tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40964881280282985282024-03-05T21:13:39.997+02:00Ars BiologicaArs Biologica serves as my research blog sharing information about bioart in the age of computation and digital communication. We are on the cusp of the surge of "wet media" made with organic interfaces and transitive materials which forces us to rethink and evaluate computation and human communication.tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-31303780741725158352013-03-18T16:34:00.001+02:002013-03-18T16:34:20.015+02:00World's Oldest Purse Is Studded With Dog Teeth!<a href="http://www.ecouterre.com/worlds-oldest-purse-unearthed-and-its-studded-with-dog-teeth/">World's Oldest Purse Unearthed—And It's Studded With Hundreds of Dog Teeth! | Ecouterre</a>Tim Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16497815549833381310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-73186776599350393862012-07-13T20:01:00.001+03:002012-07-13T20:01:45.245+03:00"BOTANICUS INTERACTICUS: Interactive Plants Technology" in SIGGRAPH 2012 : Emerging TechnologiesTake a peek at the exciting technology demos in this year's Emerging Technologies showcase at SIGGRAPH. Take special note of the interactive plant demo by Ivan Poupyrev, which enables sensing of rich gestures interacting with a plant using a non-invasive single wire placed in the soil. <br />
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Have a look at the demo brief <a href="http://s2012.siggraph.org/attendees/sessions/botanicus-interacticus-interactive-plants-technology" target="_blank">here on the SIGGRAPH website</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn5rozK2wvE">SIGGRAPH 2012 : Emerging Technologies - YouTube</a>: <object height="315" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wn5rozK2wvE?version=3&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wn5rozK2wvE?version=3&hl=en_US" width="560" height="315" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Tim Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16497815549833381310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-76404591757669533682012-06-28T01:48:00.000+03:002012-06-28T01:48:01.568+03:00Mie Nørgaard's Sketchnotes from DIS2012 DIY biology workshopClick through to visit <a href="http://mienoergaard.dk/2012/06/sketchnotes-from-dis2012-diy-biology-workshop/">Mie Nørgaard's sketchnotes</a> from the DIS2012 DIY biology workshop June 2012 in Newcastle, UK.
<iframe src="http://mienoergaard.dk/2012/06/sketchnotes-from-dis2012-diy-biology-workshop/"></iframe>Tim Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16497815549833381310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-44697836489579734182012-05-31T10:51:00.003+03:002012-05-31T11:18:25.565+03:00ASCI Call for "ScienceInspiresArt 2012: Vital Signs"<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Art & Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI)<br />announces International Open Call...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>ScienceInspiresArt 2012: VITAL SIGNS</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ASCI's annual, art-science, juried competition exhibition will be held at the New York Hall of Science from September 1, 2012 - February 3, 2013.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year we are seeking original art inspired by our biological world with a special interest in what lies beneath its surface, and/or reflects upon scientific research questions, processes, ethics, and the stunning discoveries being made in biology and the biosciences today. [Read full Intro + Guidelines online]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Art Co-Juror:</strong><br />Patricia Kernan, curator of the New York State Museum's illustration collection; and curator of the museum's international, biennial, "Focus on Nature" exhibits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Science Co-Juror:</strong><br />Dr. Dana Boyd, microbiologist and Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School; long-time collaborator of Joe Davis, the "father" of bio-art.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Details:</strong> <a href="http://www.asci.org/artikel1219.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.asci.org/<wbr></wbr>artikel1219.html</a><br /><strong><br /></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Deadline:</strong> June 17, 2012</span></div>
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</div>Tim Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16497815549833381310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-70636658409910774172012-05-21T17:52:00.003+03:002012-05-21T17:52:31.652+03:00Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architectureThere was a very interesting talk today at the <a href="http://www.aarch.dk/">Aarhus School of Architecture</a> by <a href="http://www.exploration-architecture.com/">Michael Pawlyn</a>, in which he stressed 3 key goals that need to be achieved for sustainable architecture. <br />
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1) There should be radical increases in resource efficiency (doing more with less, for example the bone material structure of a bird's skull, <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">ETFE for greenhouse windows, etc...</span>)<br />
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2) Linear to closed loop (example of a group which took cardboard waste from a restaurant, shredded it, sold it as horse bedding, was paid to collect it after it was soiled, used that waste to grow worms, fed the worms to sturgeon, harvested caviar from the fish, and then sold the caviar in the restaurant. In some ways it reminded me of the Biodynamic way of farming...)<br />
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3) Fossil fuel economy to solar economy (various examples of large scale solar farms including an ambitious system that could turn the Sahara desert into a lush forest again)<br />
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The talk touched on many of the same points covered in his TED talk. Enjoy!<br />
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</object>Tim Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16497815549833381310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-5316895917147064852012-05-19T14:18:00.001+03:002012-05-19T14:18:52.695+03:00DIS'12 Workshop: (DIY)biology: Designing for Open Source Science<span style="font-family: inherit;">The DIS'12 Workshop: (DIY)biology: Designing for Open Source Science is just around the corner! The range of topics incudes contributions focused on textiles, symbiosis, fuel, food, social practices, toys, recipes, origami, bloodsucking insects, and much more! Below are links provided by the workshop site and a blurb from the main page. We look forward to an interesting workshop!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Position papers:</span><br />
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<div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/Infective%20Textiles%20Workshop.pdf" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">Infective Textiles</a><br />
Anna Dumitriu and Alex May</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/NorgaardMerritt.pdf" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">Rethinking the design of bio-bio symbiotic relationships</a><br />
Mie Norgaard and Tim Merritt (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/NorgaardMerrittBios.pdf" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bios</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/Sjuve.pdf" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">DIY microbial fuel cell</a><br />
Eva Sjuve</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://www.genomicgastronomy.com/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">Center for Genomic Gastronomy</a><br />
Zack Denfeld and Cat Kramer (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/DenfeldKramer.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bios</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/DIYbio%20Workshop%20-%20Graham%20Dean.pdf" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> The (Social) Practices of DIYbio</a><br />
Graham Dean, Gordon Blair, Monika Buscher (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/GrahamBio.pdf" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bio</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/Kiwifruit_DNA.pdf" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">DNA from Kiwi</a><br />
<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/bioplastictoys.png" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">Bioplastic Toys </a><br />
Brian Degger (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/Degger.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bio</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://whenananimalentersintothings.4ormat.com/diy-bio-proposal" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">The Recipe Exchange</a><br />
Helen Pritchard</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://diybio.madlab.org.uk/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">DIYbio Manchester</a><br />
Hwa Young Jung (<a href="http://tandot.co.uk/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">website</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/InflatableOrigami.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">Inflatable Origami</a><br />
Ben Dalton (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/Dalton.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bio</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/SuperNatural.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> Super-Natural</a><br />
Sneha Solanki (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/Solanki.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bio</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.catalystproject.org.uk/content/catalyst-projects-round-1" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> Patchworks</a><br />
Jen Southern and Rod Dillon (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/JSouthernRDillon.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bios</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://bednets.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/great-day-in-bed/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> Bednets not Bombs</a><br />
