Fizz, Cartagram and Planetary are neat tools by Bloom, a company that is pairing visualization tools with elements of game design. Fizz lets you see your Facebook or Twitter feed develop via big or small bubbles, indicating people and updates, and swarming hives. Cartagram displays instagram photos in a map layout. While Bloom's cool projects are news from earlier in 2011, the update is that Planetary, which looks the neatest, will be available on Monday. It is described as "an all-new, stunningly beautiful way to explore your music collection." They have some examples with Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bjork and Radiohead up on the site now: artists are stars, albums are planets, and tracks are moons. Check it out here.—Lauren
Joe Queenan is one of the funniest human beings on the planet. This week
in Time he offers his
sobering perspective on America’s fascination with the Royal Wedding.
As usual, he does not mince words.—Justin
Scientists at the Israel Institute of Technology produced an artificial nose—the Nanoscale Artifical NOSE, or NA-NOSE—that detects patterns of molecules in the breath of people with head, neck or lung cancer. Because the sensors can detect just a few particles, this is a promising development for finding cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages.—Laura
NB: Christopher Walken reads Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." How do you define a meme? The folks at PSFK offer an inside look at "two major innovations that may well play a big part in helping publishers adapt to changing reading habits." Speaking of PSFK, we're also pleased to point out that they've joined the chorus of people cheering Ed's Martian Book on 547 Hudson Street, a monobookstore selling copies of Andrew Kessler's Martian Summer. You can read more about the bookstore in The New York Times, Bookforum, and Moby Lives. If you're in the New York area, stop by!