haujobb - we are
wireframe meets neon meets seventies funk craze meets slipstream meets new york meets demotune meets haujobb
amegatana, fula - innovative japanese gamer performance gadgets
yuichiro katsumoto
has a new video for two of his pet projects out on youtube - the first being amegatana [sword of rain], the one he'd been presenting at ars electronica, 2007 (see my yt linked at the end of this post) - an umbrella linked to an accelerometer that obviously detects the types of swings that you try to pull off and plays a few sound effects (like thunderclaps and rumblings) if you succeeded in doing so. katsumoto-san describes this "an umbrella for enjoying a blissful walk after a rain", which obviously means that all Japanese with umbrellas have this innate ability of kicking our asses hard without even trying.fula, he says, "is a muffler for warming the user's body and soul on a cold winter's day", but it's more like a gadget with dramatic effects, blowing a scarf off our backs and keeping it floating while we show off our blissful shadow-swordsman technique. if i'm nonsensical, just tap play and you'll see what I mean.
funny thing is, I did a brief talk-to with him back at second city. turns out he's a huge fan of bushido blade and this really leaves a mark on the whole amegatana thing. secondly, he said that since the Japanese mobile market is starting to get flooded with handsets with built-in accelerometers, he could rewrite the software for mobiles instead of umbrellas adding multiplayer support. which could leave him with a righteous amount of revenue, so all thumbs up for yuichiro katsumoto!
march 8th: happy [eat me out day]
And Michael Manning had a hand in this. (and this is not via, but please lick fleshbot)
end of an era: spiderlike cyberpunk chandelier
If Big Brother had a chandelier, this would be it. "End of an Era" is an art project created by Ian Burns that attaches 16 small black-and-white TVs to a chandelier-ish frame. Each screen displays a live video feed (presumably received via the extended antennas in the pic), and from the looks of the screens, it's the same one on each. Well, that's kinda boring. I want 16 different live video feeds, Ian. I want this thing to look like some kind of 24 scene cutaway run amok — think you can handle that next time? (via dvice)
gone to zurich, in quest of the geostationary luck charm
case only saw banks and global financial imperatives in switzerland through gibson's eyes. i'll blog and flickr you out what got through the filters. next post comes friday. (photo via)
future vehicle prototype porn
The Quaranta borrows its hybrid powertrain from the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Lexus RX400h: a 3.3-liter V-6 and the Hybrid Synergy Drive system with a combined output of 268 horsepower and 213 pound-feet of torque. Italdesign claims the car will return a city/highway average of 33 mpg, and a pair of fuel tanks that together hold about sixteen gallons of gasoline provide a 620-mile range. "E-Four" is, in fact, a fancy name for Toyota's part-time all-wheel drive system (called "4WD-i" in the Highlander Hybrid), which uses a separate, 68-horsepower electric motor at the rear wheels that kicks in during acceleration or when slippage is detected. (via wired)
The EMBRIO Advanced Concept is a one-wheeled recreational and commuting vehicle for the year 2025, designed by the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products. Although the riding position is similar to that of a motorcycle, the vehicle uses sensors and gyroscopes to balance up to two passengers on a large single wheel whilst driving. (via thecontaminated)
The Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is developing another bus, which is able to operate on designated tracks. Future Bus is able to operate at very high speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour (155 mph) and could therefore be an alternative to high-speed railway lines. This highly streamlined electric bus can also be driven at lower speeds on existing roads and bus lanes. With a length of 15 metres (49.2 ft) and a width of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft), the Superbus has similar dimensions to a conventional bus. Due to the seating arrangement without a centre aisle however, the height is just 1.7 metres (5.6 ft). The low aerodynamic drag (less than 0.2) makes the Superbus more efficient than a passenger car. (via thecontaminated)
the gene generation / dna hacker chronicles: cyberpunk comics on the rize, movie rlzd in 2k8
More info on one of the most hyped cyber/biopunk movies in the past few years. I spoke to Pearry Reginald Teo, director of THE GENE GENERATION and he confirmed that they're "working on distribution rights in different countries/regions and the comics will be out in March".
Which directly leads me to the point - there is a visual supplement to the movie itself, although I'd say that after having waited more than two years for the release, it's more of a teaser until the DVD release than something we could rightfully grab as a stand-alone comics. Still.
