welcome to Tijuana! Tequila, Sex and Marijuana!

Manu Chao – Welcome to Tijuana – recorded live at Paris – Grande Halle de la Vilette, 4&5 September 2001

Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on June 21, 1961), is a French singer of Spanish roots (Basque and Galician). He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his musical career in Paris, busking and playing with groups such as Hot Pants and Los Carayos, which combined a variety of languages and musical styles. With friends and his brother Antoine Chao, he founded the band Mano Negra in 1987, achieving considerable success, particularly in Europe. He became a solo artist after its breakup in 1995, and since then tours regularly with his live band, Radio Bemba.

Anna Franz – Ink injection into yolk sac artery of 72 hour-old chick embryo to visualize the beating heart and the vasculature (10x)

Affiliation:

University of Oxford
Sir William Dunn School of Pathology

Location:

Oxford, UK

Technique:

Reflected light

What is the subject matter of your winning entry?

This movie not only demonstrates the power of the heart and the complexity of the vasculature of the chick embryo, but also reflects the beauty of nature’s design.

Can you elaborate on the imaging technique you used to capture this movie?

This technique is relatively easy and quick: A window is cut into an egg to expose the 72h old chick embryo. The embryo is then placed under a stereo microscope. A finely drawn glass capillary needle is filled with India ink and then inserted into an extraembryonic yolk sac artery. Some ink is gently expelled from the needle and the distribution of the ink in the vasculature is followed by time-lapse microscopy. The only challenging part of this technique is the insertion of the needle into the artery without spilling too much ink and without damaging the embryo.

How does this subject matter relate to your work?

I study centriole duplication using Drosophila as a model organism. I am currently doing a PhD in developmental biology studying centriole duplication in Drosophila. In 2010 I took a 6-week course in embryology in Woods Hole where I learnt several techniques used to study embryogenesis in a number of organisms. One of these techniques was the injection of ink into an artery with the aim to visualize the vasculature of the chick embryo.

What first sparked your interest in photomicrography?

When I was a child, my parents got me a simple microscope which I used to look at insects and plants. I became fascinated by microscopy because it reveals the complexity of biological structures most of which our eyes can’t see. Later I decided to studied biology at university where I could combine microscopy with photography.

[via: Nikonsmallworld.com]

The genre of Japanese anti-nuclear music began in the 1980s after the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Problem was, some of the largest record labels were owned by companies, like many companies in Japan, that are connected to the nuclear industry. But as the Atlantic reminds us, you can’t stop the Internet.

Above, the video for “You Can’t See It, And You Can’t Smell It Either” by Rankin’ Taxi, a very catchy dance hall reggae tune about nuclear disaster. Here are the closing lyrics:

Die from a dose of radiation? No way!
Did you say an unstoppable leak? No way!
Do I want to be an object of hate for unborn children? No way!
Do I want to lead a life of unhealthy luxury? No way!
Can radiation deepen love? Can radiation make us wiser?
Can radiation stop wars? Can radiation bring a smile?

Radiation is strong, Radiation is powerful, it doesn’t discriminate, and you can’t beat it
Radiation is scary, Radiation is dangerous, you can’t see it or smell it, and you can’t run from it

Can’t see it, can’t smell it, can’t run from it…
It’s safe! It’s safe! It’s safe! until it’s not, until it’s not, until it’s not, until it’s not,

Stupid!

Great news from the Beastie Boys as they announce May 3rd 2011 for the release date of there long awaited new album; “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.”

Every pre-order includes an exclusive, instant download of Make Some Noise (Passion Pit Remix). Digital downloads will be delivered via email at 12am ET on May 3.
Physical packages will ship for delivery by May 3 EXCEPT for packages that contain vinyl:

“Good people, please note, not unlike birthing a baby, or baking a batch of cookies, or picking grapes for wine, sometimes things need just a little bit more time to cook to come out just so. So our deluxe vinyl’s maturity date will be slightly different then the other formats. But please know that our corps. of engineers and experts have been on this, making sure the wait is worth it and that I can personally tell you that in my humble opinion, the test pressing of the vinyl sounded banging on my home hi fi.” – Mike D

Please note: Orders placed after 4/19 for packages containing vinyl will not ship until July.

