Wired’s Nextfest

My friend and Discovery Channel ambassador Susan got Matt and I into Wired Magazine's NEXTFEST this weekend at the Javitz Center, their "vision of a new world's fair." I was expecting a lot of Internet crap, but instead it was awesome. Tons of impressive, interactive pavillions.

 

 

 


The exhibits allow geeks like Matt and me to get face to face with some science. NASA had a big booth and I was able to get a whole new slew of astronaut headshots. Did you know that they take headshots of every astronaut in a style similar to the very first ones from The Right Stuff days? I would pay a ton to get one of myself.


Also big this year were robots, including a blatant subservient Japanese fembot, a robot bartender, and this little guy. These seal like creature are theraputic robots the purr and snuzzle in response to being pet. They really did feel like petting an actual creature. I might get one. They are all the joy of a loving pet, without need for actual love.


My favorite thing was the Virgin pavillion featuring SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo (interior pic above), my best chance to get into orbit. SpaceShipOne was developed with Paul Allen's (boo Seahawk!) dollars to take the X-prize. The advancements made it possible for the SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Airlines commericial space flyer. So freakin cool.


There were so many cool displays that I couldn't photograph them all. I did want to take a pic of this shoe, one of the few really pointless items. It's a mutimedia shoe for sex workers, designed to protect them by keeping them connects. It's a dumb idea on so many levels that it might just be brilliance. Especially if you want to promote hookers getting mugged for their shoes.

Links:

My friend and Discovery Channel ambassador Susan got Matt and I into Wired Magazine's NEXTFEST this weekend at the Javitz Center, their "vision of a new world's fair." I was expecting a lot of Internet crap, but instead it was awesome. Tons of impressive, interactive pavillions.

 

 

 


The exhibits allow geeks like Matt and me to get face to face with some science. NASA had a big booth and I was able to get a whole new slew of astronaut headshots. Did you know that they take headshots of every astronaut in a style similar to the very first ones from The Right Stuff days? I would pay a ton to get one of myself.


Also big this year were robots, including a blatant subservient Japanese fembot, a robot bartender, and this little guy. These seal like creature are theraputic robots the purr and snuzzle in response to being pet. They really did feel like petting an actual creature. I might get one. They are all the joy of a loving pet, without need for actual love.


My favorite thing was the Virgin pavillion featuring SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo (interior pic above), my best chance to get into orbit. SpaceShipOne was developed with Paul Allen's (boo Seahawk!) dollars to take the X-prize. The advancements made it possible for the SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Airlines commericial space flyer. So freakin cool.


There were so many cool displays that I couldn't photograph them all. I did want to take a pic of this shoe, one of the few really pointless items. It's a mutimedia shoe for sex workers, designed to protect them by keeping them connects. It's a dumb idea on so many levels that it might just be brilliance. Especially if you want to promote hookers getting mugged for their shoes.

Links: