SIX-PACK SNACK
We’ve all seen them, the sad photos of poor idiot sea turtles getting stuck in plastic six-pack rings — enough to make a seasoned drunk rethink their life choices. Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, Florida, has found a better solution to its packaging, however. It developed 100 percent biodegradable (and edible) rings constructed of barley and wheat ribbons from the brewing process — and actually uses them. Turtle struggle no more. Fantastic.

WALMART'S 180
It’ll take years for the world’s largest retailer to undo the damage it’s done, but at least it’s trying. Recently, the blue behemoth produced endearing videos of strangers meeting for a blind date at Walmart stores around the country. Two of them were gay men. Of course this pissed off the American Family Association which immediately demanded an apology and for the series to be forgotten. So far, Walmart DGAF and is continuing to move into the direction of betterment.

CELEBRITY INDORSEMENTS
Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, Wiz Khalifa — all fairly standard (and obvious) champions of weed, each with their own respective brands. The industry was tossed on its head last month though when Martha Stewart, the 77-year-old queen of vanilla, signed on with Canopy Growth. The partnership will develop CBD products available for both humans and their furry companions. Strange times indeed.

FAKE JAILS
It honestly sounds … appealing. Since 2013, thousands of South Koreans have voluntarily locked themselves up to escape the high-intensity struggle of life without breaks. Called “Prison Inside Me,” the facility is basically a jail — no cell phone, no contact with others, shitty meals — with long periods of solitary confinement available for purchase. One “inmate” even told Reuters it was one of the most freeing experiences they’ve ever had. Sad.

DEVELOPING DANK
Ehhh … this might be good, might be bad. Time will certainly tell. In a paper published last month, scientists claim to have developed a genetically modified strain of yeast that spits out — wait for it — weed. As in actual liquid THC and CBD, brewed just like beer. Who wants this? Big Pharma of course. It could potentially make growing fields of the stuff obsolete and scaling operations faster than ever thought possible. 

TEXT NECK SYNDROME
Recently coined by U.S. chiropractor Dr. DL Fishman, “Text Neck” is now a thing experts study. Of course it is. Simply put, it’s the discomfort (or possibly recurring headaches) due to the tilting of necks forward for too long. Not to be outdone, “Gamer’s Thumb,” “Selfie Elbow” and “Mouse Shoulder” are all tech ailments trending online too.

FOLDABLE PHONES
It wasn’t the first, but when Samsung announced its Galaxy Fold in late February, the foldable phone craze officially opened for business. Though at $2k, it might be lack thereof. There are already competitors in the space — Huawei’s Mate X and Royole FlexPai to name a few — but have consumers ever asked for this? Bring back a solid brick phone that doesn’t directly connect us to flat-Earthers. That’s a future we can get behind.

VHS BUNDLES
Dubbed “Studiohouse Designs,” the new (likely calculated) marketing trick from Urban Outfitters allows customers to buy a set of 5 used VHS tapes in assorted bundles. Titles like A Night at the Roxbury, Office Space and Children of the Corn are some available on its site now. The kicker? It runs you $40. The move grabbed headlines, but also bruised both faces and palms the world over.