TIME goes behind the scenes of the making a virtual reality recreation of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, bringing the experience to life for a new generation.
Monthly Archives: December 2019
New Books: “Small But Smart – Design Solutions For Mini Homes”
This volume presents a large variety of sophisticated solutions for mini houses in terms of architectural style, construction method and interior design. Whether portable or prefabricated, newly built or reused, rural or urban, they all meet the highest technological and sustainable standards to literally reduce their owners’ ecological footprint.
By living in a large ceramic tub, Ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes was one of the first people to promote a simple lifestyle as a protest against a corrupt society – one could call him an unwitting pioneer of the current tiny-house movement.
However, today small living is not necessarily connected to an alternative or even anarchic lifestyle – it simply makes things easier, more economic and eco-friendly to focus on what is really needed in life without compromising quality.
To read more and/or purchase: https://www.braun-publishing.ch/en/interior-design/small-but-smart.html
Classic Car Nostalgia: The “1965 ASA 1000 GT” Was A “Ferrarina” (Little Ferrari)
From Wikipedia:
The ASA 1000 GT originated in a late 1950s experimental project by Ferrari engineers to create a less expensive, compact alternative to existing Ferrari GT cars. This project was designated “854” by the factory (for 850cc, 4 cylinders), however it was commonly but unofficially named “Ferrarina,” meaning “Little Ferrari.”[3]
ASA (Autocostruzioni Società per Azioni) was an Italian automobile manufacturer active from 1961 to 1969, who is known for manufacturing the ASA 1000 GT. This car was developed by Ferrari engineers in the late 1950s as a less expensive, compact alternative to existing Ferrari GT cars. ASA used inline-four and straight-six engines derived from the “250” 3-litre V12 designed by Gioacchino Colombo. The chassis was developed Giotto Bizzarrini, and derived from the tubular frame of the 250 GTO.
The prototype that would become the ASA 1000 GT was first presented by Carrozzeria Bertone (Geneva 1961) under the name “Mille”. Following this debut in late 1961, Enzo Ferrari decided to not sell the new car as a Ferrari and entrusted production to a close friend, Oronzio de Nora. The car was manufactured in Milan by a newly formed company called ASA (owned by the De Nora Electrochemical Group) from 1964 to 1969. The 1000 GT model was officially introduced in 1962, but due to production difficulties series production did not begin until 1964.[1][2]
Photos from Classic Driver: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/asa/1000-gt/1965/725030
Travel Videos: “Azerbaijan – The Land Of Fire”
Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Pete Rojwongsuriya
Azerbaijan or as it is known as the Land of Fire was kind of an unknown to me as a travel destination and so I decided to travel there and spend a month exploring the country from the hyper-modern capital city of Baku to the peculiar exclave republic of Nakhchivan. The journey begins at a site where they discovered several prehistoric rock carvings not too far from Baku.
The history of Azerbaijan stretched back to prehistoric times which is evidenced by the rock carvings in Gobustan and that’s where our journey begins in the video. From the empty vastness of the land to humans existing throughout prehistoric times, to the discovery of fire that sprawled up all kinds of civilization, and then there was oil and that where the intro ends and our journey in modern-day Azerbaijan begins.
The video will take you through some of the most incredible sights in the hyper-modern city of Baku before making our way out into the mountains in the Azerbaijani Caucasus.
Music: Journey by Itai Armon
Website: https://www.bucketlistly.blog/
Art: “Invention And Design In Laurentian Florence” (Frick Collection Video)
“Invention and Design in Laurentian Florence”
Patricia Lee Rubin Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
The promotion of Florentine excellence in all of the arts was a mainstay of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s cultural politics. Bertoldo di Giovanni’s sculptural production took place in a context of intense creative competition, resulting in works that are innovative, inventive, and beautiful, qualities explored in this lecture. This lecture is funded by Dino and Raffaello Tomasso.
History: “Aztec Art And The Fragility Of Empire” (Art Institute Chicago)
Aztec art drew on the Mesoamerican past, citing works from the ancient cities of Teotihuacan and Tula to lend authority and legitimacy to the new empire. But this engagement with the past also provoked reflection on the inevitable end of empire and the cyclicality of time, themes that resonate as the five hundredth anniversary of the Spanish invasion of Mexico unfolds this year. In this illustrated lecture, Claudia Brittenham, University of Chicago, discusses how Aztec art reflects this engagement with this historical past. This lecture delivered on October 31, 2019, was generously sponsored by the Boshell Foundation Lecture Fund.
Studies: “Why Your Brain Needs Exercise” (Scientific American)
From a Scientic American online article:
In our own study of more than 7,000 middle-aged to older adults in the U.K., published in 2019 in Brain Imaging and Behavior, we demonstrated that people who spent more time engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity had larger hippocampal volumes. Although it is not yet possible to say whether these effects in humans are related to neurogenesis or other forms of brain plasticity, such as increasing connections among existing neurons, together the results clearly indicate that exercise can benefit the brain’s hippocampus and its cognitive functions.
In fact, a growing body of research suggests that exercise that is cognitively stimulating may indeed benefit the brain more than exercise that does not make such cognitive demands. For example, Gerd Kempermann and his colleagues at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden in Germany explored this possibility by comparing the growth and survival of new neurons in the mouse hippocampus after exercise alone or after exercise combined with access to a cognitively enriched environment. They found an additive effect: exercise alone was good for the hippocampus, but combining physical activity with cognitive demands in a stimulating environment was even better, leading to even more new neurons. Using the brain during and after exercise seemed to trigger enhanced neuron survival.
To read more: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-your-brain-needs-exercise/
Space Exploration: NASA Goddard “Modernizing For The Future” (Video)
“We are modernizing Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and its six sites for the future. A comprehensive Facilities Master Plan is an essential element in developing a blueprint for the future of our Center. Goddard recognizes the importance of fostering a work environment that is enjoyable, rewarding and aligned with meeting the challenges of tomorrow. The Master Plan will develop the infrastructure to support our business goals and missions, inform future investment decisions and respond to the growth and diversity of our mission and customer requirements. Its content will be informed by site visits, stakeholder interviews and workshops at all campuses, starting at the Greenbelt campus. This will be followed by similar efforts at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas, White Sands Complex in New Mexico, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, and Katherine Johnson Independent Verification & Validation Facility in West Virginia.Goddard’s master plan process is scheduled to continue through 2021.
Website: https://www.nasa.gov/goddard
Electric Cars: “Why Ford Is Risking Mustang To Take On Tesla” (CNBC Video)
Ford is introducing a new, eco-friendly electric four-door crossover. The Mustang Mach-E is making waves in the electric car community and will compete with Tesla for satisfied drivers. Some car enthusiasts challenge Ford’s decision to replace Mustang’s namesake 8 cylinder engine. But others argue a Mustang is a Mustang.
Technology Lectures: “Civilizing The Internet Of Things” (Harvard Video)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a deeply interconnected ecosystem of billions of devices and systems that are transforming commerce, science, and society. As part of the 2019–2020 Fellows’ Presentation Series at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Francine Berman RI ’20 explores the larger social and environmental ecosystem needed to develop an IoT that maximizes benefits, minimizes risk, and promotes individual protections, the public good, and planetary responsibility.
Berman is the Edward P. Hamilton Distinguished Professor in Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). She is the 2019–2020 Katherine Hampson Bessell Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
For more: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/peo…
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