A list of intriguing things
One: We often show you lovely, modern buildings from other parts of the world. Indian architecture always seems nostalgic—or just plain ugly. That’s why we are delighted by this gorgeous arts hub (see: lead image) in the village of Nokha in Rajasthan. Since it’s in the desert…
Occupying a built-up area of just 9,000 square feet, the space spirals like a swirling sand dune, a hat-tip to the surrounding desert, offering incremental square footage at each elevation and five times more usable space in all. It includes a 27,000-square-foot open auditorium and inclined rooftop gardens from where panoramas of the desert unfold in every possible direction.
What we love in this time of global warming: Despite high temperatures (between 35° and 40°C) for at least eight months of the year—the architecture is able to keep the insides of the building cool because of its design. See its gorgeous windows below. (Vogue)
Speaking of buildings: Say hello to “the loneliest house in the world”—situated on an island called Elliðaey, off Iceland’s southern coast. This rocky 4.5-square-kilometre islet is uninhabited—save for an abundant population of puffins—and one little house.
Contrary to the romance built around it, the home has no water or electricity. But hey, there’s a sauna. Phir na kehna… Architectural Digest has loads more. Play ‘spot the house’ in the image below.
Two: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fall into a blackhole? Other than space geeks, probably not. Never mind, NASA is here to fulfil your non-existent fantasy of cruising round the edge of a black hole. Here’s what you’re looking at:
The simulated black hole’s event horizon spans about 16 million miles (25 million kilometers), or about 17% of the distance from Earth to the Sun. A flat, swirling cloud of hot, glowing gas called an accretion disk surrounds it and serves as a visual reference during the fall. So do glowing structures called photon rings, which form closer to the black hole from light that has orbited it one or more times. A backdrop of the starry sky as seen from Earth completes the scene.
Yenjoy only. Space.com and NASA have more.
Three: Last not least, meet the Sebright chicken—which looks like your paint-by-numbers book from your childhood. Apparently, it was bred by a Baronet in the early 1800s—after 20-30 years of work. There are actually two different versions—and colours: “Gold Laced and Silver Laced — gold or silver almond-shaped, short, tight feathers edged sharply in black.” What’s amusing:
This breed is primarily ornamental. They only lay about 60-80 small (bantam-size small) eggs per year, and some strains are more fertile than others. Hens are not broody and do not have good maternal instinct, so if you want to hatch eggs you would do better with a surrogate mother.
After decades of breeding—tells you all you need to know about the Brits. If we’re going by looks, we personally prefer the black-and-white version.
The other version looks like this:
