European Landmarks: Estonian Haapsalu Episcopal Castle Gets Spectacular Renovation By Kaos Architects

From a DesignBoom.com online article:

haapsalu episcopal castle design conversion by Kaos Architects entrythe long and colourful history of haapsalu episcopal castle began when it was built in the 13th century, but since the 17th century the main castle has been in ruins. kaos architects‘ conservation and renovation has resulted in a journey along the walls and within the castle. the renovated castle invites guests to admire the castle’s structure closer and view the picturesque town of haapsalu from an unusually high vantage point. the guests now experience the medieval environment from another level. 

Consumer Issues: Many Products Designed For Older People Are Just “Brown, Beige And Boring”

From a MIT Technology Review online article:

Engaging older people in designing for older people “is a good thing,” says Smith. “Because younger people do tend to have this picture of designing things that are functional for older people, but not really understanding what makes them happy.” Presented with products that are “brown, beige, and boring,” many older people will forgo convenience for dignity.

MIT Technology Review why are products for older people so uglyIt’s a familiar tune to engineer Ken Smith, director of the mobility division of the Stanford Center on Longevity. He says one of the biggest mistakes designers make is to assume that around the age of 60 people lose interest in aesthetics and design. This can have dire consequences for products meant to help people with their health. No one wants to stick a golf-ball-size hearing aid the color of chewed gum in their ear, any more than they want to wear a T-shirt that reads “SENIOR CITIZEN.”

To read more click on the following link: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614167/why-are-products-for-older-people-so-ugly/?utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=76169117&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_dlTg24O7Cr_1b5J4cniKFvi74Dmh8Fm3nuJVTbblAB8Z3fna_Rj6WoV6M6aodqOVSJnh603-liOHFgjAr_EQEh9sVQw&_hsmi=76169117

Top New Books: “The Truffle Underground” By Ryan Jacobs Is Captivating

From a LitHub.com online article:

The Truffle Underground by Ryan Jacobs cover“Asking even seasoned chefs and truffle-industry insiders to describe what the fungus tastes or smells like,” Jacobs writes, “is a bit like asking a priest why he believes in God.” Readers not familiar with the pungent, one-of-a-kind flavor will come away even more intrigued. Those of us whose most frequent encounter with the fabled fungus is through truffle oil will also be disappointed. As Jacobs discovers, nearly all truffle butter and truffle oil sold in America is manufactured using chemicals rather than the real thing.

Part culinary exploration, part history, and part true crime, reporter Ryan Jacobs takes readers to France, Italy, and the Pacific Northwest in The Truffle Underground. “Even without criminal interference, the truffle’s journey from spore to plate is so fraught with biological uncertainty, economic competition, and logistical headaches that a single shaving could be understood as a testament to the wonder of human civilization.” Truffles are often referred to as diamonds, and the violent crime Jacobs’s chronicles reinforces that comparison.

The Truffle Underground by Ryan Jacobs chapter 1

To read more click on the following link: https://lithub.com/5-audiobooks-to-help-with-those-end-of-summer-blues/

World’s Top Restaurants: “Under” In Norway Is “Half-Submerged Into The Sea”, Serves Creative Seafood

From a BusinessInsider.com article:

Under Restaurant Norway Interior“Under,” which opened in March, is Europe’s first underwater eatery.Designed by Snøhetta, the restaurant sits half-submerged into the sea and has three-foot thick walls designed to withstand the area’s rugged seas.

Guests at Under can gaze at marine life through a 36- x 13-foot panoramic window in the dining room, which seats between 35 and 40 guests each night. Muted lighting was installed on the seabed so that guests can see the marine life in any weather conditions.

The cuisine is, of course, seafoodDanish chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen will create locally sourced dishes that include cod, lobster, mussels, and truffle kelp, which is a local type of seaweed that apparently tastes like truffles.

Under Restaurant Norway

https://under.no/

To read more click on the following link: https://www.businessinsider.com/underwater-restaurant-norway-photos-2018-11?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Business_Insider_select&pt=385758&ct=Sailthru_BI_Newsletters&mt=8&utm_campaign=Business%20Insider%20Select%202019-08-28&utm_term=Business%20Insider%20Select

Health Care: Researchers Have Developed “Fast-Acting” Skin Patch To Attack Melanoma Cells

From a ScienceDaily.com online article:

American Chemical Society Skin Patch to attack Melanoma cellsNow, researchers have developed a fast-acting skin patch that efficiently delivers medication to attack melanoma cells. The device, tested in mice and human skin samples, is an advance toward developing a vaccine to treat melanoma and has widespread applications for other vaccines.

