art

Many denizens of the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley noticed a long series of cloudy numbers in the skies around noon on Wednesday, September 12. No, their coffee wasn't spiked with hallucinogens.

The ephemeral event, known as Pi in the Sky, utilized five aircraft with dot-matrix skywriting technology to write out a thousand numbers of the beloved mathematical constant pi (3.14159..) at a 10,000-foot altitude. If that wasn't impressive enough, the numerals of pi written in the sky each stood nearly a quarter-mile tall, stretched for a 100-mile loop, and undoubtedly caused mass inspiration and confusion all at once. … Read more

As rumors of a big-screen iPhone 5 intensified late last month, engineers at the read-it-later app Pocket went into hacking mode, scouring the Internet for ways to tweak the iPhone's official software development kit so they could redesign their app for a bigger screen.

Ever since Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, widespread speculation has held that the next iPhone would boast a 4-inch screen. For hundreds of thousands of developers, that posed a potential problem: Would their apps look strange on a bigger screen? And how would they build mock-ups when the official iOS simulator showed the … Read more

Earlier this year, auto manufacturer Hyundai designed a pavilion in Seoul, South Korea, that served as a platform for touting the company's corporate philosophy and future ambitions during the 2012 Yeosu Expo. This probably sounds terribly boring, but one item within might amaze you.

Media firm Jonpasang worked in collaboration with Hyundai to create Hyper-Matrix, an enormous 180-degree installation with one major twist: the walls actually consist of thousands of motorized cubes that create a crazy sense of texture. … Read more

While we may never think the world of 3D movies, at least the 3D printing ecosystem continues to evolve rapidly in a good direction. With interest in 3D printers, as well as accessibility to them, becoming more commonplace, an increasing number of artists use these machines -- capable of making nearly anything -- to stretch the limits of design.

The first 3D Print Show, held in London's Brewery next month -- October 19-21 -- gives those in the 3D printing industry a centralized venue for collaborating and educating, as well as showing off some mind-bending 3D creations.… Read more

Photo taking apps are a dime a dozen in the App Store, but if you look a little deeper, you can make some really cool projects as long as you use some creativity.

Instead of simply giving your photos a retro look like many of the popular camera apps, there are a number of options that turn your images into a creative project in which you can use your imagination to come up with something unique.

This week's collection of apps are all about doing something different with your images on your iPhone. The first quickly turns your photos … Read more

They danced, and they barked, and they hitched rides on Roombas. But in the end, no amount of cat cuteness could match the emotional punch of "Henri 2, Paw de Deux," a searing documentary of a tortured feline that last night won the coveted people's choice award at the first Internet Cat Video Festival.

The black-and-white film brilliantly portrays the existential struggles of a black cat known as Henri Le Chat Noir, who spares nothing as he bravely invites the cameras into the dark corners of his soul.

"I am free to go, yet I remain," Henri shares in French voiceover, as the camera zooms in on him staring forlorn out a window. "The 15 hours a day I sleep have no effect. I wake to the same tedium." … Read more

EA Sports' Madden NFL 13 has gotten off to a hot start. Electronic Arts announced today that the newest gridiron football simulator, which launched Tuesday, sold 900,000 copies during its first 24 hours for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

This marks a 7 percent rise over last year's iteration, and represents the most successful Madden launch this console generation.

Read more of "Madden NFL 13 sells 900,000 in 24 hours" at GameSpot.

Oh, Internet! Is nothing, not even a prized fresco of Jesus, safe from your creative but snarky clutches?

Amateur art restorers the world over have taken to Twitter to share their digital restorations of "Ecce Home" (Behold the Man), a painting by Elias Garcia Martinez that's more than a century old. They have given the image googly eyes, bow ties, and sunglasses, and bestowed upon it the visage of a cat, a bear, Big Bird, Batman, and Susan Boyle, among others.

But which of these restorations will win the coveted Cecilia Prize? It's named after Cecilia Gimenez, who became famous (and infamous) when news broke recently that she took it upon herself to restore the deteriorating painting in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in Borja, Spain. … Read more

Microsoft seems to be taking to the streets to promote its upcoming Surface tablet.

Eagle-eyed residents of New York City have discovered new street artwork gracing the walls of certain buildings, as reported by The Verge. The colorful art depicts the word Surface in a tablet-shaped rectangle with a keyboard below.

A Facebook user named Surface Evangelist posted one photo of the artwork appearing on an unnamed street, while a Twitter user named Amanda uploaded another photo of a billboard-sized Surface ad on a building near East 2nd Street.

CNET contacted Microsoft, but the company said it's not commenting … Read more