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 …

Innovate Like A Misfit

Kyra Maya Phillips on how pirates, hackers and gangsters can teach us to be more creative and successful in business

Kyra Maya Phillips, the co-author of the upcoming book “The Misfit Economy,” encourages readers to think like pirates, gangsters and hackers when approaching business. While researching and writing the book, Phillips spent a couple of years delving into the darker side of innovation; setting out to uncover the often nefarious operating methods of society’s outcasts. Phillips and her co-author Alexa Clay wanted to know what …