technology

3d Model of Dubrovnik Constructed from Flickr Photos

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This 3D reconstruction of Dubrovnik, Croatia was made entirely by computers from photos sourced on Flickr. It contains 4,619 images and nearly 3.5 million 3D points.

This project is referenced by Victor Burgin in his keynote presentation at Urban Encounters: The Image of Public Space a seminar at Tate Britain in October 2012. Burgin's talk is at the beginning of the podcast embedded below:

[mp3j track="http://static.tate.org.uk/1/onlineevents/podcast/mp3/2012_10_06_urban_encounters_1.mp3" title="Listen Here:" autoplay="n"]

 

Loitering Theatre

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Loitering Theatre is a project by Nina McGowan and Caroline Campbell which "uses customised helicopters (the AR.Drone) to fly beyond the normal street view to access and film previously inaccessible and unseen views of the city". It was shown at the Science Gallery, Dublin as a part of Hack the City. Above is a clip from a longer video.

Nina and Caroline collaborate together also using the name Loitering Theatre.

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Utility Fog is a hypothetical collection of tiny robots, envisioned by Dr. John Storrs Hall while he was thinking about a nanotechnological replacement for car seatbelts. The robots would be microscopic, with extending arms reaching in several different directions, and could perform lattice reconfiguration. Grabbers at the ends of the arms would allow the robots (or foglets) to mechanically link to one another and share both information and energy, enabling them to act as a continuous substance with mechanical and optical properties that could be varied over a wide range. Each foglet would have substantial computing power, and would be able to communicate with its neighbors.

More info here

Computer Dump in Ghana

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A photo of a partially buried keyboard in a computer dump in Ghana. It is taken from a slideshow on the New York Times website.

"In Agbogbloshie, a slum in Accra, the capital of Ghana, adults and children tear away at computers from abroad to get at the precious metals inside. Copper is perhaps the most desirable, then brass, then aluminum, then zinc. At the dump, the machines are dismantled and often burned to extract metals for resale. The equipment in this digital cemetery come mainly from Europe and the United States, sometimes as secondhand donations meant to reduce the "digital divide'' — the disparity in computer access between poor nations and rich.

Update: The photographer is Pieter Hugo

Mafoombey - Acoustic Space

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Mafoombey is a cardboard space for listening to music designed by Martti Kalliala & Esa Ruskeepää.

"The structure consists of 720 hand-cut pieces of cardboard sliced horizontally, then stacked on top of each other with no adhesive. It was designed using 3D modelling and scale models with the help of architect friend Martin Lukasczyk. The space includes a sitting area for two to three people and a DVD player to play music. Energy-saving lights and surround-sound speakers are built into the 360-layered structure, with one central wire leading out to plug in for electricity.

The cardboard was donated to the students from Finnish paper manufacturer Stora Enso, in whose factory the students cut the pieces with a controlled knife cutter one-by-one. The design won the competition and was built, becoming the first built project for the 26-year old architects."

More info and pictures here

"Compensation for being Scammed" Scam Email

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Attention Please!!!

   We are delegated from the British High Commission to pay 104 identified victims of 419 scam. You are listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims. get back to us as soon as possible for the immediate payment of your compensations funds. On this faithful recommendations, I want you to know that during the last UN meetings held in Abuja, Nigeria, it was alarmed so much by the rest of the world in the meetings on the lose of funds by various foreigners to the scam artists operating in syndicates all over the world today, in other to retain the good image of the country, the president of the Country in collaboration with the British high commission is now paying 104 victims of this operators.

    Due to the corrupt and inefficient banking systems in Nigeria, the payments are to be paid through (Mr. Robert Dewar) British high commission under funding assistance by the Central Bank of Nigeria. According to the number of applicants at hand, 84 proved victims has been paid, half of the victims are from the United States and Asia, we still have more 20 left to be paid the compensations.

    Your particulars was mentioned as one of their victims of the operations by one of the syndicates who was arrested, you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him for any reason for whatsoever, the US secret service is already on trace of the criminal.

    You will receive your compensations payments via an ATM cashable at any ATM center around you. I shall feed you with further modalities as soon as I hear from you. In reply, provide your:

1. contact telephone number 2. Delivery address.

    Respond with Your Personal information including your phone number and you can also contact my office on: (+234 802-285-5473)

Yours faithfully, Mr. Robert B Dewar British High Commission) (+234 802-285-5473)