[ By Marc in Gadgets & Geek Art, History & Factoids, Technology & Futurism. ]
There are three things most people have on them at all times: keys, wallet, and phone. Considering how integral phones are to our lives, it’s strange to think how quickly they’ve risen from being only landlines, to the size of backpacks, to thinner than our wallet (and smarter than our old computer). Here’s a tour through the history of phones – a revealing look at the past and future of one of our most celebrated technological companions:
The First Phones
(Images via lifethinking, porticus, pmptoday)
The first telephones were a purely scientific endeavor, with little thought to aesthetics. The entire focus of these first creations was to come up with a replacement for the primitive telegraph. Alexander Graham Bell is credited with the invention of the first working telephone, though there is controversy over who actually received the patent first: Bell, or another inventor, Elisha Gray, who came up with a model using similar technology. The first call was made from Bell to an assistant sitting 15 feet away on March 10, 1876, when Bell said, “Watson, come here, I want you.”
The Telephone Book
(Images via opengardens, 4thefirsttime)
When telephones first hit the market they were about as elite as a new technology can be. The first phonebook (pictured right), was a single sheet that didn’t even list the participant’s phone numbers (because how could you call them?). These early phonebooks are incredibly sought after collector’s items, an ironic change considering the much maligned yellow phone book of today.
Early Phones
(Images via myfinances, old-photos, oldphonerepair, connected-earth)
Early telephones were for the elite, and were so uncommon that they came in widely varying designs, nearly all ostentatious and victorian in appearance. It’s odd to think that the two handed design was the first attempt at a handset, and not the one handed design we’re now so used to.
Phone Booths
(Images via textually, 4thefirsttime, felixip, porticus)
Phone booths were once widely seen as the wave of the future, for they allowed you to call someone from the road (kind of), and how else would mobile calling ever be possible? The rise and fall of the phone booth was swift, and now they’re more an icon than something most people ever use. Chances are the next generation will only know about phone booths from cliched scenes in television and movies.
Car Phones
(Images via wikimedia, themotherhood, wearentfrench, darkroastedblend)
When phones went the least bit mobile, the amount of hardware required to accompany them required they be incorporated into a car so the heavy guts of the phone could reside in the trunk. This is an additional example of a technology that the next generation will find laughable, despite its revolutionary effect at the time.
Mobile Phones
(Images via textually, yesterdaysclues, fiercewireless)
The first truly mobile phones… were not very mobile, though better than their hulking car phone predecessors. A halting step towards true mobility, these behemoths weighed up to 10 pounds and were basically an extra briefcase. They carried a hefty price and weren’t widely available until slimmed down versions started hitting the market.
Handheld Phones
(Images via dialaphone, recoveryourlife, mobiletracker, madeintheshaide)
The mobile phone stunned the public, and was actually produced as a technology demonstration more than an actual attempt at cutting the landline. The industry was as shocked by the clamor for mobile phones as the public was shocked by them. They began their lives as what are now considered “brick” models, for their sturdy heft and blocky, angular appearance.
Smart Phones
(Images via onedigitallife, invokemedia)
Apple’s iPhone shocked the industry and spurred an onslaught of fierce smartphone competition, but Apple made a less well received foray into communications in 1983, when they came out with a stunningly advanced contribution to the typical landline – a touch screen.
Video Phones
(Images via techantropology, pixware, modernmechanix, sexygadgets)
Video phones were a consistent vision of the future of communication, but nobody took into account that one of the greatest benefits of talking on the phone is being able to communicate without having to worry about your appearance. The ability to multitask while on the phone is crucial, but videophones require you to be planted, and focused. Visions of the future of communication now mostly revolve around VOIP technology (calling via the internet).
