Solid Rain

Coffee as Viagra, car crushing, Tokyo in high-def and more in our weekly look at the web

Mexican chemical engineer Sergio Jesus Vaelasco has created instant water. Using a highly absorbent polymer scientifically known as potassium polyacrylate, the tiny crystals absorb about 500 times their size and begin to look like much large, water-filled salt crystals. Originally intended to make diapers more absorbent, Vaelasco’s blend for Solid Rain has shown dramatic benefits when planted among crop fields and dry climate gardens. Watch …

Test Drive: The All-New 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The world's best selling luxury sedan gets an impressive makeover

Mercedes-Benz’s extensive and successful overhaul of the world’s best-selling luxury sedan, the S-Class, aligns perfectly with their unwavering aspiration to be the best car in the world. With competition from all sides, demands from an ever-growing Chinese market who prefer to be driven and the demise of the company’s Maybach marque, a big leap forward—and upward—was required. From its technological advancements to its industry-leading interior, …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Branding Prince George, a Deitch-less MOCA, Mysterabbit and more in our weekly look at the web

1. Grandpa the Pixel Painter Hal Lasko, who now goes by Grandpa, is a 97-year-old former typographer whose medium of choice is Microsoft Paint. Lasko lost most of his eyesight due to macular degeneration but discovered that the computer program could magnify images large enough for him to paint pixel-by-pixel. The result is a collection of stunningly detailed and extraordinarily elaborate prints. A recently-released short …