monochrom is an art-technology-philosophy group having its seat in Vienna and Zeta Draconis. monochrom is an unpeculiar mixture of proto-aesthetic fringe work, pop attitude, subcultural science, context hacking and political activism. Our mission is conducted everywhere, but first and foremost in culture-archeological digs into the seats (and pockets) of ideology and entertainment. monochrom has existed in this (and almost every other) form since 1993.
Compiled by Colin Fries, NASA History Division. Use of music to awaken astronauts on space missions dates back at least to the Apollo Program, when astronauts returning from the Moon were serenaded by their colleagues in mission control with lyrics from popular songs that seemed appropriate to the occasion. The Apollo 15 crew, whose spacecraft … Read more
Two new papers based on data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft scrutinize the complex chemical activity on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan. While non-biological chemistry offers one possible explanation, some scientists believe these chemical signatures bolster the argument for a primitive, exotic form of life or precursor to life on Titan’s surface. According to one … Read more
Today, more than two thousand years after Heraclitus wrote those words, science has shrunk the boundaries of the soul considerably. A soul that can transcend space and time, survive death, and even possess others, is considered intellectually passé. In its place we have the brain – “a teetering bulb of dread and dream” as the … Read more
Dx1W is calling artists, designers, tinkerers, makers, and thinkers born in and living right now in a Developing Country (as defined by the IMF) to design solutions for four main First World problems. Developing into what, exactly? Developing countries are on their way toward development, and we assume that’s a great thing. But let’s stop … Read more
The idea is simple: Design a laser cutter and make the building process repeatable for others. Link
By Thomas Barfield; Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics. Afghanistan traces the historic struggles and the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of the world, from the Mughal Empire in the sixteenth century to the Taliban resurgence today. Thomas Barfield introduces readers to the bewildering diversity of tribal and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, … Read more
Scientists are usually a realistic bunch—our salaries depend on proposing projects that are doable with the tools we have in our hands, and our plans usually involve prudent small steps rather than aiming for risky big leaps. But we sometimes dream too, and when we dream, we dream big, even if we dream very seriously. … Read more
When the first warm rays of springtime sunshine trigger a burst of new plant growth, it’s almost as if someone flicked a switch to turn on the greenery and unleash a floral profusion of color. Opening a window into this process, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at … Read more
By Robert W. McChesney and John Bellamy Foster. Perhaps nothing points so clearly to the alienated nature of politics in the present day United States as the fact that capitalism, the economic system that drives the society, is effectively off-limits to critical review or discussion. To the extent that capitalism is mentioned by politicians or … Read more