UPL8 TV

UPL8 TV is a fun website brought to us by those creative web developers at POKE. Nothing to click, no menus to select, just a television screen with random clips from You Tube playing 24/7. If what your watching is too much, you can always hit the spacebar to advance to the next video.

Where the Hell is Matt?

Matt has traveled the world, and has been recorded in each place dancing a quirky jig; sometimes alone, sometimes with "the natives". What started out as a silly thing to post on the internet, has now become a continuing journey thanks to the support of Stride gum. I especially like the footage taken in the DMZ Korea. You can follow his trek and read his journal at wherethehellismatt.com.

Smoke Art

Dark Roasted Blend has a variety of images of smoke taken with high speed cameras. Not for the sake of science, but for art. Several photographers are featured as well as some images created for public service announcements. Some are beautiful.

Sculptures Made of Typewriter Pieces

Artist Jeremy Mayer creates stunning figurative works with old typewriter parts. He uses a process he calls cold assembly, which uses no solder, welding, or glue. The subtlety and expressiveness of his work is really exceptional.

Robert Lang and the Evolution of Modern Origami

Robert Lang creates some of the most intricate and stunning origami sculptures made today, and many of you have seen his website. In his TED talk, Lang describes the discoveries that led to modern origami techniques, and the "real world" applications in which they have been used. A wonderful speaker.

The Toaster Museum

The Toaster Museum is a site for those of my friends that are into toasters; You know who you are. You can view the collection alphabetically, or by country of manufacture. Some of the designs are pretty odd.

Designs of the Olympic Torch

The New York Times has a nice little Flash presentation of the Olympic torch designs from Berlin to the present. As you mouse over each design, you get a closer view and a blurb of information. It's really interesting that the use of color was the result of televisions influence.

Speaking of Games: El Laberinto Esferico

El Laberinto Esferico is a game created by Barcelona's award winning animator and features his character Mr. Coo. Everything about this game is wonderful and fresh. This point-and-click type puzzle game features outstanding graphics, including a dynamic storyboard format, compelling puzzles laced with humor, and great music to boot! I only wish the game were longer. Make sure you select "English" before hitting "Play".

Duck: Think Outside the Flock

Duck: Think Outside the Flock is a sweet little game created by Bart Bonte. The game is really well designed, with simple, yet dynamic, graphics, and puzzles that aren't too difficult so you enjoy the game all the way through its' 25 levels. Takes about 10 minutes. Have Fun!

The Girard Family Vacation Blog

The Girard Family, some very good friends from Strasbourg, have been touring the American west for the last month. They have been posting photo sets to their blog as they go. Some wonderful imagery of our vast land, and judging from the kid's faces, they're having a wonderful time.

Scientists Create Artificial Photosynthesis

Physorg.com has a remarkable story of a discovery by scientists at MIT that could revolutionize our world. By mimicking photosynthesis, they have been able to increase and simplify the storage of solar energy. What's really interesting, is the prospect of everything gathering its' own energy, removing the need for wired electricity altogether. 

Speaking of Animation; Presto!

Gamaniak has a high quality version of the latest animated short from Pixar titled Presto. A silly and fun cartoon about a magician and his hungry rabbit. It's the sort of good writing and tremendous digital animation we've come to expect from Pixar.

Western Spaghetti

This short video is the work of artist Adam Pesapane; a.k.a. PES. It is some of the most creative stop motion animation I've seen in a while. Lots of great methods for depicting objects and textures that are usually difficult for this type of animation. It's really clever and worth watching.

Railroad Snowplows

Oobject has a collection of railroad snowplow images and some video of deep snow being plowed. Some of the paint jobs remind me of dazzle ships (Oobject has a list of these too). Enjoy Lance!

Inflatable Mobile Performance Venue

Arch Daily has details of the work of Various Architects, a Norwegian collaborative design office. Designed to tour worldwide, the hexagonal structure deflates for transport, and inflates in a new location to seat 3500 spectators. The whole thing takes 30 shipping containers to move from place to place.

The Human Mirror Experience

Improv Everywhere, an organization I admire greatly, has completed their latest project involving sets of twins on a subway who not only dress alike, but sit opposite each other and mirror each others moves. The reactions from regular riders, the audience, are wonderful as they realize what's happening.

Camera Lenses Sawn in Half

Wired's Charlie Sorrel recently visited Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, a science museum of German technology, and nabbed some great images of camera lenses that had been sawn in half to see how they work. Even looking at them now, I still cant figure out how they work.

Contemporary Airport Design

Designboom has a wonderful set of images depicting contemporary built, and unbuilt, airport designs from around the world. Some are really incredible. There are four pages of it, so be sure to click the links at the bottom of each page; the link, not the image.

Why Exercise? I'm Waiting for the Pill

This story has been circulating the internet, and with good reason! It seems that some scientists at the Salk Institute (a gorgeous building, by the way) have developed a pill that can "fool" your muscles into thinking they've exercises, thereby keeping trim and fit without having to get off the couch. Once someone invents "Lung Renew Spray", I'll be fit as a fiddle.

Arthur Ganson's TED Talk

I've seen Arthur Ganson's work on a PBS art show, a few years back, but the focus was more on his early work. For his TED talk, Ganson shows some pieces that are just incredible! The exploding chair is mesmerizing and the "Machine Dancing With Chair" is truly sublime. He himself is kind of boring.

Model of Paris Made from Junk

The Sun has a slide show of the work of Gerard Brion, who for the last 15 years, has been carefully modeling the landmarks of Paris from soup tins and other household trash. His garden in the South of France has become a tourist attraction because of it.

Toyota Surround Air Bag System

Gizmodo has some information on a new air bag design that essentially envelopes the riders in cushioned safety. There are even exterior components to protect hapless pedestrians. Like the air bag system for motorcyclists, I posted before, this gets us one step closer to my vision of lightweight plastic cars.

Air Ray: The Blimp With Wings

Back in May, I posted a video of the Festo Air Jelly. Here is their latest, and more elegant, creation. A mechanical, helium filled balloon, shaped like a manta ray. It's beautiful to watch.

Trash Art

Artists Tim Nobel and Sue Webster have created silhouettes by piling up pieces of trash and junk in front of a lamp. It's an interesting take on the dimensionality of art.

Architect Secretly Builds Puzzles Into NY Apartment

The New York Times has an article about an amazing feat of design. Designer Eric Clough was hired to design a Park Avenue apartment, and was basically left to his own devices. What he provided the clients was an incredible home filled with secret panels, compartments, puzzles, and an overall quest that was meant to be discovered and deciphered.