Museum

mega uavs

Robot Planes Target Smithsonian

A squadron of six robot planes are now perpetually buzzing visitors to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, performing "reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition," and possibly even attacks. Or at least, they would be if they weren't part of the new exhibit celebrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This is one of the most cutting-edge displays you can see at the Smithsonian - some of the planes even have certain parts sealed because they are still classified.
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8:00 AM on Wed Apr 30 2008
By Ed Grabianowski
936 views, 18 comments

Latest by phoenix: Oh hell - I didn't even wait for that photo to load and assumed it was at Udvar-Hazy. It's not! Metro, here I come! more »

takashi murakami

Murakami Tells io9 About His Secret Love For J.J. Abrams

We had a chance to see the amazingly eye-blistering @ Murakami exhibit in Los Angeles a couple of months ago before they packed everything up and headed to Brooklyn. The same exhibit is now on display at the Brooklyn Museum until July 13th, and is definitely worth checking out. We nabbed a few moments with Takashi Murakami and found out about his influences, his impressions of the show, and how his brain works when he's creating something. Check out our interview down below. More »

2:30 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
By Kevin Kelly
1,863 views, 6 comments

Latest by Jeff-Minor: I dunno. I has elements of beauty that I like, but other parts just strike me the wrong way. Which I guess is okay and can make one question one's dogma regarding art. more »

concept art

Starfighting In The Museum Of The Improbable

This awesome model of a starfighter, complete with a helpful little refueling probe-bot, is one of the models available at The Museum of the Improbable. More »

2:45 PM on Wed Mar 12 2008
By Kevin Kelly
2,898 views, 18 comments

Latest by E0157H7: Those fighters are great and I love the giant steam-tank thing. This guy needs to release a line of model kits or something. more »

architecture

Chengdu Museum is Starfleet Academy Outside, Folk Tale Inside

The Chinese city of Chengdu was building a new museum, so it opened up the design to an international competition. British architecture firm Sutherland Hussey won with this building. The exterior may look ultra-modern, but this City Museum will feature traditional Chinese art like the shadow play and some natural history and folk history. When completed, the museum will form the fourth side to the famous Tian Fu Square. More »

8:20 AM on Wed Feb 20 2008
By LISA KATAYAMA
1,167 views, 7 comments

Latest by Ken Keegan: I actually totally dig this building for a change. more »

aliens

Teaching Asian Schoolchildren How to Talk to Aliens

A traveling alien exhibit makes its way to the Miraikan, a science museum in Tokyo, in March. It may not be first time that the children of Asia will get to interact with extraterrestrial life, but it's probably the first time they've done it in a museum. The best part? The exhibition teaches kids that aliens exist and suggests ways of communicating with them. Hooray for cross-cultural understanding. More »

8:20 AM on Thu Jan 31 2008
By LISA KATAYAMA
2,243 views, 10 comments

art

User-Generated Architecture?

The Miami Art Museum's not just getting a redesign. It's also redesigning the process of redesigning a museum. Instead of sticking to a static blueprint, Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron are giving us only a tentative idea of what the $220 million downtown Miami building is going to look like. Locals will decide the rest during construction. More »

10:30 AM on Mon Dec 3 2007
By LISA KATAYAMA
77 views, Comment

futurism

Tomorrowland Sucks

Disneyland promises visitors through its gates four separate worlds that are supposed to thrill and delight you: Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland. While the other lands deliver on that promise, Tomorrowland seems like it got stuck in Yesterdayland. Once a portal to the future, the amusement park has now been surpassed in coolness by several new museums. What went wrong? More »

3:00 PM on Thu Nov 29 2007
By Kevin Kelly
240 views, 1 comment

forrest j ackerman

Happy Birthday Forrest J Ackerman and Scifi Fandom

Forrest J Ackerman is one of those people that you've probably never heard about unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool fan of all things science fiction. However, the man created science fiction fandom virtually one handed, starting back in 1930. Ackerman just celebrated 91 years of scifi fanatacism, and he doesn't show any signs of slowing down. More »

4:00 PM on Mon Nov 26 2007
By Kevin Kelly
36 views, Comment

science porn

Green Ooze Controls Woman's Mind

From "Can algae save the world?" an exhibit at the Science Museum in London running until April 2008. Scientists are hoping the entire planet will use algae as biofuels in the future. More menacing algae after the jump. Images by Kirsty Wigglesworth for AP. More »

3:19 PM on Mon Nov 19 2007
By charliejane
176 views, Comment