Link About It: This Week’s Picks
The women boxers of NYC, housing on Mars and more in this week’s look at the web
1. The Women of New York’s Boxing Scene
With more people turning their attention toward the world of women’s boxing (thanks in part to UFC champion Ronda Rousey), photographer Brittany Carmichael ventured into some of NYC’s boxing gyms to capture the city’s fighters. Many of the women featured found their way into the sport under various circumstances, but it’s clear that a rigorous work ethic and the thrill of constant improvement unite them in their desire to continue fighting. View the full set of images at The Cut.
2. How Spotify is Perfecting Music Curation
Pandora, Rdio, Apple and Tidal all offer their own versions of music curation, but one service, Spotify, seems to have cracked the code. The streaming service’s popular Discover Weekly feature has found a way to spot tracks that users will actually enjoy, without remaining too safe or straying too far from personal taste. The team behind Discover Weekly admits the product is far from perfect but, as The Verge found out on a recent trip to Spotify’s offices, there’s a lot still to come—including a new feature called Fresh Finds that trawls music blogs to unearth songs just before they catch on.
Have Christmas Dinner in the Hogwarts Great Hall
Beginning this holiday season, Harry Potter fans will be able to take part in one of the films’ most magical moments: feasting in the Hogwarts Great Hall. The dinner will take place on 3 December at the original Warner Bros. London film set, which has been used for the movies. A ticket to the event will get you a wand, a two-course Christmas dinner (complete with cherry-studded hams and Butterbeer) and a night of music and dancing. It’s not clear if this is just a one time event or not, but we’re hoping the Hall opens up for regular feasting festivities.
4. “Daft Punk Unchained” Documentary
For the past 20 years, Grammy Award-winning electronic music duo Daft Punk has managed to gain international acclaim while remaining anonymous. Though their music can be heard playing in clubs across the world, little is known about the helmet-clad performers, who refuse to show their faces at shows and interviews. New documentary “Daft Punk Unchained” may be the first intimate look into the lives of the French musicians, as it explores their historical rise to fame through interviews with their closest collaborators—including Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Nile Rogers and Skrillex.
5. Your Horoscope in Cocktails
Instead of offering advice on family, business or love, Liquor.com’s new monthly horoscope answers the question its readers really want to know: “What should I be drinking?” The new section of the site, called “Your Horoscope in Cocktails,” pairs cosmic zodiac readings with the perfect alcoholic beverage. With Mercury in retrograde this month, Virgos are encouraged to exude confidence while sipping on a French 75 while Libras will benefit from a solo dinner and a Manhattan. See what the stars think you should be drinking at Liquor.com.
6. Bizarre Mars Housing Concepts
Mars is looking more inhabitable than ever—as NASA announced the discovery of liquid water on its surface—so it’s only a matter of time until we finally touch down on the Red Planet. And when we do, we’ll have no shortage of housing options thanks to a handful of architects and designers who submitted proposals to NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. The competition called for “state-of-the-art architectural concepts that take advantage of the unique capabilities 3D printing offers,” while also being accommodating for Mars inhabitants. Head to Dezeen to see the 10 most bizarre submissions.
7. Mealworms Might Be The Solution to Growing Landfills
An unlikely hero has been identified in the fight against the world’s growing landfill problem. As it turns out, mealworms (the crawly larvae found in many science classrooms) can safely and effectively digest styrofoam—the pervasive takeout container material found in countless restaurants. The discovery comes as a surprise to scientists, many of whom are now optimistic that a marine version of the mealworm exists—possibly leading to an environmentally friendly way to curb the large quantities of plastics in our oceans.
8. Models Wear Models at Rick Owens’ Fashion Show
You never know what to expect from a Rick Owens fashion show. Earlier this year he sent models onto the runway wearing outfits that had peepholes for their penises, and his latest show at Paris Fashion didn’t disappoint: it featured models wearing other models as a sort of human backpack. In an email discussing the on-stage antics, Owens explains that the vision centered around “women raising women, women becoming women and women supporting women.”
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
