Around The Web | What We’re Reading

We’ve all seen the Bruce Willis-esque makeover that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has undergone recently. It’s like he checked his bank account one day and had a vanity attack. He certainly wasn’t inspired by sci-fi, as one author is imploring Silicon Valley elites to turn to for inspiration. Then there is the budding entrepreneurial youth of today, ah the youth – take a look at the LA summer camp giving kids all the necessary tools to become the next Youtube sensation. Whilst we’re on the topic, the social media revolution continues via Instagram as we check out world’s most incredible architectural wonders.

Here is the best of the latest this week:

“Realism isn’t the aim. Rather, it’s the weird hypocrisy of Victorian sexuality as interpreted by a deeply stoned, polyamorous sex guru doling out acid in the summer of love. Other trademarks of the Picnic at Hanging Rock aesthetic: Children of the Corn-esque configurations of blonde girls; shiny hair showing off shinier ribbons, faces hidden for emphasis; sunstroke; a menacing, possibly sentient, desert.” Discover how this 1970s Australian film has become one of the most enduring influences on fashion and film, from Sofia Coppola to Alexander McQueen.

“It’s this massive Brutalist cement box of glass, steel, and concrete, set amongst the otherworldly, mossy lava fields at the base of Hengill volcano. The hotel is a design-lover’s dream in the middle of nowhere.” Take a look at this awe-inspiring compilation of the world’s most spectacular buildings, as chosen by Instagram’s best architecture snappers.

“Over the past few years, Ou and Cahana have made several trips to Arviat, Nunavut, located on the shores of the Hudson Bay… In a town that has lost so many of its young people to suicide, dance has become a positive force of hope and healing.” This fascinating short film from award winning visual storytellers Ed Ou and Kitra Cahana takes you on a journey to a desolate Inuit town in Canada where the youths are taking to dance competitions to keep suicide at bay.

“The camp promotes itself as a sleepaway experience for “rising social media creators.” In bold red letters, its website shouts, “You can be the next big social media star!” It leans heavily into the allure of viral fame and fortune with the gusto of an internet ad promising you the ability to make money from home.” The 2017 version of summer camp has arrived in LA and this time it’s all about making your pre teen the next global Internet sensation, from vlogging tips to Snapchat etiquette.

“It’s unclear when exactly Bezos’ transformation began. Perhaps being in that robot gave him a major confidence boost. But whatever caused it, it seems that he and another multi-company billionaire who also wants to send us into space, Elon Musk, are competing to see who can be more like Hank Scorpio from The Simpsons—hopefully without the same ending.” It’s long been known that money does wonders for one’s appearance. So it’s little wonder that Amazon’s half a trillion fortune has helped Jeff Bezos along the way.

“Science fiction can help. Maybe you associate it with spaceships and aliens, but science fiction offers more than escapism. By presenting plausible alternative realities, science fiction stories empower us to confront not just what we think but also how we think and why we think it. They reveal how fragile the status quo is, and how malleable the future can be.” Here’s why every CEO and Silicon Valley magnate should be incorporating a good sci-fi novel into their summer reading list.

“If some drugs remain effective well beyond the date on their labels, why hasn’t there been a push to extend their expiration dates? It turns out that the FDA, the agency that helps set the dates, has long known the shelf life of some drugs can be extended, sometimes by years. In fact, the federal government has saved a fortune by doing this.” Experts estimate that the US wastes around $765 billion each year on discarding ‘expired’ drugs. This study proves that the expiration dates are false, so why is the government not taking heed?