art

This Uncensored AI Art Tool Can Generate Fantasies—and Nightmares [Knight]

On 09/23/2022, in art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, emerging technologies, ethics, health, morals/values, the downsides of how people use tech, vendors, by Daniel Christian

This Uncensored AI Art Tool Can Generate Fantasies—and Nightmares — from wired.com by Will Knight
Open source project Stable Diffusion allows anyone to conjure images with algorithms, but some fear it will be used to create unethical horrors.

Excerpt:

Image generators like Stable Diffusion can create what look like real photographs or hand-crafted illustrations depicting just about anything a person can imagine. This is possible thanks to algorithms that learn to associate the properties of a vast collection of images taken from the web and image databases with their associated text labels. Algorithms learn to render new images to match a text prompt in a process that involves adding and removing random noise to an image.

Also relevant/see:

There’s a text-to-image AI art app for Mac now—and it will change everything — from fastcompany.com by Jesus Diaz
Diffusion Bee harnesses the power of the open source text-to-image AI Stable Diffusion, turning it into a one-click Mac App. Brace yourself for a new creativity Big Bang.

Speaking of AI, also see:

14 Real-World Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Healthcare Industry — from marktechpost.com by Amreen Bawa

Five Impossible Figure Illusions [theawesomer.com] + other very creative items!

On 09/22/2022, in 3D, art, creativity, mathematics, by Daniel Christian

Five Impossible Figure Illusions — from theawesomer.com

Speaking of creativity, check these other ones out as well!

Everyday Objects and Buildings Float Atmospherically in Cinta Vidal’s Perception-Bending Murals — from by Kate Mothes and Cinta Vidal

“Public Space” (August 2022) in Toftlund, Denmark, curated by Kunstbureau Kolossal. All images © Cinta Vidal

Artist Spotlight: Arthur Maslard a.k.a. Ratur — from booooooom.com

Arts Integration and STEAM Resources for K-12 Educators — including a new podcast!

On 09/15/2022, in art, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, curriculum, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, education, graphics, ideas, K-12 related, learning, Learning Experience Design, learning preferences, love of learning, media/film, Michigan, multimedia, music, online media, participation, passions, pedagogy, podcasting, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, skills, STEAM-related, story, storytelling, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, web design and production, youth, by Daniel Christian

Arts Integration and STEAM Resources for K-12 Educators

Official Trailer (Art Works for Teachers)

Excerpt:

Introducing the Art Works for Teacher Podcast Trailer! Get a quick sneak peek at what you can expect from this new show, launching September 22, 2022. New episodes will be available each Thursday on your favorite podcast platform, on YouTube, and right here on our site.

From DSC:
Along these lines, also see WEST MICHIGAN CENTER FOR ARTS + TECHNOLOGY. Such a learning environment builds skills and creativity while supercharging participation and engagement!

A great call from my friend John Auchter! “Root Causes of Employee Stress”

On 08/26/2022, in art, business, corporate / business world, Emotion, Michigan, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Root Causes of Employee Stress— from auchtoon.com by John Auchter

Four beautifully creative resources for the artists and photographers out there!

On 08/22/2022, in art, creativity, digital photography, photography, by Daniel Christian

“Spectral” by Photographer Cody Cobb — from booooooom.com

Artist Spotlight: Soyeon Shin — from booooooom.com

Artist Spotlight: Justin Wheatley — from booooooom.com

Artist Spotlight: Wanda Comrie — from booooooom.com

This image reminds me of some scripture

On 08/21/2022, in art, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, design, faith, society, by Daniel Christian

This stunning image shows a “golden swirl” of newly born stars in a distant galaxy — from by
The latest image from the ESO’s Very Large Telescope reveals a distant galaxy that is full of freshly created and highly energetic stars.

From DSC:
The above image reminds me of some scripture:

Psalm 19:1-3:
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.

Dive Into AI, Avatars and the Metaverse With NVIDIA at SIGGRAPH — from blogs.nvidia.com

Excerpt:

Innovative technologies in AI, virtual worlds and digital humans are shaping the future of design and content creation across every industry. Experience the latest advances from NVIDIA in all these areas at SIGGRAPH, the world’s largest gathering of computer graphics experts, [which ran from Aug. 8-11].

