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February 16th, 2012

INTERACTIVE “STARRY NIGHT”

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Image via ThisIsColossal

Van Gogh’s Starry Night is one of those works of art that’s been reproduced so much it’s become stale. It’s now typically fare for college dorms or TV dinner place mats across the country. Van Gogh had a hard life, but the lost wonder of his art is the greatest insult. 

Now a new digital interpretation of that iconic work is literally bringing the piece back to life. The interactive painting first electrifies the classic scene: starry light flows, landscapes pulse, the night literally twinkles. Add to that the user’s touch and the painting becomes wholly new. A finger gesture rewrites the night sky. A swipe recomposes the scenery. Wondrous swirls and ominous holes dance on screen whenever the user brushes the display. 

This is how Starry Night was meant to be seen: as a fully-engaging piece that is beautiful, sad, and anything but cliche.


What piece of artwork would you like to see re-imagined? Tell us below or @WIREDInsider.

—Culturazzi
February 16th, 2012

HOVER BOARD (SORTA) IS IN THE WORKS

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Image via StupidDope

Three years, people. Three short years.

Three years is all we have left to produce the Back to the Future, Part II hover board, which supposedly will help slick, lovable punks from 1984 dodge bullys in 2015. 

In preparation for that momentous year, Mattel is producing the official Back to the Future hover board (IT Girl mentioned this yesterday in her post). As you can imagine, it doesn’t actually float (and don’t get them started on the whole “doesn’t-hover-over-water” problem). Rather, the toy will glide over smooth surfaces, such as the carpet in your Nana’s dining room, and make cool, future-y sounds (although you’re more than welcome to add your own “Great Scott!” in there once in awhile). Mattel will release pricing and availability info later this quarter.

Hover board? Check. Self-lacing Nike’s? Sorta check. Now I just need a Mr. Fusion.

1 note • Comments
—Culturazzi
February 15th, 2012

BLUE IVY CARTER, THE SOCIAL MEDIA QUEEN

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Image via *cedro*

We all know that Blue Ivy Carter, Beyonce and Jay-Z’s spawn, was born into music royalty. But she’s already Internet royalty, too.

Back in August, when Beyonce dramatically revealed her baby bump on live television at the end of her MTV Video Music Awards performance, Twitter topped out at 8,868 tweets per second, making it the biggest Twitter event of 2011. Even bigger than Steve Jobs, Osama bin Laden, and the UK’s royal wedding.

Then there was a little tweet sent from Jay-Z two days after Blue Ivy’s January birth. It was a song he wrote featuring her first cries-and it went viral. Now a Tumblr blog has appeared called Hello Blue Ivy Carter. A sweet handwritten message and five baby photos show Beyonce and Jay-Z glowing with their adorable little girl.

So, it’s safe to say mom and dad know a little bit about viral marketing and social media. Do you think Beyonce and Jay-Z handled the birth announcement well? Tweet us @WIREDInsider or comment below.

—IT Girl
February 15th, 2012

GOODBYE, MONOPOLY MONEY

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Image via Rutty

It’s so embarrassing to watch a company try to be tech-savvy and fit in with the cool kids, but epically fail.

Hasbro’s new Monopoly zAPPed, switches the iconic play money that we all know and love with plastic debit cards. The game is mostly the same, but when it comes to adding and subtracting cash, players instead tap the debit cards onto their iOS device to perform a transaction. No more basic arithmetic. Your phone does that for you.

Apparently there are a few additional games that players can interact with on their device, like a get out of jail free game. But at the heart of it, the technology seems kind of unnecessary. I like board games because there isn’t a screen involved. And obviously not every player–especially kids–has an iOS device.

It’s way cooler (and less desperate) when something new gets a retro flashback (like this special Star Wars edition of Xbox 360 or this NES iOS game controller) as opposed to something old getting a poorly attempted update. Heck, some things don’t even need an update. Mattel’s 1980s flashback Back to the Future Hoverboard doesn’t even hover, yet it’s still awesome.   

What game or gadget would you like to see get a cool update? Retro flashback? Tell us below or @WIREDInsider.         

—IT Girl
February 14th, 2012

VOTE FOR INNOVATION IN 2012

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Every day, there are countless pieces of technology that I rely on, from my smartphone to my desk lamp to the keyboard I’m writing this post on. At some point in time these items were just ideas or sketches on an inventor’s desk. And that’s the thing, an idea is just “an idea†until you share it. Sharing our ideas fosters creativity, and ultimately, innovation.

To celebrate today’s up-and-coming inventors, the WIRED Insiders and Mercedes-Benz teamed up to handpick 10 ideas and new products we believe you should know about. In fact, we think they’re so great, you’ll probably want to share them: Head to Fueling Innovation, browse the 10 finalists, and share the ones you like best with your social network—your coworkers, your friends, you might even want to mention it to your local barista. Every time you vote and share an invention via Facebook, Twitter, or email, you’ll help one inventor get closer to winning a $2,500 prize (and the good news is you don’t have to pick just one).

—Digital Gentleman
February 14th, 2012

A TACTILE THERMOMETER

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Image via Rob Godshaw

Thermometers haven’t had an innovation in awhile. Sure with a simple swipe or click, anyone can find out the numerical temperature outside. But be it in Fahrenheit, Celsius, or even the almighty Kelvin, numbers don’t tell us what a temperature feels like. 

The obliquely-named Cryoscope Haptic Weathervane does one better than merely displaying temperature. Rather, by heating and cooling a metal cube based on outside conditions, it allows users to experience the weather. A simple Arduino and heating element control the cube’s surface temperature, and the cube is even adjusted to account a human’s subjective experience of cold or hot. The result: a thermometer that truly (and usefully) let’s you know when to wear that scarf.

2 notes • Comments
—Digital Gentleman
February 14th, 2012

IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY AND YOU’RE ALONE

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Image via Someecards

Put your coffee down because I’ve got potentially depressing news: it’s Valentine’s Day. Perhaps you’ve got a special someone, and used the various guides for Makers, Gastronauts, and IT Girls that we’ve been serving up all week. 

Or maybe you’re more like me, a lone wolf in a forest of sickening displays of affection. What can the single person do on Valentine’s Day? Why, turn to social media, of course:

Turn to Twitter: Twitamore.com is a silly tool that analyzes your Twitter follower lists, favorites, and activity to pair you with your tweeting true love.

Turn to Tumblr: Occupy Valentine’s Day combines the infamous social movement with our favorite blogging platform. The result: oddly touching entries about all kinds of love, not just the boxed kind.

Turn to Facebook: Let’s say that, hope against hope, there is someone you like. Rather than drop $50 on some price-gouged flowers, send your love on the cheap, on Facebook, with the help of everyone’s favorite late night host. Warning: don’t be surprised if this F-Card doesn’t have the effect you were going for.


What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Tell us below or @WIREDInsider.

2 notes • Comments
—Digital Gentleman
February 13th, 2012

Light Reading

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Image via ARC90

One of the nice new additions to the latest Tweetbot release is the integration of Readability, a utility for your laptop, tablet, and smartphone that makes the web more readable. It takes your average web article layout (small font, narrow columns, image embeds) and turns it into a big, clean, customizable page of text that’s easy on the eyes and distraction free. So, good call on the name of their product as it turns out.

Readability will archive articles for you, send them to a Kindle, or share it to your social networks. They’ve released some great tools for publishers to make this comfortable view available all over the web, and even have a subscription service that automatically allocates 70% of your contribution to the writers and publishers you read most. A great compliment app for you Longreads and Longform fans.

—Smarter Upstarter
February 13th, 2012

Tweetbot for iPad

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Image via Tweetbot

What is with me and Tweetbot? The Twitter client for iPhone has been one of my top 5, desert island must-have apps ever since…I listed it as one of my top 5 must-have apps last June. I like how it functions. I like how fast it is. I like its vaguely steampunk/art deco design ethos—it’s the Twitter app that you’d use if you lived in BioShock. And now it’s the Twitter app you should use if you have an iPad. Yep, Tapbots released Tweetbot for iPad this week, bringing its multiple timelines and smart gestures to the tablet.

One other thing I like about this app: it’s made in Flower Mound, TX by Paul Haddad and Mark Jardine—two former Oakley employees who seem like they’d be fun to have beers with. Said Haddad in a recent TNW interview : “I can’t draw or design, he can’t code. We’re both fine with that. But enough about the past, can we talk about Rampart?â€

What are your top apps for the iPad? The iPhone? Tell us below or @WIREDInsider.

—Smarter Upstarter
February 12th, 2012

V-DAY GIFTS GOOD ENOUGH FOR MAKERS

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Image via danielmoyle

Let’s be honest. It’s kind of a predictable holiday. Choose from roses, candy, or a teddy bear. Sign lovey-dovey card. Live happily ever after until next Valentine’s Day.

But this Maker wants to change that. With the countdown now at two days, these simple projects require only a few supplies, only a little money, and can easily be completed by Tuesday night. Ready, set, MAKE!

A Better Bouquet

Do not spend cash on a cliché bouquet. Instead make your own with red duct tape. It’s cheaper, and it will last forever. Just like your love.

A More Creative Card

Who knew that acrylic paint mixed with a little dish soap would make such a great scratch-off surface? Just like a “scratch and win†ticket, turn a secret message or a Polaroid photo into a cute card with ease.

A Moving Movie

Make a Valentine short that your loved one will love. Here’s a roundup of free stop-motion iPhone apps that will do the trick.

Are you making something for a loved one on Valentine’s Day? Tell us about your DIY projects below or @WIREDInsider.

—Maker
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