Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Freelance achievement stickers, Prince’s own purple, the science of magic mushrooms and more
1. Understanding the Natural Chemicals Within Magic Mushrooms
Since 1968, scientists have explored the enzymatic process in magic mushrooms that produces its active chemical, psilocybin. Not until a brand new study—published in the German journal Angewandte Chemie—has it been decoded. Scientists sequenced the genomes of two magic mushroom species, Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe cyanescens. Through enzyme isolation and splicing, they were later able to create their own psilocybin—something that could ultimately be beneficial for the pharmaceutical world. Yes, the process is complex but this new information can help develop a psychedelic fungal drug production process. Read more at Gizmodo.
2. Yayoi Kusama is Opening a Museum
Known and adored all over the world, artist Yayoi Kusama is set to open her very own museum in Tokyo. The five-story museum will host a garden, reading room, materials archive and a shop—as well as some of Kusama’s most famous and celebrated works. Opening 1 October this year, tickets will cost ¥1,000 ($7) and it’s surely to become a much-visited Tokyo institution. Read more at Dazed.
3. Vegetable By-Products Turned Into Waffles and Syrup
Food designer Chloé Rutzerveld’s proposed a new way to confront our global vegetable waste problem (where by-products are tossed rather than used). No, it’s not a soup. Rutzerveld has developed a recipe for sweet waffles derived from carrot, beetroot, or celeriac. She’s also created a syrup from the juices of those vegetables—through a water reduction process. Thus, these are entirely plant-based waffles (vegan and additive free). To learn more head over to Makezine.
4. Freelancer Achievement Stickers
Anybody who has lived (or lives) the freelance life knows that it can be challenging, infuriating and disheartening at times. In order to keep freelancer spirits up, artist Jeremy Nguyen has created a series of achievement sticker illustrations that congratulate workers on everything from sending final drafts to remembering to eat or putting on pants. Take a peep at the New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, where they’re featured, when you’re feeling like you got nothing done.
5. The World’s Largest Bicycle Parking Garage
Snagging the title from Tokyo’s Kasai underground station, the Central Train Station in Utrecht, the Netherlands will now house the world’s largest bicycle parking garage. It launches with 6,000 spots but will expand to 12,500 by next year. As PSFK points out for context, that’s enough room to house every single NYC Citibike and still have room for 2,500 more bikes. The 56,000-square-foot underground will offer free parking for the first 24 hours, and it will also be a hub for sharable bikes from OV-fiets. Surprisingly, as massive as the garage will be, those in Utrecht are already starting to worry that it won’t be enough to combat the city’s need. See more photos at PSFK.
6. Pantone’s Purple Honoring Prince
Inspired by Prince’s one-of-a-kind Yamaha purple piano, a new standardized custom color has been released by the Pantone Color Institute and the Prince Estate. Instead of a name and numeric value, as is standard for Pantone, the deep, regal color is simply represented by Prince’s “Love Symbol #2,” which the artist himself used from 1993 to 2000. From the nickname the “Purple One” to his Oscar awarded score for “Purple Rain,” Prince and the color purple have become synonymous. This honor from Pantone only further solidifies his legacy as a broad cultural icon.
7. Studio Ghibli Will Reopen For Hayao Miyazaki’s New Film
Hayao Miyazaki—the beautiful mastermind behind “Spirited Away,” “Howl’s Moving Castle” and more—is coming out of retirement, which means that the animation house he co-founded, Studio Ghibli, shall reopen. Miyazaki hosted a ceremony last month during which time he “brought together his main collaborators already engaged on his new feature film to talk to them about the project.” It’s rumored to be an adaptation of his CGI short film “Boro the Caterpillar.” Read more at Engadget.
8. 50,000 Vinyl Records Digitized for the Internet Archive
Working from 200,000 physical recordings received through donation, Internet Archive (archive.org) has already digitized 50K vinyl records—many of which hail from before the ’50s. The organization is seeking to preserve genres that have received less attention, including yodeling, bluegrass and early blues. The process of digitization is quite complicated and requires landing the correct recording speed. Altogether known as the Great 78 Project, the resulting preservation database allows anyone who visits the site to search and stream from this incredible catalog.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
