Japan’s Elevator From Earth to Low Orbit Space

“For over a century scientists and sci-fi writers alike have dreamed of creating a space elevator to ferry astronauts and payloads between the Earth and low orbit,” Jason Daley of Smithsonian Magazine writes. Now, Japanese scientists will make a step toward such a futuristic development. Two satellites—roughly four cubic inches—will test elevator motion in space, as they launch with a 33-foot steel cable binding them, …

Slow Yourself Down to the Sounds of Irish Cattle Grazing

From the sounds of cows being herded up a mountain to leaves crunching underfoot on a countryside walk, BBC’s Radio 3 will soon include programming aimed at meditative relaxation. At present, their (generally older) audience tunes in for jazz, opera and classical music. With the upcoming “slow radio,” the BBC is tapping into, more or less, the success of ASMR—quieter, soothing sounds. Radio 3 controller Alan …

1,000 Singers in Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s Mile-Long Opera on NYC’s High Line

Free tickets were released yesterday for Diller Scofidio + Renfro and David Lang‘s “The Mile-Long Opera: a biography of 7 o’clock,” taking place on NYC’s High Line from 3-7 October. And while the first batch was claimed quickly, we’ve been informed to keep an eye on milelongopera.com for other ticket releases. Set along a stretch of the revitalized, above-ground park and featuring 1,000 voices, the opera is meant to be experienced as …