From Chris: At last, a sensible use of an iPad!

iPad Beer at Hofbraeuhaus with Simon Pierro

The Truth Is Out There: From The 1985 NBA Draft Lottery To The Olympics To Game-Fixing … Which Conspiracy Theory Can You Believe?
by Patrick Hruby
The Post Game
May 30, 2012

“You know,” says the magician, “it’s very easy to fix flipping a coin.” For instance: The tosses before football games. Turns out they’re totally riggable. Even with a straight coin. Con men know how. So does the magician, Richard Kaufman. He’s in his 50s, has dark, curly hair, works as the editor of Genii, the nation’s leading magic magazine. Specializes in card tricks. Only now, here in the sunlit kitchen of his suburban Washington, D.C. home, he’s talking tumbling coins.

Heads or tails. Even odds. As indifferent as the universe itself, like the flips that sent Lew Alcindor to the Milwaukee Bucks, Bill Walton to the Portland Trail Blazers, Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon to the Houston Rockets.

Unless …

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The Magician Dynamo Walks on Water:

Read more about this here.

From TED TALKS about the role of the magician as storyteller, exploiting the way audiences think, and about why it’s fun to be fooled.

Marco Tempest spins a beautiful story of what magic is, how it entertains us and how it highlights our humanity — all while working extraordinary illusions with his hands and an augmented reality machine.

A magician and illusionist for the 21st century, Marco Tempest blends cutting-edge technology with the flair and showmanship of Houdini.

Related link:

, by Marco Tempest, July 7, 2007

From Cheryl: 3D marketing stunt in Berlin from LG for the Optimus…

John Chamberlain, Who Wrested Rough Magic From Scrap Metal, Dies at 84
by Randy Kennedy
The New York Times
December 21, 2011

John Chamberlain, who almost singlehandedly gave automotive metal a place in the history of sculpture, smashing and twisting together a poetic fusion of Abstract Expressionism and Pop from fenders, fins, bumpers and hoods, died on Wednesday in Manhattan. He was 84.

His wife, Prudence Fairweather, announced his death but declined to give a cause. He had spent his last years mostly in Shelter Island, N.Y.

In a restless career of almost half a century, Mr. Chamberlain worked with a broad range of materials, some as pliant as foam rubber and as ephemeral as brown paper bags. But he returned again and again to the more substantial stuff of the scrap yard, explaining the attraction as one of practicality. “I saw all this material just lying around against buildings, and it was in color,” he said, “so I felt I was ahead on two counts.” (more…)

From Linda as seen on teleomorph.com: Magical engineering…

Scan and print industrial tools with moving parts in minutes. Great introductory video to 3D printing:

Submitted by Erin:

The Art of the Animated GIF
Gawker.com
April 23, 2011

Co.Design — Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg’s animated photos turn the medium of choice for 4chan trolls into something approaching high art.

You know how people sometimes say that jazz is the only truly American art form? Animated GIFs are like the jazz of the internet: they could only exist, and be created and appreciated, online. (more…)

Indonesia Crop Circle Sparks UFO Rumors
Huffington Post
January 25, 2011

Jakarta, Indonesia (AP) – Thousands of curious onlookers are flocking to central Indonesia to look at a “crop circle” in a rice field following rumors it was formed by a UFO.

Though clearly sculptured by humans — it looks like an intricately designed flower — the 70-yard-wide (70-meter-wide) circle has drawn so much attention that police have blocked off the area with yellow tape. Villagers have started charging entrance fees.

Guntur Purwanto, chief of Jogotirto village in Sleman district, said the circle appeared in the middle of the green rice paddies over the weekend.

Among those turning out Tuesday and offering opinions were officials from Indonesia’s space agency, well-respected astronomers and nuclear agency officials. All agree it was not left by an UFO.

Creative Bag Ads as seen on boredpanda.com:

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From preventableinjuries, via Laughing Squid & Wooster Collective, September 07, 2010

Marking the back to school term, Preventable together with BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation and the District of West Vancouver have launched an optical illusion geared to making drivers slow down at high-risk intersections.

The optical illusion of an illustrated girl chasing a ball has been placed on the road northbound at 22nd street in West Vancouver. There are signs leading up to it saying “you’re probably not expecting kids to run out on the road” to prepare drivers. The installation is meant to draw attention to the risk of children running into the street and was carefully tested before being put in place. It is in place for a few days only and is being monitored as a pilot to ensure pedestrian and driver safety are not risked. The illusion rises up gradually from about 100 feet away as not to surprise drivers, and it fades away by the time a driver approaches.

For more details on how we’re shifting attitudes and raising awareness about preventable injuries, visit http://www.preventable.ca

You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead. And that’s what Dalton Ghetti does with his extraordinary sculptures.

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Don’t Lego that imagination!

Lego Hello World, by horseattack

thanks Erin, via nerdist & likecool

Related links:

Street artists step it up with 3D
by Leslie Katz
CNET
July 26, 2010

You don’t need special glasses to view the 3D street art in the gallery below, but you do need to approach it from just the right vantage point to see or photograph the full effect.

The mind-bending images are inspired by anamorphism, a centuries-old technique used in frescoes and other drawings to create the illusion of height and width (as such, 3D street painting is sometimes called anamorphic or illusionistic).

Scroll through the pictures to view vivid imagery that turns 2D asphalt into amazing 3D art. (more…)

Images by Ben Heine, Belgian painter, illustrator, portraitist, caricaturist and photographer:

For more information about Ben Heine, visit his Web site or go here to see more images from this series.

thanks Erin