Nearly 100,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed annually, and 20 Americans die every day from it. Now, researchers have developed a skin patch that efficiently delivers medication within one minute to attack melanoma cells. The device, tested in mice and human skin samples, also could be adapted to deliver other vaccines.

“Our patch has a unique chemical coating and mode of action that allows it to be applied and removed from the skin in just a minute while still delivering a therapeutic dose of drugs,” says Yanpu He, a graduate student who helped develop the device. “Our patches elicit a robust antibody response in living mice and show promise in eliciting a strong immune response in human skin.”

To read more click on the following link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190825075926.htm

Top RV Rentals: Oudoorsy “Connects RV Owners With Adventurers”

From a Curbed.com online article:

Outdoorsy RentalsA sleek, converted camper van in Brooklyn rents for $190 per night; a lightweight Cricket trailer by Taxa Outdoors rents for $120 per night out of Denver; In Los Angeles, take a trip in an adorable Bambi Airstream for $159 per night.

Outdoorsy connects RV owners with adventurers looking for a rental. You can search for RVs by location or amenities. All rentals are eligible for a $1 million liability insurance policy, and you pay securely online with access to 24/7 customer service.

Also, when you’re ready to book your trip, pay attention to your base location; rent an RV close to places you want to explore to save money on miles. You’ll also want to read the fine print about insurance, mileage costs, and amenities, as each RV or company can be different.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.curbed.com/2019/8/27/18663035/rv-rental-camper-van-for-rent-usa-canada

Health Issues: Middle-Aged Man With Rapid Heart Beat Diagnosed With Sarcoidosis

From a New York Times article by Lisa Sanders, M.D.:

Diagnosis from New York Times by Lisa Sanders, MD Photo Illustration by Ina JangIn sarcoidosis, abnormal collections of cells called granulomas invade the organ, interfering with its normal activity and often destroying the surrounding tissue. What is left is a scar, known as fibrosis, dotted with these abnormal granulomas.

When caught early, sarcoidosis can be treated and the destruction slowed or even stopped. But it was too late for that in this man’s case. He was started on immune-suppressing medications to prevent additional damage, but he needed a new heart.

The man had been active and healthy, until five years earlier when he started to feel tired. His doctor sent him to a cardiologist, who took one look at his EKG and said he needed a pacemaker, right away. He got one the next day. He was fine for a year, and then, on a business trip to Atlanta, he suddenly felt lightheaded, and his heart fluttered wildly in his chest. In the E.R. they told him his heart was beating 220 beats a minute. You should be dead, one doctor said.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/magazine/why-was-the-middle-aged-mans-heart-beating-so-dangerously-fast.html

Future Of Home Buying: ZeroDown Buys The Home, You Pay Monthly To Complete Purchase Later

From a HousingWire.com online article:

ZeroDown Home Purchase Website how it worksReal estate startup ZeroDown, which launched earlier this year, boasts a unique business model. Aiming to help more people become homeowners in the pricey San Francisco Bay Area, the company removes several of the largest hurdles from the homebuying process, namely the down payment and mortgage, and buys homes for its customers outright.

But it doesn’t give the properties away. Rather, the company buys the house with its own funds, without requiring its customers to put down a down payment or assume a mortgage, then leases the property to the customer for a period of as long as five years.

https://www.zerodown.com/

To read more click on the following link: https://www.housingwire.com/articles/49937-real-estate-startup-zerodown-secures-100-million-to-buy-san-francisco-homes-for-its-customers?utm_campaign=Newsletter%20-%20HousingWire%20Daily&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=76098861&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–haCZ6Ij9bSwQwBZTqEGO12hhm6HCNa4G5lr3AeeJRbRjpsAJPIMAF8Ko0NPhdW_Nn8Vmg3s35rhQhmcODtqhIch-f1A&_hsmi=76098861

Creative Artists: Fabian Oefner Slices Vintage Cameras, “Reassembles Images Into New Compositions” (2019)

From website FabianOefner.com:

Studio Oefner - CutUp 2019 SculptureCutUp is closely linked to Oefner`s  process of destruction and reassembly, that he previously used to create two-dimensional works like the Disintegrating or the Explosion Collage photographs. Rather than seeing destruction as something negative, the artist uses this process to break objects and images down into smaller pieces and reassembles them into new compositions, enhanced in both form, meaning and function from the original pieces.

Oefner deliberately selected still and video cameras to slice apart. This is an allusion to his earlier photographic work, where the image made with the camera is the “art” and the camera itself is merely a tool. For this series, the tool is transformed into a piece of art. It is at the same time a deconstruction of the technology of image capturing, revealing the beauty underneath the surface of these objects.

The series currently consists of 6 sculptures and will be expanded into many more in the future.

To read more click on following link: https://fabianoefner.com/cutup/#ms-365

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