Little World

Nokia and the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (Kevin Cannon and Tobias Loft) have teamed up to create an awesome set of research and concepts for how we will interact with our mobile devices in the next 2–4 years. Within their 2 weeks of studies they came up with a concept, among others, titled "Little World." On Kevin Cannon's portfolio he states, "We found out that the featurism around modern phones was actually getting in the way of it's core function: connecting people." That's just what the interface does–brings people to the forefront. Little World went on to become a finalist at the IxD10 student competition this month. Brilliant! Congratulations, guys! Check it out the video!

PUMA Phone

So, I'm in love with the new Puma phone created by Puma and Sagem! The entire package is quite fantastic! First of all, it's solar powered (obviously meant for outdoor types). What I love the most though, is the interface! Most of the interface is on a solid field of red, utilizing really amazing white icons. To change the brightness, you simply drag a cloud of over the sun! The system even has it's own icon language that you can download on the site! It's got a front facing camera for video and photo sharing capabilities. Check out the awesome videos!

Horizons

Suuuuuuuuper trippy. Neil Dawson's piece called Horizons now sits atop the crest of a hill in New Zealand's "The Farm," a large private art park owned by Alan Gibbs. Standing 50 feet high, Horizons really messes with your perspective. I can't quite figure out its structure yet, although I know it's welded and probably flat. I LOVE IT!!!

Augmented Reality Cake

So, this is bringing augmented reality to the NEXT LEVEL! AR is fantastic, and it doesn't necessarily have to be interactive, as along as you're enhancing your physical experience. This is absolutely hilarious / amazing because it applies projections to a wedding cake, and I think that the music only makes it more enthralling! Watch this cake go cr-cr-craaaazy.

Snapshots of Provence

So, I really love analyzing the soundscape of other geographic regions! There's something about the value of sound that creates a truly subversive experience but at the same time allowing a lot of imaginative flexibility. Snapshots of Provence lets you explore multiple interviews, photos and videos.... of Provence.

A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter

So, this piece is pretty much brilliant! I love art that can sustain itself! Haha! Caleb Larsen has created a black box with an ethernet plug on the back. Basically, you purchase the box off of eBay. Once shipped to you, it's your responsibility to plug it into an ethernet jack, where it'll immediately put itself as an auctionable item, with the starting bid at the most recent winning amount! So, all you have to do is invest at the current price and you'll be sure to get your money back at the next win!.... I think?

Check out the most recent auction!

Augmented (Hyper)Reality

So, Augmented Reality is really taking off. But, what does the mean for the future? Well, Keiichi Matsuda has an interesting vision.

Augmented (hyper)Reality: Domestic Robocop from Keiichi Matsuda on Vimeo.

Open Your Heart

Michel Gondry has finished another really amazing video, this time for Mia Doi Todd. I love it, because although it's obviously choreographed, there's an amazing humanistic and realistic element to this piece. You can tell this group is performing purely for the spirit of the music. Watch the video.