Creative Tech

Winners Announced at Pittsburgh Technology Council’s 2013 Design, Art and Technology (DATA) Awards Gala

Posted on by Jonathan Kersting

The Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC) announced the winners of the 5th Annual Design, Art and Technology (DATA) Awards at the event gala last evening. The gala was hosted by journalist, author, filmmaker and former CNN Bureau Chief Chip Walter and featured more than 40 of the year’s most inventive art and technology projects.

New to the event this year was an interactive element that allowed the public to vote and determine the winners. This year’s winners included:

 

  • i-CON: Apps & Information Architecture Award – Highmark + United Concordia: Chomper Chums

 

  • Next Generation: Kids & Creative Technology Award – The Center for Creativity: TransformED

 

  • Maker: Design & Art Award – Teletrix: Radiation Training Simulators

 

  • Media Arts: Interactive + Multimedia Award – Fireman Creative: Ricky’s Dream Trip

 

  • Joystick: Gaming Award – Schell Games + Yale University: PlayForward

 

  • Student Award – Carnegie Mellon University: Floria

 

  • People’s Choice Award – WQED Multimedia + SLB Radio Productions: iQ Kids Radio

 

The event also included an interactive exhibition party after the awards ceremony, where guests were able to interact with the innovative entries and creators. Guests also participated in a raffle of two pieces of art by Sandy Kessler Kaminski, the Art + Tech artist who created the DATA awards artwork for a number of years.

“This year’s event was definitely one of the best we’ve had so far,” said Audrey Russo, President and CEO of the PTC. “From the high level of innovation among Pittsburgh’s tech mavericks, to the new interactive public voting process, it was a bigger, better DATA Awards.”  

NY Times Reviews DATA Awards Presenter Chip Walter’s New Book: New Ideas on the Origins of Creativity

Posted on by Kim Harvey

‘Last Ape Standing,’ by Chip Walter

By CHRISTINE KENNEALLY

LAST APE STANDING
The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived.
By Chip Walter.
Walker & Company, $26.

The arc of human evolution bears an uncanny resemblance to the children’s game Fortunately/Unfortunately. Fortunately, our ancestors evolved in the African rain forests. Unfortunately, the rain forests began to disappear. Fortunately, we could survive on the savanna. Unfortunately, the savanna had little food and many predators. Fortunately, at least 27 species of protohumans developed different traits to solve such problems. Unfortunately, only one protohuman survived. Fortunately, it was us.

Walter takes an antic delight in the triumphal adaptations and terrifying near misses of human evolution. Beginning with our most distant ancestor, he presents the ensuing seven-million-year drama as if it had taken one very long year. Not much happens in the first few months, or rather, Walter is careful to say, we can find traces of only a few varieties of humans. In the spring and summer, the pace picks up as different human groups enter the story; most disappear, like Australopithecus afarensis, a creature whose brain was larger than a chimpanzee’s but much smaller than ours. At the end of August, a new set of hardy humans begins to appear and spreads out. On Dec. 27 of Walter’s human evolutionary calendar, a small group of cave dwellers living along the South African coast carved cross-hatchings into rocks, the earliest evidence, perhaps, of symbolic thought. Despite a few evolutionary explanations that strain credulity — that we owe our large brains to calorie deprivation, say — “Last Ape Standing” makes for a lively journey.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/books/review/last-ape-standing-by-chip-walter-and-more.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

What’s HOT at DATA 2013: Build Your Own Robots with Bird Brain Technologies

Posted on by Kim Harvey

Countdown to the 2013 Design, Art and Technology (DATA) Awards: This blog series features random  hot picks from this year’s finalist categories.

Get Tix  for the May 15 Gala and Exhibition here: www.pghtech.org/events/DataAwards/index.html

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Bird Brain Technologies: The Hummingbird Robotics Kit

Arts, Crafts, Robots: The Hummingbird robotics kit is designed to enable engineering and robotics activities for ages 10 and up that involve the making of robots, kinetic sculptures, and animatronics built out of a combination of kit parts and crafting materials. Combined with two cross-platform, very easy-to-use visual programming environments, Hummingbird provides a great way to introduce kids to robotics and engineering with construction materials that they are already familiar with.

