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May 28, 2006
Taro Okamoto
One of my favorite abstract artists is Taro Okamoto. a man in my opinion help set off the design aesthetic now so prevalent in Japanese popular culture.
To me, this man opened the doors for many other Japanese and artists like Murakami. Although he passed away in 1996, I plan on someday visiting his museum in Japan to gaze in awe at his magnificent sculptures and paintings.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Diluted Saabs Coming
Saabs were once vehicles for those who wanted to be different. Cars that fused intelligence with sport, effectively carving their own niche in the marketplace. However, ever since GM's take over, the Saab DNA is stripped away with each iteration.
For example, lets take a look at the current 2006 9-3.
I am for one, a proponent of Saab interior design. GM may have reduced the build quality in materials but at least have left HVAC controls and Saabs iconic digital keypad intact. Now check out the next photo.
This is the new 2007 Saab 9-3. The HVAC controls have been simplified to three knobs. The digital keypad and navi screen have been replaced with GM's standard audio head unit. The entire center console has been flattened so it no longer faces the driver. The digital read-out above the center console has also been eliminated. It basically looks more American than European.
Now some will look at this and say GM has taken the right steps towards making Saab more mass market. By simplifying the control scheme, they've made it more accessible. However, I've never had a problem with Saab's control scheme. It's not difficult, it's just a different take on how to do the same things, and that's what makes it Swedish, makes it unique, and what attracts many of its buyers - the same buyers that want to be different.
So if GM was so intent on making Saabs "easier", they could have taken what Saab's design unit already created - a futuristic look at what Saabs could like like, echoing their jet fighter heritage, staying true to their aesthetic while meeting GM's goal of simplifying their control scheme. I'm talking about the Saab Aero- X concept.
A new integrated digital odometer reflecting the jet fighter cockpits of tomorrow. A new steering wheel design that mimics the wings of Saab's jet fighters. A center dash that brings all audio, HVAC, and statistical information into three screens. The center key ignition, replaced with a simple start button, something many of its luxury competitors have. Saab created it, but GM decided to dive deep into its shared platform bin. A place that is so overused, you can find it in almost every GM vehicle.
find out where after the jump
Just take a gander at of GM designed center consoles. If anything, GM has further cheapened the Saab brand.
Buick Lucerne
Chevy Monte Carlo
Chevy HHR
Saturn Ion
Saturn Sky
Pontiac Solstice
Chevy HHR
Saturn Vue
Posted by tranism at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
May 18, 2006
24x7x365 Apple
So the black facades are finally starting to come off. Steve Jobs obviously has some weird affinity towards cubes because NYC's newest flagship store (one that rivals and possibly surpasses the one in London) is a giant glass cube.
I've never heard of a computer store open 24x7 outside of Asia so this is probably a first for America. Those damn Yorkers are lucky to get something so magnificent. I know that thing would never pass building codes here in earthquake territory but I would be just as happy for a giant brushed steel version, or better yet, a transparent plexiglas one.
This store sits there to reinforce the Apple lifestyle and if it wasn't apparent now, let me make it clear, APPLE IS A LIFESTYLE. Just take a gander at the slow but sure reveal as the cube emerges from its cocoon.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 15, 2006
Stamp Ads
The best ideas are often the most simple. Electro and I are always biting our nails since it seems other people always come up with the most obvious solutions to complex problems, seemingly becoming millionaires overnight. Electro told me the other night that he believes that there is no such thing as good luck, it's just people who are fortunate enough to notice everything in life, never missing opportunities.
Anyways this ad to discourage drunk driving is case in point. Used by the Hotel Marriott in India for patrons of its nightclub Enigma, this "personal stamp ad" lists the phone number of a local cab company that will pick your drunk ass up. It's proven to be so effective, the idea is now being picked up by the Indian government.
It's similar to the service we have in L.A. where you can pre-arrange for a pick up if you know you're gonna be hammered. It's like limo service except you're getting into a yellow cab instead of a stretch Lincoln. Now why didn't we think of that?
Posted by diverseawareness at 1:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 13, 2006
Duck Hunt is Back
This is the only time I can endorse killing ducks, that is if you do it virtually and do it with Nintendo's Wii-mote.
Gamers were treated to a surprise when they visited the Nintendo booth at E3. The new zapper was revealed along with SURPRISE SURPRISE, Dunk Hunt 2. The Ninty reps wouldn't confirm if it was an actual game in development or just a demo. I call demo on this one because they forgot about the dog!
Posted by tranism at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Stampede Towards Nintendo
It was bound to happen. Sony and Nintendo had their booths right across from one another. The Playstation 3 was certainly impressive with games like Sonic, Heavenly Sword, and the AWESOME Virtual Tennis. But Nintendo came out swinging with a new Mario game, new Smash Bros, and a slurry of sports titles designed to really take advantage of their unique controller.
Is this a telling sign of things to come from the console wars? Click on the image to play the video. The bright blue corner on the right is Nintendo's booth showing off their Wii. The dark black corner on the left is Sony with the awesome power of Playstation 3.
