Sara and Hero: Dogs And Trainer Deliver Incredible Tricks on 'America's Got Talent'
Posted in: UncategorizedSara Carson and her dogs steal the judges’ hearts with this adorable routine!..(Read…)
Sara Carson and her dogs steal the judges’ hearts with this adorable routine!..(Read…)
Fahrenheit, explained to the rest of the world..(Read…)
Adam Ruins Everything, Emily Axford turns the tables on Adam to debunk some of his previous claims…(Read…)
“Everything probably isn’t going to be fine, but it might be okay. That’s not so bad is it?”..(Read…)
You’ve got outdoor tools that fit in your pockets like Swiss knives and EDC multi-tools… and then you’ve got the Adventure Mate 5-in-1 multi purpose tool. Clearly meant for much more demanding situations, the 5-in-1 multi purpose tool is big, bad, and will decimate absolutely everything in its way.
Even though it’s big, it still is portable. Coming with a dapper looking carrying case/holster, the multi purpose tool opens out into a detachable handle, a shovel-head, and a multi-tool unit comprising an axe, a hacksaw, a hammer, and a hook that even serves as a bottle-opener. The handle slips into the tool heads, securing itself via a spring-loaded button that can release the handle when pressed. The distinctive combination of all these implements helps the multi purpose tool achieve a unique balance between being brutishly powerful/capable and being easy to carry around in your car, or even on your person… Plus it’ll easily cement your position as the badass alpha male/female in your outdoor group!
Designer: Adventure Mate
White blocks containing guest accommodation appear to float on expansive reflecting pools at this minimalist Mexican hotel by Taller Aragonés.
Hotel Mar Adentro sits on the coast of San José del Cabo, at the southern tip of Mexico‘s Baja California peninsula. The popular resort has myriad accommodation options, including the Drift San Jose boutique hotel.
Mexico-based Taller Aragonés, run by architect Miguel Angel Aragonés and his son Rafael, wanted to create something architecturally unique from the all-inclusive resorts that line the beach. The firm recently completed the second of three phases for the development of Mar Adentro’s 47,082-square-metre site, which was designed with a modernist aesthetic.
To make the most of views, a series of cube-shaped buildings step down in height towards the ocean. Taller blocks house standard guest rooms, and larger suites, while smaller one- and two-storey villas are dotted in between.
The villas are fronted with double-height glazed panels that slide across and tall blinds that can be lifted to fully open the spaces up to terraces, or rolled down for shade and privacy. At various levels, shallow pools extend from the edges of the concrete structures out towards the sea. “I wanted to take that horizon and bring it into the foreground,” said Aragonés.
These pools also reflect the stark architecture, which comprises factory-built modules assembled on site. Each block is placed at a slightly different angle, creating a sweeping curve around the pools.
From the top of the site, a ramp spirals down between the pools and leads to an inverted nest-like structure that houses a dining area.
Other restaurants are located on the mezzanine under the main lobby, which features an exposed grid of white columns and beams, and on the roof of the main building. Two more are planned for phase three of the development.
Dark grey pathways criss-cross the water to connect the different buildings, and widen where they create a terrace for loungers and cabanas around a swimming pool.
In all of the hotel’s guest areas, including amenity spaces and rooms, the material palette is kept consistently light. Pale stone flooring, white surfaces and equally minimal furniture all match the architecture. At night, guests can chose from one of five colours to illuminate their accommodation.
“This is the purest, most minimalist landscape a horizon could have drawn,” Aragones said. “On either side, this dreamlike scenery collided with what humans consider to be aesthetic, and go on to build and baptise as architecture.”
Mexico’s beaches and climate are a big draw for tourists, so the country’s coastline is teeming with hotels. Others with notable architecture include the Hotel San Cristóbal Baja up the coast in Todos Santos, as well as Casa Malca and Papaya Playa Project in the Caribbean resort of Tulum.
The post Shallow pools mirror sugar-cube suites at Hotel Mar Adentro by Taller Aragonés appeared first on Dezeen.
Bamboo plants grow up the front of this slender house in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, which Vo Trong Nghia Architects has covered in huge, grooved concrete planters.
