one small seed » Technology and Design | one small seed

3D animation that must be seen!

one small seed — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 21:59:07 +0000

Editor-in-chief Giuseppe Russo interviewed one of the directors from Polynoid, a design studio in Germany. Polynoid.tv created the insane 3D animation titled 'Loom'... watch it and find out the inside scoop on what it took to create the epic animation. Featured in our 'Best Of' Ten Years one small seed, in partnership with PUMA.



Click Expand to read the interview and watch the video!

 


Polynoid.tv



3D-Printing in Motion – Simply Stunning!
one small seed — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:45:48 +0000
The 3D-printed Fibonacci Zoetrope Sculptures – designed by inventor/designer/artist John Edmark – only animates when filmed under a strobe light or with the help of a camera with an extremely short shutter speed. Watch the beauty of science, spinning hella’ fast…

Oh, Zoe… Give us your best spin, will ya?





 

Edmark shares a bit about the project:
‘The rotation speed is synchronized to the strobe so that one flash occurs every time the sculpture turns 137.5º—the golden angle. The placement of the appendages is determined by the same method nature uses in pinecones and sunflowers and if you count the number of spirals on any of these sculptures you will find that they are always Fibonacci numbers.’
If you’ve got a penchant for the future of design, browse our #FYI category - where you’ll find our hand-picked collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that range from technology, design, art and music!
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‘Life is what happens to you while you’re looking at your smartphone’
one small seed — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 12:33:06 +0000
Eduardo Salles’ quirky and colourful illustrations do more than provide a good laugh. The Mexican illustrator and designer’s series entitled ‘Cinismo Ilustrado’ (‘Cynicism Illustrated’) uses satire to confront ideas of religion, politics, the environment, and popular trends in the 21st century.
One poster depicts what looks like a homeless man begging for facebook ‘likes’, another with the words: ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re looking at your smartphone’.


Salles aptly sums it all up with the poster ‘Icons that f**k up your day’: most of us know what it feels like to have one bar of wifi signal, or to wait for that double tick on whatsapp. 

Another poster entitled ‘Run Pistorius Run’, depicts a blindfolded person carrying a sword and the scales of justice, running after a man with prosthetic blades for his legs. Enough said…

Here is what some imgur.com users had to say about Salles’ illustrations…
oh my what a wonderfully refreshing dose of true reality. dmj12
I don’t see a lot of cynicism in here….Social commentary is more accurate. Maybe social commentary by a cynic. Nolieolieolieoooo
sad how true most of these are… mrGrumps


What do you think? Comment in the box below…




Apple has become the laughing stock of the techno class. CHECK it out now!
one small seed — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 06:59:42 +0000
Earlier this week we have posted Apple’s short film Perspective. An amazingly well designed and visualized story that consists of all the incredible Apple tricks. But does the public still believe in Saint Jobs? Below some reactions on the beautifully created world, called “Apple“.
9GAG introduced Apple’s new iLine. They have used the very thing that tends to excite Apple fans: “being the first one in line”. 

Nexus was using the release of the iPhone 6 as a promotion of the Nexus 4. Check out the (similarities?) differences below.
Screenshot
The Samsung and Apple war isn’t a new phenomenon anymore so it didn’t took long for Samsung to react after Apple announced two new smartphones at a media event. Samsung is taking aim with a series of new videos promoting its new Galaxy Note 4. Apple fans are being mocked for waiting on the new iphone 6…with a bigger screen. A BIGGER SCREEN!!!! Not that revolutionary, says Samsung. 

And now even Ikea, Scandinavian Furniture Company, have made an Apple parody with their recent catalogue commercial. As chief Jorgen Eghammer explains in the spot,
 “It’s not a digital book or an e-book. It’s a Bookbook.”





Behind The CGI Scenes: Here’s What It Really Looks Like
one small seed — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:31:53 +0000
Companies such as Rhythm and Hues — who worked on Life of Pie for example — spend thousands of dollars on equipment and technology. A single piece of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) equipment can cost as much as $5000, while studios such as Grumo Media would charge you $3000 to $10 000 to render just one minute of their product. And all just to make you believe that what you’re seeing is real. Here’s a before-and-after look at what it really looks like ‘behind the scenes’!
The life of Pi
There have been countless movies that have been made using CGI, but how will it affect the film industry in the future? Well, one of the most significant will be actors’ approach to a scene. Godzilla star Elizabeth Olsen, for example, said in an interview with Screen Rant, ‘The main difference is that in Godzilla you’re reacting to something that isn’t there, and in something like Avengers, you’re approaching and almost interacting with something that’s not there’.
Or maybe soon movie producers will simply use A-list stars and B-listers will lose their jobs to computers. Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie would only have to interact and engage with greenscreens and inanimate objects fitted with motion sensing nodes or – god forbid – the attractive physique of popular actors could become redundant completely. 
According to New York Daily News the late Fast and Furious star Paul Walker will be rendered using CGI. ‘They have hired four actors with bodies very similar to Paul’s physique and they will be used for movement and as a base.’ Might it then not be possible to replace Leonardo DiCaprio or Angelina Jolie with more accessible labour?
It seems my mom was wrong for telling me I should stop having imaginary friends. Nice one mom. 
Is CGI the death of true acting talent? Comment your thoughts below or hit us up on Twitter @onesmallseedSA.
Words: Matthew Alexander 

Life of Pi
The Avengers
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Walking Dead
The Great Gatsby
Oz The Great And Powerful
The Avengers
Prototype
For more ‘film magic’ on one small seed click here 



Social Media: A (Face)book of lies
one small seed — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:51:37 +0000
Whether it’s via a computer, tablet or smart phone – we’ve all gone face-to-face with Facebook. Sometimes for hours at end… and often for no particular reason at all. We’ve scrolled past the status of that guy posting pictures of his fancy car and his great life.  We’ve all gone through our ex’s profile and felt some bitter regret after seeing all the ‘fun’ her Instagram photos tell us she’s having.  Then you post some comment about the wonder of life… after which you keep refreshing for any incoming Likes. 
Screenshot

This is how social media has affected our lives. Everyone does it, and so do we. It’s all heightened reality. Yeah, the guy might have a new car that is fancy – but he doesn’t share how he had to work 12 hours a day in a shitty job to get it, and during that process he lost his girlfriend because he was never home. We are trying to live up to ideals that are not realistic. That exist only because of a status update or an image with no context. 
It’s become a social norm to send ‘LOLs’ without physically laughing, or smiley faces without being happy. It’s a façade that we indulge in because it’s human that we want to be liked… to be noticed and accepted. Showcasing ourselves – or our lifestyles – as something they’re not makes us feel like we fit in… But is this a bad thing? Who knows. Spending so much time and energy ‘living’ as someone you could not be confident being in ‘reality’, dreaming bigger dreams, or just feeling a sense of confidence… Well, this might at some point cultivate into reality! If it does, well good for you. Just do not say ‘LOL’ to someone. Ever!  
Seeing as you spend most of your time on social media, comment your thoughts on this addictive craze bellow or hit us up on twitter @onesmallseedSA 
Words: Matthew Alexander   
Screenshot
Screenshot
For more cool videos on one small seed click here or here



The Aesthetics of Science: Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
one small seed — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 06:50:24 +0000
For her fourth collection presented in Paris as a guest member of the Chambre syndicale de la Haute Couture, Iris van Herpen explores the electricity of the body in her ostentatious Voltage Haute Couture Collection.
Voltage Haute Couture Collection" width="600" height="865" class="size-full wp-image-36081" />Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Experimenting with its use in the field of creation, this collection seeks to portray its tangible movement and power.
This ability of light and electricity to change states and bodies is reproduced using the most innovative technologies. Described as an alchemist approach to fashion, Van Herpen’s designs perpetually embrace new collaborations with artists, architects and researchers. As part of the show she collaborated with new Zealand artist Carlos Van Camp, echoing his notion of controlling high voltage electricity and its interaction with the human body. 
Van Camp experiments with three million volts running through bodies.
Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Van Herpen shares Canadian architect Philip Beesley’s fascination with materials and structures.
They focus specifically on how the reaction of chemistry and electricity causes structures to respond to their environment and react as living beings.
Iris van Herpen is also know for being today’s leading fashion designer in the use of 3D printing. Drawing on the idea of movement, the flexible 3D printed dresses are a revolution, a result of collaborations with Neri Oxman of the MIT Media Lab as well as Keren Oxman and Prof. Craig Carter of MIT with Stratasys, and architect Julia Koerner with Materialise.
Voltage Haute Couture Collection" width="600" height="393" class="size-full wp-image-36084" />Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Voltage Haute Couture Collection" width="600" height="425" class="size-full wp-image-36083" />Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage Haute Couture Collection
Voltage Haute Couture credits: 
Frontstage Photographer – Michel Zoeter

Photographer – Ronald Stoops

Backstage Photographer – Boy Kortekaas and Philip Beesley
full credits for Voltage Haute Couture
source: irisvanherpen.com



FYI: Korean Photoshop Trolls and other cool shit
one small seed — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:38:48 +0000
At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week. Stay tuned for weekly material

