Enter the latte-froth printer, which produces surprisingly hi-rez art in the top of the machine. Time to clear some more counter-space. Link (via Neatorama)

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 19, 2008, 6:34AM

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 19, 2008, 6:24AM

Dafen is a village surrounded by the thriving metropolis of Shenzhen, and the origin of most of the world’s reproduction oil paintings. In the popular imagination Dafen’s artists produce anonymous works for unknown customers, operating no differently than a faceless factory churning out counterfeits, replicas and nothing close to what would be considered art.

Regional productively collaborated with the otherwise commoditized community in Dafen by asking selected individuals, some for the first time, to imagine themselves in their professional medium. The final works show the technical, creative, and professional facets of the artists identities subsumed by the styles and relationships they maintain with specific famous artists. The hybrid result of original subject with derivative style comments on originality, global cultural production and Regional's cooperation with emerging enterprise forms that are internationalizing the village.

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 18, 2008, 7:25PM

This particular phenomenon, known as the “Droste effect,” is named after a 1904 package of Droste brand cocoa. The mathematical interest in these packaging illustrations is their implied infinity. If the resolution of the printing process—(and the determination and eyesight of the illustrator)—were not limiting factors, it would go on forever. A package within a package within a package... Like Russian dolls. Drosteroyal

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 18, 2008, 7:15PM

amy casey
miles thompson
ryan heshka
naoto hattori
theo badiu
red nose studio
mark beam
tim mara
f. scott hess
robt. williams

previously on web zen:
lowbrow gogo pop zen

Link, Web Zen Home and Archives, Store (Thanks Frank!)

Image: Miles Thompson.

Originally from Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 18, 2008, 2:47PM

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 18, 2008, 9:04AM

Sorting out the scroll wheel came next. It was constructed from clear plastic and illuminated by a blue LED (picture 4), which wasn't exactly appropriate for a Steampunk-themed design. I desoldered the LED and used 22mm copper heating pipe to fashion a new wheel. I cut a very short length of the pipe (around 7mm) and carefully smoothed the edges using emery cloth on a flat surface. The 'wheel' had to be gradually reduced in diameter until it was a snug fit, before using Araldite to glue the two parts together. I used a Dremel for most of this work, before sandpapering it to finish it off.

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 18, 2008, 6:01AM

2. Given point 1, you must have a means (or several meanses) of time travel. In fact time travel instead of space travel could be the primary method of changing scene. In the original, the party got to Milliways by accident: in the radio version, a "hyperspatial field generator" overheated; in the book version, Zaphod's great-granddaddy screwed up the works of Eddie, the Heart of Gold computer. Maybe your trip to Milliways would require info from an anti-piracy device in the game package. Once at the restaurant, you can steal a timeship and go anywhen you want.

3. Given point 2, it seems natural for the "best ending" of the game to be your arrival on Earth before it's destroyed, which is the ending of both the first radio series and the second (namesake) book. The original route to this ending was an accidental landing on Golgafrincham Ark B, with its cargo of telephone sanitizers, marketing consultants, etc. (the ancestors of Earth's humans!). I rather like this bit, and hope we can work it into the game.

4. Okay, so what about the beginning of the game? The easy answer: take up the story where the "Hitchhiker's" game left off, namely the arrival on Magrathea. But in the original this arrival is followed by a travelogue of Magrathea and a flashback to the Deep Thought v. philosophers' union story (including the introduction of the "42" joke) and the joke about the true nature of mice. All funny bits, but I have a hard time envisioning how they can be made into interesting interactive versions. Perhaps you could time-travel to Deep Thought and interact with it yourself. The Magrathean catalog of planets on Sens-O-Tape could be useful.

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Apr 18, 2008, 5:14AM

Victor Piñeiro says: "Just wanted to share my first feature documentary trailer with you, Second Skin. Its all about virtual worlds and the gamers who 'live' in them." Link

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Feb 5, 2008, 5:29PM

Roger says: "Here's a review of an extremely weird vintage bicycle safety film from 1962 in which a group of kids show us the dangers of disobeying bicycle safety rules - all while wearing some of the creepiest monkey masks you'll ever see."

