STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

OBAN BAY RESERVE THE NIGHT'S WATCH WHISKY

Founded in 1794, Oban sits at the portal between the West Highlands and the Hebrides Islands. The historic distillers were among a small group chosen to create a commemorative bottling for the HBO series Game of Thrones as the epic show concludes this year. While other chosen brands opted to honor Westeros houses, Oban chose to take the black and celebrate the men on The Wall. The whisky is distilled from 100% malted Scottish barley and aged in oak before being bottled in these limited edition black bottles at 86 proof. They sold out instantly, but some can still be acquired if you know where to look.

[MIKA27]

KAZERNE HOTEL

Home to the Van Abbemuseum, Design Academy Eindhoven, and Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven has long been know as a design mecca. The Kazerne Hotel combines design and hospitality to become an extension of its artistic environment. Housed in a former military barracks and adjoining warehouse, the hotel features a 2,500-square-meter exhibition space. Guests can continue to be immersed in the city's art and design 24/7, dining, drinking, and even sleeping among a rotating collection of current works from the world's most creative minds. Ranging from 377 to 1,500 square feet, each of the eight rooms has its own unique character that mixes modern Dutch design and contemporary art with the building's original Old World architecture.

[MIKA27]

The Clock Is Ticking In The First Official Teaser For HBO's Watchmen

Who watches the Watchmen? Well, it looks like we all will be soon.

HBO has released the first official teaser for Watchmen, showing a reality where superheroes are unlawful, dangerous, and a major threat...but quite possibly the only people who can save the world.

Following months of cryptic images and teasers, HBO has finally released the first official teaser trailer for Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen series, which is HBO’s first superhero show.

The series stars Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, and others as folks trying to get by in a world where vigilantes are seen as dangerous outlaws. If that group of violent Rorschachs are any indication, they may be right.

This version of Watchmen is being called a “modern-day reimagining” of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ iconic graphic novel, set 10 years after all previous continuities—instead of a one-to-one adaptation, like Zack Snyder’s 2009 film.

Irons is said to be playing an older version of Ozymandias, Nelson is playing an FBI agent whose role was expanded after he was cast, and Jean Smart is portraying a new character called Agent Blake, whose sole purpose is stopping vigilantes.

HBO still hasn’t announced an official release date, but the teaser says to expect Watchmen sometime this spring.

[MIKA27]

JAPANESE LOCALS REALLY HATE THESE KIND OF TOURISTS, BUT THEY’RE TOO POLITE TO TELL THEM

Sit the hell down, finish your food, proceed to walk. It’s a simple rule to follow but apparently in Japan the locals are struggling to get this message across to heady tourists without offending them.

In Japan the act of eating whilst walking is considered rude as it goes against the etiquette of “ikkai ichi dousa” – a Japanese phrase similar to doing “one thing at a time”. Eat and walk on the streets of Japan and you can expect a public lashing…of many frowns. The latest Japanese tourist hotspot to experience this onslaught of the walking fed is the iconic Nishiki Market in Kyoto.

For more than 400 years the market has played a vital role in being the kitchen for Kyoto with its vast offering heirloom vegetables, fresh fish and pickled vegetables. These days thanks to the tourist boom, more of the stores have begun selling fast food on skewers and it’s here that problems have begun to rise, according to the Japan Times.

Litter now lines the narrow street of the market and locals have growing concerns of pedestrians getting impaled by sharp food sticks wielded by unweary tourists (another market with the same problem states that it can ruin other peoples’ clothes). It might sound like a stretch, but considering the five block long shopping street lined with over a hundred shops sees thousands of visitors a day, it’s a genuine cause for concern.

Of course the Japanese will rarely tell you to your face that you’re an asshole. So instead the market association has asked store owners to display signs saying “No eating while walking” in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. This is more of a warning than an outright ban as they don’t want to drive tourists away.

“We can’t ban the act of eating while walking,” as this is one of the ways to enjoy sightseeing, said Norikazu Takahashi, 76, president of the store association. “We want to make the street a place where both travellers and residents can feel good,” he told the newspaper.

If you’re unsure, the general rule is that people should eat and drink their food outside the store of purchase before they proceed on their journey. They should also keep litter with them or dump it in the trash cans/bins outside of stores as there are rarely any of them lining the streets.

Want to be even more intrigued by Japanese etiquette? Watch British ex-pat Chris Broad run through the 12 passive aggressive rules of Japan and why they exist.

 

[MIKA27]

Adam Driver Explains How to Kill Zombies in New ‘Dead Don’t Die’ TV Spot

Focus Features has released a new TV spot and a number of character posters for the upcoming zombie movie The Dead Don’t Die. The original feature, written and directed by Paterson and Only Lovers Left Alive filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, follows members of a small town during a zombie apocalypse. It’s an exciting choice of genre for Jarmusch, especially having now seen the trailer and this TV spot. The film doesn’t appear to be full of the existentialism or stylization of some of Jarmusch’s other features, and instead is very much in the vein of a B-movie from the 60s or 70s. Which could be a lot of fun! Especially given the cast involved.

 

In this TV spot, Adam Driver explains the ways the townspeople can kill the zombies, and the film appears to be following your traditional rules. A lot of the footage also looks to be shot day-for-night (meaning it’s shot during the day, then manipulated to look like nighttime), which is an interesting choice on the part of Jarmusch.

Mostly I’m just fascinated by this movie. Is it really just a straight comedy? Is it supposed to be a genuine B-movie, or is Jarmusch going for something more? It’s impossible to tell from the marketing materials (even the font is campy!), but I can’t wait to see the film for myself to see what Jarmusch has up his sleeve.

 

The Dead Don’t Die hits theaters on June 14th.

[MIKA27]

‘Brightburn’ Red Band Clip Has Evil Superboy Terrorizing a Waitress

Sony Pictures has released the first red-band clip from Brightburn. Produced by James Gunn and directed by David Yarovesky, the upcoming horror film re-imagines the origin story of Superman but instead of becoming a hero, an alien child with superpowers becomes a villain instead.

In this clip, you can see how Yarovesky aims to build tension by almost approaching the scene like a slasher film, as if a superhero wandered into a Friday the 13th movie. There are also some cool touches like how the hapless victim is half-blinded by getting glass in her eye so the POV shots are partially in red.

But watching this scene unfold, I can’t help but wonder if the movie has a theme and story of its own, or if it’s just a parody without the humor. Yes, if Superman had turned out to be evil, that would be very bad, but that’s not the Superman story. If anything, the core of Superman’s origin is meant to be an inspirational immigrant story. He came from a homeworld that was destroyed and because good Americans took him in, he was good for America. I don’t want to assume Brightburn is an anti-immigrant story just because the superkid is evil, but I’m genuinely curious if this all adds up to anything unique or if it’s nothing more than a riff.

The film opens May 24th and stars Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, and Meredith Hagner.

[MIKA27]

Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi's Death Star Duel Gets a Dramatic Fan Re-Imagining

By the time Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were reunited aboard the Death Star, both men had changed. Physically, mentally, time and the occasional dunk in a Mustafarian lava lake had rendered the two mystical warriors old, battered men, and their battle reflected it. This fan film re-interpretation imagines how it could have been, in another time.

We know why Vader and Obi-Wan’s duel in A New Hope is a measured clash of laser swords and not the blade-twirling cinematic acrobatics and swordplay of the battle of heroes seen in Revenge of the Sith—one movie was made in the mid 1970s and pitched a classically trained actor in his 60s against a stuntman in full body suit and mask, the other featured two younger men who had months and months of training and fight choreography, as well as liberal amounts of CGI, on their side. That, and tastes for what Star Wars could do with lightsaber battling had evolved by the time George Lucas began filming his prequel saga.

