Month: August 2022

Enlarge / 3D-printed lithophanes can help optically impaired scientists “see” data, such as from protein separation gels, with their fingertips. (credit: ordan Koone/Bryan Shaw)

In the 19th century, an art form known as lithophanes was all the rage in Western Europe. These thin engravings were usually made from translucent materials like porcelain or wax. When backlit, a glowing 3D image would appear that would change its features in response to variations in the light source. Now researchers have revived this art form to create tactile graphics to illustrate scientific data that glow with high resolution. According to a recent paper published in the journal Science Advances, these lithophanes are accessible to sighted and visually impaired people, making them a universal visualization tool for scientific data.

"This research is an example of art making science more accessible and inclusive. Art is rescuing science from itself," said co-author Bryan Shaw, a biochemist at Baylor. "The data and imagery of science—for example, the stunning images coming out from the new Webb telescope—are inaccessible to people who are blind. We show, however, that thin translucent tactile graphics, called lithophanes, can make all of this imagery accessible to everyone regardless of eyesight. As we like to say, 'data for all.'"

The word "lithophane" derives from the Greek litho (stone or rock) and phainein (to cause to appear), popularly translated as "light in stone." The art form's roots may date back to ancient China, as many as 1,000 years before the Tang Dynasty. (Historical sources describe paper-thin bowls with hidden decorations.) But to date, no actual lithophanes are known to have been in China before 1800.

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Several US government agencies are having a busy week for doling out broadband deployment funding to ISPs and state governments. Today, the FCC announced $791.6 million for six broadband providers, covering network expansions to over 350,000 homes and businesses in 19 states. The ISPs will receive the money over 10 years.

"This round of funding supports projects using a range of network technologies, including gigabit service hybrid fiber/fixed wireless deployments that will provide end-user locations with either fiber or fixed wireless network service using licensed spectrum," the FCC said. Funded ISPs include Nextlink Internet and Starry.

Separately, the Treasury Department and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) this week announced new grants for states and Tribal entities (more on that later in this article).

Enlarge / The winning entry, Théåtre D'opéra Spatial. (credit: Jason Allen)

A synthetic media artist named Jason Allen entered AI-generated artwork into the Colorado State Fair fine arts competition and announced last week that he won first place in the Digital Arts/Digitally Manipulated Photography category, Vice reported Wednesday based on a viral tweet.

Allen used Midjourney—a commercial image synthesis model available through a Discord server—to create a series of three images. He then upscaled them, printed them on canvas, and submitted them to the competition in early August. To his delight, one of the images (titled Théåtre D'opéra Spatial) captured the top prize, and he posted about his victory on the Midjourney Discord server on Friday.

Allen’s Discord post announcing victory. (credit: MidJourney Discord)

Allen's victory prompted lively discussions on Twitter, Reddit, and the Midjourney Discord server about the nature of art and what it means to be an artist. Some commenters think human artistry is doomed thanks to AI and that all artists are destined to be replaced by machines. Others think art will evolve and adapt with new technologies that come along, citing synthesizers in music. It's a hot debate that Wired covered in July.

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It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a notable discount on Apple's AirPods Max, which are currently down to $429 in various colors at Amazon. That's not the absolute lowest price we've ever seen for Apple's noise-canceling headphones, but it's still about $45 off its usual price in recent months and $120 off Apple's MSRP.

This is still an expensive set of headphones even with the discount, but as we've noted in past guides, the Max still offer superb sound quality for a wireless headphone and exceptionally effective active noise cancellation. They're on the heavy side compared to competing pairs like Sony's WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5, but their aluminum finish has a premium feel as a result. They also come with all the perks of any other set of AirPods, including easy pairing with iPhones, Macs, and Apple TVs and integration with services like Find My device tracking and Siri.

The Max still carry a few odd design quirks: They can't fold up for easier storage, and they don't have a dedicated power off button, instead relying on a flimsy holder that puts them into a low-power mode. They can't connect to multiple devices simultaneously, either, and while their 20 hours of battery life is solid, we've seen better from other pairs. For most people, the WH-1000XM4 remain a better value that get close enough in performance at a much lower price. But the Max's audio and noise-canceling quality is a step up, so if you own an iPhone and have a bit more to spend, this should be a more digestible price for a quality pair of travel or office headphones. Just note that the Max have been available since late 2020, and Apple has a new product event scheduled for next week; we haven't seen many rumors that suggest a refreshed Max is imminent, but there's still a chance that one arrives before the end of the year.