Sep 07
60 Photos of Relaxation at its Purest [Photography]
Posted in: photography, shooting challenge, Today's Chili, top
Over Labor Day, many of you went to work with your cameras to capture the ultimate moment of R&R. More »
Sep 02
Shocker! Google’s Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title ‘Gauntlet: The Third Encounter’
Posted in: Android, exclusive, Google, GoogleAndroid, Today's Chili, video
Back in the early 90’s whilst playing our Atari Lynx — friendless and alone, of course — we couldn’t have imagined that a second-rate spinoff of the popular Gauntlet franchise would unlock the secrets behind the birth of Google’s Android OS. But, lo and behold, what has one of our faithful tipsters found down here, amongst the ruins of Gauntlet: The Third Encounter? That’s right, nearly irrefutable proof that the Android team (or at least its graphic designers) have plumbed the depths of Epyx’s not-quite-masterpiece for the iconic droid logo we’ve come to know and love. Sure, the top-down scroller provided all kinds of new character classes like the “Nerd,” “Punkrocker,” and “Pirate,” but only one of these fresh faces would provide the blueprint for Android’s public face. It’s hard to argue that there isn’t some level of appropriation here, given the multiple similarities between the two pieces of art, right down to the antennae, dotted eyes, general size and shape, and even the strip which cuts across the midsection of the bot. Oh yeah, and the character is named Android. We personally would like to hear what Google has to say for themselves in regards to this blatant theft of intellectual property, and as for the Epyx artists who slaved over a hot Amiga to bring this image to life — the taste of sweet justice is yours.
Gallery: Android / Android transformation
[Thanks, Davey]
Shocker! Google’s Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title ‘Gauntlet: The Third Encounter’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 27
Nike Air Maxes get a Wii Balance Board infusion
Posted in: diy, hack, nintendo, Today's Chili, video, wii
Recently Nike — a shoe company that seems to enjoy a side dish of tech from time to time — challenged 78 artists to “hack” its shoes and come up with something decidedly different than your typical Air Force Ones. Now, a lot of the projects were more art and less tech, but that can’t be said for entrant Nick Marsh’s contribution to the experiment. The designer fused the internals of a Wii Balance Board with a pair of Air Maxes to create a gaming experience that may not be nuanced, but certainly seems capable of making you break a sweat. According to Nick, games are played exactly as they would have been previously, but since you can’t step of the board, you’re required to lift your foot or sit down when you need to back off on the pressure. Nick finished the project in April, but it sounds like a slightly more polished version could be in the offing. Check out a quick video of the shoes in action after the break, and hit the source for a slew of pics.
Continue reading Nike Air Maxes get a Wii Balance Board infusion
Nike Air Maxes get a Wii Balance Board infusion originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aug 27
Vintage Circuit Boards Create Stunning Sculptures
Posted in: Hacks, Mods and DIY, Miscellaneous, Today's Chili
At first glance, electronic circuit boards may seem as far from art as you can get. But look closer, and the boards have patterns & mdash; horizontal and vertical grids that have a strange, precise beauty to them.
It’s the kind of beauty that we perceive in the whorls of a seashell or a grain of wood, says Theo Kamecke, an artist who is taking vintage circuit boards and transforming them into pieces that can adorn homes and galleries.
Kamecke has harvested the etching from the boards, then affixed them to hardwood to create the effect of polished metal on stone.
The results are exquisitely decorated chests, sculptures and boxes.
“Either you get it or you don’t, either you like it or you don’t,” says Kamecke. “I don’t mass-produce these, and no one else makes them.”
Kamecke uses a technique called marquetry that’s popular among furniture makers. But he has added a high-tech twist to it that hasn’t been done by anyone else.
“There is a neat aesthetic to it,” says Phil Torrone, senior editor at Make magazine and creative director at Adafruit, an online store catering to the DIY crowd. “It has a futuristic, yet Egyptian and retro, feel to it.” Adafruit has featured Kamecke as its summer artist on the company’s website.
Kamecke’s work has found a place in art galleries and has been acquired by Hollywood director James Cameron and Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger.
The pieces cost anywhere from “a few thousand dollars to many thousand,” says Kamecke. But each is painstakingly crafted by hand.
“It’s unique and going to go away after Theo,” says Torrone. “The kind of circuit boards that he uses are not being manufactured anymore.”
Above: Theo Kamecke named this chest Byzantine, because its motifs remind him of art from that era.
Photo: Theo Kamecke
Aug 20
David Kassan uses THQ’s uDraw to express his Wii ennui (video)
Posted in: nintendo, tablet, Today's Chili, video, wii
David Kassan made something of a name for himself as the guy who is really good at fingerpainting with the iPad Brushes app. Now he’s been tapped by THQ to work with something other than his fingers: the uDraw GameTablet for Nintendo’s Wii. Announced earlier this week, the $70 tablet pledges to let anyone with an artistic bent get all creative on the little console that rules them all (at least in terms of sales), but can it actually create meaningful art? See for yourself in the video after the break.
Continue reading David Kassan uses THQ’s uDraw to express his Wii ennui (video)
David Kassan uses THQ’s uDraw to express his Wii ennui (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 18
This trike would fit right into a remake of The Shining, only instead of being ridden by the bowl-haired Danny Torrance, it would be piloted by a stretched, nightmarish cross between a creepy child and a psychedelic, broken-backed dachshund. The movie would, of course, be directed by Terry Gilliam.
The tricycle is in fact a sculpture by Dallas, Texas-based artist Sergio Garcia, and would likely be no less useful than a normal bike in that big, car-friendly state. The 50-inch-high piece is titled “Its not always easy to tell whats real and whats fabricated” and could probably be ridden if you sat backwards and didn’t mind people staring, pointing and murmuring “Red rum, red rum” over and over.
I wonder if Garcia would be interested in a commission. I snapped the frame of my bike at last weekend’s Bike Bolo World Championship in Berlin. I imagine fixing it up with a vertical version of Garcia’s looping tube, arranged around me like a big, skinny steel forcefield stopping any other player for getting near the ball.
Trike Sculpture [Sergio Garcia via the Giz]
Aug 14
Digital Reflex Camera concept puts the viewfinder on top, everything else in a tube
Posted in: camera, concept, dslr, Today's Chili
Can’t say we’ve ever seen anything like this before… well, aside from those cameras of old that forced you to look down into the viewfinder while cradling the camera against your gut. In fact, that’s exactly the experience that Yaniv Berg is attempting to recreate here, with his Digital Reflex Camera concept shaped more like a periscope and less like a camera. In theory, at least, all of the hardware would be encased in a tube, and if you flip the camera, the LCD turns into a display, creating an undercover spy device of epic proportions. Naturally, there’s probably no hope that this will ever hit retail, but feel free to check back a few score from now to see just how close this was to predicting the future.
Digital Reflex Camera concept puts the viewfinder on top, everything else in a tube originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jul 27
The concept of touching things such as light or smells isn’t anything new, but there’s so much room for interpretation that it’s always interesting to see new applications. At Siggraph 2010, a new tactile display is being shown off which allows the user to feel light and shadow. Called Touch Light Through the Leaves, the device consists of a camera which detects light, and 85 vibration units, which have motors, process the light and shadow information into sensations. Check out the video below to see it in action, and hit up the source link for a bit more info.
Continue reading Tactile display allows you to ‘feel’ both light and shadow
Tactile display allows you to ‘feel’ both light and shadow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 16
Pinel & Pinel’s 80’s arcade cabinet fits squarely into the future
Posted in: concept, gaming, Retro, Today's Chili
Pinel & Pinel — it’s been awhile, hasn’t it? The design boutique has just kicked things back into high gear with an all-new creation inspired by the era of wooden TVs, Bono’s mullet and the original Engadget BBS. The 80’s Trunk, a swank new arcade cabinet, is easily one of the most astounding creations we’ve ever seen, and there’s no question that your basement is yearning for one as we speak. Unlike conventional cabinets, this one’s equipped with an emulation system that houses 60 unforgettable titles (Pac-Man, Space Invaders and 1924, just to name a few), and there’s also a plethora of color options to choose from. You’re also looking at a 1080p LCD, enough amplification to wake the neighbors with bleeps and bloops and an iPod / iPhone docking station if you prefer your own background noise. Mum’s the word on a price, but it’ll probably come down to choosing between this and your first born’s college education. You know what to do.
Pinel & Pinel’s 80’s arcade cabinet fits squarely into the future originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jul 16
Does your Twitter/Facebook/IM avatar suck? The answer is likely to be a resounding “probably”. You need a custom caricature, and being a proper geek, you should get it not from the dodgy street-artist with the portfolio of sample “work” downloaded from the internet, but over the actual internet.
That’s just what Dave Lanham, artist extraordinaire and designer at the Icon Factory (the people behind Twitterific and a lot more besides) is doing. Dave is holding FaceTime calls with his iPhone 4 and drawing the portrait of the person at the other end. The hi-resolution Retina display no doubt helps him to see deep into your soul.
The fun started when Dave broke his foot and was left lounging around the house. His friend Gio Gutierrez (right) volunteered for a portrait and then things just got bigger and bigger. Dave is charging $50 per portrait, which you can then use as your online personality (or print on a T-Shirt, we guess, if you are really narcissistic). The demand is likely to be huge, so even if you can’t get on his list, you should check out Dave’s website, which has time-lapse videos of his work being made.
FaceTime Portraits [Dave Lanham on Flickr]
@dlanham [Twitter]
Dave’s website home-page [Dave Lanham]
Picture credit Dave Lanham (Under Creative Commons)
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