Viv Dillon (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/VDillon.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bio</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://bednets.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/great-day-in-bed/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> </a><a href="http://roddillon.com/2010/10/26/sand-flies-leishmania-and-dinosaurs/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">DIY bloodfeeding for bloodsucking insects</a><br />
Rod Dillon (<a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/submissions/JSouthernRDillon.html" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">bio</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Sterile Working<a href="http://bednets.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/great-day-in-bed/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> </a> David Molnar (<a href="http://dm516.user.srcf.net/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">blog</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://hlt.media.mit.edu/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> High-Low Tech, MIT Media Lab</a><br />
David A. Mellis (<a href="http://web.media.mit.edu/~mellis/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;">website</a>)</span></div><div class="body-text" style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: left; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.life.org.uk/" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #684879; text-decoration: none;"> Centre for Life, Newcastle</a><br />
Nicola Stock</span></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The below is a repost from the workshop website:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://staceyk.org/diybioworkshop/">DIYbio DIS'12 Workshop</a>: DIYbio (Do It Yourself Biology) is a growing community of biologists, artists, engineers and hobbyists who pursue biology projects outside of professional laboratories. (DIY)bio projects range from gardening and experiments with food, to creating biosensors, genetically modifying organisms or building biology equipment from off the shelf parts. As these developments continue to expand science practice beyond professional settings and into hackspaces, art studios and private homes, human computer interaction (HCI) research is presented with a host of new opportunities and concerns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our one-day DIS'12 workshop will bring together a diverse group of designers and HCI researchers, as well as biologists, bioartists, and members of the DIYbio community to critically re-envision the role HCI might play at the intersection of biology, computation and DIY. We will engage directly with DIYbio initiatives to explore the materials, practices and challenges of garage biology. Drawing on presentations from participants who work with organic materials, hands-on biology activities (such as extracting DNA), and structured discussions, we hope to address themes such as: opportunities and implications for integrating organic materials into interactive systems; technologies that support and hinder public engagement with science; and HCI's role in the public discourse around bioethics and biosafety.</span>Tim Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16497815549833381310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-69259711909469591782012-05-19T14:07:00.001+03:002012-05-19T14:07:56.993+03:00Evening of SymbioticA, May 19 — DEAFI wish I could attend! The below is a repost from the event site:<br />
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<a href="http://deaf.nl/program/modules/evening-of-symbiotica">Evening of SymbioticA, May 19 — DEAF</a>: EVENING OF SYMBIOTICA, MAY 19<br />
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ArtMeatfFlesh: tissue engineering for art and nutrition meat is a peculiar thing; lab grown meat is even stranger; artistic lab grown meat is the weirdest of them all ... The evening will get fleshy on meat and will map the meat landscape of in vitro spam. SymbioticA director Oron Catts, the first person to co-grow and co-eat in vitro meat, will host some of the more eccentric figures in the eat-lab-meat debate and might even serve a portion of a meat-like substance.<br />
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SymbioticA <br />
SymbioticA is the first research laboratory of its kind, enabling artists and researchers to engage in wet biology practices in a biological science department. The center at the University of Western Australia in Perth offers a new means of artistic inquiry, in which artists actively use the tools and technologies of science not just to comment about them but also to explore their possibilities.<br />
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SPEAKERS:<br />
Oron Catts<br />
Monika Bakke<br />
Zackery Denfeld<br />
John O'Shea<br />
Mark PostTim Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16497815549833381310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-64191031620485683312012-02-04T21:46:00.000+02:002012-02-04T21:46:56.740+02:00A few good links...It's been far too long since the last post; that will change soon. For now, there are a few good links that I'd like to share regarding biological/ecological art that have to be shared.<br />
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<h1 style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; min-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;"><span class="notranslate" id="altHeadline" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_bios/view/Natalie_Jeremijenko">Natalie Jeremijenko</a>: The art of the eco-mindshift</span></span></h1>Interesting biological interventions including the 'no-park' spots that involve reclaiming the asphault in front of fire hydrants as micro parks that keep cities clean. Go green!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://theyesmen.org/">The Yes Men</a>: The Yes Men Fix The World</span><br />
Intervention related art including hoaxes and staged events at mainstream conferences. The human body based candles are a kick in the pants!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OazUh0Ym8rc?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-21146104444001216682011-08-19T17:12:00.003+03:002011-08-19T17:23:14.241+03:00DIYBio Los Angeles: Interview with Romie Littrell<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Romie Littrell, founder of the <a href="http://wiki.biohackers.la/Main_Page">DIYBio Los Angeles</a> was a visiting artist/researcher at the National University of Singapore this Summer. During his visit in Singapore, Romie gave informative talks and demonstrations sharing his views on the DIYBio movement -- the convergence of the public, hacking, science, art, and biology. He was kind enough to answer some of our burning questions about DIYBio LA and the DIYBio movement at large that we'd like to share with you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rommie Littrell (left) leading a biohacking workshop at the Singapore hackerspace </td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Tim: First things first, Romie, can you give us the background on DIYBio Los Angeles? How did it start, its mission, etc?</span></b></div><b> </b><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Romie:</b> Before heading to LA I was a part of the first meetings for DIYbio in Boston a couple years earlier, and starting another group was always in the back of my mind while I was a bioengineering grad at UCLA. The biggest problem with LA compared to other large cities is that it’s spread over such a wide area. Getting and sustaining an initial critical mass of likeminded people is a challenge. Fortunately, Chris Kelty at the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics brought together DIYbio people from all over the country at his Outlaw Biology conference on campus. I realized that there wouldn’t be a better opportunity to get that initial seed of people and registered a workshop for the last day of the conference with the sole purpose of keeping the momentum going and start a permanent organization.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">With 5 or so core members we started our meetup group and began the coffee shop meeting strategy and gradually attracted more members until finally deciding to look for a permanent home. The best model for DIYbio groups so far has been to join an existing hackerspace usually focused on unrelated things like software, electronics, and fabrication. In addition to providing stability there’s often a significant overlap in interest between members and, in our case with our current location at Null Space Labs, their expertise has given our low-tech hardware goals a boost.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">To sum up the already brief mission statement on our site, it’s simply the maintenance of a space with the resources we need to pursue our interests. Aside from that it’s really up to each person to engage in projects that appeal to them. Perhaps more than anything, it’s a place for people to learn from and work with likeminded people on topics that stem from interest and curiosity rather than the stipulations of job, a grant, or a desire for a degree.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nu3si-LzJUCdWkeogUJTspenNo6f6UBCUtEtuI7w5Ox-qMrEL7iD3Q4Cv6XlW2oh7wT68nrHQmVrISmJMROu99-7CCKoA6ZSAQ1GXq1na2ViwT_E-wTN9GUtEq_C964VZvSO68P1jlWs/s1600/IMG_0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nu3si-LzJUCdWkeogUJTspenNo6f6UBCUtEtuI7w5Ox-qMrEL7iD3Q4Cv6XlW2oh7wT68nrHQmVrISmJMROu99-7CCKoA6ZSAQ1GXq1na2ViwT_E-wTN9GUtEq_C964VZvSO68P1jlWs/s320/IMG_0419.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the tools of genetic engineering, sous vide water bath at 42 degrees C and a smart phone for timing exposure cycles.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Tim: What are the challenges that are faced by DIYbio community?</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Romie:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">The main challenges expanding the community and work with DIYbio are mostly cultural and political. In addition to the misconception that it’s not possible to do biology outside academic and industrial institutions, there’s a cultural undertone that it’s a “bad” thing. The new and unknown are already challenging enough to develop without having to dispel negative connotations from the media and movies. However, I think the broad range of appeal for bio-related projects compared to other comparable hobbyist pursuits make it less of a fad and rather an inevitability. Pushing through the slow beginning can still be frustrating when resources and interest are not where they should be, however.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">There’s also the political threat of a crackdown on the tools of DIYbio in the US. For example, the anti-GMO laws in place in Europe unfortunately trickle down to small private users. Transforming a bacteria to do something useful or interesting, a classic goal for many DIY biologists, requires going through regulatory hurdles that may dissuade a hobbyist. Opinions about if this should happen here are all over the place. A recent presidential inquiry (</span><a href="http://bioethics.gov/cms/synthetic-biology-report">http://bioethics.gov/cms/synthetic-biology-report</a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">) implied that the freedom of DIY groups may decrease as capability rises, but that the efforts of biohackers may also be integral to advancement of the field and in its security.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWawUv2X6J9cyyW8RFCNli_albppVdSVKDBt1PLYUe0uDioFMDbbwGzKgBn86lK1Zb7PF41HAmjv9fgtfEa4fRwZojCgg2xHzEmd2DjovO7WYmW0odb4-liEL1kWa-9Gt0d-Yb9yvjBn_h/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWawUv2X6J9cyyW8RFCNli_albppVdSVKDBt1PLYUe0uDioFMDbbwGzKgBn86lK1Zb7PF41HAmjv9fgtfEa4fRwZojCgg2xHzEmd2DjovO7WYmW0odb4-liEL1kWa-9Gt0d-Yb9yvjBn_h/s320/IMG_0455.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romie preparing supplies for hacking bacteria</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Tim: Do you have any predictions for the DIY Bio movement for the next 5 years in terms of types of projects that may come about, trends, etc?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Romie:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">In the past two years, new DIYbio groups and their various projects have been popping up in cities all over the globe. The success and failure of these initiatives are still anyone’s guess, and I think the real disruptive projects have yet to begin. In the short term the obvious niche that needs to be filled is a source of tools and information to feed the new demand. Distributors for reagents and kits aimed at individuals and educators rather than labs are currently hard to come by, and which procedures make more sense to ironically outsource back to a commercial lab isn’t always obvious. The IP framework for products and discoveries that eventually arise will also needs to be established, particularly in regard to publishing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">I’m more involved in making art and curiosities than discoveries and products, however. The influence on culture through art can accomplish as much a shift in public and political opinion as scientific debate. Biological tools in the hands of artists are becoming more common and I think we’ll see an increase in simple public awareness of the real possibilities.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXej_bsDB46ZK6jUL3hqBiZF3YyhCBpW0GXAxAM1cu390CVkD_k-Mf6wzCYa5Nesd2gr5fMhghJXYV_qc98MzEMYGUv-Zc3tK28ZJ-WE8OCfCjm4G7xvPX2W66MqB9_o7EHidGNVkBd20/s1600/IMG_0435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXej_bsDB46ZK6jUL3hqBiZF3YyhCBpW0GXAxAM1cu390CVkD_k-Mf6wzCYa5Nesd2gr5fMhghJXYV_qc98MzEMYGUv-Zc3tK28ZJ-WE8OCfCjm4G7xvPX2W66MqB9_o7EHidGNVkBd20/s320/IMG_0435.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romie showing the contents of a single use DNA analysis kit that is becoming a popular way for people to learn more about their genetic code including examining predispositions for diseases.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Tim: What suggestions do you have for someone who might be interested in learning about biotech and perhaps a way for them to get started at home?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </b><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Romie:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">The easiest way to start is to look around at how biology is already present in our lives. We actually do biology and biochemistry all the time when we cook. Taking the step further to understand why recipes are they way they are leads to the science of proteins, oils, and sugars, all of which are products and building blocks of biochemistry. Molecular gastronomists are just are just taking things lab scientists already know and applying it to creating new and amazing dishes. If you’re more crafty you may even bake bread, brew beer, or have a garden. These hobbies with all the tricks and tools that make them possible are actually the heart of biology.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">The best way to do anything new is to make it personal since investing a significant amount of time and energy is usually necessary. Learning takes time and things don’t always go perfectly in the beginning. Something that gets overlooked way too often is that DIY projects don’t have to result in more money or new data. Creation is an end of its own. I love to tinker and to find out how things work. Other people may want to cure a disease in their family where, for whatever reason, there isn't an economic incentive to fund research. Selfish or selfless, finding that personal pursuit is the key to developing something meaningful.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Though we call it “Do It Yourself”, for many reasons finding a community of interested people is always my first advice. If you’re not in a large city this might be a challenge, but there are always online forums if local biohackers are not easily found. DIYbio.org is a great list with people eager to help those who will put the effort in to learn. If it seems like you’re alone, just starting an open ended meetup or online group will give others a way to find you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Thank you, Romie, for your time and for sharing your views and suggestions about the DIYBio movement!!!</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Related links: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">http://wiki.biohackers.la/Main_Page </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">http://diybio.org/</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-91019417246978154312011-06-23T12:18:00.000+03:002011-06-23T12:18:39.928+03:00NANOVIBRANCY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0kXC4GLZYQB9HoKWuMtCaZvhcap2ABueeetGcIdFCmXKdnvE80P4G26w5PNhJy6x8H7P0oFW739SqIL-eF5ZPO8voNjIwlIVKQ3ccwNE9hevSwfz0524OapEB-5jOUBAzjzytkgjPSS-/s1600/261101_118871624866907_1978067_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0kXC4GLZYQB9HoKWuMtCaZvhcap2ABueeetGcIdFCmXKdnvE80P4G26w5PNhJy6x8H7P0oFW739SqIL-eF5ZPO8voNjIwlIVKQ3ccwNE9hevSwfz0524OapEB-5jOUBAzjzytkgjPSS-/s1600/261101_118871624866907_1978067_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Artist: Joel Ong<br />
Time: Sunday, July 10 · <span class="dtstart"><span class="value-title" title="2011-07-10T16:30:00"> </span>4:30pm</span> - <span class="dtend"><span class="value-title" title="2011-07-10T19:30:00"> </span>7:30pm</span><br />
Where: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Curtin-Gallery/111301308931956">John Curtin Gallery</a><br />
Event by: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/symbiotica">Symbiotica Lab</a> <br />
Original posting: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118871624866907">NANOVIBRANCY</a> <br />
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Nanovibrancy explores nanoscale activity through sound by amplifying the oscillations at the surface of a model tympanic membrane in real time.<br />
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The culmination of his Masters in Biological Art degree, Joel Ong will present a sound piece which repurposes the Atomic Force Microscope as a super‐sensitive listening device.<br />
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The AFM listens by scanning the surface vibrations on a silk membrane. The sample, currently researched in otolog<span class="text_exposed_show">y as a graft material for chronic eardrum perforations, is probed in extension of its research value, creating an audible documentation of cellular activity in situ.<br />
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Moving from the laboratory into the art gallery, the project shifts the observations of matter at the nanoscale from the scientific eye to the artistic ear, amplifying the resonances of fact and fiction, purity and interference through a site‐specific confluence of nano‐ and human‐scale listening.<br />
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In so doing, Nanovibrancy asks; "what is the experience of listening at the nanoscale?" Visitors acquire a first‐hand experience of the vibrancy of matter at its smallest perspectival scale.<br />
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Nanovibrancy is an ArtScience project realised at SymbioticA, the Centre of Excellence in Biological Arts, Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia and has the generous support of the Ear Science Institute of Australia, the Nanochemistry Research Institute and the John Curtin Gallery at Curtin University.</span> <br />
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Facebook event page with further details: <br />
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118871624866907tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-69204178305856535662011-06-05T21:19:00.003+03:002011-06-19T14:00:39.479+03:002 exclusive interviews coming soon!Please keep a look out for two exclusive interviews coming soon. Here are the details while you wait~<br />
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First up will be the interview with Ryan Romie Littrell, founder of the <a href="http://www.socal-diybio.org/Main_Page">SoCal DIYBio</a>, was a visiting fellow in Singapore hosted by Professor Denisa Kera at the National University of Singapore. During his stay, Romie conducted a two part workshop at the Singapore hackerspace teaching attendees the tools and practices of synthetic biology. Romie is part of a growing group of scientists who are fostering the interest in synthetic biology among the members of public, and democratizing the world of biotechnology. Stay tuned for the interview with Romie for his thoughts on the future of DIYBio and the citizen scientist.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQukE1RFB3-JspGbRrDGhbP4AfEnDQsyqLxThfdpNzfA0KyL5g3VbGCyvQp-w6_IHbO9uZMWXV4cpWaC9CxpEv3_blVjReFa6RCrMs6nlMg9KKEWZGRKP-BxZGJaH9aIF_QkpGnR2b8PEV/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-19+at+PM+06.43.26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQukE1RFB3-JspGbRrDGhbP4AfEnDQsyqLxThfdpNzfA0KyL5g3VbGCyvQp-w6_IHbO9uZMWXV4cpWaC9CxpEv3_blVjReFa6RCrMs6nlMg9KKEWZGRKP-BxZGJaH9aIF_QkpGnR2b8PEV/s320/Screen+shot+2011-06-19+at+PM+06.43.26.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romie guiding participants in the workshop, at one point using a hot bath to encourage their bacteria to take up new genetic code.</td></tr>