The Future of Phones
(Images via nextnature, itechnews, handcellphone, whollysblog)
The modern telephone differs so wildly from the original conception, that it’s interesting to look forward and imagine where it will go from here. Some see the creation of Blue Tooth headsets as a forerunner of a phone that will be physically embedded inside of us, whereas others continue seeing it as a mini computer that’s used more as a mobile port to the internet. Will it be entirely moldable? Clear glass with infinite display options? Will it even require a receiver, or will it be with us all the time? Our great grandchildren will surely look back on the phones of their childhood with as much bewilderment as we do now.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Marc in Gadgets & Geek Art, History & Factoids, Technology & Futurism. ]
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[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Graffiti & Drawing, Technology & Futurism. ]
Watching an artist turn a piece of paper and some graphite into a realistic, imaginative work of art is amazing enough – but somehow, seeing such illustrations come to life from pixels on a computer screen can seem even more magical. Whether producing imagery for video games or for their own pleasure, these 15 digital illustrators combine modern technology with raw talent to create jaw-dropping works of art.
Mark Verhaagen
The lush candy-colored landscapes and strange but adorable creatures in Mark Verhaagen’s imagination spring to vivid life through his colorful vector-based illustrations, which have been featured in publications like Computer Arts Magazine. Verhaagen, a freelance illustrator, counts MTV, Nickelodeon and Vodafone UK among his clients.
Paul Davey
Packed with color, symbolism and an eye-catching depth of detail, Paul Davey’s illustrations still have one quality that stands out above the others: a luminosity that gives each scene the sense of taking place in a dream world. The Jamaican artist currently resides in Miami and is in the process of creating a graphic novel.
He says of his drawings, “They usually revolve around me and people in my life. What they’re feeling and how they make me feel are things I consider when I’m planning and I’m not satisfied with my work unless it gives me some kind of visceral reaction when I look at it.”
Tiago Hoisel
You may not know Tiago Hoisel’s name, but chances are, you’ve seen his work. Hoisel has an incredible ability to find the inner cartoon character in just about anyone – and even bring out the real person in cartoon characters. But these are far from sidewalk caricatures… the attention to detail is incredible. The Brazilian artist works primarily in Photoshop CS3.
Michael Oswald
Photomanipulation artist Michael Oswald transforms ordinary photographs into fantastical illustrations that are infinitely more interesting than reality. He says on his website, “My style is best described as ‘photo-manipulation on steroids’ combining unique Photoshop techniques and digital painting. With the exception of the original digital photograph, my work is created entirely on a computer utilizing my knowledge of digital techniques and the traditional art skills I learned in my younger days.”
Alberto Cerriteno
Lighthearted and fun, Mexican illustrator Alberto Cerriteno’s work is created using a unique combination of both traditional and digital media. In an interview with Computer Arts Magazine, Cerriteno says, “Painting and fine art provide richness and a feeling that I like – and results that are impossible to create from scratch on the computer. But working with Photoshop and Illustrator daily gives me tools and resources to explore. I think you should use any media if the results are worth it. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with adding texture to my paintings digitally.”
Yuko Shimizu
Freelance illustrator Yuko Shimizu (not to be confused with another artist of the same name who designed Hello Kitty) creates illustrations that are utterly modern, yet undeniably colored by her experiences growing up in an old-fashioned Japanese family. Somehow simultaneously delicate and bold, the New York-based artist’s work has appeared in magazines like Mother Jones and ad campaigns for Microsoft, Pepsi and The Gap.
Mathieu Leyssenne
French artist Mathieu Leyssenne got a much earlier start than most artists at digital illustration: he began working in Deluxe Paint 2 on his Amiga 500 at the age of 14, long before the advent of Photoshop and 3D modeling programs. Of his work, Leyssenne told It’s Art Mag, “Each of my characters has a story that I imagine while I draw them. I like to give life to my drawings, to give them a “look”, an identity, a personality of their own. I also imagine them in a situation, which I think makes them much more interesting and yes, funny.”
David Newton
Acclaimed digital artist David Newton creates modern illustrations for clients like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, The BBC and The Wall Street Journal. According to Newton’s agents, “He prefers to work with clients looking for strong creative inputs from him. He tries to avoid the clichéd in all he does.”
Kazuhiko Nakamura
Kazuhiko Nakamura was a big fan of surrealist and cyberpunk art when he was young, and it shows in the stunning 3-D digital illustrations he produces today. An environmental graphic designer in Tokyo by day, Nakamura spends most of his free time on his passion.
