Aesthetics
Bee-friendly urban wildflower meadows prove a hit with German city dwellers
A satisfyingly simple solution to a sticky situation: want more bees? Plant more wildflowers! This is a great example of subtly changing our use of public space to improve outcomes.
This San Francisco Statue Is Doubling as a Beehive
I initially saw this posted with a title like βBeehive takes over statue,β but the truth is equally interesting: the piece was designed to support a beehive!
AI Generated Art Scene Explodes as Hackers Create Groundbreaking New Tools
Very cool art coming out of this scene. Finally, AI does something useful! (sarcasm)
The fashion forecasting industry may be forever changed after the pandemic.
These videos are eerie. Take a look.
Culture
The Best DJ Mixes Of The Year 2020 - Mixmag
Yeah, itβs way after the start of the year, but this is still worth a browse.
On the musical tip, this site shows a map of βwhat song is #1β all around the world. Very interesting to see the similarities and differences!
Here are the finalists to be included in Emoji 14.0 this September
New Emoji incoming, prepare yourself.
Science YouTuber Wins $10,000 Bet With Physicist
Pretty wild bet between an internet personality and an Actual Scientist. I wonβt spoil the ending, but one of them won, and the video is worth a watch!
The economics of dollar stores
TL;DR: Dollar stores are not actually a better deal, but they take advantage of our perception to seem like they are.
The Delusional Scam of the Self-Help Book Industry - Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At
A controversial claim from another Substack writer (with an excellent publication title, I might add)β¦ Are self-help books, business ones especially, a scam? Iβm inclined to say yes, after reading this.
Tech
The military is funding a "living pharmacy" scientists can stick inside you
The device combines genetically engineered cells and bioelectronics to generate tiny proteins called peptides. Peptides naturally occur in the body, but the device, implanted subcutaneously in the arm or other part of the body, would allow the wearer to control the timing and doses to administer targeted, personalized peptide therapy.
Mass-produced floating nuclear reactors use super-safe molten salt fuel
Even in the worst-case scenario of a terrorist bombing, molten salt nuclear fuel simply hardens into rock, vastly reducing the consequences of an accident while making these next-gen reactors cheap, effective and small enough to put on floating barges.
Biohackers Figure Out How To Make Insulin 98% Cheaper
Would you buy hyperlocal insulin if you were diabetic? This development is part of the trend of DIY biohacking, so I expect to see more βgarage labsβ in the near future.
Twitter hired a team of tech critics to build ethical AI
It actually makes a lot of sense to hire the folks who are most critical of your product to help it get better.