Hi, Curiosity here. - @Mars
#inspiration
Oh, my god. It’s so perfect.
Again, Oh my god. It’s so perfect.
My words could not express how beautiful these are, so I’ll use creator Gavin Worth’s:
By bending black wire into something of freestanding line drawings, I create sculptures that engage the viewer by involving them in their subtle changes. When the light in the room shifts, so does the mood of the piece. A breeze might softly move an arm. My wire sculptures tell stories of simple human moments: a woman adjusting her hair, a face gazing from behind tightly wrapped arms, a mother gently cradling her baby. The honest, unguarded moments are the ones that I find to be the most beautiful.
He even gets the shadows right. Wow. Just wow. (via Colossal.)
“Leaders are not what many people think–people with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go their own way without caring, or even looking to see whether anyone is following them. ‘Leadership qualities’ are not the qualities that enable people to attract followers, but those that enable them to do without them. The include, at the very least, courage, endurance, patience, humor, flexibility, resourcefulness, determination, a keen sense of reality, and the ability to keep a cool and clear head even when things are going badly. This is the opposite of the ‘charisma’ that we hear so much about.”
– John Holt
Excellent Film Poster for Tyrannosaur
by Dan McCarthy
This made my day. From Engadget:
What do you get when you cross a dj with a “Canadian roboticist?” An almost true-to-fiction , that’s what.
Wow. Just wow.
It’s been some time since the Wall-E movie went out, but this is the first convincing Wall-E hackbot I’ve ever seen. Creator DJ Sures shares:
This Wall-E was built from a plastic toy called The U-Command Wall-E. I’ve added modified servos for the tracks and standard servos for the arms and neck. His head is unique and moves in 2 dimensions. There is a camera in his eye which tracks motion, color or human faces. He runs autonomous and explores, or listens to voice commands. He also has a wireless joystick in case he needs help getting out of trouble. The brain of this Wall-E is the EZ-B Robot controller. The software is the EZ-Builder Robot Control Software.
Definitely inspiring. There is a lot of attention to detail, especially with the whistles and voices of the real Wall-E (where by ‘real’ I mean from the movie, ha). It’s even a plus that he cut a whole through Wall-E’s head to accommodate the camera antenna. Not everyone does that!
If you’re familiar with the EZ-Builder Robot Control Software, the project could be downloaded here.
PS Some background on the creator, DJ Sures (from EZ-Robot):
DJ Sures is a Canadian Roboticist. His career began as a software developer in robotics for the oil and gas industry. Eventually he found himself deep in low-level code working for network security related companies and government agencies, unrelated to robotics. He continued to create robotics and A.I. research as a side business and personal interest. Over time, a few of his robots and ideas became well known on the internet.
For a guy so talented, he sure is humble using the third person in referring to himself. Awesome guy. (I wonder what degree he finished though.)
“[…] the world is more and more aligned in favor of those who find motivation inside, who would do what they do even if it wasn’t their job. As jobs turn into projects, the leaders we need are those that relish the project, that jump at the chance to push themselves harder than any coach ever could.”
– Seth Godin, Dependency on external motivation
Bill Dixon: Facebooking My Biological Father »
I’ve always been interested in my Genesis. It’s like my very own Big Bang. I think that would be interesting to hear about.
But it doesn’t consume me like it used to. I thought if I knew how I started, it would tell me something about who I am. But as I get older I realize my decisions and actions, my friends, my family, my mind, and my heart—that’s what defines me, not what hospital I was born in or what gifts I received for my first Christmas.
I grew up thinking that somehow, if I had a father, I would feel round. I always have had that longing for a father ever since I could remember myself learning how to draw (at age three, perhaps?). In fact, there are times that I actually “missed” to have a dad more than I miss my mom (who is overseas and I miss very much too).
And just like Bill Dixon, I have always wondered about how I came to be, my Genesis. Though my mom and I talked about it at length, I just couldn’t shrug off wanting to actually talk with my biological dad; perhaps talking about how he is, what he does, where are my half-brothers and sisters are, etc.
But I too don’t think much about it now. I grew up, matured a bit, and found more worthwhile things to fill my mind. It’s just that every now and then, I read pieces like these and I am led to think again, What if I had a dad?
PS It won’t be too late to start talking now, but if all he could say sound like “great pics” my middle finger is waiting for him.
Exposure: J.J. Abrams »
Matt Hurwitz: How did those Super 8 movies you made as a kid impact this film?
J.J. Abrams: That was a funny time. It was something that felt like a job, in the best possible way, even when I was a kid. Meaning, it was like the dream job that I managed to do myself. To get to use my dad’s camera – or, later, when my grandfather bought me my own, was incredibly fortunate. I started making movies when I was 8, so to be 11 or 12 or 15, or whatever, and to be making movies for half your lifetime! I remember being in high school, and doing these movies, and it really was a lifesaver. It let me escape into some kind of other place and gave me a sense of purpose. And that’s pretty much how I still feel, which is that I get to, at the moment, at least, work on movies and stories that I can sort of lose myself in. I just cannot imagine a better job.
I didn’t start too early (as J.J. Abrams) in creating short films, but I too treat it as a job (and something I see myself doing in the future). I think it’s scary business to be actually involved in making full-length films, but I really hope I could. It’s great to be able to touch people’s lives, and for me it feels more rewarding to do it through film.
When that day comes though (and I hope it will!), I think I would look back to this day and tell myself “This is what J.J. Abrams inspired me to do.”
ZaInT on mussolisa’s Meet my husband (on Reddit):
If you don’t feel like this getting married, you’re doing it wrong.
Until then, I would have to learn how to jump like that.
“We haven’t lost romance in the digital age, but we may be neglecting it. In doing so, antiquated art forms are taking on new importance. The power of a handwritten letter is greater than ever. It’s personal and deliberate and means more than an e-mail or text ever will. It has a unique scent. It requires deciphering. But, most important, it’s flawed. There are errors in handwriting, punctuation, grammar, and spelling that show our vulnerability. And vulnerability is the essence of romance. It’s the art of being uncalculated, the willingness to look foolish, the courage to say, “This is me, and I’m interested in you enough to show you my flaws with the hope that you may embrace me for all that I am but, more important, all that I am not.”
– Ashton Kutcher, from his Has Texting Killed Romance?
I saw Andreas Preis illustrative work on lookslikegooddesign.com and he’s fuckin’ good. We have similar drawing styles but his details are very intense. I really like the angular style (especially his strokes) of his work.
Mind-blowing per se. (He also design posters and books, so make sure to check out his site: www.designerpreis.com)
“Obscenity is a notable enhancer of life and is suppressed at grave peril to the arts.”
– Brendan Gill (quoted from The New Yorker’s Bonfire of the Profanities by Erin Overbey)
“Anyone can put puzzle pieces in a bag, but it takes a certain skill to assemble the total picture.”
– DiogeneX from his/her Thoughts on a Keynote
“
[…] The fiddler does not sit down to a crowd anxiously awaiting his performance. He stops in a convenient spot, makes sure people can hear him, and begins playing. It is his talent that determines whether or not those within earshot will converge upon his performance or quietly move to another spot across the park.
You have to start playing before anyone will listen.
”– Benjamin Jackson, from his inspiring The Fiddler
