Back Off Our Apples, NYT: If you've ever basked in the warm autumn glow that comes with sinking your teeth into a honeycrisp apple that is perfection itself, prepare to be enraged. Reporter Ariel Cheung is reading a New York Times article that suggests the Minnesota-created apple will soon be outshone by newer, flashier hybrids. First of all, how dare you? Second of all, Cosmic Crisp is a stupid name for an apple, unless it's grown on Mars. What's next, New York Times — are you going to try to put peas in our apple pie, too?
Inventive Storytelling: The New York Times has long been lauded for its captivating stories, but now it's expanding into storytelling through virtual reality. A newly released series on refugee children highlights the hardships these children face and allows readers to engage with the story with immersive videos that use virtual reality. You can check out the stories and their virtual reality videos to get a glimpse into the lives of Chuol in South Sudan, Hana in Lebanon and Oleg in Ukraine as they struggle amid life as refugees in war-torn countries. All are 12 years old or younger.
Shockingly, 'Game Of Thrones' Won't Have a Happy Ending: George R.R. Martin spent some time Wednesday palling around with his fellow Wildcats during a discussion at Northwestern University. After inducting Martin into the journalism school Hall of Achievement, students picked his brain for interesting tidbits on his career. Martin recalled some of his failed television pilots from the '90s. He also spilled the somewhat obvious beans on the end of his series "A Song of Ice and Fire" (which "Game of Thrones" is based on), which he said will have "something bittersweet." If you're a "Game of Thrones" fan, this cannot possibly come as a surprise.
Meet the Man Behind "You Are Beautiful: The RedEye spoke with Matthew Hoffman, the founder and custodian of You Are Beautiful project, whose work proudly adorns fences in Andersonville, Englewood and a mural in Chinatown, among other spots across the city. Hoffman told the Redeye: “I landed on that phrase just because I believe that it’s true no matter what.” DNAinfo also spent time talking to Hoffman when he was trying to bring the murals to Andersonville in February.
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