 
We Do Phoshop
On June 26, a Korean language Facebook page called ‘We Do Phoshop‘ appeared online. The site solicited Photoshop requests, and the ensuing shops weren’t exactly what clients had in mind. Or what anyone had in mind, for that matter. We all agree that these Koreans are making the internet a better place. Here are a few examples of some requests made and the results: 
Request: ‘Please add a bear or something.’
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Result:
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Request: ‘Make this tired pic more dramatic.’
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Result: 
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Request: ‘I would be grateful if you could erase the people in the background. It’s Disneyland but it doesn’t feel like an amusement park. Please make it a bit more fun.’
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Result
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Request: ‘This is a travel pic. I want you to erase the woman on the right side.’
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Result:
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
We Do Phoshop, image: kotaku.com
Food that cooks itself
London photographer Catherine Losing has captured food on the path to its own destruction as it prepares to cook itself in her latest project The Serpent that Ate its Own Tail. An eel provides the electricity to cook its pig friend’s eyeball after an octopus holds a knife that will dismember it. Morbid and intriguing, we simply couldn’t resist putting this one up!
image: catherinelosing.co.uk
image: catherinelosing.co.uk
image: catherinelosing.co.uk
image: catherinelosing.co.uk
 

 

 
Erik Mark Sandberg’s Hairy Children
Child portraits are usually adorable, but Los Angeles artist Erik Mark Sandberg puts a personal spin on child portraits by giving them hair. We loved Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are and we love Sandberg’s hairy kids too!
image: booooooom.com
image: booooooom.com
image: booooooom.com
image: booooooom.com
image: booooooom.com
 

 

 
Toni Spyra’s Imaginary Art
Have a pair of old pliers lying around and not sure what to do with them? Pass it along to Toni Spyra who has a knack for turning ordinary objects into imaginative pieces of art. Hairbrushes, hangars, water bottles – nothing is off limits for Spyra!
image: spyras.tumblr.com
image: spyras.tumblr.com
image: spyras.tumblr.com
image: spyras.tumblr.com
 

 

 
The Scrooser
Meet the ‘Scrooser’ – the unique mobility solution for the urban, environmentally conscious individual. For those who get bored of just walking and driving, and for those that think cycling is not their personal style, our urban mobile will be the solution!  

image: scrooser.com
image: scrooser.com
image: scrooser.com
image: scrooser.com
 

 

 
Electric: Paris in 360 Degrees
Paris is turning alternative with its first venue catered specifically toward alternative music and culture. Downtown penthouse pad has been revamped with a full service restaurant, ultra chic furnishings and killer sound systems. Electric is the new hotspot with special LED light fixtures and soundproof panels for partying early into the morning.

image: electric-paris.com
image: electric-paris.com
 

 

 
New York City’s + Pool
Like a giant strainer dropped into the river, + POOL makes it possible for everybody to swim in clean river water right here in NYC.

image: kickstarter.com
image: kickstarter.com
image: kickstarter.com
 

 

 
M83‘s Playlist
image: articles.latimes.com
French artist M83 dishes on the songs that have helped shape his sound. Some of these jams may surprise you, but we can thank them for inspiring such a young talented artist, check out the list:
Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears
2 Minutes to Midnight by Iron Maiden
1/1 by Brian Eno
World Spins by Julee Cruise
Running Up that Hill by Kate Bush
Let’s Go Out Tonight by The Blue Nile
Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich
To Be Treated by Terry Reid
New York Living: Julian Schnabel’s Palazzo Chupi 
Some of the most extravagant homes in the world can be found in New York City and filmmaker Julian Schnabel’s Palazzo Chupi home is no exception. Lavish furnishings, large French doors, and endless windows give house guests a front row seat to fabulous skyline views of the city.
image: trendland.com
image: trendland.com
image: trendland.com
image: trendland.com
image: trendland.com
 
Images courtesy of: catherinelosing.co.uk,dailymail.co.uk, ineedaguide.blogspot.com,spyras.tumblr.com, trendland.com, store.balmainboatcompany.com, scrooser.com, electric-paris.com ,kickstarter.com, facebook.com/Baselinestudio,shop.baselinestudio.co.za , articles.latimes.com, kotaku.com



#FYI: Floating Bathtubs and other cool shit
one small seed — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:35:55 +0000
At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week. Stay tuned for weekly material
 
Prahran Hotel, Melbourne

image: trendland.com

image: trendland.com
image: trendland.com
image: trendland.com


Looking for a funky fun bar atmosphere to live in for a couple days? The Prahran Hotel in Melbourne, Australia has renovated an old bar and outfitted it with trendy circular booths resembling a wine rack from the outside.
 

 

 

 
Carbon fibre bathtub

image: splinterworks.co.uk

image: splinterworks.co.uk
images: splinterworks.co.uk
Splinter Works’ bathtub takes floating in the bath to a whole new level. If water isn’t buoyant enough for you, this suspended ‘vessel’ will have you floating midair in water! Made from carbon fibres, the sleek design makes it hard to resist slipping in deep and defying gravity for awhile.