Times change, that’s okay! We just rationalize it in our heads, fans that we are, that Anakin’s dramatic transformation into more machine than man and Obi-Wan’s two decade desert exile wore the men down from their height of their martial prowess in the Clone Wars. But fan film SC38 Re-Imagined, by FXitinPost, tries to offer an alternative point of view—one that takes the classic duel and injects a bit more of that prequel-era flair into it, as if Anakin and Obi-Wan still had a few more force-enhanced tricks up their older, wiser sleeves.

The short already drew plenty of buzz when it was simply just a teaser trailer back in 2017, but now FXitinPost has released the full thing online, and placed into the context of A New Hope, it’s even more impressive (perhaps even most impressive).

Sure, you could simply appreciate the flair and spectacle of watching Vader and Obi-Wan spin their lightsabers around and fling force pushes at each other, but what makes it really work is how it more closely enmeshes the classic fight with the dramatic heft of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s fateful encounter in the prequels. Evoking their final words together on Mustafar as Vader draws his saber down and through Obi-Wan’s robes to conclude the duel is surprisingly emotional—it’s that prequel influence that works just as strongly as the more elaborate fight choreography, honestly.

[MIKA27]

Here's Everything Jeff Bezos Said To Convince Humanity That Space Colonies Are The Future

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest man on the planet, gave an hour-long presentation yesterday about his plans for humanity’s future living on the Moon and in space colonies. It was a bit like watching a monologue from a sci-fi movie in a lot of ways. And now you can finally view the entire presentation online for yourself.

Fellow billionaire Elon Musk generally makes a point of offering a live video stream whenever he announces something important and futuristic like this. But Bezos and his space company Blue Origin didn’t post a video of yesterday’s event until later. It’s a fascinating talk, but maybe livestream the thing next time, Jeff? This is the future we’re talking about, after all.

The entire presentation has been uploaded to YouTube, and we have a TLDR (or TLDW?) version below, complete with screenshots and animated GIFs.

Bezos started his presentation by saying that the “Earth is the best planet” and presenting quotes from people such as the late astronomer Carl Sagan.

Bezos stressed that as humans we can both “work on the here and now” and “get started on the large scale problems”.

Bezos claimed that “we will run out of energy on Earth” and that “this is just arithmetic”. Bezos says that humanity’s energy use is unsustainable.

Bezos says that we can focus on energy efficiency but that the problem with that idea is that “it’s already assumed”.

Bezos laid out various examples of improved efficiency, from the amount of work that was required 200 years ago to create artificial light, to the amount of fuel that was required to get one human around in an aeroplane.

“What happens when unlimited demand meets finite resources? The answer is incredibly simple: Rationing,” said Bezos.

“The good news is that if we move out into the solar system, for all practical purposes, we’d have unlimited resources,” said Bezos.

“So, we get to choose. Do we want stasis and rationing or do we want dynamism and growth?” said Bezos. “This is an easy choice. We know what we want, we just have to get busy.”

Bezos goes on to say that if humanity moves out into the solar system we could have “a trillion humans” which means “we could have a thousand Mozarts and a thousand Einsteins”. Bezos never really explains what he means by that, but it sure sounds good!

Bezos then introduced the audience to the ideas of Gerard O’Neill, the late physicist and a big proponent of building artificial habitats in space.

Bezos said that a scenario in which humans live on other planetary surfaces isn’t ideal since places such as Mars are a great distance away, don’t have Earth-like gravity and aren’t that big.

“What O’Neill and his students came up with, was the idea of manufactured worlds, rotated to create centrifugal force,” Bezos said.

Bezos says that these artificial space habitats would be many kilometres long and hold a million or more people each.

“This is a very different colony” than the International Space Station.

Bezos said that his new space colonies would have “high-speed transport, agricultural areas”, and says that “we added a little drone there” while showing the animated video of his space colony idea.

“Some of them would be more recreation,” Bezos said while an image of a space colony filled with wildlife appeared on the presentation screen.

“These are really pleasant places to live,” said Bezos. “Some of these O’Neill colonies might choose to replicate Earth cities. They might pick historical cities and mimic them in some way.”

“There’d be whole new kinds of architecture,” said Bezos. “These are ideal climates. These are shirt-sleeve environments.”

“This is Maui on its best day, all year long. No rain, no storm, no earthquakes. What does the architecture even look like when it no longer has its primary purpose of shelter? We’ll find out.”

Bezos then played a clip of an interview from 1975 with Isaac Asimov and Gerard K. O’Neill.

Bezos goes on to say that with his space colonies not far from Earth, our home planet will be “zoned residential and light industry”.

Heavy industry and “all the things polluting our planet” will be done off Earth, Bezos explains.

“There is no Plan B. We have to save this planet,” Bezos said in the middle of his presentation that was ostensibly about a Plan B.

Bezos said “this is going to take a long time, this is a big vision” while acknowledging that “the price of admission to do interesting things in space right now is just too high”.

“There’s no infrastructure” for space travel Bezos said, while elaborating that if Amazon had needed to build the US Postal Service it wouldn’t have been able to work and Amazon would have had to invest billions of dollars to get off the ground.

Bezos also explained that they didn’t have to invent payment systems such as credit cards, which are also part of the infrastructure that has allowed Amazon to succeed.

“Infrastructure lets entrepreneurs do amazing things,” said Bezos.

“The kids here, and your children, and their grandchildren, you’re going to build the O’Neill colonies. This generation’s job, my generation’s job is to build the infrastructure so that you’ll be able to,” said Bezos. “We’re going to build a road to space and then amazing things will happen.”

Bezos says that there are two important things that are required to get humanity living in space. First, there needs to be a radical launch cost reduction, and second, there needs to be an exploitation of in-space resources since it’s incredibly expensive to move things from Earth into space.

Bezos then went into a pitch on his reusable spacecraft such as the New Shepard from Blue Origin. The New Shepard is a suborbital vehicle designed for space tourism.

“We’re going to be flying humans using the New Shepard this year,” said Bezos. “That’s incredibly exciting.”

“New Shepard is powered by liquid hydrogen. It’s the highest performing rocket fuel, but it’s also the most difficult to work with,” Bezos said.

“And it’s not needed for a suborbital mission. So why did we choose it? Because we knew we were gonna need it for the next stage and we wanted to get practice with that hardest-to-use but highest performing propellant.”

Bezos said that it was the same reason they developed vertical landing for the New Shepard.

“I can’t wait to start sending humans up in New Shepard later this year. It’s a big deal.”

Bezos said that he often gets asked what things will change 10 years from now but that the “more important question” is what won’t change.

Nobody thinks that customers are going to be asking for higher prices of Amazon 10 years from now, and he said that similar things apply to the space industry.

Bezos explained that the first stage of the New Glenn is designed to be reused 25 times and has a 7m fairing.

The New Glenn will lift 45 metric tonnes to lower earth orbit (LEO) and 13 metric tonnes to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).

“It’s designed for human rating right from the very beginning,” said Bezos of the New Glenn. “We’ll fly it in 2021 for the first time.”

Bezos touted the fact that New Glenn uses an inexpensive fuel saying that “the cost to fuel New Glenn is less than a million dollars”.

“The reason that launching things into orbit is so expensive today is because you throw the hardware away,” said Bezos. “It’s like driving your car to the mall and then throwing it away after one trip.”

“One of the most important things we know about the Moon today is that there’s water there. It’s in the form of ice.”

Bezos also touts the fact that the Moon is nearby and that you don’t have the constraints of a “22-month launch window” to get to Mars. The window is actually 26 months but even billionaire space nerds get things wrong sometimes.

