Tag: design
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Is Daisugi Real? The Ancient Japanese Tree-Growing Technique
The Japanese forestry method for harvesting wood, daisugi (meaning “cedar table”), goes as far back as the 14th century to solve a seedling shortage in Kyoto. Yes, Daisugi is real, not a hoax. Let’s explore the ancient Japanese technique for growing trees out of trees. The 700-year-old technique involves pruning a tree’s branches like giant…
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Rejected designs for the Eiffel Tower
When Gustave Eiffel and French designers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier unveiled their groundbreaking concept for the Eiffel Tower in the 1880s, the Parisian artistic community wasn’t impressed. Intellectuals like Charles Garnier and Guy de Maupassant criticized it as an eyesore, igniting the infamous “Artists Against the Eiffel Tower” petition. The Original Eiffel Tower Designs…
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Why pirates wear an eye patch
An eye patch, a parrot, a wooden leg, and a limp; these iconic attributes paint the picture of a pirate in popular culture. However, there’s more to the eye patch than meets the eye—quite literally. Contrary to common belief, famous pirates didn’t wear an eye patch due to a missing eye. Instead, it served a…
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The evolution of the Spacesuit: History, Layers, Functionality
As spacesuit design continues to become thinner, more intricate, and more dynamic — there are touchscreen-sensitive gloves, an attached helmet, and built-in ventilation in the latest uniform — it’s worth looking at how both US and Russian spacesuits have evolved over time. Start by looking at the original suit (the Marshmallow Moon-Suit) designed for the moon mission…
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How Vietnam’s Golden Bridge lends its hand to history
Vietnam’s Golden Hand Bridge, or Cau Vang, is an architectural wonder and a symbol of innovation and development in Ba Na Hills. Here’s an insight into the history and design of this masterpiece. The History of Vietnam’s Golden Hand Bridge Vietnam’s Golden Bridge stands suspended nearly a mile above sea level at the top of…
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Impossible heights: Lighthouse of Thridrangar, Iceland
Are you searching for your next getaway? There’s a lighthouse off the coast of southern Iceland that sits 120 feet upward on the highest of three steep rocks. It is one of the most remote lighthouses in the world. Constructed in 1939, the Thridrangar (Þrídrangar) Lighthouse, Þrídrangar means “three rock pillars,” is undoubtedly one of…
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Watch styrofoam dancing to sound waves in a Kundt’s tube
Put your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care. What looks like a dubstep rave of little ghost people is actually styrofoam dancing to sound waves in a massive plexiglass pipe known as a Kundt’s tube. In 1866 German physicist August Kundt constructed the experimental acoustical apparatus to measure the speed of sound in…
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Mirrored ceilings at Zhongshuge bookstores, China
Zhongshuge Bookstore is a popular book chain in China. Each of its store’s leverages mirrors in its architectural design to give off a kaleidoscope effect on the interior. However, one of its stores in the city of Chongqing features a magical and elaborate bookcase. The location features a ceiling mirror that creates an optical illusion…
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Xavi Bou: If birds left tracks in the sky
Barcelona-based photographer Xavi Bou turns bird flight into art in a project he calls Ornitografías. Using his degrees in geology and photography and experience as a lighting technician in the fashion industry, Bou extracts high-resolution photos from video stills to illustrate the path of birds in motion. The result is a spectacular piece of art…