Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Popurls...Genuine Aggregator

Hi All,

With today's access to information folks can get news 24x7x365 via tv, tablets, smartphones, internet, cable tv and other methods...

If you like news headlines, click on this link - which goes to Popurls - a genuine aggregator.  What the heck is it you ask?  Glad you asked!

Popurls is a news aggregator.  Basically it scours the web - and sites like Reddit, The Verge, Digg, Huffington Post, New York Times, Buzz Feed, Slashdot, Boingboing and many others.  It then presents the headlines - of which you, the reader, can click on.  Clicking on the various headlines takes you to the original text of the article on whichever site it is located.

News comes in various flavors: Tech, Geek, Design, Business, Entertainment, Sports and Politics. 

For more information about Popurls, click on this link; which comes from the sites' 'About Us' section.

Enjoy the news in this interesting format!

Regards,
Stu

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Happy 100th BirthdayTo the Erector Set!!!

Hi All,

Did you know that 2013 is the 100th birthday of the Erector set? I didn't either until I came across this article from the New York Times on Tuesday morning. Here's a link to the article entitled, '100 Years Later, Seeing the Influence of the Erector Set'.

I played with an Erector Set when I was a kid so the article had some passing interest for me. But then I began to dig a bit deeper...there are Ebay listings, Youtube videos and websites dedicated to Erector sets and their background.  Forthwith, a blog entry about Erector Sets.

Click on this link to get a perspective on the history of the Erector Set from Wikipedia. There are interesting quotes about the Erector Set - in particular this quote which is a great summary of the parts of the Erector Set:  "Erector consists of various metal beams with regular holes for assembly using nuts and bolts. Other mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, wheels, and small electric motors were also part of the system. What made Erector unique was the ability to build a model, then take it apart and build something else (over and over)."  For a kid who has imagination, combined with creativity and a little bit of spunk and you have one of the world's great toys....

The Wikipedia article has 5 sections (each section links to the respective part of the Wikipedia entry) - so click on the links to your hearts content! History, Movie, Applications, See Also, and References.

Their Man Who Saved Christmas was a film based on the true story about the efforts of toymaker AC Gilbert to continue making toys during World War I. Click here for the link from Wikipedia. Click here for the movie review/link/details from the Internet Movie Database.  BTW, Jason Alexander (of George from Seinfeld fame) stars in the movie.

Click on this link for the official Erector Set website - note that there are lots of Games, Apps, Videos and a list of Where to Buy Erector Sets on the site.  For more 'unofficial video's that deal with Erector Sets, click on this link from Youtube - note that the first bunch of videos include topics as varied as 'Incredible AC Gilbert Erector Display', 'AC Gilbert Erector Sets 1960', 'Erector Sets and Other AC Gilbert Toys', 'Erector Set Commercial', and 'Noah's Erector Set Creation (music).  Cool stuff - here's the link!.

Finally, to get some background information and to find out what makes the Erector Set educational, click on this link from Ideafinder.  Cool stuff. And of course, enjoy your Erector Set!

Regards,
Stu

Friday, December 10, 2010

Art and Computers and Math - Combined

Hi All,

What happens when you combine art, computer graphics, and math...shake them all up and then print the results?

Fractals. That's what happens. Let me start at the beginning.

Click here for a description of what a fractal is - link is from Wikipedia. Basically a fractal is a geometric shape that can be split into its indivdual parts. The parts of the shape being a smaller and smaller sizec opy of the whole shape. Click here for an example from the Wikipedia article.

So, now that you know what a fractal is, why are they interesting? Because of the geometic designs that can be generated. Click here for a simple Google search using the phrase, 'fractal art'. Once I entered the result and generated the results, I clicked on the 'Images' link on Google. Click here for the results.

Notice the different colors, shapes, designs, backgrounds and more in these photos. Cool stuff, eh?

So, now what? Well, if you like to use a computer, enjoy a bit of math and like 'things artistic', you might want to download and install some fractal software so you can generate your own images.

Click here for a link from Cool Math.com - you'll be able to make your own fractals using their software. Still want more fractal software to generate your own pictures? Click here for a link from Easy Fractal Generator. Note that the EFG has links to popular and new fractals that users have generated.

Finally, click here for another fractal science kit generator...aka another downloadable piece of software so you can make your own fractal designs.

Just some thoughts for those who like art, design, computers and pictures. Enjoy the fractals - and just think, at the very least you might have learned a new word today.

Enjoy.
Stu

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