Called Bamboo House, the residence forms part of Vo Trong Nghia Architect‘s (VTN) House for Trees series, which aims to reinstate tropical green space into Vietnam’s cities as they densify by covering new residences with plants.
It includes a number of ways to integrated planting in houses, like interspersing terrace gardens at different levels and creating a stepped roof garden.
The first design, called House for Trees, was made entirely from plant-pot-like concrete boxes where trees grow, which the firm has now adapted in Bamboo House.
The aim for this project was to bring greenery into Ho-Chi-Minh City’s narrow disused alleyways known as hem, which the studio describes as being “ravine-like” due to the tall buildings that frame them.
The architects also chose bamboo to reference a long tradition of building with the material in the far east.
“The lanes are lined with imposing forms, and their cold facades give the street a dense and weighty aura,” explained VTN.
“Bamboo house has been designed to create a comfortable living space in spite of the limited area available.”
Bamboo plants grow up the street-facing side, nearly covering the five-storey residence. The large concrete planters they sprout from are indented with deep vertical grooves formed around bamboo poles.
“In addition to growing bamboo on the front facade, the concrete formwork is also made by using bamboo to allow a consistent design language,” said the firm.
“The bamboo texture also helps to reduce the intense and heavy appearance of conventional concrete wall and thus, improves the overall aesthetic quality of the house.”
The planters are stacked up on metal pole supports – two alternate on the lower levels, while the one above runs across the entire top floor.
The plants act as a screen, protecting and shading the residence from strong sunlight, and the harsh rains during the tropical season.
More planting at the rear of the residence covers the staircase, offering the spaces inside privacy.
On the third floor, the master bedroom’s en-suite bathroom has large glazed walls to the street below. A second stretch of glazing partitions the bedroom behind to allow plenty of natural light in.
A similar layout features in the children’s twin bedrooms on the floor below, while the guest room and bathroom is placed to the rear of the ground floor.
The design enables the residents to open both sides of the building for natural ventilation.
The fifth floor, which hosts a home office, steps back to make room for an outdoor swimming pool, and a garden is placed on the roof.
A pared-back aesthetic features throughout the residence, which is finished with concrete flooring and dark wooden furnishings.
Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia, who ranked 28th in Dezeen’s last Hot List, has become well-known for his use of vegetation. As well as residences, his other plant-covered designs include the Babylon hotel at the Naman Retreat and the Farming Kindergarten, which features a vegetable patch on its looping roof.
The House for Trees series is one of a number of projects using greenery to combat problems in dense cities. Italian architect Stefano Boeri is a key advocate, and has used his concept of vertical forests to create green space in a host of cities. Others include Kengo Kuma, Jean Nouvel and Herzog & de Meuron.
Photography is by Hiroyuki Oki.
Project credits:
Office: VTN Architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects)
Principal architect: Vo Trong Nghia
Associate architect: Kuniko Onishi
The post Vo Trong Nghia fronts slim house in Ho Chi Minh City with huge bamboo-filled planters appeared first on Dezeen.
At first, I was ashamed to say I sucked at making microwave popcorn… until I found out that I wasn’t the only one! It seems like an such an easy task (all you have to do is press a button, really), but I always end up with some very burnt popcorn, some perfectly cooked popcorn, and some un-popped seeds. It’s never consistent, and honestly you end up wasting at least 30% of the popcorn.
Which is why kettle popped corn always remains the best way to go, but it seems like a rather specialized piece of equipment that won’t be used to its full potential. Hence the PopcornTwist. Designed to turn any saucepan into the perfect kettle to make popcorn in, the PopcornTwist contains a mixing apparatus for stirring your corn, and a hood that slides over the top of any saucepan, preventing any stray pieces of corn from going rogue and jumping out.
