Otamatone

Japanese toy company CUBE Works and a collaborative group that specializes in nonsense machines, have invented an instrument that looks like a musical note with a face. The electronic instrument is played by choosing notes along the stem, much like a guitar, then giving the note voice and color my manipulating the mouth. If this comes to the US, I want one!

Pigeon: Impossible

This is a delightful animated short by Martell Animation. What do you do when a pigeon gets trapped inside your multi-million dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase? Watch and see.

The art of Ninja182

Format Mag has images of the amazing graffiti art of an artist known as Ninja182. These large graphics are actually perspective illusions that can only be seen whole from one vantage point. They are perfectly executed and I like the DJ themes.

Solar Panel Roof Tiles

Trends Now has photos of a proposal by the American Energy Society. The idea is to produce solar panels in the shapes of roof tiles, which not only provides a more aesthetically pleasing installation, but also increases the surface area thereby capturing more energy. The blue color works well with Mediterranean style homes, which in Las Vegas, could mean all homes might be powered this way.

My Favorite 12 Inch Records Exhibition in Gunma

Design Related has some images of an exhibition created by Maniackers Design, in Gunma Japan. Not very interesting in itself, but I'm posting it because it reminds me of my teenage bedroom, where I had my record collection displayed the same way; some of you will remember.

One Man's Trash

The New York Times has a wonderful article about builder Dan Phillips who builds low income homes using 80 percent salvaged materials; the ceiling you see above is made of old framing shop samples. Phillips is an amazing artist and person. I would love to work with him!

Eye Candy

Here's another web toy that is a virtual kaleidoscope. The constantly moving and pulsating visuals can be modified by adjusting the sliders at the top left of the screen.

Sacramento State Jazz Singers

Here are the Sacramento State Jazz Singers performing "Selfless, Cold, and Composed" by contemporary songwriter Ben Folds. It's a wonderful a cappella arrangement of the song.

Production of "Siegfried"

This is a sample video of a production of "Siegfried", presented at the Ciudad de las Diencias y Artes in Valencia Spain. The production utilizes 14 simultaneously synced projectors to create stunning effects. I'm sure it was a mind blowing show!

The art of Al Farrow

Al Farrow is a Bay Area artist who has been sculpting for 40 years. His "Reliquaries" are small architectural models and worship objects made from weapons and ammunition. They are eerily beautiful.

Incredibox!

Incredibox is a silly, but fun, little web toy created by a French designer. You simply drag icons, representing different instruments, voices, etc, to the "singers" and they perform your composition. "Bonus" fills can be used to create bridges in you tune. Lots of fun!

Victoria and Albert Museum Searchable Database

The Victoria and Albert Museum has put the details of one million objects online for your research and viewing pleasure. Relevant information is given with each object including whether it is currently on display, and where in the museum it can be found.

Simon's Cat: Hot Spot

Another delightful short animation featuring the irrepressible, and true to life, behavior of Simon's cat.

The Cat Piano

This is a great short animated film by The People's Republic of Animation. It's narrated by Nick Cave. Worth watching!

Nonsensical Info-graphics

Artist Chad Hagen has created a lovely set of info-graphics that convey no information whatsoever. They look as though they should, but the carefully designed arrangements of graphs, etc. actually have no meaning.

Contemporary Art at Chateau de Versailles

Otto has some interesting images of the work of artist Xavier Veilhan that has been on display at Versailles France. The opulent palace makes for an interesting background to the angular and modern designs of Veilhan. I really like the horse drawn carriage.

This is Not a Room

Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi constructs temporary environments in the most unusual places. The structure you see above, contains a space one can visit, which itself is a strange juxtaposition of architectural understanding. The finial of the spire, intersects the room and becomes a coffee table sculpture. Really interesting!

Pop-up Calendar

Artist Johann Volkmer has applied architectural and info-graphic methods to create a wild pop-up calendar. Each month is a separate folder, that when opened, reveals a unique, though sometimes incomprehensible, arrangement of weeks and days.

