I just returned from a fruitful consultation at the US headquarters of Zoller & Fröhlich, just outside Pittsburgh in Bridgeville, PA. I reached out to them with an odd request: would it be possible to 3D scan a plaster cast of David Bowie’s face?
I acquired the plaster cast life mask of The Thin White Duke from VFX artist William Forsche. It was made from a mold created in the late ’70s, is exquisitely detailed, and looks fantastic - in an eerie, uncanny valley sort of way.
I started thinking about 3D scanning the moment it arrived. The TrueDepth IR camera used for FaceID on the iPhone can also be used as a pocket 3D scanner - it projects over 30,000 points onto the subject. I tried using the Hedges iPhone app to capture 3D information from the cast but even with screen mirroring to help, I obtained messy results.
[image of preliminary scan using Heges]
I decided to look for professional high-resolution scanning operations, but I don’t live in LA (Hooray for Hollywood) so my choices were limited. One company stood out to me: Zoller & Fröhlich. It was founded in Germany and they make and sell industrial-grade laser scanners - with a strong focus on architectural mapping - capable of snapping 3D pictures of entire buildings. Cathedrals for instance, often have flourishes similar to my plaster cast so I decided to send them an email.
Soon after, I received a response from Katelyn Turoski who is in their sales department. It was an interesting request and they’d like to give it a shot!
They invited me to their headquarters (a nondescript commercial office park where my accountant is coincidentally located, so I knew exactly where to go) and said to bring David’s face. At the appointed time Katelyn greeted me and brought me back to a conference room where I met laser support engineer Joe Carter and CEO Juergen Mauer. I took the plaster cast out of the bag and introduced them to the late great David Bowie.
Life cast on the far end of the table. Joe, Katelyn, Juergen.
We soon got down to business. And by we, I mean they, because they did all the work. Juergen pointed to a device mounted on a tripod and explained that it was one of the scanners they would be using, the Z+F IMAGER 5016. Typically used for laser scanning and surveying so it was a bit like using a firehose to put out a match. Remember the iPhone's 30k points? The Z+F IMAGER 5016 can throw over 50 million points. All of that data is recorded and used to create a detailed 3D map of an area and everything within it.
It's like one of those pin screens but giant-sized and using lasers.
50 million points sounds like a lot - and it is - but they wouldn't all be used to map David’s face - just a portion. Setting the proper expectations, Juergen explained this limitation, literally down to the millimeter, and noted, “the resolution on the cast might be limited, but we’ll see what happens.” I was just chuffed that they were willing to give it a go and was happy just to have the experience, let alone a good scan.
With the click of a mouse the device started spinning like something out of Star Trek and invisible (and safe) pulses of light started bouncing around the room. Light doesn’t bend around objects though, so three scans were made with the device in different location. This ensured that an accurate representation of the face cast was recorded. The data appeared on a nearby laptop and using Z+F’s software (and his experience and skill) Joe dexterously began stitching everything together - kind of like 3D photoshop. In short order, a bounding box containing the point cloud data of David Bowie’s face frozen in time appeared on the screen.
Bowie’s ethereal visage, rotating on a digital gimbal, moved like a spectral presence, on the cusp of opening his eyes and ready to perform a song. It really got me thinking; could this point cloud be rigged or mapped via performance capture to another face perhaps to make a music video of some sort? But I had to snap out of it!
Juergen gave me some tips on some open-source software I could use to further manipulate the point cloud data to generate a 3D mesh that I could import into ZBrush for painting or sculpting. Then everything was transferred to a flash drive.
How amazing? In under an hour I was on my way home with a detailed scan of David Bowie's face in my pocket!
First 3D Mesh Generated from the point cloud data
I’d like to thank everyone on Zoller & Fröhlich USA for taking some time out of their schedule to indulge my oddball request for my as-yet-undetermined David Bowie project. Everyone was friendly, knowledgable, and eager to give things a go. It was a pleasure.
Where will this lead? Who can say? But then again, who would have imagined that a copy of David Bowie's face made in 1975 would end up being digitized in 2020 and on a computer in Pittsburgh, PA.
ABOUT Zoller & Fröhlich
Z+F is a privately owned company, founded in 1963 by Hans Zoller and Hans Fröhlich in Wangen, Germany. The company supplies laser scanning hardware, software and scanning services capturing high resolution data. The firm covers a wide spectrum in the field of laser measurement technology: they develop hardware and software, and offer sales and product training.
Last weekend, I lived inside of an Apple product launch : from conception, to launch, sales, and end-of-life.
The product? Apple Card Covers. 500 "premium cellulose fiber" Apple Card Covers sold in a weekend. My thoughts on the media hype beast that made this project possible and what it might mean.
Why I Made My Apple Product: Background
Back in March 2019, Apple announced that it would launch a new type of credit card - one tightly integrated with its wallet app and Apple Pay which also offered new levels of simplicity and privacy.
Apple also announced a companion card that you could use if a vendor didn’t accept ApplePay. It looked really cool, as far as physical credit cards go. White and gray with a laser-etched Apple logo on the front and no number or signature on the back. Oh, and the card itself? Milled from titanium.
Want to jump down the rabbit hole into the design aspects of the Apple Card? Arun Venkatesan goes into intricate detail on his blog post, The Design of Apple’s Credit Card. Here’s an excerpt.
As is expected from Apple, the card is unlike any other. At a close glance, the minutest details set it apart from the rest . . . This level of obsession with the details is nearly expected from Apple.
Arun Venkatesan
Let’s just say people lauded Apple’s phenomenal attention to detail for the design of this card.
Until they didn’t.
Apple Card Launch
On Tuesday, August 20th, Apple Card launched for all US consumers. I applied for a card and got one in short order.
The whole experience was smooth. The application process was simple, opting out of the arbitration clause - that “the internet” said you should do - was super easy (via text message no less), and receiving Apple Card via FedEx and then activating it via the proximity sensor embedded in the packaging was really slick.
And the titanium card did look cool. I never intended to really use it. It would mostly just sit on my desk. Some people did use it, and posted photos of it dirty.
A couple days later, people also noticed a particular line of text on the Apple Card support page warning that, “some fabrics, like leather and denim, might cause permanent discoloration that will not wash off.”
The damage wouldn’t stop the card from working; just some cosmetic disfigurement. Like many Apple snafu’s, perceived or warranted, this one blew up on the internet quickly.
About the only thing that was new was the fact that Apple pointed out that credit cards suffer wear (and provided instructions on how to avoid or mitigate Apple Card from suffering the same fate).
If Apple hadn’t said anything, nobody would have reported anything. Yes, it is sort of amusing that a card held up to such “exacting design standards” was just as likely to get damaged by the things that damage your run of the mill payment card. But it's sort of akin to poking fun at the child who points out that “The Emperor has no clothes on.”
I wasn’t really paying attention to the stories and then on Friday the 23rd, even my Dad emailed me about it.
Subject: should have used plastic, with a link to a CNN article on the “fiasco.”
I emailed him back, “Everyone loves to poke fun at Apple. They should just get those paper gift card sleeves and emboss them with their logo - and sell them for $10.99. They can run a print advert with this text underneath: April Fools seven months early."
Then I decided why not do it myself?
I launch MY Apple Card Cover
Step 01: The Cover
I picked up a gift card cover and did a quick photoshoot at home with my Apple Card.
Step 02: The Description
This step is the most fun for me. How would I describe my Apple Card cover? How would Apple describe a cover they designed? They’d use Apple-speak. And so would I.
I took the first statement Apple made about the card on their website and added some tongue in cheek, self-aware, yet earnest additions.
APPLE
ME
Apple card is here.
And you wouldn’t want to get it dirty like a regular card would you?
It’s a new kind of credit card.
And it should be treated as such.
Created by Apple, not a bank.
So of course, it needs a cover.
Apple Card completely rethinks everything about the credit card.
Except how you keep the thing looking shiny and new.
It represents all the things Apple stands for. Like simplicity, transparency, and privacy.
