Author: jkordy

more NYC

Someday I may move out of NYC so I like to collect things that exemplify it’s essence, the everyday bits that comprise the NYC experience,  the things you experience only if you live here, not if you just come by for a visit.

This is a slow motion video made by Vicente Sahuc using only the video capabilities of his Casio EX-F1, pretty nice result.

(via todayandtomorrow)

This Video is New York 2008
from Vicente Sahuc
on Vimeo.

Quote

Art to me is a humanitarian act, and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to affect mankind, to make the world a better place.

— Jeff Koons

That’s a lot of swearing

I’m not sure what to make of it, but I think there is something to it. “this is every single curse, from every single episode of the sopranos, ever.” If you like swearing and if you like the sopranos then this is the video for you, though I have never watched a single episode, so I guess I’m fascinated by the formal qualities of all the expletives. I think the sheer length of the video amazes me. (NSFW if you have speakers on, NSFChildren probably either)

Self Assembling and other Robots


This robot form the University of Pennsylvania is modular in it’s design and will reassemble itself if something happens to it (like being kicked apart by a graduate student. Robots have come a long way. These are some amazing examples of where we are today. But they are still a long way from a sack of smart sand or grey goo, nevertheless it is still amazing (and sometimes scary) to watch them do the things they can do.

  

Here are some other amazing robot feats:

want to make your own? hacknmod has the answer. using open source software and easily obtainable hardware you too can have your own self balancing robot.

someone even made a simpler version of the concept above that doesn’t use any microprocessors at all! http://www.instructables.com/id/Balancing_Robot/

If you want something bigger, that can carry a man, and doesn’t mind if you try to kick the sh*t out of it then this is the one for you. Big Dog can give you big nightmares, just imagine that thing coming at you, armed! It is after all a DARPA funded project as many robot projects are.

want more robots? check out the best of 2008

Poster Boy

posterboy
At many stops in the subway, mostly concentrated along the G and L lines (in NYC), you will notice ads that are slightly off. They range from super obvious alterations bordering on the juvenile need to leave your mark and spell out fart, to the more subtle pieces like above which make a comment on our world at large but always within the framework of advertising, after all that is their medium (quite literally).

I thought all of these ad alterings were just kids mucking around and occasionally, accidentally, they made something good. I guess there are a lot of copy cats out there, but it looks like the bulk of it is Poster Boy.

In addition to some great ad altering I also like the bright tape line boxes that he makes and the pieces that reference pixelation. Make sure you check out his full portfolio on flickr.

I think there is a fine line between pranks and art, and just because I appreciate these mostly as art doesn;t mean that they aren’t also acts of vandalism (or are breaking the law). Lot’s of art in the past was of an anti-establishment, prankish nature, just look at Duchamp, so there is a lot of precendent, but I’m still conflicted and I feel a lot of “street” art really is just pranks and uses the label “art” as an excuse. Maybe poster boy is just pranks I happen to like, or maybe time will show him to be a “famous legitimate artist.”

 

It also looks like Poster Boy occasionally collaborates with Jordan Seiler. I’m a fan of his more minimalist approach. Jordan is smart and he also knows what he is talking about when it comes to this kind of art which often has to cross the line into legally murky territory.

In fact, a couple of weeks ago (I think it is still there!), I noticed a really great piece at a gas station on 15th street and 10th ave:

seiler
I had no idea it was Jordan’s!

also for many more things street art
check out the woostercollective

Scott McLoud

understanding-comics

If you haven’t read Scott McLoud’s Understanding Comics you should. This guy is really a master of his craft. If you are a graphic designer, artist, or do any kind of visual expression this book will really expand your understanding of visual communication. Reading it put a lot of things into a new perspective for me.

I found a Ted Talk video, it doesn’t do his books justice, but it does give you a glimpse into his mind:

Wow he looks totally different in real life than his comic alter ego! (I guess the checkered shirt is the same.)