No more top hat and handÂkerÂchief. MarÂco TemÂpest uses iPods and iPhones to creÂate magÂic for the 21st cenÂtuÂry. He calls himÂself a techÂno-illuÂsionÂist. “I explore the borÂders between techÂnolÂoÂgy and magÂic,” says TemÂpest, “between what’s incredÂiÂbly real and incredÂiÂbly not.” OrigÂiÂnalÂly from SwitzerÂland, TemÂpest now lives in New York City. He was feaÂtured in the interÂnaÂtionÂalÂly synÂdiÂcatÂed teleÂviÂsion series, The VirÂtuÂal MagiÂcian, and his work can be viewed on a YouTube chanÂnel of the same name. His newest release, “iPod Magic–Deceptions,” feaÂtures an appliÂcaÂtion he develÂoped to synÂchroÂnize video playÂback on mulÂtiÂple screens. The App is called “MulÂtiÂVid.” You can downÂload it for free here, and learn how to use it here.
The EleÂments of CreÂativÂiÂty. They come down to this: Copy. TransÂform. ComÂbine. NothÂing is truÂly origÂiÂnal. EveryÂthing is a remix, more or less.
DirecÂtor KirÂby FerÂguÂson first traced this idea through litÂerÂaÂture and music, then through filmÂmakÂing. Next up? TechÂnolÂoÂgy, comÂputÂers and user interÂface. Above we have the third and penulÂtiÂmate installÂment in the “EveryÂthing is a Remix” series. (You can watch it in large forÂmat here.) Look for the final segÂment to appear this fall, and conÂsidÂer supÂportÂing the project here.
Now might be a good time to beef up on your knowlÂedge of malÂware, cyberÂcrime, and cyberÂwarÂfare, startÂing with Stuxnet, a comÂputÂer virus that was launched against IranÂian nuclear infraÂstrucÂtures in 2010 (most likeÂly by the U.S.). For a quick primer on Stuxnet, check out AnatoÂmy of a ComÂputÂer Virus. It’s only three and a half minÂutes long, but you’ll learn enough to decide whether or not to set your lapÂtop on fire, sell everyÂthing you own, and run screamÂing for the Yukon.
For a more detailed exploÂration of the virus, watch CrackÂing Stuxnet, A 21st-CenÂtuÂry Cyber Weapon, a TED talk by cyber-secuÂriÂty expert Ralph LangnÂer. DisÂclaimer: It won’t necÂesÂsarÂiÂly put you at ease — the preÂsenÂter closÂes by thankÂing Mr. LangnÂer for “scarÂing the livÂing dayÂlights out of us.”
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
There will be a day — maybe it’s already here; maybe it was always here — when the KinÂdle will look incredÂiÂbly retro. Mike Matas, once a designÂer of user interÂfaces at Apple and now co-founder of Push Pop Press, may make that day of visuÂal reckÂonÂing come soonÂer rather than latÂer. The demo above (which is easÂiÂly worth a thouÂsand words) lets you peer into the near future.. Text, images, audio, video and interÂacÂtive graphÂics — they’ll come togethÂer in a seamÂless readÂing expeÂriÂence, makÂing the traÂdiÂtionÂal ebook look entireÂly one dimenÂsionÂal. You can downÂload the book on disÂplay, Al Gore’s “Our Choice,” on iTunes here.
WorkÂing for EastÂman Kodak back in 1975, Steven SasÂson, an elecÂtriÂcal engiÂneer by trainÂing, was tasked with buildÂing a camÂera that used solÂid state elecÂtronÂics and solÂid state imagers to capÂture optiÂcal inforÂmaÂtion. Or, put very simÂply, he was asked to build the first digÂiÂtal camÂera. And he did just that.
In the latÂest of a series of short docÂuÂmenÂtaries on conÂtemÂpoÂrary invenÂtors, phoÂtogÂraÂphÂer David FriedÂman sat down with SasÂson at Kodak’s headÂquarÂters in Rochester, NY and revisÂitÂed the techÂniÂcal and culÂturÂal chalÂlenges faced by the invenÂtor. So far, FriedÂman has proÂduced 32 porÂtraits of invenÂtors, and, for the most part, you’ll recÂogÂnize the invenÂtors’ creÂations soonÂer than their names. You can access the full colÂlecÂtion of porÂtraits here.
Malte Spitz, a memÂber of the Green ParÂty in GerÂmany, sued Deutsche Telekom and forced the comÂpaÂny to hand over six months of recordÂed cell phone data. The results were fairÂly eye openÂing.
DurÂing a five month periÂod, DT tracked Spitz’s locaÂtion and phone usage 35,000 times. If that sounds like a lot, you’re right. And it looks even worse when you visuÂalÂize the data. Zeit Online took this geoloÂcaÂtion data and comÂbined it with pubÂlicly-availÂable inforÂmaÂtion relatÂing to Spitz’s politÂiÂcal life (e.g., his TwitÂter feeds and blog entries) and proÂduced a screenÂcast that docÂuÂments two days in the life of the Green ParÂty politiÂcian. The YouTube video above traces his steps. But the visuÂals on the Zeit site let you track Spitz’s moveÂments around GerÂmany with finÂer preÂciÂsion. The moral of the stoÂry: Every step you take, your telÂco is likeÂly trackÂing you, whether you give conÂsent or not. The New York Times has more on the stoÂry…
Physics gets its own litÂtle opera. And you’ll nevÂer look at quadroÂcopters, those ball jugÂgling robots, in quite the same way. Nice work “OperaÂmanÂda”…
SciÂfoo is an annuÂal “unconÂferÂence” c0-hostÂed in MounÂtain View, CalÂiÂforÂnia by Google, O’ReilÂly Media and Nature pubÂlishÂing. It’s parÂticÂiÂpant-driÂven, cross-polÂliÂnatÂing, and highÂly unstrucÂtured, relyÂing more on brainÂstorms and erasable white boards than PowÂerÂPoint preÂsenÂtaÂtions and lecÂture halls. AccordÂing to Nature’s page for SciÂfoo 2011:
200 leadÂing sciÂenÂtists, techÂnolÂoÂgists, writÂers and othÂer thought-leadÂers will gathÂer once more at the GoogleÂplex for a weekÂend of unbriÂdled disÂcusÂsion, demonÂstraÂtion and debate.
SomeÂthing that should inspire teachÂers: A good chunk of these experts’ dream projects involved pushÂes for wideÂspread eduÂcaÂtion reform and disÂsemÂiÂnaÂtion of existÂing knowlÂedge, rather than financÂing for advances in their parÂticÂuÂlar speÂcialÂties. We parÂticÂuÂlarÂly liked skepÂtic Michael SherÂmer’s vision of worldÂwide critÂiÂcal thinkÂing proÂgrams that would teach stuÂdents “not what to think, but how to think.” (2:34)
For more inforÂmaÂtion on SciÂfoo Camp, click here.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
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