Using a mapping algorithm coupled with citizen reviews of sights and scenery, a team of researchers has developed a way to choose paths through cities based on beauty, quiet and happiness rather than simply the shortest distance between two points.

The project employed Google Street View and Geograph as well as Flickr images and their metadata to build out an initial estimation of probable best paths, then solicited human feedback (to check and enhance the results) from a group of participants on the website UrbanGems (shown above).

The study, published by Cornell University’s arXiv, came up with a number of route suggestions in Boston and London and contains a number of interesting findings. For starters, the ‘beautiful’ routes were only slightly longer than the shortest routes, and significantly shorter than typical tourist-oriented directions and guided-tour paths. As the algorithm improves, it is increasingly able to generate paths through new cities via metadata alone, reducing reliance on input from people.

The project’s creators included Daniele Quercia and Luca Maria Aiello of Yahoo Labs in Barcelona and Rossano Schifanella of the University of Torino, Italy. From their abstract: “When providing directions to a place, web and mobile mapping services are all able to suggest the shortest route. The goal of this work is to automatically suggest routes that are not only short but also emotionally pleasant.

The assessments are not simply qualitative value judgments, but a hybrid of human and machine input: “Based on a quantitative validation, we find that, compared to the shortest routes, the recommended ones add just a few extra walking minutes and are indeed perceived to be more beautiful, quiet, and happy.”

From UrbanGems: “Buildings and neighbourhoods speak. They speak of egalitarianism or elitism, beauty or ugliness, acceptance or arrogance. The aim of UrbanGems is to identify the visual cues that are generally associated with concepts difficult to define such beauty, happiness, quietness, or even deprivation. The difficult task of deciding what makes a building beautiful, or what is sought after in a quiet location is outsourced to the users of this site using comparisons of pictures. With a comprehensive list of aesthetic virtues at hand, we would be more likely to systematically understand and re-create the environments we intuitively love.”

Banksy’s artwork is all over the map this month, both literally and metaphorically, showing up in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island – some of it is even traveling in between. So far, his pieces ranged from mobile installations and mixed-material sculptures to old-fashioned graffiti tags and signature Banksy-style stencils. Here are some of the fresh highlights from his work over the past two weeks of his Better In Than Out residency work.

The Sirens of the Lambs is a dark buffet of faux livestock that started its citywide tour aptly in the Meatpacking District. A slaughterhouse delivery truck packed with screaming animatronic stuffed animals, it was tagged by a fan with a tracking device, to which Banksy responded on his website: “Please note: If you’re the person who stuck a tracking device on the garden truck you’re now following a car service in Queens.”

Murals and installations like the truck-and-car art above have been shown from the Upper West Side to the Lower East Side and beyond. “People ask why I want to have an exhibition in the streets, but have you been to an art gallery recently? They’re full,” writes Banksy on his blog, which has featured a flurry of updates as he has made his way daily to different parts of town.

Some days he comments or quips about briefly on his site, but others he stays silent on, letting them speak for themselves – particularly the more potentially-controversial works like his 911 tribute in Tribeca. A stencil and single flower says all he wants to say on the subject.

Meanwhile, about the above, spray-painted on a wall in Queens, he snarks: “Some people criticize me for using sources that are a bit low brow (this quote is from ‘Gladiator’) but you know what? ‘I’m just going to use that hostility to make me stronger, not weaker’ as Kelly Rowland said on the X Factor.”

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Busy Banksy New Street Art Spans All 5 Boroughs Of Nyc

There is a definite appeal to life on the high sea, cruising into vast and dangerous unknowns, with just the wind at one’s back, and wood beneath the feet. For those who are not into this kind of adventure, there are other appeals to the ocean… boats! Humans have had a lot of time to experiment with boat-making, and have come up with some truly wild creations.

(Images via cafemom, boatdesign, inhabitat, ask, iliketowastemytime)

For the true landlubber with the heart of a sailor, why not bring the boat to land? The odd buildings at the top left look like they were designed just in case Noah makes a return visit, while the top right creation is only meant to look nautical (it would be difficult to float in that one). Old boats can be recycled to create beautiful barns like these retired fishing vessels on Holy Island in the United Kingdom. The Benson Ford is a retired vessel that still gazes out longingly at the sea, while another solidly land-based boat structure just takes on the appearance of an ocean-going ship.

(Images via yeahsnos, mongorocks, wherecoolthingshappen, coolest-gadgets, pastemagazine, redneckboats)

The Molokini is a clear kayak that is popular in Hawaii, as it allows the user to paddle around while still seeing the teeming sea life beneath them. The Baja Skimmer is a unique watercraft that looks like a mini, more agile version of an airboat and handles more like a jet ski. The HotTug is a mobile hot tub… it’s powered by a wood stove that heats the water inside to a comfortable temperature, while also providing energy to make it mobile. A barbeque dining boat might be the exact thing your dinner party needs. Take up to 10 adults out on the water with this waterborne food station! The Seabreecher X takes its inspiration from the most famous sea creature of them all: the shark. A video of it in action is embedded below. This last beauty is nothing but the cab of a truck on some pontoons. Whatever floats your boat, right?

