At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week… Stay tuned for weekly material!
Have you ever seen water flowing backwards? Using a rubber hose, a speaker, some water, tone generating software, and a 24 frame-per-second capable camera you can make it happen. These simple tools create a scientific optical illusion that’ll have water curling into spirals with the turn of a tap. The false impression is produced by adjusting the volume of water and producing a 24 Hz sine wave. The camera helps a little too.
Do Ho Suh’s ‘Karma’ installation at NOMA
Image: juxtapoz.com/
Extraordinary Korean installation artist, Do Ho Suh, has managed to create a giant H.R. Giger look-alike alien tail out of 98 men standing on top of each other. The stainless steel art piece , named ‘Karma’, was recently installed in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art. At 23 feet tall this piece is a must to see.
Portable Clip-On Mobile Phone Camera Lens (wide angle, marco, and fisheye lens)
Image: jexstarshop.blogspot.com/
This portable clip-on detachable camera lens is compatible with mobile phones and digital cameras. The mobile fish eye lens allows users to see an image with a range of 180 degrees from the right to the left on their mobile phones. The macro lens can capture microscopic details on the pictures it snaps. A wide angle lens is also available to take pictures of large ranges, such as crowds of people, buildings, and landscapes. The Portable Clip-On Mobile Phone Camera Lens makes it possible for ordinary people to enjoy a fish-eye world of images.
shop.brando.com/
Image: expatica.com/
There has always been a murmur about smart homes, and now they’re becoming a reality. A Spanish company has designed a prototype apartment that uses gaming technology to create interactive living spaces. Check the latest online news on your living room wall or tap your finger to redecorate your bedroom with a projected scenery video of your choice.
Image: adamhrv.tumblr.com/
CV Dazzle™ is a form of expressive interference that takes the shape of makeup and hair styling (or other modifications) created by Adam Harvey. The name is derived from CV, a common abbreviation for computer vision, and Dazzle, a type of camouflage used during WWI. Dazzle camouflage was originally used to break apart the gestalt image of warships, making it hard to discern their directionality, size, and orientation. Likewise, the goal of CV Dazzle is to break apart the gestalt of a face or object, and make it undetectable to computer vision algorithms, in particular face detection. In this way CV Dazzle aims to tackle face detection software and counter surveillance technology.
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Google+ and adidas Talking Shoe
jonnymetbird.com/
Talking computers have been around for a while, but Google’s Art, Copy, and Code in conjunction with interactive design studio YesYesNo and artist Zach Lieberman have taken this concept a step further – literally. The adidas smart sneaker talks to its wearer. If you’re sitting down it’ll complain of boredom and if you score a goal it’ll verbally high five you. The smart sneaker has a personality of its own, employing a snarky attitude when its unhappy, and a joyful tone when it’s walking around.The shoe was showcased at this year’s SXSW and with development progressing, your clothing might just become your new companion.
news.bbcimg.co.uk
London-based company Roli has designed the Seaboard – an instrument that takes making music to a whole new sensory experience. The Seaboard mimics the concept of a piano, but while a piano key functions as an on/off switch, the Seaboard allows the composer to have precise control over the pitch, volume, and timbre of each note. The Seaboard is a new musical instrument that essentially blurs the line between digital and acoustic sound production.
Images via news.bbcimg.co.uk, jonnymetbird.com, adamhrv.tumblr.com, expatica.com, shop.brando.com, juxtapoz.com, jexstarshop.blogspot.com/2012/07/
Words: Ra’eesa Pather
