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Neil Armstrong kept the original moon landing camera in his closet
If you were the first to set foot on a celestial body, wouldn't you keep a few mementos from the trip? The great Neil Armstrong certainly did -- including one of the most important gadgets in recent history. The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum has revealed that the astronaut stored numerous items from the Apollo 11 moon landing in a closet at home, the highlight of which is undoubtedly the 16mm Data Acquisition Camera used to record the iconic moment he reached the lunar surface. Armstrong apparently held onto the camera and other "odds and ends" (as he told Mission Control) on the way back to Earth, and never mentioned them when he returned. Thankfully, you won't have much trouble seeing some of these artifacts in the near future. They're part of an exhibit at the museum, so you only have to book a trip to Washington, DC, by June 8th to see some of the technology that defined early space travel. [Image credit: Dane Penland, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution]
The heart of the Smithsonian's design museum is an API
The Smithsonian Institute's Cooper Hewitt design museum got a recent overhaul, and at its core is something app developers are likely pretty familiar with -- an application program interface. We know what you're thinking, "What does a museum need an API for, anyway?" Well, it turns out that this basically makes cataloging its massive inventory and making it linkable on the web a reality. The interconnectedness of the inventory means one aspect of the museum can draw upon another in ways that are visitor-facing, as well. For example, The Atlantic notes that there's a so-called "immersion room" that projects patterns from the outfit's wallpaper archives onto the walls. Sounds pretty neat if you ask us.
The Smithsonian now lets you see 40,000 pieces of art online
The Smithsonian vowed that it would open up its digital collection by early 2015, and it's clearly not wasting time as it delivers on that promise. Both the institution's Freer and Sackler galleries have posted over 40,000 pieces of global art online, all of which can be used for non-commercial purposes for free. If you want an Egyptian relic for a class project or a fine Japanese painting for your phone wallpaper, you're welcome to it. It's relatively easy to sort the offerings, too, so you can look just for art from a given period or browse everything from a particular culture. The size of the digital collection is a bit daunting, but that's a worthwhile tradeoff if it means that you can see classics that would otherwise stay locked up in a museum warehouse. [Image credit: Ito Sozan, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery]
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.
Barely Related: Mythbusters break up, Spider-Woman cover
Home again, home again – and then off to PAX Prime next week. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
The US is opening up the Smithsonian's digitized art collection
The White House promised that it would open up government data last year, and it's now expanding those plans in some intriguing directions. For one, it's opening up the Smithsonian American Art Museum's digitized collection; you'll soon get to build apps and other tools using the institution's artwork as a foundation. Even curators don't have that much access right now, the administration says.
Felix Baumgartner is the man who fell to Earth and lived to tell the tale
"I would not do it again because there's nothing else to accomplish ... The fact that it worked once, does not mean it will work again." Felix Baumgartner is a rock star. At least, he is to the bright-eyed group of tween boys crowding his Red Bull Stratos exhibit at the Smithsonian, the pieces of which are now set to become part of the museum's permanent collection. Baumgartner could also probably be an action movie star. He's brimming with braggadocio in that way only men who've dared and triumphed over the impossible can be; ruggedly handsome in a way you wouldn't expect from a daredevil. And he's also very stylish. Baumgartner refers to himself as the "fastest man in the sky," and the distinction is well-earned. In October of 2012, the Austrian stepped out from a custom-made space capsule 24 miles high and space dove toward terra firma, breaking the sound barrier along the way. As you might imagine, a free fall from the edge of space is not without significant risks. "I heard a lot of nightmare stories about flat spinning," he told me. "Which, if it happens too fast, you're facing too many RPMs; you cannot stop that spin anymore. And, at a certain point, the blood has only one way to leave your body and that's through ... your eyeballs. That means you're gonna die."
EdX expands range of institutions that can offer free online courses
EdX's open online education system has drawn a lot of interest -- enough interest that the non-profit has just loosened up its membership structure to allow for more participants. The revamp lets 12 additional organizations offer free internet-based courses, including schools as well as non-academic outlets like the International Monetary Fund, the Linux Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution. Details of the new programs aren't available beyond the Linux Foundation's plans for an introductory Linux course, but edX's move is bound to improve the diversity of things you can learn without spending a dime on tuition. [Image credit: TU Delft, Flickr]
Newly launched Smithsonian X 3D Collection offers historical models you can print at home
We've already seen first-hand that the Smithsonian has a keen interest in 3D printing and modelling, and it's now turned that interest into something of a public service with a new online collection that's just launched today. Dubbed Smithsonian X 3D, the collection not only includes a browser-based 3D viewer that lets you get up close with the objects it's already scanned -- everything from fossils to historical artifacts like the Wright Flyer -- but also lets users download the necessary files to print an actual model on your own 3D printer at home. That's all coinciding with a two-day conference of the same name that's started today, and is also being webcast on Ustream. You can start exploring the options available at the source link below.
