The Observable Universe

Everything is taking a spacey vibe this week, I am happy or depressed either works.

Source The Daily Galaxy

The Invisible Universe - Google on Dark Matter

Sometimes coincidence really smacks you in the face! It is easy to get mystical, but one night my train of thought got somehow got on to what algorithms Google could make from the data they are getting from Google Wave! I ended up believing I know what the dark matter is in the universe. Problem is I am not trained in mathematics; I applied to do physics degree I even went to an informal polite chat. "One does not have the ability after reading a few books and Open University qualification" he could have been wrong?
But when it comes to predicting relationships between week and strong ties, we may find out that our universe is deterministic.
To make any prediction calculations you need to factor in the whole of the universe, so you need to know what is in the whole universe, including the dark matter.

I noticed this twitter from Daily Galaxy http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/12/google-cosmology-dark-energy.html
It includes this talk on Google Talks about dark matter! I haven’t finished it yet, I have got up until the bit about gravitons (a theoretical particle) I am excited to see what they say, because in my theory the Graviton is not a particle, it is..... Well I am going to study this Video first, it would be great to think I was not far off.

Syn Emergence

Syn Emergence from RICH BEVAN on Vimeo.

Nuff Said.

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize

The Exhibition is in the National Portrait Gallery from the 5th of November 2009-14 February 2010. The selection on show are 60 works selected from more than 6,300 images-Thats loads! Therefore it seams a disappointment to see some photographs that you may wonder why they are there?

And make you think why did they pick the winners they did? I will not tell you the winners, but share with you some thoughts. As the leaflet states the work is from professionals, students and amateurs and covers a wide range of work. The quality is exceptional you can't depute that, as photography is subjetive they are as many reading of an image as people, but the exhibition seamed to have a agenda with the choice, rather than an organic feel. Not having seen any of the 6,240 images that did not make it into the exhibition, it would wrong of me misunderstand the complexity of choosing what to hang. As a gallery it would be wrong to show 25 pictures of a six year old with a cat, evan if those 25 where the best work anybody has ever seen, and individually every one would make you weep with joy. You would have to pick one (or maybe two).

If you are thinking about entering next year one of these competitions, I have some advice, pick a category that is not popular and take the best photo you can to increase your odds.

At the top was the least interesting portrait of the whole show- Sarah Waters, by Ric Bower

You could forgive the dullness of the image, if it was not for the text describing the image. "the image is a result of an intense artistic process with Walters as a willing collaborator" I can't think of anything more bum kissy.

On the right is Scott by David Graham, I love this photograph, Mainly because of the use of the white door as a back ground and the look that Scott gives to the camera has such a serenity, you can almost feel you are there in that tight space with the inevitability of the end.

One of my other favorites was Huong, 19 in Hanol, From the series A war's Legacy- Birth Defects in Vietnam by Adam Nadel. For me the composition was interesting to me, as Hanol was slightly placed in the frame at the bottom right. As Hanol as no eyes, it was difficult to to know where to look, your eyes moved around the frame and landed neatly square in the face,this was then repeated due to the composition I became aware of my own eyes. This may have not been the intention of the photographer, but if it was subtly placed there it would have been why this photograph was so successful.

Posted via web from roomnoir's posterous

Smoking Apes

I love old footage, this is particularly interesting to me because I also collect old postcards or children smoking, and I have a few postcards of apes. This video has footage of apes smoking! I also love the music.

Source beerorkid

Taxidermy-Strange Creations

'Humautica' 2009

Fascinating work by Juan Cabana, I found this in an article by Environmental Graffiti.

Life - Fight to the death: the real killer bees - BBC One

I am looking forward to watching 'Life' on BBc one tonight. This clip on youtube looks and sounds amazing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDDBBRRq67M. Typical Men!

Martian landscapes - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Martian landscapes - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Posted using ShareThis

Beau Lotto: Optical illusions show how we see

I read an article in the New Scientist, I can't remember when. It was basically about a tribe in South America that had many words for the colour green, but when showen a colour palette of reds, could not distinguish between them. they appeared the same because the language was not there. This video looks at how the brain interprets colour, and how things are not always as they seem.

