Category Archives: Reviews

Architecture, Buildings, Design, Rankings, Reviews

Architecture: Innovation At The Top 25 Dutch Firms

April 25, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

25 best architecture firms in The Netherlands

Archello (April 24, 2023) – Dutch architecture has long been at the vanguard of experimentation and innovation, pushing the boundaries of design metaphorically and literally. With an extensive chunk of the country situated below sea level, the Dutch have always relied on bold engineering and architectural solutions to adapt to the changing water levels to build habitats.

1. MVRDV

photo_credit Marcel Steinbach — Marcel Steinbach

MVRDV is a globally based architectural firm established in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries, with offices in Rotterdam, Shanghai, Paris, Berlin, and New York.

2. OMA

photo_credit Egbert de Boer — Egbert de Boer

OMA is an internationally renowned architecture and urbanism practice led by eight partners, Rem Koolhas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van Loon, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten. With offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha and Australia, the practice is currently working on several building projects, including the renovation of Kaufhaus des Westens in Berlin and the Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux.

3. UNStudio

UNStudio began as a vision of two young minds, Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, who started with a simple drawing board and a pen, sketching their designs for the future. Today, 30 years later, UNStudio operates in over 30 countries with six international offices and a team of over 200 architects and designers who focus on designing spaces that meet human needs.

Opinion: Wise Worries On AI, Global Peace Crumbles, The English Identity Myth

Audio April 24, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The Economist ‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (April 24, 2023) – This week, how to worry wisely about artificial intelligence, why in Sudan and beyond, the trend towards global peace has been reversed (13:00) and if English nationalism is on the rise, no one has told the English (19:30).

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5geQcDnCiyFMtrdKZUoPYG

Arts & Literature, Books, Magazines, Previews, Reviews

Preview: London Review Of Books — May 4, 2023

April 24, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

London Review of Books (LRB) – May 4, 2023 issue: French President Emmanuel Macron and the Pension Crisis, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Big Con’ and more.

Macron v. Millions – The pensions crisis in France

Jeremy Harding · Macron v. Millions · LRB 4 May 2023

Pensions – and ‘the fiscal impact of ageing’ – have long troubled the EU. A European Commission paper published in 2016 noted with relief that ‘most EU member states’ were reforming their pension systems. France is one of them. During his first term in office Emmanuel Macron envisaged an ambitious reform plan, but Covid-19 put paid to it. Re-elected in 2022, he put a different plan on the table; at its core is an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64. It has been predictably unpopular. Pensions rank high on the list of French state expenditures. They are one of the cornerstones in France’s edifice of public provision, which is why the sound of drilling and hammering sets most citizens’ teeth on edge.

Health, Infographics, Research, Reviews, Society, Studies

Type 2 Diabetes Studies: 65% Higher Death Rates With ‘Sweetened Drinks’

April 24, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The BMJ (Published April 19, 2023) – Conclusions: Individual beverages showed divergent associations with all cause mortality and CVD outcomes among adults with type 2 diabetes. Higher intake of SSBs was associated with higher all cause mortality and CVD incidence and mortality, whereas intakes of coffee, tea, plain water, and low fat milk were inversely associated with all cause mortality. These findings emphasize the potential role of healthy choices of beverages in managing the risk of CVD and premature death overall in adults with type 2 diabetes.

READ COMPLETE BMJ RESEARCH STUDY

Awards, Exhibitions, Photography, Reviews, Videos, Wildlife

Exhibitions: Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Video April 24, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

World Photography Organization (April 24, 2023): Celebrating photography in all its varied brilliance, the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House in London, showcases a vast range of magnificent images from the 2023 Awards and places international talents centre stage.

Art, Art Galleries, Arts & Literature, Events, Reviews, Views

Top Art Auctions: Myers Fine Art Gallery In Florida

Video April 24, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

View Catalog

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.- After a hiatus of more than three years, Myers Fine Art will return to the auction spotlight on April 30 with a 459-lot gallery auction that bears all the hallmarks of their signature style. Bidders can look forward to seeing a high-quality, estate-fresh selection of scrupulously researched artworks with impeccable provenance.

Each and every item has been personally curated by Myers’ owners Mike Myers and Mary Dowd, whose combined decades of experience in the fine art sector serve as the basis for auction catalogs whose scholarly descriptions are both lauded and trusted throughout the art world.

READ MORE AT ‘ART DAILY’

Health, Reviews, Science, Studies

Studies: Alcohol Abuse Increases Chronic Pain

April 23, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Scripps Research (April 21, 2023) – Chronic alcohol consumption may make people more sensitive to pain through two different molecular mechanisms—one driven by alcohol intake and one by alcohol withdrawal. That is one new conclusion by scientists at Scripps Research on the complex links between alcohol and pain.

The research, published in the British Journal of Pharmacology on April 12, 2023, also suggests potential new drug targets for treating alcohol-associated chronic pain and hypersensitivity.

“There is an urgent need to better understand the two-way street between chronic pain and alcohol dependence,” says senior author Marisa Roberto, PhD, the Schimmel Family Chair of Molecular Medicine, and a professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research. “Pain is both a widespread symptom in patients suffering from alcohol dependence, as well as a reason why people are driven to drink again.”

Alcohol use disorder (AUD), which encompasses the conditions commonly called alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence and alcohol addiction, affects 29.5 million people in the U.S. according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Over time, AUD can trigger the development of numerous chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, liver disease and some cancers.

READ MORE AT SCRIPPS RESEARCH

Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, Reviews, Society, Technology, Videos

Review: How AI Is Now Disrupting Societies (DW)

Video April 23, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

DW News (April 23, 2023) – AI systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT are dominating headlines. There are concerns that their rise may lead to the displacement of millions of workers, blur the distinction between truth and falsehood, and amplify existing inequalities. Are the worries justified?

Analysis, Business, Retail, Reviews, Technology, Videos

Business: Robots Helping Retailers Save Billions

Video April 22, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

CNBC (April 22, 2023) – Outfitted with cameras and sensors, autonomous inventory robots can verify price signs and look for out-of-stock items. Inventory is one of the biggest challenges retailers face.

Chapters: 0:00–2:07 Introduction 2:08–5:11 Chapter 1 Empty Shelves 5:12–9:26 Chapter 2 Inventory robots 9:27–12:31 Chapter 3 The future

Missed sales from empty shelves and out-of-stock items cost U.S. retailers $82 billion in 2021, according to NielsenIQ. But an army of inventory robots is being deployed that could help retailers appease angry customers, boost sales and respond to the ongoing worker shortage.