Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Algorithms for bras, muscle car stamps, the unauthorized Kim Jong-il autobiography and more in our weekly look at the web
1. Oreo Separator Machine
Taking an intellectual approach to advertising, Oreo’s mockumentary on Portland Physicist David
Neevel’s Separator Machine is pure gold. Neevel’s perfectly boring
disposition provides a clever tone throughout the cheeky
video, and aside from finding it hilarious, we applaud Oreo for creating a
viral video campaign that also speaks to the truth of their product—the cream is where it’s at!
2. Astronaut Magazine Issue No. 2
The magnificently produced Astronaut Magazine returns nearly two years after we first wrote about it, and it was definitely worth the wait. Fancifully laid out specifically for the iPad in a native app, the second issue features interviews, animations, documentaries and other odd adventures that will have you eagerly swiping and reading.
3. 2013 Porsche Carrera 911 4S
Celebrating 50 years since the initial unveiling of the Porsche 911 (then called the 901) at the 1962 Frankfurt Motor Show, Porsche is planning a year of festivities tied to their iconic, bestselling model. The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart will host four exhibitions of 911s throughout the years, culminating in a “50 Years of the Porsche 911” exhibition that will run 4 June – 29 September 2013.
4. How To Eat The Best of America Without Leaving Home
Thanks to mail-order and the growth of e-commerce food sites, regional specialties are now easily delivered directly to your kitchen table. First We Feast’s Nick Schonberger lists 15 sure bets, including two cult favorites from Cincinnati—Graeter’s ice cream and Skyline Chili—as well as a pastrami sandwich from New York institution Katz’s Deli and pizza from Chicago’s Lou Malnati’s.
5. We Buy White Albums
Artist Rutherford Chang has been collecting first pressings of The Beatles’ 1968 release knowns as “The White Album” for seven years, amassing a library of 699 copies and counting. His obsession is now on view in a record store-style exhibition at NYC’s Recess Gallery, where the artist is on hand to buy copies of the album from visitors willing to part with their own copy.
6. An Algorithm for Bra Fit
After struggling for two hours to find a bra that fit just right, Michelle Lam vowed to create something to solve the problem. Lam’s new webstore, True&Co, enables customers to find the perfect-fitting bra by filling out a 15-question quiz that is then fed into an algorithm that defines 2,000 body types. Then, similar to sites like Warby Parker or Zappos, women can select up to five bras to try on at home and pick the one they like the best.
7. Muscle Car Stamps
To celebrate a selection of the most iconic of American auto
designs, the US Post Office released a series of muscle car forever stamps. From the
1967 Shelby GT-500 to the 1970 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda, you can now
hold in your hand a tiny version of the badass cars you’ve long coveted.
8. Andy Rementer and Honet for LacosteLIVE
To round out the t-shirts they designed for LacosteLIVE this season, illustrators Andy Rementer and Honet produced a series of entertaining animated videos that see the French tennis brand’s iconic gator in various scenarios. “Gator Behavior” and “The Story Behind The Mask” are done in the signature styles of both artists for a playful peek at the thoughts behind the t-shirt designs.
9. Schools in the Cloud
The winner of this year’s $1 million TED Prize, Sugatra Mitra works by day as a professor of educational technology at Newcastle University. His vision is that of “schools in the cloud,” a new educational system that only requires a group of students, a computer and a remote teacher to provide encouragement and ask questions.
10. Unauthorized Kim Jong-il Autobiography
We’ve all heard the bizarre, unbelievable and down right insane
claims the former North Korean leader made during his lifetime, and
now thanks to celebrity ghostwriter Michael Malice we may soon be able
to read them. Fueled by both Western literature and propaganda taken
from North Korea, “Dear Reader: The Unathorized
Autobiography of Kim Jong-il” is now on Kickstarter.
11. The Man Behind The Rooster Sauce
Meet Dan Tran, the 68-year-old inventor of the much-loved hot sauce known as Sriracha. Tran took only a few days to come up with rooster sauce’s delightful blend of jalapeños, vinegar and garlic, but his original recipe continues to spice up any meal and remains the same as day one.
12. Pantera Lullabys
For metal heads looking to keep it core well into parenthood, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star
offers lullaby version of Pantera songs, their most recent release, alongside previously published albums from bands like Slayer, Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica and Dream Theater.
