Malady579

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Buying a piece of IKEA furniture is generally a bit of a gamble in terms of potential complexity, but these clever joints are designed to radically simplify and speed up the process across the board.

The so-called “wedge dowel” makes it possible to put together wood products without bolts or screws, hex keys or screwdrivers. The ribbed connector and associated slot lets large objects remain flat-packed for shipping then fit together for long-term durability (without any glue or loss in structural integrity).

Historically, some IKEA items have come pre-assembled but at a size that makes them hard to transport. Other smaller items can pack flat but demand a dizzying array of little parts and associated tools. This single joint is letting the company replace dozens of metal fittings for certain sizable items.

The company first started using the dowel system in its Stockholm cabinet series (above) as a test, but now plans to roll it out across its furniture lines, moving next to the Lisabo table. What used to take a half hour can now be connected with these wedge joints in three minutes.

And it is not just a function of assembly: these joints make it easier to take things apart again, making them particularly useful in a day and age where people move frequently for work and other reasons. Some of their furniture lines are expected to adopt the wedge joint entirely.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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Le Bouche à Oreille is a perfectly decent working class diner in Bourges that'll feed you a slap-up meal for €10. La Bouche à Oreille, though, is a brilliant €48-course restaurant in Paris. Only one of them should have been awarded a Michelin star, but don't tell that to the posh sorts descending en masse upon an overwhelmed greasy spoon.

The Michelin Guide apologised, saying it had confused the café with a more refined establishment of the same name near Paris. The listing was changed on its website, but not until two days later.

Véronique Jacquet, who runs the café, said it had a regular clientèle of local tradesmen. “Suddenly, we were rushed off our feet. Reporters were coming in and then my son phoned me from Paris, where he lives. He almost died laughing.”

Three cheers for the diner's chef, Penelope Salmon: “I put my heart into my cooking.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

A single-story house in Vietnam echos an ancient world wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but on a domestic scale and with minimalist contemporary design sensibilities and a functional purpose.

Created by MIA Design Studio, the home is both open to its surroundings but also shielded by a veil of greenery reaching up to the rooftop above.

“The boundary between the interior and exterior is being diminished, letting man sense the fluctuations of nature. Space is opened up but maintains the privacy of the individuals. This is the daunting problem of living in a metropolitan area with cramped space and pollution.”

The green screen is a theme carried between three distinct volumes of the house, lining a connective hallway that joins disparate living, sleeping and working spaces. A series of outdoor gardens between the interior areas and perimeter wall create a natural sanctuary for the residents, providing access to a personal forest within the a bustling built environment.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Brides Throwing Cats is a site dedicated to "photoshopping cats in place of bouquets" in shots of brides (and occasionally grooms) hurling bouquets.

No cats were harmed in the making of this tumblr and we certainly don’t encourage anyone to throw a cat ever, let alone on their wedding day. Still reading? Well one last time, seriously, this is fake.

This is a recent shot from an Airbus A330 of some of a Saudi prince's 80 falcons getting ready to fly the easy way. Falconry and competitive bird sports are all the rage with the affluent in the middle east, and birds can cost up to $250,000 apiece. A plane seat for a bird costs around $650, and they also have to have their own passport. Still, 80 falcons? That seems like a lot. When you're rich a rich prince when do you know it's time to stop buying falcons and start buying dragons? That was a trick question, the answer's four -- just like upgrading from houses to hotels in Monopoly. Keep going for a short video of a similar falcon-packed flight from a couple years ago.

This is the Jaguar hood ornament belonging to Redditor detotal. He took the picture to brag about his car show the hoarfroast covering the jaguar. What the hell is hoarfrost? "A promiscuous whitewalker." Grow up, we're talking about weather here.

Generally speaking, you want a much more moist air mass in place. In late fall, winter or early spring, one or more days in a row of freezing fog (fog with air temperatures of 32 degrees or colder) is a perfect scenario. With more moisture in the air, the interlocking crystal patterns of frost become more intricate and much larger, building up to a greater depth on tree branches, signs, fences, anything. This is hoarfrost.