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Shortly after that, and staying with the theme of democratization of technology, is an interview with <a href="http://www.publicpraxis.com/youwillsuffermylove/">Thomas Gokey</a> (visual artist) and <a href="http://www.publicpraxis.com/?page_id=2">Meg Backus</a> (public librarian) who are two innovative thinkers who share their ideas on 3D printing (including bio), fab labs, public libraries, and how these will come together to revolutionize our future. They taught a class titled, "Innovation in Public Libraries" at Syracuse University which has an inspiring mission to re-invent libraries as not only an institution for the storage and retrieval of documents, but as an institution that can be hacked and shaped to meet the needs of today and the future.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HCXlJ36x-q0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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Stay tuned for these interesting interviews!tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-25249817949782413372011-05-26T18:10:00.000+03:002011-05-26T18:10:30.392+03:00Bacteria hailstone conspiracy!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96mYQVgUdzPwS_F9Y7fx0z8Bvq9lW6FP8rbHc2b2vJwC4uTR0Ta1uqOmJXQMpkBIHO_Zf8MhCYVvOGei2Z3MXJmDeYov6-8CijzYaYf8umAwNx9favYycNaN54uj2CkqLzFFEo8LwIBAW/s1600/hailstones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96mYQVgUdzPwS_F9Y7fx0z8Bvq9lW6FP8rbHc2b2vJwC4uTR0Ta1uqOmJXQMpkBIHO_Zf8MhCYVvOGei2Z3MXJmDeYov6-8CijzYaYf8umAwNx9favYycNaN54uj2CkqLzFFEo8LwIBAW/s1600/hailstones.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture of hailstones presumably created by bacteria taken from the BBC article noted below</td></tr>
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This <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13523502">news article on the BBC website</a> mentions recent research findings that suggest bacteria can be the cause for precipitation! That extends the reach of bacteria into a realm that few would have guessed was possible. Go bio! Hmmm..... as a designer challenge, it would be interesting to design a genetically modified bacteria that causes for special hailstone shapes. <br />
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My votes:<br />
1) hailstones that create a whistling sound as they fall<br />
2) hailstones in the shape of an airfoil--with a snowball tip (hopefully a safer design than jarts!) <br />
3) hailstones with a special crystal pattern that reflects various colors of light.<br />
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Any ideas? Send me an email at tim@arsbiologica.org<br />
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Original news article:<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13523502tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-86076422579488890712011-05-26T17:31:00.000+03:002011-05-26T17:31:17.183+03:00Thomas Heatherwick: designer of the "seed cathedral"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHn4UrAurSNbUx19fCW8YQQHfh2qL0azKR1CHooplE9keSHZg36Gim1Xp5EO6ZKKCJN9pWplexajvrHMyipCktDHCb9tMkfVRGTy_uWp_o5_GzXPIJDsnVG48g2yrhHBUNXuh33S0tE_E/s1600/IwanBaan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHn4UrAurSNbUx19fCW8YQQHfh2qL0azKR1CHooplE9keSHZg36Gim1Xp5EO6ZKKCJN9pWplexajvrHMyipCktDHCb9tMkfVRGTy_uWp_o5_GzXPIJDsnVG48g2yrhHBUNXuh33S0tE_E/s320/IwanBaan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seed Cathedral - UK Pavilion at the World Expo, Shanghai 2010. Photo: Iwan Bann (available at www.heatherwick.com)</td></tr>
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The recently released Ted Talk video of designer Thomas Heatherwick provides background, motivation, and discussion of his designs inspired by nature. One of the most widely publicized is the Seed Cathedral, or the UK Pavilion at the World Expo, Shanghai 2010. It is comprised of 66,000 seeds trapped in the tips of fiber optic rods that give the cube-like building a furry surreal look and through its simplicity and striking design, it leaves the visitor undoubtedly transformed.<br />
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Have a look at the Ted talk, then pop on over to the Heatherwick website to check out their other works. My favorite is the bridge whose ends kiss themselves. <br />
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<br />
http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_heatherwick.html<br />
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http://www.heatherwick.com/uk-pavilion/<br />
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http://www.heatherwick.com/<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_einWu-1KBfucf9NnNWf5CmOjfqoDhh9TrcCdiRFoZCpoEBy1TE7LZ-FfXAMUflHuypS0En5iWfxqw_Ngd0y6AJc38k5PzRbpDcOHy8BcolILF4g2ChRvUbx3y57yDo-j9nRFOyUE22L/s1600/IwanBaan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_einWu-1KBfucf9NnNWf5CmOjfqoDhh9TrcCdiRFoZCpoEBy1TE7LZ-FfXAMUflHuypS0En5iWfxqw_Ngd0y6AJc38k5PzRbpDcOHy8BcolILF4g2ChRvUbx3y57yDo-j9nRFOyUE22L/s320/IwanBaan2.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view inside the Seed Cathedral suggests the human face amidst 66,000 seeds - UK Pavilion at the World Expo, Shanghai 2010. Photo: Iwan Bann (available at www.heatherwick.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-29669278750613888422011-05-05T13:19:00.000+03:002011-05-05T13:19:07.437+03:00Suzanne Lee: Grow your own clothes | Video on TED.com<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_grow_your_own_clothes.html">Suzanne Lee: Grow your own clothes | Video on TED.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEOXzByzSkI6Mzoif8m1qG-6kIVGfvw7vllUf5RMpxfQwvNN5u0ecRS8annJ3MSN_dpRIMj2Zo9EYS9ozy0v5yGDiywFCkUb_4DJci_DCjfMphSnZEWZxOYI3zjA_ppKWpnYT4cpt9pvJ/s1600/BioBomber_jacket.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEOXzByzSkI6Mzoif8m1qG-6kIVGfvw7vllUf5RMpxfQwvNN5u0ecRS8annJ3MSN_dpRIMj2Zo9EYS9ozy0v5yGDiywFCkUb_4DJci_DCjfMphSnZEWZxOYI3zjA_ppKWpnYT4cpt9pvJ/s200/BioBomber_jacket.jpg" width="184" /></a><br />
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This is an interesting presentation of a new concept in fashion design. Suzanne Lee, director of <a href="http://www.biocouture.co.uk/">BioCouture</a> harnesses the power of bacteria to grow cellulose fiber based cloth. I can't help but think of the <a href="http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2004/10/victimless-leat.php">victimless leather jacket</a> from Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr at the <a href="http://www.tca.uwa.edu.au/">Tissue Culture & Art Project. </a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUHSakebclKR02Z7_YPLtzuZnr3NqZyQMI1cXJcOMnRCxKC1Xe2NbOWVu51W6OurtGsyKPerZXHd0MZ8WrZ5qtHrzMYDT2HrJqrc4PO6IUJ5UkU1ctSZw7zknZa9p5cRo2MXh5vC6UwjR/s1600/BioBiker_Jacket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUHSakebclKR02Z7_YPLtzuZnr3NqZyQMI1cXJcOMnRCxKC1Xe2NbOWVu51W6OurtGsyKPerZXHd0MZ8WrZ5qtHrzMYDT2HrJqrc4PO6IUJ5UkU1ctSZw7zknZa9p5cRo2MXh5vC6UwjR/s200/BioBiker_Jacket.jpg" width="162" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEOXzByzSkI6Mzoif8m1qG-6kIVGfvw7vllUf5RMpxfQwvNN5u0ecRS8annJ3MSN_dpRIMj2Zo9EYS9ozy0v5yGDiywFCkUb_4DJci_DCjfMphSnZEWZxOYI3zjA_ppKWpnYT4cpt9pvJ/s1600/BioBomber_jacket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3p2A9CgJnwAgg2v0vxTydoy-qYJ7vZAuvRQOuVbyJa1Gy809owXARFPVEpWUErVAz-32PD_QSza-tlltd4lJW11x9-DRA74sgAkI7r9-Se2fHXccmDXnFUMi7G7YgzMIH2-MuygXUh45/s1600/BioDenim_jacket.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3p2A9CgJnwAgg2v0vxTydoy-qYJ7vZAuvRQOuVbyJa1Gy809owXARFPVEpWUErVAz-32PD_QSza-tlltd4lJW11x9-DRA74sgAkI7r9-Se2fHXccmDXnFUMi7G7YgzMIH2-MuygXUh45/s200/BioDenim_jacket.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indigo dyed jacket shows a brilliant blue</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxnKe5gctRVgkgk0Zs1gBhLXZ9_dNjwECyEroHGT5fh3E3ZnHMwnqucgVFTsCq1-tKXZpmwrJB8DnsLRHcD_WM7eBm7pXJtnlK-OQd-zYxjJgg0UWwbJiIUpQESTVq9e17mDB1viYSJlV/s1600/BioMaterial.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxnKe5gctRVgkgk0Zs1gBhLXZ9_dNjwECyEroHGT5fh3E3ZnHMwnqucgVFTsCq1-tKXZpmwrJB8DnsLRHcD_WM7eBm7pXJtnlK-OQd-zYxjJgg0UWwbJiIUpQESTVq9e17mDB1viYSJlV/s200/BioMaterial.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bacteria eats sugar and spins threads of cellulose!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21ffMHVnqM4o_Egx5F8BzpLiQQJ59p_SYE8zV1H76SNDThzQknOvPl-uZeAjDJMfXWlT0WA4EfVsEPng0xp5NBwB-oDJGLIRegl0KyK9devJMuwuYq_8fN0EFwPyYWWWoopfK5YNQ6X2O/s1600/EcoKimono.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21ffMHVnqM4o_Egx5F8BzpLiQQJ59p_SYE8zV1H76SNDThzQknOvPl-uZeAjDJMfXWlT0WA4EfVsEPng0xp5NBwB-oDJGLIRegl0KyK9devJMuwuYq_8fN0EFwPyYWWWoopfK5YNQ6X2O/s200/EcoKimono.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bio Kimono</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO0bQb8wPTQfnkJllI6uuqgrpVCkd3Gx6oC89Rrg3xyol4978NYMCXrFZwDnVj6uK1KgpP5SampFuG392y9fAwdl6tZx-4GXxgXUc0rJL7hAoxkSG-gi8Pr41u7m4P3HCoq_S05B37BDg/s1600/SL_portrait2010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO0bQb8wPTQfnkJllI6uuqgrpVCkd3Gx6oC89Rrg3xyol4978NYMCXrFZwDnVj6uK1KgpP5SampFuG392y9fAwdl6tZx-4GXxgXUc0rJL7hAoxkSG-gi8Pr41u7m4P3HCoq_S05B37BDg/s200/SL_portrait2010.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suzanne Lee, Director of BioCouture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-15900847073662645092011-04-16T07:59:00.002+03:002011-04-16T13:45:05.692+03:00Beauty is in the details~ 2011 NanoArt International Online Exhibition<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div><h3 class="groups" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">2011 NanoArt International Online Exhibition is Open for Public Viewing </span></h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpMFxS1iOofhDPZiAatCgvAIsnTfSuuRBwC6AEFJIHieEM8RqiJ5k_mMlQETp0OXSlOqrmfIiGE5p0UXyW_7e3Q965qzb9ugJKbXWuQLIUGH8OBXKElBX134DOahQSBeY64MKHzNJw2Nk/s1600/UrsulaFreer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpMFxS1iOofhDPZiAatCgvAIsnTfSuuRBwC6AEFJIHieEM8RqiJ5k_mMlQETp0OXSlOqrmfIiGE5p0UXyW_7e3Q965qzb9ugJKbXWuQLIUGH8OBXKElBX134DOahQSBeY64MKHzNJw2Nk/s320/UrsulaFreer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(This image was taken from the public gallery of Ursula Freer, used here for illustrative purposes. http://nanoart21.org/nanoart-exhibitions/thumbnails.php?album=196<span style="font-size: small;">)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><h3 class="groups" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Show: </span></h3><h3 class="groups" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>149 artworks of NanoArt authored by 42 artists representing 12 countries are exhibited in the NanoArt 21 online gallery. All these artworks are participating in the 5th edition of the NanoArt International Online Competition. The winners will be announced after May 31st. Enjoy the show:</h3><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnanoart21%2Eorg%2Fnanoart-exhibitions%2Findex%2Ephp&urlhash=o4Hp&_t=tracking_anet" rel="nofollow" target="blank">http://nanoart21.org/nanoart-exhibitions/index.php</a> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About NanoArt21:<br />
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"NanoArt21TM was founded by artist and scientist Cris Orfescu (www.crisorfescu.com). The purpose is to promote worldwide the NanoArt as a reflection of the technological movement. Orfescu considers NanoArt to be a more appealing and effective way to communicate with the general public and to inform people about the new technologies of the 21st Century. NanoArt is aimed to raise the public awareness of Nanotechnology and its impact on our lives." (excerpt from http://nanoart21.org/)</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For more information about NanoArt, please visit </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnanoart21%2Eorg&urlhash=9jel&_t=tracking_anet" rel="nofollow" target="blank">http://nanoart21.org</a></span></div><div class="summary" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7D4nFoIDAsqdecprA6B3bHOEX7tfOYAjG-UlyNXvTUh7si-Ver4kE3w1WnbvW9JG4Q9M1RWR-rnaBskbwrFWn9tF4pBru9xdk54xegMD5ZY6MXez2kmmGmtIyOlaAqv7jFKrVzf0tLkm/s1600/Daniela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7D4nFoIDAsqdecprA6B3bHOEX7tfOYAjG-UlyNXvTUh7si-Ver4kE3w1WnbvW9JG4Q9M1RWR-rnaBskbwrFWn9tF4pBru9xdk54xegMD5ZY6MXez2kmmGmtIyOlaAqv7jFKrVzf0tLkm/s400/Daniela.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(This image was taken from the public gallery of Daniela Caceta, used here for illustrative purposes. http://nanoart21.org/nanoart-exhibitions/thumbnails.php?album=152 )</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="summary" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-91180334198190254622011-04-13T05:01:00.000+03:002011-04-13T05:01:28.490+03:00Ryan Romie Littrell: DIYbio and the Reemergence of the Sci-ArtistThe Science Technology and Society (STS) research cluster and the Communications and New Media Department at the National University of Singapore welcome visiting scholar Ryan Romie Littrell. Romie will give a public talk about his research focus of DIYbio in the artistic and design context. <br />
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Date/Time: Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 3:30 PM<br />
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Venue: National University of Singapore, Building AS4, Room 0116. Map: http://www.street-directory.com/nus/campus2.cgi?x=706&y=1516&level=2&heading=AS4&star=1<br />
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Title: DIYbio and the Reemergence of the Sci-Artist<br />
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Note: After the talk there will be a discussion of his talk, followed by a reading group discussion for which Romie recommended a chapter from Marcus Wohlsen’s “Biopunk: DIYscientists hack the software of life”<br />
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Speaker's Bio:<br />
Romie's research is focused on the exchange of tools and methods between artists and scientists. In the present he is a graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering Dept. at UCLA. He received his BA in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. Since then he has engaged in a wide array of biological research including maize genetics, cornea tissue engineering, microfluidic bioreactors, and cell-chip interfaces. His current research focuses on creating non-institutional laboratories and abstracting biological techniques to facilitate those in unrelated fields to perform advanced biology. Romie is also very interested in synthetic biology, is the founder of SoCal DIYBio, and was a grad advisor to the 2007 MIT iGEM team. He is currently a fellow in UCLA's Art|Sci Center, which promotes collaboration between the arts and sciences and their integration in education.<br />
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This announcement was sent on behalf of Assistant Professor Denisa Kera, NUS. http://ap3.fas.nus.edu.sg/fass/cnmdk/tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-45870049501875494812011-04-05T09:53:00.002+03:002011-04-05T09:56:52.750+03:00Talk by Denisa Kera: DIYbio in Asia April 8th~!<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">DIYbio in Asia: </span></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Ethics and Aesthetics of Global Flows of Data, Kits and Protocols</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">Dr. Denisa Kera</span></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Assistant Professor</span></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Communications and New Media Programme,</span></b><b> National University of Singapore</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">8th April 2011</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">12.30pm- 1.30pm</span></u></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #996600;">Symposium Room 2 & 3<br />
Level 1, Block MD 11, Clinical Research Centre, 10 Medical Drive, S (117597)</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #996600;">(</span></b><a href="http://cit.nus.edu.sg/nusfacilities/map/medicine_map.htm" target="_blank">http://cit.nus.edu.sg/<wbr></wbr>nusfacilities/map/medicine_<wbr></wbr>map.htm</a>)</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">*Attendees can bring their own sandwich lunch. </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">ABSTRACT</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">Direct to consumer (DTC) genomics, Bioart, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and Do-It-With-Others (DIWO) biotech subcultures like DIYbio and DIYgenomics, garage biotechnology and novel forms of co-working spaces and labs present an alternative approach to innovation and research outside of the academia and industry walls. Various forms of grassroot and open source models and activities applied to emergent biosciences present a trend that is challenging the meaning of science dissemination, communication and popularization but also policy. These “popular” forms of science research related to Hackerspaces and science community labs around the world connect directly politics with design, community building with prototype testing, and offer an experimental approach for discussing issues of ethics, policy and innovation. Communities of people monitoring, sharing and making sense of various “scientific” data and practices in their everyday lives are exploring new and unexpected global networks around low-tech biotechnologies and biomedicine. The low-tech strategies are making possible a global “pop” biotech movement that is spreading from the USA to Indonesia and Philippines. It paradoxically refers back to EU based squat cultures and art and science centers as much as to the American spirit of entrepreneurship. This global biotech underground is converging in the informal networks between ASIA, USA and EU that enable very different flows of knowledge and expertise from the official biotech industry. What are the various forms of citizen science projects, consumer genomics services and various DIYbio initiatives? What challenges these consumer and citizen oriented activities pose to bioethics? How they operate on the global level and what type of exchanges are we starting to witness between continents and cultures? How to describe these new models of research that involve various local communities in the R&D process? What perspectives does this offer to the developing world where low-tech can have a “high-impact”?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">SPEAKE</span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB">R<span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">Denisa Kera is Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore where she teaches courses on interactive media design and new media theory. Her current research brings together Science Technology Society (STS) studies and interactive media design. She focuses on DIYbio movements in USA and Asia, consumer genomics services on web 2.0 and various forms of emergent “pop” biotech a citizen science projects. She has extensive experience as a curator of exhibitions and projects related to art, technology and science: ENTER3 <a href="http://www.enter3.org/" target="_blank">http://www.enter3.org</a>, "Artists in Labs" and "TransGenesis: festival of biotechnology and art" <a href="http://www.transgenesis.cz/" target="_blank">http://www.transgenesis.cz</a> in 2006 and 2007.<span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ALL ARE WELCOME</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: navy; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://cbme.nus.edu.sg/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">http://cbme.nus.edu.sg</span></a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC-sfaXr9QETjPNmAhvkhbpicSXh0Gt6kybi4O2j9VF3URwlemfJl7mK8jYEZpG9q9elSFJl7XeqEjCdLJjpsOSs_QciQ_sIicVzAscJjaVkJh-WLg-K7IyPZ-KL3bZJ2PXrkNn2jcrgj/s1600/CBmE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC-sfaXr9QETjPNmAhvkhbpicSXh0Gt6kybi4O2j9VF3URwlemfJl7mK8jYEZpG9q9elSFJl7XeqEjCdLJjpsOSs_QciQ_sIicVzAscJjaVkJh-WLg-K7IyPZ-KL3bZJ2PXrkNn2jcrgj/s320/CBmE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></b>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-81942271218680012422010-11-29T11:48:00.006+02:002010-12-01T06:27:20.948+02:00BioCurious? Interview with Joseph Jackson about DIY Biotech<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQzxs00K6ZSqyk9vA7N7aZ-D4nRrbhr-lpYsv98AodMdX0ssHiHcLyxyt0lJP6fOn9iV5EjMMBxcZQ2UPP4WmJtFLxbcUtEXrI1rAeg7d7dfk7mgKH1rFP9e4VahMXiBlg28OEJyjH7HZ/s1600/biocurious_sign_pic.full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQzxs00K6ZSqyk9vA7N7aZ-D4nRrbhr-lpYsv98AodMdX0ssHiHcLyxyt0lJP6fOn9iV5EjMMBxcZQ2UPP4WmJtFLxbcUtEXrI1rAeg7d7dfk7mgKH1rFP9e4VahMXiBlg28OEJyjH7HZ/s320/biocurious_sign_pic.full.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Among other things, BioCurious is a "gym membership for your brain"</span></div><br />
You may be familiar with the proliferation of hackerspaces around the world for computer and technology enthusiasts. These groups gather and share knowledge about hacking technology, but this usually involves computers, electronics, software, etc, but a new type of hackerspace is beginning to emerge. Dedicated entirely to biology, bio-tech hackerspaces involve enthusiasts hacking the materials of life, bringing the wet lab to the common people. Joseph Jackson, co-founder and director of policy and strategy of BioCurious, was kind enough to answer some questions about the DIY bio movement and his group which is starting what could be the world's first bio-hackerspace.<br />
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<b>Tim:</b> There’s been a lot of buzz recently about your group, “BioCurious” from various sources (<a href="http://www.biotechniques.com/news/Cheap-PCR-new-low-cost-machines-challenge-traditional-designs/biotechniques-301745.html">BioTechniques article</a>, <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101006/full/467650a.html">nature article 1</a>, <a href="http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v16/n9/full/nm0910-953.html">nature article 2</a>). On the group’s website, it mentions the main objective is to build a bio-tech hackerspace. We might have a general idea of what this might be, but we had the pleasure of asking Joseph Jackson of BioCurious directly about this new group and some ideas for the future of DIY biotechnology movement.<br />
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<b>Can you explain for us what you mean by biotech hackerspace?</b><br />
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<div><b>Joseph: </b>BioCurious is one of the first examples of a hackerspace dedicated to biology. Most are familiar with the idea of a hackerspace where groups of technology enthusiasts gather to work on software, hardware projects, or even art. In adapting this model for biotech, we are providing a basic infrastructure for hobbyists to learn essential skills in molecular biology and conduct experiments in a group setting with access to mentors and assistance in troubleshooting if they get stuck. Despite the mythical image of the lone garage biohacker, it is a lot easier to learn certain skills in a group setting instead of relying solely on protocol descriptions, text books, mailing lists or videos. Our "hackerspace" is a hybrid entity combining many aspects of existing spaces where the public currently encounters science. For example, we'll have some aspects of a museum, in that we'll hold demos and other hands on activities where the public can have a brief exposure to the ideas underlying modern biology. I'm personally excited about having bioartists visit and eventually hosting exhibits that feature their work. We'll also have an entrepreneurship component seeking to develop the skills and the attitude necessary for the new generation of biotech company founders coming of age in the era of ultra cheap sequencing and synthesis technologies.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Finally, there is also a training aspect, like a merit badge certification for completing certain skills like purifying a protein or cloning a gene. We may be able to reach out to industry to create a unique bridging program for people looking to get a job in biotech who have completed their undergraduate degree but still lack sufficient post-classroom practical bench experience for companies to take a chance on them. Another idea I'm considering is having a science journal club in which members meet to present an article each week. Scientific journal literacy is not something the general public or even science students acquire until they've waded through enough publications by their third year of study maybe, so this is really an essential skill. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So, we're part museum, community college, and idea "incubator" but since we don't have the the resources of those entities we don't expect to "beat them at their own game." We don't claim to do things better than these existing institutions, but we will enable people to work on different sorts of problems in a different way. </div><div><br />
</div><div>In sum, BioCurious aims to democratize, demystify, and domesticate biotechnology by bringing together academia, industry, and members of the public to collide and collaborate in novel ways in a non-institutional setting. Our space fills the void in the niches left unexplored by University or Corporate labs. By getting these different sectors to interact, we can beneficially disrupt the way life sciences research is done. In the process, DIYers will become a bit more "professional" and professionals will rediscover that essential curiosity that brought them to science, especially if they are feeling a bit burned out in their day job. </div><div><br />
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<b>Tim: As with any new platform, there might be some “killer app” (maybe a bad word, we don’t want to scare anyone!). In the DIY bio movement, do you have any ideas about the type of revolutionary invention or “amazing app” might come about? Is the vision for desktop PCR part of this?</b><br />
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<div></div><div><b>Joseph: </b>It is hard to predict what kinds of products or advances will emerge from the movement. At our meetups, the ideas are sometimes wild, weird, and wacky. We've had people who have vineyards and are interested in doing something related to their hobby by altering the grapes/wine. We had one guy who had problems with deer eating his garden and wants to make a better home brew deer repellent. One idea that's been suggested several times is making glowing plants for the novelty/wow factor. Its simple enough to do and could get people talking. Food is a popular interest, so we've discussed holding a "molecular gastronomy" course sometime but we have to be careful to avoid any "Frankenfood" hysteria and otherwise be mindful of the paranoia that surrounds GMOs. I think environmental sensing is a big area that citizen science can get involved with. </div><div><br />
</div><div>iGEM (the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition at MIT) produces more impressive projects each year, and those ideas are a source for projects that could have further work done on them in a community lab. </div><div><br />
</div><div>My work with LavaAmp is, of course, one step toward spreading the tools of biotechnology to an entirely new set of users just learning about this field. My partner Guido and I initially started this to enable low cost diagnostics in places like Venezuela, where he's from, but we're excited about the DIY potential as well as our goals to improve public health. Lots of hardware projects will spring up in the coming years. Within a decade, I expect one of the most disruptive advances, desktop synthesis machines affordable enough for hobbyists. When that happens, things will get really interesting. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGc8gbMAb-ZAlpYTrdFmloO0rqPYfXHugcB1OrHGb2EXAixEEqLcRyaSMCEG342ZElI_588fuS0dRjBkRQgcTciToXgoi-KdmJ8zicpsoSg_-jmF05CkCtGf_D3E1EK477AQJcPCUH5L7/s1600/lavaamppcr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGc8gbMAb-ZAlpYTrdFmloO0rqPYfXHugcB1OrHGb2EXAixEEqLcRyaSMCEG342ZElI_588fuS0dRjBkRQgcTciToXgoi-KdmJ8zicpsoSg_-jmF05CkCtGf_D3E1EK477AQJcPCUH5L7/s320/lavaamppcr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The low-cost PCR machine designed by LavaAmp brings the possibility of duplicating strands of DNA to DIY-Bio enthusiasts.</span></div><br />
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<b>Tim: What are the biggest misconceptions about the DIY biotech movement?</b><br />
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<b>Joseph: </b>The single biggest misconception is the immediate jump to the idea that doing biology in a non traditional setting (eg not in a "pristine" institutional lab) is some kind of safety threat. As one member of the New York City DIY group put it to me in a conversation, "its not that hard to get safety right." The bar is pretty low for complying with correct safety procedures. Gloves, eye wash station, fire extinguisher, proper disposal of reagents, its not rocket science folks (in fact rocket science involves substantially greater risk of blowing yourself up and amateur rocket hobbyists are doing just fine). Standard safety materials can be adapted from existing training used for orientation in university courses, community colleges and even high schools. Furthermore, we will even go above and beyond this standard since we're often subjected to additional concern. The activities we're conducting don't involve any pathogens or anything that isn't done everyday in educational classes around the world. Finally, I'll remind everyone that Penicillin, one of the greatest advances of the 20th century, was discovered by accident when Alexander Flemming returned from holiday to find his cultures contaminated by mold. A lapse in basic 101 sanitation procedure turned out ok after all! The same goes for the early days of cell culture technique, when the immortal Hela line was mailed to researchers all over the world so they could get proficient with the new technique (and as discovered later, contaminating huge numbers of other cell lines which invalidated lots of work and ruined careers!) I point this out not to belittle the need for safety, but to provide some historical context as to how science advances and what the real risks are. <br />
