Link About It: This Week’s Picks
The Brothers Grimm uncut, solar bike paths, a $24 million watch and more in our look at the web this week
1. Keep Time for $24 Million
Back in 1999, a watch sold at auction for $11 million, setting a record that was blown out of the water for the first time ever this week. A rare Supercomplication Patek Philippe pocket watch, made in 1932, has just sold at Sotheby’s for $24 million. Yes, it sports 24 complications and 920 components (including 70 jewels), but it also has a backstory. New York banker Henry Graves Jr. commissioned the piece in a challenge with car manufacturer James Ward Packard to develop the most elaborate watch imaginable. It appears Graves won.
2. Project Piet
“Prison clothing” has taken on a whole new meaning with Project Piet, a new menswear line designed and made in one of the most world’s dangerous prisonsSan Pedro in Lurigancho, Peru. Former luxury fashion designer Thomas Jacob became a fashion activist the day he visited the prison. Through his project (now expanded to three prisons), the formerly idle prisoners have the opportunity to develop skills, work and earn moneywhich all inspire hope and confidence towards the day they leave prison.
3. 800 Berlin Lights
This year, 9 November marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Together, light artist Christopher Bauder and director Marc Bauder constructed a 15 kilometer light installation featuring 800 completely biodegradable carbon fiber lights that outline where the wall once stood. Referred to as “Lichtgrenze,” the trail it follows touches upon many important elements of the original barrier, and along the way are beautiful works that other artists have contributed to honor the day of unity.
4. Dutch Solar Bike Path Opens
The cycling haven that is the Netherlands ushered in another pedal-powered transportation innovation this week with the opening of the world’s first solar bike path. Solar cells are built directly into the path itself in the public road outside Amsterdam. Though the flat surface of the road yields about 30% less energy than the tilted cells on rooftops, the amount of road surface area throughout the Netherlands far outweighs usable roof space. Developers hope this is the first of many solar roads not just in the Netherlands but worldwide.
5. Grimm Brothers, Uncut
After more than 200 years, the first edition of the Brother Grimms’ strange, grisly tales (meant for adults) has finally been published in English. The changes made between this edition and the seventh editionthe one that’s most familiar to today’s readersare pretty major. Over time it became watered down, child-friendly and laden with religious references. Thanks to the University of Minnesota professor emeritus who translated the edition, we can now read the original version of Rapunzel and how she became pregnant after the prince’s visit, and how Cinderella’s stepsisters cut pieces of their feet off in order to fit into the slipper.
6. Too Many Cooks
Too Many Cooks is the gift that keeps on giving. At 11 minutes long, the exhaustive reel of satirical TV credits sequences from Adult Swim writer-producer Casper Kelly is almost too much, but the absurdity is too genius to stop watching. The hilarious short is filled with creative twists that keep it wildly entertaining, but interestingly, Kelly tells Rolling Stone he thought the now-viral video “was just a self-indulgent, experimental thing” and is pleasantly surprised by the widespread appreciation.
7. Comet Landing
The Philae lander (about the size of a washing machine) launched into spaceattached to the Rosetta space probe10 years ago. This week, it landed on Comet C-G, over more than 300 million miles away. The lander actually bounced off the comet, which has super-weak gravity, three times before settling there. After a decade getting there, Philae is now responsible for teaching us on Earth more about our home planet, as well as cometslike those it landed on. We can keep track of the (seemingly very cheerful) robot by following its progress on Twitter.
8. Toro y Moi’s Bookshelf
Chaz Budnick of chillwave act Toro y Moi dropped a new record this month under his new (and decidedly dance-driven) moniker Les Sins. To celebrate, our friends at It’s Nice That visited the graphic design grad’s flat to peruse through a few of his favorite visual tomes. Budnick is responsible for much of the artwork that accompanies his music and a look through his diverse collection alludes to some of the inspiration for his distinct style. From ’80s Swiss watch designs to American music poster collections to architecture, Budnick reveals a collection that is as unexpected as it is alluringmuch like his new record Michael out now.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily on Twitter and published weekly every Saturday morning.
