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Wired: Culture
http://www.wired.com/rss/culture.xml
News, reviews and opinion from the digital realm.
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Copyright 2007 CondeNet Inc. All rights reserved.
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:47:00 GMT
Wired.com
2008-09-24T22:47:00Z
en-us
Copyright 2007 CondeNet Inc. All rights reserved.
Prosthetic Fetishes and Fan Erotica: Sci-Fi Predicts Future of Sex
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/402322068/teledildos-pros.html
The annual Arse Elektronika sex-tech event brings its blue-sky visions (and its altogether concrete sex toys) to that bastion of prudery, San Francisco.<br style="clear: both;"/>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/402322068" height="1" width="1"/>
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:47:00 GMT
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/09/teledildos-pros.html
Jenna Wortham
2008-09-24T22:47:00Z
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/09/teledildos-pros.html
Alt Text: Silliest Cruises for Seafaring Geeks
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/401457381/alttext_0924
<p>
I have never been on a cruise ship, but I'm intrigued by the concept. I enjoy travel, but I'm not so sure I enjoy travel<em>ing</em>. My favorite travel generally involves sitting around somewhere new and reading, and generally there's an awful lot of fuss and bother required just to be able to sit and read among majestic glaciers or ancient Mayan ruins.
</p>
<p>
So you can see why the cruise ship model compels. It's not so much going places as going to a single place, and then that <em>place</em> goes places. It is travel without movement, a Zen koan with a seafood buffet.
</p>
<div id="lorepodcast"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images/commentary/lorepodcasttall.jpg" />
<h1>Alt Text Podcast</h1>
<p>Download audio files and subscribe to the <a
href="http://rss.sonibyte.com/rssfeed/wired/20.xml">Alt Text podcast</a>.</p>
</div>
<p>
However, the activities promoted on cruise line ads -- sunbathing, dancing, paying ridiculous prices for Central American tchotchkes -- belong to the sort of tanned newlyweds I am not. Rather than paying $1,500 to sit in my room reading, I've started to look into more geek-themed cruise packages. I'd be happy to share my data.
</p>
<p>
<h3>Chess Cruise</h3>
</p>
<p>
I kind of feel bad for not enjoying the chess. I feel like a biker who doesn't like knife fights. (I don't actually like knife fights, either.) However, if you enjoy the chess, and want to be trapped on a moving vessel with dozens of other people who enjoy the chess, and have a bunch of cash to blow on playing a game that's normally free, then the <a href="http://cruisingthroughlife.com/chess2008/">Caribbean Gambit Chess Cruise</a> is for you.
</p>
<p>
The site says that people who are new to chess are welcome as well, but I'm not sure I buy it. I suspect that the first time you refer to the knight as a "horsie," you're going to find yourself on a lifeboat with no flare gun.
</p>
<p>
<h3>Videogame Cruise</h3>
</p>
<p>
If I were into cruises, but not videogames, I might go on the cruise put together by The National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers. You'd basically get the upper deck to yourself: You could swim and sun yourself all weekend while everyone else was below decks pwning noobs, or possibly noobing pwns.
</p>
<p>
If you are into videogames, however, you might possibly be enticed by this year's inaugural <a href="http://www.navgtr.org/id62.html">NAViGaTR Cruise</a>, which offers such entertainment sweetmeats as a Video Games Live concert and an appearance by Cloris Leachman. I can't count the times I've been on Xbox Live and heard someone say, "Man, I love this game but ... I just wish Cloris Leachman were here." We all sigh and agree. Also scheduled: an appearance by YouTube's Hardcore Granny, voted 2006's "Internet Celebrity You Least Want to Look for on a Google Image Search."
</p>
<p>
<h3>Pirate Cruise</h3>
</p>
<p>
Some guy calling himself Captain Cane runs pirate cruises. Mostly they're brief trips, but apparently he also does a seven-day Caribbean cruise sometimes. <a href="http://www.bestpiratecruise.com/">Captain Cane's Pirate Adventure Cruise</a>, inexplicably, is being billed mainly as a family event. I would think the kids would get tired of the pirate theme by day two at the latest and beg to go on an <cite>Avatar: The Last Airbender</cite> cruise instead, but I know for a fact that geekfolk <em>never</em> get tired of sea chanteys, mizzenmasts and grog. They're happy to shout "Arr" long past the point where it's novel, clever or tolerable.