(Images via brobible, dasolar, ecoble, volumatrix, hypemuch)

Concept boats can provide a great glimpse into the future of boating. Yacht Island Design’s concept is for a floating island paradise. Take the beach out on the ocean and always have a margarita in hand! On a more serious note, Solar Sailor created this concept for a ship powered by a solar sail, harnessing the sun’s energy rather than the wind’s. For a lazy sunday, consider this solar pedal boat, which is the perfect dock for sun-bathing and diving into the lake. Novague Studio came up with this solar powered boat, with a series of solar panels that can be rolled out for a recharge. The Why yacht is huge, and meant more as a sustainable living space than a typical boat for quick transport.

(Images via onemoregoodadventure)

Love love is more of a sculpture than an actual boat. Yes, it floats, and can move, but it’s main purpose is to intrigue and entertain. Created by Julien Berthier, it has been taken out several times, though it is likely approached by a lot of helpful citizens trying to save someone who is clearly in “trouble”.

(Images via senseslost, boats, anchmuni)

The Python is amphibious and incredibly powerful (video below), and most amazingly, manages to look more like a car than a boat, when most amphibious vehicles tend to be the other way around. The equally sporty looking Gibbs Aquada can transform from car to boat in a stunning 12 seconds. The Terra Wind is a motorhome that can be outfitted for water travel as well. It pushes the limits and is definitely more of a novelty than anything else.

With the constant innovations of advertising in new media, it’s easy to forget the tried and true forms of advertising that once dominated media buys. The old fashioned billboard tends to be plastered with text and ugly graphics, but there are pioneers who are pushing the limits of a once conservative business. Here are 16 creative billboards that step out of the bounds of an old media:

(Images via danvertising, artatm)

Billboards can do something even the most complicated online display advertising can – and that’s break through the boundaries and become truly interactive with the real world. There’s something about the tactile nature of this kind of ad that impels one to talk about it with friends.

(Images via andersonf, toxel, mymodernmet)

Sometimes it’s not what’s on the billboard, but rather how empty space is used. Removing part of a billboard to make a point is wonderful because it’s both eye catching, and shows that the advertiser took the time to study the environment the billboard would inhabit, and stylized it to interact uniquely.

(Images via inquisitr, billboardom, billboardom, fistofblog)

It’s amazing what you can do with a simple rectangle, and bringing in a little creativity with shape and texture can make a typically two dimensional ad medium really pop out. People expect something from a boring billboard, so it’s great when those expectations are ruined.

(Images via geekologie, greensboring, viviangrant, greensboring)

Bloom supermarkets have pioneered the most interactive billboards yet, by creating two different billboards that emit smells into the surrounding area. The first such billboard wafted steak scents for passing motorists, and the second incorporated a fallen muffin and wonderful blueberry muffin smells.

(Images via dailygalaxy, otakuchick)

Billboards can be a surprisingly effective platform (literally) for environmental causes, as exemplified by these creative setups, which destroy expectations of what’s possible with a rectangular space.

(Images via davewilliamsdesigns, thecrapbox, pedrogoico)

These billboards truly step off the board and enter the real world with their off the wall uses of 3 dimensional features. Figures escape the boundaries of the ad and become compelling entertainment.

If you aren’t already using StumbleUpon to find cool websites about all sorts of stuff, you may not get these jokes – but you should become part of the StumbleUpon social and website network! The first and last image shown here are real screenshots encountered while Stumbling, while the rest are satirical, critical and otherwise humorous responses to aspects of StumbleUpon.

(8) Stumbling too fast: this is a real message you get when you are simply Stumbling like mad. It is probably a good sign you should be doing something else besides using StumbleUpon

(7) I HAS STMBLED TWO MUCHEZ: speaking of Stumbling too fast, there is also such a thing as Stumbling too much! This particular meme (a derivative of the LOLCATS phenomenon) started on one site and spread virally throughout StumbleUpon.

(6) The Perfect StumbleUpon Page: a fairly hilarious spoof of the somewhat formulaic content that seems to succeed more often than not on the site. This is probably related to how many Stumblers just vote on a quick view of what is visible ‘above the fold’ on a page.

(5) StumbleUpon Insomnia: of course, you’re really not a true Stumbler until you stay up too late Stumbling things. Hopefully, however, you’re not trying to Stumble while driving!

(4) Here’s a Suggestion: agree or disagree, this is a pretty clever way to visually play off the fact that you can, in fact, point to where peoples’ StumbleUpon buttons are. The creator also has a point: a lot of people spend a surprising amount of time trashing pages they could just Stumble past!

(3) STOP QUOTING THE ENTIRE PAGE: again, not all Stumblers think this is good advice – but we are all familiar with those reviews that replicate the entire content of the page in the review itself. The irony, of course, is that many people who saw this quoted it all!

(2) Adult StumbleUpon Feature Request Spoof: many Stumblers are all too familiar with the crossed out image on the left. A vocal minority of Stumblers keeps reintroducing that meme into the mix. One Stumbler finally got fed up and made the entire above image.

(1) You have seen all StumbleUpon pages. Explore others: this is, amazingly enough a real screenshot displayed when people have Stumbled their way through all of the content under a given tag. What makes it, of course, even funnier is the double-reading: all StumbleUpon pages? Really? That’s the end of StumbleUpon? Wow!