Bruce Sterling's Blog, page 684

Julian Bleecker and Towa-San of Maywa Denki

http://www.nearfuturelaboratory.com/2010/02/22/the-week-ending-021910/

*It is impossible to realize how brain-crinklingly cool this picture is, without a full-bore, complex explanation of (a) who Julian Bleecker is, and (b) WHAT "Maywa Denki" is. But holy cow, folks, that's Julian "Near Future Lab" Bleecker standing there with Nobumichi "Maywa Denki" Tosa.

http://www.maywadenki.com/

*In terms of design-fiction stars, this is kinda like Charles Bronson meeting Toshiro Mifune. I'm a little...

Imaginary Google Gadgets

*Gosh. Some real fits of design-fiction there.

http://www.gizmodo.jp/upload_files/100218-googlecontest7.html

Fab aesthetics

*Got a couple of live ones today.

*Fabbed, wearable catwalk shoe. Not the first of these I've seen, but these are strapped to live models in public.

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_cul...

*Router aesthetics.

http://blog.ponoko.com/2010/02/21/classic-cuts-and-cnc-craftsmanship/

China China China hack hack hahaha

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6898398.html

A report claiming cyber attacks on Google and other firms originated from two Chinese educational institutions is being jeered at by Chinese netizens.

"The report is sheer nonsense. Is it April Fools' Day?" netizen sdh13814021912 commented at the www.tianya.cn forum.

The New York Times reported that unidentified security investigators traced the attacks to computers at Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU) and Lanxiang Vocational School, ...

The Power of Design in your exciting new world of abject poverty

http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=12691

*"The knowledge rich yet economically poor."

*Waiting for the day of realization that Internet knowledge-richness actively MAKES people economically poor. "Gosh, Craigslist has such access to ultra-cheap everything now… hey wait a second, where did my job go?"

*Someday the Internet will offer free food and shelter. At that point, hordes simply walk away. They abandon capitalism the way a real-estate bustee abandons an...

Spime Watch: Fleck Nano

*Google the stapler.

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/166991,scientists-build-sensor-networks-for-your-missing-pens.aspx

"Have you seen my stapler?

"CSIRO researchers have developed miniature sensors that track lab equipment, coffee mugs and staplers in the office.

"Called Fleck Nano, the sensors build on CSIRO's existing Fleck technology that is being commercially produced for monitoring cows on farms.

"Fleck sensors collect data like location and temperature. They form an ad-hoc mesh network, and c...

Showtime: elastic 'stickbomb' is the new Mentos video

*Via MAKEZINE.

Robert Burton, 1577-1640, blogger

From THE ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY

And for those other faults of barbarism, Doric dialect, extemporanean style, tautologies, apish imitation, a rhapsody of rags gathered together from several dunghills, excrements of authors, toys and fopperies confusedly tumbled out, without art, invention, judgment, wit, learning, harsh, raw, rude, fantastical, absurd, insolent, indiscreet, ill-composed, indigested, vain, scurrile, idle, dull, and dry; I confess all ('tis partly affected), thou canst not think w...

Italian Anti-Smog Day

*This is quite a strange development from the mayor of a town whose chief claim to fame is making FIAT cars.

*Or then again, maybe it's not a strange development at all.

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/node/18757

(ANSA) - Milan, February 19 - A one-day halt to road traffic on February 28 is set to spread from Milan and Turin to Venice and other northern Italian towns and cities, Turin Mayor Sergio Chiamparino said Friday.

Chiamparino, as head of the national mayors' association, chaired a meeting of n...

VAGUE TERRAIN 16: Architecture/Action

*More on the ubicomp / urban-informatics / geolocative front. Scene kinda boiling lately.

*Golan Levin? Jonah Bruckner-Cohen? Man, this is pretty much bound to be good.

http://vagueterrain.net/journal16

(…)

"Computation is now moving onto body, into spaces, and into the locative devices in real and tangible ways that affect anyone connected to any one of the myriad networks and systems that make up the communicative architecture of our world.

"From gaming systems utilizing gesture and...