So, there you have it. "I like my definition better." That doesn't surprise me. Honestly, nothing really surprises me anymore short of my roommate jumping out of the shower or a closet wearing a clown mask. That's one of his things. And one of my things is lunging at him whenever he does. It's kind of a game we play that's going to end with a stabbing. Thanks to Luc, who sent me a picture of the necklace he made out of hood ornaments he ripped off cars at the junkyard. Solid chest hair.

This is the Heng Balance Lamp created by Chinese designer Li Zan Wen. They're an already funded Kickstarter campaign, available in a variety of shapes and finishes, and cost around $44. They're turned on and off by the attraction of the two magnetic balls. When the lower ball is pulled towards the top one it activates the light's switch. Why didn't I think of that? "Because you're not that smart." True. Plus I'm not in the lamp designing business. I've only invented one lamp in my life, and it's a gigantic burning ball of gases some 864,938 miles in diameter. "You're saying you invented the sun." Correct. What the bible doesn't tell you is that God actually took a little catnap on the fourth day and left me in charge. I also took that time to invent aliens and UFOs. Keep going for a couple photos of shape and color options and their Kickstarter video.

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

If these designs are any indication, the kitchen of the future is modular, minimalist, mobile and so unobtrusive that it can practically blend into the furniture in your living room. Whether you love a more rustic handcrafted aesthetic or want your house to look like the interior of a spaceship, these modern kitchen designs radically depart from contemporary interiors for the sake of both looks and functionality.

 

Invisible Kitchen by i29 Architects

When it’s not needed, the kitchen in this historic Parisian apartment disappears altogether, blending into the wall. The top surface of the center island measures just about an inch thick to add to the sense of lightness, making the room’s classic woodwork its focal point. Dutch firm i29 Architects developed the ‘Invisible Kitchen’ system to be adaptable, so the front facade always mimics another wall in the room.

Aquarium Kitchen Island by Robert Kolenik

The ‘Ocean’ kitchen island by Robert Kolenik not only places an island countertop on an oversized aquarium, but also includes a mechanism that lifts the top vertically to provide access to the tank for feeding and maintenance.

Transparent Cookspace by Tokujin Yoshioka

Cooking implements, tableware and other small objects are partially visible yet still obscured in a translucent cook space by Tokujin Yoshioka, developed for Toyo Kitchen Style.

Sculptural ICE Kitchen by Tom Dixon

Departing radically from the look of a typical contemporary kitchen, ICE by Tom Dixon consists of monolithic triangular prisms in various shapes and sizes that form the base of a luxurious kitchen made of ‘caesarstone’ premium quartz surfaces.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Not Your Grandmas Kitchen 17 Modern Designs For The Discerning Cook

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[ By SA Rogers in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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Jim Toole, the proprietor of Capitol Hill books in D.C., appears as a curmudgeon in Caroline Cunningham's wonderful profile of him and his overflowing store.

You also have a list of words that no one is allowed to speak in your store.

I hear “Perfect,” I hear “Like, like, like, like,” and I hear “Awesome” every 32 seconds and it was causing me to have brain damage. So I try to ask people when they’re here to use one of the 30,000 words in the thesaurus other than, “Perfect! Awesome! Oh my God!” When you’re sitting here for 20 years and hear that limited amount of vocabulary that people seem to enjoy using, it really [causes] destruction of gray matter. ...

The list of books that you won’t resell—why those?

I won’t let romance novels pass the door sill.

Why is that?

Because they suck as literature. You like those bodice-rippers? The other thing that’s pretty lousy is business. I take business books, business leadership and management crapola—I take them, but I stuff them in the business closet, out of the way. Only because people ask for them, and usually they’re all obsolete the night that they’re printed. I don’t let computer books in here because they are obsolete the day they’re printed.

Have a good one, Jim!

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

Dishwashers have become household items in many American homes but have changed little since their invention, leaving room for improvement (especially in cases where ‘room’ is an issue). Many of the small problems associated with the traditional design are not initially obvious until pointed out — we are simply too used to them.

