Category Archives: Reviews

Top New Books: “The Body – A Guide For Occupants” By Bill Bryson (2019)

From a Washington Post online article:

The Body Bill BrysonThe single most astounding thing I found was that if you took all your DNA and formed it into a single fine strand, it would stretch to Pluto. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a fact that blew me away more than that — that there’s enough of me or you or anyone else to stretch to Pluto. There’s 10 billion miles of DNA inside you. That just seems unbelievable. The surprise is not that there’s so much to understand about the body but that we understand as much as we do.

Our bodies are the best technology we’ve ever taken for granted, according to Bill Bryson’s 20th book, “The Body: A Guide for Occupants” ($30, Doubleday), which will be released Oct. 15. Having already covered topics such as nature, homes and linguistics, Bryson takes on life, death and everything in between. He spoke with contributor Stephanie Kanowitz about his reasons for writing the book and what he learned. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

To read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/the-brain-is-the-most-extraordinary-thing-in-the-universe-bill-bryson-on-his-latest-book/2019/10/07/48f208d0-e53e-11e9-a331-2df12d56a80b_story.html

Top Tiny Homes: Little Byron Unveils “Ingenious Living And Sleeping Area” With Open Air Bar

From an Inhabit.com online article:

The stunning time home on wheels was built for one of Little Bryon’s clients who was looking to have a guest home on their property for visitors, but ultimately had plans to move into the beautiful space down the road when her children left the nest.

Byron Bay-based tiny home builders, Little Byron, have unveiled a gorgeous tiny home design that not only has an ingenious living and sleeping area, but also includes an open air bar area. The Banjo tiny home is just 23 feet long and 8 feet wide, but its breathtaking, space-efficient design makes it seems so much bigger.

Little Byron Tiny House Interior

The tiny home is a beautiful design that pays homage to typical tiny home practicality, namely natural light. The home is built with an abundance of windows that really open up the space, creating a vibrant, healthy interior space. Not only are there large operable windows in just about every corner of the home, including the bedrooms and bathroom, but there is a massive window in the middle of the living space that opens outward.

To read more: https://inhabitat.com/stunning-boho-style-tiny-house-comes-with-open-air-bar/

Future Transportation: Bollinger Motors B1 Electric Trucks Are Built “Off-Road Rugged”

From a Detroit News online article:

B1-REAR-INTERIOR-SMALLThe B1 and B2 are classified as Class 3 trucks weighing between 10,000 and 14,000 pounds – the same class as a Ford F350 Super Duty. The skin is made of aluminum, but most of the mass comes from the huge battery that will give the truck over 200 miles of electric range while offering the capability to tow a claimed 7,500 pounds or carry 5,200 pounds of payload.

Bollinger is the brain-child of industrial designer Robert Bollinger, who largely self-financed his effort with a fortune earned in the cosmetics industry.

The inspiration for the EVs came from “living on a grass-fed farm in the Catskills in upstate New York,” Bollinger said in an interview on Autoline this spring. “I wanted to go back to a childhood dream of starting something automotive. I needed a truck out of necessity, it’s what I wanted to drive.”

Company website: https://bollingermotors.com/

To read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/mobility/2019/09/26/bollinger-motors-premieres-all-electric-suv-and-pickup/3777828002/

New Photography Books: “The World’s Edge” By Thomas Joshua Cooper

From Barnes and Noble:

Thomas Joshua Cooper von Michael Govan
Thomas Joshua Cooper

Working solely with an 1898 Agfa field camera, Thomas Joshua Cooper has established himself as one of the foremost photographers of our time. His magnificent black-and-white seascapes explore specific points on the globe–often at the most remote areas, where sea and land meet. Fans of Cooper’s Atlas project, in which he has charted the Atlantic Basin, will be thrilled to find a generous selection of those images here–abstractions ranging from pitch black to clear white, and subtle gradations in between. Exquisitely reproduced, these photographs reveal the coastlines of the five continents that encircle the Atlantic Ocean. This volume also features images that deal with themes such as the earth’s changing environment, historical narratives, and North America’s great rivers and their sources. Enhancing this book are an essay by Michael Govan; biographies of the artist by Rebecca Morse and Anne Lyden, International Photography Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland; and a chronicle of the Atlas project by Christie Davis of the Lannan Foundation. Poems by Robinson Jeffers and Theodore Roethke round out this retrospective book of one of the most celebrated and distinctive photographers working today.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thomas-joshua-cooper-michael-govan/1130039159?ean=9783791358260&st=PLA&sid=BNB_ADL+Core+Generic+Books+-+Desktop+Medium&sourceId=PLAGoNA&dpid=tdtve346c&2sid=Google_c&gclid=CjwKCAjwxOvsBRAjEiwAuY7L8m_OUQpkhNHK1CkT3i3Gx2nyNw_u4Vqd0ngHXy6v2b0MOdjYRGVCbxoC2JoQAvD_BwE

