Rebeccasaskia

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Floodwaters rise, drench homes, then recede, leaving disaster in their wake – a temporary change renders many structures permanently uninhabitable. But what if houses could ride out the storms, rising with the tides, then settling back down to the ground when the water is gone?

Based on the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Morphosis (along with Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation) has designs for new adaptive architecture, while the Bouyant Foundation Project proposes a system for retrofitting existing homes. Each approach would allow structures to do lift off the ground in an emergency and uses regional shotgun-style dwellings as their baseline typology.

BFP outlines a process that involves attaching buoyancy blocks below the home, connecting them to the sub-frame, and installing four corner guideposts to keep the building in place along horizontal axes while allowing it to lift (and settle) vertically on demand.

Connections to utilities (gas, water, power and so forth) would be either severable or extendable, so they could detach and reattach or simply expand and contract as needed. In plan, nothing changes – in elevation, predictable but periodic disasters are accommodated.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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It’s about that time of the week again, time for Hollywood to revive an old tale and make it cheaper to film by putting it into modern times.  This time around it’s Sleepy Hollow and this monstrosity is being put together by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.  You can check out more than 3 minutes of the show in the preview below, but be prepared to facepalm.

Yup, it’s another cop show with some sort of supernatural twist.  Cops plus headless horseman equals win?  Probably not.  Seriously though, can’t they make anything anymore that’s not a cop show at the core?

If you feel the need to watch this, it begins airing this fall on FOX.

 

Thanks to /film for the warning.

Look what we've got in the mail just a few days ago! It is an alphabet quilt for a tiny pink penguin growing in my belly made by a collaborative work of my lovely friends all over the world. You probably heard me squealing when I opened the package, didn't you? It was such a lovely, touching, unexpected surprise!! I feel that I have done nothing but enjoyed feeling so much love from it ever since it arrived here.

I had absolutely no clue that friends have been working on anything like this for months and months. Krista of poppyprint was so sweet to start a flickr group to make this happen since I implied that I was expecting a baby (about 6 months ago now.) I found out all about how the planning went and how much thought and effort everyone put into it now. This has been really, really touching.



Seriously, this would not have happened without Krista's amazing skill to organize the group, everyone's willingness to share ideas and to provide time and effort for it. All of these people worked real hard to come up with a quilt that I would most definitely love, and they absolutely nailed it. Who wouldn't love growing up with such a cute alphabet quilt like this? I know the tiny pink penguin will have lots of fun pointing at alphabets and designs while learning ABCs. And you know how much I love paper-pieced blocks, especially those in my super quilting hero, Kumiko Fujita's 318 book (which is unfortunately out of print). The pastel color pallet, cute and lovely fabrics, quilt backing with one of my favorite fabric print - Sew Cherry's red plaid designed by the ubber talented Lori... I could go on and on about how much I love about this quilt, but what I love the most about it is how I feel the labor of love from each and every stitch.



Now would you let me introduce each sweet block and give credit to the talented makers?

The A and the apple were made by Sam. Can you spy the teeny tiny apples in A and a gorgeous vintage feedsack on the big apple? Sam! You are so generous! Sam is also expecting a baby now and there is even a chance our babies could share their birthdays!!

The B and the bee had to be made by Lori of Bee in my Bonnet, and I was right! I have been a huge fan of her ever since I discovered her blog and her fabric line!

The C and the cake were made by the sweet, talented Linda! You know how much I love sweets and this cake has to be one of my favorite patterns in the book!!

The D and the dress were made by the lovely Penny, which was no surprise either :) The cute dress pattern is one of the Sew Very Christmas pattern set by Sew-Ichigo, run by Penny and Kerry. Notice she picked ducky fabric for the D? That's exactly something she would do :)



The E and the envelope were made by Belinda and Amy. It made my heart sing to notice that this E block is the only block with a slightly pink background, because we happen to have a name picked for the baby in mind that starts with E :)

The F and the frog were made by Chase. This frog is literally the cutest frog I have ever seen! I relate myself to a frog quite often lately especially when I sit down. A big belly and short, chunky legs :)

The G and the grasshopper - I knew for sure they were made by Elnora! I had seen this cute grasshopper on her flickr or IG before and thought it was so darn cute! Can you notice the teeny tiny grasshoppers in the background? Too cute of details!



