Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Gear Patrol’s World Cup 2014 primer, Mike D and Clare Vivier for Monster Children, a GoPro roller coaster ride and more in our weekly look at the web
1. Mike D + Clare Vivier for Monster Children
Known for women’s accessories, designer Clare Vivier dropped her first line of men’s goods in a somewhat unlikely collaboration with legendary NYC hip-hop godfather, Mike D of the Beastie Boys. The launch coincided with the release of Monster Children’s latest issue—of which D’s the guest editor. Composed of just a few simple pieces including a card holder, tote and dust jacket for the special issue, Vivier keeps consistent with quality of construction, materials and minimalist design.
2. A Comprehensive World Cup Primer
Our friends at Gear Patrol have really outdone themselves this
time with a 2014 World Cup Primer offering up
“everything you need to know” about the FIFA soccer tournament currently happening in
Brazil. From on-field technology to the cup by the numbers and a who to
watch and why, the in-depth analysis offers both insight for the
informed and a crash course for newcomers.
3. Renzo Piano in Paris
Famed Italian architect Renzo Piano needs no introduction—and that’s why, when he completes a project, the world takes notice. His latest completion, the new headquarters for the Pathé Foundation in Paris (set to open this September), is nothing short of spectacular. Situated in a dense historical neighborhood amid classically Parisian architecture lies Piano’s bulbous, avant garde structure. From an aerial view, the building creates a striking juxtaposition to those around it, but from the street a façade coyly hides the bulk of the breathtaking structure.
4. A Clinical Death Repair Shop
In the operating room, surgeons often need every waking second to save trauma patients’ lives. With a new experimental surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, doctors are planning on draining all the blood from emergency room entrants and replacing it with saltwater. This process induces hypothermia, slows the metabolism and technically kills a patient. That said, it buys doctors time and if the patient can be revived (which doctors believe is possible), a life will be saved.
5. 360º Roller Coaster Recording
Using six GoPro cameras and video-stitching software, photographer
Ignacio Ferrando created a bizarre 360º-recording of a roller coaster
ride. While the clip is wonderfully surreal, it can also be rather
nauseating if you try to follow the roller coaster route. Bump up the definition, open in full screen and proceed at your own risk!
6. “Calvin & Hobbes” Creator Returns
Bill Watterson spent years creating one of the most beloved weekly comic strips, “Calvin & Hobbes.” Now, syndicated cartoonist Stephan Pastis reveals that Watterson has secretly returned with a contribution to his work “Pearls Before Swine.” This is Watterson’s first published work since ending his series back in December 1995, and the artist cites his appreciation of Pastis’ comics and an opportunity to make money for the Team Cul de Sac charity as to what brought him back into the world of comic strips.
7. Wikipedia’s Most Important Historical Figures
A recent academic study led by the University of Toulouse analyzed Wikipedia pages to learn the top 100 historical figures of each of the 24 major language editions. Turns out for English-language Wiki, the highest ranked person based on Google’s PageRank algorithm is Napoleon; based on 2DRank, the top person is Frank Sinatra (followed by Michael Jackson and Pope Pius XII). The study explores cultural bias (including skews based on gender, time and location) and influences one culture has on another. It goes to show that history is an “unending dialogue between the past and present.”
8. Finding Life in Salt
While salt is a deadly killer for most crops, there are (thankfully) 2,600 flowering plant species (out of around 400,000), called halophytes, that like to drink seawater. And—with sea-levels rising and the increase in droughts, floods and other extreme weather caused by climate change—freshwater agriculture doesn’t look like a stable option for feeding nine billion people by 2050. In a piece for Aeon, Mark Anderson writes about how halophytes (which can grow with just wastelands and saline water) could become an effective way to combat climate change and water issues.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily on Twitter and published weekly every Saturday morning.
