art

Crazy Cronzy Pen Puts Over 16 Million Colors in Your Pocket

risahope, , , , Leave a comment

KS Technology

The amazing new crowdfunded Cronzy pen might be the only pen you’ll ever need. The high-tech art tool lets you draw with all of the colors of the world – over 16 million shades! All you have to do is scan an item and the pen turns the chosen color into ink. Or, you can make a selection from the Cronzy app.

Cronzy Pen Illustration

How does it work? Let’s take a look at the schematics. It contains actual ink cartridges that mix colors based on the scanned input.

Cronzy Pen Schematics

‘With the help of apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, you will be able to: Select the desired color and its shade; Save frequently used and favourite scanned colors on your device; Share interesting colors in social networks.’ – Cronzy

Cronzy has almost reached its goal of $200,000 on Indiegogo, with a little over a week left to raise the funds. Want to own a Cronzy pen? They currently come in two colors – black & silver – and cost around $200.

krystian science spaceDo you love technology and art? Me too! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more epic tech stories + enjoy these popular posts: 🎨🤖

Crazy Cronzy Pen Puts Over 16 Million Colors in Your Pocket

VIDEO: Google’s Virtual Reality Tilt Brush Lets You Paint with Stars and Fire

risahope, , , , Leave a comment

KS TechnologyFinally, a virtual reality app I can get behind!  I just saw Google’s video for Tilt Brush—a new virtual reality (VR) app that lets you paint from an entirely new perspective, available on the HTC Vive. Fast Company has hailed it as the ‘Microsoft Paint of 2020.’

Art and design will never be the same again. This is the perfect introduction to VR for non-gamers. Check out the 3D artwork drawn in Tilt Brush below.

Tilt Brush

With Tilt Brush, you can paint in 3D – simply select your colors and brushes by waving your hand. What starts as an empty room quickly becomes the blank canvas for your imagination. The coolest part? This is virtual reality art, so you can choose to paint with crazy materials like stars, smoke, fire, or snowflakes!

You also have the ability to walk through and around your art + share your artwork as room-scale VR masterpieces or animated GIFs. For $29.99 I’m SOLD.

“Tilt Brush lets you paint in 3D space with virtual reality. Unleash your creativity with three-dimensional brush strokes, stars, light, and even fire. Your room is your canvas. Your palette is your imagination. The possibilities are endless.” – Google, YouTube

Video

One-of-a-Kind Mosaics Discovered in Ancient Israeli Synagogue

risahope, , , , , , Leave a comment

KS_LOGOs2_HumanI first fell in love with mosaics when I was studying art history in Florence, Italy, from 2008-2009. There is something amazing about small pieces of glass or stone, painstakingly placed together, depicting religious scenes, everyday life, and a civilization’s hope for the future.

I was in awe of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, the Christ Pantocrator in Pisa, and the breathtaking mosaics covering the ceiling of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. But, we aren’t talking about Italy – today, we are talking about mosaics discovered on the floor of an ancient synagogue in Israel that are very special.

Magness_JodiHuquoqmosaicwithUNCstudents-1721x1940
UNC professor Jodi Magness (center) and UNC students (left to right) Brian Coussens, Caroline Carter, Jocelyn Burney, Jonathan Branch, and Kelly Gagnon, with the 2012 Huqoq mosaic. (Photo by Jim Haberman)

Jodi Magness, an archeologist at UNC Chapel Hill, has been leading excavations at the ancient Jewish city of Huqoq in Israel since 2011. After the first mosaics appeared on the floor of a buried synagogue in 2012, Magness and her team have returned to the site every June to uncover more fantastic mosaics.

“The mosaics were a complete surprise,” says Magness. “Synagogues of this particular type—which is best represented by the synagogue at Capernaum just a couple of miles away—typically don’t have mosaic floors. They have flagstone pavements.”

But, that isn’t the only thing that makes these mosaics one-of-a-kind. Magness and her team were surprised by the subject matter, which involves elephants, dancers, and possibly Alexander the Great. Magness feels the images in these mosaics, as well as their high level of artistic quality, make them truly unique. Click here for more details on the mosaics, and click here for information about the Huqoq excavation site!

Archaeologist may have finished up at Huqoq this season, but hopefully next summer they make more exciting discoveries.

Theatre mask mosaic found in 2015 at Huqoq by Jodi Magness and her archaeological team. (Photo by Jim Haberman)
This image of an elephant outfitted for battle appears in the large, complex mosaic that may include an image of Alexander the Great. Photographs of the full panel have not yet been released. PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Recent excavations revealed the image of a theater mask at the corner of a mosaic panel. PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
This face of Samson, the legendary Biblical hero, came to light in 2013. The full panel shows him carrying the Gate of Gaza on his shoulders. PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Huqoq Mosaic
The head of the possible Alexander figure in the mosaic. (Photo by Jim Haberman)
One-of-a-Kind Mosaics Discovered in Ancient Israeli Synagogue

Designer Tweaks Typeface to Show What It’s Like to Read with Dyslexia

risahope, , , , , , , 1 Comment

KS HealthDaniel Britton, a graphic designer in London, has created a typeface that looks like an alien language. It’s not from another planet, but it is designed to give the average reader an out of body experience. Britton has managed to recreate what its like to read with dyslexia.

The image below is as disorienting as it is enlightening. See how you might process words if you were dyslexic.

IMAGE: Daniel Britton
IMAGE: Daniel Britton

Britton was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was 18 years old. He quickly realized he wasn’t alone. According to Dyslexia International, one in ten people are dyslexic, which equates to roughly 700,000,000 adults and children around the world.

“What this typeface does is break down the reading time of a non-dyslexic down to the speed of a dyslexic. I wanted to make non-Dyslexic people understand what it is like to read with the condition and to recreate the frustration and embarrassment of reading everyday text and then in turn to create a better understanding of the condition.” – Britton

Dyslexia is often greatly misunderstood. Britton hopes his typeface will help non-dyslexics empathize with those who struggle. And, if all goes to plan, his artwork will eventually lead to faster more effective treatment for dyslexia. That way, dyslexic students can learn at the same pace as their peers, giving them an equal chance to succeed! 👏

IMAGE: Daniel Britton
IMAGE: Daniel Britton
IMAGE: Daniel Britton
IMAGE: Daniel Britton
IMAGE: Daniel Britton

 

Gallery

Epic Photos of the “Red Moon” and Shortest Eclipse of the Century

risahope, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Krystian Science Space

The full “blood moon” lunar eclipse only lasted five minutes! But, people all over the world still managed to capture the epic moment on film. Check out these beautiful photos of the ‘shortest lunar eclipse of the century,’ courtesy of TIME, Yahoo, and Flickr.

A partially eclipsed full moon sets behind a statue of a Kansa Indian at the Kansas Statehouse, Saturday, April 4, 2015 in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A lunar eclipse is seen beside a clock tower at Marina Beach in Chennai, India, Saturday, April 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Arun Sankar K)
A total lunar eclipse is observed above cherry blossoms in Shiraishi city, Miyagi prefecture, northeastern Japan, Saturday, April 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT
Indians watch a lunar eclipse from the banks of River Kuakhai on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, India, Saturday, April 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – APRIL 04: A blood red moon lights up the sky during a total lunar eclipse on April 4, 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand. The shortest total lunar eclipse, or “blood moon”, of the century will last just a few minutes. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
A lunar eclipse is seen from Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday, 04 April 2015. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon on its way around the Earth moves through the planet’s shadow cast by the sun in opposing position. EPA/DAVID CROSLING AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
The beginning of a total lunar eclipse is seen behind leaves illuminated by a street light in Canberra, Australia, on Saturday, 04 April 2015. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon on its way around the Earth moves through the planet’s shadow cast by the sun in opposing position. EPA/LUKAS COCH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
A lunar eclipse is observed above a lion-shaped statue in Urasoe city, Okinawa prefecture, southern Japan, Saturday, April 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT
Lunar eclipse in Las Vegas with stratosphere. Flickr: tslclick
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – APRIL 04: Sky-watchers got a glimpse of the Blood Moon in the shortest eclipse of the century as it sets behind Pikes Peak April 4, 2015 in Colorado Springs. The top edge of the eclipsed moon should appear much brighter than the rest of the orb.(Photo By John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Gallery