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</div><div>Much more difficult than simply not harming ourselves and others, is actually doing something scientifically noteworthy. Its almost ridiculous the amount of attention we've received merely for doing some basic science in a garage (where BioCurious initially met...note we've moved to a more formal setup precisely to be able to serve the public in a facility that moves away from the garage image). </div><div><br />
</div><div>I competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting for many years, initially training at a home gym I built for a couple thousand dollars. Nobody called me up to interview me about my backyard weightlifting equipment. Yet it is important to realize that weightlifting was a fringe activity for decades and only during the mid 1980's did a version of the bodybuilding lifestyle enter the mainstream public consciousness in the form of the first franchised commercial "fitness clubs" (Gold's, then Bally's, etc). Today gyms are everywhere. Think of BioCurious as gym membership for your brain. For a fit population, you need a commitment to "physical culture" (a term not used much these days) and access to exercise equipment for everyone. The same goes for a scientifically literate population. An important corollary, however, is that we have more gyms per capita in the US than at any time before, at precisely the same time the obesity epidemic rages out of control. Just having large numbers of commercial gyms, does nothing to ensure the most vulnerable populations are served, since these users often can't afford the membership fees. Indeed, many fitness club chains now cater to the upper middle class professional, who is often more concerned with socializing while looking cool on the latest cardio machine than pumping serious iron!! Community engagement is the key, whether in science or in health. Hackerspaces may face a similar fork in the road in the future, as this activity becomes more mainstream and franchised, generic, commercial, pay to play technology spaces proliferate. There is a role for both, of course, but a community of enthusiasts supporting one another's projects is very different from a collection of customers. In a way, we will have won once "biohacking" is no longer newsworthy and science spaces are common. After all, humans gather together in all sorts of clubs an entities to do activities ranging from scuba diving to hang-gliding, both of which involve more significant risk of death than "molecular biology gone wrong."</div><br />
<b>Tim: For readers out there who are interested, of course we’re including contact information, etc, but do you have any suggestions or advice you’d like to give?</b> <br />
<br />
<b>Joseph: </b>It is my hope that labs for citizen scientists spring up all over the world. We're concentrating on making our effort succeed in the Bay Area first, but I expect similar initiatives to spread. Initially, everywhere there is a critical mass of life sciences (eg Seattle, LA, Boston, Baltimore/DC) is a place where community labs could thrive. BioCurious will eventually document all the essential steps needed for setting up a lab. I'm available to share our experiences and, when things are sustainable here, I could even come in person to visit and assist. <br />
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<b> Tim: Thank you Joseph for your time and insights, we’re looking forward to following your group and the exciting projects that come from it! </b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>***Go to the BioCurious Website to join their mailing list! </b><br />
<b>http://www.biocurious.org</b><br />
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<br />
<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.biotechniques.com/news/Cheap-PCR-new-low-cost-machines-challenge-traditional-designs/biotechniques-301745.html">BioTechniques article</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101006/full/467650a.html">Nature article 1</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v16/n9/full/nm0910-953.html">Nature article 2</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.biocurious.org/">BioCurious</a> <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> </b>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-16097875417323635722010-11-27T07:51:00.058+02:002010-11-30T07:34:23.336+02:00OzCHI 2010 in Brisbane: plants that giggle and dairy cows that tweet~!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9b24xQpWMT2AiGL08DDNSKUCPeEC9nSKM8eAzArKgXH6T-0oEePUNr6rPy1mopsStLVsoE8IhTs6j2BYT-g3K48-vaaOeM-MJ1nk2gq7rkfto_fpiwJ-y5R9EZv2vF6okCcpccbNhp9n/s1600/2010-11-25+10.46.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9b24xQpWMT2AiGL08DDNSKUCPeEC9nSKM8eAzArKgXH6T-0oEePUNr6rPy1mopsStLVsoE8IhTs6j2BYT-g3K48-vaaOeM-MJ1nk2gq7rkfto_fpiwJ-y5R9EZv2vF6okCcpccbNhp9n/s320/2010-11-25+10.46.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">The captivating keynote speaker and renowned scientist <a href="http://elizabethchurchill.com/">Elizabeth Churchill</a> tried her hand at the MeetEater plant-computer interface. (sorry for the low quality image)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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At the OzCHI2010 conference in Brisbane, Australia, attendees were intrigued by a human-plant interface known as the "MeetEater." This installation by artist Bashkim Isai, brings the relationship we have with plants into the forefront. The plant is watered when it makes friends on facebook, when people write on its wall, and when touched in person. When the leaves are stroked it sets off the most contagious and surprising giggles you can imagine. Visit the facebook page for more information and to reach out and water that plant! <a href="http://www.facebook.com/meeteater">http://www.facebook.com/meeteater</a><span id="goog_1834700527"></span><span id="goog_1834700528"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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Artist: Bashkim Isai<br />
www.bashkim.com.au<br />
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Then there were dairy cows that tweet! Connor Graham presented a paper he co-authored with Denisa Kera about the future communities made possible with the diversity and pervasive "sensor networks." Among the many interesting examples, Connor shared the udderly fabulous site that connects the dairy cows to the Internet to tweet about their teats!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9Ziu8eOP5SOtucfv67J_fr4ptiCY_DbutO3l-KiHsp5fms7AdQ_Hz9DdTnhXgMs_HWJ5L3rBGF0l3VZb3tOwKKOYIgNWhRxr8yk1fWBnRudXDvYA36gZTQlrXF81kvZ56c1WdgNivkxQ/s1600/2010-11-26+12.45.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9Ziu8eOP5SOtucfv67J_fr4ptiCY_DbutO3l-KiHsp5fms7AdQ_Hz9DdTnhXgMs_HWJ5L3rBGF0l3VZb3tOwKKOYIgNWhRxr8yk1fWBnRudXDvYA36gZTQlrXF81kvZ56c1WdgNivkxQ/s320/2010-11-26+12.45.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Connor Graham explaining the TeatTweet website and how these sensor networks are changing our sense of community. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(sorry for the low quality image)</span></div><br />
Take a look for yourself at the <a href="http://criticalmedia.uwaterloo.ca/teattweet/">website</a> and we'll post a link to the paper soon (Collective Sensor Networks and Future Communities: Designing Interactions across Multiple Scales)<br />
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http://criticalmedia.uwaterloo.ca/teattweet/tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-22143205316276898502010-11-19T16:25:00.000+02:002010-11-19T16:25:33.445+02:00blinkBL-NK #9 in Singapore was all about Bio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blinkbl-nk.com/2010/11/15/blinkbl_nk-9/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHEeTk0Dx6CW3BGd9p1_S4xnvU_SKd0pE6psBzhdhlMQ5sbYeQeJpxeBb3bYDup92Enc4JiME8FwvhhCHrx4jdbzMX0LZgyhDu8A3F1cCAnLo3bl1e163L5TKgGptfq0TelyAS85rlI6T/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-11-19+at+PM+10.14.28.png" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
<a href="http://blinkbl-nk.com/2010/11/15/blinkbl_nk-9/">BlinkBL-NK #9</a> featured 4 speakers focusing on Bio--the last talk was social, so let's call it bio ;)<br />
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Take a look at the line up from Wednesday and stay tuned to the <a href="http://blinkbl-nk.com/2010/11/15/blinkbl_nk-9/">blinkBL-NK website</a> for the next installment.<br />
<br />
<i><strong style="font-weight: normal;">The below is shamelessly crossposted from the blinkBL-NK website:</strong></i><br />
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<strong>Talk 1: Facebook for Your Genes and other Biosocial Interfaces<br />
</strong> by Denisa Kera<br />
<em>Description</em>: What do eugenic style dating over DNA profiles with “GenePartner”, large matriarchal families created by sharing information on donor sperms with “Donor Sibling Registry” , and genealogical “tribes” and biotech enthusiasts discussing their DNA makeup on “23andMe” all have in common? They all represent examples of the emerging trend of social networking via biosocial interfaces. While traditional social networking websites support profiles created by users themselves representing their personal history, cultural, and geographical context, the new type of bionetworking services use biological profiles produced in the science laboratories. DNA sequences, so called single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which define variations between members of a same species, databases of donors’ sperms defined by numbers and other biological data are becoming means of interaction that is serendipitous rather than conscious and relies on expert knowledge and laboratory results rather than on the free choice of the individual.<br />
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<em>Speaker</em>: Denisa Kera is an Assistant Professor at NUS where she teaches Interactive Media Design and topics in Science, Technology & Society studies. Her current academic research is on consumer genomics, citizen science projects and interaction over biological data. (She would like to build a social networking service for sharing of brain patterns, a “dream hunters network” that connects people over their dreams by updating their brain activity online and looking for similar patterns). She has a PhD in Information Science from Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), an MA in Philosophy, and extensive experience as a curator of exhibitions related to art, technology and science.<br />
