A carrier pigeon was detained by prison officials in Colombia after they discovered the bird trying to smuggle cell phone parts into the facility. It was reportedly “carrying the contraband on its back in a little suitcase.” |CNN|
While U.S. astronauts will be stuck doing mostly serious experiments on-board the International Space Station under the watchful eye of their NASA overlords, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will have free time to execute at least 16 offbeat ones like doing cartwheels. |PinkTentacle|
There’s no shortage of surveillance cameras in the UK—London is fully wired like a city-sized casino—so it’s no surprise that the British military are responsible for developing this “grenade-like” device that can provide in-flight, real time video footage when thrown. Straight out of Q’s research lab in a Bond film and George Orwell’s worst nightmare, the “ball could be fired from a grenade launcher or thrown into a room to give troops in theater vital information of who – or what – is on the ground.” It’s not doubt that it will make for an effective tool for the soldiers, but it’s only a matter of time before they get adapted for more civilian uses and Bobbies start tossing these through people’s windows. |USAToday|
It just goes to show, no matter where you go the public just can’t fathom the idea of tagging as an art form—even though it clearly evokes such raw emotions like real art is supposed to do. A local government city council within Sydney, Australia is working on a strategy, similar to what Banksy’s hometown of Bristol did, to save the less offensive street art pieces, while removing the more vandalistic and culture-less “graffiti” style. The report, “Graffiti/Street Art As A Cultural Asset” is urging the council to “recognise the cultural significance of street art activity” and that doesn’t include lowly tags. |SMH|
Here’s one way to sell a painting for $332,500: “Nasser Azam has become the first artist to paint a picture in a zero gravity environment.The Brit artist flew above Moscow in a specially modified plane which climbed to 23,000 ft allowing him to work while weightless.” |Newslite|
|Photo: CHOQUE|
It’s nice to know that Brazil’s graffiti writing Pichadores think of them as taggers although here’s a more thorough explanation don’t discriminate. After bombing a street art exhibit back in September to protest the “marketing, institutionalization and domestication of Street Art,” a group of approximately 50 Pichadores stormed a contemporary art exhibit at the São Paulo Biennial late last month, clashing with security guards and police. In true Dada fashion, not only did they transform the space, but also helped create a fascinating new body of photographic work. You have to SEE THEM BIG HERE.
As if the whole cloning debate wasn’t controversial enough, researchers in Japan replicated mice from 16 year old frozen carcasses and this technique could eventually be “used to resurrect mammoths and other extinct species.” Yeah, like dinosaurs, making Jurassic Park a frightening reality for the future. |PinkTentacle|
This has to be the best use of Jim Hanson’s famed puppets to date: “Someone in Germany is driving an automobile built for UK roads and has installed a Muppet in the passenger seat. The speed cameras in Germany are made to take photos of drivers who sit in the left side of the vehicle, so drivers of UK-style cars driver can’t be easily identified.” |Boingboing|
Before artist Olafur Eliasson subjects another city to his water based art, he should study up on how they do in Korea: “The Banpo Bridge in Seoul, South Korea just got a major facelift in the form of a 10,000-nozzle fountain that runs all the way along both its sides. They were just installed last month, but already the bridge has turned into a major tourist attraction.” |Gizmodo|
On the same day the Australian wires were abuzz about the government’s controversial ‘virtual strip search’ systems at airports, an American company that specializes in X-ray detection technology sent out this press photo that appears to contradict all the worries—no genitals are clearly visible. But in virtually every news story about the full body scanners, it’s the highly detailed outlines of private parts that’s causing some trepidation with travelers. Unlike this image of a female subject, the ones being described by the media show more than a chalky outline which either means that American Science and Engineering is totally full of shit with this illustration or rightfully deserves the contract. Terry O’Gorman, head of the Aussie version of the ACLU, argues how the new measures are a “total invasion of privacy” and not only explains the extent of the machine’s intrusiveness, but how just its use means the terrorists have won:
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