Dylan Schenker
There's nothing better than a nice ice cream cone on a hot midsummer day -- unless, of course, it's made from scoops of raw ground beef. Sweet Meat, a succulent new project by artist Jasmin Schuller, transforms meat products into deceptively yummy-looking goodies, like slices of cake, popsicles and petits fours.
While scientists have yet to perfect artificial intelligence, they've at least perfected artificial beer preference. When it comes to brewskies, this thirsty robot named DARwIn-OP know what it likes -- the folks who built him over at Trossen Robotics actually programmed him to have a drink of choice. Given the option, the little guy will ignore a can of Bud Light and go for a cold Tecate every time.
It could have something to do with the colors of their respective cans, but we like to think DARwIn's just got fond memories of a robo-bender in Mexico.
How many times have you wrestled with one of those unwieldy packing tape rollers when boxing things up to move or to put in storage? Unless you maneuver it just right, the tape won't stay straight and winds up twisting over itself into a useless, tangled ball of frustration.
Artists Sven Jonke, Cristoph Katzler and Nikola Radeljkovic have taken this sticky situation and turned it into a work of art, creating the massive, interactive packing tape installation Numen/For Use.
With smartphones becoming veritable mini-computers and many people opting for texting over actual phone calls these days, voicemail is on its way to becoming a thing of the past.
Artist Dustin Grella, however, still appreciates the medium: his quirky web short series Animation Hotline features stop-motion animated renderings of voicemails he receives. Each short is created on a chalkboard and takes about 12 hours to complete.
The DayGlo-like effects in 'Mundo Neon,' a highly stylized commercial for Colombian yogurt company Bon Yurt, go way beyond the average glowstick.
In the two-minute spot, a group of people in white jumpsuits are shown setting up an elaborate series of tubes, electronics, blenders and glowsticks. It starts off calm, but once the lights go off, the neon starts glowing, the blenders start spinning and the real fun begins.
On July 16, New York's Rockefeller Park was lit up like a Christmas tree when over 3,500 people converged for Improv Everywhere's latest MP3 Experiment. The popular series of "missions," as IE calls its stunts, asks participants to download an MP3 file, gather in one spot, hit play at the same time and follow the audio instructions for an awesome effect.
The eighth installment in the MP3 mission series included activities with flashlights and glowsticks, giving the phrase "flash mob" an entirely new meaning. Check out video of the mission below: