The zigzagging roof of this family residence in South Korea prompted architecture studio Apparat-C to name it Twin Peaks House (+ slideshow). (more...)
Conchita Wurst, winner of the 2014 Eurovision song contest, released "Heroes" this week, the first single since her victory. The song is slow but powerful and showcases Wurst's impressive range of vocals.
In 2008, I created a hoax. Armed with an idea, a hastily written manifesto, a press release, and some software to disguise my computer's IP address, I was able to raise the question, "How do you know that what you're illegally downloading is the actual music it claims to be?"
Let’s take a little sewalong break, shall we? Because today I saw that Amy at Cloth Habit finally dropped her new pattern and I couldn’t wait to show you my new Watson Bra!
Amy is the reason I started making my own lingerie; her bra sewalong last year was so detailed, thoughtful and smart, and I seriously cannot get enough of her colour sense and design aesthetic. We share a love for 1970’s style, in particular the sexy, insouciant glamour of 70’s lingerie, so I was super elated when I heard her first pattern was inspired by this period. Full disclosure: Amy and I are pals. We’ve been there for each other over the last few months, since pattern-making can be a lonely and frustrating business from time to time. It’s been lovely having someone to talk about crotch curves with, share information, and in general be an encouraging support system when needed.
I was sort of an informal tester for this pattern. After I launched Ginger, I needed a break from making jeans so I asked to have a sneak peak at Watson to give my hands a denim break. I haven’t made any new bras in a while and everything I have is getting a little raggedy; perfect timing to make an easy, breezy bra doncha think?
I have been stockpiling lingerie fabric and notions for the last year, so thankfully I had everything I needed to make Watson in my stash. I chose a purple mesh, a pretty scalloped elastic for the top edge, and some standard bra strap and band elastic, all in black. Since the band needs to be less stretchy, I doubled up the mesh there, but the cups are a single layer and the cradle is lined. I made a 34D in the longline version and didn’t bother making a proper muslin with this bra because I trust Amy’s grading; I wasn’t disappointed. The fit is fantastic. The cups are flawless and the cradle lays perfectly beneath my bust. I’ve had some issues in the past with bra fit when there wasn’t an under-wire present to cradle the girls, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well the cradle worked. Amy doesn’t call for adding stretch to the cup elastic, but I think my particular elastic could gave used a touch of stretch at the top; the scalloped trim doesn’t lie perfectly flat, especially under my arms. For my next version, I may lengthen the band by about 1cm, but otherwise I’m really happy. If it wasn’t so sheer I would have tried to model it for you, but you guys really don’t need to see the nips.
While I like the support it gives, it’s not a big, pushup-y padded bra that we’re probably more used to wearing. It’s more of a natural “these are my boobs, but prettier” look and I’m super into it. My explorations in bra making has taught me that I much prefer celebrating what I actually have, rather than trying to make the girls look like something they’re not, if that makes any sense. And not to be too TMI or anything, but the fella, who is not normally into lingerie, was pretty delighted when I flashed him.
Construction wise, this is a pretty simple pattern to assemble. The instructions are really thorough and I think it’s a perfect introduction to lingerie making because there is no under-wire; in my opinion channeling is the hardest thing to sew but you don’t have to worry about it here. I have a bunch more planned since I can whip one up in a few hours – I have this crazy silver spandex that I’d like to use to make a pretty bralette with a regular band to wear under drapey tops. The pattern also includes a pair of bikini undies (I will NOT say the “P” word) but my big booty is really a boy shorts only sort of situation so I didn’t bother making a pair. I’d like to make a matching pair of Ladyshorts with some leftover mesh so I’ll have a matching set since that pattern really works for my caboose.
Anyway, I really, truly love this pattern. It’s a unique design and a great alternative to more traditional bras. What about you? Think you’d like to give the Watson Bra a try?
Have you heard the term “sister sizing”? It’s a great term for explaining how bra sizes shift in band and cups. The basic idea is this: Sister sizing refers to the same cup but on a different size band. As a bra band size gets smaller, the same cup volume will have a bigger letter, and vice versa.
In other words, a B is not a B is not a B. A 36B is a full cup size larger than a 34B. So I’m not just “basically a C cup”. Nor is someone else “an F”.
