In this day and age, it’s no real secret that governments and corporations lie, or cover up information they don’t want people to know. As we know all too well from the last decade, it actually happens quite often. For that reason, WikiLeaks has been undertaking something extraordinary. Founded in 2006 by Julian Paul Assange, WikiLeaks publishes leaked documents and footage from governments and corporations worldwide, with a mission of bringing transparency to the institutions that control so many aspects of our lives.
Earlier this year, WL notably leaked a video of a 2007 U.S. Army helicopter strike in Baghdad, in which several civilians were murdered, including two Reuters international reporters. Over the past few months, it’s gotten Julian and his website (which is now home to over a million leaks) a lot of press. And despite plenty of controversy and backlash, WikiLeaks is going stronger than ever, thanks largely to Assange, who travels the world, running the site as an unpaid volunteer and putting on for the people. For the full story, check below for a great piece on Julian and his work, courtesy of The New Yorker.
Trying to keep up with the latest technology is a mixed bag. On one hand, the advantages of having an iPhone are pretty clear. Internet access anywhere, anytime, on the spot directions, slaps on hand, and an endless library of apps to keep yourself entertained are part of a long list. Then again, you’re dropping some bread, and you have one more valuable thing to worry about losing or breaking. Not to mention, you can pretty much count on something better dropping in a few months. Whatever your take is though, Apple is at the forefront of the game right now, and for obvious reasons, the 4th generation of iPhone is a popular topic lately. As usual, we turned to Gizmodo to put you up on the pertinent details. Hit the MORE for an exhaustive guide to the features and functionality of the iPhone 4.
Will said it well the other day, but I’d just like to reiterate. It never stops. As long as there are humans, there will be creativity. And as long as there is creativity, there will be inspiration. This is one of the more impressive works I’ve seen in a while. And one of the most creative uses of legos since Dee & Ricky. Anyone else know of any icy lego creations? Feel free to share.
Experimental living spaces are cool. Although many of us have grown up within the basic architectural constructs of a 21st century home, some of the houses we’ve presented here, have taken the concept of the home to a new level. With functionality and aesthetic as their primary focus, members from the University of Karlsruhe have come together to create this unique living space. Fully equipped with a bed, table, exercise cylinder and kitchen sink, the Roll It house may just become the living space of the future.
I heard a story on NPR that got me thinking the other day. I won’t go into too much detail, but basically the story was about an ongoing debate over whether or not corporations should be able to advertise in national parks. Like literally on some “this trail presented by REI” type of shit. Already, life in urban areas means being bombarded with logos, slogans, billboards and bullshit from every angle. So I guess the question is, just how far is corporate culture going to take with marketing? How far is too far? Logorama is a short film by Francois Alaux, that recently took home the Prix Kodak at Cannes. In it, Alaux imagines a world completely comprised of corporate logos. How much social criticism is going on here is debatable, but it’s creative, it’s entertaining, and it raises some serious questions about the world we’re living in.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of the green movement in our world today. With climate change, it seems we’ve actually managed to fuck things up so bad, that we’re threatening not only our own well-being, but the entire planet too. The reality is that if we’re going to make things better, innovation is the only way. New ideas are crucial, because the way we’ve been doing things just doesn’t cut it. Which leads me to Gary Chang, whose home is a perfect example of the kind of ingenuity we’re going to have to us. In Hong Kong, where space is at a premium, Chang transformed his 330 square-foot apartment into something amazing. The single room has the capacity to transform into 24 different designs, including a full bathroom, kitchen, living room or bedroom, just by moving panels around. On top of that, the apartment is designed to maximize efficiency, making it both luxurious and sustainable. Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
For us “bloggers” Peter Cashmore is one we look up to. Founding Mashable in 2005, the tech blog has risen to fame as one of the preeminent resources for news on social media initiatives, and web start ups. Ranked in Technorati’s Top 10 blogs, and garnering close to 7 million monthly page views, Peter’s site has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon in a matter of years. Speaking with Bloomberg a few days ago, Cashmore discussed some of the top issues in technology today. Touching on the Apple vs. Adobe debate, and the ever increasing reach of Facebook, Cashmore’s discussion is an easy and accessible update for anyone looking to find out what’s good with the tech game.