At SIGGRAPH, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Illuminates Three Forces Sparking Graphics Revolution — from blogs.nvidia.com by Rick Merritt
NVIDIA unveils new products and research to transform industries with AI, the metaverse and digital humans.

NVIDIA AI Makes Performance Capture Possible With Any Camera — from blogs.nvidia.com by Isha Salian
Derivative, Notch, Pixotope and others use NVIDIA Vid2Vid Cameo and 3D body-pose estimation tools to drive performances in real time.

How to Start a Career in AI — from blogs.nvidia.com by Brian Caulfield
Four most important steps to starting a career in AI, seven big questions answered.

As Far as the AI Can See: ILM Uses Omniverse DeepSearch to Create the Perfect Sky — from blogs.nvidia.com by Richard Kerris
Omniverse AI-enabled search tool lets legendary studio sift through massive database of 3D scenes.

Future of Creativity on Display ‘In the NVIDIA Studio’ During SIGGRAPH Special Address — from blogs.nvidia.com by Gerardo Degaldo
Major NVIDIA Omniverse updates power 3D virtual worlds, digital twins and avatars, reliably boosted by August NVIDIA Studio Driver; #MadeInMachinima contest winner revealed.

What Is Direct and Indirect Lighting? — from blogs.nvidia.com by JJ Kim
In computer graphics, the right balance between direct and indirect lighting elevates the photorealism of a scene.

NVIDIA Studio Laptops Offer Students AI, Creative Capabilities That Are Best in… Class — from blogs.nvidia.com by Gerardo Degaldo
Designed for creativity and speed, Studio laptops are the ultimate creative tool for aspiring 3D artists, video editors, designers and photographers.

Design in the Age of Digital Twins: A Conversation With Graphics Pioneer Donald Greenberg — from blogs.nvidia.com by Rick Merritt
From his Cornell office, home to a career of 54 years and counting, he shares with SIGGRAPH attendees his latest works in progress.

Brief reflections on “Brands Are Already Making Millions in the Metaverse. Here’s What Business Owners Need To Know.” [Sherry]

On 07/29/2022, in art, attention, business, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, education, education reform, education technology, educational games / serious games, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, global / globalization, immersion, innovation, instructional design, interaction design, interactivity, K-12 related, Learning Experience Design, learning spaces, maker movement, marketing/social marketing, marketplaces, Metaverse, student-related, teachers, technologies for your home, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, web-based collaboration, XR - extended reality, youth, by Daniel Christian

Brands Are Already Making Millions in the Metaverse. Here’s What Business Owners Need To Know. — from inc.com by Ben Sherry
Entrepreneurs who follow Gen-Z into the metaverse could gain a competitive advantage.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

If you’re still skeptical about the metaverse, you certainly aren’t alone. According to a recent survey, 55 percent of adults with yearly incomes over $100,000 said they were not interested or excited about the concept, while 37 percent said they were primarily worried about it. Only 6 percent of respondents claimed to be excited about the metaverse.

Those numbers might not seem encouraging, but it’s important to remember that one of the most popular metaverse platforms currently available, Roblox, averages more than 54 million daily users, the vast majority of whom are Gen-Z or younger. Those users have cumulatively spent more than $1 billion on digital items such as outfits or accessories designed to be worn by player avatars in addition to in-experience upgrades and various other paid features.

From DSC:
The article stated that over 30 million virtual worlds had been created from scratch using Roblox Studio, the platform’s creation engine. So youth are creating, sharing, and participating in virtual worlds all the time…while experimenting, playing, and practicing their creativity. This all is done outside of school. Hmm…

24 Best Social Media Apps to Help You Create Epic Social Media Content [Read]

On 07/29/2022, in art, business, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, marketing/social marketing, mobile technologies, social media, tools, by Daniel Christian

24 Best Social Media Apps to Help You Create Epic Social Media Content — from buffer.com by Ash Read

Excerpt:

Knowing you have to create new content for multiple social media channels every day can feel a little daunting, especially when you consider the range of disciplines needed to be successful.

Nowadays, every marketer and business owner has to be part designer, photographer, videographer, copywriter, and editor, among other jobs.

Thankfully, there are now a lot of easy-to-use tools out there to make these jobs more seamless for us all. What’s even better, with the right apps, you can create, publish, and analyze the performance of all your content with just one device – your phone.