The use of cup size in non-bra sewing patterns like blouses or dresses can make this a bit more confusing for sewists. Your cup size in dress patterns (like Simplicity’s Amazing Fit series, for instance) might be completely different from what you need in a bra. Dress patterns use the difference between the upper chest and full bust measurements to determine cup size, but bras are more dynamic in their sizing.
So how can sister sizing help you?
If you can’t find your size in a bra pattern, there’s a good chance the pattern has a “sister size”, and you can find the equivalent cup on another band, and simply alter the band to your preferred fit (a very easy adjustment!). For example a 28F on a 32 band would be a 32DD or 32E.
(Note: in the U.S. and UK “DD” is usually the cup size above “D”. There are other double letters, too, but most bra patterns use the normal alphabet. I personally find the normal alphabet less confusing!)
Obviously I didn’t fill out the chart with all the possible bra sizes and cup letters, but hopefully you get the idea!
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There are some exceptions to the sister sizing “rules”, both in lingerie brands and in home sewing patterns. These exceptions do what I call “jump grading”, where the cups on the same band size will jump by two cup sizes after D cups. I won’t go into details of how that works because it can get confusing unless you’re really into the nerdy ins and outs of bra grading. Suffice it to say, there are a few upscale brands that use this kind of size grading (Empreinte, Prima Donna) and Pin-up Girls patterns use this method as well.
Whatever size you start out with, there will always be a good chance that a bra pattern doesn’t fit the same way as your size in your favorite brand. That’s just the nature of the beast. There are many measurements that go into bra drafting, not just the bust and ribcage, and no measuring method is going to capture them perfectly. Before you try online bra calculators remember that you are making a bra, which is a bit different than buying one. Find a starting size by using the pattern’s measuring suggestions, and then go from there to make a “you size”!
2. Try to stick with the same band pattern, tweaking it until it is firm enough for you, in the fabric you want to use.
3. You may end up needing to try different cup sizes. Sewing has a way of tuning our eye to fit issues we never noticed before and bras are no different. Nearly everyone I’ve fit has had to go up at least 1 cup sizes, usually two, from their “usual” size. And my top tip: it is better to start large in the cup and take in adjustments, than starting too small and trying to figure out where the room needs to be.
Have you had trouble fitting a bra pattern? I’ve got more pattern fitting posts in the pipeline so I’d love to hear what ails you.
When Raven Wilkinson was about five years old, her mother took her to the City Center Theater to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The ballet was Coppelia and when the curtain opened, Raven was enraptured by what she saw on the stage.
After seeing her first ballet, Raven wanted to be a dancer. But because of her age, no school would accept her. When she was nine, her uncle gave her a gift of lessons at Ballet Russes School. Her teacher, Vecheslov Swoboda, took an interest in little Raven and nurtured her. Madam Swoboda was the biggest influence in her life and dance career. Later, as an adult, Bill Griffith became her mentor.
Sergie Denham, director of the school and company, was impressed with Raven’s progress. He offered her a strange proposal: Denham wanted her to be part of the company without a contract. He told her that there was another girl in Chicago he wanted to see before giving her a contract. Raven felt they wanted to see how she would be accepted in the south. Raven made it clear that she would not advertise that she was black, but she would not deny it either. When they got to Chicago without any problems, it turned out that there was no other girl. In 1954 they gave Raven a full contract, making her the first African American to be a member of a major ballet company. In the second season she was promoted to soloist, and stayed with the company for six years.
On a tour of one-night stands she roomed with Eleanor D’Antuono. For two years there was no problem until a black elevator girl recognized her as African American and reported her to the management in Atlanta, Georgia. Even though she had roomed at the same hotel in the past, the clerk wouldn’t let her stay. They called a cab to take her to a black hotel. Eleanor was going to go with her, but because of segregation Eleanor wasn’t allowed to stay in a black hotel.
In Montgomery, Alabama the KKK heard there was a person of color performing in the theater. During rehearsal they marched down the aisle in their white robes and on to the stage. They asked each group of girls if they knew which one was a negress; no one would answer, even in her group. That night Raven danced in performance. When the season was over they didn’t fire her but suggested that she had gone as far as she could in the company. Raven was tired after six years of one-night stands, and she took this as a sign that it was time to leave.
Getting another job as a dancer was very difficult, so Raven, who had always been a devout Catholic, joined a convent. After eight months her love for ballet and theater made her realize that the stage was where she wanted to be. Raven found that no other major ballet company would hire her, even though she was willing to go back into the corps de ballet. In 1967 she went to Holland and became a soloist with the Dutch National Ballet.
Missing her homeland, she returned to the USA in 1974 and became a permanent member of the New York City Opera, performing character parts. Today she can still be seen in many performances.
University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan said Saturday that she is suspending all campus fraternities through early January, acting days after a magazine published an account from the victim of an alleged 2012 gang rape inside a UVA fraternity house.
State Police report arresting a man who allegedly went berserk at Logan Airport today, as part of a series of incidents that also included the bomb squad being called to a security line due to the fake grenade Curt Schilling's son apparently had in his bag.
Lady Oscar Directed by Jacques Demy. With Catriona MacColl, Barry Stokes, Christina Böhm France/Japan 1978, 35mm, color, 124 min. In English
Monday December 15 at 7pm
Based, rather unexpectedly, on a popular shōjo manga—Japanese nomenclature given to stories focusing on strong heroines—Lady Oscar transplants one of Demy’s characteristically resilient females to the politically precarious landscape of the French Revolution, in turn breeding something of an unsung feminist costume drama. Born female but raised according to male standards of rank and dress by her domineering army general father, Oscar is someone who falls outside the heteronormative order even as she assumes class privilege and a coveted position as Marie Antoinette’s personal guard. Demy’s epic refuses to call too much attention to its defining gender ambiguity, instead using its heroine’s precise social position as a way of delicately illuminating the political, economic and cultural contexts that shape and in many ways predetermine the development of a person without regard to individual desires. Elaborately decorated and photographically handsome, Lady Oscar joins Barry Lyndon and The Draughtman’s Contract as bold auteurist spins on 17th and 18th century European nobility.
David Lynch is really hot, and I’m looking at him all dreamy-eyed, and he says to me, “That’s it: the look, Bonnie!” So I get up and I do it behind the dumpster, and David says, “No, do what you did before.”
It’s been 13 years since David Lynch’s horror-noir Mulholland Drive enthralled audiences, and while not everyone can agree on what the film meant, most of its fans agree that the hobo behind the dumpster is absolutely terrifying.
The woman responsible for that scare, actress Bonnie Aarons, who is appearing in the upcoming indie flick Spreading Darkness, spoke with us from her L.A. home about creating what is arguably filmdom’s scariest cameo.
Was there a traditional audition process for the role? I don’t mean to brag, but David Lynch said he was looking for the most incredible face he could find. I actually met him at a Twin Peaks party, and he was like, “Look at that face!”
Did anybody ever explain to you who your character was? They really didn’t. They said I was going to be a character called the bum, and it was going to be a bunch of special effects. But that is all real makeup. That is real moss on my face. That is oatmeal and dirt in my hair, and steel wool. They were gonna make a mask, but [Lynch] says, “No! I don’t want any of that. I want to see every bone structure, I want to see the green eyes.” So he had them put it on with a tweezer. It took over 12 hours.
And what are you wearing in the scene? It was really heavy and flannel, and they just kept putting dirt on it and beating it up.
Did David instruct you to do different expressions on different takes? Oh, no. He had an idea of what he wanted. David was going over the facial expressions. I did a couple, and he’s sitting there with me, and he says, “No. Nothing like that at all.” And, ya know, David Lynch is really hot, and I’m looking at him all dreamy-eyed, and he says to me, “That’s it: the look, Bonnie!” So I get up and I do it behind the dumpster, and David says, “No, do what you did before.” And I said, “Well, it’s really easy when I do it with you, David.” So guess what? He did it with me. He stuck his head [out], and I came out and looked at him. So when I put out my head, I saw his face.
So the bum was giving sex eyes? Love can kill, can’t it, baby?
What context were you given for the scene with the blue box? There was fire all around me, and the thing I remember [Lynch] saying was, “This is your box. It belongs to you. And then I want you to look at it, study your box, and then just drop it into the bag.” Well, what can I say? It took me two seconds. [Laughs.] I nailed it.
Did David eventually give you an idea about of the bum represented? He says, “Not yet.” He says to me, “Everything.” But he didn’t want to tell me.
Do you have your own idea about what she represents? I think she represented the devil and an angel.
Did you know that your part was intended to be so frightening? No. However, when I saw the film with the cast and crew, I did scare myself. The stories I’ve heard are so outrageous.
Such as? Someone told me their girlfriend was rubbing their dick in the movie theater, and that came on and [she] squeezed, and he was screaming in the theater like a maniac. [Laughs.]
Has anyone on the street recognized you as the bum? No, never. I don’t understand, because my face is very … ya know. But I’m very chameleonlike. Put a little makeup on me, I look completely different.
Even still, where in your career does being the bum rank? On the top. Way on the top.
Kobayashi cotton wild boar and piglet double gauze
100% cotton
Lightweight double gauze
1/2 metre (50cm x 110cm , 19" x 43")
If you would like continuous yardage please change the quantity at the checkout.
Parcels are shipped via small packet international airmail from Japan.
Japan Post does not provide tracking numbers for small packet airmail.
A shipping upgrade with a tracking number and insurance can be purchased for an additional $5. If you would like to upgrade to registered small packet airmail please let me know.
AmoeBAND became a 2012 IDEA Award Finalist by innovating every possible aspect of the plaster (band aid).
The design revisions were:
- Strategic cut-outs shape to fit fingers in such a way that it is easy to bend them and not disrupt the bandage.
- An intelligent dressing material allows you to regularly check wounds from the outside, without upsetting the healing process.“According to research, the when an infection of a wound is detected, the pH value is between 6.5 and 8.5. AmoeBAND’s indicator cross turns purple, alerting the user needs to change it immediately.”
- Since the bandage material used exudes a leather-like feel, availability in different skin-tones helps it blend in, without overly highlighting the injury.
- The packaging has been redesigned to a matchbox style and includes Braille instructions.
Hat tip to designers Tay Pek-Khai, Hsu Hao-Ming, Tsai Cheng-Yu, Chen Kuei-Yuan, Chen Yi-Ting, Lai Jen-Hao, Ho Chia-Ying, Chen Ying-shan, Weng Yu-Ching, and Chung Kuo-Ting
it’s always funny when people improve on something and you look at the innovations and it’s like so fucking obvious what needed to be changed, but yet no one seemingly thought of it until then, yourself included
Over the past couple of years, Sino-African relations have received much attention than ever before. With this heightened observation has come great scrutiny. Both China and the leaders of various African countries that have welcomed investments and other commercial endeavors from the Asian nation have been subject to much criticism - from journalists and pundits, to industry insiders and those directly affected by these trade relations - and even artists.
Earlier this year, Kenyan artist Michael Soi made headlines for drawing the “wrath of the Chinese” through his art work that critically drew attention to the newly developing social, political and economic relationship between Kenya and China, facilitated by trade. Preceding him, noted Cameroonian visual artist Samuel Fosso investigated this particular subject through his 2013 photographic series The Emperor of China.
By recontextualising historical political Chinese imagery, The Emperor of Africa explores the current relationship between African countries and China. Using mostly communist references, Fosso recreates iconic photos of controversial leader of Mao Zedong, with Fosso playing both subject and creative executor in this process - a trademark of the photographer.
About his work, Fosso says: “As in all my works, I am both character and director. I don’t put myself in the photographs: my work is based on specific situations and people I am familiar with, things I desire, rework in my imagination and afterward, I interpret. I borrow an identity. In order top succeed I immerse myself in the necessary physical and mental state. It’s a way of freeing me from myself. A solitary path. I am a solitary man.”
Fosso, who was born in Cameroon but grew up in Nigeria, where he fled the civil war and relocated to Bangui, Central African Republic, had his house in the capital looted amidst the ongoing fighting in the country. Over 30 years of work was lost, damaged or lay scattered about his dismantled home. Despite this tragic occurrence, the importance of Fosso’s work continues to remain relevant and play an important role in contributing to discussion contemporary African photography.
Just as we have comfort foods, we have comfort clothes — the soft feel of heavy flannel trousers; the familiarity of a button-down collar shirt; and the scratchiness of tweed that can make us feel protected. Last month, my friend David wrote an interesting history on Donegal tweed at No Man Walk’s Alone’s blog.
