Archive for November, 2009

Startups Backed By The CIA

Tiny cameras. Hearing devices for the teeth. Wi-fi for refrigerators. These are some of the products made by companies that have caught the eye of In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of the Central Intelligence Agency.

One of the most recent companies to get an infusion of cash from the U.S. spy bureau’s investment fund is Cleversafe, a Chicago-based startup that offers software to keep data stored in cloud networks secure by slicing it up and storing it in different locations. In a press release issued last month about the investment, William Strecker, In-Q-Tel’s chief technology officer, said the intelligence community is looking for new ways to secure information given the increasing ubiquity of cloud computing.

The country’s only federally funded venture capital firm was created in 1999, during the tech boom, because the private sector was setting the pace in technological innovation, leaving the intelligence community feeling not very intelligent. In-Q-Tel invests in startups developing technologies that could prove useful to the CIA and the national security community. But it knew it had to adjust to the Silicon Valley model to work. "The CIA had to offer Silicon Valley something of value, a business model that the Valley understood; a model that provides those who joined hands with In-Q-Tel the opportunity to commercialize their innovations," CIA official Rick Yannuzzi wrote in a briefing document for theADefense Intelligence Journal in 2001.

.:forbes.com->

For the Lonely and Loveless

Click to enlarge… uh…

Acrylic Rings

You know how sometimes you just don’t know how to say it? Ninjas looking for chic ways to tell that special somebody "I love you" needn’t look any further. Nothing makes the statement (or pops the question) like a $16 acrylic promise ring from by:AMT (Alissia Melka-Teichroew’s design company). The rings come in different colors, and by all accounts are pretty fly. MNP learned about these things via A Glimpse of Glamour, a blog run by a friend of ours whom, by all accounts, is a definite authority on ill rings. Here’s an excerpt from the kid herself:

my sister lissy wears very little jewelry, but one accessory
that she can always be counted on wearing is her promise ring.

unlike traditional pre.engagement rings, lissy’s ring(s)
come from gum ball machines, souvenir shops and arcades.
they never cost more than a few dollars at most,
and often become mis.shapen or rusty over time.
but the sentiment behind each new ring remains the same.

lissy says that she does not want her boyfriend spending any
money on jewelry for her unless it’s her future diamond,
and i think that is a very lovely justification!

Well ain’t that just too damned cute? They also have a goofy little ring-a-day set (pictured below). Go check out the AGoG blog to get your acrylic bling on.

::[ A Glimpse of Glamour ]::

Allen Vandever art post "Weight of the City"

Weight of the City Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

She is bound and falling deeper into the chasm of her despair. The glow of the city lights illuminates this dark scene, making a display of her suffering as she falls deeper into the vast depths of loneliness. She goes down blind to the glorious vision of the world before her. She is stripped of control, but our heroine descends placidly, for she knows the entire city is underwater being pulled into the mouth of the same abyss.

MetroCard as Art : Optimism

A new metrocard by Reed Seifer called Project Optimism is pretty simple but on the right track. Labeled with "Optimism" on the card in black sans-serif it could surprise even the most keen eye. The card serves as proof that Conceptual Art is the new folk art and that one person’s Conceptual Art is another’s graphic design.

.::nytimes->

My Ninja Please! 11.19.09

"As a curator, I have a responsibility to the artists, who are my teammates, O’Neal said. We all have to make each other look good — no different than what I do on the court."

In a move that will sure shock the art world, Shaquille O’Neal is scheduled to curate an exhibit entitled Size DOES Matter for The FLAG Art Foundation. The exhibition will be on view from February 19, 2010 - May 27, 2010 and includes works from international artists exploring the different ways that scale affects the perception of contemporary art. Good luck my ninja, bring down the backboard of some canvases!

"It was a little harder than I thought it would be," O’Neal told Bloomberg. "When you think about what each of the artists put into their work, what they are expressing and want to share with the world, you feel bad about having to narrow it down."

.::bloomberg->

Generative Cartography

Generative art is simply that created through aAdegree of autonomy, such as defined by aAcomputer software algorithm.AProcessing is one such programming language that can do this. The examples here are from aAproject entitledASubstrate by JaredATarbell.

Each iteration creates an entirely new image; aAnew pattern and form every time. As such, variations in density are common, with larger structures revealing themselves and coming to the fore. But, as density increases with time, eventually all open space seems to disappear. But, akin to Mandelbrot patterns, you simply need to zoom in to see new patterns emerging in what seems to be an infinite world.

Generative art, yes, but because of itsmap-like qualities, it is alsoAgenerative cartography. Mapping created by plotting GPS trails is also aAform of generative cartography. Generative approaches have also been investigated in the realms of more conventional (topographic) map creation. There are alsoAself-organising maps (SOM), which are like slices through multi-dimensional data.

.:yellowfields.co.uk->

Art Battles

Art battles are relatively new (circa 2001), but are gaining ground, especially in NYC. Taking form similar to the dj and mc battles of hip-hop, what a great way to create new art! At the above featured battle, the winner took home the loser’s creation. A cool concept that rewards healthy competition.

.::spreadartculture->

Allen Vandever art post "Dreaming of Childhood "

Dreaming of Childhood Acrylic, Epoxy Resin by Allen Vandever

After a long evening of uninspiring gallery openings, I felt frustrated and unfulfilled. The first area of galleries exhibited a strong control over composition and craft, while the second area seemed to focus on creative self-expression, neither, however, really offered anything challenging or compelling. That night, I meditated on my reactions before falling into a deep sleep. This is one piece in a series that recreates the images of my dreams from that night.