Front-loading versions can take up considerable space while taking dishes in and out. We take for granted, for instance, that the loading and unloading processes often have to be dedicated, all-at-once tasks in kitchens where folded-down doors get in the way. Front-loader doors also represent a potential point of failure if their water seals are degraded or damaged.

Designers Moshen Jafari Malek and Behzad Taheri have decided to take a top-down approach, developing a top-loading variant that addresses leaks as well as space issues. Putting the spray bar in the center also eliminates another problem with certain conventional designs: getting things equally clean on all racks and levels. The designers also note that a variable-height center shelf could allow more versatility in terms of including larger pots and pans. At the same time, the vertical design avoids messing with what works: porous wire-frame shelves and side containers for silverware. It makes you wonder: what other ordinary appliances are just waiting for a simple but powerful redesign?

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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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A Chinese man learned that the device he'd been using to crack walnuts for 25 years is, in fact, an old hand grenade. Alex Linder at Shanghaiist reports that he realized what it was after picking up a safety leaflet about explosives, then handed it in to the police.

Ran said that he received the "nutcracker" as a "gift" back in 1991, though he didn't say what kind "friend" had given him the device.

It's also not clear what Ran will use to crack open walnuts now.

村民用手榴弹砸核桃25年 称顶端坚硬拿着顺手

Spring. Summer. Fall. Winter. Boring. Ancient Japan had 72 microseasons each lasting about five days. They each have wonderfully evocative names like "Spring Winds Thaw the Ice" and "The Maple and Ivy Turn Yellow." We just finished “The Bear Retreats to its Den,” and this microseason 64, falling immediately after the solstice, is called "The Common Heal-All Sprouts. (more…)

You might want to have a stiff drink and a puppy on hand to cuddle with after reading this one. Our President-elect Donald Trump’s alleged favorite country (it’s obviously not the US) will play host to a reality show that will allow for rape and murder. It will film in Siberia (near Sarah Palin’s house) and is a Hunger Games-type deal that will let the contestants RAPE and MURDER one another if they so choose. Viewers will be able to donate gifts to their favorite participants! “Vot bol’shoy nozh, chtoby ispol’zovat ‘dlya unichtozheniya vsekh.” Oh, and I volunteer as tribute to leave this planet.

The BBC reports that the show will shoot for nine months in Siberia, and that “anything goes.”

Producers say that anything goes, including rape and murder, although they warn people taking part that they’re still subject to the rule of law and can be arrested at any time.

“You must understand that the police will come and take you away. We are on the territory of Russia, and obey the laws of the Russian Federation.”

Well, that last part should give us all some comfort. At least there will be prosecution if contestants decide to RAPE and MURDER each other. Is this that fake news thing? Did someone hack the BBC? Can someone pry Prince Harry out of that basic cable coochie and have him ask for us?

The 20 male and female participants taking part in Game2: Winter can carry knives but aren’t allowed guns.
The contestants will have to survive from 1 July 2017 until 1 April 2018 in temperatures which can fall to -40C (-40F).

Well, at least they’ll be blocks of ice which will make it a lot harder to RAPE and MURDER each other. What the fuck happened in Game1: Fall? Theft and beatings? The contestants have been given training by Russia’s version of the CIA mixed with the Navy Seals.

The men and women on the show have been given special survival training by former GRU Spetsnaz operatives, who used to work under Russia’s military intelligence service.

Our CIA is busy trying to figure out how THEIR country installed the malware on Hillary Clinton’s computer and THEIR CIA is training citizens on how to END EACH OTHER for reality television. Not to sound too jingoistic, but our country looks a little nicer. Did I already mention that I’m available to colonize the moon as soon as possible?

Contestants have to pay the US equivalent of $160,000 to participate or be voted in by viewers. So you’ve got to have some bucks to be on “Survivor: Rape and Murder.” Luckily, “if they’re in trouble or want to leave the show, they can hit a panic button on a satellite phone and be rescued.” That’s some comfort, I guess. My favorite part?

Anyone who wants to take part has to be over 18 and “sane”.

