Flights Of Fancy: New Drone Programmed To Paint Pointillist Portraits

Despite their reputation for being death-dealing, bomb-bearing little robo-bats, drones have been taking flight for many moregood reasons these days.  Now, with robotic art competitions actually becoming a thing, a new technique for creating masterpieces has emerged thanks to drone technology:  pointillist portraits created in flight.

Make art, not war.
(Image courtesy dailymail.co.uk.)

Putting The "Art" In "Artificial Intelligence": Robots Vs. Real Writers

***Wordsmiths Wanted: A Haiku***

Silicon Valley
needs poets, writers, empaths
to teach A.I….us.

We didn't say the emotional input wouldn't be cheesy.
(Image courtesy conversations.e-flux.com.)

Ultra-Modern Art: World's First Software-Generated Art Competition Produces Striking Results

Yesterday we talked about how robots are coming for your menial-labor jobs.  But what about artistry?  Surely, even with robot poets, robot "dreams", and robot literary aids, there's no way that a computer could become autonomous enough to actually paint something that we'd recognize, right?

Wrong, puny human.  They can out-art us, too.

Could a robo-Banksy be tagging the cities of the future?
Or will they be more refined, such as a Van Gogh-bot?
(Artwork by Banksy.  Image courtesy businessinsider.com.)

Roses Are Red, Deathscreens Are Blue, A Computer Writes Poetry...Better Than You?

Humans have been writing poetry since we could figure out how to rhyme our grunts.  Now, computer AI programs want in on the action.  But are they any better than, say, your average disturbed goth teenager?

They want to touch us with their verse.
And soon, their metal claws and enslavement software.
(Image courtesy abc.net.au.)

New Parts, New Art: Google's "Tilt Brush" Enables Creativity In Virtual 3D

Getting immersed in art is one of the finer pleasures of having a fully-developed human brain.  Now, you can saturate yourself with many styles of painting, doodling, sculpting, and viewing artwork in glorious 3D, thanks to a new artistic software tool from Google...

From sketches to sculpture, the art world is in for a new awakening...
(Image courtesy virtualartsessions.chromeexperiments.com.)

Strained Brains And Song Refrains: Could This New Music App Help Restore Some Lucidity To Those Afflicted With Declining Minds?

Music has been inextricably linked to culture, community, and comradeship since the first caveman hit some rocks together in a catchy beat.  Its influence has spanned the globe and has even journeyed into the stars.  Our greatest composers and artists are held in the same respectful strata as our greatest heroes...and now, there might be one more reason why.

Rock out 'til the clock's out.
(Image courtesy kindakind.com.)

New "Robot Kingdom" Theme Park Set To Open In...Where Else?...Japan

A while back, we told you about the smart hotel that featured a staff comprised mostly of robots.  This all-automaton enclave seemed an interesting way to kick off what will surely be a swath of service-bots interacting with humans of the future for their comfort and entertainment, and now, in partnership with their host park, the game has been stepped up.  Welcome to the Robot Kingdom.

All this, plus robo-raptors.
Wait, what?
(Image courtesy classicarcadegaming.com.)

NYC, NSFW: Graffitti Artist Uses Public Wi-Fi Terminals For Publicity; Porn

New York City is a haven for artists, and not all of their mediums are conventional ones.  Nowhere is this more apparent than in the realm of "street art", the sometimes destructive but often clever ways artists make their mark on the very architecture of the city itself.  Now, with the city offering computer terminals in places where payphones once lurked, it was only a matter of time before someone put the internet's favorite pastime into the public eye...

An un-pornographied wifi portal in NYC.
(Image courtesy fastcolabs.com.)

Words Up: "Expresso" App Helps Edit Your Wrecks Of Text

Writing is one of those art forms that's particularly unpleasant when its bad.  And now, in the age of texting everything and bastardizing verbiage 2 d point tht it loox lik ths (sorry, we won't do that again), it's sometimes hard to remember how to construct a coherent communication without sounding idiotic OR overly loquacious.  Now, there's an app to adjust your adjectives...

Tied up with editing effectively?  This app can help.
(Image courtesy thepolyman.com.)

Putting The "Art" In "Artificial Intelligence": Japanese Researchers Create A Book-Writing 'Bot

It seems we can't go more than a day without hearing about another job being taken over by a robot.  While their applications for manufacturing, gaming, navigation, food service, and concierge roles are effective, some 'bots in Japan are taking things to a whole new level.  Namely, passing themselves off as human author.

"Call me Ishmael-2000."
(Image courtesy www.easysystems.nl.)

A Breath Of Fresh Air: New "Smog-Sucking" Towers Scrub The Skies

Air pollution is an issue in many major cities, but how is it possible to ameliorate the damages caused from...well, it being a city?  Until the clean cars come along, or truckers figure out a way to make some seriously heavy-lifting bicycles, these new smog-removal towers sound like a good plan...

Its physical similarities to the Monolith of "2001" are probably intentional.
(Image courtesy dezeen.com.)

Shot Through The Art, And You're To Blame: New Tattoo Recognition Software Spots Evildoers By Their Ink

We all know that the encroaching insidiousness of facial recognition technology is getting harder and harder to thwart.  This can be somewhat of a good thing, like when it actually catches criminals or finds your lost dog, but for the average citizen, you can't even skip church without getting compiled into a face database (dataface?) these days.  No matter how much weird makeup you use to try to obscure yourself, there's just too many cameras out in the world attempting to capture your likeness.  Now, the technology has been refined to include the art on your body in addition to your body itself...

Just in case you didn't make it this obvious.
(Image courtesy creativefan.com.)

Finger/Painting: Innovative 3D-Printing Process Allows The Blind To Truly Feel Visual Art

Can you imagine what life would be like were you to lose one of your senses?  What if it was the sense that's so important, it's allowing you to read this right now?  For the blind, all visual artwork used to be abstract.  Until now...

The original and tactile 3D-printed versions of Van Gogh's "Dr Gachet."
Now you can both touch and be touched by art.
(Image courtesy 3dphotoworks.com.)

Va-jamming: New Insertable Music Device Serenades Your Unborn Child

Happy New Years, baby!  Did you get some good partying done to ring in 2016?  Well, if you celebrated so hard that you'll be creating another human around September or so, have we got some rockin' news for you!

You can't shove a Fender Stratocaster up there, but this is the next best thing.
(Image courtesy dailkmail.co.uk.)

A Rebel Restoring The Empire: A "Star Wars" Super-Fan Updates The Classic Films To Original Form

Are you getting excited for the new "Star Wars" film, "The Force Awakens"?  If you're not, are you just worried that it might be as bad as the prequel trilogy that did little justice to the world-famous source material, or perhaps as unpleasant as the poorly-conceived updates made to the originals?  Well, despite George Lucas's culture-crushing chaos, he's taken his hands off of the new movie, and as for the other, original ones that he messed with, they have been forcefully fixed...

It surrounds us, and protects us, and binds the (original, un-fucked-with) galaxy together.
(Image courtesy wired.com.)

Happaratus: New "Disruptive" Power Glove For Smoother Sculpting

Many people think that the best confluence of art and technology is digitally-aided, as in a video game, or computer-animated illustrations.  However, technology can still remain digital - in this case, on your digits - and still help create amazing artwork.

It's a helping hand unlike any other.
(Image courtesy happaratus.com.)

Holograms To Hold: New Ways Of Visualizing Light In 3-D

If you like science fiction, you probably enjoy a good 3-D hologram. Now, thanks to a little bit of crafty engineering plus your smartphone, you too can make a hologram that would be worthy of any starship’s bridge or R2-unit’s display.

Get the whole word in your hands with these computer-generated holograms!
(Image courtesy techeblog.com.)

But Does It Go To Eleven? Marshall Set To Launch Smartphone

They're known by musicians and music fans worldwide for their impeccable attention to sound quality, and soon, you could have a Marshall in your pocket...as your phone!

Be a monster of rock...AND call your mom.  What a nice device.
(Image courtesy marshallheadphones.com.)

Lo-Fi Love: Classic Camera Configuration + Smartphone = Art?

As smartphone cameras increase in capability, some pretty cool video imagery has captured the public eye.  Now, thanks to a fun "throwback"-style invention, you can bring some of the style of classic cameras to your modern movies...

That's an iPhone 6 inside there, because the future is awesome.
(Image courtesy thestashed.com.)

New GoPro Camera Arrives; Ski Season Can't Show Up Fast Enough

They've already become their own advertisement, product, and terminology, and now GoPro is adding another cool camera to its line of sporty, sturdy tech toys...

Sure it's cute, but how well does it shoot?
(Image courtesy petapixel.com.)