Mad Quickies: Space Oddity Barbie, Cosmic Pool, Urban Apiary, Rescues Caped Crusader and More!
Ahoy, my fine far-flung friends! Today is Friday, the twelfth of June. On this day in 1804, former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton died after being shot in a pistol duel by Vice President Aaron Burr. In 1962, the Rolling Stones performed for the first time at the Marquee Jazz Club in London. And today, it’s the 21st birthday of superhero and human rights activist, Malala Yousafzai, who became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize recipient in 2014.
Now for the new, the noteworthy, the slightly quirky!
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This. Just in! A startup company invented the office! No, it’s true. What an accomplishment. “Now that office walls have come down, workers are ducking into closet-sized “pods” for privacy and quiet. Is this a retreat from the open office or the next phase of it?” Way to go, Orfield Laboratories, for your…in-the-box thinking. [Hands red stapler to Steve for the groundbreaking info.]
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The artist Ania Amador just painted the coolest-looking swimming pool ever. This is the first time she’s painted a swimming pool and the results are, you might say, out of this world. Amador “says the clients are still in the process of properly sealing the pool but she promises to show pictures of it filled with water as soon as possible. The muralist and ‘live painter’ is currently based in Tallahassee, Florida but the address of the pool is on a piece of paradise in Sequim, Washington.
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Did you know that with “80% of the world’s food supply needing the help of bees, coupled with major threats to a declining bee population, it is more crucial than ever that solutions to this crisis are discovered and put into action.” In answer to this urgent situation, Italian company Beeing has invented the B-box, a new compact hive that is the very first system designed for homes and urban environments.
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I have to say, Mattel is knocking it out of the park with their landmark Barbie debuts. In time for the 50th anniversary of Bowie’s masterpiece “Space Oddity”, they’ve unveiled Ziggy Stardust Barbie, a look and character that the maestro “debuted a few years after ‘Space Oddity.’ The character’s hair, boots, metallic bodysuit, and fingernails are all patterned after Bowie himself.” You can find out all about the rockstar doll here. [A tip o’ the space helmet to Jadzia.]
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Your Feel-Good Moment: This Guy Dresses Up As Batman To Save Shelter Animals From Euthanasia And Find Them Loving Families
Chris Van Dorn “launched a nonprofit organization, Batman4Paws, back in 2018. Since then, he has embarked on numerous journeys all across the country in order to rescue animals from euthanasia and find them a forever home.” Go for the story, stay for the joyous images of a real-life superhero and his rescues.
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Disney Research has posted the explainer Bend-It: Design and Fabrication of Kinetic Wire Characters in which they “present a computational technique for the design of kinetic wire characters, tailored for fabrication on consumer-grade hardware.” Video included at the post and below as well. [A spatial wave of thanks to Ryan for the data.]
