1. Sketching what was lost.

When your friend gets married the same day her house burns down during last month’s LA fires, what do you give as a wedding gift? For artist Asher Bingham, the answer was a pen-and-ink drawing of the home that was lost. That single illustration sparked something unexpected: thousands of requests from others who lost their houses in the wildfires, each hoping to preserve their memories in ink. Now, Bingham and her team of artists have become architectural memory-keepers, sketching homes lost to the fires.

In an era where AI can generate a million images, there's something powerful about choosing to draw by hand. While the homes themselves might be gone, Bingham's growing collection (soon to be exhibited) proves that sometimes the most meaningful art isn't about creating something new – it's about preserving what's gone.

2. How to make a brick out of thin air.

The terrible air quality during the LA fires reminded me of an art piece I saw in 2015—a striking visual representation of air pollution. For 100 days, Beijing artist Brother Nut wandered the streets like an avant-garde Ghostbuster, literally sucking up the city's infamous smog. By the end, he had produced one solid brick made entirely of compressed air pollution—probably the world’s most depressing LEGO piece.

While some mistook him for a very committed street cleaner, Brother Nut saw his daily vacuum crusade as a spiritual practice (albeit one that probably voided the vacuum’s warranty). Sure, one guy with a vacuum can’t clean a city’s air, but he can make us think twice about what we’re breathing. Just don’t try this at home—your Dyson isn’t built for apocalyptic performance art.

3. Put a Ring Pop on it.

Just when you thought MSCHF couldn't get more MSCHF, they've gone and bedazzled your childhood. Their latest drop is exactly what would happen if Tiffany & Co. had a sugar rush: a real Ring Pop featuring a 0.75-carat lab-grown diamond completely encased in flavored candy. It's either the world's fanciest lollipop or the least practical engagement ring. Probably both.

Coming in classic Ring Pop flavors (green apple, strawberry, and blue raspberry cotton candy), these $5,000 sugar bombs drop on February 6th, just in time for Valentine's Day. At least when the sugar dissolves, you'll still have something sparkly to show for your dentist bill.

Bonus curious thing: the story behind this newsletter.

Before this newsletter, I had a problem: how do you stay top of mind without endless Zoom calls or cold emails? That question led me to start Three Curious Things—a way to stay connected by sharing the most interesting things I find each week. I recently teamed up with Beehiiv to tell the full story of how it all began (and how I keep it going). Watch here.