1. The minimalist
Ban Table can be assembled and disassembled without screws, nails, or glue.
2. This
cacao, banana, & avocado smoothie was so thick it almost broke my blender, but it was well worth the effort.
3. How does literacy change the way we
code orthographic characters? "Literates were sensitive to alterations in characters’ within-string position and identity, whereas illiterates are almost blind to these changes".
4. An interview with architect and former biologist
Doris Kim Sung about how biology can inspire architecture. "The skin is the first line of defense for the body. It cools by sweating, heats by inflating (goose bumps), resists sun by making melanin, it protects from dirt, water and so many other things. If it works well, the heart and lungs don’t have to work so hard. Building skins can operate the same way and prevent the mechanical system (AC or heating) from overworking and using up huge amounts of unnecessary energy. With “smart” materials like thermobimetals, envelopes can now self-shade, self-ventilate, and self-operate."
5. A review paper on
the psychology of eating animals. "Meat eaters tend to care less about animal welfare, to value masculinity, and to accept social hierarchy and inequality. They tend to reduce mind attribution to animals and see them as dissimilar to humans. In preparation for eating meat, and after it, they attribute diminished mental capacities to animals. These factors combine to reduce animals’ moral standing, making their passage from farm to fork less troubling. "
1. The new design for the University of Architecture in Tournai by Aires Mateus is really simple and elegant.
2. Can listening to stories help children be truthful? Yes - if the stories are about the positive effects of telling the truth, like "George Washington and the cherry tree". But not if the stories are negative, like "Pinocchio" or "The boy who cried wolf."
3. A peaceful all-white guest bedroom and bathroom in LA.
4. A 1930s garden building converted into a tiny guest house.
5. Creative uses of inexpensive, low-tech building materials.
