Tap, Tappity, Tap Tap

Could anyone teach me how to make a solenoid?

This Seems Fairly Accurate Geographically To Me

I'm not sure where I found this either.

I Really Just Have No Idea.

I mean I'm trying to understand, but I just can't

Futher more is that a giant human-sized hamster wheel in the back? If so how awesome is that?

Laser Blobs Are Natural Musicians

Light-Paint Piano Player from Ryan Cashman on Vimeo.

What's not to love?

Get to Dancing Umbrella

Mechanical Umbrella Prototype from Michael Kontopoulos on Vimeo.

He plans on building 100 of these to hang from a ceiling in an installation, but I just want one.

Here's finished piece: A Machine That Tries to Draw Circles

And a Glorious Mustache As Well,

An amazing video from The Avalanches, I would have loved it anyways but the end just really caught me by surprise.

Another great one of theirs: Frontier Psychiatrist playing upon their use of sampled music.

Where In Deed.

The ONLY way to properly solve Simultaneous Shotgun claims.

You're Gonna Need A Smaller Boat...

Rawr, Shark

I hope this is Art.

Maybe a Little Too Inviting

Nothing says comfort like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. If a creature with teeth as long as your butcher knife, (and quite a bit gnashier) isn't thrilled with the matress options available, you can be sure that it will let you know. (through a formal complaint of course, or through F-14 Tomcats)

I Have a Squad of Three of These... Just in Case.

Direct Injection Hyperthermic Reaction Propulsed Dromaeosaurid Theropods Manipulating Corrosion Resistant, Iron-Chromium Alloyed, First-Class, Double-Lever with Pivot Acting, Cutting Surfaces.

Boeing should get on these now before the Terrorists get there hands on them.

Digital Toasters are Putting Hardworking Pneumatic Toasters Out of Work

Using the Electrolux thats in development(production?) you can now toast designs into your bread via USB cable.

Cue the mass production of Jesus Toast images.

Man, The Argyle's Look Sad by Comparison

Not gonna lie, definately beats the "typical biker group look"
and that goes for all gangs.

Why? Because they took it to the next level, all gangs should match in exaggerated fashion. Claiming a singe color thats already incoporated into tons of clothing isn't creative. Gangs should be over the top, like in The Warriors, it should be almost theatrical. Rolling up one pants leg doesn't intimidate anyone, it just makes you look like a thuggish bike messenger. It also tells me your not really identifying with the group, your still hung up on individual aesthetics, and that suggests a lack of real dedication.

Don't Mess With Me, I've Been Drinking With Skeletons

All the characters from futurama as all characters from the Hellboy and B.P.R.D. series

For Greener Tomorrow, In a Galaxy Far Far Away...

I think that whether Jedi, Sith, or bounty hunter scum, we can all agree that something needs to be done about Cosmological Climate Change.

For Those Who Want to Know, And Those Who Already Do.

I've gotten several questions about the Happy Mutants tag label I use on alot of posts.

I'm not sure where I picked the term up from, (probably Boing Boing) but it's a concept I've held long before i had a name for it. To me Happy Mutants are things, out of the ordinary, amalgamated, altered, taken out of context, combined, and/or changed, and better for it. The prevailing optimism of all Happy Mutants is essential. It's a concept I Base my life and art around, but I've found it a bit difficult to explain at times.

Over at Boing Boing though a Guest writer wrote a great short manifesto, which describes things so well, he could have taken the words right out of my brain:

I believe that the reality in which we live is largely if not entirely hackable. We have been fooled into believing that social conventions, law, economics, and nature are hardware - when they are actually software and open to modification. With a little more effort, we can refine the hardware as well.

The current culture wars, as I understand them, are between people who look at our circumstances as pre-existing conditions, and those who see them as largely of our own making. Those in the former camp prefer to see reality as confined by the operating system of a Creator, and the human role confined to behaving within the rule sets established by Him. Those in the latter camp recognize the function of evolution, and the opportunity (if not obligation) for human beings to participate in the ongoing construction of our world and its operating systems.

Some of this design activity is like software modification. We legislate for bike lanes, tax rebates for solar energy development, or freedom to grow plants. This should be the easy part, but - given the beliefs of those in the Creator camp (and the support they get from the most intransigent members of the corporate capitalist elite) - it's quite hard. It can even get depressing to argue against people who don't believe the
rules of the game can or should ever be changed.

