Venus the Influencer
The Italian tourism ministry thought it had a surefire way to bring travelers into the country: turning a 15th-century art icon into a 21st-century "virtual influencer." The digital rendition of Venus, based on Botticelli's masterpiece "Birth of Venus," can be seen noshing on pizza and snapping selfies for her Instagram page. Unlike the original, this Venus is fully clothed. But the new ad campaign is facing significant backlash — with critics calling it a "new Barbie" that trashes Italy's cultural heritage. Already the new Venus has been memed mercilessly. "Perhaps Botticelli would not be happy about this," said Massimo Moretti, a professor of art history at the University of Rome, Sapienza. Other gaffes include a promotional video featuring a winery in Slovenia, used as a stand-in for Italy.
Associated Press
Mapping the parks
Fresh updates are arriving on Google Maps for exploring U.S. national parks. You can now easily pinpoint parks' key attractions, campgrounds, visitor centers and trailheads. When searching for a national park, thumbnail photos of key attractions and amenities now appear within the profile. Click on an image to view user-generated details. When you search for a trail, Maps will plot out the entire route, showing the exact start and end points and what their hike will look like along the way. Helpful details are contributed by previous visitors, including difficulty level. A download button will provide a shortcut for those preparing to head out into the wilderness with zero bars.
TravelPulse
Turbulence tech
Pilots have long radioed their encounters with turbulence to air traffic controllers, giving aircraft behind them a chance to illuminate their seatbelt signs. Now, a new fleet of satellites could help warn them earlier. Tomorrow.io, a weather intelligence company, received a $19 million grant from the U.S. Air Force to launch more than 20 weather satellites to provide meteorological reporting over the whole globe. The system will report conditions every hour, a vast improvement over the data that is currently available, according to the company. Pilots will have more complete information in the cockpit, said Dan Slagen, the company's chief marketing officer.
New York Times
