Nov 05
From Design Boom’s DIY submissions, a nifty piece of sci-fi that captures what the future of biotech may look like. Tobias Revell, a british interaction designer, has documented the dharavi slums of mumbai, india, showcasing how genetically modified mushrooms have revitalized the poverty stricken city in the ‘new mumbai’ of the future. Originally from amsterdam, highly …
Sep 27
For some reason, male models are paying $150 to get beat up by actual fighters in NYC underground boxing clubs. It has something to do with proving their manhood. Way I see it, if those guys will only be your friends if you pay them to beat you up, they’re not really your friends anyway. …
Jul 16
This picture comes to us from America 2050 via the twitter feed of Tim Maly. You can click on it for a bigger image and you should probably give Tim a follow. America 2050 explains: As metropolitan regions continued to expand throughout the second half of the 20th century their boundaries began to blur, creating …
Jun 17
Bio-mimicking MAV (micro aerial vehicles) are nothing new. (Been blogging about them almost as long as I’ve been blogging.) But, if you’re new to this, these are drones, that is, flying robots, that look and act like natural creatures. Insects, birds, whathaveyou. There’s some new work being done out of John Hopkins university –funded by US Defence agencies– that …
Apr 21
For Earth Day, the Toronto Star asked 15 science fiction writers, including me, how we’d tackle climate change. To save some space, my answer was edited down. Here’s my full reply: The environment is something I watch on TV. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, it’s a pristine world free of human interference. But it’s also …
Mar 02
This gun, created by Japanese researchers, is capable of stopping speech at a range of 30 metres (100ft). I’m sure we could all think of a use for it. The dystopian, silence the protesters, angle jumps right out at ya. But I would remind people that the police already have used bullets, batons, tear gas and tazers. …
Feb 13
Researchers have mapped the genome of a possible biofuel source with the goal of breeding a more efficient strain. It’s hoped that the carbon neutral, perennial grass could reduce pollution. redOrbit says: According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) statistics, total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. — which include carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases released into …
Feb 04
Art, maybe just a translation of raw nature. Brilliant Noise by Semiconductor: Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt Avaliable on DVD! with 12 alternate soundtracks semiconductorfilms.com/WorldsInFluxDVD.html Brilliant Noise takes us into the data vaults of solar astronomy. After sifting through hundreds of thousands of computer files, made accessible via open access archives, Semiconductor have brought together some …
Nov 13
Via the always interesting Global Guerrillas, here’s a new way of looking at the planet: A cartography of the Anthropocene. If you, like my spell check, have no idea what the Anthropocene is, this might help: Here is the definition more or less impressionistic we propose for the Anthropocene: “A period marked by a regime change in the activity …
Sep 09
pic nicked from here A twenty square mile model of a US City will be built in New Mexico to test renewable energy innovations, intelligent traffic systems, next-generation wireless networks and smart-grid cyber security systems. Built by Pegasus Global Holdings at a cost of 200 million, The Center, will be empty but will replicate a city that houses 35,000 …
"This ultra-sharp, darkly satiric, hyper-speed novel is set in a world where multi-level mega malls serves as city states and everything on the outside lies in ruin. On the lower red levels, gang violence and media saturation and bio-tech designer drugs rule. During the weekend, slummers from the green levels leave their safe lives of jobs and families to partake in risky, sometimes deadly, fun on the red levels. And on every level, TV and advertisements literally penetrate the mind. Death is easy and life cheap, until that life is your own or your beloveds. Extreme stylization, great characters, and a high-level of intensity is maintained throughout. This is a whip-smart, truly violent novel that has at its core a still very human pulsing heart."
May 20, 1990: Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson’s remarkable Kenyon College commencement address on creative integrity.
川流不息 Endless stream by Singer 晴哥 on Flickr.
