Boob tube tidbits February 27, 2009

Last week all of our favorite television shows, news, and made-for-TV movies were supposed to disappear off of the antennae-wavelength airwaves and be available only in digital format. The shutting down of the analog bandwidths to TV stations is presumably to open them up instead to emergency channels and more cell phones. This has been in the works for years, but this year we finally felt ready; only Congress ended up extending the deadline to June. A lot of TV stations made the switch anyway.

In honor of the kind-of-sort-of-official switchover to digital, here are some factoids about the history of the TV, and how it has shaped both our technology and created a whole new venue for artists and creative minds to explore. Too bad there’s evidence that the viewing of TV is bad for one’s brain.

Tonight on TV: The Linguists February 26, 2009

The Linguists is a documentary focusing on a quest to record and retain dying languages throughout the world. It follows linguistic anthropologists David Harrison and Greg Anderson across Eurasia – India, Siberia, Slovakia – on their quest to document different languages now spoken only in small pockets around the world. In doing so, they hope to promote the revitilization of these languages, but if nothing else to capture them for posterity so centuries from now people will know these languages existed. Anderson also leads the Living Tongues Institute For Endangered Languages in Oregon.

It has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival and is due to air tonight on PBS. It is getting a lot of buzz from NPR, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and other news outlets, so it should be accessible to and enjoyable by a broad audience.

Why am I writing about a film about two linguistic anthropologists travelling the world? Because linguistics is a surprisingly difficult and scientific undertaking, with connections to many different realms of scientific pursuit.

To quote Wikipedia, linguistics is ”the study of language structure (grammar) and the study of meaning (semantics). Grammar encompasses morphology (the formation and composition of words), syntax (the rules that determine how words combine into phrases and sentences) and phonology (the study of sound systems and abstract sound units). Phonetics is a related branch of linguistics concerned with the actual properties of speech sounds (phones), non-speech sounds, and how they are produced and perceived.”

Studying sounds, how words are developed, and how are brain processes these words are all connected to cognitive fields of science that have expanded tremendously in the past 20 years. Noam Chomsky is probably the best-known linguist, tying mathematical structure into linguistic analysis as well as studying brain function and how the brain responds, or has responded, to the development of language over the course of human history. Chomsky has become a magnet for schools of thought for or against his cognitive theories, but at least it got people talking.

There are now biolinguistics, computational linguists, neurolinguists, psycholinguists, cognitive scientists studying language, and good old fashioned social or anthropological linguists, as featured in this documentary.

So, check it out.

Artsy mobile engineering February 25, 2009

Spring is just around the corner, which means we can all start pulling out the bicycles, unicycles, skateboards, or whatever other man-powered wheeled vehicles we use and start ped-ing our way around town.

For some inspiration, here is a spread of photos and ideas from the 2008 Bike Kill Festival held last fall in New York, NY. Some are functional, some are fun, all require an artistic viewpoint and some engineering know-how, and possibly a blowtorch. What fun! My favorite is definitely the boot-bike.

Cell phone graffiti February 24, 2009

It’s much prettier than it sounds.

Jurgen Scheibel, or “MobiLenin”, has followed in the footsteps of installations artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, but on a much smaller scale and using more modern materials.

An artist and computer engineer studying Ubiquitous Computing at University of Art and Design, Helsinki (UbiLife project), MobiLenin wrote his own application that turns his mobile phone into a digital ’spray can.’ He then uses his cell phone and a portable projector to project large swaths of color onto such buildings as the Guggenheim, Sydney Opera House, London’s Big Ben, United Kingdom’s Parliament house, and the Tate Modern museum in London. See him paint the Guggenheim here.

Reuters video news coverage of MobiLenin. He can also capture photos and use them as part of his murals. MobiLenin also offers tutorials on how to write such programs on his website, as well as pictures of some of his work.

I find his use of a projector and modern portable technologies to create a temporary yet bold installation on famous landmarks a wonderful combination of technology and artistic endeavour. I also think it’s wise and appropriate that he is making the technology he uses to create public art available to the public.

Less is more in materials design February 23, 2009

The Material Research Society recently released the best images submitted from their 2008 Fall ”Science As Art” competition. Each image depicts everyday objects made from common materials, but pieced together at the microscopic or even nanoscopic level. Most of the images are really pretty, while some are a little creepy.

Discover Magazine created a puzzle out of the different photos. You can see this year’s and previous years’ winners at the Society’s website.

Science Oscars February 20, 2009

Every year actors, directors, producers, and production artists get together to celebrate the previous year’s best work (according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences).

But almost two weeks before, a very special set of Oscars is handed out on behalf of the work done on the lights, cameras, and movie action that make the entire film industry possible: the scientific and technical “oscar” awards.

