Facebook has a new yet very old solution to fighting Russian manipulation attempts during future US elections: conventional mail. Global policy program director Katie Harbath has revealed that the social network will send postcards to verify the ide...
iam8bit recently concluded Postcards from Space, an art exhibition featuring postcards for fictional locations from books, comics, video games, toys and sci-fi and fantasy shows and movies. Fortunately those of us who didn’t make it to the exhibit can get copies of the postcards from iam8bit’s online store.
Each of the 39 postcards measures 6″x 4″ and has imagery from a different artist. You can buy copies of the postcards from iam8bit for $5 (USD) each. Here are a few more samples from the exhibit:
The exhibit also includes the Space Worlds Map, a 36″x 24″ print that has over 70 fictional worlds. It was made by Edison Yan, the artist behind the Videogames World Map. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go and stare at that Dragon Ball Z postcard for the rest of the day.
The cost price of a first class stamp has risen over the times to reach the astronomical rate of 49 cents. This will go into effect from January 26th. However, it is not a permanent decision which...
There’s just something about getting actual mail versus email. With the former, you get to touch it, manipulate it, and pin it on your wall or stick it on your fridge for good measure. With the latter, all you can do is look at it on your computer or mobile device, and print it out, if you want an actual physical copy.
The thing is, not everyone has the time to go out and mail an actual postcard, or fire up Photoshop or Illustrator to customize their own. So for that, there’s the PhotoCard app by Bill Atkinson, who happens to have been one of the members of the original Apple Macintosh team, and developed the popular Mac applications, Hypercard and MacPaint.
The app features a neat and easy-to-use interface that lets users create and design their very own personalized postcards that will be printed out and sent via postal mail. Users can choose to upload their own images or use the ones in the app’s image library. They can then add their personal messages and “stickers” to the card and choose to have it printed and mailed (for a small fee, of course.) For those of you who prefer things digital, you can electronically send images for free.
If you still like print photography and frequently send friends and family snapshots, then you might want to get a Stampede. It’s basically a large, pre-inked rubber stamp that transforms your photographs into postcards instantly.
There’s just something different about sending and receiving an actual photo in the mail, rather than just checking it out on a computer screen or a mobile device. All you have to do is grab a photograph, ink the Stampede, and stamp it onto the back of the photograph. It’ll instantly be stamped with all the stuff that postcards are printed with: address lines, the divider, a space for your handwritten message, and of course, the box where you’re supposed to affix the stamp.
Stampede is currently up for funding on Kickstarter, where a minimum pledge of $50(USD) will get you one of your own.
We have accessed music in many different ways. It’s the 21st century after all. And now UK-based communications agency Uniform has devised a new way to access music. With their interactive Postcard Player.
These music playing postcard prototypes are printed with electronics using conductive inks. These allow users to interact with the flat printed circuit. The postcards can be docked into the Postcard Player to play music. You can control music by touching the paper postcards in the same way you would a touchscreen. Each card has tracks with printed buttons to pause and remix the music. Though it appears that the music itself is stored in the docking station, and the printed circuit only serves to identify which track to play and to control playback.
The Postcard Player is being shown off at Design Museum’s 2013 Designs of the Year show through July 7th, where it is showing everyone what you can do by printing electronic circuits onto unconventional surfaces. Pretty cool. Imagine getting a postcard, then docking it to hear a voice message and a song. Sure, it’s a novelty, but an interesting one.
I bet that almost everyone wants to send hate mail at some point in their life, but only a few of us actually go ahead and do it. One day, London-based illustrator Mr. Bingo sent a stranger, Jonathan Hopkins, an offensive postcard. It was passed around and enjoyed by quite a few people, so he opened a service where people could request that an abusive message be sent on their behalf.
The rules of Hate Mail mean that each of the postcard art pieces is to be completely random. Specific requests aren’t allowed. Mr. Bingo states that he isn’t responsible or liable for anyone suffering emotional damage as a result of Hate Mail.
And while you might not ever get your hands on an original one of these postcards, Mr. Bingo has produced over 400 illustrations to date, and they are now available as a book for all to enjoy.
The Hate Mail service is still available, but only in the UK. Since it’s been quite popular, it’s only open sporadically. Check out the video below for a profile on Mr. Bingo and the story behind his Hate Mail series (NSFW: Language).
I love getting mail. Not the electronic kind, but the old-fashioned postal and physical kind of mail. Sure, it might take longer to arrive, but compare the feeling you get when you receive an actual postcard in the mail versus an e-card in your inbox.
Go up one more level and you’ve got the Cardtorial. Instead of plain cardboard, you can now send messages of love, friendship, and encouragement with laser-cut designs on certified American wood. Aside from saying how you feel through the adorable designs on the cards, you can add your own message using a marker to make it even more special.
Its creator Yvonne Leung recently completed a successful campaign on Kickstarter to launch the cards and to fund crafting more Cardtorials for her Fall 2012 line. The campaign is closed (and all funded!) but you can still get the cards directly from her website for $10(USD) per card. For an extra $5 per card, you can also personalize them, but you’ll need to allow at least 10 extra business days for that service.
Here’s a couple of playable Minesweeper postcards from Connect Design, perfect for those who are planning to take a trip to Windows 3.1. The postcards are played by scratching the squares off. They’re way harder than the Windows version because it’s possible to land on a mine on your first go.
Those who are going to take this thing seriously might want to begin with the Easy card, which has 80 squares, over the 120-square Hard card. Further elevating the awesomeness of these cards are the stickers. There are flags, smileys, question marks and bombs.
Tread carefully at Connect Design’s online store when you order the Minesweeper Postcard. Both the Easy and Hard cards cost $2(USD) each, but if you buy one of each at once you’ll only be charged $3.50.
Facebook has a new yet very old solution to fighting Russian manipulation attempts during future US elections: conventional mail. Global policy program director Katie Harbath has revealed that the social network will send postcards to verify the ide...