Apparently, that isn’t a requirement for PRODUCING this effed-up show.

In what might be considered hopeful in relation to this story, Snopes (don’t judge us, we were grasping for anything that might lead us to believe that this isn’t as barbaric as it sounds) stresses that the show’s creators sound like they’re not just going to let horrific times ensue.

Readers who spotted the article floating around on social media often missed a less visible, slightly contradictory sub-heading that said:

Contestants sign waiver acknowledging they may not survive nine-month Siberian wilderness challenge, and if crimes are committed, [contestants] will be arrested[.]

Um, great? *still cringing* Snopes also pointed out my new favorite detail of this story.

The official ad for the show says “Each contestant gives consent that they could be maimed, even killed. 2000 cameras, 900 hectares and 30 lives.”

The rules say “Everything is allowed. Fighting, alcohol, murder, rape, smoking, anything.”

Smoking on par with rape and murder! They must have some aggressive anti-smoking campaigns over in Russia if smoking is seen as that big of a transgression.

Pic: Game 2: Winter

This is Churroduo, two interlocking churro pyramids created by Dominique Ansel (of cronut and blooming marshmallow flowers fame). The Churroduo is currently only available at Ansel's Tokyo bakery, but he's considering selling them in New York and London if there's enough interest. Finally, another expensive pastry thing to wait in a long line for! Still, the best thing about the Churroduo is that you don't have to feel bad about eating the whole thing, because you only ordered ONE of something, you can't help that it's actually like twelve churros stuck together. You know I just invented a new pastry too -- it's a donut...with two holes. "Like side by side?" No, like one on one side, and one on the other. "That's the same hole." Clearly you don't understand space-time. "Huh?" There's also raspberry jelly in the ring. Keep going for one more shot while I write Dominique and complain there is no way that is enough dipping sauce for so much churro.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Rogue One, Disney's Epcot park in Florida turned its iconic metallic globe (Spaceship Earth) into the Death Star. The triangular surface structure of the building doesn't really work that well for being a Death Star, but whatever. I guess where else were they going to find a ball that's big enough to project a Death Star onto without asking yours truly? "You're saying you have gigantic balls." Only if you find that desirable. Keep going for a video of the unveiling.

This is the video tutorial created by Youtube channel Beat The Bush demonstrating how to wrap boxed presents in less than fifteen seconds. It was inspired by the video of a gift wrapper in Japan's Takashimaya Department who can wrap presents in just twelve seconds (gif of that above). The secret is having a properly measured piece of wrapping paper (which technically takes time in addition to the fifteen seconds if we're being honest with ourselves here), wrapping diagonally, moving fast, and not stabbing yourself with the scissors or taping your head to the box. Personally, I don't wrap presents, I use gift bags. And not just because my mom doesn't let me use scissors anymore, but I guess you can only cut your mom's hair while she's asleep on the sofa so many times (three) before she bans scissors in the house. Keep going for the video.

Strictly Paper blogs the work of Eric Standley, who uses lasers on hundreds of sheets of paper to create incredibly-detailed works of art. [via]

These laser-cut masterpieces, reminiscent of stained glass windows, are inspired by geometry found in Gothic and Islamic architectural ornamentation in an attempt to capture a reverence for the infinite. “I am interested in the conceptual migration from the permanence and massiveness of stone to the fragility and intimacy of paper,” he mentions in an artist statement.

These are several shots of artist Gabriel Dawe's Plexus no. 35 in the Great Gallery of the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio. It's a rainbow made from thousands of different colored threads. Beautiful, right? It's supposed to look like light beams bouncing around in a confined space. Now: are you thinking what I'm thinking? "You want to run through it." What? I was going to say where the hell are all the tasteful nudes at, I thought this was supposed to be a museum. Keep going for several more shots from different angles.

Do not drive anywhere in Los Angeles between the hours of 4 and 7 p.m and within 10 days either side of Thanksgiving. [via B911Weather] https://twitter.com/B911Weather/status/801271372601143296

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

Psychedelic portals beckon you to enter another dimension, sea monsters lurk at the bottom of the stairs and illustrated figures playfully interact with urban infrastructure in works of art that bring color, levity and natural imagery to urban environments.