The H and the house had to be made by Charise :) She is another sweet and talented friend of mine who adds "Charise touch" to everything she makes. Oh and how much I adore everything she makes!! Such perfect fussy cutting for every window in the house!!

The I and the ice cream are just as lovely and sweet as Kylie herself! Look how perfectly she fussy-cut the cherries and the word "ice cream"?? Way too adorable!! I have a little felt pink penguin made by her. When it came here, my tiny pink penguin was so much smaller than the felt penguin, but now she is much larger! (2000 gram now!)

The J and Jello were made by the sweet, silly, and popular Monica! Everything she makes and designs is so lovely and cute just like Monica herself! I have been such a big fan of this talented lady!

The K and kite were made by Krista of poppyprint, who worked so hard for months to bring this whole quilt together!!! She is a master of everything, so she is often someone I go to when I need advice. You know someone who just seems to do everything so perfectly somehow? To me, it's Krista!



The L and the ladybug were made by Megan! She is just as lovely as this ladybug! Knowing how busy she has been at the time she made these blocks, I very much appreciate the time and energy she put into making them. The placement of the apple on the ladybug is killing me!

The M and the mouse are Berene's work! How cute is the mouse?? I wish I could snatch him up off the quilt just to give him a big hug! Berene has been working very hard to organize To Boston with Love project where quilters get together to send love to those affected by the incident in Boston. Head over here to learn more about it if you haven't heard of it.

The N and the necktie were made by the silly Doe! I read in the discussion thread and learned that N was the last alphabet to be chosen! Doe, you are so clever to come up with this necktie idea! I want a necktie exactly like this!



The O and the owl were made by Lauree! You can probably recognize that she used Sonja's cutest owl pattern! The cuteness of this owl is driving me nuts. I'll have to get a picture of my baby making a similar facial expression right next to this owl block one day for sure!

The P and the penguin - I knew right away Sonja made them! What could possibly be a better choice than a pink penguin for P? I seriously can't think of any! She designs the most unique, adorable paper-pieced blocks. It's like her brain works so differently from everyone else's! I just love everything she designs!!

"Q for a quilt?! That is so neat!" was one of the first things Joe said when we first spread out this quilt! These blocks were made by Krista of Spotted Stone Studio! It is so tiny and cute. I am crazy about anything tiny, so looking at this makes me so smile!

The R and the rabbit traveled all around the world, from Argentina to Canada, the US, to Japan! They were made by the sweet Paula! I know that she had a lot on her plate at the time she made these blocks, so I can't thank her enough for agreeing to contribute these blocks. The rabbit is way too adorable!



The S and the strawberry had to be Kerry's! Kerry has been such a great friend for me for a long time. You can find her lovely strawberry pattern in Sew-Ichigo's shop! It is a truly lovely pattern! While you are there, don't forget to check out their awesome newest pattern set!

I knew right away that the T and the teapot were Leila's work! It's funny how I was playing with her Green Tea pattern just an hour before the quilt arrived. I was using this teapot pattern for my flag contribution for To Boston With Love project. I even used the same daisy print! It's like a part of me knew what was coming my way!

The U and the umbrella were made by Jeannie. She too is such a busy lady, so I feel blessed that she took the moment to make some blocks for this quilt! This umbrella is completely perfect in every way! I wish I had a cute umbrella like this!



The V and the van were made by Amber. Seriously, how lovely is this van? If my tiny pink penguin sees a van like this on the street, I am sure she (and I!) will not be able to resist going there and getting some treats!

The W and the whale are Amy's work! This whale is just so so cute!! This fabric she used for the water part reminds me of some traditional Japanese fabric, which makes this block very special for me too!! "Woof!" for W is so awesome, Amy!!

The X and the xylophone are so Tamiko I knew they were made by her!! The apple fabric I covet and the loveliest use of colors - there are so many things about these blocks that spoke to me they were Tamiko's work! I so miss being able to hang out with her all the time when I was still in the US.