iPhone used to report on Arab Spring donated to Smithsonian
In late 2010, a series of anti-government protests and demonstrations began sweeping across the Arab world. Together, these civil uprisings, which often targeted heavy handed dictators and sought political reforms, comprised what is known as the Arab Spring. Social media tools such as Twitter played an extremely important part during these uprisings, enabling protesters to provide real-time updates and news reports about the latest happenings. Now comes word that NPR's Andy Carvin is donating the iPhone he used to report on the Arab Spring to the Smithsonian. The phone will be included in a 2015 "American Enterprise" exhibit detailing the role innovation played in the emergence of the U.S. as a world power. Smithosnian.com reports: "Carvin used Twitter during the Arab Spring to communicate with protesters in the Middle East and verify eyewitness accounts from the front lines, most of the time while he was on his iPhone in the United States." Commenting on how he used his iPhone and Twitter during the uprisings, Carvin explains: "My job at NPR is to be a journalistic test pilot: I experiment with new ways of conducting journalism and figure out what works and what doesn't. At the beginning of the Arab Spring, I had contacts in Tunisia and other parts of the region who were talking about protests through Twitter and other social media. Initially I was simply retweeting what they were saying, but as the revolutions expanded from one country to another, I ended up using Twitter to create an online community of volunteers who served as sources, translators and researchers for me. We would all engage with each other mostly through my mobile phone, trying to sort out what was true and what wasn't. From 2011 to 2012, I was on Twitter upwards of 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, much of the time on that phone, and rarely in the places where these revolutions were taking place. I don't have a background as a combat reporter, so this was very much an experiment in collaborative, virtual reporting, in which ultimately my iPhone and Twitter served as the focal points." The Smithsonian has a far-ranging interview with Carvin where he touches on a number of topics pertaining to the intersection of social media and journalism. It's well worth a look.
Daily Update for August 28, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple TV gets Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney and Smithsonian channels
Apple has added a number of new channels to the Apple TV today, as first noted by MacRumors. The news channels include Vevo, The Weather Channel, Disney, Disney XD and the Smithsonian Channel. Though the Vevo channel has been rumored for some time, the other channels were unexpected. Vevo has issued a press release surrounding the announcement. It reads in part: Apple TV users are sure to recognize the intuitive and efficient design. VEVO viewers are able to quickly browse videos by featured artists including all of the latest premieres. VEVO includes multiple modes of discovery -- you can watch on-demand videos from any genre or simply select any video that piques your interest. If you have something particular in mind, perform a search and we will surface what you're looking for right at your fingertips. As for the other channels, The Weather Channel allows you to set locales to view weather forecasts and also watch shows and reports. Disney, Disney XD and the Smithsonian Channel offer similar access to content, although both Disney channels seem to be US-only right now.
Apple TV update brings apps for Disney, the Smithsonian, Vevo and The Weather Channel
Rumors that Apple was about to expand the Apple TV's channel selection have just come true -- the company has quietly rolled out apps for the Disney Channel, Disney XD, the Smithsonian, Vevo and The Weather Channel. The new portals deliver the on-demand video you'd expect from their respective services. There are live components, however: Vevo fans get non-stop music videos through Vevo TV, while The Weather Channel jumps to live broadcasts during major storms. Any locally supported channels should appear the next time you use your Apple TV, although you'll need to be a qualifying cable or satellite subscriber to run the Disney apps.
Smithsonian X-rays space suits, shows Savile Row's got nothin' on NASA
Give a national museum a 3D scanner and it'll archive its entire collection. Give it an X-ray machine though, and it'll show you the innards of a space suit. As part of its Suited for Space exhibit, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum ran a series of astronauts' work-wear through a CT scanner. The results (above and below) are more than a little haunting, with all manner of hidden buckles, straps and sensors exposed against ghostly transparent fabrics. Why X-rays? Because according to Wired, the Smithsonian wanted to see how the suits were put together, but deconstructing them without damage wasn't exactly feasible. Seeing the level of detail required to keep our spacewalkers safe on the job via online pictures is one thing, but scoping it out in person is likely much cooler. If you want an up-close look for yourself, you have until December 1st to make the trip to Washington, D.C.
3D scanning with the Smithsonian's laser cowboys (video)
"We're not scanning every object in the collection," Adam Metallo tells me, offering up the information almost as soon as we set foot in the Smithsonian's Digitization office. It's an important piece of information he wants to make sure I have, right off the bat. It seems that, when the story of the department's 3D-scanning plans first hit the wire, a number of organizations blew the scope of the project out of proportion a bit. And while the team's project is certainly ambitious, it's not, you know, crazy. It's the work of a three-person team, still in its nascent stages, attempting to prove the value of new technologies to a 167-year-old museum affectionately known as "the nation's attic." In the fall of 2011, Metallo and fellow Smithsonian 3D scanner Vince Rossi (a duo the institute has lovingly deemed its "laser cowboys") unpacked their equipment in Chile's Atacama Desert. "They were widening the Pan-American Highway, and in doing so, they uncovered about 40 complete whale specimens," Rossi explains. "But it might take decades for them to remove the fossils from the rock, so we were able to capture this snapshot of what that looked like in 3D." The tool of choice for the expedition was a laser arm scanner, which utilizes a process the duo compares to painting an object, moving back and forth across its surface as the device records the relative position of its axes.%Gallery-190729%
The Smithsonian is 3D-scanning its collection for future generations
The Smithsonian has been experimenting with 3D scanning for some time now, using tools like laser arm scanners to map models of whale fossils and other ancient artifacts. Now the museum is utilizing the technology to preserve its collection for posterity. Its "laser cowboys" Vince Rossi and Adam Metallo are working full-time to record items for future generations, as part of an extensive effort to digitize 14 million prioritized objects (a list that also includes artwork and lab specimen). After the break, check out a video of the team working to preserve a digital copy of the Philadelphia gunboat, America's oldest fighting vessel.