</p>
<p>
<h3>Galacticruise</h3>
</p>
<p>
You just missed this one, actually. <a href="http://www.galacticruise.com/">Galacticruise</a> brought together a bunch of your favorite <cite>Battlestar Galactica</cite> stars, provided you prefer the original, feathered-hair series. Or, alternatively, soap operas: One of the guests was never on <cite>Battlestar Galactica</cite>, but was on <cite>As the World Turns</cite> for 10 years.
</p>
<p>
I'm as lost as you are. Galacticruise did however, have on board Richard Hatch, an actor on both the original and the good series, as well as the soap opera <cite>All My Children</cite>, so he should have made everyone happy. At any rate, before I'd go on this cruise I'd want a guarantee that every single piece of paper on the ship was octagonal.
</p>
<p>
<h3>Mac Cruise</h3>
</p>
<p>
There are a lot of computer-themed cruises out there, but I'd probably pick <a href="http://www.insightcruises.com/top_d/mm08_top.html">MacMania</a>, mostly because it offers a class in Extreme Googling. You can even become an Apple Certified Support Professional over the course of the 10-day cruise. That sounds like a lot of fun, but at the same time I now feel like I should ask the guys at the Genius Bar how much of their training time was spent with a mai tai in hand before I hand over my laptop.
</p>
<p>
- - -
</p>
<p>
<em>Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to become a bosun, a yeoman and a quarter-gunner. </em>
</p><br style="clear: both;"/>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/401457381" height="1" width="1"/>
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/alttext/2008/09/alttext_0924
Lore Sjöberg
2008-09-24T04:00:00Z
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/alttext/2008/09/alttext_0924
How to Play Bike Polo
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/400231330/Play_Bike_Polo
That's right, bike polo. Maybe you've seen it in the park. Maybe you've never heard of it before. It's just like the polo played on horses, but on a bike. All you need is a working bicycle, a make-it-yourself mallet, and a plastic ball.<br style="clear: both;"/>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/400231330" height="1" width="1"/>
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:45:00 GMT
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Play_Bike_Polo
How-To Wiki
2008-09-22T22:45:00Z
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Play_Bike_Polo
Wired.com Photo Contest: Fall
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/399461181/submissions_fall
<p>The air is turning cold and crisp and the sun is becoming a recluse, which herald the subject of our next photo contest: Fall.</p>
<p>Use the Reddit widget below to submit your best Fall photo and vote for your favorite among the other submissions. The 10 highest-ranked photos will appear in a gallery on the Wired.com homepage. Sure, the fiery leaves are always a crowd-pleaser, but we want to see more. Show us the legions of our greatest resource headed back to school. Show us giant gourds, ghouls and ghosts, and hay mazes. Uncanny headless horsemen amongst skeletons of trees, and autumnal feasts that stretch as far as the eye can see. Fit Fall into a frame and show us what it means to you. </p>
<p>The photo must be your own, and by submitting it you are giving us permission to use it on Wired.com and in <cite>Wired</cite> magazine. Please submit images that are relatively large, the ideal size being 800 to 1200 pixels or larger on the longest side. Please include a description of your photo, which may include exposure information, equipment used, etc.</p>
<p>We don't host the photos, so you'll have to upload it somewhere else and submit a link to it. If you're using Flickr, Picasa or another photo-sharing site to host your image, please provide a link to the image directly and not just to the photo page where it's displayed. Using an online photo service that requires that you login will not work. If your photo doesn't show up, it's because the URL you have entered is incorrect. Check it and make sure it ends with the image file name (XXXXXX.jpg).</p>
<p>Please bookmark this page and check back periodically over the next two weeks to vote on new submissions!</p>
<p>Also, check out the winner's galleries from our previous contests: <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/02/gallery_holga_top_10">Holga</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/03/gallery_top_10_red_photo">Red</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/03/gallery_top_10_self_portraits">Self-Portrait</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/04/gallery_top_10_night_photos">Night</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/04/gallery_top_10_macro_photos">Macro</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/05/gallery_top_ten_transportation">Transportation</a>, and <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/05/gallery_top_10_black_white">Black and White</a>.</p>
