( I + P )

London-based artist Paul St George recently unveiled an exhibit called The Telectroscope.  In the piece, giant, steam-punk style telescopes embedded in the pedestrian walkways in London and NYC provides onlookers with a real-time view of people on the other side.  Even more impressive is the story as to how this idea came about.

While today's version is done with video streaming technology, it's a whimsical piece and worth checking out if you're in either town. Here's an excerpt from the story page:

Some years ago an artist by the name of Paul St George happened upon a packet of dusty papers in a trunk in his grandmother’s attic. On further inspection he discovered that they had been the property of his great-grandfather, an eccentric Victorian engineer, Alexander Stanhope St George.

Paul began to read through the papers and discovered a veritable treasure trove: diaries, diagrams, correspondence, scribbled calculations, and even one or two photographs. At first, Paul felt a detached interest in this first hand account of social and cultural history. But as he read on, he became more and more absorbed, until, with a sudden thrill, he realised that these papers could have a greater significance than was at first apparent.

The notebooks were full of intricate drawings and passages of writing describing a strange machine. This device looked like an enormous telescope with a strange bee-hive shaped cowl at one end containing a complex configuration of mirrors and lenses. Alexander seemed to be suggesting that this invention, which he called a Telectroscope, would act as a visual amplifier, allowing people to see through a tunnel of immense length… a tunnel, the drawings implied, stretching from one side of the world to the other.

Cherry blossoms at Brooklyn Botanical Garden are in peak bloom. Check the out if you're in town. Great time-lapse video below.

I'm one of those people that gets to an airport well before my flight is scheduled to depart (and have yet to miss a flight). With the extra time, I like to try and find a wifi signal and a comfy seat to get some work done.  But, waiting areas for flights when you're in coach can be hit or miss.

Enter the Priority Pass, a way to gain access to more than 500 airport lounges in over 275 cities worldwide. 

They have several packages ranging from the $99 / year package where you have to pay $27 for each visit to $399 / year with unlimited free access to any lounge. If you travel a lot, it may be worth it for you to stay productive while waiting for your flights.

The photo above is from the Crystal Lounge in Prague, one of the many lounges you can access. 

NY based Worth1000 recently ran an interesting Photoshop contest .

The challenge: Apply vintage ad styles to modern products (or vice versa).

Check out what people came up with here.  

Every now and then, you can catch the Convos team at a coworking session. What is coworking?  Essentially, a group of entrepreneurs meet at a fellow coworker's apartment to work on their own projects, share ideas, and meet new people.

Check out the video below to learn more about coworking and Jelly, an international coworking group that takes place in 20+ cities.

I will be attending the Jelly coworking session in Brooklyn next Friday.  Hope to see you there!