Friday Fives, Vol. 68
Every Friday we highlight five things we have on our radar that we think should be on yours, too.
Here’s this week’s Friday Fives.
Need some space? Fly Virgin Galactic
Space, the final frontier… for tourism? Today, Virgin Galactic, the company aiming to commercialize space travel with $250,000 tickets to experience five minutes of weightlessness, took its first test passenger into space. Yes, actual SPACE. The lucky passenger? Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses, who joined Virgin Galactic’s two newly-minted astronauts to help ensure the flight’s safety and prep it for commercial passengers. Looks like the hottest (and most expensive) vacation destination for 2019 will be suborbital space. 🏖🌙 – MC
The Funding is Female
It’s no secret that the first round of funding for startups is often the hardest, but 2018 has shown a growing interest in an underrepresented and much-needed group of entrepreneurs — females. It seems that New York and Los Angeles top the charts for being the most female founder friendly cities in the country (shoutout to our very own NY-based female founder, Jolene Delisle). Female-led startups that raised Series A funding last year spanned wide range of industries including e-commerce, media, software, healthcare and Fintech. As new, female-forward precedents are being set in these male-dominated ecosystems, we’re excited to see more women breaking through that glass ceiling. 👊 — LK
Putting the “Art” in Artificial Intelligence
For decades, artists and designers have been embracing computers as creative tools. But what would happen if computers themselves became the creators? Artist Mario Klingemann has been exploring this possibly for the future of contemporary art through algorithm-powered work that “paints” portraits of faces generated entirely by AI technology. His groundbreaking (and extremely creepy) piece “Memories of Passerby I” is set to be auctioned by Sotheby’s next month for an estimated $50,000. A visual hybrid between a Rembrandt painting and a horror film, the piece may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Regardless of your artistic opinion, it seems that spooky art is trending in 2019. — LK
License to 🙂
From questionable feature films to custom pancake griddles, emojis are slowly breaking out of their internet home and taking over the physical world. And now, citizens of Queensland, Australia can rep them in a new, unexpected place — their car license plates. An extension of their current personalization options, Aussie drivers will now be able to select 1 of 5 different emojis to adorn their vehicles. Although the current library is a bit limited, it seems like license plate emojis could actually be used as handy warning signs for fellow drivers. Your coworker that drives an unnecessarily oversized truck? Probably a 💪. Your uncle who’s a bit *too* prone to road rage? Definitely 😤. Your perpetually distracted friend who can’t seem to keep her eyes on the road? 💀. — KJ
Caught orange-handed
There are two types of people in this world — those who view Dorito-fingers as a delightful, finger-licking second snack, and those who view it as a scourge on the sanctity of their wardrobe that threatens to ruin everything they love. If you’re leaving orange prints all over your apartment (like me), then Tel Aviv-based ad agency Gefen has the answer for you: a Doritos’ towel bag. Designed to combat a common issue in the gamer community (and all communities, let’s be real), Doritos will release a limited early launch in collaboration with BUG, the largest gaming retailer in Israel. Will the towel bag eventually make it stateside? Keeping my very orange fingers crossed. — KY