<a name="submittop"></a>
<h4>Vote on fall photos submitted by other readers.</h4>
<p>
</p><p>Show entries that are: <a href="http://reddit.wired.com/submissions_fall/" target="trend">hot</a> | <a href="http://reddit.wired.com/submissions_fall/?s=new" target="trend">new</a> | <a href="http://reddit.wired.com/submissions_fall/?s=top" target="trend">top-rated</a>. <a href="http://wired.com/news/feeds/rss2/0,2610,2,00.xml/#submit">Submit your Fall photo.</a></p>
<br><br>
<iframe src="http://reddit.wired.com/submissions_fall/" border="0" name="trend" frameborder="0" height="750" width="630"> </iframe>
<p><a name="submit"></a> </p>
<h4>Submit your fall photo.</h4>
<p>(No more than one every 30 minutes. No HTML allowed.)</p>
<iframe src="http://reddit.wired.com/submissions_fall/submit" border="0" name="submit" frameborder="0" height="300" width="630"> </iframe>
<p><a href="http://wired.com/news/feeds/rss2/0,2610,2,00.xml/#submittop">Back to top</a></p><br style="clear: both;"/>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/399461181" height="1" width="1"/>
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2008/09/submissions_fall
Wired.com Photo Department
2008-09-22T04:00:00Z
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2008/09/submissions_fall
Top 10 Wired.com Reader Portrait Photos, Decided by You
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/399461183/gallery_top_ten_portraits
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/1_t.jpg"></img>: <p>While a portrait can be one of the most difficult types of photo to do well, our readers have once again demonstrated their superior taste by selecting these 10 photos from our <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2008/09/submissions_portrait">portrait photo contest</a>. Jason Lee takes home the gold with his photo "Kayla" at left. Mr. Lee will be receiving a subscription to <cite>Wired</cite> magazine and a digital picture frame for his desk.</p>
<p>Since we had so many great photos that we thought should've received more votes, we've also compiled a <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits">Wired.com Editor's Choice Portrait Photo Gallery</a>.</p>
<p>Our next twice-monthly photo contest is fall. As the world packs up shop for winter, we want to see what signifies fall for you. Check out the <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2008/09/submissions_fall">contest page</a> for more information.</p>
<p><strong>Left:</strong> </p>
<p><strong> Kayla</strong><br />
Submitted by Jason Lee</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Just a simple portrait of my younger daughter.”</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/2_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Building Contractor</strong><br />
Submitted by Shane Knudsen</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>This man stopped by while I was visiting with my friend, Sajid. I remember that he was a building contractor (and a rather busy one considering the 2005 earthquake), but I never caught his name. This is just one of those faces you absolutely have to photograph. Fortunately, my friend was able to translate posing instructions for me, since I don't speak Pari or Urdu.”</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/3_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong> Under the Overpass</strong><br />
Submitted by Anonymous</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"On the streets of Houston."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/4_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong> Sam Stanley Kubrick</strong><br />
Submitted by Richard Penny</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Portrait of my middle son in the garden riding his toy bike whilst wearing my motorbike helmet. Looks very <cite>2001: A Space Odyssey</cite>."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/5_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong> Marble Mayhem</strong><br />
Submitted by Tyler Klemp</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"She's wearing a really soft Russian rabbit hat."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/6_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Filthy Habit</strong><br />
Submitted by Ciaran Whyte</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"A smoker in a pub doorway, in Dublin."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/7_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>smoke'n hot...</strong><br />
Submitted by Max Trombly</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"My friend kriss and I were hang'n out and she was in need of a light …. This photo was taken using the natural light emitting from the molotov.. no added light from another source ...
