Rio de Janeiro’s Transit Solution: Cable Cars Over the Favelas

Rio de Janeiro’s Transit Solution: Cable Cars Over the Favelas

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/st_riogondola/

Touch/Gesture based video walls

http://amnesiablog.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/ultimate-list-of-cool-touch-and-gesture-based-video-walls/

LED lights behind glass in C4D

Since a ton of us are using Cinema 4d for visualizations, I wanted to share this. I was having trouble getting LED lights set behind glass to appear when using GI to light the scene. After some searching I found a few solutions

1) Use these settings for the class. They are pretty good, and more customizable than the pre-defined glass materials
http://planetpixelemporium.com/tutorialpages/glass.html

2) These light settings work really well with GI
http://www.jag4d.com/LED_Christmas_Star.html

Event to suport streetcar

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=100470856700514

Come join Cincinnatians for Progress as they kick off their campaign to defeat the latest city-killing scheme to destroy any hope of passenger rail in Cincinnati. Although not required to attend, please consider making a donation to Cincinnatians for Progress here:

https://secure.pledgeconnect.com/donation.aspx?cincinnatiansforprogress

Portland Streetcar System Flourishing Despite Challenges - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

http://www.cincinnatireadventure.com/2011/02/portland-streetcar-system-flourishing.html

Just a quick post to share this article. I think it's a fair article discussing the pro's and con's of the system. The key though is that the end result, despite the early criticism, is that the Portland Streetcar delivered billions in economic development, just as our system will.

I'm tired of the negativity in Cincinnati and the endless fear of change. If people want jobs and the city to grow, we have to become a modern and attractive city to outsiders. That means public transportation. Sitting still isn't going to deliver any of that, and going BACKWARDS as COAST would have us do, will devastate this community.

The fear mongering needs to stop. The public spoke on Issue 9 and it's time to let the city build the streetcar.

Note: And in typical fashion, the intellectual elite of the city show up in the comments. Why are people so hostile, ill-informed and negative towards change?

Portland Streetcar System Flourishing Despite Challenges - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

Cincinnati to test broken windows theory to Over-the-Rhine

http://www.urbancincy.com/2011/02/cincinnati-to-take-broken-windows-theory-to-over-the-rhine-bond-hill/

Cincinnati has selected the next two neighborhoods for its 2011 Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP). This year’s 90-day blitz will take place in Over-the-Rhine and Bond Hill.

First started in 2006, the NEP has moved through 10 of the city’s 52 neighborhoods including Mt. Washington and Corryville which were targeted last year. City officials say that the collaborative effort is designed to jumpstart community revitalization and reinvestment, and focus on developing neighborhood assets and improving quality of life.

Some in Over-the-Rhine feel like the focused effort could not come at a better time given the recent progress there.

“While Over-the-Rhine is a strong neighborhood, we could use more tools to address some real barriers, such as buildings with code violations, that prevent us from getting more things done,” says Over-the-Rhine resident and owner of Park+Vine Dan Korman.

The NEP employs the broken windows theory that changes the norms of an urban area in order to influence social behavior in such a way that prevents an escalation into more serious crime. Cincinnati’s NEP has won numerous local, state and national awards, and puts significant focus on building code enforcement, litter removal, vacant lot maintenance, beautifying landscapes and public right-of-way, and “cooling down” crime hot spots.

The 2011 NEP is made possible by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, People Working Cooperatively, Police Partnering Center, Leadership Cincinnati, Citizens for Civic Renewal and through the financial support of $8,000 from U.S. Bank.

Homeless to ride public transit for free

http://inhabitat.com/homeless-to-get-free-mass-transit-in-the-bay-area/

TRANSPORTATION

Homeless to Get Free Mass Transit in the Bay Area

by Ami Cholia, 02/07/11

filed under: Green Transportation

As an incredible initiative to get the homeless in Santa Clara moving, the Valley Transportation Authority in the Bay Area approved a plan to give them free bus and rail passes starting in April. The idea is to enable the homeless to get to medical or job appointments. People will be screened by social security agencies to see if they qualify, and the county will fund the $111,000 program. Around 1,850 transit stickers will be handed out every three months.