Vintage Science

Exploring The Moon Map

I have a passion for vintage science and have some books myself at home. I was so delighted to have read this article on Wired, and also to listen to a storyboard Podcast. It was my first podcast! It was an exciting day today!. The podcast was the art Director Carl DeTorres, chatting about his discovery of author Roy AS. Gallant.

Listen to the Pod cast here

The podcast is a great behind the science chat about the motivations behind the Wired article Classic 1950s Science Textbooks Get a 21st-Century Update

I love the stick

I dont usually post viral images, but I just have to with this one, I love the stick.

Thanks Redit

Oenothera biennis

Oenothera biennis(Evening primrose) pollen grains (650X)

Courtesy Nikon Small World Photo Micrography Competition: Photographed by Dr. Shirley Owens

Unicef-Toy Soldiers

Y&R South Africa has created a bag of playing children in classic toy soldier green plastic. I really like the message, powerful and one you cannot ignore.

Source ADLAND

ORIGAMI-Between The Folds

Geometric Folded Tessellation by Eric Gjerde

For some reason my son has got big into Origami, we spent the weekend folding paper, and I found it was really enjoyable. As a mother when your child shows a interest in something you need to just run with it. So i was delighted to find this clip to a documentary where "filmmaker Vanessa Gould explores the expression of mathematics through origami". Between The Folds in on tour in the US, not sure when it will get to the UK, would love to see it.

Richard Mark Dobson – The Crest Hotel

Richard Mark Dobson – The Crest Hotel

burn is an evolving journal for emerging photographers. Curated by magnum photographer
david alan harvey. You could enjoy many hours reading photo-media projects on this site and glad I found it, I found it being drawn by a really nicely written blog called Images of my Thoughts.

Crafting a good narrative is extremely hard, it is what many photojournalists struggle. I have many friends that take such wonderful photographs but can't sell the story, while other photographers have stories continuously published but their images are lacking in that special wow factor. This piece by Mark Dobson, fascinated me, not sure why exactly.

I remember visiting a photography exhibition at The Photographers Gallery many years ago, there was a piece called Outland by Roger Ballen. A mixture of documentary and art, Ballen created the images with the poor white farmers in south Africa.
I remember the abolishment of apartheid on TV, it left lasting images. I remember watching the news and the reports of the White farmers loosing their farms, looting and murder. It left me a polarised view that white people in SA are rich and black are poor. And did not really think much about South Africa once it left the news, until I viewed Outlanders.
I will never forget what I saw, I could not understand the images I was seeing, and still struggle. And I do not know why and that bothers me, South Africa is a place that holds fascination, but I really don’t want to go there, I feel uncomfortable writing that and uncomfortable admitting it. I was raised up in a working class, fairy multicultural family, I have experienced "relatively speaking" rich times and poor times. So what was the impact Outland had on me? Why was I so shocked to see poor white people in South Africa?
Maybe it was because of the media and the images I am confronted with, and I am used to seeing poor people from other countries so much more, I was shocked at my self for realising this stereotype is deep in my perceptions about the word, of course I know that poverty is not discriminatory. Much has changed since apartheid, and as the world is becoming more multicultural, I feel there is a still along way to go, because how do you change perceptions that you have no control that you have learned, if you grow up with one way of thinking, what needs to be in place for a person to challenge their perception of the world?

Award winning planted aquariums

"Old Chinese Garden" by PJ. Magnin, Velp, Netherlands

Had a massive crisis this weekend, after being on holiday for two weeks, I left my prized fish tank in the hands of my Friend. It was not her fault but when I returned I found two fish missing, my friend did not notice. They died from over feeding, the bodies poised my tank, and I was left with high Nitrate, after being poorly advised I added a chemical to my tank and a fish that was sick from a bacterial infection due to water poisoning went belly, up. they the rest of my fish started turning a funny colour and dying. I managed to get a bucket and save the fish, but it was touch and go, and surprisingly upsetting. I care a lot about my fish and the result of careless action has caused their death. Looking after fish is harder work than I thought, but has been very rewarding. My tank looks nothing like the award winning tanks in the article from the Los Angeles Times, but goes to show what people can achieve with some passion, and thought. These tanks are stunning, Aquascaping is my new word.

Thanks Justin

VISA POUR L’IMAGE 2009

This was my second year visiting Perpignan for VISA, and once again it was an inspirational thought-provoking week. The highlight for me is the night projections and the opportunity to attend talks by the photographers about their work. On the third of September we received the news that Christian Poveda was killed,  in El Salvador, shot by the gangs he filmed.

Poveda a documentary photographer and filmmaker he devoted his time to photographing the street gangs of El Salvador. Last year I attended his talk and had the opportunity to watch his documentary “LA Vida Loca” which follows the members of La 18 a branch of the Mara gangs.

The documentary is due to be released on the 31st of September and I would recommend seeing it. Click here to watch a clip.

Evan Grant: Making sound visible through cymatics

Fractals, caos, small world mapping and now sound, has hidden patterns, who would have guessed it???!!

CRAPPY TAXIDERMY

Such a funny website the image speaks for it's self, Polly is crackers!

source urlesque

3D Chalk Drawings

Chalk visual illusions by Axel Peemoeller, made in a car park in Australia. 

Sourse http://www.moillusions.com

Sporetastic

This is nice and simple and green writing with moss. I find moss very beautiful and using it in this way as graffiti, poetry, typography is very effective. Made by Anna Garforth.
Source 2sleep

I love Fish

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

Champagne-Fuelled Jungle - Tomas ; a book by James Palumbo

Holst and gunning down shallow pigs. It is a veritable feast for the senses. 

Source http://www.adme.ru/

What do Luke Sullivan, Diesel and Harvey Milk have in common?

Luke Sullivan wrote Hey Whipple and Squeeze This: a guide to Creating Great Advertising. In his chapter about the enemies of advertising, Luke introduces the Meat Puppet, a person due to their own fear and indecision believes their actions will be “second guessed” therefore creative ideas are unable to leave the drawing board, because clients may not want to take risks.

Diesel (the Italian fashion label) infamous for their irreverent marketing campaigns. In December, coinciding with their 30th anniversary, the brand launched a new campaign “channel V " that included a video called Pete The Meat Puppet; a surreal story about the rise and fall of a puppet made from meat as he embarks on a career in advertising. If you missed it first time round, check it out here . But here's the connection, Legs directed the video for the agency FarFar, Legs are based at the Milk studios. One of the videos pictured a man drinking milk, then saying, “Milk loves the machine”

I really like the use of the Venn diagram.

"Milk Loves The Machine"

With me so far? Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected in to public office in the state of California. Harvey Milk was assassinated, in November 1978 after 11 months in office. In a film by Gus Van Sant released in January of this year “MILK” chronicles the story of Harvey Milk’s, life and the gay rights movement of the seventies. I really recommend watching it. In the film one of Harvey milk slogans on his campaign posters was “Harvey Milk vs. The Machine”

"Harvey Milk vs. The Machine"

So why are these connections important?

I like to think that the idea behind the Diesel campaign was inspired by a book I love, that then helped breathe life into a monster, and in doing so allowed subliminal nods and little signatures to reward those who recognise them. Then again it might all be bollocks, a happy coincidence. But isn't that often what great creativity boils down to?

I originally wrote this post for Rubber Republic.

News articles my Dad sent me

Over many years my dad has been sending me news articles. I discovered them while looking for a bank card, I forgot that I have saved them all.
Each of the articles will represent a shared interest of my dad and I or something my dad thinks I am interested in, nearly all the times he is right. My Dad said to me " I know you are busy, so I will read the news for you and edit it for you", my Dad was always well ahead of the times, he was my first RSS feed and bookmarking tool.

Not really happy about this.

