A list of intriguing things

One: The Chinese are brilliant food artists. They make stunning sculptures out of dough—to celebrate the festivals, weddings and funerals.

And some like Zhou Yi—aka the Sugar King—make exquisite fondant sculptures. Yes this is made of sugar:

He won the International Cake Competition for the exquisite tribute to Wu Zetian, the only female emperor of China below. (CGTN).

Two: So you’re stuck in front of a screen—or maybe in a noisy, crowded part of the world. And a quiet, restful walk to clear your head is what you desperately need—and yet it seems impossible. Hop on over to YouTube to take a ramble anywhere in the world—New York City in the snow, Amsterdam in the early morning or London in the rain. These videos are shot with a high-definition camera—and offer high quality audio. It’s the next best thing to being there. Some good options: Nomadic Ambience, Virtual Japan, Watched Walker and Keezi Walks (h/t Jurni)

Three: Are you ready for the Otamatone—described as “the most adorable instrument that looks like a sperm”—though it’s supposed to look like a tadpole. It’s weird, cute and, of course, Japanese. Here’s how it works:

The humble Otamatone is a cute (or aggressively annoying... to each their own) instrument that makes digital synthesiser-like noises when you tap or slide your finger along the neck. The toy is essentially a long stick with a round globe attached at the bottom that features two dots to resemble a face. Sound comes out from the instrument’s slit, and you can squeeze the globe to change the pitch. The slit is designed to look like a mouth. There are also controls on the back of the device to adjust volume and a low / mid / hi slider that changes the octave.

This is the Otamatone version of Evanescence’s ‘Bring Me to Life’. No, you’re in no risk of preferring the cover to the original:) (The Verge)