It's a Fridge!

Gro Design and Samsung have designed this beautiful concept refrigerator they call the Bi-axis. Becoming more a piece of furniture, than an appliance, the fridge can be configured in a standard vertical format, or arranged sideways like a sideboard. A well needed update to the usual clunky form factor.

Arne Quinze for the new L'Eclaireur in Paris

Yatzer has images of a new store in Paris that is all the rage because of its' store design. Artist Arne Quinze created this original environment using wood and cardboard scraps, and lots of silver spray paint. I'm not sure what to think...

Heavens Above Fireworks

Heavens Above Fireworks wants you to go out with a bang! The unique company makes custom fireworks, which include the cremated remains of a loved one, then they put on a spectacular show as a memorial. They see it as a fitting and happier way to say goodbye. I agree.

Primordial Soup with Julia Child

Want the recipe for making the building blocks of life? Julia Child made this video in 1976 for the Smithsonian National Air and space Museum, in which she explains how basic elements can produce amino acids.

LAPP - Light Art Performance Photography

LAPP is a long exposure photography technique produced by German artists Joerg Miedza and JanLeonard Woellert. Using various lenses and moving light sources, they have created some remarkable images.

Moscow Cat Theatre

Hulu has this short documentary on the Moscow Cat Theatre. This family circus consists of a father and daughter, and a lot of talented cats. I never knew you could train small cats this way. Utterly charming and delightful!

The Hubble Ultra Deep Filed in 3D

This amazing video gives information on the Ultra Deep Field and includes a flythrough where each galaxy is properly distanced from the others using their redshift information. Wow wow wow.

Makedo!

Makedo is a modular construction system designed to let you build things from any found material, like the "apple arc" shown above, made from pressed paper apple trays. The Australian company produces sets of small widgets that allow you to connect, hinge, link, any materials you choose. It's not available on the market yet, but when it is, I'm getting some!

Sand Animation by Kseniya Simonova

For her appearance on Ukrain's Got Talent, artist Kseniya Simonova creates ever changing sand paintings, set to music, that tell the history of her country. The audience was brought to tears by this amazing performance.

What Britney Spears Really Sounds Like

Live Leak has various clips of Britney Spears in concert, where her microphone has been isolated from the performance. Now I can understand that she's an entertainer, and that no one, not even Madonna, can sing with any skill AND do all the dancing, jumping, costume changes etc. and so must lip sync a great deal. But who knew she was so completely AWFUL! How much of it can you stand?

Mobile Dining Table

Link is featuring this dining table, designed by Nobuhiro Teshima, that mechanically folds up into a rolling cabinet. I really like this idea, though overall the execution seems a bit cumbersome. Still, a wonderful design project.

Body Paint Installation by Memo Akten

"Body Paint" is an interactive installation that allows users to paint on a virtual canvas using their bodies. Software and infra-red cameras process shape and motion into colors, drips and brush strokes. Looks like a lot of fun!

Bollywood Hero Flash Mob in Times Square

To promote an IFC miniseries called Bollywood Hero, starring Chris Kattan, dozens of dancers staged a "random" performance in the middle of Times Square. Though a corporate promotion, it reminds me of the work of Improv Everywhere, whom I have blogged about in the past.

Crappy Taxidermy

Crappy Taxidermy is a website devoted to... you guessed it, crappy taxidermy. 65 pages of the stuff (pun intended). Lots of scenes with squirrels? More funny than gross.

Peace Bridge by Calatrava

World Architecture News has an editorial on the design of a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava for Calgary Canada. Thought the forms looks simple, much like a Chinese finger puzzle, Calatrava states the design is "highly technical" and like no other bridge he's designed.

The Nature of Battle

"In a ruined world, where mankind has brought destruction upon themselves, a new hope arrives in the form of a seed." a very nice animated video by Nat Dart.

