Link About It: This Week’s Picks
The smell of rain, Tesla’s ‘Insane Mode,’ cannabis beer and more in our weekly look at the web
1. Beer for Cannabis Connoisseurs
A new beer by Colorado-based brewery Oskar Blues keeps cannabis-inclined drinkers in mind. The new brew—dubbed “Pinner” (referring to the term used for small joints)—features a heavy, hoppy aroma that likens itself to the scent of marijuana. Alcohol content is also kept on the lower side, allowing drinkers to easily knock back more than a couple. The Oskar Blues Pinner IPA will hit shelves on 1 March 2015.
2. The Smell of Rain Explained
Two MIT scientists have finally figured out the smell of rain (aka petrichor). As a raindrop falls, it traps tiny air bubbles beneath it, and if the ground conditions are right and the droplet hits the earth at a particular velocity, those air bubbles will push up through the raindrop and burst into the air. The result: that very unique aroma.
3. Airbnb’s Cable Car Sleepover
Airbnb is giving adventurous travelers the chance to sleep 9,000 feet above the French Alps—in a cable car. By simply writing to the room rental service explaining why you want it so badly, you and three of your closest pals could win a night of feasting and sleeping amongst some of the most serene views in the world. The contest entry deadline is on Wednesday, 25 February, and the cable car sleepover will take place on 6 March.
4. BMW’s “Newfangled” Idea
In a brilliant new ad, BMW harks back to the dawn of the internet and features a clip of Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel wondering, “What is ‘internet’ anyway? Do you write to it like mail?” Fast forward 21 years and the duo now sits in the new zero-emission BMW i3 questioning whether the futuristic auto is propelled by either a fan, turbine or maybe a fan-bine? It’s true; big ideas do take a little getting used to.
5. Living With Body Integrity Identity Disorder
The relatively unheard of condition called Body Integrity Identity Disorder (or BIID) causes people to disassociate themselves with one (or more) of their limbs—often their left leg—and drives them to desire amputation. The ethics behind amputating a perfectly healthy limb remain controversial, although some sufferers see it as the only option for a happier life. New York Magazine recently spoke with a 71-year-old man who has been living with the condition since he was five, and who candidly explains his feelings on a topic many find difficult to understand.
6. Invader in Tanzania
Popular French street artist Invader, known for his tiled works that often depict 8-bit video game characters, opted for a more natural setting for his latest “invasion.” The urban artist traveled to the Serengeti in Tanzania where he drew inspiration from the open fields, trees and animals. Without anywhere to actually place his mosaic pieces, Invader resorted to snapping pictures of his works as he held them up.
7. Tesla’s Insane Mode
An owner of a new Tesla P85D shocked some of his family and friends by giving them a taste of the all-wheel-drive electric vehicle’s “insane mode.” Using a dashboard-mounted camera, the driver caught the screams, squeals and swearing of his passengers as they accelerated from a complete stop to 60 mph in just over three seconds. From children to a few older pals, nobody could keep their composure as the P85D rocketed toward insanity.
8. Sonos’ Happy Accident
Though many try to avoid the often undesirable wavy effect created by moire patterns, Sonos happily embraces it in the newest iteration of their visual identity. The widely celebrated “sound waves” that emanate from the Sonos logo as you scroll actually occurred as an accident during the design process. After taking notice, the team at Bruce Mau Design tweaked the graphic to amplify the effect, resulting in a beautifully relevant rebranding.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on Twitter, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
