stairwell of the quarter

We had a similar response when first encountering this architectural conceit called an alternating tread stairway—that the designer had a flair for the MC Escheresque. Then I realised what an elegant solution to a practical problem of staircases either taking up too much floor space or needing too much clearance when room is at a premium. By having these dual treads to climb up (which I would imagine negotiating confidently might take some practice), each step does not have to be incredibly steep and narrow or—without this design element, the construction would extend out twice as far into the hallway. Be sure to visit the source up top to find out more.

slaolie stil

Commissioning the talents of artist Jan Toorop in 1894, the Nederlandse Olie Fabriek (the Dutch Oil Company) inadvertently launched a sub-genre to the Dutch Art Nouveau when the resulting advertising poster for Delftsche Slaolie (Delft Salad Oil) resonated with the public for its unique flowing iconography. Born in colonial Java, Toorop had repatriated himself and studied art in Amsterdam and was informed by the burgeoning Impressionist movement but one could detect Indonesian design influences in the repeating geometry of his works. See more examples of Toorop’s salad oil style posters at the link above.

articulating the popular rage

The Japanese buzzword of the year is sontaku (世にも)—a heretofore under-utilised term that describes people who undertake offensive and strategic actions to ingratiate themselves with their superiors, the placatory following of an unspoken order. This newly found appreciation for what we’d call a brown-noser or a lickspittle is a reflection of the country’s political Zeitgeist and unease over the prime minister accruing more power beats out the less controversial (Japanese society generally isn’t openly critical of its leadership and are usually pretty astute at surmising wishes or “self-censorship”) neologism insuta-bae which, converting Instagram into a verb, refers to those chasing down admiration.

7x7

stellar cartography: Google Maps venture out into our Solar System and chart the planets and natural satellites

circling the drain: research suggests that all the antidepressant medications flushed away are making fish antisocial and withdrawn

musical instrument digital interface: what the virtuosity of plant life can say about consciousness

festtage: a humourous and insightful primer for German Christmas season—for the uninitiated

neutralidade da rede: to imagine the US without protections against blocking and throttling, one need only look to the situation in Portugal

low earth orbit: Russian cosmonaut claims to have sampled extra-terrestrial bacteria from the hull of the International Space Station

in praise of air: a four stanza poem printed on an oversized panel at the University of Sheffield campus purifies the air it extols