curiosity counts

Beautiful, old photography books repurposed into a vintage...

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:18:27 -0700

Beautiful, old photography books repurposed into a vintage camera? That’s the dream! Major hat tip to artist team TONK for this.

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Art + Science = Pop Culture Crater Parties

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:35:11 -0700

It turns out, the International Astronomical Union’s policy for naming craters on Mercury only uses names of deceased artists, musicians and authors. I absolutely adore the idea of a group of astronomers and astrophysicists sitting around, volleying nominees and vying for their favorite crater-worthy individuals. Twenty-three made the cut including Dr. Seuss and Andy Warhol, but to see the the full list, check out NASA’s Solar System Exploration site.

via It’sOkayToBeSmart

For many of us, each day is display of controlled chaos that...

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:52:11 -0700

For many of us, each day is display of controlled chaos that leaves us wishing for more time to spend doing the things we love. Like watch more Star Wars and listen to more Queen. Or marvel at the two together. But probably more along the lines of some things on this delightful infographic by domo. So it begs the question — if you had two more glorious hours in the day, how would you spend it?

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Just lovely. Harvey and Eddie, Octogenerian Friends Give Their...

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:09:09 -0700

Just lovely. Harvey and Eddie, Octogenerian Friends Give Their Take on Modern Life

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Absolutely fascinating and the best part? Real. The Official...

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:26:50 -0700

Absolutely fascinating and the best part? Real. The Official (Declassified) C.I.A. Manual of Trickery and Deception

“At the height of the Cold War, the Central Intelligence Agency paid $3,000 to renowned magician John Mulholland to write a manual on misdirection, concealment, and stagecraft. All known copies of the document — and a related paper, on conveying hidden signals — were believed to be destroyed in 1973. But recently, the manuals resurfaced, and have now been published as “The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception.” Topics include working a clandestine partner, slipping a pill into the drink of the unsuspecting, and ‘surreptitious removal of objects by women.’”

- Wired: CIA’s Lost Magic Manual Resurfaces

The gang’s all here. Loving this print illustration of Tim...

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:34:09 -0700

The gang’s all here. Loving this print illustration of Tim Burton’s short story characters by artist Mini-Meows.

When I came across the post 15 Rad Robot Accessories For Your...

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:04:00 -0700

When I came across the post 15 Rad Robot Accessories For Your Office, I was a little overwhelmed with a case of the “I wants”. And as you’ll see, all are pretty amazing, but this robot headphone splitter is top of my list. Well, after the robot tea infuser that we all agreed was necessary of course.

View all 15 rad robots.

Gorgeous vintage maps from the Festival of Britian, circa...

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:03:00 -0700

Gorgeous vintage maps from the Festival of Britian, circa 1951.

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13-Year-Old Girl Develops Cure For Hiccups

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:58:56 -0700

13-Year-Old Girl Develops Cure For Hiccups:

At last! And invented by a child genius, no less!

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“Good information design is the best way to navigate...

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:48:00 -0700

“Good information design is the best way to navigate information glut — and it may just change the way we see the world.”

Insight from David McCandless wonderful 2010 TED talk, The Beauty of Data Visualization

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Do We All See The Same Colors? | BBC Future

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:26:31 -0700

Imagine the two of us, arm in arm, looking at a sunset, where the horizon is fretted with golden fire and the deep blue night encroaches from the opposite side of the sky. “What beautiful colours”, I say, and you agree.

And then, in the space of the following silence, I am struck by a worry. I can point at the sky and say it is blue, and you will concur. But are you really seeing that blue the way I am seeing it? Perhaps you have just learnt to call what you see “blue”, but in actual experience you are seeing nothing like the vivid, rich, blue I see. You are an imposter, calling my blue by the same name as yours, but not really seeing it the way I do. Or, even worse, perhaps I am the one seeing a pale imitation blue, while yousee a blue that is infinitely richer and more splendid than mine.

Now I admit that this worry lies in the realm of philosophy, not neuroscience. You might even ask me why I am worrying about this when we could be enjoying the glorious sunset.

Read full article.

Next time you’re looking for a local artistic flair or a...