Deluxe Package

+

= $74.99

GO TO BEASTIEBOYS.COM

You know how every once in a while you come across an artist who just blows your mind? This is hands down that sort of a scenario. I was recently introduced to this video (thanks Stylianos) and it just grabbed me right away.

“Tightrope” is the first single off Janelle Monae’s upcoming ‘suites,’ the Metropolis Suites II & III: The ArchAndroid. In this outstanding collaboration with Outkast’s Big Boi, Janelle Monae draws strength from James Brown, Grace Jones and even Andre 3000.

Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid is the hotly anticipated and long awaited first release since Monae’s 2007′s Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase. According to her official blog, “The ArchAndroid” is an “EMOTION PICTURE” brought to you by Janelle Monáe and the Mad Minds of the Wondaland Arts Society. The star-studded featured cast includes the legendary Big Boi of OutKast, renowned poet Saul Williams, psychedelic dance-punk troupe Of Montreal, punk prophets Deep Cotton, and the Wondaland Arch Orchestra.I can already tell you now that the of Montreal collaboration is absolutely bananas. The ArchAndroid came out on May 18th.

Enjoy this spectacular video. Would love to hear what you think so please comment.

Last week we had a group of 30 inspiring new media graduates come through the derooted studios on a tour (FallTour5) organized by Oddly Studios. One student, Nasir Mohamed later approached me on Twitter with the following question; “What are your views on augmented reality? Do you think it has a lot of potential?”

Simple enough of a question, and with no doubt one which enough people are asking. In reality I believe anything that would bring the technological vs human interaction closer together would have great potential within our society. Augmented reality is still in its primal stage and therefore is full of potential with proper direction and guidance.

It may be that augmented reality proves to be more of a gimmick than a lasting technological revolution, at least in the short term, but perhaps it will eventually become more like a sixth sense for us. Pranav Mistry from MIT’s Media Lab shows how the physical world and our natural gestures can interact with the world of data in such a way that AR would become part of our everyday lives without us having to hold our phones up awkwardly in front of us. Have a look at his astonishing TED talk:

Mapping during 600 years anniversary of the astrological tower clock situated at Old Town Square in center of Prague.
Mapping by Macula, Lukáš Duběda, Michal Kotek.

music: data-live
photos & video: Michal Ureš
teaser audio: Hecq -Typhon

[via: Minnesota Public Relations Blog]

In the digital space, we’re always looking at what the next trend is going to be. We’re paid to ensure we’re in the loop of “what’s hot” and how our company and/or clients can implement it into their business. As such, for the past 12 months I’ve been completely fascinated with augmented reality (AR). In my opinion, and if I had to scale the level of opportunity, impact and importance, AR would be on the top of my list for trends-to-watch.

Augmented Reality has been around for quite some time, with its roots dating back to the late 50s – the term “augment reality” was coined in 1992. While there have been a significant amount of uses of AR, the most well-known to the general public is the yellow “first down” line used in the National Football League. However, as the smart phone has continued to occupy more hands and more of our daily lives, AR has begun to get more attention. As a result, more companies and brands are beginning to explore AR and put more emphasis on its potential use.

For the sake of trying to keep this article short, I’ll focus mostly on mobile use, but will touch briefly on examples of AR outside the mobile space.

Common Uses:
• Location overlay: Right now, the broadest and most basic use of AR is in terms of location. You can use Yelp’s AR app, for example, to find a nearby restaurant, hotel, hospital, shopping outlet, etc.; and then get reviews and tips on Lonely Planet’s AR app.

• Information: For those who like to travel, you can use Wikitude World Browser to find information and data about a variety of points of interest. Not only that, but museums are starting to use AR for their exhibits and to share information. One of the coolest apps that I’ve recently started playing with is Sekai, which allows you to tag a location with information (photos, text, video)

• Gaming: One of the coolest uses of AR is in the gaming industry. While the initial gaming will be basic, we’ll eventually evolve into more complex and advanced gaming. A few cool examples: Rock’em Sock’em Robots; AR.Drone Parrot; Zombie ShootAR

One of the most intriguing uses of AR comes in the potential collaboration with location-based services. Imagine the uses of an AR-LBS partnership for city and state departments. I’m imaging a protocol where data about everyone who visits a certain location is stored in the cloud and only accessible by local police departments. Say a store was robbed, a child gone missing, or someone assaulted. Your local police could simply point their phone at a designated location and see everyone who was at or near that location within a given time period. An interesting and useful way to cut down on crime and violence.

