(augmented reality, London)
# Forged
(photo, light painting, industrial)
# Ten of the greatest maps that changed the world
From the USSR's Be On Guard! map in 1921 to Google Earth, a new exhibition at the British Library charts the extraordinary documents that transformed the way we view the globe forever.
# The Subtle Technology of Indian Artisanship
Everywhere you look in India you will find evidence of the maker’s hand. Signs painted on walls, trucks ornamented and painted with messages, cooking utensils, hand-woven and printed clothing, ritual religious objects, any number of containers made from recycled metals — even the famous jugaad vehicles cobbled together from spare parts for new lives as trucks and tractors — are just a few of the handmade objects. These articles are made with such remarkable ingenuity and embellished with such attention to detail that India could easily be considered more “high touch” than high tech. But is there anything to be learned from this intimate, hands-on, experiential culture that might be relevant to one that is becoming increasingly virtual
# 'Lost' Series Finale Theories: Searching for Explanations and Answers
'Lost's' finale, like the rest of the series, was a Rorschach test. What you think it means says more about you than it does about what 'Lost' masterminds Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse actually put on the screen. Even after they'd given viewers some definitive answers, so many questions remained. Which isn't necessarily bad; the lack of resolution means we'll be able to continue to play the parlor game of deciphering 'Lost's' riddles, anagrams and puzzles for years to come as we watch the reruns.
Still, if the finale didn't explain all the show's mysteries, it resolved enough of them to provide audiences with a satisfying catharsis -- satisfying both for the explanations provided to us and for the emotional closure given to characters who'd sought it for years.
# Web Privacy: In Praise of Oversharing
"But no doubt 5 yrs from now, when my children are teenagers, they will be comfortable living in public in ways that will astound & alarm their parents. I can already imagine how powerful instinct to worry about predators & compromising photos will be. But it will be our responsibility to keep that instinct in check & recognize their increasingly public existence brings more promise than peril. We have to learn how to break w/ that most elemental of parental commandments: Don't talk to strangers...strangers have a lot to give us that's worthwhile, & we to them.
Still, talking to strangers is different from handing over set of house keys. We're learning how to draw line btwn extremes...each of us will draw [it] in different ways. That we get to make these decisions for ourselves is step forward; valley is a much richer & more connected place than old divide between privacy & celebrity worship was. But it is going to take some time to learn how to live there."
# Walking in L.A.: An Introduction
"Everyone thinks they know L.A., even if they've never been west of St. Louis. Nobody walks in L.A., right? There's that Missing Persons song, or that line from Steve Martin's L.A. Story: "...it's not like New York, where you can meet someone walking down the street. In L.A. you practically have to hit someone with your car. In fact, I know girls who speed just to meet cops."
But the truth is people do walk in L.A. And bike. Fully 12 percent of all trips in Los Angeles are by bicycle or on foot—that's more than Austin or Portland. In sheer numbers, L.A. has more bikers and walkers than Washington, D.C., or Chicago, or even San Francisco. And it happens to be far safer for biking and walking than all three, according to a 2010 Benchmarking Report by the Alliance for Biking and Walking."
# Slow IT | The Fifth Conference
Most hesitant consumers of fast food will agree that the Slow Food movement has a point. That burger may look very appealing initially but seldom does one feel fulfilled afterwards. As Ron Tolido sees it, the consumption of technology can leave a similar feeling of dissatisfaction. We may consume a vast amount of information daily, but did we learn anything useful or valuable? In fact, did we actually even ‘think’ today? Today’s technology and communication tools have obvious benefits, but have we thought through how we best interact with that technology? A similar line of questioning can be levelled at the producers of technology, since it is they who are creating the IT equivalent of fast food. Technology products also often miss the point. Winning products do not necessarily have the most features and functions. On the contrary, their appeal is often rooted in their simplicity.
# Google Font API - Google Code
"The Google Font Directory lets you browse all the fonts available via the Google Font API. All fonts in the directory are available for use on your website under an open source license and served by Google servers. View font details to get the code needed to embed the font on your web site. Please also visit our quick start guide and FAQ page. For more help and suggestions, use our moderator page."
# Shepard Fairey
# The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy Of The World