Branding of Cincinnati

http://www.urbancincy.com/2011/01/cincinnati-a-tale-of-two-brands/

For a city that has so much to be proud of, Cincinnati and her citizens seem to have something of a self image problem. For all the positives going on around town, many feel it’s easier to focus on the negative. This poses a problem as the city and the people in it work to establish a seat at the table among other world class cities. Despite the Queen City’s history, heritage, architecture, development, and sense of place, the question remains: How does the rest of the world see us?

Though the jury is out on how recent reality TV series is affecting our image, Councilmember Laure Quinlivan has made Cincinnati’s brand image one of her priorities. At a recent Quality of Life committee meeting, Councilmember Quinlivan focused on the topic, bringing in professionals from regional and local tourisim and economic development groups to discuss the current image that Cincinnati has established for itself.

“Cincinnati used to be known for Reds owner Marge Schott, and then racial troubles, and now we’re known for… what exactly? I’m curious to know what people across the country think of when they think of Cincinnati, and look forward to hearing from the people whose job it is to know,” says Quinlivan.

She requested four different groups who market Cincinnati’s image to present to the committee members. The key focus of groups like Cincinnati USA, HYPE Cincinnati, and the city’s economic development office is to market Cincinnati as a great place to live, work and play across the board – not just “Young Professionals,” but to visitors and potential conventions.

The various groups have been working tirelessly to promote the city’s image all over, in order to bring in people who might not have considered the city otherwise. They have pulled data both from visitors and residents, to determine who is coming in to the region and why they are staying. “The image that we’re promoting (for Cincinnati) is that this is a good place to do business. Businesses want to see numbers – we have shown the companies that are here, the revenues, the tax info, demographic data,” said Patrick Ewing with the city’s Economic Development office.

The results are surprising. People are coming in to visit from all over the country. Not only cities nearby, like Indianapolis and Louisville, but others farther away, in Charleston, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Chicago and even New York City check out the Cincinnati USA website for tourism information to find out more about what’s going on around town.

According to the report he presented, 63 to 80 percent of the city’s visitors are loyal repeats, who come in, for example, to see Reds games or a festival year after year. One of the biggest new developments will be the 2012 World Choir Games, which will bring in over 20 thousand performers from over 80 countries to Cincinnati.

In 2010 the city launched ChooseCincy.com as a way for potential visitors and new residents and businesses to see all the reasons to come to the city.

“One of the pieces we tried to draw out in there is that Cincinnati has a small town feel, there is a small town affordability, but with big city amenities,” said Doug Moorman, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. “There are major league sports, theater, we have all five of the major art disciplines represented here. You don’t have to go to Chicago or New York – you can be in Cincinnati and have those big city amenities but also afford to indulge in them.”

These groups, along with others in the city, are working to overcome the negative voices and embrace the Queen City for what she really is – world class.

jason bruges studio: peasouper

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/13060/jason-bruges-studio-peasouper.html

jason bruges: peasouper from designboom on Vimeo.

Universal Everything / V&A Digital Installation

universaleverything.com/276

Here's an interesting example of generative artwork displayed in a public space by the design studio Universal Everything for the Victoria & Albert Museum, entitled Madejski Garden Winter Light Installation.

The Making of Forever / Victoria & Albert Museum from Universal Everything on Vimeo.

Lighting options

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/inventables_materials_for_lighting_designers_18455.asp

Transit based art

http://mta.me/

Chiquita Weather Beacon

Channel 12 WKRC ran the Chiquita Building (Center) weather beacon from 1987-the mid 1990's

Dutch + Danish Inspiration

big.dk

www.mvrdv.nl

The Fun Theory

Making something fun to change people's behaviour for the better.

http://thefuntheory.com/

Future of mobile tagging

http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/psfks_future_of_mobile_tagging_18349.asp

Whether you use QR codes or not, its undeniable that mobile tagging has become an integrated part of the marketing landscape. Popping up in print advertising and corporate-sponsored event/experiences, there still seems to be a lot of confusion about the application and usage of mobile tagging in delivering a more comprehensive marketing and retail message. PSFK just released a great "Future Of" report exploring some key trends in the field and interviews with experts an innovators in the field. Worth a look for those who work in development.

