Lethal Lakes

Modular phones, petrified bird photography, the Empire State Building's green roof and more in our weekly look at the web

British photographer Nick Brandt is renowned for documenting the vanishing of magnificent wild animals in East Africa on black and white film. In most cases the animals have been alive, but Brandt’s newest subjects are petrified creatures found in Lake Natron in northern Tanzania. Because the lake neighbors a volcano, its water has an extremely high soda and salt content that perfectly preserves any misfortunate …

Garden State of Mind

Modular phones, petrified bird photography, the Empire State Building's green roof and more in our weekly look at the web

In true New York fashion, a LEED Gold certification wasn’t enough for the Empire State Building. The iconic landmark raised its own bar even higher by installing four new green roofs, allowing tenants to enjoy a relaxing lunch by a garden oasis without ever leaving the building. The newly planted greenery benefits more than just tenants; they cleanse rain as stormwater run-off filters, reduce greenhouse …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Modular phones, petrified bird photography, the Empire State Building's green roof and more in our weekly look at the web

1. The Ultimate Swiss Army Knife Cumbersome? Yes. Ornate? Certainly. Over the top? Absolutely. The Wenger 16999 Swiss Army Knife from around 1880 has roughly 100 functions—some necessary and some superfluous. From a built-in saw to a piano tuner, this knife can help with just about any pre-digital task. It even has a fully functioning .22 caliber pinfire revolver for those impromptu duel challenges. Regardless …