Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Chocolate-covered jellyfish, a floating pyramid city, pizza museums and more in our look around the web
1. Chocolate-Covered Jellyfish, a Recipe to Reduce Their Soaring Population
A common problem across the Mediterranean, Japan and Sweden, soaring jellyfish populations are wreaking havoc on local businesses and infrastructure—from clogging up pipes at a power plant to making swimming impossible to overwhelming the fishing industry. Among the many ideas to mitigate the problem, a company called GoJelly is proposing several options: “an array of jellyfish-based products, including water filters, fish feed, face cream, fertilizers and food.” Whether eating chocolate-covered jellyfish or using skincare products made from their “drool,” we could be looking at these creatures in a very different way soon. Read more at PopSci.
2. NYC’s Pop-Up Museum of Pizza
From the history and cultural development of pizza to experiential pizza adventures including a cheese cave and pizza wave, the Museum of Pizza will pop up in NYC from 13-28 October (though, an extension is possible, if not likely). The museum is the effort of Nameless Network, a Brooklyn-based media company—and it follows a slew of food-related “museums” that rely heavily on social media. A specific location has yet to be announced but admission will cost $35. Read more at the WSJ.
3. Eco-Friendly Floating Pyramid City Open for Enrollment
An eco-conscious vision for future cities, Lazzarini Design has proposed a floating city of modular pyramids (known as Wayaland) that draw energy from solar power and water turbines. Designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini has proposed everything from small pyramid suites to a vast complex, comprised of modules built upon a 54-by-54-meter basement. Lazzarini has launched a crowdfunding campaign during which investors will becomes citizens of Wayaland (and have a say where it will be constructed), as well as receive a passport for a proposed 2022 inauguration. Read more at designboom.
4. Amazon Will Now Deliver to Your Car
In a fascinating move, Volvo, General Motors and Amazon announced that customers can choose their car as their preferred delivery location for Prime orders. Beginning today, the offer is open to GM and Volvo owners (with a 2015 model or newer and OnStar and Volvo on Call accounts) in 37 cities in the US. “To find your car, Amazon’s couriers will have access to its GPS location and license plate number, as well as an image of the car” but won’t have direct access to the vehicle, so owners won’t need to feel their car and possessions are unsecured or exposed. Read more at The Verge.
5. Hubble Space Telescope’s Zoom Through the Lagoon Nebula
The Hubble Space Telescope has turned 28 years old—and everyone has received a birthday gift. To honor the groundbreaking, traveling documentarian, NASA has released a zoom and fly-through video of the Lagoon Nebula. About 4,000 light-years away, the Nebula centers around the million-year-old Hershel 36 star—which happens to be “200,000 times brighter and eight times hotter than Earth’s sun.” It’s an exquisite area with a space landscape that truly captivates. Learn more and watch the full video (and a supplementary infrared swipe video) at the Huffington Post.
6. Winners Announced for the Moët Moment Film Festival
Introduced by an all-women judging panel led by actress Billie Lourd, 12 60-second short films were screened at NYC’s Metrograph movie theater. They had been selected from over 500 entries submitted to Moët & Chandon’s third annual Moët Moment Film Festival, and each addressed the theme of “A Cause for Celebration.” With unprecedented power and a touching sincerity, the final two films shown marked a tie for first place—and the filmmakers behind each were awarded a $25,000 film grant and mentorship. The films are streaming online now.
7. Failed “Wizard of Oz” Theme Park to Reopen this Summer
Once desolate (but never truly abandoned), North Carolina’s Land of Oz theme park will reopen for six days this June (every Friday and the last Saturday). A wonderland built around The Wizard of Oz’s beloved world, yellow brick road included, the park debuted in 1970 and closed one decade later. In the ’90s, it would open its doors again—for only one day a year. Money raised during those openings went toward its restoration. Plenty of eerie imagery exists but nothing will be as telling as a tour itself. Read more at Travel + Leisure.
8. Cryptocurrency Piggy Bank for Kids, Pigzbe
A piggy bank for the digital age, Pigzbe is an app used to teach children aged six and over about cryptocurrency—while storing it and allowing for plenty of transactions. Pigzbe founders see it as a way to reward children for chores and offer them pocket money, all with a blockchain-enabled currency called Wollo. And while the jury is still out on the future of cryptocurrency, this does encourage children to learn the pros (and cons) of saving.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