Bezos also cites the lack of gravity on the Moon as a huge benefit for getting things there.

“But guess what, the Moon also needs infrastructure,” Bezos said. At that point, Bezos said that he wanted to show the audience something, and a curtain was pulled up to reveal “Blue Moon”, a lunar lander that Bezos says they’ve been working on for three years.

“It will soft land in a precise way 3.6 metric tonnes onto the lunar surface. The stretch tank variant of it will soft land 6.5 metric tonnes onto the lunar surface,” said Bezos.

“The deck is designed to be a very simple interface so that a great variety of payloads can be placed onto the top deck and secured,” said Bezos.

The davit system, which Bezos says was inspired by a naval system, is designed to lower things from the deck to the Moon’s surface.

The davit system is comprised of those triangular walls behind Bezos in this GIF:

Bezos then talked about the rover to his right, and he said that the Blue Moon lander can store up to four of them.

Bezos then instructed his producers to return to the shot of the top deck where he explained some of the features of the Blue Moon lunar landers.

“On the left-hand side you can see our star tracker so that this vehicle can autonomously navigate in space,” said Bezos.

“On the right-hand side you’ll see an optical communication system that gives us gigabit bandwidth back to Earth,” Bezos explained. “It’s a laser that transmits data back to Earth. We also have X-band for 10 megabit radio.”

“Why are we using liquid hydrogen? This is not how Apollo did it,” Bezos said. “One, it’s very high performance, and so that helps a lot when you’re landing on the Moon.”

“Second reason we’re using liquid hydrogen is because ultimately, we’re going to be able to get hydrogen from that water on the Moon and be able to refuel these vehicles on the surface of the Moon and use them.”

Bezos said that the reason they chose hydrogen fuel cells over solar cells is that they want to operate during the lunar night, which is two weeks long and “gets very cold”.

Bezos notes that “there’s no GPS on the Moon” so if you want to land precisely you use features on the Moon to navigate.

“Now that we’ve mapped the entire Moon in great detail, we can use those pre-existing maps to tell the system what it should be looking for and it navigates relative to that.”

“This is an incredible vehicle, and it’s going to the Moon,” said Bezos.

Bezos then brought on a young girl to help unveil a new BE-7 engine that his team has been working on for three years. It uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and will be hot-fired for the first time ever this winter.

Bezos explains that the Blue Moon lander weighs 15,000kg. But as it’s just about to land it weighs less than 3175kg because of all the fuel that’s been expended. The ability to throttle in that scenario is very important.

Bezos then played an animation that showed other things the lander can do on its mission around the Moon, including launching little satellites.

He also showed what the lunar would look like as it landed on the Moon. “The primary burn is six minutes long,” Bezos said.

The video then shows how the davit system works, deploying a rover from the top deck of the lander onto the lunar surface.

Bezos went on to recognise the science advisory board of six people that he was working with on the project, though he didn’t mention any of them by name.

Bezos said that there were plenty of other things that you could deploy to the Moon using his system, including a pressurised human rover such as the one below.

Bezos then quoted Vice President Mike Pence’s desire to return American astronauts to the Moon within the next five years.

“I love this, it’s the right thing to do,” Bezos said, without mentioning his many public confrontations with US President Donald Trump.

Bezos said that he can meet that timeline and get humans to the Moon by 2024 because they started three years ago.

“It’s time to go back to the Moon, this time to stay,” Bezos said before scattered applause from the audience finally turned into sustained applause.

“What I’m laying out here today is obviously a multi-generation vision. This is not going to get done by any one generation, and one of the things that we have to do is inspire those future generations.”

Bezos then announced that Blue Origin was launching the “Club for the Future” which will do a series of activities for kids. The first activity is for kids to write or draw their own vision of the future on a postcard which will be sent into space on the New Shepard. Those postcards are then going to be returned to the kids.

“Please make no mistake about this, Earth is the best planet,” Bezos said. “We do need to protect it, it’s essential, it’s our job. We’re now big enough to hurt this planet.”

“We have to use the resources of space. We must have a future for our grandchildren and their grandchildren of dynamism. We can’t let them fall prey to stasis and rationing.”

“If this generation builds the road to space, build that infrastructure, we will get to see thousands of future entrepreneurs building a real space industry.”

[MIKA27]

There's Something Off About The Caregiving Robot In The First Trailer For I Am Mother

When your robot mother tells you the world has been destroyed and not to go outside, you do what robot mum tells you. That is until Hilary Swank joins the fun, of course.

That’s a jokey way of explaining the much more serious new film I Am Mother, which debuted at Sundance earlier this year. In the film, a robot (voiced by Rose Byrne) raises a young woman (eventually played by Clara Rugaard) who is led to believe she is the last human on Earth and being raised to save humanity. But then a stranger played by Hilary Swank throws a wrench in that story. 

Directed by Grant Sputore from a script by Michael Lloyd Green, I Am Mother certainly has a familiar pop culture vibe, blending Fallout with Ex Machina and several other things. But the robot at the centre of it all is the most intriguing bit. The trailer reveals (which feels like a spoiler potentially) that the Mother robot is the same model as bad ones on the surface. So, is Mother lying? Is she a bad robot too? Or is she different from the pack? I guess we’ll find out when it eventually comes to Australian Netflix.

[MIKA27]

Pennywise Returns To Spread More Fiendish Terror In The First Trailer For It Chapter Two

 

[MIKA27]

THE FIELD OF ABANDONED FERRARIS (AND HOW THEY GOT THERE)

Note: Due to the personal privacy concerns of the family, we’ve withheld certain names, dates, and locations.

A series of unfortunate events led to a sight we only very rarely see in the car world – a dozen Ferraris parked out in a field and forgotten, as though they were little more than a rag tag collection of ’96 Dodge Neons.

The reason the cars all ended up abandoned in the weeds is equal parts tragic and infuriating. They belonged to a well-to-do attorney who started out collecting Corvettes before he took an active interest in European exotics – buying a couple of Porsches, a Lotus, and a Lamborghini.

Once he started collecting Ferraris he never looked back. He eventually acquired 13 examples of Maranello’s finest including a Testarossa, a 308 Quattrovalvole, a 400i, at least two 328s, at least three 348s, and a small number of Mondials.

Sadly he was diagnosed with a serious illness in 2011/2012, before beginning treatment he paid to have the cars put into secure warehouse storage with a friend.

Sadly, his condition worsened and he missed a few payments, the cars were moved out of the warehouse and into a field as a result. Once payments had resumed and the back-payment had been taken care of the cars were never moved back into the warehouse. This was an exasperating decision to say the least, and it would lead to the cars all degrading significantly over the years to follow.

The Ferraris would stay in the field for almost a decade until legal proceedings were complete and the family was able to take possession.

They found 13 titles or invoices for Ferraris and two titles for Rolls-Royces. Mysteriously both Rolls-Royces and two of the Ferraris were missing and have never been accounted for, 11 Ferraris remained of which nine had titles.

The family specifically wanted discretion in the sales so they approached Paul Cox, a well-known figure in the local Ferrari community who agreed to help. All of the cars needed significant work to recommission or restore them, so they would need to go to well equipped collectors or restoration garages to have any hope of a future.

Eventually a deal was made to sell all nine cars to a dealer who could take the time to find the right owners for each of them, almost all of them have now found homes with new owners, and it’s believed that almost all of them are now on their way to being driven again.

If you’d like to meet Paul and hear the story personally you can attend his signature event, The Ferrari Festival, in Houston.