The typeface used in the title is excellent.

Link | Link to YouTube video

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Feb 5, 2008, 3:34PM

Last week, Thane Heins of Ottawa took his perpetual motion device (the Perepiteia) to Boston to show it to Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Markus Zahn at MIT's Laboratory for Electromagentic and Electonic Systems.

Zahn says the device's performance was "unexpected and new."

It's now Jan. 28 – D Day. Heins has modified his test so the effects observed are difficult to deny. He holds a permanent magnet a few centimetres away from the driveshaft of an electric motor, and the magnetic field it creates causes the motor to accelerate. It went well.

Contacted by phone a few hours after the test, Zahn is genuinely stumped -- and surprised. He said the magnet shouldn't cause acceleration. "It's an unusual phenomena I wouldn't have predicted in advance. But I saw it. It's real. Now I'm just trying to figure it out."

There's no talk of perpetual motion. No whisper of broken scientific laws or free energy. Zahn would never go there -– at least not yet. But he does see the potential for making electric motors more efficient, and this itself is no small feat.

"To my mind this is unexpected and new, and it's worth exploring all the possible advantages once you're convinced it's a real effect," he added. "There are an infinite number of induction machines in people's homes and everywhere around the world. If you could make them more efficient, cumulatively, it could make a big difference."

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Feb 5, 2008, 12:42PM

Originally from Boing Boing by David Pescovitz reBlogged by LO2 on Feb 5, 2008, 11:38AM

"I won't hesitate to put my noodle in someone else, because I put it ruthlessly in myself."

Anonymous Message to Pastafarianism:

Secret Pastafarian Video Exposed:

Both were created by Ed Adkins.

Originally from Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin reBlogged by LO2 on Feb 5, 2008, 9:41AM

Link, Web Zen Home and Archives, Store (Thanks Frank!)

Originally from Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin reBlogged by LO2 on Feb 5, 2008, 12:05AM

Another will be a postcard celebrating Atlanta's disastrous hosting of the 1996 summer Olympic games.

Your mark will be at a complete loss, desperate for answers, debating contacting people he or she hasn't talked to in years.

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 20, 2007, 12:35AM

The BristleBot is our take on the popular vibrobot, a simple category of robot that is controlled by a single vibrating (eccentric) motor. Some neat varieties include the mint-tin version as seen in Make Magazine (check the video), and the kid's art bot: a vibrobot with pens for feet.

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 20, 2007, 12:19AM

The comment by chief cabinet secretary Nobutaka Machimura drew laughter from reporters at his regular briefing on government policy.

Earlier the cabinet, responding to an opposition lawmaker’s question, issued a statement saying it could not confirm any cases of unidentified flying objects.

“This is an issue that the nation is interested in — it is a defence issue and a confirmation operation needs to take place,” Ryuji Yamane, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party who submitted the question to the cabinet, told Reuters.

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 5:02PM

The House of Commons Commission issued this 10-step guide for dealing with broken light bulbs in Parliament.

Are the bulbs filled with anthrax spores?

UPDATE: The US EPA's 3-step procedure for dealing with broken CFLs makes more sense to me.

Link (Via Nothing To Do With Arbroath)

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 2:17PM

During her stay in Afghanistan, it consistently struck American photographer Stephanie Sinclair how many young girls are married to much older men. She decided to raise awareness about this topic with her pictures. Particularly as the official minimum age for brides in Afghanistan is sixteen and it is therefore illegal to marry children.

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 2:05PM

The 1930's Universal Pictures style logo is wonderful!

Link

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 1:38PM

Like the London example, this flyer is genuine. You can find it on the City of Chicago's website here.

If terrorists do their dirty work by spreading, well, terror, what should we call public servants who aggressively promote fear and unhinged suspicions by telling the public to report note takers, binoculars users, camera enthusiasts, map owners, and motorists who time traffic lights?

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 12:41PM

1. Learn what is the "It" in "Use It or Lose It". A basic understanding will serve you well to appreciate your brain's beauty as a living and constantly-developing dense forest with billions of neurons and synapses.

