It's the last week of Singularity University. We've been working in our individual group projects around the clock for three weeks. I am a part of the UpCycle group which is working to reduce waste and look at waste as valuable opportunity.
I caught the robot invasion on video below:
]]>
It is not everyday a girl gets to play in a jet engine! My friend Chiara and I spent the evening at the Aviation Museum learning about The Future of Cities with Paul Romer, Greg Lindsay, Alex Garvin.
We had fun exploring the museum and gathered insight into designing future cities. My favorite talk was Greg Lindsay who talked about Aerotropolis, which is about building cities around airports. It may sound crazy, but as we become come more and more global it only makes sense to live near an airport so you can get to where you want to go.
The vision of housing growth around airports makes me wonder about the future value of current and historic houses and communities?
]]>The show consists of me, as the Technology Expert; Diana Falzone, the Relationship Expert; and Thomas Henderson, the Stylist. Guys looking to propose to their girlfriends come to us and we help him create an unforgettable wedding proposal.
In the pilot, we helped Michael surprise his girlfriend by freezing time while he proposed. I had to fight back the tears as I watched this moment happen in person. It was so sweet and I promise will brighten up your day!
"Put a Ring On It" was produced and directed by Michael Krivicka and James L. Percelay at thinkmodo.
The 7 minute pilot episode received 100,000 views on YouTube (watch) only one month after it was posted. Thousands of Facebook shares, hundreds of Twitter tweets, numerous articles & blog posts, and several TV news segments created a highly effective buzz for the show.
]]>
One of the main topics of discussion here at SU is the concept of open source science and its affect on the future. You can now create and manipulate DNA in your garage or with your local community. This idea is generating excitement and fear. As the sciences become more accessible some people are reveling in the creativity of creating DNA art, while others are fearing a crazy viral outbreak or mutant rat take over.
If you want to know more about what is happening in this area, The First Open Source Sciences Summit is shared online today. They are discussing how open source sciences push scientific exploration and innovation through open collaborative processes. The sciences included quantum computing, DIY biology, mathmatics, informatics, and much more.
]]>
The classes we’re having down here at Singularity University are really amazing. It’s a unique opportunity to listen to speakers who blow your mind. I must confess, however, that there’s something I’m quite worried about: When taking some distance from what is going on at the classes, you can notice that, hard as we may try, we students don’t manage to pay attention for an extended period of time.
It seems as if the culture of brevity reflected on Twitter or TED (the shorter the better) had destructed our capacity to stay focused for more than just a couple of minutes.
Maybe it’s because it’s been a long time since I last stepped into a classroom. Or it might be because at that time we didn’t have personal computers on our desks. Or perhaps it was because even if we had one, there was no internet to put the whole world just one click away. Truth is that my prior experiences on what it means to be “a student” consisted in 40 minutes to 2 hours sitted, paying close attention most of the time.
]]>]]>
(Photography by Matt Rutherford)
For the past three weeks, I've been feeling good and learning a lot. I've also been wearing awesome clothes by Alex & Eli. Everyday, I feel sexy and comfortable. Alex & Eli bring together a perfect mix of contemporary colors, classic tailoring, and natural fabrics. This is seriously the best label for creative and professional women who also want to have a little fun. In the pictures, I am wearing the summer collection, but I can't wait for the Fall. Check it out now on the official Alex & Eli website.
]]>
My friend from SU sent this to me today. But, I want to say, that NASA IS NOT LAME!
]]>]]>
When I was scanned, all I could think about was the TV Series, Caprica, where people's images are scanned into the computer and they hook up to the computer and play in the virtual world.
What do you think it would be like to see your exact image wondering around the virtual space? Could people replicate your image and be you? How would you control the rights to your image? If you controlled it, would you do things you've never done before because it is just a replica of your outer self and not actually your soul? What happens if we download data to this 3D virtual self from our own brains?
This may all sound far fetched, but it only takes a few technologies to grow and become cheaper for this scenario to become a reality. Today, for example, the majority of 3D scanners are professional and can range in cost from $1.6K to $9K. However, as seen in the video above, cheaper options are coming soon.
]]>
It's easy for candy-colored fiber optic fashions to come off as hokey and garish, but Francesca Castagnacci brings a touch of elegance with her techno-stilletos.
via: Inhabitat
]]>
After a full day of lectures and yoga I attended a talk by Scott Summit from http://www.summitid.com. I was wowed by the beautiful 3D printed prosthetics for amputees. The limbs are created by scanning a person's un-injured body part and then that data is used to print a highly personalized prosthetic limb. Talk about on-demand body parts!
]]>
Above is my weekly SU Calendar
]]>This has me thinking about how my inbox subscriptions represent me as a person. My facebook, personal, work, and singularityu email inboxes all have a story to tell.
]]>
Snuggling up to DaniWeb's Founder, Dani Horowitz
On Wednesday, Girls In Tech invited me to talk about the Singular Blonde project at the "Dinner with Dani" party, thrown by the oh so brilliant and adorable Dani Horowitz of DaniWeb. We all geeked out with cute black frames, danced, drank, and talked about what's going on with the web. There was buzz about online video streaming, improving your personal brand, designing easy to use websites, and a million other topics of programming geekery.
