Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Sentient sex robots, a plant-covered ghost town and more in our weekly look at the web

1. How Valentina Tereshkova Became the First Woman in Space Yesterday, 16 June, marked the 52nd anniversary of the day Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. At the time, many wondered how the Russians were able to beat the US when NASA already had an impressive roster of highly qualified female astronauts. In a Life Magazine issue headlined “She Orbits Over …

The Human-Tech Bond Examined in 10 Short Films

10 of Vimeo’s “Staff-Picked” filmmakers have teamed up with Samsung to create “The Connected Series”—a series of original short films that examines the bond between humans, technology and modern communication. From animation to drama to a mini-documentary on a completely colorblind man who uses an antenna to “hear” colors, each film challenges viewers to explore the human-technology relationship through various perspectives and formats of film. …

Oculus Rift Now Lets Users Touch

After strapping on an Oculus Rift headset, one of the first things people want to do is reach out and feel around in their new virtual world, but, until now, their pokes and prods have gone unanswered. Oculus hopes to fill this void in the VR experience with a new gadget called Oculus Touch. Announced alongside the consumer version of the Rift, Touch features two …