Top Museum Exhibits: “Paris In The Belle Époque”, Norton Simon Museum Through March 2, 2020

From the Norton Simon Museum website:

Belle-EpoqueBy Day & by Night: Paris in the Belle Époque surveys the rich range of artistic responses to life in the French capital through a selection of paintings, drawings, prints and photographs from the Museum’s collections. Together these works of art demonstrate that visual artists participated in the inventive spirit of the age by interpreting the everyday as something extraordinary.

The belle époque, a French expression meaning “beautiful era,” refers to the interwar years between 1871 and 1914, when Paris was at the forefront of urban development and cultural innovation. During this time Parisians witnessed the construction of the Eiffel Tower, the ascendancy of the Montmartre district as an epicenter for art and entertainment and the brightening of their metropolis under the glow of electric light. From the nostalgic perspective of the twentieth century, this four-decade period of progress and prosperity was a golden age of spectacle and joie de vivre.

To read more: https://www.nortonsimon.org/exhibitions/2010-2019/by-day-and-by-night-paris-in-the-belle-epoque/

New Museums: San Francisco Historical Society Museum Opens Oct 7 In The Old Mint

From a San Francisco Chronicle online article:

As trivia game experts know, San Francisco has had three U.S. mints. The first mint, on Commercial Street, was replaced in 1874 by a grand structure at Fifth and Mission streets. That building, now called the Old Mint, was itself replaced in 1937 by a new mint on Duboce Avenue, which is still coining money,

San Francisco Historical Society Museum Opening 2019

The newest museum in San Francisco will open in the city’s oldest mint this week.

The Commercial Street building is built on the site of the first U.S. mint in the West, which opened in 1854 during the California Gold Rush to turn nuggets and gold dust into coins and bullion. Later it was used as a subtreasury, where the government stored millions of dollars in gold and silver bars.

To read more: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/nativeson/article/SF-s-newest-museum-is-opening-in-the-city-s-14494442.php

Destination Restaurants: Clarke Cooke House Is A Newport, RI Institution Dating Back To 1780

From the ClarkeCooke.com website:

Clarke Cook House tables…hosts to royalty and yachting stars, captains of industry and charming scalawags, to occasions whimsical and outrageous. Whether a quiet dinner or late night revelry, our goal has always been to provide great food, professional service, and a sophisticated environment. The Clarke Cooke House lends its unique charm to any celebration or meeting, whether a victorious America’s Cup crew or family gathering – our dining room and porches are the perfect Newport setting.   

At The Clarke Cooke House Chef Gidley controls all  food operations:  café dining in the Bistro and Candy Store, our fine dining environment, The Sky Bar, a full Oyster Bar, and the renowned Summer Sushi. With his training in classical brigade kitchens and his contemporary sensibility, Chef Gidley’s approach would be best be described as Mediterranean-influenced American Cuisine.

Website: https://www.clarkecooke.com/

Future Of Hospital Design: EIR Healthcare’s Prefab “MedModular” Hospital Rooms Are Customizable

From the EIRHealthcare.com website:

home_fullyEIR Healthcare collaborates with each hospital to customize the optimal space. Through our technology and design, doctors, nurses and any healthcare professional interacting with patients in a MedModular room are equipped to provide nothing short of excellence within every interaction. EIR Healthcare was presented with a 2018 iF Design Award for our “Hospital of the Future” professional concept.

When a MedModular room is delivered, it is done so with every detail already executed from both technology and space design standpoints, which results in optimizing the efficiency in which hospitals and other healthcare environments are constructed – and completed.

Website: https://eirhealthcare.com/EIR

Top Pubs In Stratford-upon-Avon: The Dirty Duck

Just doors down from the Arden Hotel on the waterfront, The Dirty Duck was busy on Saturday night.

We walked in and to our very good fortune the window seat table opened up. We ordered two Gin and Tonics with hamburger and fries. The crowd was very interesting with several languages being spoken all round the room.

Great meal and drinks at what was once called The Black Swan.