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:25:32 -0700

Next time you’re looking for a local artistic flair or a little inspiration, check out today’s very cool find, Mural Locator, a worldwide database of murals.

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In Sitting Still, A Bench Press For The Brain

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:18:19 -0700

Excerpts:

The role that meditation plays in brain development has been the subject of several theories and a number of studies. One of them, conducted at the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that long-term meditators like Ms. Splain had greater gyrification — a term that describes the folding of the cerebral cortex, the outermost part of the brain.

The U.C.L.A. study, like previous ones, is inconclusive but intriguing. “You could argue that more folds mean more neurons,” said Dr. Eileen Luders, the recent study’s lead author, who practices meditation herself. “These are the processing units of the brain, and so having more might mean that you have greater cognitive capacities.”

“We used to believe that when you were born, your brain would grow and reach a peak in the early 20s and then start shrinking,” Dr. Luders said. “It was thought there was nothing we could do to change that.” Her research suggests that there might be. As a meditator for four years, Dr. Luders understands the degree of mental discipline involved. “People ask, ‘What do you do? Just sit there with your eyes closed?’ It’s actually hard work, because you have to make a constant mental effort.”

Read full article.

Adjustable bookshelf (and finalist in the Dwell design contest)?...

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:35:02 -0700

Adjustable bookshelf (and finalist in the Dwell design contest)? Yes please!

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After the recent Amendment 1 debacle in North Carolina, it...

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:31:05 -0700

After the recent Amendment 1 debacle in North Carolina, it can’t hurt to know where your own state stands. Here is an absolutely fantastic educational and interactive graph looking at gay rights laws from state to state.

Gorgeous creation from the simple elements of soap, water and an...

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:11:33 -0700

Gorgeous creation from the simple elements of soap, water and an entrancing take on gravity by artist Nicky Assman.

As explained by Fast Co Design, “Solace exploits the effect of gravity on soap films. Most soap bubbles are made up of a mixture of glycerol and water, which have different levels of viscosity. That means that water and soap are affected by gravity at different rates. The swirling patterns you see in the film, after a few seconds held in a vertical position, is light refracting off of the film as water is pulled down more quickly than the rest of the soap film.” Scientific and spell-binding.

We have a growing collection of well-art-directed woodland...

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:51:00 -0700

We have a growing collection of well-art-directed woodland creatures, so naturally an antlered feline should be included, right? The answer is absolutely.

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Most artists loathe dust and consider it a threat to their work...

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:32:13 -0700

Most artists loathe dust and consider it a threat to their work — but painter Scott Wade is not one of those artists. In fact, he owes his popularity to it. Wade is known for his skill of turning the dust of his native Texas into the ideal material to depict detailed scenes using the rear windows of automobiles as his canvas.

Impressive, innovative and gives a legitimate example to those whose cars that could use a little sprucing up.

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Heart Drawn: Leonardo da Vinci's Intricate Anatomy

Tue, 08 May 2012 20:17:42 -0700

From the collection Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomist, Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, 4 May to 7 October 2012. It’s mind-boggling how ahead of his time he was.

Excerpt:
AROUND 1513, Leonardo da Vinci made detailed drawings of the heart and wrote nearly 2000 words of notes on the organ in his characteristic mirror handwriting. Intrigued by the way the aortic valve opens and closes to ensure blood flows in only one direction, he set about constructing a model.

“First pour wax into the gate of an ox’s heart so that you may see the true shape of the gate,” he wrote. With hardened wax as a template, he recreated the structure in glass. By pumping a mixture of water and grass seed through the glass he was able to observe how the widening at the base of the aorta caused swirls of seeds. These eddies, he believed, helped to close “the little doors of the heart” - the three cusps of the valve.

These studies are among 87 original drawings on display in Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomist, the largest ever exhibition of his anatomical works. According to curator Martin Clayton, it is time da Vinci was celebrated as a scientist. “Many of Leonardo’s drawings have been regarded as science in the service of art,” he says. “I want to make the point that this is proper science.”

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Stunning vintage ballerina photo series by artist Jose Romussi,...

Tue, 08 May 2012 18:35:11 -0700

Stunning vintage ballerina photo series by artist Jose Romussi, spinning together photography and colorful embroidery.

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