Barcodes can be art too!

Barcodes. Those simple series of little black and white lines that let you scan things in at a cash register.

These things. Not very exciting, right?







Wrong. How about this instead?

The barcode is the (aptly-named) row of black and white bars that run along in a row and get scanned in by the computer at the cash register. A japanese company realized that as long as the barcode is readable by the computer, nothing else matters. The running dude in the barcode above doesn't even register to the computer scanner.

"In Japan nowadays, artistic barcode labels grace everything from soup to nuts. The theme typically matches the actual product inside but just as often it doesn't. No matter, the theme is secondary to the thoughts of the artists who, though limited by the need to retain the barcode label's original purpose, still have enough leeway to surprise and delight."


Quote, information, screencaps (and more cool barcode art) here :
http://inventorspot.com/articles/barcode_art_from_japan_black_white_can_get_along_12735

How records are made

No, not birth record.
No, not criminal records.
Musical records. Those black spinny thingies that you play on a turntable. 45s. 33s. 78s.

Take a loot at how pile of plastic vynl shavings gets turned into beautiful music here
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9977878-52.html?tag=st.top

In case you're wondering why this is important, record sales are making a bit of a comeback. Up until the advent of MP3 players, buying music meant that you actually owned something - you had a physical record, then an 8-track, then a cassete, then a CD. But when you download a song, you're lucky if you're purchasing more then a few electrons to be written on your computers hard drive.

There's something about actually owning the PHYSICAL music - records aren't digital, they're the physical impression of the sound that they've recorded. Some people say they sound "better" then CDs or MP3s. I don't know weather or not I believe that (I've yet to actually get someone to help me do a blind test - I've got a turntable, a Boston album 33, CD, and MP3.)

One of the best reasons I can think of for a good comeback of records is the record sleeve. I mean, CD album covers are tiny - about 5 inches square. You can do the greatest album cover in the world, but its going to loose detail when printed that small. It's a whole other ballgame when your album art can be printed 12x12 (the size of a 33 1/3 RPM record.).

I really feel sorry for this guy

Han Meilin is the designer of the Chinese Olympic Mascots. He not only endured the rigors and pain of having to re-design his characters, but he's now faced with a slightly larger problem:

"Now we learn that a growing number of people in China have started letting superstitions get the better of them and believe that Meilin's Olympic mascots are the fulfiller of horrible prophecies or somehow responsible for the recent natural disasters that have plagued the nation."



Man, that stinks.
I really feel sorry for Mr. Meilin.

Photo and quote from
http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/branding_identity/
beijing_olympic_mascot_designer_blamed_for_natural_disasters_in_china_
87288.asp?c=rss