#BAMF Award 1 -- Aaron Koblin

Brilliant artist, designer, and technologist. There's a reason Aaron gets our 1st  BAMF Award -- barely over 30, Aaron has already achieved two GRAMMY nominations, has what seems like the best job at Google, and is a fixture at the bleeding-edge GAFFTA art gallery (not to mention the MoMA in New York City).

Our BAMF Q&A with Aaron:

gf: Facebook or Instagram:
ak:  Gmail
gf: Twitter or Text?
ak:  Gmail
gf: Your favorite person to follow online:
ak:  Mr.doob
gf: Biggest risk you have ever taken:
ak:  Getting a degree in Fine Art
gf: Most exciting thing you are working on:
ak:  Top secret
gf: Next event you are attending:
ak:  Eyeo
gf: Best burger joint:
ak:  Umami Burger
gf: Truth or Dare:
ak:  Truth
gf: What is the strangest thing you own?
ak:  A 23andMe account
gf: What do you think Smurf meat tastes like?
ak:  Heaven

Examples of Aaron's amazing work:

This Exquisite Forest

An online collaborative art project that lets users create short animations which build off one another as they explore a specific theme. The result is a collection of branching narratives. A collaboration with Chris Milk, The Tate Modern, and Google Creative Lab. On display at the Tate Modern in London through 2012.  

 The Wilderness Downtown

An interactive HTML5 short created with data and images  around   the neighborhood you grew up in. Set to Arcade Fire's song "We Used to Wait," the experience takes place through choreographed browser windows and utilizes many modern browser features. A collaborative effort with Google Creative Lab and Chris Milk.

eCloud

A dynamic sculpture inspired by the volume and behavior of an idealized cloud. Made from polycarbonate tiles that can fade between transparent and opaque states, its patterns are transformed periodically by real time weather data from around the world. An installation in the San José International Airport with collaborators Dan Goods of NASA's JPL, and Nik Hafermaas of Art Center College of Design.

See more of Aaron's work.

To get more amazing, subscribe to our ZINE.

By Gretchen Fox, Social Architect at grtchnfx

The Future is Bright

Did you know your brain is wired to remember stories more than facts? Amanda Coolong dropped this little bit of knowledge on us during the undeniably cool MLOVE Confestival held in Monterey week before last. (Their next event is in a castle in Berlin, btw.)

Did you know kids are generating new neural pathways we never did and never will because of technology?  Peter Biddle shared this plus about 1000 more bits of brilliance during the recent Gov 2.0 conference held by Gov Tech pioneer Alan W. Silberberg. (You can watch the entire thing here, Peter's part begins at the 50 min mark.)

Did you know there is a secret door in the back of your heart? Inner space Explorers can discover this yourself by downloading ($3) and following the mind-blowing meditation.

These are just a few of the discoveries I have made in the almost three weeks since I last wrote a post.

I also saw futurists show cars that can drive themselves, augmented reality glasses beyond Google Glass, and predictions for computers that will be ownerless, changing to the needs of whomever walks by.

While these are all amazing discoveries, the ones that are the most evoking to me are the ones where a path was created, a path connecting the mind to the emotional being.

These are the discoveries with unmatched potential. This is the bleeding-edge I live and die by -- the place where technology and humanity meet. This is the play space where we have only scratched the surface. This is the place "social" is destined to grow up and evolve.

We have been creating communities -- some of us have even managed to bridge online and offline. We have created second screen experiences where audiences watch and engage -- some of them actually work. We have even created amazing interactive environments both online and offline.  This is just the beginning.

It's time to breathe life and human connection into our efforts. It's time businesses take full advantage of their new abilities to virtually walk, and talk, and connect with customers in real-time. It's time to develop real and interactive online presences for the characters of the entertainment properties we know and love. It's time we create stories our users can explore on any device and any platform, each giving a unique experience and value. It's time we project fully immersive in-home 3D digital experiences into living rooms around the world.  

What I have (affectionately) dubbed the "Web of Tears" is over -- we have the technology and we have the know-how. We have finally arrived and the rodeo has begun -- which is why, today, we are launching a Zine -- to do our part and share the brilliant work we uncover during our own exploration with the businesses, brands and bands we work with at grtchnfx.

This week, Zine #1: we bring you photos from the magical STEAM Carnival, Shout Outs to good Samaritans, amazing interactive campaigns, and much, much more!  

 You can get these regular roundups delivered directly to your inbox by subscribing here. And you are invited to contribute as little or as much as your heart desires, just email me here.

As always, we'd love to get your thoughts and feedback.

Forward Ho!

By Gretchen Fox, Social Architect at grtchnfx