The Weekly Seven: 15th July 2013

Dogs Underwater

OH MY GOD YES Dogs are cool! And cute! And loyal! They also love having a right old laugh underwater, as documented in photographer Seth Casteel’s hilarious, excellently shot set of images, now part of its own book. Have a scroll through: it’ll absolutely make your day. Via Photographyblogger

Train Hopping In The USA

LISTEN This enlightening, often moving, little mini-documentary on Radio 4 takes a look at the people who live on the fringes of society in the USA, who partake in the age old tradition of hopping trains. From migrants to people who’ve dedicated their entire lives to living on the move, the archaic - and dangerous - mode of railroad jumping still has a vital purpose. Listen on iPlayer

Shiny New Festival, until 20th July

FESTIVAL Returning to show us all how important/thrilling new theatre can be, the Lantern Theatre (on Blundell Street)’s Shiny New Festival features comic Sam Avery’s Rock and Dole, sometime SevenStreets’ contributor John Maguire’s Pornovision, and Tales that Time Forgot, from kids’ theatre company Take a Hint. Great to see fringe theatre given its time in the spotlight, so go check it out. www.thelanterntheatre.co.uk/whats-on

Pocket Book Wallet

STUFF Is it wrong to get all gooey-eyed over a wallet? Yes, in all probability it is, but this is a lovely piece of ergonomic engineering, allowing you to be bulge free - and still carry enough lose change, business cards, credit cards and currency for all those high-powered meetings you’ve crammed into the week. And it’s a real looker too. Might be time for us to finally ditch our TJ Hughes £5 special… More information

Atlas Obscura

SITE When the good people at Slate open a new travel website you can expect a treasure house of wonders: well written, beautifully illustrated, and inventively curated, this is a global trip of a site offering a glimpse into the history of gargoyles, a trip into the deep level air-raid shelters of Clapham and a celebration of the dreamlike designs of Buckminster Fuller. Who’s ready to take a walk on the wild side www.atlasobscura.com

Google Visualiser

NICE THING Ever wondered what people were searching for on Google, right now? This as-it-happens visualiser not only looks gorgeous, but gives a fascinating insight into what the world’s interested in today. A lot more interesting than a ‘Top Trending’ list. Visit on Google

This American Life

PODCAST As dependable as they come, Chicago Public Media’s Ira Glass-hosted This American Life features essays, memoirs and tales tall and true - and is exactly the sort of show we just don’t know how to do here. Now 500 episodes in, they’ve asked their producers to pick their favourite stories. If you’ve never listened, this is the place to jump right in. But be prepared to forever donate an hour of your week to this exemplary example of aural theatre. www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/500/500