He said in an interview with Templates.com, “Now a lot of 3D artists pursue photorealism in 3D modeling. Of course this trend is pretty interesting to me too. However, I like that special creativity and subjective expressions that the painter puts into the real object. I put my own vision of the image into the object and I think this is what makes my works so special. I search for my image tenaciously trying to create the best combination of the shapes, textures and lighting.”
Mark Behm
Mark Behm is primarily an animator, having worked for Dreamworks and Blue Sky Studios in the past – but his digital illustration stands alone as a testament to his incredible talent. Behm released a portfolio book called “Nightwork”, packed with many of his best pieces.
Of his influences, Behm told Strut Your Reel, “I grew up surrounded by art from giants like Frazetta and Berkey and Vallejo. That whole scifi/fantasy scene was huge in the 70s and my Dad, who was an artist himself, freely fed my appetite for it with art books and posters and comics. Later I was heavily influenced by a handful of golden age illustrators and orientalist painters.”
Craig Mullins
A painterly quality not often found in digital art sets Craig Mullins’ illustrations well apart from most. The digital painter started out in product design, working for Ford, before realizing that his design sense was “a little too weird to be of value to the car design industry”. Mullins uses a combination of programs including Photoshop, Painter and occasionally 3-D software to produce works that look like they were painted centuries ago by a master artist.
Denis Tolkishevsky
Digital illustrator Denis Tolkishevsky uses 3D modeling programs to create stunningly realistic works of art like “DragONtFLY”, above. Tolkishevsky has won an incredible array of awards for his work, and it’s easy to see why after viewing his online portfolio.
Tolkishevsky told Templates.com, “I remember I saw 3D Max for the first time in the university. A friend of mine showed it to me. It seemed to be really complicated thing at that time, so many buttons, menus, and commands and I haven’t risked to start studying it back then. About four years ago 3D max drew my attention again. Surfing through Internet I’d run across one of 3D galleries, and I was shocked with what I saw, so I decided to try creating something similar. I’ve bought a book with a trial version of 3D max and started studying.”
Shane Prigmore
Anyone who has seen Henry Selick’s recent animated feature Coraline, based on the book by Neil Gaiman, has seen Shane Prigmore’s art. The digital artist was a Principal Character Designer on the film along with Shannon Tindle and Dan Krall, also working on some of the animation.
Emil Degrey
Lead artist at a Disney game studio called Avalanche, Emil Degrey uses digital software to turn his sketches into dark yet colorful, nuanced illustrations – as seen in the images above and on his blog, Mad Genius Art.
Ryohei Hase
With a background in the video game industry, Tokyo artist Ryohei Hase has now turned to what he describes as “realistic fantasy art”.
In a December 2009 interview Hase told Swide, “Internet stimulates people’s emotion. The environment which people can easily see the art of another country can be a trigger to create new artists.This is the easiest and closest place to showcase my works. My work has the chances to be seen by many people around the world because of internet. I have no idea what I would become without it…”
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Graffiti & Drawing, Technology & Futurism. ]
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Zeus just sent me this beautiful R.I.P. tribute piece of Keith Haring, who passed away 20 years ago, to this day….Zeus applied his very cool architectural-style of graffiti/typography….
There’s a definitive atmosphere in the artwork of Aron Wiesenfeld, with each character evoking an emotion. Definitely a new favourite.
N.A.S.A. hosts & creates lots of great design/music collaborations from artists like Shepard Fairey, MIA, RZA, Santogold & Mr Oizo to name but a few….check out their Myspace page…
Kool Keith & Tom Waits
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With a career spanning 3 decades, Van Arno‘s interpretation of the human form is unmistakeable. A new body of work will be exhibited at the Shooting Gallery in June 2010, but you can get his first book of collected works ‘Volume’ HERE.
[ By Steve in Architecture & Design, History & Factoids, Travel & Places. ]
The Jantar Mantar – 5 sprawling astronomical observatories – was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in the early years of the 18th century. Not one of these elaborate ancient observatories boasted a telescope. What they had, and have still, are grandeur, beauty, and exceptional accuracy as calculating instruments. The surviving Jantar Mantar observatories, preserved and restored, are a testament to the skill and ingenuity of India’s royal astronomers.