[MIKA27]

BREMONT GIVES NOD TO THE ICONIC JAGUAR D-TYPE RACE CAR WITH ITS LATEST TIMEPIECE

It’s no news that Jaguar have been quietly tinkering away at their revitalised D-type race car from the 1950s in order to fulfil an unfinished order. It’s an important milestone for Jaguar and that’s why Bremont have paid tribute to the car with their latest limited edition timepiece.

Only 300 pieces of the watch will be made to coincide with the car’s 300hp rating. Design-wise the blue dialled bi-compax chronograph (inspired by pantones of the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar race team) features brushed nickel sub-dials and a Tachymeter dial ring with a movement housed in a 43mm satin finished three-piece Trip-Tick case – that means it’s eight times harder than regular steel cases.

Flip the watch around and you’ll be greeted with open case back which displays the mechanical BE-50AE movement in all its glory – intricate Jaguar steering wheel inspired rotor included. Other worthy design features include a crown bearing the original Dunlop tyre tread and heritage Jaguar logo finished on its end.

Technical Specifications

Case: 43mm satined and hardened stainless steel Bremont Trip-Tick construction
Movement: Calibre 13 1⁄4’’’ BE-50AE automatic
Functions: Hour, minutes, small seconds counter at 9 o’clock, date window at 6 o’clock, 30 minute counter at 3 o’clock, chronograph centre sweep seconds hand
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap: Jaguar Blue leather strap
Ratings: Chronometer rated to ISO 3159 standard

[MIKA27]

The ‘House Inside A Rock’ Is The Perfect Cross Between Nature & Design

With even more transcendental technology being developed to aid in the process of building our planet’s modernized structures, it’s only a matter of time before we see environmentally-articulated dwellings. Although the industry isn’t quite there, designers like Amey Kandalgaonkar are laying the foundation for an eco-conscious future — one that looks exceptionally promising, if “House Inside A Rock” is anything to go by.

Kandalgaonkar’s incredibly unique home draws heavily from Saudi Arabia’s Madain Saleh, a historic archaeological location widely known for its “abnormal” rock faces — most of which are carved, shaped, and hollowed out to act as tombs. Inspired by the way these structures associated with their surroundings, the Shanghai-based designer opted to create his own organic dwelling, integrating a clean, concrete facade with the landscape’s looming sandstone formations. The multi-tier pagoda incorporates a handful of luxurious amenities, from numerous decks, viewpoints, and a fully encapsulated terrace, all the way to an immaculately-placed infinity pool that overlooks the area’s desolate surroundings.

[MIKA27]

Bob Dylan Bottles The Last Of His 10-Year Tennessee Bourbon

Less than a year ago, we reported on Bob Dylan’s newest (and most surprising) venture, a whiskey distillery called Heaven’s Door that was unveiling a trio of offerings. Well, it seems one of the three was especially popular because the company has just unveiled that they’re bottling the last of it.

The final bottles of Heaven’s Door 10-Year Tennessee Straight Bourbon are limited to just two barrels-worth measured at 100-proof with a profile that’s said to be rich and full-bodied with hints of maple and oak. The release also comes with special-edition packaging, including a commemorative box loaded with a printed replica of Bob Dylan’s hand-typed lyrics to “Maggie’s Farm” and “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” This extra special whiskey release is available for preorder now for $130. And while one door closes, another opens — as clearing out this final release will make way for a new Bootleg Series of rare whiskey with a $500, 25-year whiskey finished in Japanese Mizunara oak casks as its inaugural offering.

[MIKA27]

Russian Man Jailed For Buying F-16 Manuals, Claims They Were For Flight Sims

A Russian national is currently being held in Weber County, Utah, after being arrested and charged with “conspiring against the United States, smuggling and violating the Arms Export Control Act”. All over what he claims are some manuals he was using to make a flight sim.

As the Standard-Examiner reports, from 2011-2015, Oleg Mikhaylovich Tishchenko was active on eBay purchasing manuals for actual USAF fighter jets.

The problem was that, as a Russian, he was barred from purchasing the documents directly due to international restrictions, and so he employed the help of flight sim fans based in the US to bid on his behalf and then ship the manuals to him in Russia.

Tishchenko—who claimed he was an employee of Eagle Dynamics, developers of the DCS series, and that the manuals were to help with development of the ultra-realistic games - soon became the subject of an investigation by Homeland Security and the Air Force, and was actually charged back in 2016. He was only recently arrested this year when he travelled to Georgia, a country with an extradition agreement with the US.

It’s alleged that Tishchenko got hold of manuals for the F-16, F-35, F-22 and A-10, which he proceeded to list on eBay and sell again, to purchasers in “Cyprus, Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and Taiwan.”

An unnamed Texas man who assisted Tishchenko by purchasing manuals and sending them to him in Russia was also charged, but last week had his charges dropped.

We’ve contacted Eagle Dynamics to confirm whether Tishchenko is or was an employee of the studio.

[MIKA27]

SOMEONE JUST DROPPED OVER $200,000 FOR THIS 49-YEAR-OLD WHISKY FROM DALMORE

£108,900 or AU$203,000 can buy you approximately 50,000 cheeseburgers. Or if you’re more the distinguished purveyor, you could buy this single bottle of whisky called The Dalmore L’Anima – one of one in the world.

Why so special? The 49-year-old expression is a product of Dalmore master blender Richard Paterson and Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura. The blend itself consists of three expressions which come from whiskies that have been matured in bourbon and

L’Anima uses a blend of three ‘expressions’ with whiskies that had been matured in Bourbon and 40 year-old Pedro-Ximenez casks and vintage Port pipes. In other words it should taste damn good on the palate, but let’s let the experts explain that with flowery language. According to the Scottish whisky maker, L’Anima presents a scent of “sun-kissed raisins, bitter chocolate and old English marmalade” whilst tasting like “Java coffee, Demerara sugar, pecan pie and crème brûlée”.

The flavours reflect those found in Bottura’s three-Michelin starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. The sale was all for a good cause though with all proceeds going to Food for Soul, a non-profit organisation which encourages local communities combat food waste and poverty through the introduction of meal centres. It’s also an initiative started by the three Michelin starred chef himself.

“When Massimo and I first started discussing this collaboration it was clear we shared a passion to celebrate life by creating incredible food and drink,” Paterson said.

“It’s important too that Food for Soul benefit from the success at auction, ensuring more people can share in the simple yet wonderful moment of sharing a meal with people you care about.”

The only question we have to ask is how the hell do you go about drinking a $200,000-plus whisky? Mixing it with Coke is probably an incorrect answer. So we hit up our resident whisky expert Martin Eber of Time for Whisky who got to taste it first hand before giving it a resounding 93/100.

“Truthfully, I was expecting to enjoy the experience of this one, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the whisky. I’m happy to say it was absolutely fantastic – with huge complexity, something I look for, especially in a whisky of this age, [there was] no ‘off’ notes, no signs the whisky had been in the cask too long, and with flavours that work together in perfect harmony.”

 

[MIKA27]

How Movie Magic Made the Aston Martin Goldfinger DB5 Continuation’s Bond Gadgets a Reality

For some, the Aston Martin DB5 is the single coolest car to have ever put rubber to tarmac. Made famous by Sean Connery’s portrayal of James Bond, the DB5 has indelible link with Ian Fleming’s super smooth spy. And it’s one of the more famous examples of “cars with gadgets” thanks to Goldfinger, where it offered neat ways to dispatch henchmen on a mission to off him on the fly. Now some of those gadgets will be a reality, and here’s how.

We’ve known Aston is bringing back 25 gadget-laden DB5s identical to the car from Goldfinger for a while. It’s coming in the form one of its Continuation cars—Aston Martin’s greatest hits rereleased for a modern, and minted, audience. Plus, the gadgets that make the Goldfinger cars so awesome are being designed partly by Aston Martin Works’ engineers, and also by Chris Corbould and his team.

