Net Life

These are the first shots of a dress i am trying to make using netart-structures ...

there's still some length missing, but i dared put together the different parts - front, back, arms - so it seems to me it already looks like something that's supposed to be worn ...


As it is i am like putting together a raw construct, which will have to be modified / adjusted when it's time to fit a specific body. I have an idea which knots not to bind right now. The form of the dress will probably be transformable using netart-netting easily.

Cute Life

Not even a handful of chameleon! Recently hatched at the shop in Vienna's Hofmuehlgasse, where Pepi was from, the tiny dragon who barely survived three month at my place in 2005.
Is eSeL trying to tempt me, sending me this?

Pet Life

A new generation of robo-pups sporting bluetooth and speech recognition comes from Korea ... Robotics maker Dasatech developed two robotic dogs who understand and comply with 100 words including commands like, "come here," "sit," "wag your tail," and "do a headstand.". The couple named 'Genibo' resemble bull terriers and are 30cm tall, 33.4 cm long and weigh 1.5 kg.

(via)

Smoking Life

A Quebec company is producing a cigarette it claims does not stain teeth, has less of an odour than regular brands and contains beneficial ingredients like vitamin C. Called the “VitaCig,” it was invented by non-smoker Roger Ouellette for his wife, who has smoked a pack of cigarettes every day since the age of 14. “We give you all the vitamins you lose, plus some vitamins to help you,” he told CTV News.

(via)

Young, hopeful Life

Today was The Day for Viennas netart and netculture community to participate in voting the allocation of city art-funding grants.

That's where I met Juja Starsky, and her offspring Jaro, who left this (protest?)mark on the sidewalk of Liebiggasse, where voters lined up to be admitted one at a time into "polling station" ...

Yard Life

Over at the Art Yard Sale, the first bid has been placed: two weeks left for anyone to top the €7,- offer for this ceramic ashtray!

Desktop Life

My old desktop PC got a fabulous easter gift: A new DIY case made of tissue paper.
Now it's just as well vented as in its previous naked state, but suited in a bright spring color.
Though it's quite easy to make, i offer to do a HOWTO with detailed pictures and all on request. Just drop a comment, if you're interested ;)

Artificial Life Can Be Tough

robots.net is bringing stories of humiliated robots at MIT ...
quoting the Onion:
"The robots, experimental prototypes recently devised at MIT's prestigious Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, were participating in an apparent initiation exercise that police say involved butyl alcohol and compressed air.
According to eyewitnesses, the three robots were ripped from their chargers at the Theta Tau chapter house at 3 a.m. Tuesday. One, a titanium-alloy hexapod approximately 13 inches in diameter, was reportedly forced to climb stairs built at a grade too steep for its small hinged legs, causing six of its pneumatic actuators to short out. A second robot, a biped from MIT's Leg Laboratory, was allegedly forced to replicate "the same humiliating hopping algorithm" 200,000 times, and is currently in critical condition in the laboratory's emergency-repair room.
The third robot, a tread-driven 38-inch-tall rover, is feared drowned after being forced to consume over 40 terabytes of data and then swim across the Charles River with a burning candle stuck in its rear port. ..."

" ... In protest, human-emotion-simulator robot Kismet, a respected member of the MIT community, announced that it will only display an expression of disapproval—refusing to smile, show fear, or raise a curious eyebrow—until those responsible receive appropriate punishment."

(actually RobotGossip ran the story already Wednesday)

Electric Life

It's reassuring to know exactly how much power those electric eel have!
(at Schönbrunn Zoo)

Light Life

Stylish light objects via Gizmodo:

#1 - "Obey the Tiki!" ... the USB TIKI V3 with Glowing, Pulsing Eyes on the Retro Lounge Shop

#2 - Mood Light Shelf from Generate Design: " ... millions of colors that you can control with an RF remote. With ultra-bright LEDs inside ..."

Life and Awe

3D-fotos of 9/11 would amaze me even more if i had a 3D viewing device ;)
Not that it would bring back the awe with which i watched the pictures live back 2001. Still ...
(via boingboing)

That's Life

Fra Ablinger's experienced a harddisk desaster on his video-raid ... so there go my high hopes i had already had, of being able to soon send out copies of a ROBOEXOTICA DVD to last year's participants!
My heartfelt condolences, Franky.

Life, singing

CNN just surprised me, reporting that Zac Moussaoui, the frenchman who is guilty of conspiring with Al Quaida, who, besides being a terrorist, seemed pretty dull and boring, started singing when he left the courtroom yesterday.
That in itself wouldn't have made me laugh out loud in front of morning television.
But Moussaoui sang a Bruce Springsteen tune, with only a minor change to the words: "Burn in the USA ..." ...
True, it's not really that witty, but compared to screaming verses from quran, this is certainly an improvement.

Intergalactic Life

Nice. Via MAKE: "This ubercool Illusion of Christopher Walken flying through space is our newest submission. Beleive it or not, this magical "animated" illusion is a composition of two images only. The second picture is just color-inverted original (with no other modification or shiftment from the original). Looks pretty easy to make your own, but it's hard to top an intergalactic Walken."

Fashion Life

My paintings on SHIFZ-shirts! Available on our brandnew Spreadshirt-Shop!