Verve’s monthly round up of what’s new, interesting, and happening… in a paragraph!
OC Deep Clean
From flat-pack furniture to expertise in sustainable living and birthing hygge, the Scandinavians have gifted the globe a great deal of great stuff. The latest is the just-as-awesome – if somewhat ominous sounding – Swedish death cleaning, a minimalist concept examined in length in the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Clutter, by Margareta Magnusson. Swedish death cleaning comes from the term döstädning which literally translates as ‘decluttering’, the idea being that as we reach the winters of our lives, we should begin paring down our possessions – as a positive act – to make things simpler for our loved once we pass. But Magnusson doesn’t think it necessary to wait that long, writing that we should be doing it as early as our 30s when we “can hardly close the drawers” or “shut the closet door”. And now the bestselling book has been made into a TV series of the same name and produced and narrated by actor Amy Poehler. Move over Marie Kondo!
Skimming the Surface
Last year, thrilling footage was released of zero-emission seagliders that look like they had flown straight in from the future. Built by US-based startup Regent, the part ferry, part seaplane and part hydrofoil contraption was created to transport passengers at high speeds – and low fares – just above the surface of the water. Last year, Kiwi company Ocean Flyer put down a $1 million deposit for 25 craft, an order that would eventually cost around $700 million. Ocean Flyer recently announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Northport and Northland regional economic development agency Northland Inc to make Whangārei the first destination in its network. The Auckland to Whangārei route is planned to be in operation by early 2026, with the journey expected to take only around 35 minutes. “We’ve seen in recent times the havoc that bad weather can create with our transport infrastructure,” says Ocean Flyer CEO Shah Aslam. “Our seaglider connections will add an important extra layer of robust connectivity to New Zealand’s transport infrastructure.”
Amyloid and Alzheimer’s
The protein amyloid is found in all our bodies, but for those with Alzheimer’s it is thought to accumulate on the brain to form a plaque causing the cells beneath it to die. The loss of these cells is what leads to dementia. Various anti-amyloid drugs have been used to target the build-ups and though so far they have been unsuccessful in preventing the progression or improving cognitive function, there has been some success in stemming brain changes in the early stages of the disease. “It’s possible that the benefit of anti-amyloid therapy may grow over time,” neurologist Dan Murman, MD, tells Nebraska Medicine. “Some studies suggest that it might keep people at these mild stages of the disease for several years longer. But we still need more information to prove that.”
A Cher Thing
When the legendary Cher last toured Aotearoa, in 2018, she called in at legendary Giapo ice cream shop to kill a chocolate craving, later tweeting that it was the “best, most astonishing, astounding” cone she’d ever had. After meeting with head chef and owner Gianpaolo Grazioli (“the Michaelangelo of gelato”), she embarked upon a collaboration that now, five years later has borne its first fruits, with flavours including Snap Out of It! Kefir &Cardamom, Breakfast at Cher’s Coffee & Donuts, and Chocolate XO Cher. Unfortunately for Kiwis, the cooling creations are currently only available in Cher’s hometown of LA, there are plans to eventually release them in Gianpaolo’s store. “We are planning to hold a special Cher-lato day at Giapo, where Kiwis can come and experience the full Cher-lato menu,” the chef told the Herald. “We’re looking forward to welcoming gelato enthusiasts to our shop and sharing this exciting collaboration with them.”
In a Pickle
Billed as the fastest growing sport in the US, the wonderfully named Pickleball is gaining traction in NZ too, with more than 30 clubs now in the country. The sport is an amalgamation of tennis and ping pong on a badminton-like court with a 36-inch-high net strung across the floor and played with paddles and hollow plastic balls, in either a singles or doubles format. Originally founded as a family-friendly endeavour, pickleball can be taken up by pretty much anyone and enjoyed by players of a range of abilities and fitness levels but has now been developed to elite levels, too: NBA superstar LeBron James has invested in a Major League Pickleball team (in its second season). It’s even had an influence on fashion, spawning its own branch of activewear, known as racket wear. “There’s always lots of neon colours and I’ve even seen players wear tutu skirts with knee-high socks on the court,” TikTok star and pickleball player Sydney Steinaker, tells the Guardian.
“… Pickleball is for everyone. It’s unique, so the clothing is always going to be unique, too.”
I Would Walk 500 Miles
Whatever your views on marriage proposals going viral, it’s difficult not to be impressed with the time and effort put into this one by Tokyo resident Yasushi “Yassan” Takahashi using GPS art. For the uninitiated, GPS art is created by travelling with a GPS device and uploading the route to a mapping tool such as Google Earth, to see the shape. Over the space of six months, Yassan toured the full length of Japan, crisscrossing the country on foot and by car, ferry, and bicycle, to spell out ‘Marry Me’ and even used the northernmost island of Hokkaido to create a massive heart with an arrow through it. Six months in the making, the GPS artist quit his job to make the more-than-7,000km journey, and his girlfriend, Natsuki, of course said yes. “It was a big surprise,” she told the South China Morning Post.
“I felt the greatest love in the world.”