5. Thrive on Learning and Mental Challenges. The point of having a brain is precisely to learn and to adapt to challenging new environments. Once new neurons appear in your brain, where they stay in your brain and how long they survive depends on how you use them. "Use It or Lose It" does not mean "do crossword puzzle number 1,234,567". It means, "challenge your brain often with fundamentally new activities."

Originally from Boing Boing by David Pescovitz reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 11:48AM

In China there is an entire village given over to making money by fake paintings. These are not counterfeits intended to deceive. No one is fooled into thinking the Van Gogh painting they just bought is painted by Van Gogh. Rather the fake is like a reproduced poster of Van Gogh. But since it has been painted by hand, often with gusto and intelligence, it is much more interesting than a duplication of the original. It is an original reproduction. It is a hyperfake.

Re-painting masters is a venerable activity.

Originally from Boing Boing by David Pescovitz reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 11:43AM

Called the "Push Button House," it expands completely in 90 seconds. MoCo Loco has a nice little gallery of images.

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 19, 2007, 12:51AM

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 18, 2007, 6:41AM

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 18, 2007, 6:22AM

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 18, 2007, 1:54AM

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 17, 2007, 1:29PM

Link to full list, which includes links to real live band myspaces and websites on some of the internets. (thanks, Paul Hoffman)

Originally from Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 14, 2007, 7:06PM

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 14, 2007, 3:08PM

Barney Harris, 248-pound auto mechanic and private investigator, is hired by a policeman's widow to root out police corruption and bring her husband’s murderer to justice.

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 14, 2007, 12:15PM

The Mystery Box consists of a polished cherry wood box placed on top of a spruce pedestal. The box has a hinged lid, which is open, and the inside is lined with black velvet.

When you see this box on a pedestal, you think to yourself

"This is some special box, and something special is inside of it."

So you walk over to look inside. But as soon as you get within 6 feet of the box, the hinged lid slams shut and won't open.

If you walk away from the box, it begins to feel safe again, and the lid opens an inch or so. If you leave it alone, after 5 or 10 seconds, it opens another inch or two. If you still leave it alone, it will open a bit more. Finally, it decides it's safe once again and, like a cautious anemone, it opens all the way up. But as soon as you approach it, it slams shut.

Yes, there is something special inside and no, I won't tell you what it is.

Originally from Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 14, 2007, 11:40AM

(Photo: Travel Hungry Shoes, a Creative Commons Attribution photo from Stuporglue's Flickr stream

Originally from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow reBlogged by LO2 on Dec 14, 2007, 6:53AM

UNetbootin

Originally from Download Squad by Brad Linder reBlogged by LO2 on Oct 5, 2007, 10:00AM

Originally from Download Squad by Brad Linder reBlogged by LO2 on Oct 10, 2007, 9:00AM

As the comment section from our recent post about the latest iTunes update shows, not everyone is in love with iTunes. Especially for Windows users, the program can be buggy, hog memory/system resources and it tries to force users to organize and store their music in a certain way (hey, some of us have very specific, if a bit arcane, organizational methods and we don't want iTunes to force us to put everything in "My Music" in artist/album folders).

The program's strength lies with its perfect integration with the iPod and the iTunes Store (which for all intents and purposes, IS iTunes the application). So what do you do if you don't like iTunes - but still want a program that will easily (and reliably) work with your iPod? We've scoured the web and found the best iTunes alternatives, both for music and iPod management for Windows, Linux, and yes, even some OS X alternatives.

Here at DownloadSquad, we like software to be free - especially if it is replacing another free program - and almost every utility or program we mention is free or has a free version available.

Continue reading iTunes Alternatives

Originally from Download Squad by Christina Warren reBlogged by LO2 on Nov 8, 2007, 10:30AM

Originally from Download Squad by Brad Linder reBlogged by LO2 on Nov 15, 2007, 4:00AM

Originally from Download Squad by Brad Linder reBlogged by LO2 on Nov 27, 2007, 11:00AM