Mozilla launches Open Badges 1.0, delivers virtual kudos for real skills
We've long missed the stickers and badges we could wear to show achievements in our childhood, whether it was an A+ in History or our campfire-making chops. Mozilla must miss those too, as it's launching Open Badges 1.0, a spec for proving skills on the web. The approach provides verifiable credentials that are stowed away in a virtual Mozilla backpack and shareable through a number of online avenues, starting with WordPress blogs and Twitter updates. You won't necessarily need to be a web scripting wizard to earn badges, either -- they're available or coming from 600-plus companies and educational institutions that include Disney-Pixar, NASA and the Smithsonian. We're a long way from only having to flash our Open Badges to land a job, but those symbols may be enough to let teachers and coworkers know we're up to snuff for key tasks.
Smithsonian Zoo launches 'App for Apes' iPad project
If you have an extra iPad laying around and feel like donating it to a unique cause, the Apps for Apes program might be the one for you. Launched last year, the program gives iPads to various types of apes, including orangutans, to enrich their leisure and education environments. Now the Smithsonian Zoo is the latest to get in on the Apps for Apes program. From a Smithsonian zoo blog posting explaining the program: The Zoo began participating in the Apps for Apes program last year, when a keeper's family member donated an iPad to the Great Ape House. Malinsky and fellow animal keeper Erin Stromberg talked with the other program participants to determine which apps were the most popular among orangutans. In the past few months, the Zoo's repertoire has grown to more than 10 apps, including musical instruments, cognitive games, drawing programs and others. Eventually, the Zoo hopes to connect its orangutans with those at other zoos using video conferencing platforms. "Apps for Apes is all about giving orangutans in human care choice over their environment," said Stromberg. "With the iPad, we're hoping to tap less into the critical-thinking outlet and more into a creative outlet. If they're engaged in an app, we'll keep going. If not, they have the choice to walk away." Check out the video below to see some apes with iPads in action. Notable apps shown in the video include Apple's Garage Band (US$4.99) and Koi Pond ($0.99). If readers would like to contribute more apps the the program they can do so by purchasing an iTunes gift card through the Giving Tree on the Zoo's website or they can contact Orangutan Outreach directly to donate an iPad.
Here's how many people saw The Smithsonian's Art of Games
The Art of Video Games exhibit just concluded its run at The Smithsonian and the final number of visitors is in: 686,406. The exhibit ran for six months, from March 16 - September 30, so that's well over 100,000 people per month critiquing the art from such games as BioShock, Diablo 2, Donkey Kong, Fallout 3, Goldeneye 007, Doom 2, Minecraft, Jet Set Radio Future, Shadow of Colossus, Star Fox: Assault, Zaxxon and tons more, all chosen by fans via some smooth Smithsonian voting.For reference, 686,406 people is slightly more than the entire country of Montenegro, more than six Grenadas, or 617,765 dollar-store items in Grenada (10 percent sales tax).
William Moggridge, portable computer and human interaction trailblazer, dies at 69
The next time you hinge open that notebook PC and smile at a feature that makes it easier to use, give a thought to Bill Moggridge, who passed away Saturday from cancer at the age of 69. The pioneering designer invented the modern clamshell design seen in all modern laptops, and is also viewed as the father of human interaction software design. The Compass Computer he designed for Grid Systems with the screen folded over the keyboard appeared in 1981, flew on the space shuttle, and inspired virtually every notebook design since. Perhaps more importantly, when he tried to use the machine himself, Moggridge was exasperated with the difficulty and decided to take the human factor into account for software design. To that end, he engaged experts from fields like graphics design and psychology, and tried to "build empathy for the consumer into the product," according to former partner, Professor David Kelly. The pair merged their design firms to form Ideo in 1991, and worked with clients like Apple, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble, designing products like the first Macintosh mouse and Palm V handheld along the way. In 2010, Moggridge became the director of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, and was a recipient of that institution's lifetime achievement award. He also won the Prince Philip Designer's Prize, the longest running award of its type in the UK, given for "a design career which has upheld the highest standards and broken new ground." See why that's true by going to Cooper-Hewitt's tribute video, right after break.