Beautiful, powerful creativity

On 07/20/2022, in art, creativity, design, digital photography, digital video, faith, photography, by Daniel Christian

This footage of rainbow mist rolling off Yosemite Falls is truly mesmerizing. pic.twitter.com/VyrcwV90g1

— Nat Geo Adventure (@ngadventure) July 18, 2022

Set Against a Backdrop of World Events, Tim Okamura’s Bold Portraits Emanate Commanding Energy — from thisiscolossal.com by Grace Ebert and Tim Okamura

Fire Fighter” (2021)

“Fire Fighter” (2021), oil on canvas, 60 x 76 inches

A Stunning Double Rainbow Frames a Lightning Bolt as It Strikes the Mountainous Virginia Horizon — from thisiscolossal.com

From DSC:
The following two items make me wonder how Extended Reality (XR)-related techs will impact theatre, gaming, opera, & other forms of entertainment.

AR Opera Glasses Could Change Broadway Forever — from vrscout.com by Kyle Melnick

Excerpt:

Immersive technology brings the stage to life like never before.

Students from the South Korean Hongik University have developed a pair of reimagined 19th-century opera glasses that utilize AR technology to immerse spectators in Broadway shows in a variety of unique and imaginative ways. The device is compatible with popular shows such as Wicked, Aladdin, Cats, Mamma Mia, and Frozen.

Reddot_Rene from ???/??????? on Vimeo.

What ‘Shakespeare Karaoke’ Teaches About the Virtual Reality Future — from edsurge.com by Rebecca Koenig
Does technology work better as a solo encounter or a group experience?

Excerpt:

To immerse, or not to immerse?

For professors designing virtual reality versions of Shakespeare’s plays, that is the question. The answer(s) may have implications for designing new edtech tools—and VR technology intended to be used beyond the classroom, too.

The Bard’s masterpieces, plays written in the late 1500s and early 1600s, have received all kinds of digital makeovers in the 21st century. Two current efforts designed by academics for use in teaching draw on extended reality tools that invite users to actively participate in scenes from works like “Romeo and Juliet.”

Play the Knave is a video game that helps users design actor-avatars they can direct with their bodies around virtual theater spaces. Shakespeare-VR is a project-in-development that will enable users to don a VR headset, step on to a virtual Elizabethan stage and perform alongside avatars voiced by professional actors.

Some beautiful pictures and creativity for you!

On 07/10/2022, in art, Asia, creativity, digital photography, photography, United States, by Daniel Christian

The Cardboard Sculptures of Artist Warren King Are an Homage to His Chinese Heritage — from thisiscolossal.com by

Spectacular Sunset in Tierra del Fuego

?: fstewartphotography | IG
?Patagonia, #Argentina pic.twitter.com/YmlHDMGerp

— Lewerta (@Lewerta5) May 31, 2022

Photos Of The Day For June 2022 — from outdoorphotographer.com

A Rare Sighting -- beautiful picture of a bird by Dennis Seeger

Photos of the day for May 2022— from outdoorphotographer.com

Artist Spotlight: Jarid del Deo — from booooooom.com

Addendums on 7/14/22:

Vivid Contours Conjure Hope and Resilience in Yulia Brodskaya’s Quilled Paper Compositions — from thisiscolossal.com

3D Relief Painting — from theawesomer.com

For current college students interested in film, TV, and/or gaming

On 06/29/2022, in 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, architecture, art, career development, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, drama/theater, educational games / serious games, media/film, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
For those of you college students who are trying to determine what you enjoy doing, I wanted to pass some items along that may be helpful if you are interested in game development, film, and/or TV-related production.

Some friends recommended knowing how to use the following tools, but I realize one could dive very deep with these tools:

Unreal Engine
Unity (games, automotive, architecture, film)
DaVinci Resolve

Excerpt from Unity.com
.

Additional tip:

Stay within what your budget can provide. Making a film about five students on campus is doable. Making a Star Wars-type movie isn’t — unless you are making a spoof or presenting a knowingly-bad movie.

I just wanted to pass these items along.

Also relevant/see:

Video streaming in the era of framerate wars — from provideocoalition.com by Allan Tépper

Addendums on 7/3/22:

Dissecting MetaHuman – A Realistic Avatar Framework — from xrtoday.com
Epic Games democratises avatar creation with integrated Unreal Engine tools