Kickstart: Behind the viral headlines on the jaw-dropping Sky Pool in London

A transparent Sky Pool stretching between two buildings in London has made a lot of viral headlines. But the story of the 14-inch-thick single-piece acrylic structure begins in Grand Junction, Colo., where Reynolds Polymer Technology Inc. took on a project unlike any other.

"Manufacturing and engineering of the Sky Pool has pushed the envelope of what can be done in large acrylic structures," Paul O. Gardner, vice president of engineering, quality and safety at Reynolds, said in a blog post by the company about the project.

"The team in Grand Junction has overcome incredibly tight tolerances and requirements to arrive at a finished project that is unexplainable without seeing it," he said. "Words can't adequately describe the finished product. It must be witnessed."

Just in terms of size — it stretches 82 feet across two buildings, 115 feet in the air — it's an amazing feat. Add to that the logistics that the two buildings sway in the wind, which means that the pool must be able to adjust to changing conditions.

And then there was the work of getting it from Colorado to London, which involved moving street lights, closing roads and police escorts.

While Sky Pool may be controversial (it's not usable by most residents who live nearby) there's no doubt that it's worth applauding.

Just click the link to Reynolds' website. In addition to telling the story of the company's work, there are photos and videos about the project showing just how impressive it is.

COVID-19 is making a comeback in China, and along with the virus come lockdowns and travel restrictions have returned in some areas, including Guangzhou.

As The New York Times reports, the lockdowns are confined to specific neighborhoods where the Delta variant of COVID-19 — the same strain blamed for rising death counts in India — has been spreading. But in a city the size of Guangzhou, even limiting the extent of a lockdown to one neighborhood results in big restrictions. An estimated 180,000 people have had to stay home.

The new cases are also causing renewed issues for business travelers. As the Times reports: "A European Union Chamber of Commerce survey released this week found that three-quarters of member companies said they had been adversely affected by travel restrictions, usually by hindering them from bringing in key engineers or executives."

A Texas injection molder wants to begin a class-action suit after being stuck with high bills during the winter storm that hit the region in February.

J&M Plastics Inc. of Royse City, Texas, was able to keep the power and heat on at its plant, but then it was hit with an extra $54,000 in charges from its utility supplier, MidAmerican Energy Services.

J&M says in its suit that its contract was for a fixed rate, so it should not have been socked with extra expenses.

If it is granted class-action status, other customers would have a chance to join in the action.