I find this quite sad, digital has killed traditional photography (I can accept that and move with the times). Surly there is a better use for the cameras. Being able to have a image of yourself or loved ones is a privilege that we take for granted. Photography has, I believe been instrumental in the belief in the self. Being a photography teacher for many years working with young disadvantaged young people, the magic of the dark room can dramatically improve self-esteem, in two ways, first the act of creation. Many people have not had the opportunity, knowing you have the ability to crate a image, something external is a powerful experience. This is not so important with digital, this process becomes throwaway, as many of the peoples experience with the world.

Secondly photography is a valuable tool in allowing people to start to think conceptually about themselves and there place in the word. Thinking conceptually, is something that has to be taught, it does not always come naturally and photography can help people that may struggle academically.

Surly these can be repaired and sent to people that could use them?

Source http://www.inquisitr.com and http://photojojo.com

“Typographic Landscape” by Brian Castleforte

idn “typographic landscape” from Brian Castleforte on Vimeo.

I am big on the typographic at the moment, I would have liked to study typography at university, but I am dyslexic so I was scared off. 

Thanks viacomit.net

3D Typography

Thanks Abduzeedo.com

Ticks all the boxes, photography, typography and 3D! 

POPaganda

Ron English's billboards, are about free speech. 

NEWSPAPER BLACKOUT POEMS

Why do I always miss this things, well I have a few days left! 

Thanks www.austinkleon.com

Space is so big

Image: NASA/ESA

I mean, so big, more big than I can imagine, I like thinking how big space is. It hurts when I think about how chuffing big space actually is. And when I see photographs like this, I am reminded, I think is is good to be reminded how mutter chuffing big space actually is. 

Thanks Wired for brining me the lastest Hubble images.

Archive Photography

NCP3744 moulages on cart part color corrected

A treasure trove of medical illustrations and photographs are now available under the creative commons license on Flickr from the National Museum of Health and Medicine
I am a massive fan of archive photography since I found the work of LARRY SULTAN & MIKE MANDEL "Evidence" I am looking forward to these images popping up all over the place.

Link to original source

Three Dimensional Fractals

link to origonal article in Dark Roasted Blend

I am Watching The Watchmen

I have just started reading the graphic novel, and I am blown away! I really like the subtle references to Einstein, and George Orwell among many other great thinkers. The book is full of coincidence, and I love coincidences. For example there is a a story how the book includes they story of Kitty Genovese, a woman that was killed out side her home in New York, where almost forty neighbors looked on and nobody called the cops. This was an influence in how Rorschach became. That is a very important story in The Tipping point by Malcolm Gladwell. If I were to recommend any books the first two would be The Watchmen and The Tipping Point.

International Space Station Tour-HD

Not often things I find blow me away, but this did, the quality of seeing Earth from space, absolutely amazing.  

Jesus, Father Christmas and Chess

aMap argument I created in a clever widget by Delib. I have discovered how difficult it is to win your own argument.

Unsold Cars

I am happy today, I picked up my new car yesterday, but now I am reminded of the economic climate, can I really afford to run a car? Lovely photographs, I want to go out and take some of my own. I feel sad, that this is all rusting. This seams to be the biggest problem with industry, making more than we need to supply on demand. Link to original article

Photos: David McNew/Getty Images, ANDREW YATES/AFP/Getty Images, Christopher Furlong/Getty Images, David Goddard/Getty Images,Spencer Platt/Getty Images, Matt Cardy/Getty Images, Nigel Roddis/Reuters

We Feel Fine

I love this web art project 'We Feel Fine' a beautiful and inspired project that maps human emotions. This is old news now, shown to me by Helen a media student a few years ago now student. It stuck in my mind as I was reading a book on small world theory. I feel visualizing the social network will follow along the same lines. The creator Jonathan Harris has done a interesting talk on TED.
I have decided to blog about this now because I am doing some research in visualising the value of reach, and I dug about my old links and found an old link by The Logic and Emotion Blog Influence Ripples
"I feel there is a connection" will that get absorbed in to the project? I hope so.

I also really like David Armano's Flickr L+E Visual Thinking Archive 

This is may favorite venn diagram David has done.