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<strong>Talk 2: Bio-Gifts: How Will We Accept and Respond to the Materials of Synthetic Biology?<br />
</strong> by Tim Merritt<br />
<em>Description</em>: We are in the midst of a biotechnology revolution with amazing new materials and objects being created such as glowing bunnies, petroleum-producing algae, and recently, scientists have even created synthetic life using chemicals and a computer! Surely, there will be amazing biotech solutions for many of the world’s problems, such as global warming, the search for alternative fuels, and medical problems. Meanwhile, artists and designers have proposed that people will also engage with biology in new ways and will exchange hybrid objects as gifts to enhance intimacy and closeness with one another. In this talk, Tim will discuss some examples of new biological objects that we might exchange as gifts, the advances in science that make them possible, and results from a user study aiming to understand how we might respond to the prospect of bio-gifts.<br />
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<i>Speaker</i>: Tim was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA and worked for 12 years as a consultant for Siemens helping companies manage their IT infrastructure until he decided to get back to school. While pursuing a PhD at NUS focused on improving the design of AI team-mates, Tim also finds time for kiteboarding, scuba diving, and hawker center fanaticism. He also maintains a <a href="http://www.arsbiologica.org/">blog </a>about biological art.<br />
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<strong>Talk 3: The Bio.Display Project<br />
</strong> by Ákos Maróy<br />
<em>Description</em>: The original concept of the bio.display project was to create a dynamic display made of genetically modified fluorescent bacteria. The installation, though consisting of millions of living organisms, would act as a display, a screen – something we’re used to see from machines. The first step in this project is less ambitious: a mechanism that enables a user to create an image using genetically modified fluorescent bacteria. The installation allows the participant to enter an image, for which he will receieve a plate of bacteria, that develops this image overnight. A replica of the chemical process of photography done by millions of living creatures in a small plate.<br />
<em><br />
Speaker</em>: Akos is a member and founder of several non-profit and commercial initiatives, spread between commercial-grade and open source software engineering, artificial life and emergent systems research, media- and bio-art projects, and community radios. His projects and affiliations include <a href="http://nextlab.hu/">Nextlab</a>, <a href="http://tilos.hu/">Tilos Radio</a>, <a href="http://euedge.com/">EU Edge LLC</a>, <a href="http://www.scarabresearch.com/">Scarab Research</a>, <a href="http://doublenegatives.jp/">double Negatives Architecture group</a>, <a href="http://newtech.meetup.com/42/">Budapest New Technology Meetup</a>, and <a href="http://www.openstandardsalliance.com/">Open Standards Alliance</a>.<br />
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<strong>Talk 4: Social Deprogramming <em>or</em> How to Talk to Strangers</strong><br />
by Benjamin Joffe<br />
<em>Description</em>: Why is it so difficult to talk to strangers? Our culture and education are part of our social programming but might be getting in the way of new experiences and encounters. Even places branded as social might fall short of expectations. In this talk, Benjamin Joffe will explore attempts at using technology and re-engineering of offline behavior to enable social deprogramming.<br />
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<em>Speaker</em>: Benjamin has repeatedly failed at talking to strangers for several decades and decided to try to understand why, and do something about it. While researching how online and offline behaviors relate, he developed some sense on how spaces and social programming frame interactions and will share here his current understanding.tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-50191917195818779282010-11-02T04:41:00.003+02:002010-11-02T04:42:45.116+02:00Bio:Fiction Science, Art and Filmfestival: Call for entriesBio:Fiction Science, Art and Filmfestival: Call for entries<br />
<br />
***This is reposted on behalf of the Bio:Fiction team***<br />
<br />
...Bio:Fiction announces over 9000 € in prize-money for Synthetic Biology film projects<br />
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- - - Final Deadline for film entries: 1st of December 2010 - - -<br />
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Synthetic biology aims at creating new forms of life for practical purposes. Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological systems not found in nature. By applying engineering principles to biology scientists will be able to design life forms much different from breeding or traditional genetic engineering.<br />
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We want to encourage filmmakers to produce and share their cinematic visions of a present or future society shaped by synthetic biology. What is your view on a world living with synthetic life forms? Your approach is up to you - the filmmaker, scientists or artist - the entries can be on science, fiction, or science fiction. We welcome live-action short film, animation, experimental or documentary film. Synthetic biology has to be reflected somehow in the work, but how you do it is up to you.<br />
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Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:<br />
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Bio:Fiction Award - Short Fiction 2500 €<br />
Bio:Fiction Award - Documentary Film 2500 €<br />
Bio:Fiction Award - Animation 2500 €<br />
Online-Audience Award 1000 €<br />
Special Award of the Jury 500 €<br />
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The Bio:Fiction- Science, Art & Filmfestival aims at attracting public awareness to synthetic biology and its ramifications for our daily life in the future.<br />
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On http://www.bio-fiction.com you will find more useful and inspiring information on synthetic biology, the entry form, teasers and the regulations of the filmfestival.<br />
The nominated films will be presented in public at the Museum of Natural History, the festival event in Vienna, Austria from the 13th-14th of May 2011. The Bio:Fiction Award ceremony will build the highlight of the festival.<br />
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There is no entry fee for submitting films.<br />
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http://www.bio-fiction.com<br />
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Best wishes,<br />
the Bio:Fiction team<br />
<br />
Markus Schmidt<br />
Albert Beckmann<br />
Camillo Meinharttim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-46120502815448814002010-11-02T04:12:00.000+02:002010-11-02T04:12:41.948+02:00Synthetic Biology and Space TravelJ. Craig Venter, the pioneering scientist who sequenced the human genome 15 years ago and more recently booted up a synthetic genome, gave a talk about how synthetic biology can help space travel. <br />
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One particularly interesting aspect of his talk was about the "Synthetic Metabiome", which is the concept that involves manipulating the microbial community of the human body to better sustain the astronaut during space travel. Here are some interesting bullet points from the talk thanks to the Parabolic Arc website:<br />
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Synthetic Metabiome<br />
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* replace the thousands of microbes on and in humans preparing for long-term space flight or habitation with a defined microbial community<br />
* microbial community could eliminate disease organisms, methanogens, sulfur producers<br />
* microbial community could add cells to produce certain vitamins and proteins needed for long-term space missions.<br />
* eliminate future infections, tooth decay<br />
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Take a look at some notes from the Parabolic Arc website for this and many more interesting stories: <a href="http://www.parabolicarc.com/2010/10/30/ssi-space-manufacturing-14-craig-venter-speaks/">Full Article from Parabolic Arc</a>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-65896689935493505112010-07-02T09:05:00.000+03:002010-07-02T09:05:36.311+03:00Biotech HackerspaceHere's another great project that needs some support. Once this get's going in the Bay area, it will likely spread to a city near you. Imagine being able to tinker with experimental new life forms and, who knows, maybe with all the new minds, somebody can come up with a bacteria that can get rid of the BP Oil Spill!?!?! <br />
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<a href='http://kck.st/cUY8rO'><img border='0' src='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1040581998/biocurious-a-hackerspace-for-biotech-the-community/widget/card.jpg' /></a>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-14215853872411941542010-06-10T07:33:00.000+03:002010-06-10T07:33:53.435+03:00DIY Biotech needs your support!They have made waves with their hacker approach to biotech and have won awards for their electrophoresis box, which is available here: <a href="http://www.pearlbiotech.com/">Pearl Biotech</a>. Now, this group is working to bring PCR to the desktop of biotech enthusiasts. Consider supporting these pioneers and soon you may be brewing up your own batch of DNA!!!<br />
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<a href='http://kck.st/c3jXY1'><img border='0' src='http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/930368578/openpcr-open-source-biotech-on-your-desktop/widget/card.jpg' /></a>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4096488128028298528.post-3321279069225283432010-06-10T07:19:00.000+03:002010-06-10T07:19:03.286+03:00Seedbomb Vending MachineConsider supporting the green guerrilla gardening of Greenaid!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kck.st/atis4b"><img border="0" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/greenaid/greenaid-seedbomb-vending-for-greener-cities/widget/card.jpg" /></a>tim merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916159147757425087noreply@blogger.com