Twestival Global 2010 is taking place around the world on Thursday, March 25th to raise awareness and funds for Concern Worldwide, an organization that helps brings education to the world’s poorest children.

On Thursday 25 March 2010, people in hundreds of cities around the world will come together offline to rally around the important cause of Education by hosting local events to have fun and create awareness. Twestival (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good. All of the local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go direct to projects.

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- Twestival, Bringing Together The Twitter Community For A Cause

- Global No Pants! Subway Ride 2010

- Twestival SF, A Fundraiser for Operation Smile

- Global Ignite Week, 40+ Ignite Events Being Planned Around The World In March 2010

- 01SJ, a Global Festival of Art on the Edge in San Jose

image by Jeremy Benning, National Geographic

We really wish we could have been a fly on the wall when “Sizing Up Sperm” — a human re-enactment of fertilization — was pitched in the esteemed offices at National Geographic. Regardless of how the idea was hatched, the results are stunning and the program airs this Sunday, March 14. In it, people dressed in all white literally act out the role of sperm in the race to become one with the egg, running through valleys, squeezing through spirals, battling Leukocytes and much more. The impressive undertaking was completed with helicopter-mounted cameras, world-renowned scientists, CGI and over-the-top reconstruction of the sperm’s journey played out in real life by humans.

National Geographic’s Sizing Up Sperm page has video, photos, facts and “The Great Sperm Race” game, whose designers we’re certain are tired of all those “first person shooter” jokes. Or their friends endlessly playing Every Sperm Is Sacred over and over while they were trying to work. It just so happens that Slate also got in on the ejaculation meme, and delivered the riveting article on a story of sperm donors and DNA tracing in Are Sperm Donors Really Anonymous Anymore? It’s a great pairing with the NatGeo feature, and will make any guy think twice before donating sperm, most especially when over a dozen of your children find each other, and start racing to find… you.

via Lori Dorn

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- The Complete Series of National Geographic Magazines (1888-2008) on a 160GB Hard Drive

- The Democratic Party’s Presidental Race in Eight Minutes

- Recorder Race

- The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello

- Exploring the Tenderloin National Forest

photo by Scott Beale

In a wonderfully detailed, video-rich post, Lifehacker goes Lady Gaga for Ladyada and our friend Phillip Torrone guestblogs on what makes Limor Fried Lifehacker’s MacGyver of the Day. It’s impossible not to be impressed and awed; after reading the post we think Fried is a tenacious and prolific genius who’s cut a powerful swath for women engineers, designers and makers. Watch only half the videos in which mastermind Fried explains from her secret underground laboratory the many ways you can create your own doomsday devices life simplifying gadgets, and you’ll see why we think she’s more like the woman MacGyver would run crying to for help like a little girl should he actually be caught in a tough spot and needed to, say, make a cell phone jammer. Limor (Adafruit Industries) is quoted saying,

“In contemporary Western society, electronic devices are becoming so prevalent that many people find themselves surrounded by technologies they find frustrating or annoying. The electronics industry has little incentive to address this complaint (…) By building functional prototypes that reflect equal consideration of technical and social issues, I identify three attributes of Noir products: Personal empowerment, participation in a critical discourse, and subversion.”

The post is like a “best of” Ladyada’s most effective and slightly subversive designs, explained in step-by-step DIY terms and gifted to any and all as open source projects. In addition, the videos featuring Fried and Torrone creating and experimenting with the edgy electronics are nerdy and subtly hilarious, making them fun to watch even if you can’t solder your way out of a paper bag. However, if you did want to learn how, we’re pretty sure they’ve got a humorous video tutorial. Don’t miss her fantastic weekly “ask an engineer” show.

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- Citizen Engineer, Open Source Hardware Hacking by Ladyada & PT

- Zinc Oxide And You – The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

- Learning Electronics Merit Badges From Adafruit Industries

guest post by Violet Blue

Above is Ely Kim’s truly awesome “Boombox: 100 days, 100 songs, 100 locations, 100 dances” — one of the three videos Jason Schultz (Dir Samuelson Law & Technology Clinic, UC Berkeley) used in his South By SouthWest Interactive 2009 panel New Threats to New Media: Fair Use On Trial. Of the many excellent panels and core conversations at SXSWi ‘09, Shultz’s stood out as one of the most exciting, unforgettable and still talked about sessions at the convention.

That’s not the only thing that left us stirred and excited: We also truly loved a couple of the packed, standing room only core conversations. Like the provocative and informative How Not To Be Evil (Even By Accident) with Danny O’Brien and Eva Galperin (both from the EFF). Also remarkable and highly valuable was the packed Therapy 2.0: Mental Health for Geeks with Dr. Keely Kolmes (professional website) and Thomas Roche. See also: the Therapy 2.0 wiki here. Don’t get me wrong: there was some pure, tiresome, self-congratulatory crap on the schedule; but the value, when found, was extremely high.

