Category Archives: Reviews

New Spy Novel Audio: “Passport To Oblivion” Starring George Lazenby

George LazenbyAn audio spy adventure based on a series of internationally bestselling books (published in 19 languages) by James Leasor, ‘Passport to Oblivion’ features an all-star cast that also includes Glynis Barber, Nickolas Grace, Michael Brandon and Terence Stamp as ‘C’ the Head of MI6.

‘Passport to Oblivion’ is the first of 10 planned audio recordings by award-winning Spiteful Puppet and based on books first published in the 1960s. The novels, which sold in their millions, have a worldwide fan base. This is the first time they have been adapted as audio dramas.

To order: https://spitefulpuppet.com/double-o-session-3/

To read more: https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/audio-book-passport-to-oblivion-preview

Art Videos: “Édouard Manet and the Illusion of Effortlessness” (The Frick Collection NYC)

Claude Monet once remarked that Manet “always wanted his painting to look as if done at the first attempt,” but the truth was more complicated. Manet went to great lengths to perfect his work and even greater lengths to conceal the effort involved. From his earliest oil paintings to his late watercolors, this lecture contrasts Manet’s cultivation of a reputation for effortlessness with the arduous reality of his practice.

ÉDOUARD MANET AND THE ILLUSION OF EFFORTLESSNESS (THE FRICK COLLECTION NYC)

Emily A. Beeny, Associate Curator of Drawings, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Modern Design: A “Vinyl Turntable Washbasin” By Pasque D. Mawalla

Santuri is a washbasin that pays homage to traditional musical roots.
Designed with cues from the iconic record player it’s a unique piece
aimed at all music lovers.

Its two-tone basin imitates the record players platter together with
its tonearm which in this case is the wash basins custom mixer.

pasque-dudley-mawalla-vinyl-turntable-washbasin.jpg

The functionality of the wash basin also borrows cues from how record players had worked. The turning of its tonearm towards the basin allows water to flow through the headshell of the mixer and when the tonearm is moved back into its starting positions stopping the flow of water just as it would work on a record player.

To read more: https://www.behance.net/gallery/79515115/Santuri

Insites Into Neuroscience: “EEG – A Mental Map” Infographic (IMotions)

Knowing how someone thinks is crucial to understanding their behavior. With EEG (electroencephalography), you can get access to this hidden world, and reveal what’s really going on in someone’s mind. EEG offers many advantages, but it can be tricky to get your head around in the beginning. This infographic from iMotions is designed to give you a head start to this powerful technology.

EEG-infographics-2018

Homebuilding Trends: “Squirrel Park” Homes In Oklahoma Built From Used Shipping Containers

From a Dezeen.com online review:

Squirrel Park Smith Design CompanyTwo containers make up the ground floor of each house, with two more cantilevered three metres over one end to create a sheltered porch below and a first-floor terrace off the master bedroom.

Oklahoma has a hot climate, so the steel containers have been painted white to reduce heat gain, while mirrored strips reflect the sun’s glare.

Squirrel Park Smith Design CompanySquirrel Park is a scheme of four houses made from converted shipping containers in Oklahoma City, USA, by Allford Hall Monaghan MorrisBuilt for a developer client who plans to live in one of the properties, Squirrel Park has four two-bedroom homes on a 2,500-square-metre site.

https://smithdesigncompany.com/squirrel-park/6y6kpxgw1o63uvt09y8viifgw7mj5q

A total of 16 lightly used steel shipping containers – which had “been around the world once” according to AHHM – were used to make the four houses. The three family homes not occupied by the developer will be rented at “competitive market rates”.

To read more: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/20/squirrel-park-ahmm-shipping-container-housing-oklahoma/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Dezeen&utm_content=Daily%20Dezeen+CID_edb46f16e2683f4b06c3c31148e551ac&utm_source=Dezeen%20Mail&utm_term=AHMM%20unveils%20shipping-container%20housing%20development%20in%20Oklahoma

Beverage Podcasts: As Beer Sales Slow, Coors And Budweiser Up Attacks Against Each Other (WSJ)

A 2019 Super Bowl ad kicked off a showdown between the maker of Bud Light and the maker of Coors Light. WSJ’s Jennifer Maloney explains how that standoff has led to accusations of corporate espionage, two lawsuits and questions about the future of the beer industry.