[via: Real @ Real] Munich, September 29th, 2010 – metaio GmbH, the leading expert on Augmented Reality (AR), held a conference in Munich, called ”insideAR”, with focus on current practical applications in marketing and industry as well as on the future of this exciting field, which is being identified by many analysts as one of the most disruptive technologies of the years to come. 250 attendees from many countries and industries were able to follow insightful presentations by Intel, Nokia, Siemens and others about their company`s contributions and plans regarding AR. As the many money-earning practical applications on display during the conference demonstrated, Augmented Reality is definitely here to stay and has found its place in everyday life. metaio, as conference host, took opportunity to present its view of market opportunities, its vision of a seamless interconnection between the real and the digital world, and the kind of advanced technologies available already or being developed at the metaio labs at this point in time.

The founders of metaio, Thomas Alt and Peter Meier, opened the conference with the message that the technology has matured to the point that more and more practical applications are being implemented today in marketing and industry. AR has definitely left the hype stage and is entering our daily life in many useful ways. Pointing to the results of a market study by ABI Research, with an exploding market size for augmented reality of 360 million USD by 2014, metaio´s CEO Thomas Alt could demonstrate how closely the revenue curve of metaio matches the growth rate, both past and projected, of this new and vibrant industry.

Peter Meier, one of the world`s recognized experts in the field,presented his vision of closing the gap between the real world and the traditional desktop as we know it. Advanced AR software running on powerful mobile devices, such as smartphones, capable of object / image recognition and natural feature tracking will allow the user to experience the real world effortlessly enriched by informative displays as relevant to him personally in terms of preference, time and location. Advances in software, chip making, device capabilities and imaginative content all combine to create a whole host of new experiences and application opportunities.

During the conference the metaio team presented many prototypes of such new technologies. One of these is marker-less (3D) image recognition, representing one of the most important R&D projects at metaio to help the vision of the “Augmented City” become reality: walking around the real world, pointing your phone at objects, buildings or directions and being offered helpful information, be it text, sound, video or complete 3D displays not only overlaid, but integrated accurately with the object viewed. The right architecture for Visual Search, the right distribution platforms for AR experiences

In order to use objects in the real world as optical references,one of the most important prerequisites are improved algorithms for visual search in combination with an intelligent service architecture, which an AR browser like junaio can use to create a fully augmented world. In his keynote address, Dr. Haussecker from Intel´s Interaction and Experience Research Lab explained the progress made in this field: “In Intel Labs, we research how mobile platforms can be optimized in the future to enable capabilities for compute performance, power management, sensing and contextual awareness to deliver a preferred mobile AR (MAR) experience. Designing and delivering superior MAR applications is where companies like metaio are leading this new market.”

Other important prerequisites for creating meaningful AR experiences are the continuing advances in smartphone technology . The estimated 1.3 billion smartphones in use by 2013 represent a hotly contested market. Riku Suomela, a producer at Nokia, explained the AR experiences already available for current Symbian devices: “Nokia`s Ovi Store offers developers and partners a worldwide distribution platform to hundreds of millions of people. Our own game “Conspiracy For Good” or the “Zombie ShootAR” by metaio are some of many examples where we already deliver great augmented reality experiences to our users.”

Specific Announcements
With shipment on Symbian OS scheduled for the end of October, junaio, metaio`s mobile AR browser, will then run on more than 50% of all smartphones in the world, to be downloaded at the Android Marketplace, the iTunes App Store and the Ovi Store. junaio running on Nokia`s N8 could already be seen at the recent Nokia World.

Peter Meier also provided a first look at some of the additional features in the 3.0 release of junaio: there will be an optional advertising program (comparable to Google´s Adsense) in order to monetize channels and a completely revised user interface for quicker navigation and an even more intuitive user experience.

More than 1.100 developers have started to use junaio`s open API to implement their ideas and business models. This growing popularity and the unique technical features available on the junaio platform have convinced one of the most creative developers for mobile AR content, “Tab Worldmedia”, to bring their successful channels, TwitARound or Worksnug, over to junaio. And with “kino.de” – the biggest German website for cinema and movies – another great channel was presented for the first time. In this new channel users can see cinemas around and after one click they are directed to the schedule, the route or the trailer for the featured movies.

You can find an elaborate technology and company portrait here: