💰 Central Bank of Nigeria
Return of the Walk-Off.
Hope everyone is having a great summer! A lot of cool stuff this month—everything from flying taxis to fancy toasters. Scroll on down for the latest.
THE ARTIST BEHIND THE MASK
Jim Carrey likes colours
This one was a huge surprise for me, albeit an awesome one. I had no idea that Jim Carrey (aka Ace Ventura) is now a brooding artist in New York City. I’m blown away at the range in his paintings and sculptures.
• Jim Carrey: I Needed Color (Vimeo, 06:19 watch)
UBER BOATS, NOT U-BOATS
Flying water taxis are real
Sitting in traffic sucks. That’s why SeaBubbles is taking a completely new approach: 100% electric, autonomous flying water taxis (they call them Bubbles). The hydrofoil design lifts them up in the air at 12 km/h, preventing seasickness or sudden movements from crashing waves. And they’ll be fully autonomous, so when you need one, you can book it using their app.
A test version is underway this summer in Paris, and SeaBubbles is already in talks with many other major cities around the world. Even large tech companies like Facebook have shown interest, seeing it as a potential way to improve the flow of employees to and from their suburban campus locations.
• SeaBubbles’ Flying River Taxi of the Future (Bloomberg, 04:25 watch)
• SeaBubbles.fr
BABEL FISH
The future of conversation
Real-time translation is all the rage these days. Everything from headphones to apps are launching with this new, more advanced technology.
iTranslate Converse is one example. Download the app, then hold your phone like a press mic between you and someone speaking a different language. It will translate and speak back their responses to you on the fly; perfect for travelling in foreign countries.
Ten years from now, it's likely that everyone's wireless earphones will have this tech (similar to Waverly Labs’ Pilot). They’ll translate our conversations on the fly, except with zero latency. It will be pretty amazing to instantly understand any spoken (or written) language.
• iTranslate Converse
• Waverly Labs Pilot
• Timekettle’s WT2 real-time translation earpieces enable ordinary conversation across language barriers (TechCrunch, 02:00 read)
• Bragi's Fancy New Earbuds Translate for You in Real Time (WIRED, 04:00 read)
COOL STORY
End your next shower on cold
The idea of cold showers is not a new one: special forces soldiers swear by them, popular authors have recommended them, and scientists have backed their positive effects on personal health.
What I really like about this article is how they approach it from a slightly different angle. Turning the temperature to all-the-way cold at the end of your shower is tough to bear. But doing something tough, first thing in the morning, makes everything that follows seem easier by comparison.
So why not try? I can confirm that it definitely shocks you awake—sometimes even enough to skip the morning coffee.
• The Benefits of Getting an Icy Start to the Day (The New York Times, 04:00 read)
FRAKKIN' TOASTERS
The case for 'a bit more'
A surprisingly interesting read about the design of a toaster. This article does a great job explaining how careful thought toward the end user’s experience always leads to a better product. Hard to disagree. And now I want this toaster.
• Why a Toaster Is a Design Triumph (The Atlantic, 09:00 read)
READ IT BEFORE THE MOVIE
Ready Player One
I’m late to the party here, but if you haven’t already read Ready Player One, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s everything you love about 1980s pop culture paired with near-future technology. And that’s what I found really interesting: how accurately the book predicted (in 2011) the current and future state of virtual reality technology. So much so that Oculus, the Facebook-owned VR company, issues every new employee a free copy of this book.
The coolest part? It was recently adapted into a movie, directed by none other than ‘80s legend himself, Steven Spielberg. But that won’t hit theatres until March 2018, so you still have plenty of time to read the book before then.
• Ready Player One (Amazon)
#BLESSED
Millennials are the worst
Have you ever read the caption of a photo posted by a ‘social influencer’ and choked back the urge to #vomit? You’re going to love this post.
• And God Created Millennial Earth (McSweeney’s, 04:00 read)
ZUCK 4 PREZ
Mark Zuckerberg could be the next US president
Really. If you’ve been following The Zuckster™ on Facebook these days, you’ve probably seen the not-so-candid candid photos he’s been sharing of himself as he travels around the United States. At first glance, it’s him trying to learn more about his users and dredge up support for the charitable foundation that he runs with his wife, Priscilla.
Yet, despite Zuck denying it on multiple occasions, an increasing number of people believe he’s ramping up to a run for the presidency. If someone told me this a few years ago, I’d say it was crazy. But ever since Trump, anything is possible?
• Why People Can’t Stop Talking About Zuckerberg 2020 (WIRED, 07:00 read)
WOW!
Star Wars: Return of the Walk-Off
I could watch this forever.
• Star Wars, but all of the lightsaber sounds are Owen Wilson saying "wow" (Twitter / @jbillinson, 00:22 watch)