All Color Matters

With more positive expectation toward the future, Egyptians turned out on Saturday, to cast their vote for political change. Voters assembled in great numbers to have one of their fingers dipped into indelible fuchsia ink (electoral staining) to mark their participation. Performed in general elections by many countries, electoral ink or electoral staining typically remains on the skin for 72–96 hours and may be present on the fingernail and cuticle for up to 2-4 weeks. With the exception of the Surinamese election in 2005 where orange was used, violet is the the most common color. Application can happen through ink (via bottles) or a marker. In some cases the color may eventually change to brown or black once on the finger over a period of time due to the ink’s photosensitive composition. Since the color cannot be readily removed after application, it discourages votes from being cast multiple times. For some, this emblem is fervently displayed with pride. Its dual meaning undersc...

Yet another company is entering the fray to cash in on branding equity by opening a hotel. The Pantone Hotel hopes to capitalize on the emotional needs of their arriving clients through color logic. Located in Brussels inside a circa 1970’s tower, each of the seven floors boast a different color scheme that will sync to the mood of the visitor upon arrival. I would imagine that the community of visual artists, interior designers and the like would possibly seek this hotel out just to satisfy their curious nature (starting a $137.00 a night). That being said, the hotel could have done a better job on their website to sell this unique experience to this demographic. Just a few photos illustrate rooms that appear to be a homage to the Bauhaus genre accompanied by stark furnishings and large wall-mounted Pantone swatches, are reminiscent of a design studio floorplan. If you are looking to book a corporate meeting, the only photos in the “meetings” category show a lone table and chair, ...

How would you feel if you heard a piece of music and the taste of chocolate simultaneously occurred in your mouth? Or, you instantly saw a color in response to a smell? The root of these dual sense experiences are typically caused by a perceptual condition called synesthesia . After learning about synesthesia from a recent Nova program that aired on PBS television, I was compelled to dig a little deeper to try and understand this human phenomenon.   Coming from the Greek roots syn , meaning ‘together,’ and aesthesis , meaning ‘sensation’, synesthetes have sensory experiences well beyond what an average person would. When one sense turns on; such as hearing music, an automatic engagement of a second distinct sense (seeing a color) blends together to create a convergence of sensory perception. Many types of “sensory pairings” can occur with synesthesia. It’s estimated that an upwards of sixty or so may exist. Some of these pairings however, are far more common than others and i...

After trumping Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in 2 rounds of Jeopardy! last month, Watson (the IBM supercomputer) was finally on the receiving end of defeat.  A congressional showdown pitting Watson against Reps. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), Jared Polis (D., Colo.), Jim Himes (D., Conn.) and Nan Hayworth (R., N.Y.). was held in Washington, to help promote the importance of government research funding and science education. Five-time Jeopardy! veteran, nuclear physicist, and Congressman from New Jersey Rush Holt took the machine champion to task by winning the match with a score of $8,600 to Watson’s $6,200. Thank you Congressman Holt for redeeming our species a little while longer! Article: Congressman vs. the Machine: Rocket Scientist Rep. Rush Holt Bests Watson (published in PBS News Hour 3/1/11)