Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Roving Mars, sharks, sexy food, Hemingway’s take on JavaScript and more in our weekly look at the web
This Week’s LAB is Sponsored by Dos Equis
1. The Burner App
The new best friend to anyone wishing to make anonymous phone calls without the risk of leaving a trail, The Burner app makes it easy to make new phone numbers, track in- and outgoing calls and messages, set the life of the number and obviously burn it at a moment’s notice.
2. Water Light Graffiti
Digital artist Antonin Fourneau’s latest project gives new form to graffiti with an interactive wall comprised of LED light sensors that are activated by water. Spraying, painting and pressing moisture onto the surface creates ephemeral shapes and messages that slowly fade to black.
3. The Gourmand Issue 00
Blending art and food under one cover like never before, the newly launched magazine The Gourmand finds inspiration in the influx of foodie culture. In its first issue, you’ll find photographs of crocodile hunting in Australia, an apple dumpling recipe by Jeff Koons and even some sexy images of people eating.
4. If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript
Nerd humor at its best, professional coder and lover of literature Angus Croll imagines how Hemingway and four other literary legends would have handled writing JavaScript. Each luminary responds accordingly, with Hemingway getting straight to the point and Shakespeare beating around the bush.
5. Mobile Beetle Shark Observation Cage
As official sponsor of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, Volkswagen created an underwater shark cage in the shape of their iconic VW bug. Built from the ground up, the open-air Beetle Shark Cage can be driven on the ocean floor courtesy of four wheels and a set of rear propellers.
6. Lapka
Aiming to do more than extend battery life and liven internal speakers, Lapka is an iPhone accessory that acts as a “personal environment monitor.” The wood-and-plastic components can measure humidity, temperature, radiation and electromagnetic frequency—though the most interesting feature is likely the “organicity” probe that tells users whether or not their food is organic based on the amount of nitrate levels detected.
7. Mars Panorama
As the Curiosity Mars rover makes its way around the martian desert, earthlings have been treated to plenty of stunning visuals. This 360-degree panorama shows off the view from Greeley Haven on the rim of the Endeavor crater. The panorama was stitched together from 817 images, giving off a pretty good idea of what it’s like to walk on Mars.
8. Classic Wrecks
Since childhood artist John Findra has been fascinated with cars and model-making. His hobby has evolved—or rather decayed—as an adult, leading him to create model junk cars kitted out with rust, holes, dings and dents so real you’d swear it’s been sitting in the front yard for years.