You wouldn’t step out of your home without clothing? Why expect that of your Apple Card?
And then I channeled my inner Jonny Ive and came up with some ad copy.
That’s why we sourced these premium cellulose fiber sleeves. They come only in black thus ensuring the best Apple Card spending experience during each and every use.
Don't be surprised if you find yourself suppressing a slight gasp as you marvel at the striking contrast of the pristine arctic white laser-etched Apple Card juxtaposed with the matte black sleeve.
I posted a few links to my Apple Card cover on Reddit. I was not expecting to sell any of these covers, just have some fun.
I chose r/Apple (for obvious reasons), r/humor (again, for obvious reasons), and r/CreditCards (where at least one person appreciated my satirical product and gilded the post silver).
I watched my Google Analytics light up as people visited my Etsy Listing.
No sales. And then after about twenty minutes . . . I sold one. Then an hour passed. A sale. Then another and another. What was going on?
None of my Reddit posts were upvoted - 3 of the 4 posted were at zero, the lowest a Reddit past can be. I eventually saw that a site I hadn’t posted on had referred several visitors to my listing.
My cover had caught the eye of someone at a tech blog. They posted a story about the cover and the sales started coming. My iPhone notifications were going crazy and they didn’t stop throughout the night and the next day.
Step 4: Figure Out What To Do
I was going to have to deliver card covers to people. I had a source. But how much money was I going to be making? After Etsy fees (¢20 per renewed listing + a sales fee), shipping (¢50 via USPS), envelopes/labels, and time spent folding and mailing . . . I’d be lucky to make $80.
This wasn’t a viable business. The time spent folding plus fees killed any profits. I take pride in the kind of service I typically give my customers. For example, I usually write a personal note thanking them for their purchase. But that was out of the question with the volume of sales I experienced. I couldn’t keep up.
Furthermore, this was a classic arbitrage situation, I was sourcing these covers for a low price and selling them at a higher price, but it wouldn’t last long. Copycats who were better positioned to actually make a profit were sure to pop up eventually.
So, I decided to cap the total I would sell at 500 covers - with a caveat, or ten.
Step 5: Have Fun - Special Editions
I held back 10 covers so that when I sold out, which I did Saturday afternoon, I could re-list nine of those covers as belonging to a group of the “Last 10.” I added special edition text to the listing:
LAST 10 APPLE CARD COVERS WE WILL EVER SELL
Once they are gone they are gone forever. Will they become sought after pieces of Apple memorabilia? We don’t know.
All we do know is that these are the LAST TEN IN THE WORLD
Protect YOUR Apple Card with this rare and highly sought after cover (over 490 sold to date).
Purchase Includes:
Apple Card Sleeve (matte black)
Authentic Apple Sticker (One Per Cover)
Certificate of Authenticity (Signed)
Upgraded Shipping (1st Class w/Tracking)
Accept no substitutes.
I priced them at $10.
And you know what? They sold. All nine were gone by that evening.
That left the final one. Cover Nº500. The last of the covers. The most special one.
THIS IS THE LAST REMAINING APPLE CARD COVER AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
There are NO OTHERS like it.
WE ARE OUT OF STOCK AND ARE UNABLE TO OBTAIN MORE
You Will NEVER Find Another One Because We Are Not Selling Any More
This is the LAST of its KIND
Purchase Includes:
Apple Card Sleeve (matte black)
Authentic Apple Sticker (TWO)
Certificate of Authenticity (Signed)
Exclusive “Collector” Packaging (Special Edition)
Upgraded Shipping (Priority Mail w/tracking and Insurance)
Accept no substitutes.
I priced it at $100.
I went to bed and woke up to a notification on my phone saying it sold as well.
I had one cover left. The prototype cover. The original that inspired this journey.
Before the SOLD OUT AND NEVER TO BE STOCKED AGAIN 500 Apple Card Covers there was Ur-Cover
Following in a line of prototype products, for sale is the prototype Apple Card Cover that birthed the 500 that SOLD OUT right here not long ago.