Video Games at Bus Shelters

http://kotaku.com/5739378/bus-shelters-turn-wait-times-into-neighbourhood-deathmatches

Web giant Yahoo has installed twenty large touch-screen displays in bus shelters across San Francisco. These displays are not for trailers. Instead, they're to let people engage in some free multiplayer gaming.

It's called the Yahoo Bus Stop Derby, with commuters able to choose from four simple games to play. While they play, their results are being tracked and updated in real-time, letting residents of various neighborhoods see how they shape up against their cross-city rivals.

There's the option of solo play or multiplayer, provided there's somebody else waiting at another bus stop who wants to play the same game as you.

The screens come down on January 28, so if you live in San Francisco and either drive or walk to work/school, you don't have much time left to take the bus for one day and kick some stranger's ass.

for Optimists

link

What is Cincinnati's image?

http://www.choosecincy.com/
Link to Article

Patching up New York City with Lego™ Blocks

NYPost Article
Dispatch Work Installation

Technology Resources

Potion (Interaction Design Firm)
http://www.potiondesign.com

Barnycz group (Implementation Firm)
http://barnyczgroup.com

GKD (Technology and Materials)
Illumesh, Mediamesh, Transparent media facades
http://gkdmetalfabrics.com
http://mediafacade.com

magink (Display Technology)
http://www.magink.com

Christie Microtiles (Display Technology)
http://christiedigital.com/microtiles

Sunrise Systems (LED Displays)
http://sunrisesystems.com

Lighthouse (LED Displays)
http://www.lighthouse-tech.com

Lifecycle of a tee shirt

http://fosta.typepad.com/sleepinginmyhead/2011/01/tshirt-lifecycle.html

Dj Light, Lima 2010

DJ Light (DJ Luz), Lima 2010 from Cinimod Studio on Vimeo.

Seat Ibiza Commercial

SEAT IBIZA from NERDO on Vimeo.

Ralph Lauren 4D // Behind the Scenes

Ralph Lauren 4D // Behind the Scenes from Yatzer on Vimeo.

Census visualizations

http://thistract.com/

If you want to get some census data for your area (currently the 2000 data, but they are working on updating to the 2010 data)

Data Visualization Examples

If you are like me and are having trouble figuring out how to visualize stuff, you should check this out
http://flowingdata.com/2010/12/14/10-best-data-visualization-projects-of-the-year-%E2%80%93-2010/

Dynamic sculpture for weather info

http://flowingdata.com/2010/12/27/dynamic-sculpture-brings-weather-into-airport/

eCLOUD, conceived by Aaron Koblin, Nik Hafermaas, and Dan Goods, displays weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via specialized liquid crystal displays, suspended from the ceilings of the San Jose International Airport.

The eCLOUD is a dynamic sculpture inspired by the volume and behavior of an idealized cloud. Made from unique polycarbonate tiles that can fade between transparent and opaque states, its patterns are transformed periodically by real time weather from around the world.

When it's raining, the eCLOUD appears to be dropping, while in a city that has hazy skies, the display feel slow and lazy. Stormy weather shows a busy cloud, bouncing around wildly.

eCLOUD from Dan Goods on Vimeo.

Inception Diagrams

Different ways to diagram performance over time. I really like the second one since it distorts the lines as time distorts.

Mapping Inspiration

Iterations of the London Tube Map.

Jason Bruges Studio - Platform 5

Jason Bruges Studio’s latest artwork has been unveiled at Sunderland Station. The 144m long piece presents a virtual platform filled with travellers within a glass block wall. The 3m tall glass block wall in the underground train station has been turned into a large low-resolution video matrix (755×15 pixels). Behind the wall is a disused platform, which long ago used to see passengers waiting for trains. Now the tracks are long gone and the old platform is hidden from view., we have created ghostly characters that appear behind the glass wall opposite passengers waiting for the trains.