30 June 2013

Roman Holiday ~ True Romantic Epic at Sixty!

Feast your eyes and ears on 1953's Roman Holiday!

Solar Timelapse ~ 3 Yrs in 3 Mins w/ Expert!

Stunning solar timelapse from NASA SDO showing three years in three minutes plus illuminating expert commentary by Alex Young! (Thanks to Kottke for spotting the original)

29 June 2013

"Like" Flying Paper ~ Vote for ArcLight Filmfest!

MIT alumnus filmmaker Nitin Sawhney writes the exciting news re: his Flying Paper documentary about resilient kids crafting kites...
"We have a unique opportunity to get Flying Paper into the ArcLight Documentary Festival in Hollywood as a "Fan Favorite," but we need your help by going to this link on YouTube and LIKING it. Only 5 films competing will win a spot in the festival as a "Fan Favorite" so our participation in this film festival is completely in your hands. Please go to YouTube and "Like" the link and share it with your friends and encourage them to do likewise."
Absolutely! Click thru to YouTube to vote...

25 June 2013

PlaNYC ~ A Stronger, More Resilient New York...

Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced PlaNYC: A Stronger, More Resilient New York recommending how to rebuild communities post-Sandy and boost infrastructural resiliency...
"If this plan is implemented, New York City will not be “climate-change proof” -- an impossible goal -- but it will be far safer and more resilient than it is today. While no one can say with certainty exactly how much safer, the climate analysis in Chapter 2 shows that the investments recommended in this plan certainly will be worthwhile.
Lives will be saved and many catastrophic losses avoided. [...] Over time, implementation of this plan would address many of the risks that a coastal city like New York faces. By hardening our coastline, by making our building stock stronger, by creating a more durable power network and better stormwater infrastructure, and so much more, we can be better prepared for anything the future holds. We are a coastal city -- and we cannot, and will not, abandon our waterfront. Instead, we must build a stronger, more resilient city -- and this plan puts us on a path to do just that. It will not be easy, and it will take time; but as New Yorkers we are more than up to the task."

24 June 2013

NeverWet ~ Liquid-Repelling Spray Coating Ships!

Gizmodo's Leslie Horn spots that NeverWet is shipping!

Young & Shaky ~ AJ Demos DBS for Parkinson's

Thanks to Kottke for spotting Andrew Johnson's video demonstrating the effects of DBS on the motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease...
"Andrew was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's Disease in 2009 when he was 35 years old. He lives with his wife and two children in Auckland, New Zealand. In November 2012 and February 2013 he underwent a surgical procedure, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery, to help control his motor symptoms. This has been hugely beneficial to his quality of life. He is the author of a blog youngandshaky.com which he created to raise awareness of the effects of Parkinson's Disease."

Girl Rising ~ 10x10 Campaign for Education...

CNN spotlights inspiring film Girl Rising...
"One girl with courage is a revolution. CNN Films' "Girl Rising," directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins, tells the stories of girls across the globe and the power of education to change the world."

One57 ~ Where The Other 0.0001% Will Live...

CNN spotlights One57, noting Luxury real estate eyes new heights...

Mobile Stratification ~ Rich vs Poor Phone Picks...

DailyMail spots maps showing that iPhones are favoured by the rich, while poorer users prefer Androids...
"Developed by Gnip, MapBox and tech-data expert Eric Fischer, the maps reveal that the iPhone are overwhelmingly used in the most densely-populated urban areas while the Android is more popular in the suburbs. Mapbox CEO Eric Gundersen said: 'The patterns of usage in each city often reflect economic stratification. 'For example iPhones, in red, are predominantly in wealthy sections of the city while Android phones, in green, have more coverage in poorer sections."
Here's New York Metro centered on Manhattan... Texan sprawlcity Houston... Indonesians in Jakarta prefer Blackberry, colored purple...

18 June 2013

RoboRoach ~ BB's Cyborg Insect on Kickstarter!

Backyard Brains is Kickstarting the epic RoboRoach allowing direct control of a living insect from a smartphone!  It's the first commercial cyborg!

15 June 2013

Ghost Army ~ Art and Illusion to Fool WWII Nazis

CBS's Jim Axelrod spots World War II "Ghost Army" used decoy art to dupe the Nazis...
"The previously unknown story of an army of artists who helped America win World War Two is being told in a new documentary, showing how the artists used their talents to "put one over" on the Nazis. Eighty-eight-year old Jack Masey's army job during World War II was to blow things up. But not the way one might think. "I was in the rubber army as I called it. The inflatable army," said Jack Masey Masey's unit had a mission: to deceive the Germans into thinking Allied forces were in one location, while real U.S. troops advanced miles away. They became known as "The Ghost Army," a thousand artists, designers and audio technicians using sights and sounds to dupe the enemy."

Flycycle ~ Czech Flying Electric Bike on BBC..

BBC spots Flycycle flying electric bike...