Bust
Latest
Nefertiti's bust joins the digital age
Can museums can really "own" the digitization of cultural heritage artifacts? The bust of Nefertiti shown above is a 3D rendering I created myself on 3DS Max from a digital file, obtained by artist Cosmo Wenman after three years of persistence. Now, anyone can download it and marvel at this masterpiece, to get a closer look than you ever could at Berlin's Neues Museum, where the bust itself resides.
Carnegie Mellon may have ratted out Tor users to the FBI
In a story that may become an acid test for internet privacy, the operators of the Tor network have accused Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) of taking up to $1 million to help the FBI bust illegal sites. If the allegations are true, the defendants in question certainly had it coming -- they include the drug market Silk Road 2.0 and a child pornographer. However, Tor director Roger Dingledine questions the university's ethics in the attack. "We think it's unlikely they could have gotten a valid warrant ... [since it] appears to have indiscriminately targeted many users at once," he said.
Here's how the first 3D-printed presidential portrait was made
One of the highlights of the White House's first-ever Maker Faire was another first: a 3D-printed portrait that recreated the President's head with uncanny detail. But just how did this eerily realistic image come to be? The White House is more than eager to explain, apparently. As you'll see in the clip below, the bust's creators (Autodesk, 3D Systems, the Smithsonian and the University of Southern California) surrounded President Obama with 50 LED lights, 14 cameras and handheld 3D scanners to capture every nuance of his skin. After that, they used high-resolution 3D printers to recreate the hyper-detailed model. It's not clear if this will become a custom for future US presidents. However, it's easy to see this technology becoming a valuable historical tool -- you could always know exactly what heads of state (and celebrities, for that matter) looked like in their prime.
3D printed Steve Jobs pixel bust for sale
For the Apple fan who has everything, here's a blockhead bust of Steve Jobs. It's been 3D printed by Dutch artist Metin Seven, and if the urge so hits you, you can buy your own online for just under $120. I'm not entirely sure what the bust is made out of, but 3D printing usually requires a mixture of molding powder and resin that hardens into a kind of brittle claylike material, but of course for display this thing looks fine. It's not too tall, either -- 14x10x6 cm or so. Sounds perfect for displaying on a desk -- you can have your very own "one more thing" anytime you want. [via Super Punch]
FigurePrints announces Busts
FigurePrints announced that they are now creating busts of your character. You give them your character's name and server and they will produce a statuette of your character's head and shoulders on a World of Warcraft labeled stand. They are being offered now at $69.95, which is quite a bit less than the full statuette at $129.95. Half the fun of this announcement is the fact that you can get a preview of what your character's bust will look like. You can choose to not show the helm, cloak and/or tabard. Or you can have your character wear one of several armor sets available. I don't know if this was announced today in honor of Boobquake, but I like to think it is. Perhaps it's just the romantic in me.
Safeguard your virginity with this limited edition Master Chief bust
Get ready to lie, cheat and steal because ONE2ONE Collectibles has revealed an insanely detailed Master Chief bust for the low, low price of $249. This "strictly limited," 1:2 scale bust of Halo's most popular playable character -- unless that gets topped somehow -- stands at 12 inches tall and 12 inches wide, and is set to be released during Q4 2009. If the Chief isn't your character of choice, ONE2ONE also revealed that busts of a Brute Chieftain and ODST Marine are on the way. Get those pocketbooks ready, ladies and gentlemen. This could be an expensive fourth quarter, after all.[Via TeamXbox]
Sam's Club auctions: Signed Gears 2, potentially cheaper Locust head
Sam's Club currently has two auctions going that might be of interest to Gears of War 2 fans. First is a copy of the game's limited edition box signed by Epic's Mark Rein and Cliff Bleszinski. The other is a bust of a Locust drone, which we'd previously reported on as retailing for $550 $650 -- the current bid is under $50. Both auctions are up for the next seven days. The only catch with the Locust bust is that it will not be sent out until early 2009, so don't expect it to be a holiday gift for any COG you know. Really, though, nothing says, "Welcome to our happy home," like the severed head of a Locust drone in the foyer.Auction - Signed copy of the game.Auction - Locust bust.
Finally, we can purchase our own severed Locust heads
Whether you're looking to get a little more pizazz out of your wig stands or simply hope to scare family members with your devotion to all things Gears of War, we're certain you can find a spot in your house (and your heart) for this charming and oversized Locust Drone bust. The folks at Project Triforce will start shipping out these 20lb monsters before the end of the year. Joking aside, the only scary thing about this toothy guy is the fact that he's far from being a low-cost locust. The chance to own this snarling mix of Emperor Palpatine and Alien Nation's Det. Sam Francisco will set you back $550.
Bust-a-Move Bash looks very nice and clear
IGN posted some new screens of Bust-A-Move Bash, and we're really pleased with what we see. It's not, however, for any of the reasons you may think.The character selection looks great, there are some seriously huge levels (see above) and the 8-player mode is a nice inclusion (we assume it uses four Wiimotes and four Gamecube controllers). We look forward to seeing how the Wii controls work, sure. But out of all the features, what we're really excited about are the very clear, very colorful bubbles. We played a lot of Bust-A-Move 4 on the Game Boy Color, you see, and it got kind of hard to tell the difference between, say, purple and grey, or maybe they were supposed to be different shades of purple, or grey? The point is we couldn't figure it out most of the time. Other iterations of Bust-A-Move have been better about that, but none have shown such beautiful clarity in their bubbles. This is very important!We've posted some images from the screenshot gallery after the post break. Enjoy easily discerning the colors of the bubbles! Hey Taito, how about a Bubble Bobble game while you're at it? Get the license back from Codemasters.
