Archive | Culture RSS feed for this section
Video

Midnight Magic: Beam Me Up

By Tom Saunter on January 7, 2012 // music

Father Xmas brought me a Sonos S5, which has been duly blasting out the grooves ever since.

But there’s one track that’s had more airplay than any other in the last couple of weeks, Midnight Magic’s ‘Beam Me Up’, a superb piece of modern disco that I just had to share:

You gotta love that video, right?! Oh yeah, and here’s a brilliant remix by Jacques Renault to kick it up a sonic gear. Can’t tell you much else about this group I’m afraid, except that I’ll be on the lookout for more.

Long live disco.

Comments { 0 }

Lee Broom’s Neon Furniture

By Tom Saunter on January 6, 2012 // design

I stumbled into /r/cyberpunk the other day, where I came across the work of a chap called Lee Broom, a British interior and product designer who has won recent acclaim for his work at Westfield Stratford and The Nightjar.

His stuff is traditional with a very modern twist: think 19th century meets TRON. Yeah, pretty awesome. My favorite piece is an antique chair found in a flea market somewhere in Paris, “left unrestored and then adorned in turquoise neon, giving it new life but without forgetting its journey.”

luminaire bergere profile 530x383 | Lee Brooms Neon Furniture | Digital Cortex

Some of the other designs that I liked (click thumbnails to expand):

For the discerning cyberpunk, Broom’s full range of products are listed here.

Comments { 0 }

A New Kind of Business Card

By Tom Saunter on January 5, 2012 // design

Question: How do you share that great idea of yours while keeping your intellectual property secure? Answer: You use a non-disclosure agreement.

Beer in a London pub 001 | A New Kind of Business Card | Digital Cortex

Beer: tool of the trade

But NDAs are way too formal for the modern entrepreneur, who is more likely to meet a potential partner or investor at a conference, in a coffee shop, or over a beer than arrange to meet at the lawyers.

In an informal situation, the most common business exchange is probably handing someone your business card. I’ve been thinking about this, so in the spirit of sharing ideas, here’s what I’ve come up with:

What if your business card could unlock new conversations?

On the understanding that a signed non-disclosure agreement allows for a far smoother flow of communication in the exchange of business ideas, my business card design offers the ability to turn a casual conversation into a pitch scenario, but without the formality.

Take a look at this mockup I created for MOO Cards, who sadly weren’t interested in the exclusive ownership rights!

perforated NDA business card idea 530x265 | A New Kind of Business Card | Digital Cortex

Click the image to see in fullscreen

My design is a perforated piece of card designed to be ripped in half:

  • One half lists the usual business card details
  • One half has space for a signature against the statement:
    “I hereby agree to treat your idea as confidential in a bond of trust”
    (or whatever)

Each party keeps one half of the card in this interactive business exchange. Not legally airtight, of course, but still an innovative means of quickly forming trust with a potential partner.

So then, anyone out there want to help turn this design into a reality?

Comments { 0 }
Image

Reverse Cone-ing

By Tom Saunter on January 4, 2012 // comics

There’s a scene in Batman #496 – 1993′s Knightfall story arc, supposedly the source material for much of Nolan’s TDKR – where Joker and Scarecrow set about terrorising Gotham through a series of prank calls.

In one panel they’re evading the police in an ice-cream truck, until they reach a toll booth… And that’s when this happens:

Batman 496 pg07 530x784 | Reverse Cone ing | Digital Cortex

J5kTJ | Reverse Cone ing | Digital CortexOK let’s get this straight.

Do we think the Joker invent cone-ing?

The meme to beat in 2011?

Or at least, reverse cone-ing?

Answers on a postcard, please.

Comments { 0 }

Wipeout Reimagined with Quantum Levitation

By Tom Saunter on January 3, 2012 // gaming

You might have heard of quantum levitation, AKA the Meissner effect, flux pinning or superconducting magnetic levitation. But if you haven’t had the pleasure, then here’s what the fuss is all about:

When those two magnets are placed on the track and sent swirling in different directions, don’t you wish you could have a go yourself? Just me? I suppose I do bloody love magnets. But I’m not alone in this, however…

252px Wipeout Coverart | Wipeout Reimagined with Quantum Levitation | Digital Cortex

A team from the ‘Japan Institute of Science and Technology’ (JIST) have sought to create a table-top game using the principles of quantum levitation at it’s core. Their inspiration? The classic racer wipE’out” on PlayStation.

Although there is some skepticism as to the authenticity of this work (there is no JIST and their video looks too smooth) the proof of concept alone is very cool, and obviously a lot of work has been put into this very clever fake. Take a look for yourself:

Comments { 0 }