Jaipur and Jai Singh II
(images via: Rivaaj Magazine, IN.com and Rajasthan Info Tour Guide)
Maharaja Jai Singh II founded the city of Jaipur, located in modern-day Rajasthan, in 1727. The city owes its wide streets and gridlike layout to an architectural master plan – in fact, Jaipur was the first planned city in India. Jaipur is known today as The Pink City, referring to the 1853 visit of Great Britain’s Prince of Wales in which the entire city was painted pink.
(image via: Arturii)
Jaipur’s major buildings were ordered by the “warrior-astrononer” Jai Singh II on the advice of India’s leading architects and mathematicians. Notable architectural masterpieces include the Palace of Winds or Hawa Mahal (above) and the Jalal Mahal, a pleasure palace that rises from the center of a lake. The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur was part of this first flurry of construction and over the next decade other versions were built in Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi.
Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar
(images via: Asia Explorers and Go2Holiday)
The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is the largest and best preserved of Jai Singh II’s five pre-telescopic observatories, featuring fourteen major geometric devices. One might ask why, over a century after Galileo had invented the telescope, India’s rulers were still unfamiliar with it. In all probability they knew of the telescope, but the Jantar Mantars were not that type of observatory. The traditional instruments employed were designed instead to calculate the precise positions of celestial objects, crucial knowledge of which was required to determine horoscopes and to pinpoint auspicious days.
(images via: Norman Koren and Galen Fry Singer)
One of the highlights of the Jaipur Jantar Mantar are the dozen precisely angled structures that each target a specific constellation. Most of these were restored in 1901 and have been well-maintained up to the present day.
Samrat Yantra, The Supreme Instrument
(images via: Obvious, Fabric and Lines and Eyefetch)
The most imposing of the Jaipur Jantar Mantar’s astronomical structures is the giant sundial known as the Samrat Yantra (The Supreme Instrument). A staircase rises 27 meters (88.5 ft) to a small cupola where notable readings were announced. With instruments of this type, size does matter: the Samrat Yantra is the world’s largest sundial and can tell the time with an accuracy of 2 seconds.
(images via: Swimming in India and Galen Fry Singer)
The measuring surfaces of the Samrat Yantra and other calculating instruments are faced with white marble and have incised notches used to note the path of the sun’s shadow. Observers can actually view the progress of the shadow, which moves at a rate of 1 mm 1/25 of an inch) per second, or 6 cm (2.4 inches) per minute.
Restoration & Preservation of the Jantar Mantar
(images via: Wikimedia and Wikimedia)
Jai Singh II was a singular leader among the statesmen of his era and few of his descendants approached the standards he set in the arts of war, science and governance. The Jantar Mantar built in the 1720s and 1730s were neither added to nor upgraded in any way.
(images via: WMF and Travelpod)
Though all 5 of the Jantar Mantar drifted into disuse and decay over the centuries, only one (at Mathura) was completely deconstructed and their building blocks reused. At various points in the 19th and 20th centuries, restoration work on both the structures and their landscaped grounds was undertaken with the pleasing results we can see today.
Heavy Metal Music of the Spheres
(images via: Imageo and Galen Fry Singer)
As mentioned, the calculating instruments of the Jantar Mantar were constructed of local stone faced with white marble. One other material was used: bronze. Various thin rings and facings were crafted from the ductile alloy of copper and tin – though it may tarnish, it will not rust and thus not stain and crack the stonework.
(image via: Galen Fry Singer)
One would think that bronze fittings would be the first to be looted in troubled times, but those at the various Jantar Mantar appear as though they have been in place for centuries.
Delhi’s Jantar Mantar
(image via: Getty Images)
Completed in 1724, the Delhi Jantar Mantar had decayed considerably by 1867 when the above photograph was taken. Much like the Great Sphinx of Egypt, however, it was not to late to return the calculating instruments of Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to their former glory.
(images via: LiveIndia and Atlas Obscura)
The Delhi Jantar Mantar, located near Connaught Place in Delhi, differs from its twin at Jaipur in that it is constructed of the local red sandstone. This aspect is uniquely beautiful when combined with gleaming white marble.