Corbould is a Bond movie special effects guru, so ideally placed to design gadgets as close to real as possible.

Since announcing the car was going to be a thing work has been underway to make the gadgets a reality, and we’ve been shown a glimpse of how the Corbould and team is getting on.

Each of the £2.75 million (roughly $3.75 million, before local taxes) Goldfinger DB5 Continuation cars will look movie accurate thanks to Silver Birch paint, and come with a decent selection of gadgets (which are still subject to engineering approval and country-specific legislation, so could change).

The exterior gizmos fitted to the car include a rear smoke screen delivery system, rear simulated oil slick delivery system, revolving number plates front and rear, simulated (thankfully) twin front machine guns, bullet resistant rear shield, and battering rams at either end of the car.

Inside, owners will have access to a simulated radar screen tracker map, a phone in the driver’s door, gear knob actuator button, arm rest and centre console mounted switchgear, storage space for weapons/stuff under the seats, and an optional ejector seat teaser (not an actual ejector seat one hopes).

So why does Aston Martin need a specialist like Corbould on site? Well, since when has making a decent replica machine gun or oil slick dispenser been an automotive engineer’s day to day?

“The main challenge has been to recreate the gadgets from the film world and transfer them into a consumer product,” Corbould said. “We have license in the film world to ‘cheat’ different aspects under controlled conditions. For instance, we might have four different cars to accommodate four different gadgets. We obviously don’t have that luxury on these DB5s as all the gadgets have to work in the same car all the time.”

Also, isn’t it just cooler to have some input from the actual team behind James Bond’s gadgets on a replica James Bond gadget car?

Corbould’s involvement has been mainly to do with the machine guns, smoke screen, and oil slick: “The guns appearing from the front lights were a particular challenge as, in the film world, we are able to use flammable gas mixtures combined with an ignition system to produce a flame and noise effect. Clearly this is not practical in untrained hands, so we have devised a new system to achieve a realistic effect.”

Here’s Corbould talking about, and showing off, some of his work:

Corbould and the team from Aston Martin Works aren’t simply slapping a $2 water gun on the back and calling it an “oil slick device”, but are actually making these gadgets work for real. When you think about it, that’s kinda rad.

Sadly, the gadget-equipped Goldfinger car isn’t actually road legal, so you can only drive it on tracks and private land. But it’s still the closest any mortal will get to driving James Bond’s actual car, which is pretty cool.

The first engineering car is still in build, but customers can expect their very own Goldfinger DB5s to shake, stir, and other Bond cliché-them in 2020.

[MIKA27]

Batman: Hush Trailer - A Classic Comic Story Gets a Faithful Adaptation

 

The animated movie adaptation of Batman: Hush finally has a trailer. The film was announced last year, and will be the latest in a long line of Batman animated films. Back in March, the voice cast was revealed, bringing back Jason O'Mara as the voice of the Caped Crusader.

Written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Jim Lee, Batman: Hush was a major comic book storyline in the early 2000s. It introduced a new, deadly villain named Hush, who seemed to know all about Batman. A number of major characters appeared, including Joker, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. One of the most memorable aspects was the appearance of Superman, and yes, he and Batman get to briefly fight. The idea of an animated adaptation was first brought up publicly during 2016 Fan Expo. Kevin Conroy discussed it with Mark Hamill then as a fun project idea, but nothing came out of that. Two years later, Warner Bros. announced an adaptation. Surprisingly, Conroy was not brought in for the project. Instead, it appeared DC was going to keep it in line with other films like Batman: Bad Blood and Justice League Dark by having the same voice cast.

Fans of the comic will recognize scenes from the famous story. Despite the film seemingly being set in the current New 52/Rebirth animated continuity, it appears to be a faithful adaptation.

The trailer shows various scenes from the comic book, with a large emphasis on the early Poison Ivy-influenced Superman attack. We also see a bit of the famous Batman versus Joker sequence, the blossoming romance between Batman and Catwoman, and more. Interestingly, despite being in the voice cast, Damian Wayne is nowhere to be found in the trailer. He wasn't in the comic book storyline, so it makes sense if he has a minimal role in the animated adaptation. Superman is sporting his Rebirth look.

The animated Batman films continue to be very popular. Before Batman: Hush, Warner Bros. is releasing the Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover film. Batman: Hush, however, has the opportunity to be a well-received adaptation after the controversial Batman: The Killing Joke. Batman: The Killing Joke was a film adaptation that severely disappointed a number of fans. If Batman: Hush is a faithful retelling, containing the strong writing and characterization of the major players, fans should be in for a treat.

[MIKA27]

Batman: Hush Trailer - A Classic Comic Story Gets a Faithful Adaptation

The animated movie adaptation of Batman: Hush finally has a trailer. The film was announced last year, and will be the latest in a long line of Batman animated films. Back in March, the voice cast was revealed, bringing back Jason O'Mara as the voice of the Caped Crusader.

Written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Jim Lee, Batman: Hush was a major comic book storyline in the early 2000s. It introduced a new, deadly villain named Hush, who seemed to know all about Batman. A number of major characters appeared, including Joker, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. One of the most memorable aspects was the appearance of Superman, and yes, he and Batman get to briefly fight. The idea of an animated adaptation was first brought up publicly during 2016 Fan Expo. Kevin Conroy discussed it with Mark Hamill then as a fun project idea, but nothing came out of that. Two years later, Warner Bros. announced an adaptation. Surprisingly, Conroy was not brought in for the project. Instead, it appeared DC was going to keep it in line with other films like Batman: Bad Blood and Justice League Dark by having the same voice cast.

Fans of the comic will recognize scenes from the famous story. Despite the film seemingly being set in the current New 52/Rebirth animated continuity, it appears to be a faithful adaptation.

The trailer shows various scenes from the comic book, with a large emphasis on the early Poison Ivy-influenced Superman attack. We also see a bit of the famous Batman versus Joker sequence, the blossoming romance between Batman and Catwoman, and more. Interestingly, despite being in the voice cast, Damian Wayne is nowhere to be found in the trailer. He wasn't in the comic book storyline, so it makes sense if he has a minimal role in the animated adaptation. Superman is sporting his Rebirth look.

The animated Batman films continue to be very popular. Before Batman: Hush, Warner Bros. is releasing the Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover film. Batman: Hush, however, has the opportunity to be a well-received adaptation after the controversial Batman: The Killing Joke. Batman: The Killing Joke was a film adaptation that severely disappointed a number of fans. If Batman: Hush is a faithful retelling, containing the strong writing and characterization of the major players, fans should be in for a treat.

[MIKA27]

NEW YORK’S LATEST TREND PROVES WHY MILLENNIALS SHOULD NEVER BE TRUSTED TO OWN PROPERTY

A pub without alcohol is something of an oxymoron – but they’re growing in popularity.”

While French aristocrat Marie Antoinette was famously misquoted as saying “let them eat cake” in 1789, millionaire Tim Gurner was correctly quoted in 2017 when he said millennials will never be able to afford their own home, “When they are spending $40 a day on smashed avocados and coffees.” (The Guardian).

While conservative commentators and politicians had been echoing this sentiment for years, Gurner’s smug remark was the final straw, with Smashed Avo On Toast soon becoming the symbol of millennial résistance against the patronising comments of myopic baby-boomers (and rich Yuppies like Gurner).

With that, I all agree. But there’s a more pernicious reason for millennials not to own property—what they do with it. Far scarier than Boomers selling off our environmental assets to offshore companies and taking several hours to read a breakfast menu (held at arm’s length, squinting through their spouse’s glasses) is the incendiary ways millennials use the pieces of land they actually get a hold of.

