3.5 out of 5

Time to break out the slot track.

Misc

Andy Warhol interviews a young, chatty Steven Spielberg in a hotel bedroom, while Bianca Jagger watches on.  Courtesy of the Warhol Museum.

Via InterviewMagazine.com

Art

(click for highres)

Automotive, Design

Clear : Verified Identity Pass

Clear uses biometric (fingerprint and iris image) verification to confirm each member’s identity. This includes advanced finger-scan technology, as well as non-invasive iris imaging.

Clear is working on a second generation kiosk featuring state-of-the-art technology developed by Clear and General Electric that is being tested by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Clear expects to unveil shoe-scanning technology as soon as it is approved by TSA, which will enable Clear members to leave their shoes on during security screening.

http://www.flyclear.com/how/how_technology.html

Currently available at 20 aiports and a handful of venues.  Not government issued, and you do have to pay for it… draw your own conclusion.

Sci-fi, Tech, Wellness

Misc

Alexey Titarenko

“The idea of The City of Shadows emerged quite unexpectedly and quite naturally during the collapse [of the Soviet Union] in the fall of 1991. I mean that the concept itself stemmed from my impressions nourished by the everyday reality. At that period, I continued to work on my series Nomenklatura of Signs. Suddenly, at some point I realized that I was struggling with emptiness and that my creative impulses – initially absolutely sincere – were running the risk of contemplating upon ideas no longer valid. This happened because the Soviet people, all these human beings deprived of their individuality and turned into “signs” by a criminal regime, began transforming from smiling and happy-looking “signs” into wandering shadows, even though rejecting the role of a “sign” could result in the loss of life. The year of 1992 was approaching…

revisiting.

Art, Links

Skyscraper canyons were obligatory part of urban visions from the 20s and 30s:

Many, many more images here.

Architecture, Art, Design, Sci-fi, Tech

The world’s first refrigerated beach is to be built at a luxury hotel in Dubai so the filthy rich holidaymakers don’t burn their feet on the scalding hot sand.

The revolutionary beach will sit next to the new Palazzo Versace hotel and will include a system of heat-absorbing pipes built under the sand and giant wind blowers, designed to keep tourists cool in the searing 40-50C heat.

The hotel, which is due to open late next year or early 2010, will be controlled by thermostats linked up to computers and feature a cooled swimming pool.

Article here

Architecture, humor

Microsoft Labs just released Seadragon for the iPhone (look for the application in the Apps Store).  You may have seen it used in MS Lab’s Photosyth – you can now browse those Photosynth libraries (only in 2d) on your phone.

Download Deep Zoom Composer here and create your own composition.

Check out Blaise Aguera y Arcas TED presentation of Seadragon and Photosynth:

While I’m talking about MS Labs’ work,  I’ll mention thumbtack.

Computer Graphics, Tech

Misc

…seriously.   We’ve seen the wing suits and basejumping.  But this time, let’s add some skiing in the mix:

wingsuit base jumping from doubleA on Vimeo.

Misc

Almost every nation keeps collections of native seeds so local crops can be replanted in case of an agricultural disaster. The Global Seed Vault, opened this year on the far-northern Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, is a backup for the backups. It’s badly needed — as many as half the seed banks in developing countries are at risk from natural disasters or general instability. The vault can hold up to 4.5 million samples, which will be kept dry at about 0°F (-18°C). Even if the facility loses power, the Arctic climate should keep the seeds viable for thousands of years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard_Global_Seed_Vault

Tech

: Blog Link : If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There’d Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats.

Links

(mp3 here)

Misc

Complexification.net

More Processing. 

Processing is a programming language, development environment, and online community that since 2001 has promoted software literacy within the visual arts. Initially created to serve as a software sketchbook and to teach fundamentals of computer programming within a visual context, Processing quickly developed into a tool for creating finished professional work as well.

Art, Computer Graphics, Design