Bitcoin News Australia

Remember Neom, the $1T utopia being built on 10.2k square miles of Saudi Arabian desert?

If not, here’s a refresher: It’s a special zone that will operate independently of Saudi Arabia’s government, with its own judicial system and taxes, that’s owned by the country’s public investment fund.

And it’s busy cooking up out-of-this-world projects, like Gidori, Neom’s newly announced “flagship golf community.”

Like Neom’s previous renderings, Gidori looks like it was torn from the set of Glass Onion or a billionaire’s wildest daydream.

The beachfront community will hold a hotel, apartments and villas, an 18-hole golf course, and entertainment options like restaurants, spas, and hiking trails.

It will be part of the Gulf of Aqaba region, which hosts nine other development projects and joins Neom’s four yet-to-be-realized regions:

• Trojena, the $500B ski resort set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
• Oxagon, the octagonal, floating structure that will be a “center for advanced and clean industries.”
• Sindalah, an island in the Red Sea that will hold hotels and yacht marinas. It will be the first Neom project to open, allegedly, in 2024.

And, of course, there’s the buzziest region of them all: The Line. Neom says the ~105-mile-long smart city will one day house 9m people and be car-free.

Where there’s a $1T fever dream…

… there’s drama. A recent progress video for The Line states that “millions of cubic meters of earth and water are being moved per week.”

We’re no experts, but that doesn’t sound awesome for the environment. Others seem to agree — experts say The Line could even pose a risk to migratory bird species.

And birds might not be the only ones in trouble: Saudi Arabia’s cash levels have fallen by about three quarters to ~$15B, the lowest level since 2020, as spending on giga-projects continues to escalate.

One expert predicts that completing the projects may require the government to pour an additional $270B into the country’s wealth fund by 2030. Oof.

If these renderings ever materialize, would you check into a hotel room at Neom? Scroll to the bottom and let us know.

They say beauty is pain. And in the case of Rejuvenique, that meant electrocuting your face while looking like you were about to participate in The Purge.

In a 1999 infomercial featuring “Dynasty” star Linda Evans, Rejuvenique creator George E. Springer promises that the odd white mask — priced at $180, or ~$338 today — can do for the face what exercise does for the body, toning the muscles for a more youthful appearance.

However…

… the product was never FDA-approved, with a spokesperson saying there was “no assurance” that the device was effective or safe. Plus:

• The Tampa Bay Times found no proof that Springer was a licensed medical professional in Florida, where he lived at the time, despite often being quoted as a doctor.
• Experts pointed out that stimulating your facial muscles would lead to more lines and wrinkles.
• Some reviewers found it painful, akin to being bitten by a horde of ants.

By 2001, the product had disappeared from the airwaves, though you can find it on eBay — and Linda Evans was apparently still using it as recently as 2019.

You can also find…

… a new host of light therapy masks for sale that have all the same creepy vibes, plus a spooky red light for ambiance.

Do they work? While red light therapy may improve some skin conditions, most at-home devices aren’t powerful enough to produce significant results.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that people will try anything to remain young and beautiful — even if it makes them look like the killer in a giallo film.