Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Skateboarding India, poems on Mars, 3D-printed ears and more in our look at the web this week
1. Internet Early Days
The first public site on the World Wide
Web is now back at its original URL to celebrate the Web’s 20th
anniversary. The text-only page features a brief explanation of its
purpose along with a few links to biographies, technical details and more, launched on 30 April 1993.
2. A Passive Future for NYC
Showing the impressive results of passive building techniques, Sam
McAfee of SG Build took a thermal image this past January of
NYC’s first certified passive home. Bright reds, oranges and yellows
consume all neighboring homes, showing heat loss due to poorly
insulated materials The town home at 23 Park Place however, remains a
cool blue in contrast.
3. India Within
Brett Novak’s vintage-inspired freestyle skateboarding video shot on the dramatic and beautifully colorful streets of India captures Kilian Martin landing tricks we thought vanished with the days of Dogtown. The atypical setting and distinct skate style make for captivating footage anyone can enjoy.
4. Sight Unseen Master Classes
As part of this year’s Noho Design District, Sight Unseen is
hosting a series of classes on 17 May at NYC’s Bowery Hotel. Each
workshop will be led by a trio of up-and-coming New York designers, giving
participants a tactile lesson in design and the
chance to walk away with their own handmade object. Sign up while
spots still remain.
5. Poems on Mars
Interplanetary wordsmiths take note, NASA is sending three poems to Mars on its November launch of the MAVEN spacecraft. Submit your haikus in English between 1-15 July 2013 for your (poem’s) chance to join the maiden voyage. Global entries are welcome and winners will be chosen by a public vote.
6. Cinco de Miracle Whip
Tangy mayonnaise brand Miracle Whip riffs on their name with a five-day celebration of Cinco de Mayo. For the occasion, haters are invited to try their hand at bashing a piñata in the shape of a Miracle Whip bottle while fans of the creamy condiment defend it from attacks—both using telepresence robotics.
7. Tag Me
When Instagram was purchased by Facebook in April 2012 there was a collective
shudder at what would come with it. A successful Photo Map rollout last August added geographic functionality to the favored app, and now they take the social aspect a step further with photo tagging. Before worrying about your Instagram handle being linked to questionable images of yourself, know this time around they’ve added a number of ways to privatize or remove any images you may not approve of. The only question now is, what’s next?
8. 3D Snowflakes
Researches at the University of Utah have developed a system for photographing snowflakes in free-fall. With a high-speed setup on the slopes of Alta, the crew has been able to record half a million 3D images to date, extensively cataloging and bringing to life a subject that is normally next to impossible to capture on film and off.
9. Now Printing in 3D: Ears
Researchers at Princeton this week bio-engineered ears that can pick up sound in stereo as well as frequencies beyond human capacity. Utilizing hydrogel (a base material in tissue engineering), silver nanoparticles for conductivity and calf cells, which mature to form collagen, the engineers used 3D printing technology to create the ears from scratch.
10. Duck, Duck…
Conceptual artist Florentijin Hofman brightened up Victoria Harbor this week when he introduced his nearly 50-foot tall rendition of the classic bath toy to the city of Hong Kong. Hofman’s lovable duck has visited locations around the world with much fanfare, each time toying with the scale of its surroundings. His goal for Rubber Duck? Simply to make people smile.
11. Rejected Movie Poster Archive
Not every creation makes the final cut—and sometimes that’s a good thing. From the archives of a memorabilia dealer comes a collection of movie posters that, for better or worse, never saw the light of day, from Jaws to Batman and beyond.
12. This Little Piggy by Tim Harrington
Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington takes a break from indie rock stylings to drop an extended version of nursery rhyme “This Little Piggy,” which focuses on the other five toes. Intended to complement his forthcoming picture book, the song explores piggies that chewed gum, explored space and threw costume parties.
