Technology is typically a double-edged sword. These days it’s safe to assume that any consumer electronics product that begins with the word “smart” might make your life more convenient but you can also bet it’s going to compromise the hell out of your privacy in some way.
I’m a self-professed gadget/tech geek of the highest order. These days it takes quite a bit to wow me but yesterday Google did just that with their new Arts and Culture App.
I had seen article after article about the app the day before trying it. The app is a year old but, somehow, is just now going viral on social media. Why?
Just recently Google devised an ingenious gimmick to make the app more popular. It goes like this, if you take a selfie it will match your picture to a subject in a famous piece of art. There’s nothing like a little nod to people’s narcissistic tendencies to get the word out about your product. Hey, it worked for me.
I was talking to my wife on the phone while she was driving home from work (hence the earbuds) and I thought I’d give it a shot. The results were astounding.
It matched me with Giovanni Battista Moroni’s, “Portrait of a Gentleman (‘Il Gentile Cavaliere') from 1564-5.
The resemblance was beyond anything that I expected. This uncanny match caused me to take a deep dive into the history of both the artwork and the artist. This was a completely unplanned detour into the UK’s National Gallery and sixteenth century art that I wouldn’t have ever taken otherwise. Pretty cool, right?
Also, this is absolutely ingenious marketing on Google’s part. It dawned on me that they got me to expand my cultural horizons and all it cost me was the biometric signature of my face, which they will likely use in a variety of ways that I dare not even think about. Creepy.
Would you like to try it yourself? If so Click Here to read more about how the Arts & Culture app works. It's available for both Apple and Android devices.
Please follow our official Steemit account for the film series @hardfork-series. Did you miss our last post? If so CLICK HERE to read it!
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
My book on meditation, The Perfect Pause, is priced at $12.99 (paperback) and $4.99 (eBook). Buy the paperback and receive the eBook for free!
Connect with Me
Great post . Thanks for sharing. You have described it perfectly. It is "cool and creepy".
Thank you!
Astonishing....... you really looks like Giovanni Battista Moroni’s, “Portrait of a Gentleman". i definitely try this app.
I'd be interested to see your result!
Just say no.. to google
Haha, yeah, probably not a bad idea to say no to Google.
I tried this app, it's pretty interesting to upload your photo and see if something like this hangs in a random museum around the world. Thank you for sharing.
It is interesting. It's actually quite an amazing app once you begin to dig into it a little deeper.
Haha pretty cool!The resemblance is really amazing!I need to try it as well!
If you try it please share the results!
Haha , We can travel to the last 1 ,000 years by this app
True!
So cool! Looks like you fit right in with that time Giovanni!
It's so weird! Have you tried it @annhoyblog?
I knew it!
You're a time traveler!
Lol, sometimes I feel like I belong in a different time but then I think, "There wouldn't be blockchain or cryptocurrency in the past."
We'd be breaking pencils and crying over spilled ink. The first hard drive crash was actually a document ruining sneeze.
that's an incredible resemblance!!
Rob and I have also gone down the rabbit hole of this app and love seeing the results - yes we've done it multiple times...profiles, straight on etc...
I've been hoping that this might inspire interest in some paintings that most of us don't see or maybe have never seen and it sounds like that has happened for you! This is a good thing I believe.
I'd like to see some of your matches! This app is such a great portal to the arts for people who wouldn't normally take the time. I agree, this aspect of it is fabulous!
It's such a shame that these apps tend to only really work with caucasian faces; we wanna play too!
http://digg.com/2018/google-arts-culture-racist-face
PS I don't think it is racist, just a lazy oversight.
Cg
Yeah, it's also not super accurate in general. It matched my brother with someone of a completely different race.
Yeah as it seems some are indeed embarrassing while it seems like yours is quite great buddy !
This art & culture app really amazing. I also want to see my similarity with art.
Have you tried it yet? If so, what did you think?
Now how cool is that wonderful :D
Holy! That man MUST have been your ancestor xD either that or you in your past life.
Really beyond any other result I've ever seen with apps that promise to find your "doppelganger".
Cheers Eric.
Yeah, I know! Crazy stuff. Cheers, @spiritualmax!
he really likes you more than you :)
Nice creativity and great looking.
This is a smart idea and smart thinking.
Just awesome.
Opps. Google thinking smart change for our face. Adding traditional looks to the app. I think now we can various styles persons forever. :D
So why we get upset? be enjoy and happy. :P
Oh, yes, this is a new invention, the Google is very impressive and you are right, you can try different things with it! Thank you @ericvancewalton
Wow that's cool app introduced from Google. Google has nice marketing tricks. Omg.....You've changed more difference from this app. Awesome looks like artist @ericvancewalton.
This is a smart idea and smart thinking.
Just awesome.
it's so cool
with soft story
restemed
new app with new thinking..
upvoted
Excellenl story, very nice art, amazing post, thanks for sharing
very interesting. google continues to work. By the way, there is really a lot of harmony between paintings. thank you for sharing and informing
Nice. Its as if its a 2nd life... or a 2nd generation o you. Lol.
Well the story continues, I came to comment because I think the resemblance is uncanny, and I see the painter is like me, also an
Artist called Giovanni 😅 Awesome, here's one of my pieces from the 21st century. Will be following ✊🏽
The Google app is amazing, the art work your matched with is a perfect match.
haha, it is very Creepy ! Google always develop a lot of funny things!
Nice article
Nice your pics art
Thanks and have a nice day
Good blog, yeah google art app looks amazing app.
Thanks for the recommendation. just following you, waiting for the next posts :)
You are the gentlemen :)
Looks an interesting art to try amazing
The result were awesome for you wow :)
You are a handsome man, are you an Englishman?
Thaks
Thanks @siren7. We're partially English, Jewish, Russian, North African. Quite a mix.
thanks for the nice post 👍
I haven't done the selfie thing, but I'm loving that app.
I'm getting there @ericvancewalton. Downloaded a selfie so far. haha
Definitely a match