Sober bars.

As reported earlier this week by the BBC, “A pub without alcohol is something of an oxymoron – but they’re growing in popularity.” The stalwart British Broadcaster then cited Getaway, a stylish bar in Brooklyn, which—at first glance—is like any other “Instagram-friendly” cocktail spot in New York.

Quote

“The walls are tasteful green and blue, the space feels cosy enough that you could easily join a neighbouring conversation, and the menu features a list of $13 (£10) cocktails with ingredients like tobacco syrup, lingonberry and jalapeno puree.”

But, as the BBC reports, “There is a crucial difference between Getaway and other Brooklyn bars: Getaway is totally alcohol-free… like an aquarium without fish or a bakery that doesn’t serve bread.”

Ouch.

When you get the BBC riled up you know you’ve done well (or you’re a millennial). But wait: there’s more.

Quote

“In cities like New York and London, where bars often function as second living rooms for apartment dwellers with little space, an alcohol-free nightlife option can appeal to people who, for whatever reason, would prefer not to drink.”

“Getaway, which opened in April,” the report continues, “Is part of a growing global wave of nightspots that specifically cater to people who are avoiding alcohol, but still want to go out and socialise in spaces that have traditionally been dominated by drinking.”

Part of a movement in which urban millennials reconsider the place of alcohol in their lives, there is, admittedly, some health benefit to socialising without getting absolutely Espresso Martini-ed.

But it’s also a middle finger in the face of America’s proud history of getting twisted. And much like brunch has become a convenient scapegoat for structural inequality, drinking has become a convenient scapegoat for the rest of society’s ills—when the problem is clearly Crossfit.

[MIKA27]

Cars will change more in the next decade than they have in the past century

While the look and feel of our cars has changed in the past 100 years, the way we drive them hasn’t. But fundamental change is coming. In the next decade, not only will the way they’re powered and wired have shifted dramatically, but we won’t be the ones driving them anymore.

Some cars already have basic automation features, but the automotive experiments currently being undertaken by the likes of Uber and Google make up a minuscule proportion of the vehicles on our roads. By 2030, the standard car will evolve from merely assisting the driver to taking full control of all aspects of driving in most driving conditions.

This widespread automation, together with the electrification and increased connectivity of both the car and society, are set to shake up the car industry in a big way, affecting everything from the way cars look and feel, to how we spend our time inside them, and how they get us from A to B.

A very different driving experience

The first major difference we might notice between today’s cars and those of 2030 are their names. Just as Apple and Samsung have taken over a mobile phone market that Nokia and Blackberry once dominated, Tesla, Apple, Dyson, and Google could become the most recognised automotive brands of the future.

They’ll likely look a lot different too. From the outside, the large air intakes and front grills that cool our combustion engines will no longer be needed, while wing mirrors will be replaced with cameras and sensors. Windows could be larger to allow liberated passengers to enjoy the view, or near non-existent to provide privacy. The Mercedes-Benz Vision URBANETIC demonstrates these radical new looks with a modular vehicle that can switch bodies to either move cargo or people.

Cars’ interiors will be much more flexible, some allowing customisation of colour, light, privacy, and layout at the touch of a button. Volvo’s recent 360c concept car envisages a multi-functional space that can transform into a lounge, an office and even a bedroom.

Sun visors will become a thing of the past, with smart glass allowing us to control the amount of entering daylight at the touch of a button. The Mercedes F015 concept car’s doors even have extra screens that can function as windows or entertainment systems.

Many cars will be fitted with augmented-reality systems, which will superimpose computer-generated visualisations onto the windscreen or other suitable display areas, to ease the passenger’s nerves from relinquishing the wheel by showing what the car is about to do.

Drivers will be able to communicate with their cars through speech or gesture commands. In high-end models, we may even see some early versions of brain-computer interfaces, which would associate patterns of brain activity with commands to control the car or entertain occupants. Similar technology has already been used to control prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.

Connective technology

The ever-growing internet of things will become central to how our integrated cars move us around and communicate with the outside world. Sensors designed to recognise and communicate with upgraded road signs, markings, networks of cameras, pedestrians, and other vehicles will allow cars to synchronise their movement, minimising fuel consumption and improving traffic flow. Cars will also be able to help authorities maintain road infrastructure, for example with tyre sensors that notify them of deteriorating road conditions.

When humans choose to take the wheel, technology will warn drivers about impending collisions with other road users, and attempt to avoid them. Improvements in thermal sensor technology are likely to enable cars to see far beyond the illumination range of car headlights. If sufficiently standardised and legislated for, these technologies should substantially reduce the number of road accidents – albeit probably after an initial spike.

While rural drivers will probably still own their cars, cities may move away from car ownership to the use of on-demand vehicles that take the Uber model to the next level. In Moscow, 9m of these journeys are already made daily, more than 30 times higher than at the start of 2018.

Fuels of the future

Multiple countries and cities have announced upcoming bans on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, many by 2030. Older vehicles will still be on the road, so petrol stations are unlikely to disappear by this date. However, car makers are already focusing more and more on vehicles that will support the fuels of the future.

 

Precisely what that future will look like is unclear. Uncertainty over whether currently popular hybrid cars will be included in vehicle bans may discourage businesses and consumers from investing too much in this path. Fully electric vehicles only make up 2% of the global market right now, but as their price drops below that of petrol cars by the mid 2020s, their market share will surely balloon.

[MIKA27]

THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER MAY HAVE ALSO BUILT A PARADISE

UNTIL THE 19TH century, the Pripyat River basin on the border between Ukraine and Belarus was wetland and forest. As usual, humans kind of ruined it. They burned down forest for pastureland and cut down trees for timber—or for fuel to make glass and vodka. By the middle of the 20th century, most of that industry was gone, and human-driven reforestation efforts had remade the Pripyat region anew. And then, on April 26, 1986, a nuclear power plant called Chernobyl, on the Pripyat River about 70 miles north of Kiev, blew up and caught fire, spewing radiation across the northern hemisphere.

So that was a big change.

The Soviets ended up evacuating 300,000 people from nearly 2,000 square miles around the plant. The bulk of that area is now called the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and the old power plant is now encased in a giant concrete sarcophagus. But what happened to the Exclusion Zone after everyone left is the subject of disagreement in the scientific community. For decades, research in the area said that plant and animal life had been denuded, and the life that remained was mutated, sick. Newer research says otherwise—that plants have regrown, and animal life is even more diverse than before the accident. The Exclusion Zone hasn’t been rewilded so much as de-humaned, more unmanned in folly than anything Lady Macbeth ever worried about. It’s a living experiment in what the world will be like after humans are gone, having left utter devastation in our wake.

It’d be easy to assume that exposing 3 billion humans to clouds of radioactive strontium, iodine, cesium, and plutonium would be a Thanos-snappingly bad thing. Some 134 emergency responders around the plant got acute radiation sickness, but 530,000 recovery workers got high enough doses to be worrisome. Studies are ongoing as to what that did to their bodies.

One effect seems uncontroversial: The more radioactive iodine you get exposed to, the more likely you are to have thyroid cancer and other thyroid problems later in life. Clean-up crew members today have disproportionately more instances of leukemia and other cancers, as well as cataracts. Luckily, radioactive I-131 doesn’t stick around. “It has such a short half-life that it disappeared quickly—days and weeks after the accident,” says Jim Beasley, an ecologist at the University of Georgia who studies life in the Exclusion Zone. “The animals in Chernobyl today aren’t exposed to that.”