This ULTRA MEGA RARE find may not have been designed in the Cupertino design lab alongside the likes of the prototype Mac SE or the Indigo iBook G3 prototype (both pictured). But it was the FIRST COVER CONCEIVED as a cover FOR a product that was designed by someone in Cupertino.
This Alpha prototype of the popular Apple Card cover is the ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S DREAM if your dream as a collector is to own the prototype cover that spawned over 500 successful Apple Card Covers which you can no longer purchase from here.
ONE and ONLY one - Like Neo from The Matrix
Purchase Includes
The One and Only PROTOTYPE Apple Card Cover (matte black)
Authentic Apple Sticker (TWO)
Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance (Signed)
Exclusive Prototype “Collector” Packaging (MEGA Special Edition)
POLISHING CLOTH (Black, of course)
Upgraded Shipping (Priority Mail w/tracking and Insurance)
Accept no substitutes.
I priced it at $1,000.
It hasn’t sold. But you never know.
I see it as a monument to my weekend glimpse into Apple product silliness.
Conclusion
I never intended to have this window into the Apple product lifecycle. But it happened. Immediate takeaways?
I should have priced the covers higher, but then I couldn’t have marketed them for the “price of a song.”
Being at the right place, at the right time, with the right skills, and most importantly getting lucky that a tech site picked up on this was key.
Maybe Apple should have shipped the darn thing with a cover - or solved the credit card wear issue and used gorilla glass or something.
Mailing out 500 Apple Card covers is exhausting. It's not hard work but it's not something you'd want to do for an extended period.
The fact that I sold 500 card covers in a weekend shows that there's a need, a perceived one at least, for a product to protect your Apple Card. This need was driven by media coverage that blew all notion of proportionality out out of the water.
A scuff on a charge card is not a grave consequence. But coverage of scuffs on an Apple Card became a "thing" on the internet. I don't fault the people who spent $1.29 on a paper cover because of all this reporting. (I think the folks who spent more were having a good time and have more disposable income than I do. )
The media over-reported this but in the quest for relevant content and clicks, they sort of have to report on these sort of things. What's the solution? Take a step back? Adopt a "slow news" mentality? I don't know, but I'lll certainly be pondering this conundrum more thanks to this little art project.
A few months ago I was duped into buying a counterfeit Apple Watch charging dock on eBay. Now, when I say duped I knew something was fishy since the price for a legitimate dock would be at least quadruple the $15.99 asking price (now it's $20.99) the seller wanted.
The same seller selling the same fake dock for five more dollars.
Since this was going to be an extra dock for my old Series 0, I was willing to give it a shot though. It arrived quickly and at first glance looked to be from Apple. But when I compared it to the dock I already had, it was clearly a fake. I was OK with this, as long as it worked, but it didn't. So not only did I get a fake dock but I got a fake dock that didn't have the decency to even function.
I got my money back thanks to eBay/PayPal's guarantee and forgot about the whole thing. Then the seller contacted me about changing my review of the transaction, since they were kind enough to refund me.
And then Best Buy had an in-store sale on Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Docks for $47.99. I bought one and dug out the fake to compare.
Can you spot the difference?
Both certainly look similar.
The fake dock is on the left. The only visual difference is the omission of the logo.
The back of the box looks similar too. The counterfeiter didn't match the typeface correctly though - it's heavier than the light weight type Apple uses.
When you open the box the differences become noticeable.
Notice the color variation.
The two docks look different - especially right next to each other. If a legitimate dock wasn't available for comparison someone with only a passing acquaintance with Apple products and their design might get fooled - especially if the fake dock worked.
But if you look at the quality of the two you can see the difference.
Start with the packaging. The paper is decent but nowhere near approaching Apple's quality. And look at the corners of the box. The cuts and veneer pasting are very poor. There's no way Apple would ship any product in a package this shoddily made.
Now lets look at the dock itself. The top surface of the fake dock has a vinyl-like feel and appearance. And when you flip it over, not only is the typeface and text all wrong but you can see exposed wires on the underside of the flip mechanism which itself is also poorly made.
