Acclaimed film director Ridley Scott’s upcoming film Prometheus features an antagonist named Peter Weyland, a powerful man with a vision to change the world. Amongst a number of teasers for the film includes a talk by Weyland at TED2023. The video gives a glimpse at this intriguing character, as well as the possible future of the TED conference itself. For another teaser for the film, a commercial for the human-like robots that Weyland’s corporation produces, click here.
Al Gore’s ‘Our Choice’ Gives Us a Glimpse Into the Future of Reading
Pushpop Press has developed a revolutionary platform for the way we read on mobile devices. They have used their technology to make Al Gore’s 2009 book Our Choice an interactive reading experience, changing the way readers navigate books and interact with content while blurring the lines between media. The book has around an hour of video content embedded throughout. Even if you’re not a fan of Uncle Al (shame on you), it is worth having a look at. Watch the video below, have a look at the webpage for more comprehensive info, watch Pushpop Press co-founder Mike Matas’ recent TED Talk, and if you have an iPad it is well worth getting your hands on the real thing.
Al Gore’s Our Choice Guided Tour from Push Pop Press on Vimeo.
Carlo Ratti on Architecture That Senses & Responds
Carlo Ratti’s talk from TED 2011 provides a fascinating view of the technologies he has been developing. He talks about creating environments that sense activity and speak back to us. He shows how tracking trash across the U.S. can help us identify inefficiencies in our systems. The part on the movement of trash is fascinating just to see how waste moves between cities. He talks a lot about some of his architectural projects, where he uses interesting media to create flexible, interactive structures and visuals. All of his work provides an interesting perspective on the kinds of sensory technologies we’ll see in the smart cities of the (near) future.
50 Ideas for the New City
Urban Omnibus has posted 50 Ideas for the New City, a collection of short and sweet ideas to rethink New York City and take it into the future. The ideas have been developed over the past 2 years but have now been compiled online and developed into a poster campaign. We’re not in NYC, but the ideas are great and applicable to cities around the world. The format of the page alone is worth mentioning. The tweet-like layout of the ideas makes for easy reading, and clicking through each idea leads to real projects featured on Urban Omnibus. We highly recommend you pay a visit to the page.
Float - Mesmerising Free Flight Duration Aeronautics
Float Documentary Trailer from Phil Kibbe on Vimeo.
Float, an upcoming documentary, delves into the world of competitive free flight duration aeronautics. The trailer alone will mesmerize anyone who is new to this niche hobby. These hobbyists build super lightweight flying craft propelled only by rubber bands, some of them staying in flight for over half an hour.