 

 

 

 

Book Canvasses

image: yatzer.com

image: yatzer.com
image: yatzer.com
image:

yatzer.com
Every once in a while a book has the ability to transport readers to a different world filled with inspiration and intrigue.  Russian artist Ekaterina Panikanova felt so inspired by her favourite childhood books that she decided to transform them into canvasses for her paintings.

 

 

 

 

Typewriter Sparrows

image: thisiscolossal.com

image: thisiscolossal.com
image: thisiscolossal.com
Typewriters have found something useful besides collecting dust in museums. Artist Jeremy Mayer uses assembled typewriter parts to create swallows and as an added bonus the wings of the birds can actually move. All of the materials used to create the birds come directly from typewriters and are not glued or melted together at all.

 

 

 

 

Human Nesting

image: designboom.com

image: designboom.com
image: designboom.com
Cleveland, Ohio residents can take a reading break to channel their inner bird inside this giant nest made out of 10,000 palette boards. The structure has a full-sized door allowing people to walk in and pick their perch for some reading time.

 

 

 

 
Wat Rong Khun Temple
image: lostateminor.com
image: lostateminor.com
image: lostateminor.com
Chalermchai Kositpipat has dedicated his life to perfecting the Wat Rong Khun temple in Chang Rai, Thailand. The temple is intricately decorated to represent all facets of life, including paintings of Michael Jackson and historical events such as the planes hitting the World Trade Center on September 11th.

 

 

 

 

Montgomery’s Midnight Clock
  
image: kickstarter.com
image: kickstarter.com
Devin Montgomery is taking the magic out of books and bringing it to life with his latest creation. The Midnight Clock is a fun way to get the adventure of your favourite books started before you even open the book. The clock houses your book of choice and requires a special code and unique way of unlocking the dream world inside.

 

 

 

 

Fusion Wallet
 
image: kickstarter.com
image: kickstarter.com
image: kickstarter.com
The aptly titled Fusion Wallet by Thomas Johnson fuses wood and metal for a solid design, bringing together fashion and function in one compact package.

 

 
images courtesy of: trendland.com, splinterworks.co.uk, ekaterinapanikanova.com, jeremymayer.com, lostateminor.com



12 Greatest Designs of the Century
one small seed — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 14:50:56 +0000
In the past century we have gone from handwritten letters and snail mail to social media obsessed zombies with iPhone apps for every situation in life. That’s why it’s not a surprise that the Apple Macintosh was recently selected as one of the greatest designs of the past century. What is shocking, are some of the others that made the list.

 
image: icsid.org
29 June was World Industrial Design Day to celebrate the latest inventions and designs that are constantly rocking our world. CNN sat down with top designers from world famous design firm, Continuum, to discuss which inventions they thought were the most important. Some list items are expected such as iPods and airplanes, but designers dug in the archives to bring remembrance to floppy disks. Designers also gave some credit to inventions that have become so normal we barely bat an eye at them anymore. Don’t forget about the first time you rode an escalator and took some unnecessary trips up and down for a few hours. 
Take a look at the full list:

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Mac computer: Since it’s debut in 1984 Mac hasn’t stopped surprising us.  With user-friendly interfaces and trend-setting designs, Macintosh is here to stay.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Piaggio’s Vespa: One of the most functional and affordable means of transportation. It easily fits in smaller spaces than cars and is a much more graceful means of travel for women in skirts.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Escalator: Possibly the coolest thing about going to the mall as a kid.  Now escalators can be found everywhere as an effective means of moving foot traffic.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Virgin Galactic Space Plane: In the age of world travel, the globe is starting to feel too small as space exploration becomes more popular. The first tourist service available outer space opened up the final frontier to a brand new demographic.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


 AK-47: One of the most popular weapons used on the battlefield today.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Floppy Disk: Prior to USB ports, portable hard drives, and jump drives, the floppy disk was the most popular means of digital file transfers.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


iPod: After years of Walkman and portable CD players, the iPod was the breakthrough ’90s fashion needed. It is the device that has defined a generation and helped transport music over oceans and continents.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Aeron Chair: Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf designed this chair in 1994 which inspired countless styles that can be found anywhere there is a desk.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Bang & Olufsen stereo: Karim Rashid, a U.S designer and owner of this sound system told CNN ‘I bought this stereo when I was 19. At the time it cost a fortune but I still use it today. It has never failed me.’

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Airbus A380: If you’ve ever travelled overseas, then you’ve air chariot was most likely an Airbus. It’s the largest passenger jet that can carry over 850 people across the world.

 

 

 
image: edition.cnn.com


Ford Model T: The list would not be complete without the Model T. Despite the revolutionary process of the assembly line that was developed through production, the Model T itself granted millions of people mobility and stability.

 

 

 


Jet Engine: Frank Whittle wouldn’t take no for an answer after he was initially rejected from the British Royal Air Force, Whittle overcame physical limitations, became a pilot and developed the first turbo jet engine.
Images courtesy of: icsid.org, CNN.com