Sea Monster Stair Steps by Skurk

The creepy sea creature lurking at the base of these stairs is enough to make anyone nervous, even in broad daylight – but just wait until the sun goes down. Street artist Skurk used two existing lamps affixed to the building’s exterior as the eye and lure of an anglerfish to terrifying and delightful effect.

Site-Specific Wheatpastes by Levalet

Paris-based artist Levalet (Charles Leval) works with existing textures, colors and fixtures in urban environments to create playful site-specific works of art. Some are playful, some are a bit disturbing, but all of them pair sketched human and animal figures with fountain heads, drains, windows, utility boxes, staircases and other elements of the city.

Massive Murals in Italy by Millo

An illustrative black-and-white style accented by carefully chosen splashes of bold color characterizes the ground-to-roof murals painted onto buildings by Italian street artist Millo.

Giant Bees by Matthew Willey

50,000 bees now adorn surfaces around the world as part of the Good of the Hive Initiative, a project by artist Matt Willey aiming to raise awareness about the plight of the honey bee. Willey traveled all over the globe to paint a few dozen bees at a time in each location, with the goal number representing how many bees it takes to sustain a healthy hive.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
The City Is A Canvas 31 Murals Transforming Urban Spaces

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[ By SA Rogers in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Remember the GW Bush years, when Americans abroad sported this tee: ""I'm sorry my president is an idiot. I didn't vote for him" (with the message in five languages)? (more…)

A reader named Carmelo has emailed in telling me of a new LEGO Education Panama Canal (2000451) set that was created to commemorate the expansion of the Panama Canal locks. The set has 1184 pieces and will retail for $250.00 and will only be available locally in Panama on December 1 with a production run of 40,000 sets. You can check out the set in motion in the video below.

Also seen on Brickset.

The post New LEGO Education Panama Canal (2000451) Set Revealed appeared first on The Brick Fan.

Calvin Seibert makes modernist sandscastles on Coney Island. At Little Atoms, Caroline Christie interviewed him about his remarkable creations.

I like making things and tend to work with whatever is at hand. Building sandcastles at a beach to me is a very natural thing to be doing. As a child, I saw photographs of the French ski resort of Flaine. I was very taken by the brutalist buildings, designed by Marcel Breuer. Since then I have always gone out of my way to see brutalist architecture and when I build sandcastles I have them in mind.

Technique:

A five-gallon paint bucket is essential. Paint buckets are particularly rigid and have a nice sharp edge for digging with. Then it is used for carrying water. Lots and lots of water. The tools are all made of plastic. I have a couple that are nothing more than a small rectangle of 1/8-inch plastic with a beveled edge and then a couple of trowels of different sizes.

Unbeknownst to me,  there are people out there who arrange huge piles of logs into beautiful pictures that will gradually disappear as they are burned throughout the cold winter months.

Some really artistic people that live in the woods can’t simply throw a log onto a pile like a normal person. They thoughtfully consider a layout and create fun and amazing stacked statue like pictures. It’s amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

The post Log Piling as an Art Form? Yes Please! appeared first on Today's Evil Beet Gossip.

As a nonprofit, the Yale Record has never endorsed a political candidate. Even in this most momentous of elections, some things have to remain sacred.

In particular, we do not endorse Hillary Clinton’s exemplary leadership during her 30 years in the public eye. We do not support her impressive commitment to serving and improving this country—a commitment to which she has dedicated her entire professional career. Because of unambiguous tax law, we do not encourage you to support the most qualified presidential candidate in modern American history, nor do we encourage all citizens to shatter the glass ceiling once and for all by electing Secretary Clinton on November 8.

Gerald Daugherty, a Republican county commissioner in the Austin-area Travis County, has produced one of the best ad-spots of the season, depicting him as a politics-obsessed public servant whose long-suffering, side-eyeing wife can't wait for him to be re-elected so she won't have to listen to him drone on about how much he wants to help people and fix things in the county. (more…)