Gift Guide: Winter Nesting

Embrace the colder months with these products for relaxation and escape

When the weather dissuades you from leaving the house, it’s important not to stare at a screen or spiral into a seasonal slump. Staying home needn’t be defeatist, and could be replenishing. The following products encourage nesting and all the comforts and pleasure that can come from it. Rather than feel glum or dejected, embrace the colder months and take some well-deserved time for relaxation …

Why Mercedes-Benz Partnered with Avatar to Create a Concept Car

The VISION AVTR is a glimpse at auto design some 20 years into the future

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius announced a longterm partnership with Lightstorm Entertainment, creators of the mega-hit Avatar and its four future sequels, and presented the first manifestation of their collaboration—the VISION AVTR concept car—during a keynote at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The presentation offered a window 20 years into the future at what a car might look like, and how we’ll interact …

Purified Sewage Water Nourishes Forest in Egyptian Desert

To prevent desertification (the eventual progression of land from fertile to arid) in a region of Egypt where the issue is prevalent, scientists are rerouting sewage waste water from nearby cities, passing it through natural purification processes, and using the nutrient-rich solution to fuel the growth of a “green wall.” Named the Serapium Forest, this oasis exists in the barren area around the Suez Canal …