“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear.
Share your story ideas or interesting finds with us by emailing our Managing Editor at [email protected].
Header Image Via: Atlas Obscura
On an approach towards San Francisco International Airport, you might notice these strange, vibrantly colored pools of water that range from sage green, turquoise blue and coral red, all coming together to resemble something akin to an abstract painting from 10,000 feet above. These geometric lines and dynamic colors are a result of 150 years of industrial salt mining and is the current site of an ongoing restoration project to maintain (and revive) the vital part of the South Bay’s ecosystem.
In a recent article published by Atlas Obscura, and originally appearing in bioGraphic, an online magazine about nature and sustainability, photographer joSon explores the South Bay wonder and uncovers the ambitious project that’s taking place to restore the delicate environment. The story unveils the interesting backstory of the area and the important ecological role it plays. A read through the article will explain how the South Bay Salt Pond gets its color through evaporation and salinity change, how it acts as a pitstop for birds migrating through the ‘Pacific Flyway’ and the benefits people get from having the salt ponds in the surrounding area. The aerial images alone are enough to check out the article on Atlas Obscura, so head on over and check out the good work that’s happening in the Bay.
In a post No Time To Die world, most of us James Bond fans have found ourselves wondering, what’s next? Do we rewatch the series starting with Casino Royale, or do we revisit a different era of bond, like say when Pierce Brosnan had the license to kill? Or how about buying and assembling the Lego Speed Champions 007 Aston Martin DB5? But that will only keep us content for so long before we, once again, hit Bond-withdrawal.
Well here’s some welcomed news. A couple of days ago, the latest novel entitled Double or Nothing written by Kim Sherwood was announced and sets the scene where 007’s whereabouts are unknown, and it’s up to a group of other double ‘0’ agents at MI6 to find him. Sherwood herself is a life-long Bond fan, and has had the blessing from the Ian Flemming family to continue the James Bond saga. This new plot opens up a bunch of new storylines where we get introduced to different double ‘0’ agents, their journey, and their relationship with 007 himself. We’ll also run into familiar characters, some of which with new positions, as well familiar locations such as good ol’ Q-Branch. There’s no telling what’s going to happen and where the story will go, but rest assured – cars, gadgets and explosive action will all be a part of it. Here’s the minor issue, the book was actually released in the UK, and won’t hit the shelves or the Kindle App until April of next year. I’m sure some of us state-side will do our very best version of Bond to get our hands, and eyes on the new thriller novel before its release.
Tom Cruise is no stranger to going fast. And I’m sure TC’s need for speed only magnified during his time with Paul Neman on the set of the 1986 film, “The Color of Money.” It would only be a year later when Cruise found himself lining up on the grid for his first SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) race in a Nissan 300ZX. To the surprise of mechanics and spectators alike, he would go on to win 4 of his 16 races, and set the stage for him to appear in the 1990 film, “Days of Thunder.”
Well now that exact Nissan 300ZX has got a “For Sale” sign on it. The V6, 5-speed manual transmission race car has all of the original paint scheme and decals as it once did back in 1987. This particular Nissan 300ZX is a piece of Hollywood and motorsport history, and will be available for auction via Bring A Trailer.
In Topo Designs’ new initiative called “The New Outdoor” their mission is to create more casual outdoor experiences for those that might live in metropolitan areas. Their new collaboration with Redington, a company well-versed in making fly fishing rods, falls exactly in line with that mission. The Topo Designs x Redington Fly Fishing Kit is designed to conveniently and stylishly bring a fly fishing rod along with you, whether it’s a hike that passes an off the beaten path lake or a bike ride commute – you’ll be ready if the urge strikes to seek out nature and to catch some fish. The kit comes with a 6-piece rod set that can be rolled up and neatly packed into a tube travel case. The kit also includes everything you would need to start pronto; a loaded reel, tippet (type of line that allows your fly to swim more naturally), hemostats (fancy word for fly fishing pliers) and a fly box loaded with flies. The rod travel case attaches to a Topo Designs Mountain Hip Pack which comes in a special colorway and a stitched patch honoring the collaboration. The Topo Designs x Redington Fly Fishing Kit is currently available through Topo Designs and will run you $450.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) broke the internet a couple of months back with its spectacular cosmic images captured of galaxies millions of light years away. And to think, those images were just a window akin to a grain of sand of the extremely vast universe. It would only be a matter of time until the JWST would make amazing discoveries that previously were not achievable due to the lack of technology. One of which is the first photograph of an exoplanet taken by the JWST, unveiling a world seven times heavier than Jupiter orbiting a star 400 light-years away. Astronomers have photographed exoplanets before, but the images the JWST will come back with will most certainly surpass anything that has been documented before. To learn more about exoplanet “HIP 65426 b,” check out the article published in Quanta Magazine.
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