Lately, I seem to be finding more and more sophisticated projects that transform computer data into art.

Alex Dragulescu’s project: malwarez, visualizes the dreaded computer virus as a 3-dimensional, living organism. The images in the collection were commisioned by internet security company, MessageLabs, and breathes life into viruses, trojans and spyware code.

From Alex Dragulescu’s site:

For each piece of disassembled code, API calls, memory addresses and subroutines are tracked and analyzed. Their frequency, density and grouping are mapped to the inputs of an algorithm that grows a virtual 3D entity. Therefore the patterns and rhythms found in the data drive the configuration of the artificial organism.

The featured images contain stunning renderings of internet nasties such as Stormy, MyDoom, Mytob, IRCBot and Netsky.

SOURCES:

[Gizmodo.com] World’s least favorite computer viruses as haunting 3d art.

[Alex Dragulescu] project: malewarez

[MessageLabs] Know Your Enemy

In the past two weeks, I’ve added 10 new features to the site.  Here’s some details on what these updates have to offer along with a credit list on who inspired or created the original code:

Update #1: New Portfolio section 

Last weekend I replaced the old gallery code with the coolest wordpress plugin called NextGen Gallery.  I’ve customized the code to allow users to view my artwork either via a thumbnail gallery that creates pop-up little screens of the images when clicked or by a slideshow that has some pretty cool effects.  Plus the random image header now creates mini pop-up screens of the image you click so you don’t have to search for the images within the galleries themselves.  It’s definitely a lot more user friendly than the old gallery I had set-up and the soft pastel painting section is now in chronological order with some new additions so do go check it out. 

Update #2: Subscribe

Now you can sign up to receive e-mail updates when a new blog post is published, when new items are posted on my online Etsy store, or when a new event is published on the Tampa Bay Art Event’s calendar.  Thanks to Feedburner!

Or simply add the RSS feed of your choice of readers if you already subscribe to other blog and new sources.  Both are available on the new subscribe page.

Update #3:  CSS Horizontal Menu [with gradient rollover effect]

Over at CSS Library, I discovered their CSS Indent Menu, which is just one of many examples of how to design a menu on your website via CSS.  Their code is actually for a left aligned menu, but after while of messing with the code I figured out how to center it and create a style that blended better with my site design.

Update #4: ShareThis

At the bottom of all posts, you’ll now notice a ShareThis link.  ShareThis is a popular WordPress plugin that puts a little “share this” icon at the bottom of each blog post. Click it and you get the option to email the post to your friends or submit it to several popular social bookmarking sites.

Update#6: Google Search

Another update that I’ve been needing to do to the site is update the search feature located on the top right side of the page, which used to come up with duplicate results so I changed it out with help of Dave Taylor. It is now powered completely by Google, which rocks.

Update#7: Links – Inspiration/Proud Member of

I’ve added some new additions to the blog roll located on the right side of the page.  The Inspiration section now contains several new weekly theme challenge sites.  There is also a new section called  “Proud Member of“, which highlights the various local and national art organizations I participate in.

Update#8: Submit your Art Event

And to give proper credit, the code that created the Submit your Tampa Art Event form  with image upload capabilities is created by this Wordpress plugin thanks to Dagon Design.

Update#9: Google Maps

The art events posted on the Tampa Bay Art Events calendar now feature Google Map directions thanks to code offered directly from Google Maps. (However, I shortly discovered you’ve got to install Xinha Here! via this Firefox add-on in order to edit the event listing.)

Update#10: Donate 

And if you’re ever wanting to show your appreciation and help support server costs, I’ve added a Paypal Donate button on the right hand side of the page. 

So that wraps up the new features, if any of the code looks weird in your browser, or if you like the new features, please don’t hesitate to let me know.  Feedback is always much appreciated!

Ah, the joys of coding your own site. It’s been a fun little project to come home to every night this week. Slowly, but surely, I’m getting it back to it’s former glory. I think I might have finally decided on a theme so I can focus on the content. There is still a ton of images that need to be uploaded for older posts, but I must say I’m so glad that I finally decided to code my own site with Wordpress. There are just a ton of cool things that you can do with your own site. Everything has been smooth sailing so far, but I’ll need to back-up everything pretty soon now that I have to maintain the website myself, which probably sounds like greek to some of you out there in cyber-land. I know Brian has no idea of half the time of the coding I’m talking about so I’ll probably need to find some fellow Wordpress coders out there. So as weird as it might sound to some of you…code is poetry to me right now.