The DNA Hacker Chronicles are released by Bloodfire Studios and as far as the official press release goes, the comics will delve deep into the DNA hacking aspect and readers will have to solve puzzles and break codes while reading the story - which is a brilliant idea in itself. Expect three issues (Genesis, The Suffering, Blood Alliance) this month. Unfortunately the last trailer hit YouTube some ninth months ago and the latest thing on MySpace is Bai Ling arrested at the airport for some pretty theft (which is more like forgetfulness and misdemeanour, they say).
shanadoo: globalization hits rock bottom
There's a slim chance that if you're reading this, you're aware of eurobeat. If not, think italodisco with high-pitch sawtooth synth leads and lyrics based on the word inventory of a lowrider fansite link deposit. Eurobeat's practically produced for Japan by European (mostly Italian) labels, so whenever my quasi-musician acquaintances need instant gratification (or divine assistance), I tell them to go to Napoli with a laptop and a new copy of Reason to establish a flourishing but equally shallow career (gnyah!).
Now, apparently, life has just reverse-engineered the concept. Shanadoo is a Japanese girl group who're produced in Germany and what's worse, the great majority of their tracks is based on E-Rotic, an otherwise terribly bad eurodance group back in the nineties (if you remember max don't have sex with your ex and sex on the phone, that's them). Thankfully, most of the lyrics are rewritten into nihongo but even that and the gothier/kinkier outfit for the 2007 album The Symbol cannot really save these girls from utter failure (teens love them, though. PD doesn't). They have shitloads of videos on YouTube and honestly, there's not even one I would have the stomach to embed. Gomen ne.
To keep you interested in the unholy but otherwise sweet sin of eurobeat, check the youtube below, that's the Italian interview with Nuage, ex-bellissima and vocalist of Dawe Rodgers (mega producer of the genre) with some live footage from the Rodgers HQ, sweet!
mirror's edge: cyberpunk meets parkour (and apparently, nic endo)
We'd have a secret crush on Faith at the office: she's young, Asian, makes a living by doing parkour runs as a courier in a future where information has to be distributed physically (Gibson's Virtual Light plays the very same card) and has barcode-looking tattoos that give an extra. Instead, this very lady also looks like Bai Ling with her face pressed conveniently flat in a foundry, genetically merged with an alien and ripping off half a mascara off Nic Endo. No pussyjob for Faith.
But seriously. She's just a jpeg off DICE and a fanpage for a game DICE develops entitled Mirror's Edge. (Faith is the protagonist but there's a slim chance that the Asian chick is just a geek hit factor, nothing more.) This is going to be a FPS parkour game in a cyberpunk future with no weapons use at all, the body's gonna have all the focus, which is nice, as parkour is all about perfect body use in an urban environment. At the present On Mirror's Edge has all the info you need. Below, two screenshots and below that, a brief scene from one of the hottest parkour action movies ever, called Banlieu 13. The movie also headlines David Belle who is the founder figure of parkour.
venetian cyberpunk carnival masks
Sieghai (new addition to the everchanging blogroll) found this awesome pic off flickr, that's a Venetian shopwindow with some sweet cyberpunkish carnival masks. This actually sets off a tremendous shopping and travelling urge in me. Send me more wicked neo-antique.
naga sabi bomb (because you have actually tazered your tongue out)
Megvan, hogy három X-szárnyúból álló raj biztosítja a brooklyni kockahasakra felinstanttetkózott biohazárdveszélyt?
Lassan havi rítussá válik nálunk (azaz Dawenél meg nálam), hogy tisztelettől könnyező szemekkel kattintgatjuk végig dannycasht meg a hozzá hasonló oldalakat (nagy a pofám, amióta beledörgöltem a 10/10-es erősségű szószt a szemembe és csak fél óráig nem láttam). Hétfőn jött a mostvagysoha, előtte nyilván a Scoville-skálát néztük, hogy nekifutásból melyikünk milyen messze jut el, perszehogyamélyvíz.