Since release last summer, Hummingbirds have been used in nearly every aspect of the middle school curriculum: teachers and students have already completed Hummingbird units in science, art, math, history, english, drama, poetry, and character education classes, and science centers and boys & girls clubs are gearing up to use Hummingbird in a number of summer camps and after-school classes.

Hummingbird is the result of the Arts & Bots program in Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE lab, and is licensed from Carnegie Mellon University.

http://www.hummingbirdkit.comslide-1

 

Just Want to Party? The DATA 2013 Afterparty is All Kinds of Fun

Posted on by Kim Harvey

The DATA Interactive Exhibition (After)Party is open to the public this year for the low price of $25!

 

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Don’t miss all the fun! The exhibition follows the DATA Awards Gala, and includes over 30 Art + Technology projects, entertainment, door prizes, interactive activities, the announcement of the People’s Choice Award and the opportunity to win a custom work of art by Pittsburgh Art + Tech artist, Sandy Kessler. (pictured above)

EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Location: The Grand Hall at the Priory, 614 Pressley Street, Pittsburgh PA 15212, North Side

7:00 – 9:00 pm: Exhibit, Light Food, Cash Bar, Entertainment

REGISTER NOW $25
events@pghtech.org | 412.918.4229
or www.pghtech.org/events

2013 DATA Awards Partners + Sponsors:
Creative Technology Network Partner: Carnegie Mellon University
Champion Sponsor: Dollar Bank
Supporting Sponsors: Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney | Daedalus Inc. | Martin Public Relations | Print Tech of Western PA
Production Sponsor: Wrecking Crew Media
Media Partner: BHiveLab
Cocktail Sponsor: Clique Vodka
Award Partner: Kessler Studios
The fifth annual DATA Awards Event is part of the Creative Technology Network, developed with the generous support of the Benedum Foundation.

IT’s On! THE 2013 DESIGN, ART AND TECHNOLOGY AWARDS GALA + EXHIBITION IS JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY

Posted on by Kim Harvey

DATAAD_2013

Register now for the biggest innovation party of the year!

Join us — and some of our region’s most ingenious creative techies — for a party like no other. Get ready for a mash-up of networking, interactivity and inspiration — and a full night of mixing and mingling; Featuring over of 50 of this year’s most innovative art and technology projects, food, fun and the music of sound architect, Bill Stankay.

TWO EVENTS IN ONE!
First, celebrate this year’s coolest Art + Tech at the DATA 2013 Awards Gala. The winners will be announced live at the event! The evening’s presenter — journalist, author, filmmaker and former CNN Bureau Chief, Chip Walter – hosts the Gala and will present a special look at the origins and evolutionary significance of creativity. According to futurist Ray Kurzweil, after hearing what Chip has to say, “You’ll never see yourself or anyone else the same way again.”

Later, the DATA Interactive Exhibition Party immediately follows the awards ceremony, and is open to the public for the low price of $25! The exhibition includes over 30 Art + Technology projects, entertainment, door prizes, the announcement of the People’s Choice Award and the opportunity to win a custom work of art by Pittsburgh Art + Tech artist, Sandy Kessler.


EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Location: The Grand Hall at the Priory, 614 Pressley Street, Pittsburgh PA 15212, North Side

Agenda:
5:00 – 7:00 pm: DATA Awards Gala with Special Exhibition Preview
5:00- 6:00 pm: Registration, Cocktails & Hors D’oeuvres, Special Exhibit Preview, Entertainment
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Awards Ceremony and Presentation

7:00 – 9:00 pm:  DATA Interactive Exhibition Party: Networking, Exhibit, Light Food, Cash Bar, Entertainment

REGISTER NOW 
Awards Ceremony with Special Exhibition Preview: (includes DATA Interactive Exhibition Party)
$99 Member/Non-Member | $45 Student

The DATA Interactive Exhibition Party:   $25

Early registration is recommended.
Registration: online | events@pghtech.org | 412.918.4229


2013 DATA Awards Partners + Sponsors:
Creative Technology Network Partner: Carnegie Mellon University
Champion Sponsor: Dollar Bank
Supporting Sponsors: Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney | Daedalus Inc. | Martin Public Relations | Print Tech of Western PA
Production Sponsor: Wrecking Crew Media
Media Partner: BHiveLab
Cocktail Sponsor: Clique Vodka
Award Partner: Kessler Studios
The fifth annual DATA Awards Event is part of the Creative Technology Network, developed with the generous support of the Benedum Foundation.