Author: John

Now Open, iPodShop.ca

iPodShop

As my family has just become the proud parents of a bouncing baby iPod Nano (2GB) we might have to use this service in a year. I love the idea that someone has opened a store front to fix these handy devices. His rates are quite good and the wait times are darned short. i just wish there was one near me. Oh well, another reason to visit my favorite Canadian city, Toronto!

Matt Bremner has created quite the buzz with his iRepair services, using good parts from broken iPods purchased from eBay. Bremner’s tiny 250 sq. ft. Toronto store front services walk-in and mail-in "patients," averaging about 30 per day at a 10 minute average wait time.

[via core77] 

iPodShop.ca

Car Camera Obscura

To document a journey across Australia, a photographic duo turned their car into a moving camera…

For over ten years we have been working with pinhole and camera obscura imagery. An important notion in our activities has been the thought of linking of the pinhole device, or camera, to the subject photographed. A biscuit tin would record an afternoon tea party; a flowerpot would be used to image a garden. Blacking-out and converting the car seemed a logical way to image our journeys.

The Carcamera Obscura

Car Camera Obscura photo gallery on Flickr 

Floating Nuke Plant

Nuclear sub

 

Ok, I can kind of see how this might cause some people to run in terror. The basic idea here is to take a nuclear power plant (the kind that would have run a nuclear sub) and stick it on a big ‘ol raft. That would be moored in remote locations of the Arctic circle and used to power what have you. Research stations, small towns, your guess is as good as mine. Sounds cool, except if it sinks. Or if someone makes off with it. Yeah…

Core77 Design Blog

Floating atomic plant for Russia

 

Talking Flames

Talking flames

How very facinating! 

Talking Flames, was in 1990, the newest technical achievement from the Logos Laboratory for experimental music research. It uses a plasma in ionised air, an electric arc that is modulated with a PWM-audiosignal. Herewith a sound-radiator is created that does’nt make use of any moving parts such as cones or coils. It sets air into vibration in a most direct way. Moreover, it is also capable of converting digital audio-information into sound, using the ionised air arc as an digital to analog converter by simply integrating the PWM- signal. This digital loudspeaker operates on a very high voltage and pretty high frequency: de carrier wave should be at least two times the highest audiofrequency. Ignition voltage is ca. 20kV. The electrodes are made of tungsten enriched with 5% radioactive thorium. The points have to be sharpened every so often.

 I’m going to keep an eye out for more information on this technique.

Talking Flames – audio art by Godfried-Willem Raes

A Statue on the Moon

Moon artHere is some history on a bit of artwork and a plaque dedicated to the fallen astronauts was left on the moon by the crew of Apollo 15. This is the first I’ve ever heard of this and I’ve read quite a bit about the history of the space program.

The only piece of art on the moon (depending, we suppose, on one’s definition of art) is a 3″-tall aluminum sculpture titled “Fallen Astronaut.” It was created by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck and installed by Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott, along with a plaque bearing the names of the 14 astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the service of space exploration.

Apparently the crew members and the artist agreed that there should be no commercial gain made by this action. However…

…The 950 replicas of the "Fallen Astronaut" figurine signed by the sculptor have been advertised for sale by the Waddell Gallery of New York at a price of $750 apiece

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this Van Hoeydonck is a jerk and a putz. It is somewhat fitting that most Internet search results for this guys name also mention the replicas. I’d call that karma.

[via neat-o-rama]
The Only Art on the Moon

Articles Carried on Manned Space Flights

For a list of the names on the plaque, check out the Wikipedia entry on ‘Fallen Astronaut‘