The other kinds of hacks - the physical hacks - are actually harder. It's hard to figure out how to make traffic flow in a city originally designed for cars, efficient storage for solar cells, or ways to grow organic food or herb on already polluted and demineralized topsoil. But these are the hacks at which Happy Mutants excel, and that are so regularly celebrated on this site.

For me, the physical hacks so often chronicled here serve not only as models or instructions for more hacking, but morale-boosting and solidarity-building reinforcements for the social and spiritual hacking required of activists living in a society hell-bent on corporo-fascism, self-destruction, and religious war. In a world governed largely by people who believe (or want their citizens to believe) that the world is going to end on schedule by decree of the Creator, it is imperative that mutants arise to the challenge of changing the landscape from under them.

But in order to do this successfully, these mutants must be happy. Uninformed by a spirit of underlying joy, the modifications we make to the core program will be no more enlightened than those of our predecessors.

Thus, we BoingBoing.

Not quite a Light House Per Se...

This was out side of the Contemporary Art Museum, the Friday before last, on the 13th, and i have to say I enjoyed it more than the work inside.







“Chorus” by Rainer Kehres and Sebastian Hungerer



The Installation was constructed inside of the old burned down church off of Washington, that has been nothing but foundation and skeletal masonry walls for years, and as long as I can remember. The lights were picked in an attempt to mimic the colours found during sunset in the city.

The Planes Are Coming For You! ...From The Past!

My Dad told me about this:
"An earth tremor recorded by the meteorological institute in the Austrian capital turned out be a detonation from an unexploded World War II bomb, police said Saturday.

The cause of Friday evening's tremor in the suburb of Liesing was discovered the following morning by a gardner, who found a huge crater in a field a few hundred metres from the home of his employer.

Police said a 500-kilogramme bomb dropped from a plane more than 63 years ago had buried itself deep in the earth and remained undetected until its acid fuse triggered the blast, which caused only minimal damage."

Watch out for Subterranian bombs Annie, they're waiting for you even now... Bumm Bumm BUUMM!

Reverse Encroachment

I fust finished this, there will be a recessed sheet of glass over the front, but i thought shooting would be better without the glare.

There's a working light directly over the bluebird, and the vegetation, but the light gets washed out in these shots.




Sialia sialis, Eastern Bluebird



The show's "opening" is Sept. 27th

The Bluebird is located at:2706 Olive StreetSt. Louis, MO 63103 - need directions?
It's mostly a music venue, and there will be a band playing

I'm not sure what to expect as far as the show, but I like how this piece turned out, It looks better with the glass too.

Defending Our Right to In-Sobreity?

I found this interesting:

From Wikipedia:

Missouri has been known for its population's generally "stalwart, conservative, noncredulous" attitude toward regulatory regimes, which is one of the origins of the state's official nickname, the "Show-Me State." As a result, and combined with the fact that Missouri is one of America's leading alcohol-producing states, regulation of alcohol and tobacco in Missouri is among the most laissez-faire in America.

With a large German immigrant population and the development of a brewing industry, Missouri always has had among the most permissive alcohol laws in the United States. It never enacted statewide prohibition. Missouri voters rejected prohibition in three separate referenda in 1910, 1912, and 1918. Alcohol regulation did not begin in Missouri until 1934. Today, alcohol laws are controlled by the state government, and local jurisdictions are prohibited from going beyond those state laws. Missouri has no statewide open container law or prohibition on drinking in public, no alcohol-related blue laws, no local option, no precise locations for selling liquor by the package (thereby allowing even drug stores and gas stations to sell any kind of liquor), no differentiation of laws based on alcohol percentage, no prohibition on consumption by minors (as opposed to possession), and no prohibition on absinthe. State law protects persons from arrest or criminal penalty for public intoxication and also expressly prohibits any jurisdiction from going dry. Missouri law also expressly allows parents and guardians to serve alcohol to their children.

I didn't even know we were that lenient.

We also have no state wide ban on public smoking, and polls show that only 20% of Missourians would support one.

Makes Perfect Sense.

The Circle of Commerce

Applied Geometry by (i'm not sure)

My plan to one up this: The Shopping Cart Möbius Strip

The East is Red, and Also, Quite Comfortable.

Chair-Man-Mao
by Unknown (I'm actually not exactly sure where i got this from)

The People's Lounger!

