H introduced me to this fun but slightly unsettling Chinese app called myidol. One takes a shapshot of one’s face and the app (all in Chinese but intuitive and guiding enough to figure out—though a bit offputting since one is not exactly sure what one is consenting to, like most of the things on this platform) and allows one to create a three-dimensional paper-doll avatar that one can put in miniature animated adventures, like a cowboy in a Wild West shootout, motorcycle daredevil, cheerleader, etc. The rendering is seamless and an accurate reflection—the character coming across as a Voltron pilot.
Saturday 2 May 2015
Friday 1 May 2015
human rights watch
At a very urgent juncture, the world was administered extreme unction in the aftermath of World War II in the form of the United Nations whose working-group applied the aspiration of universal human rights, which is a very good and needed model to aim for. This convention, however, is somewhat effacing to if not the true underlying factors then at least to that propaganda that inspired much of the outrage and tragedy that is failing to impart any real lessons unfortunately.
catagories: ๐ฉ๐ช, ๐, foreign policy, philosophy
rinse cycle
A group of clever engineering students in China have come up with a concept for a stationary bicycle with a workout routine that doubles as laundry duties. The design is still in its earliest phases and there are some obvious hurdles to its manufacture, like plumbing but hopefully in short order, rows of exercise bikes might start appearing in wash-salons and in laundry rooms. The drudgery of both chores is sure to be compounded by being tethered to dirty clothes for the entire duration but it might equally provoke thought on each task, making the environmental impact a little less through peddle-power. Be sure to check out the link for more bright ideas whose time has come.
catagories: ⚕️, environment, technology and innovation, transportation
shoutbox
Via the inestimable Boing Boing, here is a parody on the Guardian’s Comment is Free section. I admit I don’t really understand that forum, which seems like a solicitous den of baiting and columnists finding a place for spare thoughts that were well formulated but didn’t really fit with their assignments but I suppose most of the internet is fashioned that way—just with guiding rivulets hewn deeper to direct the flow. I suppose ours is not to reason why. Each of the entries seems like an absolute jewel and we will be checking this blog, Comment is Weird, regularly.
catagories: ๐ฌ๐ง, ๐️, networking and blogging