T-Wolves

SLAM Magazine recreates the 1997 Kevin Garnett (PF) and Stephon Marbury (PG) cover with Kevin Love (PF) and Ricky Rubio (PG).

Random fan below recreates the 1990's TV show Family Matters intro credits with the 2011-2012 Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Gaudi NYC Skyscraper That Almost Was

"In May 1908, Edward T. Carlton, an American hotelier, and William Gibbs McAdoo, the president of the New York and New Jersey Railroad Company, traveled to Spain to meet with the renowned Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) studied architecture in Barcelona, where he was surrounded by neo-classical and romantic designs. Gaudi became famous by reinterpreting these designs and working in the Art Nouveau and Art Moderne styles, and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is considered to be his greatest work.

Carlton and McAdoo sought to add a building based on Gaudi’s unique vision to the New York City skyline. He was asked to design a hotel that would be situated in Lower Manhattan. Gaudi designed multiple sketches of an 980 to 1,100 foot high hotel called the Hotel Atraccion (Hotel Attraction). It contained an exhibition hall, conference rooms, a theater, and five dining rooms, symbolizing the five continents. Had the hotel been built, it would have been the tallest building in New York City, and therefore in the United States. Sadly, this building would never be built. Carlton wanted the hotel to serve the City’s wealthiest and most elite clientele. Gaudi’s remained true to his communist ideals, and he abandoned the project. According to another version of the story, Gaudi fell ill in 1909 and that brought about the end of the project. All that survive are conceptual sketches by Juan Matemala."

untapped New York - "The New York City that Never Was: Part I Buildings"

"Disarming Viktor Bout"

Highly suggest this #Longread -

The New Yorker - "Disarming Viktor Bout"
by Nicholas Schmidle (a graduate of American University)

The true tale of Russian-born, multiple language-speaking, illegal arms dealer Viktor Bout's rise to international success and fame, arrest (D.E.A./C.I.A. sting operation in Bangkok, Thailand), and impending sentence (25 to life in solitary confinement).

Another great read by Schmidle, "Getting Bin Laden."

TED talk: Why/How videos go viral

"Kevin Allocca is YouTube's trends manager, and he has deep thoughts about silly web video. In this talk from TEDYouth, he shares the 4 reasons a video goes viral."

Legos

"Legos are one of the most popular toys of all time. According to TED Fellow Ayah Bdeir, who delivered a speech at the famed conference in Long Beach, California this week, there are more than 400 billion of the little blocks in the world, or 75 for every person on earth. The brilliance of Legos is that they are not a single toy, but a platform for creation with nearly endless possibilities, making them one of the best teaching tools ever."

GOOD - "If Schools Kill Creativity, Can Toys Bring It Back to Life?"

Macao

"The fight is playing out in Las Vegas, where Wynn Resorts is based, and here in Macao, the former Portuguese seaport colony now controlled by China, where annual gambling revenue is four times that of the Las Vegas Strip. Macao (often spelled Macau) was the source of all of Wynn Resorts’ $613.4 million in profit last year — more than offsetting its money-losing properties in the moribund Nevada economy."

New York Times - "Builders of Casino Empire Split, and the Bitter Accusations Fly"

84th annual Academy Award Snubs