late Than Never. The New 100$ Bill And Its High Tech Security Features Explained.

If It's Hip, It's Here: Better Late Than Never. The New 100$ Bill And Its High Tech Security Features Explained.

Video Project

F:Peter Made Me Do This from Theresa on Vimeo.

Every Woody Allen Stammer

 Here it is, a video mash-up off every Woody Allen Stammer From Every Woody Allen Movie.  I felt this was appropriate since we are spending our time working in Final Cut Pro. 

Why not have your laundry text you when it's done?

Why not have your laundry text you when it's finished.  Twine has developed a sensor for vibration, temperature and orientation.  With a simple app and the sensor you can now monitor just about anything your heart desires.  There are other sensors you can purchase in addition to what comes out of the box.

If you are interested in more information about Twine then follow this link.

The Maybe

The Maybe

Well here she is, Tilda Swinton, sleeping in a box for our viewing entertainment.    Why is it called The Maybe?

"Is Tilda Swinton sleeping in a box at MoMA today?"

Today: No.

Past answers:

Tuesday, April 9: No.
Monday, April 8: No.
Sunday, April 7: No.
Saturday, April 6: No.
Friday, April 5: No.
Thursday, April 4: No.
Wednesday, April 3: No.
Tuesday, April 2: No.
Monday, April 1: No.
Sunday, March 31: No.
Saturday, March 30: No.
Friday, March 29: No.
Thursday, March 28: No.
Wednesday, March 27: No.
Tuesday, March 26: No.
Monday, March 25: Yes.
Sunday, March 24: No.
Saturday, March 23: Yes.

Photo Editor by Aviary for iPhones and iPod Touch

 

 

Aviary is a photo editor for you mobile devices.  What a great way to add a little magic to your snap shots.  A couple of quick alterations and you can impress you friends.

What's new in version 2.0.0:

✮ The new 'Focus' tool helps emphasize your photo's focal point
✮ The new 'Warmth' tool modifies your photo's white balance to bring out cool and warm tones
✮ The 'Enhance' tool has been…enhanced! Hi-Def smartly sharpens and defines, Illuminate fixes poor lighting issues, and Color Fix does amazing color correction!
✮ Brand new Effects make your photos look beautiful. Check out the new Street pack!
✮ Fresh sticker packs like Glasses, Memes, and Wigs add more editing fun
✮ And we're adding more Effects and Stickers all the time - so stay tuned!

Great Blog to Check Out

Here is blog that features great works of art for under $1000.  Their blog is a hidden gem.

Paper Made by Fifty Three

Draw, save, and share visual notebooks on the iPad with Paper made by FiftyThree.

 

 

"AT LAST, MOBILE CREATION DONE RIGHT. Paper was designed from the ground up for touch and creating on the go. It keeps you in the flow with no fussy buttons, settings or other distractions. Paper works the way you think, like a familiar notebook or journal. Have all of your ideas with you in one place."

The Smart Watch

Looks like the next hot product on the market is the smart watch.  At least that's what the big players are betting on.  Take this Sony Smart Watch for example.  It allows you to control your music, download apps, read your text messages, tweets and email.  All discretely. 

Smithsonian Channel Mobile App

Here's a new app from the Smithsonian Channel.  It works on the iPhone, iPad, Android, and Nook.

Features include:


Smithsonian Channel’s

original series
documentaries
fun facts
full episodes
hundreds of video clips
viewing schedule

Why would you want this you might ask:

"Smithsonian Channel explores the history of our planet, life and culture, with 100% original, family-friendly programming. From the origins of the universe to the deaths of civilizations, from upscale design awards to down-home chili cook-offs, we tackle subjects as diverse and limitless as the landscape we cover."

Why not!

Feedly

 

New alternative to the RSS feed. Feedly. You can organize your news feeds, youtube channels, blogs and podcasts all in one place. Even better you it will keep all of your devices sync'd. Laptop, smart phone and tablet. Worth a peek! http://www.feedly.com/index.html

The Gif Search Engine

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What a great find! GIF's can give us the extra umf to our message or idea. Here is a search engine just for locating that GIF that will get your point across. The website is called http://giphy.com/ Take some time to browse the images.

Photo's NOT Taken?

Here's an interesting book I found.  It's a collection of essays by photographers about moments that they wish they had captured on film.  Follow the link below to the site where you can purchase the book and listen to some excerpts.

Photographs Not Taken: A Collection of Photographers' Essays

Why so many videos of the meteor this week?

Well the answer is that in Russia almost everyone has a dash cam.  This is due the corruption within the law enforcement and even the legal system.  Search YouTube for Russian Car Crashes and you will find numerous incidents caught by dash video cameras. 

Perhaps in the near future we will be required by our insurance companies to have dash cams in our cars.  There is already one insurance company offering discounts for installing a monitoring device in your car for 30 days.

Need a little help with your blog?

