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I See Data People

I found a lot of great stuff this week. A little bit of algorithmic visualization, a little bit of glitch, a little bit of retrofuture and robot-y science. Hits all my buttons! Not much else to say about it. Let's check it out.

thinking in data [bost.ocks.org]

Visualizing Algorithms

Fantastic article detailing using data visualization to make complex algorithms more intuitive. This gets a little math-y and code-y in certain parts, but there's tons of really cool interactive animations to look at that whether you're into the math and code or not. Worth a long stare.

png glitch deconstructed [ucnv.github.io]

The Art of the PNG Glitch

ucnv, author of aviglitch, an awesome Ruby library that helps you create datamoshes, thoroughly and completely explores every potential type of visual glitch you can create with a PNG in this article. It's image heavy, but also incredibly fascinating (and beautiful).

distributed ransomware [motherboard.vice.com]

​The Devilishly Creative Genius Behind the Latest Ransomware

Short story: ransomware virus writers are distributing bundled packs of ransomware virus that profit share with the creators as well as the users of the ransomware, ensuring wide distribution and effortless payoff. Jerks. Smart jerks.

mobile glitch mastery [blog.generateapp.com]

Futurelegend resurrects analog AV with apps

My artist friend Flavio Bagioli, who has done some work with my @pixelsorter Twitter bot, teams up with musician Andres Bucci to create a project that's based almost entirely on the Generate app, a pretty cool glitch iOS and Android app. Neat! Cool retroglitch music video in the article.

Moving Ever Forward

real life retrofuturism [nautil.us]

This Used To Be the Future

A look at NASA's Ames Research Center and what once was a vision of the bright, shining future. Cool pictures within.

context is key [nytimes.com]

Is Translation an Art or a Math Problem?

This is a nice long read into the challenges that come along with translation - true, accurate translation involves subtlety, context, and cultural history that math and science has trouble tackling.

the trick is to forget to die [bbc.com]

The secrets of living to 200 years old

I threw this one in here because, hey, if we're in the future, we need to stay alive to see even more of it.

don't- I mean, do lose your head [nextbigfuture.com]

First Human head transplant scheduled for December 2017

This is craziness. The doctors are taking two years to plan the operation, they'll have to cool the patient's head during the process, and they think he'll be able to walk again within a year. Whoa!

Glitchet Community Spotlights

Deaf Girl's Glitchy Music Recs

Nico / Deaf Girl puts together glitch-inspired music track recommendations. He's awesome, and his picks are great. Annotations are his!

  • First Warning by The Prodigy - One of my favorite 'get pumped' tracks, the only glitchy thing here is the use of really rough saw waves.
  • Up In My Jam (All of a Sudden) by Kubi - This song is a feel good glitch song, I just fell in love with this when I heard, it's so good.
  • Infinite Impulse by Sweet Valley - Sweet Valley is the side project of Nathan Williams who is the leader of Wavves. I love this, it's so weird and noir.
  • Meow by Anamanaguchi - Anamanaguchi is probably the most popular 8bit rock band out there right now. Video is really cool too!
  • We Are Rock Stars by Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Really cool dancy/glitchy dark rock.

Thank you, Nico! This is a great spread.

Michael Dempsey's Frontier Tech Analysis

Future of Frontier Tech Report

Glitchet reader Michael Dempsey reached out to me with some of his writing on the state of investment in things that are so future and right up Glitchet's alley. Here's a tech report he wrote on recent movements in drone, space, augment reality and virtual reality sectors. He has shorter, more blog-like posts on his personal website.

I Don't Trust Those Metal People

smart sex toys [bbc.com]

Intelligent machines: Call for a ban on robots designed as sex toys

"The physical act of sex will only be a small part of the time you spend with a sex robot - the majority of time will be spent socialising and interacting," the CEO of True Companion says. The company's boasted "world's first sex robot" has already had thousands of preorders at a price point of $7,000.

it only took like 7 years [recode.net]

Facebook Is Finally Developing a ‘Dislike' Button

Until they actually do implement the dislike button (or whatever it's going to be), I recommend commenting on your posts with the thumbs down unicode symbol, then liking that.