The Y and the yarn were made by the talented Marit! The creative use of the stripe fabric for the yarn block is just so amazing. Can you spy a string on the left side of the yarn ball? So cute! Oh and yellow for Y is such a neat idea too!



The Z and the zippers were made by Tara! Tara is such a creative lady who is a maker of everything! How I wish I had awesome zippers like these?! I would make all sorts of things if zippers like these existed!

Reading about how they went to come up with filling the last 4 blocks was so fun! They ended up choosing this number because it is the year the tiny pink penguin will be born! So clever!!

The 1 and 0 blocks are the sweet, funny, talented Lynne's work! There seems to be nothing whatsoever she can't do about sewing/quilting, but I know this kind of paper-piecing isn't her favorite, so I completely appreciate she tackled it anyway!

The 2 block was made by the lovely Melinda! You may not be able to see it, but she used such a cute postage stamp fabric for the number. I can imagine the tiny pink penguin gazing at the block and being happy to discover some animal in it!

The 3 was made by Jan. Sorry for a bad picture, but there are really cute animals holding an alphabet letter, L or Love and H for Heart inside the number 3. What a sweet way to conclude this quilt!



Even the backing of this quilt is so special. Look at this lovely embroidered message surrounded by cute patchwork, made by Jessie. This adds so much loveliness to this whole quilt. I just can't believe how lucky I am to have such great friends who worked very hard together to make this happen!

Every one of these friends who contributed to this quilt has had many other commitments in life. And, not everyone likes paper-piecing in particular, nor had the Kumiko Fujita's book, nor had fabric stash that I would particularly like. There were a lot of actions taken behind the scene to help each other among the group to make this all happen!!



This is truly one of the most amazing quilts I have ever received and it will be much loved by us for years and years to come. Expect seeing lots of pictures with the tiny pink penguin laying on this quilt in just a few months :)

Thank you so very much to every one of you who contributed to this quilt, and a special thank you to Krista who brought this all together! I can't be happier!

I was literally laughing out loud watching this clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live! in where Simon Pegg talks about this prank he pulled on the cast and crew of Star Trek Into Darkness involving a laser and the threat of neutrons and ions in the air. The real butt of the joke is Benedict Cumberbatch since he arrived on set later than most of the cast, who by then were all in it.

Cumberbatch must be the most gullible man on the planet. Seriously, I think you could trick him into signing a contract where be becomes your personal tea-serving, phone-answering, spanking slave.

Wait, stop. Cumberbitches, don’t start getting any ideas.

Source: /Film

ABC Networks recently picked Agents of SHIELD, a spin-off television from Joss Whedon‘s The Avengers. Despite not having an official air date, ABC is already making it’s marketing push. Earlier today, a brief 7-second spot made it’s way around the interwebz, followed by a 30-second spot which aired during the  finale of Once Upon Time. The latter of which, you can watch below:

For television, this show looks great. Disney/Marvel have clearly put a lot of effort into it.  You can tell the pilot was written and directed by the great Whedon himself. There’s a very Whedon-esque vibe going on here, what with, the snappy action and dialogue that makes you smile. As you can see, Agent Coulson is very much alive, and in good form. I can’t say much for the other cast yet, but Coulson is obviously THE character to watch. It’s also a surprise to see snippets of The Hulk, Thor, Captain America and Iron Man tossed in there.  Makes you wonder how involved they’ll actually be? I’m sure, though, these fleeting few seconds is all we’re going to see of the A-Listers. Quick flashes here and there, to remind us that this show is intertwined with Marvels cinematic universe.

There’s a lot riding on this show. Not only is it Whedon’s return to the small screen, but this is also the first superhero show without superheros as the leads. That can be it’s greatest asset, or it’s biggest downfall. Will audiences care to watch a show about the background character from The Avengers?  Personally, I think it allows a lot of creative freedom. New heroes/characters can be explored, they can cross-promote the movies, they can run stories that aren’t big enough for the big screen and they can also develop totally new stories.

Bottom line, the series has so much potential. As long as it does not go the direction of Heroes did then we should be fine!

In case you missed it earlier, here’s the full description for Agents of SHIELD:

Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown across the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. Coulson’s team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and espionage, Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) expert pilot and martial artist, Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker); brilliant engineer and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) genius bio-chemist. Joining them on their journey into mystery is new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet). From Executive Producers Joss Whedon (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” ”Buffy the Vampire Slayer”); Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot co-writers (“Dollhouse,” “Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”); Jeffrey Bell (“Angel,” “Alias”); and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville”) comes Marvel’s first TV series. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

 

 

_{Posted in Fashion / Clothing & Accessories / Fashion blog / Fashionable accessories}

Once perceived as a sign of distinction, promoting the idea of absolute elegance and setting the social classes apart, hats evolved to become timeless accessories that still fit the men’s modern style and wardrobe today. Universal, betting on versatility and covering a large spectrum of styles, hats can easily turn into original accents, completing an outfit by adding an effortless and inspired final touch.

Now that spring feels closer than ever is high time to start making the most out of an exquisite accessory, getting the most out of spring 2013′s menswear trends. If you still seek answers as to what styles define the warm seasons, what sets apart a fedora from a trilby hat and what type of hats would exactly fit your aesthetic, look no further. We have gathered all the answers for you. Read on to the complete spring / summer hat guide for men, after the break.

Article continues. To read it in full visit 'Men’s hat guide: knowing your hat styles & how to wear them' at Fashionising.com »

_{Tagged: Borsalino DSquared Goorin Rag & Bone}

World economies are unstable, making it increasingly difficult to lead a business over the past few years. The uncertainty that business leaders face today is palpable. Some of the news is good, some is bad, but it is altogether uncertain and seemingly random. On one hand, there are wars, terror, market crashes, bailouts, budget crises, cliffs, and sequesters. Yet we also have higher corporate profits, positive consumer sentiment, and low interest rates. This is part of the reason that the stock market, which used to move a fraction of a percent each day, now shifts in record swings with increasing volume. Yet as the global recession continues into its fifth year, there are signs that businesses are adapting.

The brain doesn't like volatility, so it struggles to find a new "normal." Often, after years of abuse, victims no longer recognize that they are being abused. The brain normalizes the abuse. An extreme version of this is Stockholm syndrome, so named after a Swedish bank robbery in 1973, in which after only five days of being held hostage, the victims identified with and defended their captors. On a smaller scale, the brain treats any kind of volatility as stress. In fact, the brain is well-equipped to manage short-term stress: it releases adrenaline, raises the heart rate, and makes us more alert so we can handle whatever situation is causing the stress. Long-term, however, the brain isn't made to cope with stress. Long term stress causes fatigue, irrational behavior, and myriad physical ailments. In order to keep the mind and body safe from these effects, the brain attempts to normalize any kind of long-term stress it encounters.

Volatility and stress are as bad for business as they are for the brain. Business owners often pull back when faced with challenges like political instability, market inconsistency, and fluctuating consumer confidence. That means that they simply avoid making important changes in hopes of receiving more consistent information down the road. Over time, however, businesses become accustomed to bad news and adjust: Stockholm Syndrome Incorporated.

Today, the environment in which businesses must operate has become consistently inconsistent and predictably unpredictable.

We are starting to see how businesses are adjusting to this tumultuous business and economic climate. Last month in the United States, the "sequester" took effect, cutting $85 billion from defense, mental health programs, education, and a dozen other government programs. The day prior to the deadline, the Senate voted on each party's plan to avert the crisis, but from their inception, neither bill had any chance of passing. The Democrats blamed the Republicans; the Republicans blamed the President. It was the latest headline with the same running theme: impending economic crisis and a federal government that is unable or unwilling to stave it off. This is a big deal and the response should have been palpable for the markets, businesses, and individuals. The actual response: nothing. The stock market continued its climb, business sentiment remained at the same level, consumer spending was constant.

That reaction was in clear contrast to the reaction of businesses and the markets in 2011, when the debt ceiling debacle actually caused markets to dip significantly. This past month we saw what has been described as "a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad jobs report." A few years ago, that also would have thrown the world markets into a tailspin — but not this time. And it is not just the negative news that is being ignored: strong corporate earnings are evoking little more than positive sentiment from news anchors desperate for a story.