Using the PopcornTwist is simple. Just empty the contents of your ready-to-make popcorn packet (dried corn kernels, oil, and salt or seasoning of your choice) into a saucepan on heat and put the PopcornTwist’s hood over the rim and pull the drawstring to secure the hood in place. Then give the handle a good stir to make sure all the corn kernels are equally coated with oil and seasoning. After that it’s all in the popping sound. Turn the heat off as soon as the popping reduces and wait for all the kernels to finish their popping. The hood prevents the popcorn from overflowing, while the handle’s stirring ensures that the corn is cooked to a beautiful golden consistency… or should I say CORNsistency!
Designer: Vera Schubkin
Nowadays the Museum of Modern Art, aka MoMA, is well known for a rarified take on expensive modern art. I try to go visit MoMA several times a year (natives and savvy tourists know when the $25 admission fee is waived) and often feel frustrated by the insularity and smug self-consciousness of the art. Interestingly, at its inception, MoMA very assertively proposed a very different model. It conceived of itself as a place whose mission was “educational in the broadest, least academic sense,” in the words of Alfred H. Barr, Jr., MoMA’s founding director.
I own an intriguing book published by MoMA in 1951, “How to Make Objects of Wood,” in keeping with this mission.
The book was the third in the series, “Art for Beginners,” which was “planned as a means of self-instruction for persons working on their own and as an aid for the teacher in directing large groups.” The authors of the book included Victor D’Amico, a progressive educator who began working as the director of MoMA’s Education Project. In that capacity, he created several outreach programs, including MoMA’s War Veterans’ Art Center and its successor entity when the veterans’ center disbanded in 1948, the People’s Art Center.
The book’s other two authors, Kendall T. Bassett and Arthur B. Thurman, were affiliated with War Veterans’ Art Center; Bassett was also affiliated with the People’s Art Center.
I must confess that I was struck by these entities’ names, which certainly evoke another era. MoMA has an extensive education program to this day, but the activities, which include a lovely program for kids and on-line and in-person classes for all ages, really focus on art appreciation. Hands-on craft is generally restricted to kids’ projects. I couldn’t find MoMA classes for adults that promoted craft as something to do oneself, rather than something to admire when an expert creates it. But the War Veterans’ Art Center and the People’s Art Center promoted the idea that art could be made by all sorts of regular people. Rather than just copying what was in a gallery (the traditional museum approach), students at these Centers worked in a workshop to develop their craft and creativity.
According to this press release announcing the War Veterans’ Art Center’s first art show, “The Art Center has a twofold object: to give veterans an opportunity for personal satisfaction in creating some form of art; and to provide preliminary professional training in the fundamentals both of fine and applied art.”
The center, which was founded in 1944, 15 years after MoMA’s founding, was open free of charge (for both instruction and materials) to all returned service men and women. The press release described the center as ” a place where returned service men and women not only learn but produce painting, sculpture, ceramics, industrial design, jewelry, silk screen printing, graphic arts and allied subjects.”
The first year’s divisions included Design Workshop; Drawing and Painting; Graphic Arts; Jewelry and Metalwork; Lettering, Layout, and Typography; Orientation; Sculpture & Ceramics; Silk Screen Printing; Wood Engraving and Book Illustration; and Woodworking Design (taught by Kendall T. Bassett). A typical student was a veteran who, prior to the war, worked as a farmer but “doesn’t want to go back to farming and has decided that our class in Woodworking Design offers him an opportunity to develop a new vocation.” Another student mentioned by the administration suffered an eye injury in combat and was cautioned to avoid heavy labor. “Attracted by the class in Woodworking Design, he came to the Center where he hopes to learn to make toys and small furniture, thus using his skill without physical strain.”
Response and Responsibility: The War Veterans’ Art Center at the Museum of Modern Art (1944-1948), a master’s thesis written about the center, noted that veterans were screened but allowed to enroll at any point of the class and proceed at their own pace at projects that were organized for increased complexity—a system Victor D’Amico developed specifically for veterans, although it has obvious echoes in progressive child education generally.
In its excitement about its individual-centered approach, MoMA proposed to distribute pamphlets directly to veterans for self-instruction; the publication project then grew into the “Art for Beginners” series, a partnership with Simon & Shuster for publication of books for the general public. How to Make Pottery and Ceramic Sculpture, published in December 1947, was the first. I have that book and another book from the series, How to Make Modern Jewelry in their 1960s paperback editions. (The series includes another book, How to Draw and Paint.)
