information aesthetics

the largest color LED display worldwide, & the first photo-voltaic system integrated into a glass curtain wall in China. the display requires zero external energy, as the facade harvests solar energy by day & uses it to illuminate the screen after dark. the display comprises of 2,292 color (RGB) LED’s light points comparable to a 24,000 sq. ft. (2.200 m2) monitor screen for dynamic content display.

the polycrystalline photovoltaic cells are laminated within the glass of the curtain wall & placed with changing density on the entire building’s skin. the density pattern increases building’s performance, allowing natural light when required by interior program, while reducing heat gain & transforming excessive solar radiation into energy for the media wall.

you can play with the online simulator, or watch a movie after the break.

[link: greenpix.org|via engadget.com]

continue reading "greenpix zero-energy massive LED display" »

aesthetic & architecture & interface . comments (4)

an alternative 3D view to read, play & interact with news from msnbc.com online. users are able to customize news channels, sort them by theme or time, browse & save specific news stories, or just gaze the news go by in auto-mode. reminds me of brynsbrain & flickr tiltviewer.

also see the recent post about inviting you to vote for the creative visualization of news by msnbc at the webbys awards.

[links: spectramsnbc.com (Spectra application) & spectra.msnbc.com (Spectra overview) & NewsWare.msnbc.com (central repository)|thnkx Sam]

continue reading "msnbc 3D live news reader" »

aesthetic & interface & news . comments (2)

some recently introduced visual search metaphors. searchme uses an interactive interface resembling Mac's Coverflow in iTunes & Finder, RedZee adopts a similar, but more rudimentary visual metaphor of showing screenshot thumbnails that can be navigated in a seemingly fluid way, while brynsbrain prefers a pseudo-3D interface that known from the 3D tilt viewer.

[link: brynsbrain.com & RedZee.com & SearchMe.com|via searchengineland.com]

see also:
.oskope visual search & shopping

.search crystal

.like image search

.mnemomap visual workflow search

.brainmap hierarchical search

.casual search

.tianamo 3D web search

continue reading "visual search engines" »

aesthetic & collection & interface . comments (8)

an online interface that allows the browsing & skimming of magazines by a Google maps like interface. pictures, articles & spreads are charted as maps, with the well-known navigation controls on the left top hand side.

[link: zkimmer.com & ricricho.wordpress.com|thnkx tvsnob]

continue reading "reading magazines as Google maps" »

aesthetic & interface & locative . comments (7)

a 2D physics puzzle game, in which users get to experience what it would be like if hand drawings would be magically transformed into real physical objects. users can solve puzzles with both artistic vision & creative use of physics.
[link: kloonigames.com & kloonigames.com (blog)]

aesthetic & interface . comments (5)

Edward Tufte has recently posted some critical comments about the iPhone interface. instead of the "cartoony", "Powerpoint slide", "strong color", "zebra stripe" stock market application, he proposes a solution that is solely motivated by the high-resolution screen. his alternative interface shows "6 graphics that show 14,000 numbers worth of data accurate to 2 significant digits, & in the traditional table, 24 numbers, accurate to 5 significant digits."

in addition, he also compares 2 different weather application interfaces, complementing the "thin" but beautiful weather data list with a dynamic weather map & more detailed forecasts.

however, not everyone in the blogosphere seems to agree. do you?

[edwardtufte.com & graphpaper.com]

continue reading "Tufte's iPhone interface design" »

aesthetic & infovis & interface . comments (9)

a series of travel maps showing the distance and time taken to the Department for Transport in London. the interactive maps compare house prices to travel time, driving vs public transport (in Edinburgh), and bicycling vs public transport.

[link: mysociety.org & tom-carden.co.uk|thnkx tuan]

see also: travel time tube map & time-based subway map.

continue reading "travel time maps" »

aesthetic & interface & locative . comments (0)

a visualization about contaminants released by humans into the atmosphere. it seeks to visualize the dimension of the protective layer of the atmosphere and the effects of human intervention in it.

[link: dreamaddictive.com|thnkx thedlab]

continue reading "atmospheric pollution" »

aesthetic & interface . comments (1)