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May 11

Newsmap

Newsmap relays all of the most popular news stories into a user-friendly, full-screen interface. An interesting alternative to reading the news on the BBC website, this is most definitely. The user is able to define what type of news they wish to view in the newsmap by ticking and unticking various boxes at the base of the page. Well worth a visit.


May 10

Tubetable

Alex Hammond’s Tubetable was constructed from a powder coated steel frame holding two sheets of glass sandwiching a laser-cut white acrylic map of the london underground. I want one.

See the article at http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/13651/alex-hammond-tubetable.html


May 8

Onion News Network


‘This is ONN, telling you what we want you to know…’

After looking at the TV series Brass Eye, which was filmed a decade ago, I wanted to progress my research into news satire further. The American website theonion.com is the home of ONN (Onion News Network), ‘America’s finest news source… a tomahawk of honesty in the skull of lies’. Typically American, the whole concept is done on a much larger scale with a much larger budget than Brass Eye was. The website is updated daily with videos, recordings and articles, all on hoax news stories that either mock the media, the government, or society in general.

‘Al Qaeda Attacks Internet With Photo Of Adorable Piglet’

The filming and special effects are all professionally done, adding the experience. The effects are purposely over-the-top to exaggerate the stereotypical media that we are used to seeing on TV every day. Below is one of the daily videos from ONN. They also use information graphics to help back up what they are saying, and make it seem almost realistic and believable.


Screenshots from http://www.theonion.com/


May 7

Brass Eye

I have been watching the 2001 TV comedy series Brass Eye. Each episode contains at least one information graphic that is pure gold. After watching the first two episodes, here are my two favourite moments from the ‘Animals’ and ‘Drugs’ episodes respectively. If I can create information with even half as much wit as Brass Eye, I’ll be happy.

‘Animals’ video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mnVWJpMhuE

‘Drugs’ screenshot from DVD: Channel 4. (2001). Brass Eye. Talkback.