High Speed Robot Hand

This short video describes the work being done at Ishikawa Komuro Lab and the development of their high-speed robot hand. Stunning (and scary) feats of dexterity and skillful manipulation are demonstrated, all controlled by the sensors and processors of the robot itself. You won't believe it when you see it toss a cell phone in the air and catch it!

The art of Brian Ulrich

Brian Ulrich is a photographer who specializes in capturing the ruins of failed business, malls, hotels, etc. His latest series called "Dark Stores" really captures the irony of our consumerist society. Definitely worth the look.

The art of Christopher Morlinghaus

Christopher Morlinghaus is a New York based photographer who loves to take pictures of large spaces devoid of people. Modernist mega churches, airports, and even streetscapes are vast and eerie through Morlinghaus' eye.

Surface Area Required to Provide the World with Solar Power

This World Map shows how much land area, covered with solar panels, would be required to provide ALL the electricity needed for the entire world population; in 2030 even! Interesting.

Paper Dresses for L'Officiel

Trendy Girl has a photo series of paper dresses made by artists Alexandra Zaharova and Ilya Plotnikov that were used for a photo shoot for the magazine L'Officiel. They're not really wearable, but the silhouettes are gorgeous and the execution supreme.

The art of George Vlosich

George Vlosich is an artist who uses a unique medium; the Ohio Art Etch-A-Sketch. These far from permanent images take 70 to 80 hours to create and are usually commissioned. His gallery is quite remarkable!

World's Largest free-floating Bubble

Mail Online has an article about "bubbleolegist" Samsam Bubbleman (Sam Heath), a 37 year old master of creating soap bubbles. Using rope and his own secret recipe for soap solution, Heath has created a bubble 20 feet by 5 X 5 feet. He's waiting for confirmation from Guinness.

Simon's Cat: Fly Guy

Here's the latest animation by Simon Tofield featuring his true-to-life, and ultimately hungry, cat Simon.

The art of John Pugh

John Pugh is a muralist, and what a muralist! A specialist in trompe l'oeil, Pugh uses the sides of buildings as his canvas to create some truly stunning large 3D images, like the courtyard scene shown. I love the way he includes the building structures in his compositions.

Forest Installation Made of Paper

Atelier 29 has a few images of this nice installation by Pezo Von Ellrichshausen Architects. Made of office paper and staples, this "forest" is meant to evoke questions of tree destruction and paper use. I like the textural aspect of it all.

The art of Chino Atsuka

Chino Atsuka is a photographer and has created a set of photographs she calls "Imagine Finding Me". Starting with photos of herself as a young girl, Atsuka then revisits the locations and photographs herself in such a way, that she can superimpose the two images into one. Interesting idea.

Dogs Don't Like the Mail

Some funny footage of dogs who really don't want the mail invading their space.

The Art of Frank Buchwald

Frank Buchwald is a German artist and designer who creates some of the most stunning lamps I've seen. I'm not usually into the "steampunk" aesthetic, but Buchwald does a fantastic job of giving elegant balance to an otherwise industrial motif.

Swedish Armed Forces Personality Test

This test is going to blow your mind! Created for the Swedish Armed Forces, this flash-based personality evaluator/game will test your reactions to various situations you might encounter as a soldier. Afterwards you are debriefed and given feedback. The entire test is gorgeously designed; I mean gorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUS! The whole thing takes  takes place in a tunnel and the tester's voice is GORGEOUS!. It's like a Peter Greenaway film. It says "headphones are required", but not really. Have fun!

The Art of Nicole Dextras

Sceglier Bio has images of the work of Nicole Dextras who creates some pretty wonderful outfits using fresh organic materials from plants and flowers. A few are a bit overwrought, but some are really lovely, and overall I thing she's making great stuff.

How Carousel Was Made

If It's Hip It's Here has the full story on how they made Carousel; the absolutely incredible, award winning advertisement for Phillips TV. Even though it's one of the most cinematic experiences I've seen, the way it's made makes it sort of an anti-movie. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, you can watch it on my earlier post here.

The Art of Jim Shrosbree

David Lynch Foundation Television has this wonderful short documentary if artist Jim Shrosbree. Shrosbree is an Iowan who creates mainly wall-based sculpture out of various mediums. An interesting guy and some really incredible and diverse work. Definitely worth the watch.

WhalePower Tubercle Technology

Inventor's Spot has an amazing story about a guy named Frank Fish who's study of the tubercles of humpback whale fins upended some of the known science of fluid dynamics. Fish has also started a company making wind turbines that use the tubercle design to reduce drag by 32% and increase lift by 8%. Someday, airplane wings will look like this.

Tow Truck Vs. Car

This very short video may have been staged, but it's still pretty funny.

Melbourne Recital Centre

The Cool Hunter has some images of the new Melbourne Recital Centre created by ARM architects in collaboration with Arup Acoustics. The visual forms are absolutely stunning! A true fusion of architecture and acoustic design. Wait until you see the outside...

The Art of Linden G

Linden G's photographs are created by splashing paints using sound waves, then capturing them with a high speed camera control system. 

The Art of Kimiko Yoshida

Kimiko Yoshida is a Japanese born artist living in France. She almost exclusively does self portraits as self styled photographs or paintings. Her work is really amazing.

Carmel Residence by Dirk Denison Architects

Contemporist has a photo spread of this lovely contemporary house in Carmel by the Sea. Some of you have seen the exterior of this, as it's next to our friend Katherine's place. It's nice to see what the inside looks like.

The Art of Branislav Kropilak

Booooooom has the Billboard photo series by artist Branislav Kropilak. Simply photographs of billboard from the perspective of the ground, the images are quite startling and have an eerie alien quality to them. Great work!

Stroke of Genius

Web Urbanist has a fascinating article on artists who only developed their abilities after a stroke, brain tumor, or other such trauma. I especially like the story of Alison Silva who chose to keep her brain tumor rather than give up making good art.

Nail Art

Design Swan has these lovely images created by artist Vlad Artazov. Each image uses simple bent nails to convey a complicated array of situations and emotions. Very nice.

Papercraft Castle

Tokyobling's Blog has stunning images of a masterwork by artist Wataru Itou. Named Umi no Ue no Oshiro (A Castle On the Ocean), the installation is made entirely of paper, and includes electric lights and a moving train. It took Itou four years of folding paper to create this glorious piece.

Possessed: The Secret World of Hoarders

This short film profiles four hoarders; people whose lives are dominated by their relationship to possessions. This very interesting documentary was made during a Visual Anthropology Masters student at Goldsmiths College London.

Train Vs. Tornado

The title says it all!

New Banksy Works!

Gradient has some images of new work spotted in Africa thought to be by street artist collective Banksy. As usual, the work is very compelling.

The Bunny Project

The Bunny Project is a continuing subversive experiment that is commissioned by various institutions in Sweden. At chosen sites, a suspicious person mounts sculptures made of carrots, clocks and wires. Ironically, the Swedish Culture Minister, refused to give her speech on how art must be free and provocative until the "devices" were removed.

Ceiling Porn

Deputy Dog has some tantalizing images of some incredibly designed ceilings throughout the world. Norman Foster's British Museum court is shown above. Other lovely images inside.

Little Wheel

Little Wheel is a beautifully made and lovely little flash game. A world of robots has lost their electrical power, and your character must perform simple tasks to get everyone up and running again. Not too difficult and you'll love the snappy soundtrack.

The Fetus Project

Also on De Zeen is an amazing design project by Gorge Lopes Dos Santos. Along with London's Royal College of Art and a pediatric cardiologist from Imperial College, Dos Santos developed a method of producing 3D printed models of fetuses using ultrasound and MRI data.