 

 

Photography: “Stunning” 52-Megapixel Photos Of Moon By Eric Morgunov

From an Interesting Engineering online article:

Morgunov said, “This picture is two different types of photos, a long exposure (to capture earthshine) and a fast shutter to capture the illuminated side.”

Eric Morgunov 52 Megapixel Photo of the Moon Using 500 Images

He continued to explain the additional images he used, which created the final piece: “The illuminated side is 500 photos of 1/60 at 100iso, was stacked and sharpened in autostakertt3 and registax6. The earthshine was around 15 photos at 3-second expo w/ 1600iso stacked and sharpened in autostakertt3 and registax6. I blended the two photos together in photoshop (a lot more work then it seems) added a star trail background gave it glow.”

https://www.instagram.com/ericmorgunov/

Eric Morgunov’s image of the Moon stands out for one main reason: it’s 500 pictures of the Moon brought together to create one incredible 52 megapixel photograph.

To read more: https://interestingengineering.com/man-creates-amazing-52-megapixel-photo-of-the-moon-using-500-images?_source=newsletter&_campaign=23rY2Mo8goQjd&_uid=46dBBxnxd7&_h=0c209d493fa27bb2c39469a873cbbd733289c833&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=mailing&utm_campaign=Newsletter-19-11-2019

Automobile Nostalgia: “1949 Healey Silverstone” Was Designed As “Both Road And Racing Car”

From a ClassicDriver.com online article:

Classic Driver Logo“Originally designed as both a road and racing car, little compromise was made for comfort and practicality. With a light body and a peppy 2½ litre Riley engine, the Healey Silverstone performed well; even the headlights were brought inside behind the grille to make it more aerodynamic. It had a very limited run; just 105 produced making correct examples extremely desirable. 

1949 Healey Silverstone Classic Driver

…Donald Healey himself raced one, winning the 1949 Alpine Rally. A Healey Silverstone also won Belgium’s Liège-Rome-Liège Rally, the Isle of Man Manx Cup, various races at Goodwood and other national events.

Due to the limited production run, cars with important period competition history are desirable and so when a previously undiscovered chassis turns up, correct identification is key.

To read more: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/healey/silverstone/1949/712691?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203252019&utm_content=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203252019+CID_45cd83d4933f01b9587a4a72c19b3141&utm_source=newsletter

Top Restaurants: “Joe’s Stone Crab” In Miami Is #1 Independent In Sales

From a RestaurantBusinessOnline.com release:

Joe's Stone Crab MiamiJoe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, Fla., is the top-grossing independent restaurant in the country, according to Restaurant Business’ annual ranking of the Top 100 Independents. In its first time in the top spot, the restaurant brought in more than $38 million in 2018.

Top Independent Restaurants in US

To read more: https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/top-100-independents-2019?year=2019&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWlRZMU5tRXdOakJoTTJNMCIsInQiOiJtVHAzTWJoRFI5R3d0YWExNTAyUUs4Z3huZFpSa0NJTWs4TXFcL2R3azZodWo0QWxDaG9CMEs4Slh1dDFnd1BEd214OGhsRjdFXC9Lc21iZlFjSXN4ZTY1U3NlUkhWV1wvREExeFJZRVZhQWpBa1lyZytKbngrUUJuWWU5T1YwbmpiWiJ9

Fitness: 65-Year Old Climber Steve Swenson “Endurance” Trains Six Day A Week, Avoiding Injuries

From an Outside Magazine online article:

Steve Swenson Book KarakoramIn the spring and summer, he trained two to four hours a day, six days a week, running daily and carrying 60 pounds of water up a 4,000-foot peak near his home in Seattle twice a week. “All the research has shown that 80 percent of training for alpine ascents needs to be long duration and low intensity, to build a huge foundation of endurance,” Swenson says. “There are no shortcuts to this. There’s no thirty-minute-a-day gym workout. You have to have the discipline to put the time in.” 

As an older climber, when I go out and train on any particular day, my big goal is to not get injured. In my twenties and thirties, I would push through a tight muscle or minor pain, but now I just stop. It’s not worth it. The most important thing is to be able to come back tomorrow.”

(Steve) Swenson laments the common scenario for many older people, who often work too much, exercise too little, and find themselves unhealthy during their golden years. “Imagine spending all your years looking forward to retirement and you can’t enjoy it,” Swenson says.

To read more: https://www.outsideonline.com/2405337/steve-swenson-mountaineer