As of today employees at Disneyland in California and Florida are permitted to grow beards or goatees for the first time in 60 years. The no facial hair policy has been in place since the first park in California opened its doors in 1955.
Employees, called ‘Cast Members’, have always had to adhere to some of the most strict appearance guidelines in the corporate world, including limitations on dress, hairstyle, makeup, eyewear, and personal hygiene.
Well, get ready for Facebook ubiquity to seep into the real world. A clever hardware-hacking project called LikeBelt uses near-field communication technology (NFC) to register Facebook likes as you walk down the street. Just approach a person or thing that deserves liking, and thrust your hips in its — or his, or her — direction.
“There used to be simple ways of saying you like things, like thumbs up, high fives, or humping,” Nathan Martin, CEO of Deeplocal, told Wired.
Yes, you read that correctly: humping. Deeplocal has taken the primitive gesture — arguably, one of nature’s earliest forms of “liking” — and combined it with a wearable piece of technology in the creation of the LikeBelt.
1. “I Love You” (Barney the Dinosaur)- The Song That Makes Bad Guys Tremble
Why is the opening theme from Barney the most powerful song of the last 25 years? Because it made sure the terrorists didn’t win. In the U.S. military detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, there’s a special spot, known as “the Disco,” where interrogators use music to get detainees to talk. Naturally, death metal is on the playlist, and so is Christina Aguilera. But according to The Guardian, the most used song in the military’s arsenal is Barney’s “I Love You.” Interrogators refer to it as “futility music,” which convinces prisoners that it’s pointless to keep their silence. After listening to the song over and over, detainees start to feel that life is meaningless, and that it’s time to give up. It really works—Just ask any parent.
It turns out Apple’s questionable rebuild of its 5th Avenue store wasn’t in vain—the company now has the ability to make some pretty daring glass structures. Case in point: this French shop will be almost totally transparent.
Unlike the 5th Avenue retail carnival, which is almost entirely underground and encased by normal walls, this impending store in Aix en Provence, France will be both above ground and encased in glass. With the exception of one back wall, the only thing separating the Barre des Génies from the elements will be giant panes of glass—meaning it’ll be a pretty neat edifice to view from the side, peering straight through the entire thing.
