A Permanent Reminder Of What Plagues The Planet: The Social Tattoo Project.

Let me say, right off the bat, that this doesn't sound like a very good idea to me. But then again, I'm not a tattoo-type of girl. Permanently inking the world's problems on one's body seems akin to tattooing a loved one's name on your body. Things might change... and what seems relevant or important today could very well be obsolete in a decade or so. But kudos to the courageous volunteers who are lending their body as a canvas to advertise their social awareness.




That said, the Social Tattoo Project is a quest to make empathy permanent by taking today's world problems, such as the recent tragedy in Norway, the earthquake in Haiti or Human Trafficking and emblazing them on your skin. The twist is that those who volunteer to be part of the Social Tattoo Project let Twitterers decide what the actual subject will be.



For each tattoo, they will post 4 trending topics on Twitter, and the most tweeted trend will be the subject of the tattoo. To vote, tweet #socialtattoo and your #favorite trend of the 4 to @social_tattoo. With your vote and their volunteers’ skin, they can make what the world empathizes with today, what you have to care about forever.

Mary gets a #Japan tatt:

Ulises gets a #Norway tatt:


A brave volunteer receives a #Haiti tattoo:



And another, a #Human Trafficking tattoo:



Learn more about the Social Tattoo Project

Kia uses Nail Art in a Stop-Motion Animation Film to Market the Picanto.

To market the new KIA Picanto, Kia Motors of Korea came up with a novel way to say "small." Using painted fingernails as stop motion animation to serve as a metaphor for packing things into a small vehicle.






The project took 25 days (and nights), 900 fingernails, 1200 bottles of nail polish and 2 hours to complete each piece of nail art.



The result is a video (cut as a :21 second teaser, a 1:13 second spot and a 2 minute director's cut)

Full version:


The director's cut, shown below, includes nails painted to call out features -like those shown below- as well as for the stop motion animation:


Images from the director's cut only:




Kia Picanto microsite

LEGO Minifigs Stow Away on NASA's Juno Spacecraft Mission To Jupiter.

Okay, so they weren't really stowaways, but certainly not your expected passengers. The special cargo - three 1.5" tall aluminum LEGO® Minifigs- left earth on NASA's Juno deep-space probe on August 5th for a five-year mission to Jupiter as part of NASA and LEGO's Bricks In Space program, a joint partnership to inspire children and broaden awareness of the importance of planetary research.




above: the Lego Minifigures affixed to the Juno probe before take-off.


In Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief. From Mount Olympus, Juno was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature. Juno holds a magnifying glass to signify her search for the truth, while her husband holds a lightning bolt:



The third LEGO crew member is Galileo Galilei, who made several important discoveries about Jupiter, including the four largest satellites of Jupiter (named the Galilean moons in his honor). Of course, the miniature Galileo has his telescope with him on the journey:



The LEGO Minifigures will help get attention for Juno’s mission to improve understanding of our solar system’s beginnings by revealing the origin and evolution of Jupiter.


above: click to enlarge and get a better look at the Juno Spacecraft

The inclusion of the three mini-statues, or figurines, is part of a joint outreach and educational program developed as part of the partnership between NASA and the LEGO Group to inspire children to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics.



Video of the August 5th launch (on which the minifigs were affixed to the space probe):


The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2016. The mission will investigate the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. Juno's color camera will provide close-up images of Jupiter, including the first detailed glimpse of the planet's poles.

More information about Juno is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu. You can follow the mission on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nasajuno.

images courtesy of LegoSpace, NASA and Wired

Lightbodies by Kilu. Limited Edition Lamps With Male and Female Human Forms.

The Lightbodies are life-sized human shapes made by artist Kilu. Male and female human forms become functional sculptures when their heads conceal vibrantly colored lightbulbs surrounded by a shade.