Parsing science news from the past days, I came across one that made me think once again how often we can mix concepts from different fields of research and sparkle innovation. This time, it’s a new algorithm for spam detection, to be presented on the first European conference on Artificial Life (ALIFE XI), inspired on how the vertebrate adaptive immune system makes a distinction between harmless and harmful substances. Let’s see where this Artificial Life field can take us.
Back in 2007, the American alternative rock band Modest Mouse launched a music video contest for their song “Missed the Boat”. Max Tyrie, one of the contestants, came up with a great idea for the video. In his own words:
Myself and a couple have friends have entered the above into the Modest Mouse video competition. Using green screen footage provided by the band we cut a simple music video. We then degraded the images and printed out each frame sequentially. (all 4133 of them) We then nailed each “shot” of 50-100 posters to various structures and posts. Then using a digital SLR camera with a long exposure we frame by frame shot each poster. Oh, and theres a little video projection (again, frame by frame on the SLR) just to mix it up. There is no compositing, no shortcuts, just lots of blood, sweat and tears, and a huge Kinkos bill!
And the result was definitely worth the effort. The creativity behind some stop-motion productions never ceases to amaze me. Here’s the music video which, by the way, didn’t win the competition.
Also from Nick Vujicic, of whom I posted earlier today, comes a motivational program aptly named “Attitude is Altitude“. I’m so happy he’s using his life to help and inspire others. He’s turned his disabilities into major blessings, not only for him, but for so many others, and that’s a great gift we all should take the time to enjoy. And I do believe every word he says. He’s the living proof of it all!
Nick speaks from experience. He was born with no arms and no legs. To most this would be a great detriment, but to Nick it was a challenge to triumph . Yes, the other children insulted him, poked fun, and asked many questions. There were bouts of great despair and darkness, but Nick made a conscious effort to prevail and to dream big. Realizing it was about how he perceived his own situation, Nick changed the course of his life. He had a purpose. Today people gather strength from Nick and tap into their own worth, as he guides them through an insightful method of achieving greatness, regardless of situation.
Nick’s inspirational program is sure to captivate the world. People will learn how to overcome adversity, persevere under any circumstance and attain the height of their ambition. Nick Vujicic is reaching out to the corporate world and the educational system with powerful words of encouragement. We all matter!
There’s simply no words for describing this amazing 25 year old boy from Melbourne, Australia. He’s a real and true life lesson to everyone. Why do I whine and complain when I’ve got so many reasons and blessings to be thankful for? Nick Vujicic is a beautiful and powerful example of how God can give our lives a purpose no matter who we are, and how He can make our journey a truly inspiring experience for us, for those around us, forever.
Today marks the official start for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This made me recall one of the most beautiful moments in all past opening ceremonies I’ve been able to watch. It was in 1992, Barcelona, when spanish paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo lit the Olympic Torch with a flaming arrow, accompanied by the haunting music of Angelo Badalamenti (in fact, he was there conducting it). Funny thing is I still remember it just like it happened just a few days ago. I was a teenager then, but that moment and what I felt still lasts as an unforgettable memory.
Defi pour la Terre is an ecological inniciative by the french Fondation Nicolas Hulot. Its aim is to develop an environment-aware education, with a focus in climatic changes, water and biodiversity. The following ads were made in 2005 by CLM BBDO, a french creative agency with a remarkable portfolio you can view at their website. I found these too beautiful to pass up.
You know those things you take for granted, but so many people don’t even dream about? Or those specific causes that are so dear to your heart? Although you can take action to help those in need, specially when they are right around you, sometimes it’s not an easy thing to do when you want to help missions or causes that are simply beyond your reach. In the latter case, your only option may be giving, be it money or things. However, with the growing number of charities, trusts and non-profit organizations, as well as the dark stories behind some of them, it’s important to know them the better you can. If you enjoy giving for a purpose, then you want your donations to be wisely used.
To help you give with confidence, Charity Navigator was founded in 2001 with an expert team of analysts that periodically evaluates tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. This way, they can help you in evaluating how each organization is really using the raised money. This will make everyone a more responsible donor. So, if you enjoy giving, you should really visit Charity Navigator. You’ll be amazed with what you’ll find.
From Five for Fighting (stage name of singer-songwriter John Ondrasik), came some of the most inspiring songs. Today, I want to ask you to hear “What kind of world do you want?“. May this music and its lyrics inspire you to do your best with the precious time and life you have!
“World”
Got a package full of Wishes
A Time machine, a Magic Wand
A Globe made out of Gold
No Instructions or Commandments
Laws of Gravity or
Indecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I see
A.C.M.E.’s Build-a-World-to-be
Take a chance - Grab a piece
Help me to believe it
What kind of world do you want?
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now…
Should there be people or peoples
Money, Funny pedestals for Fools who never pay
Raise your Army - Choose your Steeple
Don’t be shy, the satellites can look the other way
Lose the Earthquakes - Keep the Faults
Fill the oceans without the salt
Let every Man own his own Hand
What kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now…
Sunlight’s on the Bridge
Sunlight’s on the Way
Tomorrow’s Calling
There’s more to this than Love
What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
What Kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let’s start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Because it’s vacation time for so many people, because I talked about Zicasso travel planning service yesterday and just because there’s a lot of folks out there that like to do things on their own, here’s a service that will definitely help you with some of the extenuous planning tasks that lie ahead: PlanetEye.
Featuring a powerful and easy-to-use planning tool; compelling, geotagged photography; leading edge mapping technology and extensive travel content from a team of in-house writers and a growing number of professional sources, PlanetEye is designed for travelers who want a new and exciting way to explore where to go and what to do.
Here comes the best part:
At the core of PlanetEye’s travel planning service is the Travel Pack that lets travelers “clip” the interesting photographs, attractions, hotels and restaurants discovered on PlanetEye when they are planning a trip or simply putting together travel ideas.
Wow, you gotta give this a look… I really like this website! Definitely one of my new travel planning secret weapons! It’s a shame I have no trip to plan right now…
A beautiful and inspiring venture by a young girl named Cassidy. Back in July 2006 she started a blog with a mission: sell Playful Pancakes, a cool name for handmade toys for cats, and giving all the money to Kids for Kids, an organization that helps poor children living in Darfur and Sudan, by buying goats. This is an amazing and sustainable idea that can really make a difference, regarding their specific needs:
Kids for Kids lends 6 goats to a family for 2 years - providing milk for the children, and forming the nucleus of a little flock. They agree not to sell the Kids for Kids goats and they sign an undertaking to care for them in trust - but the kids are theirs. After 2 years they pass on 6 first born offspring to another family in need. And so on. Donating even one little goat makes an enormous difference because its offspring will go to another family, and another.
When the project started, each Playful Pancake sale was enough to buy a goat, but with the ongoing inflation and a new lower pancake sales price of $14, they now need 3 pancakes to do so. The project has moved on to a new website and domain and, as of April 2008, they have bought 250 goats. So, please give Cassidy a visit and, who knows, you might end helping her in this important mission too! And not having a cat is not an excuse. Playful Pancakes are great for dogs too!