The True Story of The Pneumatic Burrito

Here is a great history of the The Alameda-Weehawken Pneumatic Burrito Tunnel.

"As the 30th anniversary of the Alameda-Weehawken burrito tunnel approaches, it’s worth taking a look at the remarkable sequence of events that takes place between the time we click “deliver” on the burrito.nyc.us.gov website and the moment that our hot El Farolito burrito arrives in the lunchroom with its satisfying pneumatic hiss."

(you really have to go to the link to make sense of this)

Cross section of a part of the tunnel

For Your Own Safety Please Keep At Least Ten Feet From The Bird While It is Discharging Lightning

Thebes the Goblin Artificer/Sorceror, and his pet familiar, Roary the Robin.
Slightly Addled, with a penchant for smoking an ivory pipe.

Still very unfinished and unpainted, mostly kit bashed, the grey is molded and knife shaped plastic, and all of the green is handsculpted 2-part modeling epoxy.

This is not really to be considered "art" just sheer geekiness for interested parties.

p.s. scariest robin ever, your not sure why.

From The Desk of Brother Gatling Gun of Serenity

"The following is the first communique from a group calling itself Unitarian Jihad. It was sent to me at The Chronicle via an anonymous spam remailer. I have no idea whether other news organizations have received this communique, and, if so, why they have not chosen to print it. Perhaps they fear starting a panic. I feel strongly that the truth, no matter how alarming, trivial or disgusting, must always be told. I am pleased to report that the words below are at least not disgusting:

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary.

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States! Too long has your attention been waylaid by the bright baubles of extremist thought. Too long have fundamentalist yahoos of all religions (except Buddhism -- 14-5 vote, no abstentions, fundamentalism subcommittee) made your head hurt. Too long have you been buffeted by angry people who think that God talks to them. You have a right to your moderation! You have the power to be calm! We will use the IED of truth to explode the SUV of dogmatic expression!

People of the United States, why is everyone yelling at you??? Whatever happened to ... you know, everything? Why is the news dominated by nutballs saying that the Ten Commandments have to be tattooed inside the eyelids of every American, or that Allah has told them to kill Americans in order to rid the world of Satan, or that Yahweh has instructed them to go live wherever they feel like, or that Shiva thinks bombing mosques is a great idea? Sister Immaculate Dagger of Peace notes for the record that we mean no disrespect to Jews, Muslims, Christians or Hindus. Referred back to the committee of the whole for further discussion.

We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with. Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity notes for the record that he does not have a moral code but is nevertheless a good person, and Unexalted Leader Garrote of Forgiveness stipulates that Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity is a good person, and this is to be reflected in the minutes.

Beware! Unless you people shut up and begin acting like grown-ups with brains enough to understand the difference between political belief and personal faith, the Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. We will not try for "balance" by hiring fruitcakes; we will try for balance by hiring non-ideologues who have carefully thought through the issues.

We are Unitarian Jihad. We will appear in public places and require people to shake hands with each other. (Sister Hand Grenade of Love suggested that we institute a terror regime of mandatory hugging, but her motion was not formally introduced because of lack of a quorum.) We will require all lobbyists, spokesmen and campaign managers to dress like trout in public. Televangelists will be forced to take jobs as Xerox repair specialists. Demagogues of all stripes will be required to read Proust out loud in prisons.

We are Unitarian Jihad, and our motto is: "Sincerity is not enough." We have heard from enough sincere people to last a lifetime already. Just because you believe it's true doesn't make it true. Just because your motives are pure doesn't mean you are not doing harm. Get a dog, or comfort someone in a nursing home, or just feed the birds in the park. Play basketball. Lighten up. The world is not out to get you, except in the sense that the world is out to get everyone.

Brother Gatling Gun of Patience notes that he's pretty sure the world is out to get him because everyone laughs when he says he is a Unitarian. There were murmurs of assent around the room, and someone suggested that we buy some Congress members and really stick it to the Baptists. But this was deemed against Revolutionary Principles, and Brother Gatling Gun of Patience was remanded to the Sunday Flowers and Banners committee.

People of the United States! We are Unitarian Jihad! We can strike without warning. Pockets of reasonableness and harmony will appear as if from nowhere! Nice people will run the government again! There will be coffee and cookies in the Gandhi Room after the revolution.

Startling new underground group spreads lack of panic! Citizens declare themselves "relatively unafraid" of threats of undeclared rationality.
People can still go to France, terrorist leader says."

