Category Archives: Reviews

Future Of Homebuilding: Prefab “Sunset BUD LivingHome” By Douglas W. Burdge Architects

From a PlantPrefab.com online review:

Douglas W. Burdge - Sunset BUD LivingHomeThe idea for this ADU was conceived in the wake of the 2018 Woolsey Fire, as a way to help families reinhabit their properties while rebuilding their primary residence. All “BUD” designs provide beautiful living spaces that can be delivered quickly and enjoyed for generations as a valuable addition to almost any property.

Burdge Architects
https://www.buaia.com/

This innovative accessory dwelling unit (ADU) offers four different size and layout options to fit almost any property. From a compact studio, to a two-bed, two-bath home with garage, all configurations meet California ADU size allowances and are designed for fast and efficient prefabrication at Plant.

To read more: https://www.plantprefab.com/models/19

Art Book Of The Year: “Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist” By Elizabeth Goldring (Apollo)

From an Apollo Magazine online review:

Nicholas Hilliard Life of an ArtistOne of the most impressive aspects of the book is the wealth of contextual material, which never feels digressional but illuminatingly sets the scene for Hilliard’s remarkable life and achievement. His early life in Exeter; the family networks of goldsmiths in Devon and London; the political, religious and cultural worlds he would have encountered in London, Geneva, Paris and also – usually overlooked – in Wesel and Frankfurt; all make for compelling reading. This book is not just the definitive biography of Hilliard but essential reading for anyone interested in late 16th- and early 17th-century England.

Apollo Magazine 2019 Book of the Year

This year was the 400th anniversary of the death of the miniaturist, medallist, illuminator and painter Nicholas Hilliard, arguably the first internationally acclaimed English artist. This art-historical biography is both timely and exemplary. It presents Hilliard as a man and an artist, exploring his life in unprecedented depth but also with remarkable breadth. It creates an endlessly fascinating context for his extraordinary works, which are lavishly illustrated and perceptively analysed, and it casts new light on all sorts of other issues, events and individuals connected with Hilliard’s life and artistic output.

To read more: https://www.apollo-magazine.com/book-of-the-year-winner-apollo-awards-2019/

Future Of Homebuilding: “Makatita” By Liberté Tiny Houses “Maximizes Light”

From a Dwell.com online review:
Nature dictates the shape and materials of this Dutch cabin in the woods.

When Willeke Makatita approached Gijsbert Schutten and Gijs Coumou of Liberte Tiny Houses, she had one very specific request: a compact dwelling that would let her simplify her life and live as close to nature as possible. “Willeke loves walking, camping, and bushcraft,” Schutten says. “She asked for a home that would suit those passions.” 

Website: https://libertetinyhouses.nl/nl_NL/tiny-house-makatita

To read more: https://www.dwell.com/article/makatita-liberte-tiny-houses-15bab0da?utm_medium=email&utm_source=postup&utm_campaign=&list=1

Collector’s Edition Books: “David Hockney – My Window” (Taschen)

hockney_my_window_ce_gb_3d_66981_1911061508_id_1281201In this artist’s book of 120 iPhone and iPad drawings, David Hockney follows the course of the seasons through the window of his Yorkshire home. Each image depicts a fleeting moment—from the colorful sunrise and lilac morning sky to nighttime impressions, snow-covered branches and the arrival of spring. Printed in large format, this is a highly perceptive and poetic body of work.

David Hockey My Window Collectors Book

Collector’s Edition (No. 1,001–2,000), each signed by David Hockney

Website: https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/66981/facts.david_hockney_my_window.htm#images_gallery-8

Health Care: VillageMD Opens First Primary Clinic Called Village Medical At Walgreens In Houston

From a Becker’s Hospital Review online release:

VillageMD Village Medical Primary ClinicsThe VillageMD primary care clinic, called Village Medical at Walgreens, is the first of five sites to open in Houston. Four more clinics are slated to open by the end of the year. The Village Medical clinics are located next to Walgreens stores and offer services including annual preventive care, women’s health services, vaccinations, diagnostic testing, smoking cessation, chronic care management and some specialty care. The clinics offer same-day, walk-in appointments, as well as house calls and virtual visits. The clinics are staffed by primary care physicians, nurses, pharmacists and social workers.

Chicago-based primary care company VillageMD is celebrating the opening Nov. 20 of its first primary care clinic at a Walgreens store in Houston, the company announced on Twitter. The Village Medical at Walgreens opening comes just weeks after Walgreens announced plans in October to shutter nearly 160 in-store health clinics.

To read more: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/walgreens-opens-first-villagemd-site.html?oly_enc_id=9129H5611090H0N

 

Engineering In Nature: “Honeybees Use Their Wings For Water Surface Locomotion” (Caltech)

From a Caltech online article:

Bees Surf Atop Water to escape CaltechWhen a bee lands on water, the water sticks to its wings, robbing it of the ability to fly. However, that stickiness allows the bee to drag water, creating waves that propel it forward. In the lab, Roh and Gharib noted that the generated wave pattern is symmetrical from left to right. A strong, large-amplitude wave with an interference pattern is generated in the water at the rear of the bee, while the surface in front of the bee lacks the large wave and interference. This asymmetry propels the bees forward with the slightest of force—about 20 millionths of a Newton.

Walking on Caltech’s campus, research engineer Chris Roh (MS ’13, PhD ’17) happened to see a bee stuck in the water of Millikan Pond. Although it was a common-enough sight, it led Roh and his advisor, Mory Gharib (PhD ’83), to a discovery about the potentially unique way that bees navigate the interface between water and air.

To read more: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/bees-surf-atop-water

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