 

Alt Summit

Alt Summit

"The Alt Summit Channel allows you to learn, connect and discover best practices to grow your blog, your business and your brand. Each class is an hour long and covers a specific subject."

 

 

Classes offered include but are not limited to "Growing your Blog through Photography" and "Growing your Blog through Freelance Work".

 

Just a thought... 

Bring Digital Art to Everyday Areas

Think about it.  Digital art is the next era of art.  How far are we from pursuing a gallery for digital fine art to hang in our homes.  Moving colors, shapes, lighting.  Maybe we will just purchase hardware for viewing this art and then make our purchases electronically.  Well, are we really that far from it?  All we need in that millimeter thick electronic "photo frame" hanging on our walls and we can  change the art based on our mood that day, season, holiday!  Take a look at these amazing pieces from this Japenese company.  It has a 55 in flat screen and a lovely variety of art to choose from.  Enjoy. 

http://frm.fm/

Which Tech Companies Are Making Money?

Ever wonder about how those tech companies  make their money?  All those familiar ones that are part of our everyday lives.  The names so familiar we don't even think twice about them.  As we all know they do it through subscriberships, advertising, data sourcing and royalities to name a few ways.   Here is an interesting website that  gives you a closer look at the winners and losers in the world of today's tech companies.  Take a look I'm sure you will find several  companies you may be contributing the profits of.http://rcs.seerinteractive.com/money/

New Sensor's to Monitor Health

MC10 reshape's rigid, conventional electronics into thin, flexible devices that can stretch, bend and twist seamlessly with our bodies and the natural world.

I believe this maybe a common sight in the next 5 to 10 years.  The development of this technology has so many applications.   It can be used by athlete's,  new mother's wanting to monitor their new borns and potential could be used as an early detection device for disease and as a tool to recognize the early onset of an heart attack or a stroke.

Here is the link to MC10's website. 

It's Here! The answer to one of my problems :)

I have a very bad habit of misplacing my stuff.  Today for example, I have once again misplaced my car keys.  I have never lost my keys, but I have misplaced them at least 1000 times since getting my drivers license last century.  Finally the solution.  Blue tooth stickers to put on your keys, pets, luggage, and even your children :)  Why did this take so long you ask?  I have no idea.  The company is looking for crowd sourced funds to get the first order out.  I am more interested in purchasing shares of the company when available!   I think this is the solution for a lot of us.  I have just one question.  What will I do when I misplace my phone?

Recreating a Work of Art

This seemed approriate given our recent assignment to recreate a work of art.  Just in time for Black History month you can get this app on your iPad.  You will have the choice of a variety of back drops of Romare Bearden's works.  You will be able to play with shapes and colors and even add a bit of you own creations to his works.

Romare Bearden Black Odyssey Remixes

Design Wars - Aerosol Art

ROID MSK.

Graffiti or art.  I think we all know the answer to that question.  Roid MSK is a London based artist who has developed a national reputation for his technical skills and use of graffiti as his artist platform.  Here are several of his works of art that I find all beautiful and amazing.

Here is a link to learn more about DesignWars and how you can submit your work.  http://www.designwars.com/

Hobo Lobo of Hamelin - DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS!

http://hobolobo.net/

About

"Hobo Lobo of Hamelin is a thing by a dude, who’s all like, “I’M GONNA MAKE A THING.” And then he did. Or is doing. Or, you know, whatever. This dude can be found on the internet. He kerns alphabet soup and rearranges window dressing in the aether to put food on his family."

This website is so cool!  I encourage you to take a look at it.  The story is animated using layers and designs created in the products we are using in class.  Using the horizontal scroll bar is what makes this possible and so awesome.  Please take some time to enjoy this website and be INSPIRED!  Be sure to have your speakers turned on so you can enjoy the embedded sounds in the story too!

Ever Invented Anything?

 

Quirky.com

Quiky brings creative inventors together with investors.  If you have a great idea or just want to be inspired look at the website. Looking at the site reminds me of strolling through Bed Bath and Beyond.

Online Source to Bid on Great Works

Paddle 8

"Paddle8 is a virtual auction house, offering fine art works and collectibles from the world's leading museums and foundations, as well as curated works from the Paddle8 community of collectors, galleries and foundations. Both auction platforms benefit a selection of non-profits."

There are a lot of amazing works of art on this site.  Take sometime to pursue it and see if something sparks your fancy.  

Tom Wood, Photographer

Tom Wood, Mad Max, 1993. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist and The Photographers' Gallery, London

 

 

Tom Wood photographed working class in Liverpool for many years.  He originally trained as a painter at Leicester Polytechnic from 1973–76.  Although he has been taking photo's for over 40 years he just recently held his first major British show. 

Here is a link to the article that caught my attention.  I found his photo's interesting and thought provoking.

Banana Piano - No really!

So this product by Makey Makey is really cool!  Its a circuit board that you can attach to just about anything and turn it into a keyboard, joy stick, the possibilities are limitless.  The cost is $59.95 and comes with alligator clips and all.

Here are just a few things you can do!