As David put it, Donegal tweed is the product of Irish self-efficacy and survivalism. Ireland has always been a major exporter of linen, but for most of its history, its wool production has lagged — thanks in part to British tariffs against foreign wool. As a result, the production of Donegal tweed maintained its labor-intensive methods well into the 20th century since there was no need for mass production. And when England established a trade board to help increase Irish linen production by distributing linen spinning wheels, the residents of Donegal — who lived in a climate too cold for growing flax — took those wheels and ingeniously made them spin wool.
Of course, tweed in Donegal is now woven on modern machines, but its production remains fairly small and artisanal (at least when compared to other mills). Molloy & Sons, for example, is just a two-man operation (literally a Molloy and his son) that weaves in a small building next to the family’s home. Most of what they produce nowadays is for fashion labels in the US, Western Europe, and Japan (this season’s Eidos’ field jacket and topcoat was made from their cloth). My friend and colleague Jesse at Put This On made a great video about them here.
Bespoke customers can get Donegal tweed from a number of places. Molloy & Sons carries a permanent stock, which you can view on their Flickr page. They can send out swatches upon request and you can order cloths directly from them. W. Bill and Porter & Harding are also worth a look. Both are now managed by Harrisons (who bought W. Bill earlier this year). You can get swatches through Harrisons, but the purchasing of cloth goes through their distributors (which here in the US would be Isles Textile Group).
For me, I just ordered two jacket lengths — a light brown tweed from Molloy & Sons, and a dark brown tweed from W. Bill (fabric number 34579). Both will be made into sport coats for next fall. Single breasted, patch pocketed, with a 3/2 front. They’ll be worn with other comfort clothes, such as suede boots and Shetland sweaters.
This giant hole is the result of water flowing into a salt mine in Russia. When the soil started shifting in 2005, the government shut off power to the area to encourage residents to leave.
On Tuesday, the mines were evacuated due to shifting earth, and the hole opened up on Tuesday evening. Russian authorities are studying the scene and performing air quality tests to determine whether noxious gasses are being released.
I have 3 Panasonic DMP-BDT 220 Blu-ray players and all of them stopped connecting to Netflix at the same time. Although Panasonic seems to be particularity bad, all set top boxes and TVs seem to have occasionally have Netflix connection issues. Here’s my list of the most common methods of solving those issues.
attn overbey, send your scholarly output to gawker asap
Do you want to cast love spells? Exorcise demons? Subjugate your enemies? These and other arcane invocations can be found in the Handbook of Ritual Power, an 8th-century, 20-page codex that has been translated and published by two scholars of religion and ancient history.
It’s clear from examining the reviewer report that the same filled-out form is used for most or all submissions. Certainly, no peer review was completed despite the journal’s claim to be a peer reviewed journal.
Jennifer Wong has created (Human) Wasteland, a map showing incidents of human poop in public places reported to San Francisco’s 311 program. Users can search the map by neighborhood and month, and there is a link where users can report poop sightings directly to 311. The map was the winner of a Fall 2014 Hack Week event hosted by the San Francisco office of online real estate company Zillow.
related: we're going to have to hire somebody who does ruby on rails for a project where I work, and none of us knows how to go about that
If you want to provoke an argument among computer programmers, ask them to pick their favorite coding language. But even more contentious in an environment where engineers literally have agents, is which is the most lucrative.
Quorathreads on the subject have inspired dozens of essay-length answers debating the merits of C, Javascript, Python, and Ruby on Rails.
We looked at data, compiled by Burning Glass with Brookings Institution economist Jonathan Rothwell in July, from thousands of American job ads. We separated out programming languages from a broader list of tech skills we looked at in an earlier piece.
The dataset isn’t perfect, it’s missing newer but increasingly popular languages like Erlang and Haskell, likely because they don’t turn up all that frequently on job ads and resumes. A large number of the ads also don’t list salary. But this gives a good sense of what employers are paying for different languages:
There’s some pretty prescient advice on Quora for aspiring or early career computer scientists. Though a language currently in high demand like Ruby might get you the best salary, it might not be the best way to make a career, and might peter off over time. It’s better is to focus on being well rounded, with a firm grasp of algorithms, design principles, and the ability to pick up new languages and concepts rapidly.
Others emphasize starting with something like C or C++, a language that you probably won’t work with every day, but helps you learn others more quickly and understand the structure behind systems.
The Silicon Valley Job Title Generator is a site created by Freddie Campion that randomly creates important-sounding, yet meaningless titles like Quantification Gatekeeper, Trend Directress, or Unique Experience General.
