Mind-Bending archetecture

"Venice Architecture Biennale: Dutch architects NL present this series of images in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale."
(From De Zene)

For example :

What if airliners flew in the same V-formation as most birds?



And how would YOU feel if you saw THIS coming at you down the highway?


These are just two small snapshots of the complete works, which are all very well-done and really cool to look and think about. See the full images here :
http://www.dezeen.com/2008/09/12/virtual-realities-by-nl-architects/

Kung Foo Fighter

Britain from Above (WAY above)

"A new BBC series makes use of satellite technology to create stunning images of Britain from above. Mark Sanders reports. Andrew Marr presents the series Britain from Above, the first episode of which will be broadcast on Sunday 10 August at 2100 on BBC One. "




Video and photo have always had a strange relationship. Sometimes a video can show things that a photograph can not, but sometimes a photo can show things that a video can not. Specifically, a video is many, many photographs shown in rapid succession - one after another. What you see looks like smooth motion, but every frame (still image that makes up the video) shows only one moment in time. There are a couple ways to alter this - slow motion takes many more frames, and then plays them at a slower speed, so what we see on video appears to happen slower then it does in real life (in some cases,thousands of times slower - like popcorn popping.) Video can also be done in time-lapse, where frames are removed, so that action happens faster then it does in real life - such as taking the construction of a building shot for a year, and condensing it down to an hour-long video.

This video take yet ANOTHER approach. This video tracks the flight paths of airplanes, the connections of cell phones, and the paths cabs take through London, and shows it on a map. Eath path is shown by a line drawn on the map, like the path was actually drawn on the map. But instead of leaving each path on the map, even long after the airplane has landed, or the cab reached its destination, the paths fade away after a time. The result is a great composite, and a really cool video. Check it out here


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7539529.stm

Where the Hell is Matt?

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
I know I embedded this video, but it actually gets better. . .Youtube is offering this video in high quality, so click the video, go to the youtube page for it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY) and click "watch in high quality" right below the bottom right corner of the video. It's MUCH better, and a feature that will hopefully be on ALL youtube videos soon. Going back on topic. . . . .

So, if you're wondering just who in the world this guy is, how he managed to travel around the world, and why he's dancing on the internet, check out his "about me" page here

http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/about.shtml,

and check out his homepage here
http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/

New York City Waterfalls

"The New York City Waterfalls was conceived by artist Olafur Eliasson.
Eliasson was born in Copenhagen in 1967, and grew up in both
Iceland and Denmark. He attended the Royal Danish Academy of
Fine Arts in Copenhagen and currently divides his time between
his family home in Copenhagen and his studio in Berlin. Throughout
his career, he has taken inspiration from natural elements and
phenomena to create sculptures and installations that evoke
sensory experiences. "

"What inspired Olafur Eliasson to make the Waterfalls and to
build them in New York City?

Olafur Eliasson has been traveling to New York since he was a
student in the late 1980s, and he is inspired by the waterways that
surround and flow through the City. The Waterfalls address his
interest in highlighting our relationship to our environment. The New
York City Waterfalls integrate the spectacular beauty of nature into
the urban landscape on a dramatic scale. While Eliasson has built
waterfalls before, he has never created them on such a grand scale. "


Read more about the four man-made waterfalls (pumping almost 2 million gallons of East River water each day), where you can see them, why and how they were made, and where you can view them from here

http://www.nycwaterfalls.org/

(All quotes and images from http://www.nycwaterfalls.org/ )

"A Segscellent adventure"

I found this really neat article about Segways, and one reporters journey to learn to ride one on a tour of Baltimore.

I've posted the intoduction to the article, read the rest (and view the photos) in the link.

"Throughout history, mankind's lust for locomotion has propelled many an extravagant invention. In His Infinite Wisdom, God gave man two legs and unprecedented bipedalism, allowing man to literally rise above his quadrupedal ancestors. But then man said to the Lord, "eh, shove it, Pops," and sated his inner-speed demon. He tamed and rode horses; he designed wheels and popped mad wheelies; he egregiously underpaid some folks to build railroads. Then, in 1919, he wrought the Pogo Stick, which has since reigned as the undisputed King of Transportation.

Until now.

The future of travel is here, friends, and its name is Segway. Did you know that these two-wheeled, counterbalanced godsends have arrived in Charm City, thanks to a futuristic company known as Segs in the City? Did you know that for $45, you can experience the future today? And did you know that Metromix had the cojones to pay me to ride one of these things around, despite my well-known ties to the Official Society of Pogo Stick Enthusiasts?

These facts, and others equally useless, await you just beyond the precipice of the present. Join me for the journey of a lifetime, or at least the journey of a lunch break, as I infiltrate this forward-thinking cabal. Call it a segsual rite of passage. They made me wear a helmet, but you, dear reader, can go without."

Read the rest here
http://baltimore.metromix.com/events/article/a-segscellent-adventure/464422/content