An automatic floor cleaner? I must say I’m a bit conflicted. It seems like the machines are slowly taking over. Slowly but surely, the machines are taking over. Taking over in the name of “efficiency”. It’s like these products are saving us so much time. But what are we using that extra time for? Checking our facebook, and updating the twitter most likely. It’s getting more and more difficult to decipher between what we want and what we need. I don’t even know if I want, let alone need an automatic floor cleaner, so I think I’ll pass on this one. Things are changing all around us. We have to stay aware.
Raise your hand if you have enough time. Raise your hand if you do not feel squeezed for every second of the day as you run through electronic calendar mandates of meetings, e-mails, social obligations and doctor appointments. I doubt many hands went up. No one has enough time.
If, however, you consider your situation to be nothing more than the human condition, you should reflect for a moment. While all human lives have been bounded by the sleep of birth and death, the hyper-metered, hyper-scheduled, just-in-time life you live now is an invention. We made it up. We created this Time because our technologies allowed it and it made sense for reasons of economics and production and efficiency. But, while this time we live is a product of the science and technologies we develop, it is not a consequence of the laws of physics or cosmic history.
Damn, technology. If you know me well, I have a bittersweet relationship with technology. Yes, I love what it can do, but I hate what it’s done to us. But let’s save that conversation for later. Today, Gizmodo revealed specs for the new iPhone. Yes, the new one. Apparently, a now fired employee of Apple left the prototype in a bar, only to be swooped on by Gizmodo employees. I dunno, the story seems quite suspect, but here’s the new iPhone nonetheless. I think it’s safe to say that Steve is having the roughest Monday out of all of us.
With our ongoing discussion on the nuclear threat and how it’s shaping our century, we should pause to reflect upon the causes for this mess. How did we get to this situation of having the power to destroy our civilization? What does it say about who we are as a species?
It may be a good idea to bring back what is apparently a disconnected topic: the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. In the early ’50s, while having lunch with some colleagues at the cafeteria of the Los Alamos lab — the same place where a few years earlier the first atomic bomb was invented — the great physicist Enrico Fermi stopped eating and asked: “Where is everybody?”
Ingenuity + Innovation = Iciness. Using eight water gallons, Li Jin has created a self sustaining bicycle that she rides in the in Wuhan of Hubei Province in China. The gallons are closed on top to serve as pontoons to prevent Li from drowning, while adjustable wheels provide the driving power. Bowties lesson #74: Where there’s a will there’s a way.
At this point in his career, I’m interested in pretty much anything Spike Jonze touches. Following up last year’s big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, Spike returned to the game he made his name in, directing the short film for Kanye’s “We Were Once a Fairytale”. Both projects were highlights last year, adding to the director’s already impressive resume. Spike’s latest project, the Sundance-selected robot love story I’m Here dropped online today. The first 5,000 viewers per day can check out the film here. For the rest of us, here’s the trailer for the time being.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have discovered some evidence that is nothing less than extraordinary. Using scans of the of the human brain, the study reveals that a concept of equality is most likely a fundamental feature of human nature. In short, the researchers gave different amounts of money to each of the participants in their experiments. The participants were then presented with a variety of scenarios, wherein different money exchanges were conducted. The participants’ reactions were recorded, with a focus on the reward centers in the brain scans. Lo and behold, the research found an almost universal aversion to scenarios where distribution of the money was unequal. For a better explanation than I can give you, keep reading.
Yoshiro Nakamatsu is a pretty unusual cat. Known to the world as Dr. NakaMats, the 81-year old Japanese inventor holds the world record, with over 3000 inventions. Included on his long list are the floppy disk, CD technology, the digital watch and the karaoke machine, some of which is confirmed by his longstanding relationship as a consultant to IBM. Of course, more than a few of his claims are hard to prove, but at the least, NakaMats knows how to entertain. Some of this shit you just have to see to believe.
