Optigami

http://www.rksdesign.com/index.php?page=gc/gallery10

(…) a collapsible eyeglass and self-encasing system

Foldable Glasses= Opti-gami! Actually all glasses I know are foldable, but these “concept glasses” do something better: they fold in the middle in a way so that the arms encase the lenses, thus protecting them from scratches. One could perhaps argue that as a result the arms themselves are perhaps too big, but the solution is clever and convenient. The whole RKS site is worth a visit: they design all sorts of cool products for others, they make some of the best-looking guitars I have ever seen, plus they have coined the term “psycho-aestetics“, in their own words

(…)a proprietary design methodology in which a product’s design creates a promise of physical and emotional benefits to the user as well as guides us to address the product’s key attributes and consumer desires.

… a design that makes you feel better, powerful… that path can only lead to making electric guitars, obviously! XD

Planet Perplex

http://www.planetperplex.com/en/index.html

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabridge Uinervtisy, it deosn´t mttear in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltter be in the rghit pclae

A firned of mnie tlod me abuot Plnaet Perplex, and I beleive it is a vrey itnersetnig stie and you wlil like it a lot. It cnotians a good seletcoin of amisung gmaes, mind tirkcs and inrcdebile iamegs that sruely will keep you entrteianed for aegs. Ejnoy! (geez, that was hard to write) 😀

Related Article: The number of the Rose

The Optimus keyboard

http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

Every key of the Optimus keyboard is a stand-alone display showing exactly what it is controlling at this very moment.

Designed by russian Levedeb Studio, the Optimus Keyboard will make use of cutting edge technology to redefine the peripheral’s functionality.

As we know, a computer keyboard is bound to whatever was printed on the keys when manufactured. This is something we usually don’t pay much attention to, unless we Continue reading The Optimus keyboard

And, finally, fly


Kurt Busiek is (among other things) a comic scriptwriter. Not so many years ago, Image Comics started to publish a work by him: Astro City. If I can remember correctly, since my memory is made of cork, Busiek had been already working for some time in the human perspective of the super-heroic experience. With his work, he tried to answer questions such as, how does a journalist view super heroes?, or, what are the feelings of someone who suddenly acquires great power? Continue reading And, finally, fly

Game design as software engineering

A video game is not that different from any other software development; it perhaps depends more on hardware, but even so it is very similar. When you describe a program you need the client’s opinion and plenty of information to determine how the issue was being taken prior to the new development. In the end it is obvious that albeit there won´t be much relation between the analysis and the final development, that relation will still be more or less recognizeable.

But, what about video games? To start with, Continue reading Game design as software engineering

A secret vault for the informed superhero

http://www.hiddenpassageway.com/

Twist a candlestick and your fireplace rotates, granting access to a hidden room(…)

Being a superhero is exciting but also has its drawbacks. It is a demanding occupation that tends to interfere with your personal life, hence the need to keep your public identity safe. Even if you live alone you will surely receive visits every now and then; I bet you can remember at least one or two times when you had to Continue reading A secret vault for the informed superhero

The art of breeding pictures

http://mzlabs.com/gart/g4.html

Genetic Art is a way to describe processes where genetic selection procedures are applied to computer-generated media, the selection criteria being based on aesthetical choices. In other words, think of yourself as a Mendel-wannabe of the digital era, one that works with images instead of peas. Ready to experiment? Continue reading The art of breeding pictures

Art by Tucho

http://www.artbytucho.blogspot.com/

A few days ago my good friend Tucho Fernández opened his new blog, “Art by Tucho”, where he is regularly posting samples of his drawings and 3D models. Tucho and I worked together in the Glest project and he is now also working for the video games company Traganarion Studios. As for his art, the quality of his paintings is eloquent enough. I would add that he’s especially talented for drawing things of an organic nature, especially fantasy creatures and dinosaurs, but in my opinion that’s only because that’s his preference. I’ve been trying to make him draw robots and spaceships since I first met him, though, and the Battle Machine is the best example that he is equally skillful at drawing almost anything. 🙂

Groboto-beta: new videos

http://www.groboto.com

The antialiasing is real-time and perfect (no really it is) while the textures use conformal mapping which means no stretching or mapping artifacts like you get with typical projective mapping.

Jeff Anderson has updated his blog with some new videos showing Groboto, the 3D organic art program, in action. It seems that the hopes I showed in my last article on the beta are being confirmed. The interface proves to be friendly and powerful; you can rotate the model effortlessly at any moment, and manipulating the seed (the little shape you start with) or the lighting is also very easy. Everything casts shadows over everything, and the textures have a crisp look due to the special kind of bump mapping used.

There are still many things about Groboto that remain a mystery: will it feature predefined shapes like the previous version? will it have a genetics lab? what will the export options be? When the beta testing is open I’ll be able to answer those questions. Until then, the expectations are getting pretty high 😀

Related Article: Groboto 2.0 in the works

Related Article: Groboto-beta: new screens

The BioWall

http://www.loop.ph/twiki/bin/view/Loop/BioWall

A Synetic building is an airy and lace-like basketry of thin arcs patterned in curvilinear triangulation.

What?

The structure is based on the principle of self-similarity enabling it to work from the nano to the macro scale.

oh… that must be the wall… but, where’s the Bio?

(…) reactive surfaces inspired by botanical life that reflect and Continue reading The BioWall