Bicycle Contrails

Posted by Alex in Car & Vehicle, Gadget on April 11, 2009 at 11:45 am

Contrail is a fun little gadget developed by Studio Gelardi to let bicyclists "mark" their bike paths. As more an more bikers ride on the same path, the contrail lines get brighter. Ostensibly, they say that the gadget allows other bicyclists the path that is safe to ride on but I’m sure that a big part of the appeal is the sheer fun in making roads look like Skittles rainbow.

Link – via Gadget Lab

 
Comment (13)    Permalink   Please share:  email this         

Neatorama Shop » By Artist » Mike Jacobsen T-Shirts

Chalky Chess

Posted by Stacy in Home & Garden on January 12, 2009 at 10:00 pm

I don’t play chess, but if I did, these pieces at Suck UK would be pretty cool. The pieces are made out of black and white chalk, so you just draw yourself a quick board and you’re good to go. That’s not to say that your opponent won’t get mad when you win and simply grind your pieces into dust, but that’s a risk you’d have to be willing to take.

Link

 
Comment (1)    Permalink   Please share:  email this         


Chalk Shadow Art

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts on November 26, 2008 at 11:09 pm


Photo: Chang W. Lee for The New York Times

I saw that "chalk shadow art" is making the round on the Net, without attribution or explanation (sigh). So, with a little Googling, I found the back story to the phenomenon:

Earlier this year, Mr. Gallagher was mugged on his way home from a shift at Bar Tabac on Smith Street, where he worked as a waiter. "I turn around and this guy’s got a two-foot machete in my face," he said.

Mr. Gallagher was unhurt and the mugger was later caught by the police, but one night soon after the mugging, with the image of his attacker’s dark silhouette still burned into his memory, Mr. Gallagher was mesmerized by a shadow on the sidewalk. He reached into his pocket and felt the chalk he had used to write the outdoor menu at Bar Tabac, and he dropped to his knees to outline it.

Shadow art was born.

Now Mr. Gallagher heads out on foot or on his bike with a backpack full of chalk, looking for shadows to trace. When he tells you that "everything is fair game," he means it. He has traced everything from hydrants to whole city blocks.

Conrad Mulcahy of The New York Times has the story: Link

 
Comment (11)    Permalink   Please share:  email this