1/80 f./5 1600 iso
shot with a canon 20D in my driveway."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/8_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Commute</strong><br />
Submitted by Kent Colony</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Nikon Digital"</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/9_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Rafa</strong><br />
Submitted by Chyett de Landròn-Smith</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"I took this image of Raphael, my nephew. We were quite bored, and decided to take some photos. The little guy is so photogenic."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portrait/10_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong> The Dream</strong><br />
Submitted by Joe Russo</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"A photo project for JieXin, the dancer you see in the photo. Somewhat of mid-night dream sequence. Colours by Lightroom. No photoshop. Nikon D300, 50-mm 1.8, natural light."</p><br style="clear: both;"/>
<img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=ab8b44884e53923c28e01f35f3cc7090" height="1" width="1"/>
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<p><a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?a=DGAgZl"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?i=DGAgZl" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=hcR8L"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=hcR8L" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=0NvKl"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=0NvKl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=XiFKl"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=XiFKl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=KRIFL"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=KRIFL" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/399461183" height="1" width="1"/>
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_top_ten_portraits
Wired.com Photo Department
2008-09-22T04:00:00Z
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_top_ten_portraits
Top 10 Wired Portrait Photos, Decided by Us
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/399461185/gallery_faves_portraits
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/1_t.jpg"></img>: <p>Though Wired.com readers selected <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_top_10_portraits">10 excellent photos</a> in our <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2008/09/submissions_portrait">portrait photo contest</a>, we here at the photo department like to fight for the underdog. Here are our 10 favorite submissions that we think deserved more attention.</p>
<p>Our next bi-monthly photo contest is fall. As the world packs up shop for winter, we want to see what signifies fall for our readers. Check out the <a href="http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2008/09/submissions_fall">contest page</a> for more information.</p>
<p><strong>Left:</strong> </p>
<p><strong>Pondering Life</strong><br />
Submitted by Cindy</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"I took this photo with a small handheld digital camera of this man in a Japanese park.”</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/2_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Young boy in the Dominican</strong><br />
Submitted by Corey Polis</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Young boy in the Dominican."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/3_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Filmmaker in Tux</strong><br />
Submitted by agmilmoe</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"One of my favorite photos from a friend's wedding. (Though this was not the guy getting married.)
This was taken with a Polaroid SX-70. The shutter was open long enough to capture a separate flash."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/4_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Erica loves to drink</strong><br />
Submitted by Alcinoo</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Erica loves to drink."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/5_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Embedded</strong><br />
Submitted by Patricio LQ</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Snapshot in the South American Andres. Nikon D80, 50mm Vintage F mount lens."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/6_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>My parents</strong><br />
Submitted by Guilhes Damian</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"My father and my mother having a discussion."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/7_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Polaroid Self</strong><br />
Submitted by K.</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Polaroid self-portrait in the oldest still-running diner in town."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/8_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Alessi</strong><br />
Submitted by Timo Fuchs</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"A night out eating ice cream.”</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/9_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>Infrared Shadows</strong><br />
Submitted by mattbell</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"Mamiya C220 Mamiya-Sekor 80mm f/2.8 TLR lens efke IR 820 120 film (IR modified) Vivitar 285HV flash."</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits/12_t.jpg"></img>: <p><strong>lost head recaptured</strong><br />
Submitted by sasha</p>
<p><strong>Photographer's comment:</strong></p>
<p>"lomo action sampler, duomo milano"</p><br style="clear: both;"/>
<img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=feac0f6450ae5211f5989fede5dd8eb3" height="1" width="1"/>
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<p><a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?a=CRLBGq"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?i=CRLBGq" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=05uVL"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=05uVL" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=u2Nfl"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=u2Nfl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=185yl"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=185yl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?a=EN5iL"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/culture?i=EN5iL" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/399461185" height="1" width="1"/>
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits
Wired.com Photo Department
2008-09-22T04:00:00Z
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_faves_portraits
How to Make a Pirate Treasure Map
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/397580824/Make_A_Treasure_Map_From_A_Paper_Bag
Celebrate "Talk Like a Pirate Day" by taking the kids on a quest for lost treasure. Here's how to create a truthy pirate's map using paper bags, markers and a few other cheap materials. Building the ship may take a little more work.<br style="clear: both;"/>
<a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=ac3801ac3e7869267d8885de7c05d5f2"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=ac3801ac3e7869267d8885de7c05d5f2"/></a>
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<p><a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?a=a22ON5"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?i=a22ON5" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/397580824" height="1" width="1"/>
Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Make_A_Treasure_Map_From_A_Paper_Bag
How-To Wiki
2008-09-19T04:00:00Z
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Make_A_Treasure_Map_From_A_Paper_Bag
Gallery: Emoticons Jump From Web to Real World :-)
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/396864238/gallery_emoticon
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/fahlman_t.jpg"></img>: Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP<p>
With three simple keystrokes, Scott Fahlman brought a smile to the internet.
</p>
<p>
In a 1982 message board post, Fahlman, a computer scientist at Carnegie-Mellon University, proposed using typographical smiley faces to mark jokes and clear up confusion about writers' intentions. With his simple proposal, the <a href="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/09/dayintech_0919">emoticon was born</a>.
</p>
<p>
Fahlman's smiling shorthand (and its frown-face equivalent) started a wave of internet expression that's spilled over into the real world. The emoticon has been upgraded and animated, loved and hated. Emoticons have graced gadgets, T-shirts and more.
</p>
<p>
Witness the emoticon's lasting impact, and smile if you can.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Left:</strong>
</p>
<p>
Father of the emoticon Scott Fahlman shows off his happy handiwork. His proposal to use smiley and frowney faces is credited with launching the emoticon in the internet age. Now, Carnegie-Mellon hands out an annual <a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/smiley/sa.html">Smiley Award</a> for "innovation in technology assisted person-to-person communication."
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/earbuds_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Emotibles' <a href="http://www.emotibles.com/catalog/iPod_Charms-1-1.html">Emotibuds</a> slip onto classic iPod earbuds, giving Apple's bland white gear a colorful geek upgrade. The company also makes "strangely expressive" emoticon stickers, pins and more.
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/emoticon_mask_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Wear a freaky-looking <a href="http://blog.naver.com/inter_mask">Mask of Emotion</a> and you'll really light up a room. The bubble-shape mask, developed by designers at Hongik University in Korea, uses LEDs to put emoticon expressions on its wearer's "face."
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/Emoticons_Puck_1881_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
An unknown visionary (or maybe a time traveler) used typographical symbols to mimic human expressions in an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Emoticons_Puck_1881.png">1881 edition of <cite>Puck</cite> magazine</a>.
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/door_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Did the person or persons who installed the locks and handle on this door realize the statement they were making? London graphic designer Peter Gibbons <a href="http://peter-gibbons.blogspot.com/2007/09/emoticon-door-furniture.html">spotted the happy hardware</a> on a door in Copenhagen.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/drivingledemoticon2_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Old-school methods for inter-vehicular communication -- flipping the bird at the tailgating bastard behind you or mumbling "sorry" to yourself after cutting somebody off -- aren't exactly effective.
</p>
<p>
Cruise into the 21st century with the <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/car/8e9a/
">Driving LED Emoticon</a>, which lets you express your true feelings in a straightforward fashion. Just mount the LED message sign in your rear window, then use the remote control to transmit one of five messages (smiling face, winking face, "Thanks," "Back Off" and "Sorry") to the driver on your bumper.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/interactive_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Feeling a little remote from your loved one? Drop a clue about your current mood with the <a href="http://www.mauriciomelo.com/contents/interact05.htm">Web Are You?</a> networked emoticon device from Mauricio Melo Design. Connect the thing to the internet, then ping it via a web page or cellphone. One of the four emoticons will light up to give your significant other a visual representation of your state of mind.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/pins_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Wear your emotion on your lapel (or anywhere else) with one of these <a href="http://www.stockpins.com/emoticon-pins.html">colorful emoticon pins</a>. The set includes "Roll Eyes (Sarcastic)," "Mad," "Smilie," "Cool," "Frown," "Wink," "Big Grin" and "Eek."
