A Million Lines of Code

A million lines of code, an air pollution vacuum, NIGO for Uniqlo UT and more in our weekly look at the web

To help the non-code-savvy perceive the size (and potential) of a million lines of code, “Information is Beautiful” author David McCandless designed a simple infographic that includes software programs, print books, history and even organisms to compare relative total lines of code. A million lines of code is equivalent to “War and Peace” 14 times over; Facebook has more code than the Large Hadron collider …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Odor-proof underwear, 40 years of Virgin Records and a DIY digital microscope in this week's look at the web

1. Scents and Flavors from Re-Engineered Yeast Engineers at Amyris are growing the products used to make exotic scents and flavors—like patchouli, saffron and vanilla—from yeast, and at a very large scale. Makers are saying that the new process could help food and cosmetic companies—and ultimately consumers—by reducing crazy fluctuations in pricing, availability and quality that rise from our current dependence on farming. The switch …

Virgin Records: 40 Years of Disruptions

Odor-proof underwear, 40 years of Virgin Records and a DIY digital microscope in this week's look at the web

With humble beginnings slinging imported krautrock records from a beanbag-laden hole in the wall in central London, the now-global media empire Virgin Records celebrates four decades in the business with a retrospective of their contribution to both music and visual culture. Though space-traveling billionaire Sir Richard Branson sold the label over 20 years ago, the outfit carried his adventurous, risk-taking spirit. Over the years Virgin’s …