Tiny apartment shows the value of a good fit
“WE SIT IN the “cafe area” of Steve Sauer’s minuscule apartment enjoying the view from the home’s only window, street level. Dogs on leashes and legs on humans pass by on a warm Lower Queen Anne evening.
Sauer stands up. This is to demonstrate that at 6-foot-2 he has a no-more-than-needed 2-inch clearance between his head and the ceiling.
Sauer likes this precision. Awkward spaces, wasted places annoy him. Two alarm clocks, two music sources, extra furniture. Needless, needless, needless.
“What I really wanted was one place with exactly what I needed and wanted. Quality is more important than quantity for me, and extra space only a problem,” he has written, describing his nearby too-big-for-him, one-bedroom condo.
To me he says, “I tend to like things in their place.”
And that explains it: The uber-cool, fully functional 182-square-foot home for two on the basement floor of a 102-year-old apartment building that Sauer is finishing after seven years of work. It could also have something to do with his line of work — airplane interiors engineering for Boeing. And education — a master’s degree in whole-systems design.
Sauer’s tiny Seattle home is remarkable.”
Read more at The Seattle Times (Thanks Christopher C)
The Secret Histories of Those @#$%ing Computer Symbols
They are road signs for your daily rituals-the instantly recognized symbols and icons you press, click, and ogle countless times a day when you interact with your computer. But how much do you know about their origins?
Head over to PopSci’s gallery to find out the origin of various symbols (Thanks @XxLadyClaireXx)
Huge Solar Storm Triggers Unusual Auroras
“Auroras create green curtains of light August 4 over the Rupert River in Waskaganish (see map), a Cree Nation community in Quebec, Canada.
Last week’s northern lights—which lasted a few days—were products of a large burst of plasma, or charged gas, from the sun known as a coronal mass ejection. A NASA orbiter called the Solar Dynamics Observatory saw last Sunday’s eruption, which was aimed directly at Earth and sparked predictions of a shimmering sky show.
Now it seems aurora fans may be in for another treat: A solar flare spotted Saturday by NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory was even more powerful than the previous eruption. Although this time the bulk of the plasma burst isn’t aimed right at Earth, scientists say it could still trigger another round of colorful auroras.”
See more photos at National Geographic (Thanks @XxLadyClaireXx)
The Invisible Man
Liu Bolin is an artist known in his native China as “the invisible man” for his series of photographs where he paints himself to blend into the background. These are real photographs, not digital manipulations!
(He’s just in front of the closest tyre!)
See more at Woody’s Place (Thanks Katherine)
Incredible Miniature Sculptures Carved From Pencil Tips
“Here at Inhabitat we are often impressed by innovative new applications for everyday materials, but artist Dalton Ghetti’s tiny sculptures carved out of the fragile tips of pencils have truly knocked our socks off! From a miniature bust of Elvis Presley wearing shades to tiny hammers and old boots, his work is mind boggling. Get ready to be amazed by this unbelievable artwork!
Ghetti, who is originally from Brazil, uses his little lead canvases to explore all types of subjects. Getting familiar with Dalton’s technique makes the work even more interesting, as he refuses to work with a magnifying glass, and only uses three tools – a razor blade, sewing needle and sculpting knife. He explains his process: “I use the sewing needle to make holes or dig into the graphite. I scratch and create lines and turn the graphite around slowly in my hand” ”
See the full gallery at Inhabitat
What Colliding Galaxies Look Like: Photos That Will Amaze
“Earlier today NASA released this gorgeous new image of two colliding galaxies that began colliding about 100 million years ago.
The imaging data, which were taken between 1999 and 2005, show the Antennae galaxies, so called because of the long antenna-like “arms,” viewed in wide-angle views of the system. NASA says the features got generated by tidal forces produced during the collision, which is still occurring some 62 million light-years away from the Earth.
It must be one heck of a show to observe up close as it has led to the formation “of millions of stars in clouds of dusts and gas in the galaxies”. The biggest of these young stars have already grown up and since exploded as supernovas.
To find your way through this composite photo, the image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory is blue, the Hubble Space Telescope is in ggold and brown, while and the Spitzer Space Telescope is in red.”
Read more at CBS News
Incredible paper sculptures by Jeff Nishinaka
“Jeff Nishinaka carves and pinches paper to create intricate paper sculptures. The 52-year-old Los Angeles based illustrator and sculptor has been refining his paper craft since 1982. Taking anywhere from three days to four months to produce, Jeff’s detailed pieces range from 8in by 8in to 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide.
Jeffrey is a full time artist and estimates that he has produced hundreds of his paper sculptures during his career. “I use very simple tools: tweezers, a mechanical pencil, toothpicks, art knives, cutting mats, French curves & triangles, and a small round wooded dowel to curve the edges,” said Jeffrey.
The works are given a three-dimensional look through careful layering of the paper and clever lighting. He uses acid-free 100% Cotton Vellum paper, so the pieces will not deteriorate or yellow with age.”
View more example of his work at The Telegraph (Thanks Tracey)
SpaceShots: The Best New Photos of Our Universe
A collection of the best space images of the week. Above: June 30: A magnificent view of the region around the star R Coronae Australis, which lies at the heart of a nearby star-forming region and is surrounded by a delicate bluish reflection nebula embedded in a huge dust cloud. The image reveals surprising new details in this dramatic area of sky.
See more at Fox News (Thanks @XxLadyClaireXx)
Breathtaking Photographs: Visions of Earth
Each month, National Geographic magazine features breathtaking photographs in Visions of Earth. Browse through visions of the world as seen through a photographer’s eye.
Head over to National Geographic to see the amazing collection. (Thanks @XxLadyClaireXx)