Misra Yantra
(image via: Redes)
The Misra Yantra was designed as a tool to determine the shortest and longest days of the year. It could also be used to indicate the exact moment of noon in various cities and locations regardless of their distance from Delhi – quite remarkable!
(images via: Henley Graphics)
The technical requirements of the Misra Yantra pushed India’s astronomers, craftsmen and stonemasons to their limit. Each marble facing stone had to be precisely curved and set in exact alignment with its neighbors. Here’s a short video that gives one an “in person” look at the amazing Misra Yantra:
The Misra Yantra observatory in New Delhi, via India Video
Ram Yantra
(images via: Redes, Ibibo and Bob Culley)
The twin circular sundials of the Ram Yantra remind viewers of dueling Roman Coliseums. Used to measure the altitude and azimuth of celestial objects such as the sun and stars, these monumental instruments are in fact perfect complements of one another – the solid portions of one Ram Yantra’s floor correspond to open spaces in that of its partner.
(image via: India Mike)
The cut-outs allow observers to note the precise positions of shadows cast by a central gnomon without inadvertently blocking the light. Should the shadow fall into a space inside one Ram Yantra, the observer simply moves to the other instrument. This pattern is repeated with several other calculating instruments of the Jantar Mantar.
Jai Prakash Yantra
(image via: Aryabhatt)
The Jai Prakash Yantra are a pair of hemispherical bowls faced with marble. Like the Ram Yantra, one complements the other – open spaces in one are replaced by surfaces in the other. Inside the spaces are steps for the observers to stand and each bowl was mounted on lead sheeting to ensure it would remain perfectly stable over the years.
(images via: TrekEarth and Imageo)
The purpose of the Jai Prakash Yantra was to act as a reflection of the sky above. Crosswires stretched over the center of the bowl hold a metal ring, and every point in the sky can be reflected onto a corresponding point on the bowl through the ring. It is said that the Jai Prakash Yantra were so accurate, they were used to calibrate the other instruments in the Jantar Mantar.
Art By Numbers
(image via: Artnet – Lynn Davis)
The unique impression of the Jantar Mantar results from the combination of modern mathematical precision with the rich patina of time. As such, the captivating angles and curves of the instruments appeal greatly to painters and photographers. The above photo by Lynn Davis taken in 2007 adds a dash of life in the form of a verdant palm grove to add softness and contrast to the deep oxblood hue of the Delhi Jantar Mantar at sunset.
The Jantar Mantar is relatively unknown as ancient monumental works go, as are the significant accomplishments of India’s medieval astronomers. It is hoped that the preceding exploration will help change that… though only time will tell.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steve in Architecture & Design, History & Factoids, Travel & Places. ]
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[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Urban & Street Art. ]
For decades, comic book fans have followed the adventures of their favorite super heroes defending the public, fighting villains, coming to terms with their own powers, having amorous relationships and just generally saving the day. But what do those same characters do when the cameras aren’t rolling, so to speak?
With a combination of photoshop, costumed models and action figures, Toronto photographer Ian Pool creates fantasy scenarios of popular super heroes and villains – from Wonder Woman to Doc Ock – in situations ranging from the embarrassing to the provocative.
Nothing’s quite so incongruous as the sight of an infamous bad guy sitting on the toilet in a frilly bathroom, reading a parenting magazine. Pool’s image of Darth Vader doing just that gets an even more humorous touch with a chintzy plaque reading “May the dark side of the force be with you”.
With his intimidating muscles, bulging veins and green skin, The Incredible Hulk cuts an imposing figure. But this tortured protagonist loses some of his frightening mystique when walking a dainty little dog.
Perhaps Spiderman isn’t always so virtuous. The agile web-slinger isn’t afraid to break a few laws here and there – like the ones that bar public urination.
Anyone that has ever harbored a crush on Wonder Woman might find it renewed after getting a glimpse at some of the things she likes to do after dark.
Batman might be a badass, but even he needs a little caffeine pick-me-up every now and then. Luckily, he gets rock star parking at the local diner.
Not all of Ian Pool’s photos focus on superheroes – the photographer is also known for thought-provoking editorial work, often with a satirical edge that hints at social commentary.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Urban & Street Art. ]
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