As I chatted with a Microsoft Evangelist (yup, that's a real title), about video content on the web, I expressed my concern about personal transparency. I am not worried about literally becoming transparent, of course, but questioning how much of my life I want to share with the world over the summer as I document my experience.
]]>
]]>
*** UDATE: June 7, 2010: Great news! The Girls in Tech organization has agreed to collaborate on the Singular Blonde Project with Switch! More to information to come! ***
There is going to be a shift in the content of Switch over the summer of 2010. Instead of the usual DIY Projects and fashion tech posts, I will be sharing my life-changing experience as I attend Singularity University. (more on singularity here) The first article is already up and from now on all the posts related to this subject will be tagged “Singularity.”
]]>
Safura, a rising star of the European music world, will take the stage tonight at the Eurovision Song Contest wearing CuteCircuit's video gown. The dress is designed to interpret the emotion of her hit song Drip Drop and was specifically made for Safura's Eurovision performance.
The song contest will be Live on the BBC and other national channels around Europe. You can also watch it on the internet on the Eurovision website, starting at 9pm (GMT +1).
via: CuteCircuit
]]>
I am already preparing for a long and amazing summer at Singularity University (SU). I have my Singularity email set up, signed into our community portal, and know where I'll be living. I will be in a dormitory on the NASA Ames campus and all my sheets, pillows, and cleaning services will be provided. It's not pretty, but they've made it so we have nothing to do but work and study. I will not need to worry about whose turn it is to clean the toilet, thank God!
At SU we will get a fast and furious education in 10 different areas of study. The 10 areas of study are:
Before I arrive, I have get up to speed on all the aforementioned subjects. To do this, we've been given a substantial reading list. I've got two weeks to become a genius. Well, maybe not, but I definitely have a lot of homework.
After the break, I've posted some of the articles, links, and readings from the SU list. Feel free to follow along with me and add to the discussion in the comment section as I write and post about some of the articles over the next couple weeks. Be forewarned this list is LONG, I cut it down, but you still may be scrolling for a while. Enjoy!
]]>
The London College of Fashion keeps putting out fashion super stars, the latest is designer Kai Yeung Yau. Yau's up-cycled fashions are daring works of art with geometric silhouettes, bold colors, and intricate detailing. Kai Yeung is among many designers embracing the recycling movement and using materials from abandoned technologies. (Source:inhabitat)
His thesis collection, named "A Woman Who Carried Three Generations," takes inspiration from the Hong-Kong housewives of the 60's and 70s. He loves the obvious and the kitch as you can see in his dress design, "RED A", created entirely out of plastic kitchenware, garden products, and housewares. See more in the video after the break:
]]>
I am off for 10-weeks to study at Singularity Unviversity starting June 19th. This is no small feat and I need your support in order to be able to document the experience.
Singularity University is on the NASA Ames Research Campus. The non-profit university, started by Dr. Peter Diamandis and Dr. Ray Kurzweil, is where the best minds from the fields of bio, nano, info, AI, and related technologies come together and work to solve some of humanity's grand challenges. These challenges include poverty, world hunger, water shortage, home energy, global warming, and an infinite number of other humanitarian needs. More on Singularity University can be found on the Singularity University website.
Being able to attend is going to be a life changing experience, but just going to the program isn't enough. There is an opportunity here for a great story about how a fashionable girl who likes art and design came to embrace computer science and technology. My journey could really help other women and girls see their potential.
]]>
This robot can perform a marriage ceremony and look good doing it. It is kind of a Metropolis-Honda vs table centerpiece look.
"The i-Fairy is a 4 foot tall robot which officially pronounced Satoko Inoue and Tomohiro Shibata man and wife. The robot is made by Kokoro Ltd, of which Inoue is an employee and Shibata, a client. Since the couple believed that the robot was responsible for their meeting, they wanted it to preside over their wedding." via-PSFK
Satoko and Tomohiro have given their robot the responsibility of creating a legal bond between them. One of the most important decisions they'll ever make. It makes me wonder, shouldn't it also look the part? When thinking about the future, at what point do you think that robots will develop a sense of taste and decorum appropriate to the events they attend and in this case, administer?
Video after the break
]]>
Article first published as Grow House Grow Wallpapers on Technorati.
There is nothing like uncovering history in your walls. Or in the case of Katie Deedy, covering your walls with history. Whatever the case, you'll love Katie Deedy's new Naturalist wall paper collection. Deedy, of Grow House Grow, presented her inspiring collection wallpapers at BKLYN Designs 2010 last week.
Like all of her work, this collection is narrative-based with stories that accompany each design. In this year's Naturalist collection, she is inspired by historical female scientists.
Some of the scientists she's chosen to explore are Mary Treat (1830-1923), a lover of carnivorous botanicals, Mary Ward (1827-1869) a women with a passion for microscopy in insects, and Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1794-1871) who invented the world's first aquarium.
]]>