Presented by Jessica Biel, the awards were given for new lens systems, lighting fixtures, LCD screens, lifetime achievement, and other camera and lens breakthroughs. It was a small gathering of people, and they’re not presented with the rest of the Oscar awards, but it’s still nice to know that you can win an Oscar for creating a super lens.

Technology has become more and more important in film these days, from computer-generated imagery (CGI) to new camera technology to blue/green screen to all the effects that went into this year’s Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Today’s film technology really is incredible, certainly when compared to some of the first films with computer-animation.

Computer-aided chicken scratch February 19, 2009

Thanks to the gang over at GeekDad, I was introduced to a cool FREE program called Your Fonts. Your Fonts allows the user to turn their own handwriting into a font that they can then use on most writing programs.

You need a printer and a scanner. You simply print out their template, write your letters, and then scan it back onto your computer as a .jpeg, .tiff, or whatever, and upload it into their system. I uploaded my own handwriting, and was amazed by how smooth the upload result was; it knicked part of my “a” because it must have been too close to the edge of the box or something like that, but otherwise was flawless in its capture. I am now able to write letters to people in my own handwriting and be BARELY more legible.

This is a fun, technology-enabled way of expressing yourself both creatively and through literature. You could even invent your own alphabet if you wanted to. This would also be a great way to capture your child’s kindergarten-level letters, or some of the beautiful penmanship that still exists among the older generations that actually had to study penmanship. Quite a difference compared to today’s generation who knows the “txt”ing version of a word’s spelling better than the traditional spelling of the word. I’m sure there are more tech-savy folks who could come up with all sorts of applications for this (texting friends in your own handwriting, perhaps?).

I meant to bring a sample to show you all, but obviously didn’t, so I will see if I can post one later today.

Microbes for Michelangelo February 18, 2009

Traditionally bacteria and art have been seen as a bad combination, potentially destroying irreplacable artifacts and paintings. Mold, fungus, and insects can also be detrimental, especially in tropical climates. However, these little powerhouses with a one-track mind can also be used for art conservation and preservation.

Art conservationists, curators and scientists gathered last week in Caracas, Venezuela at the Forum on Cultural Heritage Conservation, to discuss the potential contributions of microorganisms in the art world. These abilities range from detecting whether a gallery’s air quality might be harmful to delicate to art, to fixing cracks in marble statues, to actually cleaning a dirty piece with helpful bacteria.

Sponsored by the U.N. and the Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation, the event gathered over 200 participants and speakers from 30 different countries.

“Giancarlo Ranalli, an Italian researcher in Pesche, Italy, and a presenter at the forum, has already used bacteria to clean the base of Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini in Milan and another kind of bacteria to remove harmful animal glue from frescos in Pisa. Ramirez also describes the use of forensic DNA techniques to identify burrowing insects in wooden pieces from just minuscule droppings or a tiny body part so that the precise species can be identified and properly eradicated as well as the use of a process called biomineralization in which microbes, introduced to a crack in a stone sculpture, will deposit a calcium carbonate that picks up the color of the original while filling the gap.”

Music goes Wii February 17, 2009

Strapped for funds and new ideas in how to engage their students in school, teachers are turning to video games and video game technology.

This article explores how as many as 60 music teachers around the United States are using the “Wii Music” program on the Wii to engage students and teach them music.

“Nintendo approached the National Music Education Association (or MENC) in late October — around about the same time that “Wii Music” hit store shelves — to see how the software might work in a classroom setting.”

““Wii Music” doesn’t ask players to match beats, like “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band.” Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller, players can experiment with more than 60 different virtual instruments ranging from bagpipes to ukulele. They can play mini-games such as “Handbell Harmony” and “Pitch Perfect.” And they can jam or improvise as part of an ensemble.”

While I’m always a fan of old-fashioned kazoo-blowing, I think using visual cues, as well as hand-eye coordination, can be great aids to help students learn aural skills.

Color affects creativity February 16, 2009

For a long time psychologists couldn’t agree on which color was better for our brains: red or blue. Now a series of tests has come up with the answer: Both!

The researchers working on this very important issue have found that seeing the color red makes the brain wary and alert, and therefore better at paying attention to details or concentration. Blue, on the other hand, makes us more relaxed and open to new ideas and creative. So according to this work, accountants should have bright red offices. Or something like that.

As the NPR story pointed out, however, seeing someone wearing red does not make us more wary of asking them out; in fact quite the opposite. Maybe it just makes us that much more alert? Perhaps there are still a few kinks to work out in the conclusions of the work, but still good to know.

I wonder what, if anything, this implies about Picasso and his blue period, the fact that the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style has a reddish cover, and so on.