Today’s MOTD was created by Joumana Medlej from Beirut, Lebanon. The graphic shows the different facial expressions one can make and why they are made. Joumana probably made this graphic from the extensive cartoon illustration experience she displays on her website, www.cedarseed.com.

Today’s MOTD is from Rama Hoetzlein and is an easy to read timeline of 20th century art theory. A short paragraph and bio from his website are below:

I seek to develop the theoretical foundations of new media art, to extend its conceptual and technical limits, and to develop a curricula and context for its education. My research and artwork extends beyond the natural sciences in media arts (physics, bio, nano, organic, etc.), to explore human-level topics such as emotion, psychology, intelligence, and society. My goal is to develop new paradigms for imagination and creativity in media arts.

SHORT BIO
Rama Hoetzlein (b. 1975), is a media artist and computer scientist working in the areas of surrealism, artificial intelligence and computer graphics. He completed a BFA in Fine Arts and a BA in Computer Science at Cornell University in 2001, with thesis works on robotic and mechanical sculpture. From 2001 to 2004, Rama co-founded the Game Design Initiative at Cornell University with David Schwartz (CS), while also developing user interfaces in biotech. In 2007, Rama completed his master’s thesis on knowledge organization and visualization with the Media Arts & Technology Program at the University of California Santa Barbara. He has shown work at the 2nd International Beijing Arts & Science Exhibition at Tsinghua University, Centre for the Contemporary Image in Geneve, Switzerland, and Intl. Conference on the Arts & Society in Venice, Italy. Rama’s current research interests, at the Univ. of California Santa Barbara, lie in the areas of surreal biology, artificial intelligence, and cognition.

Today’s MOTD comes to use from The New York Times and shows all of the cracks in the exterior on the West view of the structure.

Today’s MOTD comes to us from an amazing artist, Keith Thompson. While the map is not informationally heavy, like some of our other maps, it is stunningly beautiful and still provides good metaphors for the World powers fighting for control of Europe in 1914.

For more of Keith’s art check out his online portfolio, www.keiththompsonart.com.

I don’t know the creator of this MOTD but I would like to find out, because it is a fantastic visualization. The subject matter is the amount of crocheted art pieces that Madame Ulani sold on a website called www.etsy.com, where artists can sell their wares safely and securely.

The map has two different xy graphs, both positioned differently making them flow into one product line showing where they were shipped to. The lengths of the chart represent time, in both how long it took to make the item and how long it took to sell the item once it was posted.