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/emoticonstamp_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Emoticons aren't just for the internet. With the <a href="http://www.chipchick.com/2008/01/emoticon_transforming_stamp_makes_faces_for_you.html">Emoticon Transforming Stamp</a>, you can ink a piece of paper with a standard smiley in nothing flat. The $6 silicone stamp is flexible -- squish it for variations on the theme.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/emoticon_2_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Screw e-mail -- use an actual mailbox to send a message with these <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10817023">emoticon letterpress cards</a> from Lizard Press.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/tshirt_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
Endless mutations on the smiley face, as popularized by AOL Instant Messenger and other services that use animated emoticons, show up all over the place. Smiley World, which registered the '60s-era smiley face as a trademark in 1971, sells <a href="http://www2.printshop.co.uk/smiley_world.html">customizable T-shirts</a> that will look familiar to anybody who's ever used AIM.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_emoticon/emoticon_1_t.jpg"></img>: <p>
One beautiful thing about emoticons: The keystroke expressions can be put to virtually limitless creative uses. These boobtastic potholders by CrochetandCrafts owe a clear debt of gratitude to Fahlman's very first smiley.
</p><br style="clear: both;"/>
<img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=88b947c073675ab4c1e3dcf7ba2334f1" height="1" width="1"/>
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<p><a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?a=W7p7ep"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~a/wired/culture?i=W7p7ep" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~4/396864238" height="1" width="1"/>
Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT
http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_emoticon
Lewis Wallace
2008-09-19T04:00:00Z
http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_emoticon
Gallery: Sci-Fi-Inspired Concept Ships Show Future of Travel
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/394834093/gallery_conceptships
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/structura_short_stories_t.jpg"></img>: Image: Nicolas Bouvier<p>
Future worlds described by science fiction visionaries like Philip K. Dick, William Gibson and Robert Heinlein often included wildly inventive methods of transportation to other planets, galaxies and dimensions.
</p>
<p>
These brief glimpses into the possible future of travel were left largely to the readers' imaginations, but a flourishing group of dreamers, designers and illustrators are bringing those creations to life -- at least online.
</p>
<p>
The <a href="http://www.conceptships.blogspot.com/">conceptships.org</a> website run by Igor Tkac showcases these artists' renditions of spaceships and other fantastical creations. From retro-futuristic aerial attack machines to automated deep-sea treasure hunters, here are some of the coolest.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Left:</strong>
</p>
<p>
Nicolas Bouvier has always been fascinated with space travel. Growing up in Cape Canaveral, Florida, he vividly remembers watching shuttles and rockets launch. Now a game designer with credits including <cite>Prince of Persia: Warrior Within</cite> and <cite>Assassin's Creed</cite>, Bouvier also <a href="http://www.sparth.com/">designs book covers</a>. He fashioned this illustration for a French edition of a collection of Philip K. Dick short stories.
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/05/structura-art-of-sparth.html">Bouvier's work</a>.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/turley_explorer_t.jpg"></img>: Image: Jeffrey Turley<p>
Jeffrey Turley's otherwordly aquatic vessel is an archeologist's -- or treasure hunter's -- dream. The underwater vehicle submerges to unexplored depths to locate lost artifacts and document unusual life forms.
</p>
<p>
Turley, a <a href="http://turleysketch.blogspot.com/">visual development artist</a> at Walt Disney Animation Studios, said he dreams up his concept creations in his spare time.
</p>
<p>
"It was just for fun," said Turley. "I do these warm-ups now and then to keep my art fresh."
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/06/concept-ship-designs-by-jeffrey-turley.html">Turley's work</a>.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/vyle_t.jpg"></img>: Image: David Levy<p>
For this ship's ethereal design, David Levy decided to upgrade an old concept -- the pirate ship -- with a sci-fi twist. Levy, art director of visual design studio <a href="http://www.steambotstudios.com/">SteamBot Studios</a>, envisioned a space boat voyaging across the universe undetected, thanks to advanced disguise technologies that would keep the craft hidden from enemies.