But it was the Fair Use on Trial panel that had the dynamic format, high energy, conflict and controversy that made us remember why it’s worth traveling to see this always-evolving conference. For the panel, Schultz picked Stanford’s Julie Ahrens (one of Shepard Fairey’s lawyers); her polar opposite lawyer Ben Sheffner (Fox Media, the McCain presidential campaign); and film artist Kelly Nyks.

Then Schultz set up a really exciting format: first he’d show us an Internet video where fair use was in question. Next, he’d ask the audience for a quick show of hands — was this fair use or not? No nitty gritty definition or dissection, just our initial gut reactions to the video. Fast! Schultz then gave each lawyer three minutes apiece to argue their case (and they were at odds each time). After the arguments, then Schultz would quickly ask the room again — was the video fair use, or not? Then he’d ask if anyone changed their minds. Every time, people did. Jason would then ask one of the people who’d switched to tell us the reason they switched, and only 30 seconds to sum it up for the room. It was the Fair Use Experiment. We watched three videos total, and the Q/A after was on fire.

It was intense, fast-paced and sparked conversations that continued — well, we’re still having them. One of the other videos Schultz showed was “The Films of Stanley Kubrick“. What do you think? Are either of the videos in this post fair use, or not? This slide was our guide.

* More images from the panel are here.

photo by Violet Blue

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- Tim Ferriss’ “Trial by Fire” TV Show Pilot on The History Channel

- Superhero Street Fair, A New Festival Honoring Extraordinary People In The Community

- The First Annual Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco

- 15th Annual Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair

- America’s Tweethearts in Vanity Fair

In these times of economic hardship, it’s important that we gather together our nearest and dearest and make a concerted effort to support the things that really matter.

This of course means robots that serve cocktails.

Austria’s RoboExotica made its maiden foray into US territory last spring, with their first annual RoboExotic-US, a screamingly successful conference and meditation on the human-machine interface in the form of the cocktail robot.

A good time was had by all, at least according to those who actually remember the event.

The plan is to bring the whole shebang back this year for a West Coast tour (Maker Faire, RoboGames, and of course another RoboExoticUS).

For this mission of mercy and philosophical understanding to come to fruition, RoboexoticUS needs YOUR HELP! They have set up a pledge page on Pledgie to gently entreat you to send in your pennies to aid the robots’ journey across the ocean.

Donate a buck or two, and reap the rewards when they arrive triumphant through the gates of SFO, slinging rum, insults, fire, beer and the satisfaction in knowing that if it’s done right, science can really hurt the next day.

See Previously: Roboexotica USA Photos & Video

Thanks Scott Beale for the photo of El Espanol Borracho!

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- Roboexotica USA, A Celebration of Cocktail Robots

- Roboexotica 2007, A Festival For Cocktail Robots

- Roboexotica 2009, A Festival For Cocktail Robots

- Roboexotica 2008, A Festival For Cocktail Robots

- Adult Mario & Bartris, Two Video Game Themed Cocktail Robots at Roboexotica

guest post by Johannes Grenzfurthner

“KRFTWRK” is a socio-political statement and an ironic comment on current problems like the production and waste of electricity in industrial states, as well as the obesity and lack of exercise of their populations.The aim of “KRFTWRK” is to create a consciousness with regard to these topics by artistic measures.

The project consists of actions taking place in real as well as in virtual space. The most important elements are the staging of a company, the internet-based simulation of a global electricity network, and the realisation of power producing sculptures.

“KRFTWRK” is planning and realising a new generation of industrial plants, which produce electricity by means of muscle-power and chemical processes in the human body. For example, special workout devices operate generators and at the same time depict usable sculptures. Additionally, a community will be founded, which communicates and supports the content of the project. “KRFTWRK”, a work in progress since 2006, is situated in the fields of architecture, digital media, and the fine arts.

“KRFTWRK” will be featured at the Paraflows Festival in Vienna, Austria.

photo via “KRFTWRK”

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- Omega Recoil, Electricity Theater With Giant Tesla Coils

- Octagon Global Recruiting Event in San Diego

- Human Structures by Jonathan Borofsky

- Gravatar, Identify Yourself On Blogs With A Global Avatar

- Scientology Responds to Anonymous As 2nd Global Protest Nears

With Yearbook Yourself you can upload a photo of yourself and then see what you would look like in yearbook photos from the 1950’s through 1990’s.