The best part of the video is the end when floor execs. from Sony's empty booth emerge dumbfounded.
via kotaku
Posted by tranism at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 11, 2006
Super Smash Bros Brawl
OH MY F*CKIN' GOD!!! With Kid Icarus and Snake (two of my favorite game characters) joining the mayhem, how could it possibly get any better???
They only recently started work on the game so it won't be available until 2007. That gives them plenty of time to polish it up. Nintendo even admits to the possibility of other game mascots coming to the title. Ummm, can anyone say Sonic!!! I want to play with the Wii more than ever now.
Posted by tranism at 12:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
May 10, 2006
GASP & SWOON, Xbox Portable
Writer Dean Takahashi claims to know Microsoft is working on its own portable game machine. In fact, he's so sure, he's written a book about it called Xbox 360 Uncloaked.
In the book, Takahashi says Microsoft has moved nearly half of its team onto this new project in hopes of getting the device on the market halfway thru the Xbox 360's life - to sufficiently bridge the gap between what will then be an aging Xbox 360 and their future game console.
Although the author doesn't reveal who his sources are, he does mention how Microsoft is not content to let Nintendo and Sony rule the portable market.
Very interesting if true. I don't know what to think of a portable Xbox. I'm pretty sure it will have Origami like functions and try to be an all-in-one portable device.
Posted by tranism at 3:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Chapter 11: End of the Line SGI
This may not be news to anyone but a few geeks out there but it definitely hit me when I found out. Silicon Graphics (SGI) has filed for Chapter 11.
During the 90's, SGI was the KING of graphics. Their visual workstations topped 100k, but it was worth it because they were years if not decades ahead of ordinary PC's. At the height of their empire, they provided visualization machines for government, military, medical, research, animation, and even gaming applications. In fact, they had a huge hand in designing the graphics chip inside the Nintendo 64. As a kid growing up, I could only dream my poor little 100 MHz Mac could produce 3D graphics and often fantasized about getting my grubby hands on an SGI workstation.
Fast forward to 2006 and the company is so bankrupt, they had to file for Chapter 11 protection. So what happened? I don't know the logistics behind the decision but I already know SGI's premium cost for hardware combined with the fact that you can now easily get an equivalent Mac or PC for tens of thousands less, placed them in a position where they either had to leap frog current computers, or dramatically cut back costs in order to survive. I guess it was too little too late.
My heart goes out to the small company since I know they have very talented people there. I've always felt they should have targeted the education sector and subsidize their costs to get schools to use their hardware and software. People usually like to keep using what they learned with. If you can't play with the big dogs, you have to expand your market or die a slow death.
Posted by tranism at 3:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
DIY Mario, Space Invader, Pac-Man
Are you a die hard retro gamer? Do you yearn for the days when games were 2D and only required a joystick and one button? If you are, then you'll love this. Celebrate your mislead youth with these do-it-yourself Mario, Space Invader, and Pac-Man block sets.
Brought to you by HobbyStuffU.com. Only $24.15 each (what an odd price).
Posted by tranism at 2:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 7, 2006
Atmospheric Pollution
Singapore's Environmental Council are taking a different and artistic approach on showing people that global pollution is an issue that affects everyone. Witches, aliens and angels are falling out of the sky, poisoned by our air.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by diverseawareness at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Leaked E3 Spore Video
A trailer that seems to have been intended for E3 leaked onto the internet yesterday and it's making its rounds. The video goes thru almost every cycle of the game. Procedural graphics sure are impressive. I'm still amazed and can't wait.
Posted by tranism at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 6, 2006
Mecha Bear
After cleaning up my "sketch area" which has been reduced to a pile of books, scratch paper, broken pencils, a light-box, and really really old marker paper on my bedroom floor, I came across a stack of sketches I can barely remember doing.
This one titled "mecha bear" brought back fond memories of my efforts to write a short story I intended to become a video game. He's supposed to be an android bear sporting a Pharaoh like chin piece with a living flower growing out of his head.
Unfortunately the story I wrote resides on my old computer which I never backed up before I threw it to the recycling bin. The gist of the story was about a bear given a special gift; a biological live flower growing out of his head. The health, color, and bloom of the flower was a reflection on how successful the bear was thru his missions - hence the video game part.
Ironically, several years later a video game called Pikmin came out for the Nintendo Gamecube. The "pikmin" characters have a very similar flower growing out of their heads. I guess it was inevitable that sooner or later somebody would make a game with heady flower growing cohorts.
Funny how life strategically places instances of events in your life and we as people consistently try to foresee the future by connecting all the dots together. I am a firm believer that you can't connect the dots going forward. You can only connect them backwards because then you can see how all the random pieces in your past fit together. The only thing they can do is to give you a clue as to what you might or should, or could do next.
A coworker of mine recently discussed the possibility of making a simple video game as a hobby. Maybe I will resurrect "mecha bear" and complete his form.
UPDATE:
I found a print out of "mecha bear" with some of his basic shape blocked out in photoshop. I guess I planned to complete his figure on the computer.
Posted by tranism at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)