Quoted entirely from Jon Carrol

BONUS! Get your very own Unitarian Jihad name with this hand Name Generator:
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Gattling Gun of Serenity. What's yours?
Post It Here as a Comment!

Additional Point of Interest: The first six presidents of the United States had ties to either The American Unitarian Association, or The Universalist Church of America, which were the predecessors of the modern Unitarian Universalist Church.

I Like Counting More, When I'm Counting to Four

Feist's great self-remix of 1 2 3 4, an already awesome in it's own right song for Sesame Street.

I'm Envious I Don't Have Ice Cream

Envy by Alex Prager

This photo is simply amazing to me, it just does everything right, its simple, and attractive, and the title works so well. I don't know if this is a terrible thing to say, and I don't mean it as such, but i really like the look of below the knee prosthetics, especially the ones used by runners in the Para-Olympics. I think i like such an overt blending of body and technology.

Threats should all be so Cuddly

For the true Godfather Fan, no other stuffed animal (body part) will do.

When a Regular Staring Contest Just Won't Do...

Staring Cats by Steve Bishop

It's a simple and effective use of materials that isn't boring or old hat.

News From the Eastern Front: Its a Blog, Sir.

Annie, Everyone's favorite Red-headed Europe-exploring Art Commando, has started up her own blog to further document her habitually sunny disposition, even in the wilds of Vienna.

Check her out at: Verre De Terre

(which is French for Earthworm)

Cast Iron Curves

Here is a picture of the curved Railroad spike mentioned earlier.

Shanty Like a Step Up From Cardboard, Not Like The Best Part of Being a Pirate.

So i spent the past couple of days making a little shanty, it was a lot of tiny pieces of wood, the whole things probably 4 inches long. It's still not completely done and is just a piece of a larger work.

so you can see the underside of the roof, and the windows:

and then a pre-roof/stilts shot from earlier:


I'm still not sure of what i think of it all, but I think it has the potential to fit well in the larger whole.

From Vienna with Confusion

Annie sent me this picture, its not the best quality, its from a ladies restroom and yes that bag does have a revolver on it.

99 Bottles of Beer in the Wall...

Mr. Heineken wanted to help the world and the enviroment through beer.

"...the idea of turning waste into useful products came to life brilliantly in 1963 with the Heineken WOBO (world bottle). Envisioned by beer brewer Alfred Heineken and designed by Dutch architect John Habraken, the “brick that holds beer” was ahead of its ecodesign time, letting beer lovers and builders alike drink and design all in one sitting.Mr. Heineken’s idea came after a visit to the Caribbean where he saw two problems: beaches littered with bottles and a lack of affordable building materials. The WOBO became his vision to solve both the recycling and housing challenges that he had witnessed on the islands."


I think the last image really sells it for me, I could live in that.

Via Inhabitat

I See Pixels

by Don Little (based on similarity to other work he's made)

The buddhists believed art was something of merit, something that was intrinsicly good karma and the making of would bring you closer to enlightenment, but only if you didnt sign your work. Gives you something to think about when it comes to anonymous street art.

The World Should be Stranger

I just found this piece by Elizabeth Mcgrath who i mentioned earlier

I've Always Suspected There Was Something Amiss With My Fleshy Organs

Der Mensch als Industriepalast (Man as Industrial Palace)
by Fritz Kahn

Via

Mixed Messeges

What should we take from this?

He is The Definition of a Poet Who Didn't Know It.

I'm just baffled at the sheer coincidental awesomeness, it makes you really wonder what those infinite typewriter wielding monkeys could bang out.

Lets Strap On Our Jet Powered Rocket Pants, and Junior Birdman the Hell Out of Here.

and because it was still on the camera when she lent it to me for the last set:

Annie (Currently rocketing around Vienna and parts unknown) and her self-designed and created, working jetpack. The red button by her hand starts the engines.

Navy Green

These are preliminary photos of my latest project, not really offical documentation.

Shorter, but Somehow Just Not Short Enough.

Ben Showed me this:


Best Summation Thus Far.

from 23/6

"For the Pleasure of Your Contempt"

Savoy

Urban Deer

Deer House

The Definition of the hip West coast art scene, Elizabeth McGrath, makes terribly interesting art, drawing heavily from taxidermy, (I think its all faux-taxidermy) In her own words she describes her work as, isolated freakshows luxuriously dressed.