The world stage is no more stable than the domestic economy. Greece and Italy are broke, the UK's debt rating has been downgraded, and many other European countries are wobbling. Most recently, the tiny nation of Cyprus asked for a bailout from the European Union, which was countered with the condition that Cyprus must take cash from depositor accounts held in Cypriot banks. This outlandish situation could cause a long-term banking collapse, but even this incident was largely ignored by the markets and businesses alike.

Business owners have an increasingly positive outlook despite our political and economic instability. They have come to accept variability and are becoming more immune to the economic drama unfolding across the world. Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. and Pepperdine University's annual Economic Forecast Survey showed that 70% of small and mid-sized business owners in the United States felt as strong or more so about their business growth prospects in 2013 than they did in 2012. Business owners are feeling even more confident about their personal prospects — a majority expects to make more money this year than they did in 2012. That's an optimistic outlook, particularly given that 61% reported making less money in 2012 than they did in 2011.

This is not to say that instability is not a concern. The same survey found that 62% of business owners think that political turmoil is negatively impacting their ability to hire. Similarly, in a recent Newtek survey, 60 percent of small business owners reported that Washington's uncertainty is the factor that has most negatively affected business. But the relative health of the markets, and the fact that business owners are optimistic and confident in their futures, shows that unpredictability has become all too predictable.

We are stuck in an economic tunnel: there is no light and no end in sight, but at least we are getting used to the dark.

Der FC Bayern-Chef will den Focus unter Zuhilfenahme von Anwälten zur Änderung seiner Berichterstattung zwingen

Professional model painter Joe Dunaway shows how it’s done with an extensive online portfolio of models he has painted. Plenty of popular culture film characters (Predator, Gremlins, Hellboy, Aliens etc), but this one of the Monkey King caught our eye. Check his showcase on the link below, but don’t miss the drop down menu at the top for a more comprehensive list of his work.

Modelzone.com

Technorati Tags: Joe Dunaway, model painter, Monkey King, scale models

Here are the links to help you guys get quickly to the sites:

• Jim Carrey’s Website: http://www.jimcarrey.com
• Nic Cage: http://www.niccageaseveryone.blogspot.com/
• Instant Cosby: http://www.instantcosby.com
• Emergency Yodel: http://www.emergencyyodel.com
• Steven Seagal’s Energy Drink: http://www.lightningdrink.com
• Pipe Guy: http://www.youtube.com/smokersofcigarspipes
• Facebook Likes on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com
• Toy Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G0j_Huv2Fg
• Boohbah Zone: http://www.boohbah.tv/zone.html
• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

Massive power outages give us rare glimpses of darkened cities, but in normal conditions, there is simply no way to see the starry skies above the typical urban metropolis – but one photographer has found a way to simulate them.

Thierry Cohen uses a multi-step process to create stunning visualizations (dubbed Darkened Cities) of would-be, could-be sights from New York to London, Shanghai to Sao Paulo … ones that the ordinary eye will rarely or never see naturally.

Cohen takes a series of shots of each of the cities themselves, and carefully removes illumination from the equation. Night sky photos from the same latitudes (adjusted for time and angle) are then layered into the background, creating a seamless illusion.

The results are at once mesmerizing, revealing the unseen potential for views of space right where we live, but also somewhat depressing – these are scenes that no one can actually ever see outside of deserts, at least unless disaster strikes.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

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Which Owl are you?

Submitted by: Unknown (via Monkey Works)

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Submitted by: Unknown (via Laughing Squid)

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So if you have a spare $150,000 – $250,000 lying about then this Sotheby’s auction listing might be for you. This is only 11cm long but already day dreaming about a life-sized solid gold one…

Fully articulated human skeleton in a velvet-lined coffin chased around on each side with three panels showing the course of life, one end with attributes of the arts, the other with attributes of war, the removable cover with the journey in the footsteps of the Angel of Death, surrounded by the faces of infants alternately laughing and crying.

via Nerdcore