</p>
<p>
Additionally, the expansive wings of the sleek ship are solar-powered and can be rotated to face the sun as the ship travels. Even the ship's captain has a revamped first mate: "The bird on the shoulders of the pirate is a robot," said Levy. "Which is why it does not need any breathing apparatus."
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/06/concept-ships-by-david-levy.html">Levy's work</a>.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/Mauro_t.jpg"></img>: Image: <a href="http://www.artofben.com">Ben Mauro</a><p>
Although 23-year-old designer Ben Mauro painted this haunting vessel as an assignment for an art class, sketching and illustrating concept ships is an avid pastime of his.
</p>
<p>
Mauro based this ship's bulbous skeleton on shapes formed by musical notes and rhythmic formations. According to Mauro, the cruiser's main purpose would be largely for surveying foreign lands, exploring unknown areas and conducting reconnaissance missions.
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/06/ben-mauro-concept-ships-art.html">Mauro's work</a>.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/michal_jelinek_shuttle_t.jpg"></img>: Image: <a href="http://www.horseville.net">Michal Jelinek</a><p>
Industrial designer Michal Jelinek came up with this cargo ship concept as part of an instructional lecture for his students.
</p>
<p>
"The main purpose of this ship is to deliver goods across the planet and to outer space," said Jelinek. The carrier, with its powerful jet engines positioned on the hull for maximum steering control, would also be capable of navigating extreme atmospheric conditions, he said.
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/05/concept-spaceship-sketches-from-michal.html">Jelinek's work</a>.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/joel_zbrush_t.jpg"></img>: Image: Joel Carlo Aymat<p>
Multimedia artist <a href="http://www.joelcarlo.net">Joel Carlo Aymat</a> pieced together this clover-shaped ship while experimenting with his favorite graphic applications, Photoshop and ZBrush.
</p>
<p>
Aymat pictured it as a perfect vehicle for everyday intergalactic traveling -- though he still needs to concoct a fuel-efficient power source. "It would probably be a pretty snazzy hybrid commuter," said Aymat. "It'd be like the Toyota FT-HS of space travel!"
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/08/concept-ships-by-joel-carlo.html">Aymat's work</a>.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/jake_parker_concept_dock_t.jpg"></img>: Image: <a href="http://www.agent44.com">Jake Parker</a><p>
When Jake Parker isn't at his day job developing special effects for big-budget animated films like <cite>Ice Age</cite> and <cite>Robots</cite>, he's bringing his own creations to life in comic books.
</p>
<p>
This vessel would compete in aerial death matches, so Parker envisioned a vehicle with superior speed and lethal attack functions.
</p>
<p>
"I love the designs of pre-WWII racers," said Parker, who works as a designer for high-end CGI firm Blue Sky Studios. "Their sleek lines and full shapes always appealed to me."
</p>
<p>
A bright yellow paint job with black racing stripes gave way to the craft's nickname -- The Wasp.
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/05/concept-spaceship-art-by-jake-parker.html">Parker's work</a>.
</p>
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/09/gallery_conceptships/theodor_2_t.jpg"></img>: Image: <a href="http://www.twgrafik.com/">Theodor Waern</a><p>
Swedish concept artist Theodor Waern took inspiration from dystopian sci-fi thrillers <cite>Aliens</cite> and <cite>Terminator</cite> to illustrate a menacing battleship for deploying troops to and from pockets of action.
</p>
<p>
Dubbed the "Ferro," Waern's war machine is equipped with weapons and can carry up to eight passengers and a pilot.
</p>
<p>
See more of <a href="http://conceptships.blogspot.com/2008/08/theodor-waern-on-concept-ships.html">Waern's work</a>.
</p><br style="clear: both;"/>
<img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=0db355e360e6ec54e3653252b82463ec" height="1" width="1"/>
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Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_conceptships
Jenna Wortham
2008-09-17T04:00:00Z
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2008/09/gallery_conceptships
Alt Text: Camping Trip Reveals Joys of 'Data Isolation'
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/culture/~3/394718898/alttext_0917
<p>
When I told my friends I was going camping, the most common reaction was bafflement. It was as if I had warned them that I was about to pupate.