See Previously:

- John Martz’s Cartoon Drawings of His Mom’s 1968 Yearbook

image via Mike Monteiro

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- John Martz’s Cartoon Drawings of His Mom’s 1968 Yearbook

- Dork Yearbook, Childhood Photos of Dorks In Their Natural Habitat

- Improv Everywhere Subway Yearbook Photos

- Danger Ranger’s Photos of Burning Man 1990

- Artifacts From Burning Man 1990

Here are some photos I shot while exploring the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus back in April when I was in Cambridge for ROFLCon.

photo gallery: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

See Also: Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT by Frank Gehry

photos by Scott Beale

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT by Frank Gehry

- Covert, An Ephemeral Event That Uses Technology To Liberate Us From Technology

- Motherboard Visits The Madagascar Institute

- The Falcon by The Shamptonian Institute

- Supernova 2008, Decentralizing Business & Technology

guest post by Aaron Muszalski

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a richly insightful exploration of the medium of comics told, appropriately enough, in comic-book form. Originally published in 1993, it quickly came to be regarded as a classic, not only for helping to elevate sequential art to the same level as other, more “legitimate” art forms, but for its engaging, exuberant style. Understanding Comics is an absolute delight to read, full of humor and the author’s obviously deep affection for the unique magic that only comics can achieve.

But what makes Understanding Comics truly great is its scope. For in order to properly redefine how comics were viewed relative to other forms of art, McCloud first needed to define art itself. All art, from the origin of humankind through the era of mechanical reproduction and beyond. That he succeeded at such an ambitious task is not half as surprising as the fact that the result is so supremely accessible. Understanding Comics is no less than a comprehensive primer on human perception, creativity, storytelling, representation, abstraction, empathy and a million points in between.

This breadth earned McCloud accolades from a diverse range of fans, including Apple Macintosh co-creator Andy Hertzfeld, who provocatively called Understanding Comics “one of the most insightful books about designing graphic user interfaces ever written.” Stewart Brand, Co-Founder of The Long Now Foundation, described Understanding Comics as “a seminal work at the level of Edward Tufte’s Envisioning Information.” And Alan Moore, the famed writer behind such modern comic classics as Watchmen, declared Understanding Comics to be “quite simply the best analysis of the medium that I have ever encountered.”
 

Propelled by this cross-disciplinary seal of approval, Understanding Comics became essential reading for anyone working in graphic communication during the 90’s, from user interface designers to CD-ROM developers and, eventually, many of the early pioneers of the World Wide Web. Born of a love for comics, McCloud’s far-reaching insights inspired a generation of information architects, and helped to shape the form of the Internet.

McCloud enthusiastically embraced the Internet himself, and was one of the earliest proponents of both webcomics and micropayments, concepts he explored in the sequel to Understanding Comics, 2000’s Reinventing Comics. Like Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics was also told entirely in comic form. In it, McCloud described “12 revolutions” that were necessary for the comics medium to survive. A controversial book, Reinventing Comics was not as successful as its predecessor, and even McCloud himself now describes it as “wordy, dogmatic” and containing “genuine flaws.”

Despite its inconsistencies, Reinventing Comics played an important part in the continued growth of the medium, inspiring many people to explore the potential of digital comics, and online comic publishing. That neither idea seems particularly remarkable to us now – a mere eight years later – is certainly due, at least in part, to the controversial revolutions McCloud advocated in Reinventing Comics. Today, the book remains both fascinating as well as prescient.

In 2006, McCloud came full-circle with the publication of Making Comics. Also told in comic form, Making Comics focuses on the practical application of the comics theory he explored in his previous books. Or, as McCloud says, “It’s the book they all thought I was writing the first time. They would ask me [about Understanding Comics] “Is it a how-to book?” And I would say, “no, not exactly.”

Of course, given the breadth of McCloud’s knowledge, Making Comics was certain to be much more than a mere “how-to book.” In an era when the processes of comic creation have become infinitely diverse, McCloud wisely chose not to focus on any single technique or tool (though he does address the subject). Rather, Making Comics seeks to educate aspiring comic artists in the underlying grammar of the medium, from which all other choices – aesthetic, technical, dramatic, and so forth – derive.

As always, Scott McCloud remains an artist in love with big ideas, accessibly communicated.

images by Scott McCloud

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- TED Talk Featuring Scott McCloud on Understanding Comics

- 24 Hour Comics Book Day San Francisco

- Ecocomics: The Economics of Comic Books

- Isotope Comics Lounge: Bloomingdale’s DC Comics Event & APE Aftermath

- Marvel Comics Launches Digital Comics Unlimited

Doodle 4 Google is a competition organized by Google that invites K-12 students to submit their version of the Google logo around the theme “What If…?”. The winner will have their design featured on the Google homepage on May 22nd, 2008, along with a$10,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for their school.

Here’s an archive of commemorative Google logos created by Chief Google Doodler Dennis Hwang over the years. This time lapse video shows how Dennis creates one of his Google Doodles.

image via Google

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Here are a few other possibly related posts you might enjoy:

- Flying Spaghetti Monster Google Logo

- Google Launches Social Media Feature Google Buzz

- Design Police, Bringing Bad Design To Justice With Stickers

- The Squid List Gets A Re-Design As It Nears 10 Years

- Google Releases New Google Voice Mobile Web App For iPhone & Palm WebOS