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Starry Sight
Vincent van Gogh was a genius.
That esteemed term, typically reserved for the few, is far too often granted to the many. However, in the case of the Dutch painter born March 30, 1853, it’s appropriate. Despite only reaching 37 years of age and painted portraits with an expression that balances between indifference and scowling, his legacy is surprisingly inspiring and long-lasting. The way that van Gogh conceptualized the world in colorfully wavy, yet defined spaces screams (sorry, wrong artist) a visionary that captivates people and admirers alike 125 years after he passed away.
Remarkable.
His masterpiece is “Starry Night.” As a matter of fact, it’s my personal favorite. On April 12, 2013 at 6:03 p.m. (iPhone picture info.), I was a mere three-feet from this chef-d’oeuvre!
(“Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, MoMA)
There are many tributes to Vincent van Gogh and to “Starry Night” in particular. The following use of dominoes is truly something else.
“FlippyCat—easily the most patient YouTube celebrity—spent around 11 hours recreating Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night using 7,067 carefully stacked dominoes that were then sent tumbling in a glorious chain reaction.”
–Andrew Liszewski, Gizmodo
Creativity has a tendency to reveal new, unseen dimensions.
It’s like discovering a new constellation.
The Real Deep Blue Sea
It seems as if Steven Spielberg’s defining summer blockbuster Jaws may have had more than just a toe dipped in the water involving the true events that inspired his film.
As people’s bravery increases simultaneously with the improved strength of metal cages designed for underwater hovering, their terrifying interactions with giant sharks reveal new discoveries about the aggressive, yet surprisingly tranquil super predators of the ocean.
Brand new footage of the largest shark ever recorded on video from a dive off the Mexican coast in 2013 was just released to the public. Her name is Deep Blue.
Deep Blue’s size is so colossal that it begs the question as to whether Spielberg and Co. built a new animatronic shark and let it loose in the waters off Guadalupe Island. This great white is suspected to be about 50 years-old and is estimated to be at least 20 feet long.
In the movie Jaws, the monster shark measured at around 25 feet.
It’s been 40 years and we still need a bigger boat.
An Insanely Great Throwback Thursday
Saying “hello” has rarely been so profound.
In the spirit of “Throwback Thursday” and the Steve Jobs trailer that debuted yesterday, today’s blog post will take you back to the real Steve Jobs presenting the first Macintosh computer in 1984 to an audience in awe of a personal machine they and the world had never seen live before.
There are events in life when you instantly know everything’s about to change forever.
This was one of those moments.
The Pursuit of Levitation
Apparently, now is the right time to hover.
Scheduling my ride on the first-ever hoverboard last Friday was born out of availability and great airfare. It never dawned on me that the subsequent week would reveal the first glimpse of the world’s second hoverboard: SLIDE.
Utilizing similar principals of magnetism, the specialized design group at Lexus has dipped its toe into the water (well, technically in the air) of hover technology following Arx Pax and their pioneering Hendo Hoverboard. Still, the specific components between the Hendo and Lexus hoverboards are distinguishable enough.
“Lexus said the test hoverboard in its “Amazing in Motion” campaign generates magnetic levitation by combining the effects of liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors and permanent magnets” (USA Today).
Appearance wise, the hoverboard by Lexus is sleek and appears consumer-ready. Functionality wise, however, is still a lingering question. Looks like October 21st of this year will reveal that verdict, the same day Marty McFly quickly found out the answer to this question. Also, Hendo does not use liquid nitrogen-cooled superconductors, which is important to note for a couple reasons. First, both companies have legitimate claims to creating original hovering technologies, however similar the role magnets are to flotation. Second, it’s wonderful to see there is more than one way to build a hoverboard.
The creative minds at Hendo and Lexus, developing this desired mode of transportation out of nostalgia for the future (it makes sense), are in the alpha stage. Envisioning what the beta stage and beyond will produce is exciting as reductions in cost (Hendo’s board costs $10,000), battery life improvements and infrastructure will undoubtedly become focal points of business plans going forward. Perhaps this leads to a small skate park with magnets built underneath in the next few years (Lexus did that for the video above), then a long pathway around a park and then Marty’s daring and boundless flight throughout a town square will be reality soon thereafter.
Except over water.
The power of movies (and love for the BTTF fan) is inspiring for many reasons. Despite living in 2015 without most of the cool advancements featured in Back to the Future Part II, those scenes have clearly made a permanent impression on fans and innovators alike as a future to strive for and build towards. That’s incredible. The sparks of innovation can literally come from anywhere.
And Lexus seems to be opening a future debate: Will consumers buy a luxury car or a luxury hoverboard?
They may be surprised by the answer.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 