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posted by fedrus

Those strange lights in the sky seem to move with unnatural precision, making turns and accelerations no human-made aircraft could possibly match. What ultra-advanced anti-gravity system allows UFOs to fly in such a bizarre way? Apparently it's ionized air. An engineering professor at the University of Florida has it all figured out, and he's going to build his own flying saucer. Professor Subrata Roy started working on his "wingless electromagnetic air vehicle" (WEAV) for NASA. The surface of the saucer-shaped craft will be covered with electrodes that, when powered by a battery or other power source, will ionize the surrounding air to create plasma. When charged with an electric current, the polarized plasma will repel the non-polarized air, creating lift and thrust. Such an aircraft would have very stable flight characteristics, with the pilot controlling it by diverting the electrical charge to different parts of the surface. Professor Roy thinks it could be scaled up to useful dimensions (his prototype will be about six inches across). I'd check out the professor's work while you still can. He's scheduled for a visit from a couple of guys in black suits tomorrow, after which his research will be republished in a heavily redacted form. Image by: Scientific American.

Another impressive painting by Ralph Goings.

A series of five new prints by Ralph Goings, published by Magnolia Editions. Archival pigmented inkjet prints on rag paper. Limited editions of 30, numbered and signed by the artist. The prints may also be viewed at: http://www.magnoliaeditions.com/Content/Goings/Goings.htm To inquire about prices please contact: OK Harris Works of Art: email okharris@okharris.com, or call (212) 431-3600. or Magnolia Editions: email Don Farnsworth (don@magnoliaeditions.com) or call (510) 834-2527 From the publisher: "Ralph Goings’s elegant, meticulously rendered still lifes are an extension of the classical still life tradition, but their subject matter is unmistakably contemporary, drawn from the diners and luncheonettes of 20th century, blue-collar America. Magnolia Editions has published a series of five pigmented inkjet prints by Goings which reproduce in crisp, vibrant detail some of the artist’s favorite paintings from the 1990s. Whether documenting a countertop display in a diner or configuring his “family of objects” in his studio, Goings’s process is the same: he photographs the arrangement and then creates oil paintings with an extraordinary realism that effectively brings the two-dimensional photographs back to life. His loving attention to the play of light on glass and metal surfaces, combined with a masterful use of color, draws out the architectonic grandeur of humble salt shakers and ketchup bottles. These objects, ordinarily peripheral accessories to the “bas cuisine” meal, are not only celebrated as sophisticated works of industrial sculpture, but are given their own moment – literally, a chance to shine – by the man who has been called “the American Vermeer.” ---- Magnolia Editions 2006

Italian architect David Fisher is building his first skyscraper, the Dynamic Tower, and it happens to be one of the most ambitious construction plans since the Pyramid of Khufu. Every floor of the 80-story self-powered building rotates according to voice command, and nearly the entire structure of the $700 million building is pre-fabbed.

Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico. The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.

Eric uses only black ink markers on white paper, a taste which he has retained since studying for his degree in Interior Design. He now also works directly onto canvas in indelible ink. Using different markers, he redesigns his own photographs and videos, or those given to him by clients; subtlety is added by the use of felt tips. He knows precisely which of his many pens will give him the desired shade of grey.

via ntrnts.com | Euphoria Magazine | MORE amazing topiary sculptures at the link!

What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars! Children screaming under the stairways! Boys sobbing in armies! Old men weeping in the parks! Moloch! Moloch! Nightmare of Moloch! Moloch the loveless! Mental Moloch! Moloch the heavy judger of men! -- Allen Ginsberg, ''Howl!'' ..................................................... The war is language, language abused for Advertisement, language used like magic for power on the planet —Allen Ginsberg, Wichita Vortex Sutra

With his still-life performances, the German artist Johan Lorbeer seems to unhinge the laws of gravity. For hours at a time, he remains, as a living work of art, in physically impossible positions. Elevated or reduced to the state of a sculpture, he interacts with the bewildered and irritated audience, whose appetite for communication rises as time goes by, often culminating in the wish to touch the artist in his superhuman, angelic appearance in order to participate in his abilities. | LINK: johanlorbeer.com

The concept was simple but brilliant: place a GPS device in a briefcase and mail it via DHL with precise travel instructions over the course of a 55 day period. When all was said and done, the GPS data formed a virtual self-portrait of the artist that spread over 6 continents and 62 countries covering nearly 70,000 miles...

This is how this Golden Shield will work: Chinese citizens will be watched around the clock through networked CCTV cameras and remote monitoring of computers. They will be listened to on their phone calls, monitored by digital voice-recognition technologies. Their Internet access will be aggressively limited through the country's notorious system of online controls known as the "Great Firewall." Their movements will be tracked through national ID cards with scannable computer chips and photos that are instantly uploaded to police databases and linked to their holder's personal data. This is the most important element of all: linking all these tools together in a massive, searchable database of names, photos, residency information, work history and biometric data. When Golden Shield is finished, there will be a photo in those databases for every person in China: 1.3 billion faces. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/20797485/chinas_allseeing_eye/2

via Fishki.net (many more can be viewed in the gallery there) | hat tip peterwknox.com for the link

Miranda Donovan’s art is a mix of urban street art, painting and sculpture. Her current exhibition, Lost World of Innocence, features three-dimensional pieces of painting and graffiti on layers of brickwork made up of cement, plaster, sand and paint. Donovan focuses on techniques used by street artists, as well as their outlooks and points of view. Her use of street signs and other identifiers such as telephone booths provides a recognizable connection to the urban landscape, forcing the viewer to take a more realistic view of the surroundings. Artist: Miranda Donovan + mirandadonovan.com + lazinc.com

American pop artist Robert Rauschenberg has died in Florida at the age of 82. He was known for his use of odd and everyday articles, which earned him a reputation as a pioneer in pop art. Rauschenberg first gained fame in the 1950s with his "combines", which brought together three-dimensional objects and paint. He was also a sculptor and choreographer, and won a Grammy for "best album package" in 1984 for Talking Heads' Speaking in Tongues. Among his most famous works was 1955's Bed, created after he woke up in the mood to paint but had no money for a canvas. His solution was to take the quilt off his bed and use paint, toothpaste and fingernail polish instead.

Mr. Rauschenberg’s work gave new meaning to sculpture. “Canyon,” for instance, consisted of a stuffed bald eagle attached to a canvas. “Monogram” was a stuffed Angora goat girdled by a tire atop a painted panel. “Bed” entailed a quilt, sheet and pillow, slathered with paint, as if soaked in blood, framed on the wall. They all became icons of postwar modernism. | requiescat in pace, rr.

The Fullmoon sideboard table by Sotirios Papadopoulos is painted with a special eco-safe glowing paint...

The garden of typographic delight. Perfectly trimmed (but not kerned) and firmly rooted in typographic tradition, this display garden in Christchurch, New Zealand contains no tree of knowledge, but does feature the Lord's prayer rendered in 15cm high box hedges. Good Lord! All photographs by Andrew Budge of Designland | via uncle.blogs.com

AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED Dr. Pepper is saying that they will give everyone in America a can of Dr. Pepper if Axl Rose actually releases Chinese Democracy in 2008. "It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love," said Jaxie Alt, director of marketing for Dr Pepper. "So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection — for something more than the average album. We know once it's released, people will refer to it as "Dr Pepper for the ears" because it will be such a refreshing blend of rich, bold sounds — an instant classic." [Click the link for more on this story]