(The effects of radiation can get weirder. Earlier this decade, a small cluster of elderly New Yorkers were diagnosed with an ultra-rare cancer of the eye and optic nerve—vitreo­retinal lymphoma. Ten of them turned out to have lived near Chernobyl or along the fallout path after the accident.)

Yes, yes, you are saying, but what about the Exclusion Zone? A mostly conifer forest west of the plant, where radiation levels were the highest, turned red and then died; it’s still called the Red Forest. But elsewhere? Early studies of birds and invertebrates like insects showed population declines, and later work showed the same for large mammals. “If you go to the most contaminated areas, like some sites in the Red Forest, on a spring day, you can barely hear a single bird singing,” says Anders Møller, an ecologist at the University of Paris-Sud who has been studying Chernobyl since 1991. “I’ll bet you that if we went together to the Exclusion Zone, I would be able to tell you the radiation level from the vocal activity of the birds.”

With his frequent collaborator Timothy Mousseau, Møller has long warned of the negative effects of radiation on the ecosystem. The team found, for example, mutation rates two to 10 times greater in barn swallows in the Exclusion Zone than in Italy or elsewhere in Ukraine—and genetic damage in a bunch of other plant and animal species. Signs of radiation damage, like albino patches on birds, are more common near Chernobyl, they say, as are abnormalities in sperm in birds and rodents. (Apparently the longer an animal’s sperm is, typically, the more subject it is to radiation damage. So … watch out, I guess.)

Perhaps most disconcerting, Møller and Mousseau inventoried the total populations of invertebrates in and around the Exclusion Zone, and they found that their populations were smaller inside. The same, they say, goes for birds and mammals, though the changes weren’t consistent for every species. “We see negative impacts of ionizing radiation on free-living organisms. This applies to mammals, insects, spiders, butterflies, you name it,” Møller says. “And a second issue is, are these populations of large mammals composed of healthy individuals? Or individuals that are sick or malformed or in other ways negatively impacted by radiation? That’s not investigated, and that’s the big question mark that hangs over the Exclusion Zone.”

Other researchers using different methods, though, have found quite the opposite. In the 1990s, a preliminary study of rodents showed that radiation had no effect on population. Twenty years later, a team of international researchers counting actual animals from helicopters found no measurable difference in the populations of elk, deer, and wild boar—and a sevenfold increase in wolf population—compared with similar, uncontaminated nature preserves. And all those populations had gone up since the first decade after the accident.

Why the difference? Possibly it’s that the animals in question reproduce faster than the radiation can kill them. “If 10 percent of the population was impacted by something—and I’m not saying they are, but if they were—in most situations, that wouldn’t be enough to cause a decline,” says Beasley, an author of that 2015 study. “A very low level of mortality wouldn’t be enough to manifest in a population-level response.”

Or maybe the animals die before something like a mutation or a cancer can kill them. “Most animals die within their first months of life, and those that make it to adulthood, most don’t live more than several years,” Beasley says. “Cancer is often a long-developing sort of thing.” That doesn’t take into account the quality of life or health of an individual in those populations, though—as Møller says. The animals might not be dying of radiation toxicity, but they might have cataracts or tumors. Their lives might not be shorter, but they might suck.

Methodologies have also changed. Beasley’s group now uses “scent stations” baited with fatty acids that animals like to sniff at. When they do, their presence triggers a camera, giving his team photographic evidence of at least a population’s overall range. They found wolves, raccoon dogs, wild boar, and foxes in population numbers as high as you’d expect in a region with no people trying to kill these things. They’ve also baited stations with dead fish alongside the rivers and canals in the Exclusion Zone, looking to find things like otters and mink. “One of the things I like about cameras is, images don’t lie,” Beasley says.

Since the accident, brown bears have colonized—or perhaps recolonized—the Exclusion Zone. In the late 1990s, European researchers introduced the nearly extinct Przewalski’s horse. Bison are thriving there too. The absence of humans seems to have allowed these populations to grow freely.

The question is one of balance, or competing lifelines—no human pressure means a diverse ecosystem thrives, but radiation could tamp down that ecosystem’s ebullience. One of the methodological problems, though, is that no one’s really sure exactly how much radiation is there. Some people think that the radionuclides left on the ground are trapped in the soil; others think that animals traipsing through the forests could carry those particles with them and transport them to new locations. Even ascertaining the radiation level is a problem. Researchers from the University of Bristol have tried using quadcopter drones to map them; Beasley’s team is deploying GPS collars for animals with built-in dosimeters to try to answer, finally, the actual doses that critters pick up.

Those differences have knock-on effects that get to the heart of why this place is so hard to study. In the Red Forest, for example, the conifers that died were replaced by deciduous trees that could tolerate radiation better, but their leaf litter is less acidic, changing the microorganisms that live in it. “You’ve changed the ecosystem,” says Beasley. “It’s not just radiation. There are confounding factors.”

This all matters because the Exclusion Zone is all but unique. There are only a few other places on Earth that used to have humans but no longer do. They become models for a different kind of world, even if—or maybe especially because—two of those places, Chernobyl and Fukushima, are also radioactive. That’s important too. If you believe that nuclear power will be one of the key ways to produce energy without exacerbating Earth’s ongoing climate crisis, it’s important to know just how bad an accident at one of those nuclear power plants could get. Nuclear is a green, or at least green-ish, source of power—it requires cold water (which it then heats up) and creates a certain amount of waste, but that might be tolerable if you’re also willing to put up with the occasional risk of a Chernobyl or a Fukushima until someone reengineers these systems to be safer.

Oh, and that’s not the only reason to be thinking about climate change and Chernobyl. In 2015, two wildfires in the Exclusion Zone re-aerosolized radioactive particles in their smoke and carried them aloft, dosing parts of Europe all over again—at about the level of a medical x-ray. In fact, says Møller, the Exclusion Zone is constantly plagued by fire. And climate change has already increased the likelihood of fires in abandoned urban and peri-urban areas in Europe. Which means one of the lasting legacies of the Exclusion Zone extends far beyond its boundaries: climate change-induced radioactive wildfires.

[MIKA27]

Citroen’s Autonomous Electric SUV Does 500 Miles Per Charge

Few older automotive companies have shown their commitment to future technologies quite like Citroen. But the French manufacturer is far from through with pushing the limits if their unique 19_19 all-electric concept SUV is any indication.

Like something out of Judge Dredd or Blade Runner, this marvelously-futuristic four-wheeler is a direct follow-up to the brand’s urban-focused Ami One concept from February but doubles down on a number of key features. For starters, the 19_19 is said to have an effective range just shy of 500 miles per charge and a horsepower rating of 456 — giving it a top speed of over 124 mph, a 0-62 time of five seconds, and 590 foot-pounds of torque. And while you could enjoy all of that yourself, the 19_19 is also said to have autonomous driving tech built-in, so you can lean back and enjoy the luxurious comfort-focused cabin and let the car do the hard work. Let’s just hope Citroen puts all of this concept’s technologies to good use in the future.

[MIKA27]

The Range Rover Astronaut Edition Is out of This World

When the Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations team sets out to make the Range Rover even more unique you can bet they’re gonna create something absurd. Their latest, the Range Rover Astronaut Edition, is the perfect example of what’s possible. Designed and built exclusively for the “Future Astronauts” already signed up to travel to space with Virgin Galactic, the Range Rover Astronaut takes everything that makes the Range Rover Autobiography noteworthy and makes it better.

Unique Zero Gravity Blue paint inspired by the depth and intensity night sky. Bespoke Virgin Galactic puddle lamp design that features the silhouette of SpaceShipTwo. Virgin Galactic touches are also throughout the interior with unique badges, stitching and carbon fiber detailing. But the pièce de résistance is in the cup holders. Seriously. The discs inside the cup holders are made with pieces of the front landing skid from Virgin Spaceship Unity.

