⚡️This company grew a building made of fungus
PLUS: News publishers may be suing AI companies
Clayton Hester
July 24, 2023
The Precap
Good Monday morning, creatives!
Hope you all had a phenomenal weekend.
We’re back at it again today.
Elon Musk has X-ed out the little Twitter bluebird.
A new staging of Wagner’s “Parsifal” is taking it to Augmented Reality.
Kimbal Musk’s vertical farming venture faces shakeups.
Growing a building from fungus.
AI companies getting sued by news publishers.
And more~!
Check it out.
Oh, and don’t forget to set up your free consult for creativity coaching.
We look forward to seeing you!
—Clayton
💡Ready for next-level creativity?
Wow, Really?
They grew a building.
From fungus and fabric.
Okay so — gotta clarify. It’s not really a building you wanna live in.
[Photo: Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment]
It might make an okay tent? Maybe?
Fungal mycelium is shaking up the architectural world (as only fungal mycelium can) with groundbreaking biofabrication techniques.
In a recent UK project named BioKnit, researchers created a tent-like dome using a paste of mycelium and sawdust, expertly guided by knitted wool and linen.
The result? A mesmerizing experimental pavilion that challenges traditional building materials.
This approach to architecture addresses some of the limitations of traditional bio-bricks, such as the need for joinery materials and potential weak spots where different materials meet. With BioKnit, a seamless, continuous material is created with superior strength compared to standalone mycelium-based bricks.
Trends & Changes
New pressures are mounting for AI companies.
Major publishers, including The New York Times, News Corp, Axel Springer, and more, form a coalition to take on AI giants like Google and OpenAI.
Google, OpenAI, Meta, and other AI companies have faced multiple lawsuits for training models using content without consent or compensation.
Recent high-profile lawsuit filed by comedian Sarah Silverman and others against OpenAI and Meta for copyright infringement.
Google also hit with a class-action suit accusing the company of using content from the internet to train its AI chatbots.
Bye-bye, birdie.
If you’ve been on Twitter today, you’ll notice that a familiar feathered friend has flown the coop.
Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, has given the platform's iconic blue bird a fresh makeover.
The new logo features a sleek "minimalist art deco" X image, replacing the old familiar bird.
Musk revealed his plans to change the logo on Saturday and swiftly rolled out the new design in the early hours of Monday.
The revamped image was crafted by one of Musk's followers, Sawyer Merritt, co-founder of a sustainable clothing business, who initially created it for a now-defunct podcast.
Musk acknowledged that the icon might undergo further refinements, but the single-letter name, X, has become a longstanding moniker for the company.
Musk made headlines last year when he incorporated Twitter under X Corp, with X Holdings Corp as its parent company, following the acquisition of the platform for a staggering $44 billion in October 2022.
Known for his ventures like SpaceX and the recent announcement of an artificial intelligence company called xAI, Musk is continuously expanding his creative endeavors.
Meanwhile, Square Roots, the tech farming startup co-founded by Kimbal Musk, has made a significant move by halting production at most of its farms. The company's CEO, Tobias Peggs, informed employees of the decision during a Zoom call, which left many shocked and uncertain about their future with the company.
The startup, known for its innovative vertical farming using shipping containers and artificial light to grow herbs and salad greens year-round, had five locations and had received substantial funding, including support from close friends of Elon Musk. However, it seems the company is now shifting its focus away from packaging its own products and instead concentrating on supporting business partners like Gordon Food Services.
Renowned American director Jay Scheib's groundbreaking production of Wagner's "Parsifal" at the Bayreuth Festival Theater is set to amaze audiences with augmented reality (AR) technology. Rehearsals have unveiled surreal three-dimensional flowers and psychedelic animations that will come to life through augmented-reality glasses, creating what Scheib describes as "sacred visions" of a world filled with wonder.
However, the production hasn't been without its challenges. Months of dispute arose over funding the AR glasses for the audience, leading to a downscaled compromise that left many dissatisfied and questioning the festival's future relevance. The Bayreuth Festival, renowned for its pristine acoustics and historical connection to Wagner, has faced ongoing debates about its legacy and leadership.
Despite the controversy, Scheib's vision showcases a post-human landscape exploring themes of faith, forgiveness, and belonging. The use of augmented reality in opera is a bold step towards innovation, reminiscent of Wagner's own revolutionary approach to theater.
Katharina Wagner, the great-granddaughter of the composer and current artistic director, has been pushing for innovative staging to remain competitive with global theaters. She believes that clinging to traditional productions would limit the festival's repertoire and artistic potential.
Legacies
Saving history is as important as creating it.
And one of the last of the m=en who helped save history from Axis forces has passed away.
The last of the Monuments Men, the Allied operatives who helped to recover the arts and culture stolen by the Nazis in World War II, has died.
Barancik, an Army private first class, served in England and France, where he volunteered for the Monuments Men, dedicating three months as a driver and guard.
The group, composed of about 350 individuals, included museum directors, curators, scholars, historians, and artists.
Their noble missions involved diverting Allied bombers away from cultural targets, overseeing repairs of damages, and relentlessly tracking down millions of objects stolen by the Nazis, returning them to their rightful institutions and countries.
Sparky is our newsboy - delivering the Spark to our readers far and wide. Do Sparky a solid and forward the Spark to a friend!
Creative History
Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome, a creative power couple, have unveiled their latest work – "The Story of the Saxophone."
This children's book traces the origin of the saxophone, a musical marvel brought to life by the curious mind of Antoine-Joseph "Adolphe" Sax in 1800s Belgium.
From a young age, Adolphe's curiosity led him to create various instruments, but he yearned for a unique sound—something between a trumpet and a clarinet.
😈Enter the saxophone, often called the "Devil's Horn" due to its alluring charm.
Despite initial resistance, Adolphe's creation found its way into the world, captivating musicians across Europe and eventually making its mark in the Americas, influencing jazz music forever.