Ezzel itt balra valószínűleg hadifoglyokat kínoztak, tekintve hogy naga jolokia, red habanero és wasabi van benne. Az első két összetevő a világ két legerősebb, kapszaicint tartalmazó, chilipaprikának gúnyolt tömegoszlató fegyvere, a wasabit meg ugyan nem lehet mérni Scoville-ban, mert izotiocianátot tartalmaz kapszaicin helyett, ezért cserébe amit a szájüregben nem tud marni, azt az orrjáraton keresztül meg az agyban teszi meg. Aztán aznap majd újraéljük a teremtést. (dannycash.com)
bamboo light
még egy energiatakarékos LEDmegoldás, ezúttal törökországból. sevcan yardim (ő a nevével ellentétben lány) szerint a bambusz formája konkrétan üvölt a moduláris felépíthetőségért. a bamboo light az ankarai [metu] egyetemen lett lefejlesztve, egyelőre még nem kapható. (via core77)
garfield minus garfield: cultural hack of the year
skizofrénia, bipoláris depresszió, metamfetaminfüggés
john arbuckle végeláthatlan küzdelmei garfield nélkül
az év kulturális hackje
appleseed: ex machina (new dvd trailer)
március 11-től lehet megrendelni az amazonon az új appleseed: ex machina 2DVD-s verziót. már keveri mindenki a blu-ray, hddvd és szimpla dvd, valamint az ezekből összeállított szimpla, dupla és collector's edition verziókat, egyesek szerint angol-spanyol-francia nyelvű audiotrackek vannak rajta, az eredeti japán nincs is, úgyhogy sanyarú szívvel kell megrendelnem kipróbálásra ezt is az eredeti appleseed coll-ed meg az új vexille mellett (ami viszont csak május 20 után jön ki). de azért csak mellékelem a higgadtzenés-majdnemnégyperces prada-verziót is.
moltensteelman - walking beast
"The Walking Beast is a mechanical creature that walks on 8 legs! (...) Its current weight is 11,300 Lbs. When finished it will be approximately 6 tons (12,000 lbs)! It stands 11 feet tall, 8' 4" wide and 23 feet long! It is capable of transporting 8 people including the driver. It has a step height of 41" and a stride of 5 feet!"
Hell of a post-apocalyptic strider for those with an apparently infinite amount of time to pop some scorpions in the middle of the fucking desert. With a Chevy V-8 engine. Srsly. (link)
psykosonik - welcome to my mind
Psykosonik was an American techno music group. Their first album, Psykosonik, was a hard-hitting techno album with cyberpunk-esque lyrics. (link)
trembled blossoms
Directed by the performance artist James Luna and based on James Jean's Nouveau-esque wallpaper seen in the ad campaign, the film is an ambitious narrative fantasy depicting a cyber woman's journey through a magical, illustrated forest.An army of CGI operatives were enlisted to show her morphing from a Lalique-like blossom, through a pastel coloured meadow and into a splendid, seductive glade, where she meets Pan. The fashion element is subtle yet cleverly handled. She begins as a sort of pale neuter cyborg wearing nothing but PRADA heels and then a mysterious character (a sci-fi stylist?) emerges from the trees and clothes her in the stand-out red and blue check sheath dress from the S/S '08 collection... (via)
superplonk: AR, stross style
one experiment in my ongoing surveillance series simulates superplonk with images of network cameras. via motion detection i am reconstructing a place’s image without people and cars. all moving objects are becoming ghosts. only people and cars who are standing still are becoming visible. movement makes you invisible. jan covers this topic in his master thesis, too. (link, via)
mecha naga: another piece of want
mental note: stab myself in the head repeatedly if i do not order at least one after zurich (link)
sleep wa(l)king robots interprets dreams via dance
The Sleep Waking robot is the result of a collaboration between Fernando Orellana and Brendan Burns. Orellana spent a night in The Albany Regional Sleep Disorder Center in New York. The staff wired him up and collected data of every conceivable kind: EEG, EKG, rapid eye movement - you name it. Orellana describes the use of the data to animate the robot (...) (link)
audiosurf: ten dollars to leave you orgasm-eyed
Broken and abused has never been this much fun. Audiosurf, the new indie epic find met Destroid's classic floorfiller stompa (watermarked by none other than Haujobb god Daniel Myer) - see proof above. (That was where it really hit me.) One third speeder, one third blockcombiner, one third hallucinogenic cyber trip inducer, Audiosurf will leave avid gamers who desperately want their personalities uploaded all over the 'Net for freeplay orgasm-eyed and bleeding for more. Addictive. Very. All I can want is more gametypes and more mods. Easily the most entertaining game of the year.
phun - a fun 2d physics playground
Phun is meant to be a playground where people can be creative. It can also be used as an educational tool to learn about physics concepts such as restitution and friction. (via, link)