Previous research on the Antikythera Mechanism established a highly complex ancient Greek geared mechanism with front and back output dials. The upper back dial is a 19-year calendar, based on the Metonic cycle, arranged as a five-turn spiral. The lower back dial is a Saros eclipse-prediction dial, arranged as a four-turn spiral of 223 lunar months, with glyphs indicating eclipse predictions.

Nature’s excellent video showing the device and computer model is where to start.

This extraordinary astronomical mechanism from about 100 bc employed bronze gears to make calculations based on cycles of the Solar System^1, 6(Supplementary Notes 1). Recovered in 1901 by Greek sponge-divers, its corroded remains are now split into 82 fragments—7 larger fragments (A–G) and 75 smaller fragments (1–75)⁶. Data, gathered in 2005^6, 7, included still photography, digital surface imaging¹² and, crucially for this study, microfocus X-ray computed tomography (CT)^6, 13 (Figs 1–3)—details are in Supplementary Notes 2 (and at www.antikythera-mechanism.gr).

and

Here’s another. Being able to use both hands and multiple fingers is much more natural than having a mouse or touching with one finger like at the ATM.

Everyone I know calls it the cube however the title of the piece is Alamo, created by Tony Rosenthal in 1967 and installed on the traffic island between Cooper Square and Lafayette Street smack in the middle of Astor Place.

And the next time you are passing through Astor Place, walk up to the cube, give it a spin and take a pic. Then send me the link.

Here’s the movie (3.6mb quicktime faststart .mov)

Show this video to friends on del.icio.us

UPDATE: I just noticed few of his pics appear in this book.

The slowness of Viola’s work also has a political dimension. It is an antidote to what he sees as one of the greatest dangers of our age – the speed with which we receive information and our growing inability to makes sense of what we see.

“The velocity and knee-jerk response to events happening in real time that television brings us precludes any kind of reflection or contemplation and therefore analysis And that’s been one of the greatest political dangers in the post-war era. The idea of the reasoned, thoughtful response goes out of the window.”

The Passions is at the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra) and runs until 6 November.

IMHO, artist Seyed Alavi one-upped both aforementioned mappers with his public installation of “flying carpet” at the Sacramento airport. Alivi’s project consists of an aerial view of the Sacramento River woven into a carpet, one you can experience from eye-level above. This is fun stuff, like Google’s magic only you smile at this one without the intermediation of a browser.

Alavi’s carpet is like a fly-through in a video game, he renders the magic in bits of nylon woven into carpet paving the passageway connecting the terminal and car park.

photo credit: Seyed Alavi

A bridge is a connection between two destinations; it is not a destination in and of itself; it is neither here, nor there. In this way it is similar to an airplane, or a river connecting one place to another; here to there; a moment of flight frozen in mid air; a flowing river that takes us along with its current to another destination. In this way, the piece also creates a koanic relationship between a river and a bridge, since their ordinary position have been turned around, and it is now the river that is on/above the bridge.