Google's Art Project

Looking around Google's Art Project, all I can say is, Wow!

According to the FAQ about Art Project:

The Art Project is a collaboration between Google and 151 acclaimed art partners from across 40 countries. Using a combination of various Google technologies and expert information provided by our museum partners, we have created a unique online art experience. Users can explore a wide range of artworks at brushstroke level detail, take a virtual tour of a museum and even build their own collections to share. With a team of Googlers working across many product areas we are able to harness the best of Google to power the Art Project experience. Few people will ever be lucky enough to be able to visit every museum or see every work of art they’re interested in but now many more can enjoy over 30 000 works of art from sculpture to architecture and drawings and explore over 150 collections from 40 countries, all in one place. We’re also lucky at Google to have the technology to make this kind of project a reality.

The FAQs explain how to use the site and seem to me recommended reading.

Using the various features available, you can:

• get much better look at the details than you would even get in the gallery,
• easily compare overall view with detail view, instead of walking forward and backing up repeatedly,
• read a short background of the artist and the work (click on Details),
• take a virtual trip to the gallery where the work is being shown, using something much like Google Earth technology.

 As an example, here are snips of "Professional Way, Babylon:"

One of the lions with detail control panel

Detail: one tile (could even get closer)

For a gallery view of "Processional Way, Babylon," follow this link.

While poking around the Art Project I came across this video about visualizing images that Van Gogh painted over when recycling his canvasses.

Good hunting.

-- Marge

Crowdfunding

I happened to find my way to Kickstarter, where you can post projects and request funding from the world online.

Many people think that you have to go to the big corporations, a bank, venture capitalists or the SBA (U.S. gov's Small Business Admin) to get the money to start a new company.  Unfortunately, the more ground-breaking (think edgy) the idea, the less likely traditional sources will fund it.

But now there's crowdfunding.

Here are two examples of excellent projects.  View the videos to get a better idea of  how crowdfunding is pitched and how to contribute.

• XOXO Festival by Andy Baio (Waxy.org):  Andy calls the festival "a celebration of disruptive creativity."

• CLANG by Sabutai Corporation:  The spokesperson and principle driver for this effort is Neal Stephenson, best-selling author of Anathem and Snow Crash.  His description of this project is arresting and funny. You can find the video that announced the project on YouTube; it was re-published by bradyhallvideos.

-- Marge