Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words…

     And in case see it and think, “No way! Someone’s been messing with the sign!” the Spanish Translation on the other side would prove otherwise…

     Sometimes modern translations can be a little … ummm … too modern.  😉  Before anyone drives to Memphis to rip Pastor Whalum a new donkey-hole,  check out this bit from the KJV:

Mat 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

Mat 21:2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

     See?  It was innocent afterall … but good for a laugh, anyway.  😉

Photo Credit: Chris Davis of the Memphis Flyer. Good stuff, guys!

     On March 2nd, I did the article showing off the talent of Nico / Channel Nexx as he speed-painted John Locke in Photoshop, and a Lord of the Rings cover on canvas.  Now that it’s April 2nd, I thinking maybe this should become a regular feature…

     But this one Jason / Eclectic Asylum blew me away even more.  He doesn’t use fancy gimmicks like Photoshop — no way!  He does this in MS Paint, which is unarguably the crappiest piece of Graphics software (well, it’s supposed to be that) ever written!
     I present you with:  The Mona Lisa, in MS Paint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk2sPl_Z7ZU

     Way cool!

     He’s also been running a contest:  “Strike a pose, and get a portrait!”  Now watch him paint the last winner (Daxflame) in Chocolate Syrup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qywqNXbHpLE

     Of course, he couldn’t ship a chocolate portrait without nasty melting issues… 

     Be sure sure and check out Eclectic Asylum’s profile on youtube for more examples of him painting with “other” things besides chocolate…

     Basically, the reacTable is a flat surface that makes sounds and music by dropping different modules onto it, and positoning them so that get the sound you want.  Modules range from tone generators, to strobes, to noise gates, etc. etc.  It’s like a musical flowchart…
     From its designers at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona:

The reactable hardware is based on a translucent round table. A video camera situated beneath, continuously analyzes the table surface, tracking the nature, position and orientation of the objects that are distributed on its surface, representing the components of a classic modular synthesizer. These objects are passive without any sensors or actuators, users interact by moving them, changing their position, their orientation or their faces (in the case of volumetric objects). These actions directly control the topological structure and parameters of the sound synthesizer. A projector, also from underneath the table, draws dynamic animations on its surface, providing a visual feedback of the state, the activity and the main characteristics of the sounds produced by the audio synthesizer.

     Put simply:  I WANT ONE!

     In case you’re not getting it, I’m gonna post all three demo videos for this thing.  This first is Basic Demo #1.

     Does that deserve a, “Whoah!” or what?  This is cool stuff!  So we go on to Basic Demo #2:

     Starting to understand it?  Then you’ve gotta check out the Improvisation Demo:

     The fun part is, it’s components are not exactly “cutting edge.”  But the very idea of putting something together in this fashion is leaps and bounds ahead.  Serious kudos are due its creators!

     The “Cool” Factor doesn’t stop there.  This puppy even runs on Open Source software!

     Be certain to check out their website…

Tip: Anton, over at LR2