What’s more, according to Land Rover, “Once a Future Astronaut has flown to space, and becomes an astronaut, this [disc] will be swapped out with part of the wooden skid from that customer’s own spaceflight, personally inscribed with the specific details of a life changing experience.” That’s right. A piece of your spaceship will be in your very own, very limited Range Rover. This all of course assumes you’re already on the list for the hundreds of thousands of dollars spaceflight, and you’re we’re willing to drop another couple hundred thousand on another vehicle.

[MIKA27]

Our columnist visited the new home of Hendrick’s Gin in Scotland and got the scoop on its recently introduced line of limited-edition products.

The new Hendrick’s “Gin Palace” is about 75 minutes south of Glasgow and almost wholly encased by a Game of Thrones-style black-brick wall. The entrance is a tall gothic door, also painted midnight black.

A group of us on a tour arranged by Hendrick’s approached the gate. We knock. An iPad-sized mini-door some eight feet off the ground swings open and a gnomish face peers out. Inexplicably, none of us shouts, “We want to see the wizard!” Maybe because that’s not needed; the face belongs to Lesley Gracie, Hendrick’s master distiller since 1999. She actually is the wizard.

“Welcome!” Gracie cries out. The doors swing open. Our group enters.

Hendrick’s Gin is celebrating its 20th year this year, and doing so by releasing two new gin products, including Midsummer Solstice, which began rolling out in the United States in early May. Hendrick’s is also showing off its new distillery, which held its grand opening last October. To date, it’s open only to invited guests, including media, distributors and high-profile bartenders, and is not yet offering public tours.

Inside the wall is a showpiece of Victoriana—it’s designed like a 19th century horticultural hall, with a soaring glassed-in pavilion housing palms, a stuffed peacock, comfortable chairs with stacks of outdated encyclopedias. A pair of greenhouses flanks the hall, and it’s here where Gracie grows plants for experimental infusions. Outside the front door there’s a small fleet of penny farthings; the restroom (“Lavatorium”) is adorned with piles of quirky antiquarian books (Simple Heraldry, Cheerfully Illustrated.) Hendrick’s is nothing if not on-brand.

Hendrick’s is celebrating two decades of solid growth. In 2017, it sold more than one million cases for the first time, putting it in the company of a handful of gin producers who move that much liquor. (The club also includes Tanqueray, Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire, Seagram’s and Gordon’s.)

A lot of what has fueled Hendrick’s growth has been quirky marketing—creating a brand with a distinctive identity, one that might be described as “Steampunks Throw a Garden Party.” One mainstay at public events is the Hendrick’s “grand garnisher”—a truck-mounted “bicycle-powered” cucumber slicer the size of an ambitious circus wagon.

When William Grant & Sons first explored the idea of a gin, they approached Steve Grasse, whom Food & Wine magazine once dubbed the “Punk-Rock Prince of Small-Batch Spirits.” Grasse was a marketing guy—his branding agency is now known as Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction—and he was instrumental in crafting Hendrick’s quirky image. (Grasse also was behind the Sailor Jerry brand.) The gin’s taglines included “not for everyone” and “a most unusual gin.”

From the distillery’s palm court visitors can view three copper stills behind a wall of glass. It looks like a Smithsonian museum exhibit—indeed, one of these stills dates to 1860. Yet these are fully operating stills, and not just ornamental. In fact, these stills produced all Hendrick’s Gin for the first 20 years. With these, Gracie worked out an early distilling protocol with dual methods of extracting flavors from botanicals. (These include Macedonian juniper,  Angelica root, cubeb berry, elderflower, and meadowsweet, among others.) One batch of ingredients is mixed with ethanol and run through a Bennet still, yielding a full extraction. Another batch of identical botanicals is placed in a gin basket atop a Carter-head still, where it infuses the ethanol steam. Each method extracts different layers of flavor, adding what Gracie calls a welcome “roundness.”

The final twist on Hendrick’s flavor profile comes at the end, like a surprise dessert. Hendrick’s has a third party distill both rose petals and cucumber essences with vacuum stills. These stills substantially reduce the boiling temperature of alcohol, helping preserve the delicate flavors. (Cucumber, when exposed to higher temperatures, takes on an unfortunate, cabbage-like aroma, says Gracie.)

To meet anticipated demand for the product, Hendrick’s moved its distillery from a mundane former munitions bunker in the middle of their sprawling property to this specially designed hall. (Although William Grant & Sons is one of the largest producers of grain whisky for blending, visitors to the Hendrick’s facility are spared views of the charmless industrial site thanks to artfully placed berms and trees.)

Hendrick’s also had the three original stills replicated exactly, which they installed in an adjacent room not visible from the main hall. The large room has the charm of a standard distillery, which is to say none at all, but makes up for its lack of quirk with a spotless efficiency. In rolling this out, Hendrick’s has doubled its ability to produce gin, and can now make up to two million cases a year. (Gracie notes the building’s design allows for another room and another trio of replicant stills, meaning they’re ready to gear up to three million cases, if demand warrants.)

So why did Hendrick’s wait two decades to extend its brand line? The answer is both in the production and the marketing.

On the production side, Hendrick’s now has the ability to make nearly twice as much gin as current demand warrants. So what to do with the new capacity? They chose to use the excess to develop new products. The two newly released, limited-edition gins—Orbium and Midsummer Solstice—are comprised of the standard Hendrick's, which is complicated with additional ingredients.

The Orbium, for instance, also contains quinine, wormwood and lotus blossom, in addition to all the regular Hendrick’s ingredients. The result is sort-of lazy person’s gin and tonic, which can be made with the simple addition of soda water. The Midsummer Solstice adds floral essences to the standard product, drawing from flowers that Gracie declines to identify. It was initially created for the wedding of a beloved employee, and will be available until sold out.

The new releases are also rolling out for shrewd marketing reasons. Hendrick’s is often thought of as the original craft gin—among the first to boldly depart from the London dry flavor profile—but as it barrels towards two million cases maintaining that craft imprimatur may prove difficult. What was once a Gulliver amid Brobdingnagians is now a Gulliver amid the Lilliputians—Hendrick’s is now surrounded by dozens of smaller craft gin makers, many departing equally boldly further from the norm and nibbling away at the gin market.

One of the lessons smaller distillers have picked up on is that experimentation helps define them. Larger brands aren’t typically interested in releasing new products unless they’re sure it will sell at least a forty thousand cases out of the gate, with the result of an often-monotonous product landscape among the majors. Craft distillers can be more nimble and experimental with their releases—helping generate interest among bartenders and consumers about what they’re up to, especially when their releases are shrouded in semi-secrecy and limited in release.

So in addition to Orbium and Midsummer Solstice (Orbium is available in  “exceedingly small batches and has a finite window of existence,” the company notes), Hendrick’s also made a product called Hendrick’s Kanaracuni, which resulted from a two-week journey that Gracie and others took to the Venezuelan rainforest (with a 10-liter still) to search for new flavors in 2013. They found a plant for infusing called scorpion tail; the extremely small amount that was produced made its way to bartenders and other industry insiders.  

Scarcity plus curiosity can help keep a brand in the front and center.

Hendrick’s created the original playbook for craft products—presenting itself as hand-crafted and quirky, the ideal spirit for younger drinkers who didn’t want to drink their parent’s mass-produced gin. Hendrick’s is now borrowing from the craft playbook of a new generation of smaller craft distillers, plotting its way to three million cases, one experimental batch at a time.