The genuine Apple dock has an alcantara-like top and the charge mechanism feels solid, like a bolt action rifle in terms of quality and feel. The metal is also not chintzy chrome plated plastic.
Check out the charging cable that came with the fake.
Here's the real thing.
The fake is a trademark of "Apple Ine" and if you need to contact them about FCC compliance write to "Cor porate Compliance."
Suffice to say the real instruction book was proofread by someone at Apple who did their job properly.
There's also a difference in the instruction pictograms.
The fake instructions. NOTE: all gray text and images. Authentic Apple instructions. Notice the lime green arrows.
Conclusion
I know, I know. "You get what you pay for." And if I were going into a transaction with full knowledge that what I was getting wasn't made by Apple, that would be one thing. But this fake product was advertised on eBay using the Apple part number and uses packaging, instructions, and materials that are meant to fool consumers into thinking they are buying an Apple product - albeit at a steep discount.
This is fraud.
There's not much that consumers can do except be aware that this type of product fraud exists and make sure you go into transactions knowing as much as you can about what a real product looks like so you won't be duped.
When you're deal hunting on eBay or Amazon, even for something small like this dock, consider a few things: What if it caught fire? Or damaged your Watch? Who would you go after for redress?
The legit product may cost more - we've all aware of the perceived Apple Tax - but there are reasons for this besides greed. One reason is that there is an actual company that stands behind these products. If anything goes wrong or something needs to be replaced, the company is in a place to offer a fix. I know, some of their keyboards aren't really holding up but Apple is pretty good - not perfect - about fixing defective products.
When you get a bargain, you may not be getting what you think you bargained for, just be informed.
Ryan Mooney of The Wool Hats String Band - A Connecticut based bluegrass/jamgrass group - takes another look at our #hringpoki guitar picks. He put version one through the ringer in January.Since then we have made some changes - based in large part on his feedback . We shipped him some new picks and he put some thoughts to paper. Enjoy.
Words by Ryan Mooney
First Impressions of version two of "The Most Interesting Guitar Pick In The World"
First off, I’d say they are much more comfortable to grip than the prior picks. Having removed the ridge that the old ones had and adding a little concavity makes them fit very well with how I hold a pick.
Second, the circle pack design provides a certain amount of grip that you don’t get on a solid pick. Overall, they have a very nice feel to them.
Poly-Brass-Poly
For the brass vs the plastic, the bronze one is much more stiff, even stiffer than the Blue Chip pick that I tend to play with. It has very little (or no) flex, likely because of the metal design. Surprisingly, the tone out of it isn’t as bright as I would have expected from a metal pick. This may be due to the smooth edge that it has. I found this to be a pleasant surprise and the pick that is most similar to what i currently use.
That said, it is a little brighter than my Blue Chip pick. The plastic ones are much lighter than I tend to use on an acoustic. They also provide a bit of bite, which I think comes from the textured edge on them. They seem to produce a pretty bright and immediate tone off of the acoustic strings. This may be due to the amount of flex that happens when they hit a heavy string. The black one was played for a while by my bandmate (Matt) and you can see the texture smoothing out.
Overall
In summary, I would say these are a good design and playable picks. They’d make a nice addition to a pick collection of someone who likes to explore the different tonal characteristics of various materials.
The Music
Angeline The Baker
As for pick comparisons, here's some picking I did of an old fiddle tune called Angeline the Baker. This will give you some idea of how single note stuff sounds.
Here are some chords from my song The Devil That You Know. This will give you a feel for how they sound strummed. As I’m typing this, I’m realizing how odd it is that I basically picked the Angel and Devil as my samples.
Recommendations and Possible Next Steps for Version Three
Lastly, if you want some feedback for other styles, if it is possible to produce the plastic pick without the texture on the edges, it may produce a mellower tone out of the gates. A thicker plastic pick might be interesting to try, too. Lastly, maybe make the tip of the pick solid with the circle pack more in the center of the pick where the thumb grips it. This may maximize the grip aspects while minimizing the flex.
