A collection of digital wonders and some other stuff
The Thatcher effect is the phenomenon in which it becomes difficult to detect local feature changes in an upside down face, despite identical changes being obvious in an upright face.
Here it is, in video format:
See another example of the same.
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Last night I went to hear Dr. Luc Simard speak about the new Thirty Meter Telescope that is in development. This telescope will have a 30-metre diameter primary mirror and will provide nine times the collecting area of today’s largest optical telescopes. It will enable scientists to observe objects nine-times fainter than existing 10 metre telescopes in an equal amount of time.
The Thirty Meter Telescope will give astronomers the clearest and deepest picture of the Universe ever. This telescope will push the frontier of technology, fully integrating the latest innovations in precision control, segmented mirror design, and adaptive optics to correct for the blurring effects of Earth’s atmosphere. When combined with the unprecedented light-collecting area of the primary mirror, TMT will be the most capable and sophisticated telescope ever constructed.
Relative to the Hubble Space Telescope, TMT will have 156 times the collecting area and more than a factor of 10 better spatial resolution at near-infrared and longer wavelengths.
The University of Lethbridge is contributing to the project, and my friend, Richard Querel, does some pretty interesting research as part of the team headed by Dr. David Naylor. They have developed a very powerful laser device which calculates atmospheric conditions and can be used to calibrate the telescope to compensate for things like humidity and smog.
See a video fly through of the proposed TMT facility which will be built in either Chile or Hawaii and should be operational by 2018.
What would life look like if there were no god?
[What if God Disappeared – YouTube]
Update: The video is down.
In honour of Theodore Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, who would have been 105 today, I’ve posted part one of the environmental fable, The Lorax.
The Lorax, published in 1971, is a short story that speaks out against the destruction of the environment through the Lorax, a sage figure who speaks for the trees, only to watch his habitat destroyed by a series of unsustainable businesses. After the plants are killed and the animals leave the barren wasteland behind, the polluting Once-ler realizes the terrible mistake he’s made and urges a young boy to plant the last-ever Truffula seed to restore the beauty of the land.
Hit play or watch The Lorax on YouTube. See also, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6. Alternatively, here’s all the videos in The Lorax playlist.
The following logos are the Universal Recycling Symbol and Taiwan’s recycling symbol.
The familiar Universal Recycling Symbol contains three chasing arrows that form a Mobius strip or one sided loop, which is kind of cool, but notice the brilliant use of negative space in Taiwan’s recycling symbol that generates a great “aha” moment when you realize it’s there.
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Previously: negative space in Fed Ex logo.
My friend Jarett Sitter and his sister created this clever stop motion pixilation for a Doritos ad contest.
If you like it, vote him up here by clicking the thumbs up.
Last night at about 2:50am, my friends Andy and Shannon delivered their new baby boy, Finn! He is a tall baby, about 52cm, weighing in at a nice 3.475kg (7.6 lbs). We’re all very excited for them.
[Finn Davies – Flickr]
Welcome to the world, Finn.
Here is a screen shot of the Lethbridge NDP website that I recently designed.
I incorporated design elements from both the Federal and Provincial NDP in order to convey the message that the Lethbridge office exists for both sides of the party. Although I originally used the lime green of the Federal party, ultimately the shade of green that the Provincial side uses is much easier on the eyes.
Laurie Hill’s short video/animation, “Photo of Jesus” brings a creative spin to the story of the kind of requests that the Getty Images archives deal with on a regular basis.
“Photo of Jesus”- Firstly it is an exquisite piece of animation (it’s hard to see how this film could be improved). Secondly, the engaging story line utterly nails the depth and breadth of the Getty Images archive and, with my ad man hat on for a moment, it’s hard to see how Getty Images could make a better, more representative film than this.
Watch Photo of Jesus online at the Annex Blog.
I can’t express the level of skepticism I feel over this Discovery Channel clip claiming that subliminal ring tones can affect the way our minds think and even the way our bodies grow.
Hideto Tomabechi made headlines in June 2005 when he started selling a ring tone that he claims could make a woman’s breasts grow larger just by listening to it.
If ring tone breast enhancement smacks of gimmickry, the theories behind it are taken very seriously indeed. Over the last ten years, Dr. Tomabechi has been lecturing on how to apply his mind manipulating techniques to the threat of terrorism.
His services have been in demand ever since March 1995 when members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult released a nerve gas called sarin into the Tokyo Subway System which injured 5000 people and killed 12. Dr. Tomabechi was asked by the Japanese police to deprogram some of the brainwashed members of the cult by applying his “sound” theories.
Hit play or watch at YouTube.
For the record, there have been no scientific studies which demonstrate anything remotely close to subliminal commands influencing motives. It all boils down to the fact that subliminal messages designed to change behaviour DO NOT WORK.
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