What did the books have to say?
How to Make Objects of Wood is a notably straightforward book. There isn’t chat about the philosophy of woodworking. The text, which addresses design and construction techniques, and the numerous black & white photographs and sketches, all come right to the point.The tone is encouraging in its matter-of-fact belief that the reader can accomplish a great deal if he or she follows the instruction. The participants from the War Veterans’ Art Center were, after all, experienced at following commands.
The projects start out with a joint and eventually graduate to a desk and dollhouse. You can do it, the book suggests. We believe in you.
Although MoMA’s progressive centers had broad support from its trustees, including members of the Rockefeller family, they withered away with the retirement of their chief champion, Victor D’Amico. The redemptive project of making “objects of wood,” as the humble title called them, was forgotten.
Nowadays we have plenty of veterans, plenty of art museums and a profession called “art therapy” that requires a master’s degree. But we don’t teach woodworking at museums, and we generally separate therapy from vocational training or just evening education. Programs like the War Veterans’ Art Center or the People’s Art Center ended up unable to survive the absence of their charismatic leader, but the ideas they represented deserve a resurrection.
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This “Tools & Craft” section is provided courtesy of Joel Moskowitz, founder of Tools for Working Wood, the Brooklyn-based catalog retailer of everything from hand tools to Festool; check out their online shop here. Joel also founded Gramercy Tools, the award-winning boutique manufacturer of hand tools made the old-fashioned way: Built to work and built to last.
As designers, we think and act in ways that vary greatly from scientists, engineers and even other types of designers we typically don’t encounter in our day-to-day lives. But what would happen if we bridged the communication gap between students and professionals working at the intersection of design and technology? Working across industries yields better parts, products, manufacturing and business, but how do we connect the dots to make these connections happen in real life? solidThinking aims to explore these concepts and more at Converge, their one day conference focusing on exploring the relationships between design and technology.
Unlike many user-group type conferences, solidThinking’s focus with the Converge conference is more about bringing a wide range of industry professionals together and less about product promotion. Last year’s diverse attendee list included industrial designers, product designers, engineers, architects, scientists and experience designers, and this year is expected to have an even wider range.
Oh, and did we mention it’s completely free?
This year’s keynote speaker list is still growing, but there are a few currently on the lineup that we’re particularly excited about. It’s important to note that none of this year’s keynote speakers use solidThinking software at work, further showing that Converge’s focus is genuinely centered on designing a better world, together.
If you’ve ever wondered about the connection between design and engineering in the entertainment industry, Jason Lopes is your man. Working as a software engineer for over 10 years, Lopes specialized in bridging the gap between 2D/3D data and additive manufacturing.
Prior to his current role at Carbon, Lopes worked as the lead systems engineer at Legacy Effects, where he worked on some films you may be familiar with. Some of his credits include Avatar, Terminator Salvation, Alice and Wonderland, and Iron Man 1, 2 and 3, just to name a few.
Founder/CEO of Design that Matters and friend of Core77 Timothy Prestero’s diverse background in both for-profits and nonprofits includes his current role, his time in the Peace Corps and working on the board of two for-profit companies.
In his Converge presentation, How can a Few People on a Shoestring Budget Save a Million Lives?, Prestero will explain how even small design firms with limited resources can prevent an enormous amount of human suffering.
Tim Morton’s eclectic design background includes working with companies like Dell, Rubbermaid Commercial and LEGO Group—talk about a diverse career.
At Converge, Morton will give a keynote talk titled How to Build a Rocket, where he’ll discuss the merger between Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden, joining forces to create the Newell Brands conglomerate. How does a design team in this situation partner to continue to inspire consumers, create engaging experiences and deliver upon the promise it set out to accomplish across more than 40 brands?
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After listening to these industry leaders and more speak on the importance of technology and design working hand in hand, the event will conclude with pretty sweet party, from what we hear. solidThinking hopes the free conference will inspire the next generation of designers to work together for a better world, and of course, we’re hoping it will too. See you in September!