</p>
<p>
I was actually surprised by the news myself. When I try to remember the events that led to my agreeing to camp out, it's all echoes and shadows. I generally consider soft, insect-free beds to be one of the chief virtues of an industrialized society, just above a lowered infant mortality rate.
</p>
<div id="lorepodcast"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images/commentary/lorepodcasttall.jpg" />
<h1>Alt Text Podcast</h1>
<p>Download audio files and subscribe to the <a href="http://rss.sonibyte.com/rssfeed/wired/20.xml">Alt Text podcast</a>.</p>
</div>
<p>
Nonetheless, my girlfriend and I shoved as many artifacts of civilization as we could into the back of the Corolla and headed up the coast. Luckily for me, we had picked a beginner's campsite, the kind that you'd get if <a href="http://www.leapfrog.com/">LeapFrog Enterprises</a> landed a state park contract. Picnic table, enclosed fire pit, convenient parking mere feet from the camping space, that sort of thing.
</p>
<p>
I was feeling pretty optimistic when I noticed a flier notifying us of ... something about the water. I still don't know exactly what it was trying to say; it seemed to be simultaneously trying to warn and reassure us.
</p>
<p>
Roughly paraphrased, it went like this:
</p>
<p>
WARNING: The water at this campsite does not meet safety standards for drinking. Nonetheless, it is safe to drink, unless you are the sort of person who should not be drinking unsafe water. We hope to upgrade our equipment in the near future to make this water, which is safe to drink, safe to drink. In the meantime, it is not necessary to boil this unsafe water before drinking it.
</p>
<p>
My compromise was to drink the water mainly in the form of whiskey toddies.
</p>
<p>
As surprised as I was to find myself camping, I was even more surprised to find myself enjoying it. In the decade or so since I was last dragged into the woods, technology has made camping much more pleasant, which is to say much less like camping. An inflatable mattress elevated me above the hard, life-sapping ground, some weird sort of drugstore napalm made lighting fires easier than putting them out, and one can never underestimate the soothing power of a Nintendo DS Lite when stuck nearly two miles from the nearest human settlement.
</p>
<p>
The experience was refreshing and enlivening. Most people would credit this to the fresh air or the softly swaying greenery or perhaps the thug-like chipmunks that organized tactical assaults on our marshmallows. You know, nature. I don't think that was it, though.
</p>
<p>
The real pleasure was something I'm going to call "data isolation." Entertainment and information used to be something you would seek out, library card or remote control in hand. We were, as it were, hunters and gatherers of data. Nowadays, though, data is something that seeps into my home from a dozen sources. E-mail and RSS feeds line up like Soviet-era bread-seekers, patiently awaiting my attention. TV shows and movies install themselves on hard drives or waft in with the daily mail.
</p>
<p>
As a result, I've become an immoderate consumer of information. I watch television while browsing the web. I've been known to check my e-mail while playing <cite>World of Warcraft</cite>. Not just during the long flights from one area to another -- I actually read my mail <em>in battle</em>, while waiting for the 10-second cool-down on my Stormstrike power. I'm at the center of a data glut.
</p>
<p>
So yeah, I brought a videogame with me to the woods, but at least when I played it I was only playing <em>that specific game</em>. When I read a book, I was reading <em>that particular book.</em> I was arguably closer to roughing it in terms of entertainment than I was in terms of physical comforts.
</p>
<p>
I'm trying to figure out how to get that same sense of data isolation without having to sleep near insects. Unplugging the modem one day a week would be a start, but it wouldn't affect the data that's already made its way into my home. Maybe I could rig up all my electronics to one circuit for easy shutdown. I can probably find a way to do it on the web, assuming I don't get distracted.
</p>
<p>
- - -
</p>
<p>
<em>Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to reassure his guildmates that he doesn't do the e-mail thing during raids. Well, at least not during boss fights.</em>
</p><br style="clear: both;"/>
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Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:00:00 GMT
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/alttext/2008/09/alttext_0917
Lore Sjöberg
2008-09-17T01:00:00Z
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/alttext/2008/09/alttext_0917
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