Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Previously unseen images of Warhol and co, FLOTUS on educating girls, Star Wars marble statues and more
1. Lytro is Revolutionizing the Way We Capture Virtual Reality
Lytro first entered the photography market with a camera that differentiated itself by capturing a scene’s entire light field, allowing users to adjust focus after the shot. Now, they’ve applied that same technology to virtual reality, resulting in the Lytro Immerge—a spherical camera that may revolutionize the way people capture 3D video. Previously, VR cameras would need to stitch tons of images together in order to create a virtual world. Immerge uses its light field technology to capture the entire 360-degree image. Read more on Engadget.
2. 100 of the Brightest Women Directors Right Now
For some reason, Hollywood studios continue to dole out blockbuster deals to male directors while shying away from hiring their female counterparts. Sony, Paramount, the Weinstein Company and 20th Century Fox—all powerhouse studios—failed to release a single film directed by a woman this year, fallaciously blaming a shallow pool of talent to choose from. To help them, Vulture has compiled a list of 100 of the best and brightest women directors—from Oscar winners to indie film favorites—more than capable of taking on the job. See the full list on Vulture.
3. Star Wars Characters as Marble Sculptures
If Darth Vader, Yoda and General Grievous existed in a galaxy far, far away, would they have their own marble statues just as ancient Roman leaders do? In his latest photo series, artist Travis Durden aims to envision exactly what it might be like if they did. Durden combined photos of marble sculptures he found in the Louvre with digital compositions of prominent Star Wars character busts, resulting in ultra-realistic stone figures. Take a look at the full set of images on Fubiz.
4. Michelle Obama Addresses Girls’ Education
Last spring, Michelle Obama launched Let Girls Learn, a global initiative to get more girls into the classroom. This week she’s traveling to the Middle East, where she’ll meet with young schoolgirls in Jordan as well as speak to national leaders at a conference in Qatar. Ahead of her visit, FLOTUS wrote an op-ed in The Atlantic detailing the major roadblocks that keep countries from investing in girls’ education. While scholarships, safer transportation and adequate school bathrooms will help, many girls will never get a chance at education if cultural beliefs and practices that demean women persist.
5. Daredevils Fly Next to an A380 Superjumbo
In their latest terrifying stunt, daredevil Yves Rossy (aka Jetman) and his sidekick Vince Reffet have flown alongside a huge Emirates A380 airliner at 4,000 feet. The death-defying flight—which looks like it’s taken from an action movie—was meticulously choreographed, yet must have caused all those involved (let along watching at home) the shivers.
6. Paige Powell’s Intimate Images of Warhol, Madonna and Basquiat
Interview Magazine’s former associate publisher Paige Powell moved to New York City in 1980 and quickly became intertwined in the city’s electrifying social scene. As part of a historic group of friends—including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Madonna and Jean-Michel Basquiat (who was also her boyfriend at the time)—Powell spent many nights exploring New York’s clubs, restaurant and shops, snapping countless photos along the way. After holding onto the photos for nearly 40 years, Powell now plans to display them at a new exhibition at the Portland Art Museum. View a few of the intimate images at T Magazine.
7. How Bloodroot Blades Forges Knives From Scrap Metal
The first episode of Bloomberg Pursuits’ new digital series “Made” goes inside the workspace of David Van Wyk and Luke Snyder—the duo behind Bloodroot Blades—who are forging luxury, custom knives deep in the heart of Georgia. But unlike any other blades on the market, these knives are cut from scrap metal the two craftsmen find in junkyards and auto yards—from an old Chevy suspension spring to a rusted saw blade. Even the wood for handles are shipped in from around the world. Watch Bloodroot Blades’ entire knife-making process on Bloomberg.
8. Images From the First-Ever World Indigenous Games
Nearly two dozen countries, including New Zealand, Brazil, Finland, Mongolia and more, are currently in the midst of a nine-day competition called the World Indigenous Games—the very first of its kind. Indigenous groups from each country are going head-to-head in archery, log-carrying, tug-of-war and even beauty pageants. Mashable has gathered some of the most captivating photos from the contests so far, and they offer a spectacular glimpse into the games, where traditional dress and ceremonies mix with modern practices like wearing jerseys and holding signs.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
