When asked by a client to refurbish tiny Parisian studio apartment, architects Raphaël Bétillon and Nicolas Dorval‐Bory came up with a design that required them to pay particular attention to interior lighting.

Hampered by a lack of natural daylight in the apartment, Bétillon/Dorval-Bory set about researching the colour rendering index (CRI) and created a unique approach to the division of space, using high-performance fluorescent lighting at one end and the apartment and low-pressure sodium lighting (LPS) at the other. The latter is commonly used for street lighting and is known for providing great efficiency, but poor colour rendering; however, its use was a deliberate ploy by the architects to help shape the space. LPS is certainly an unusual move – the monochromatic amber making everything indistinguishable – but provides a bold statement, with tasks such as sleeping and showering not requiring the same level of rich colouring as cooking. Named Spectral Apartment, the only lighting in the

studio flat can be found fixed to a small 2-metre high partition, which acts as the separator between kitchen and living space and bedroom and bathroom. The seven high-performance fluorescent tubes on one side of the partition give the modern kitchen the necessary light, while the reverse sees two zero CRI LPS lamps fitted. Each lighting source has a different switch to create changeable lighting patterns, for different uses of each area. The sleeping area, which is a small crawl space bunk, is accessed via slim cantilevered stair treads that require treading on the kitchen worktop half-landing; while underneath exists the bathroom and a surprisingly roomy shower. The minimalist and economical design of this studio apartment most certainly will not be to everyone’s liking, especially…

Designed for the Kernel Festival 2011 in Villa Tittoni Park, Desio, Italy by Gianluca Milesi, Michiko Yamada and Edi Zulga, Shadows offer a unique way to provide public park users and festival goers with shade, shelter from wind, and light (through the use of neon lamps) during relaxation.

Clearly inspired by the digital aspects of the festival, the Milesi Shadows are built using cast-iron rods, reinforced plastic profiles and sustaining polycarbonate panels, providing a wave-like self-standing structure that can be moved and manipulated by the public. The temporary nature of

this project played a big part in the concept of Milesi and Yamada, and pallets have been used to define spaces and creating seating and furniture areas. The architects describe the Shadows as a “harmonic, imaginative, and elegant conjugation.” I couldn’t agree more.

Designed back in 2009 by Prentiss Architects, Ballard Cut is a modern contemporary family residence in Seattle, Washington.

After having resided on a boat for 14 years, the client’s desire to make the transition to dry land was integral in the designing of the property and can be seen immediately in the raised first floor of the property which, when accessed by boardwalk, gives the appearance that the house is “floating” above the surrounding yard. The location of Ballard Cut in the Ballard neighbourhood of Seattle is a prime one and gives stunning views of the Sound and the Olympic Mountains; thankfully, Prentiss Architects have paid special attention to achieving views of the surroundings. Hampered by the site (which has a steep slope to the west and railroad easement to the east), the architects were given little choice in where the main floor

of the property could be located, instead using a canted second floor, rotated on an axis to achieve views of the aforementioned surroundings from the bathroom, bedroom and office. The second-floor position also allows for access to the roof garden. The west elevation of the property is mostly glazed, giving the home a modern, bright, and open feel and allowing access to the views. The east side, on the other hand, is hindered by noise from the railroad, giving the architects little choice other than to create a wall with few openings, acting as both a sound barrier interior insulation. A minimalistic theme is very apparent throughout the property, with inexpensive materials used for economy. The use of low-cost concrete fibre board works well on…

A reading machine made by Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske of Washington, D. C. back in 1922.

The Friske Reading Machine

Photo from Shorpy.com http://www.shorpy.com/node/14995

Bradly A. Fiske thought that this reading machine was a good way to help readers get rid of their reading eyeglasses offering them a more convenient way to enjoy book reading by making them more compact. Admiral Fiske invention consists of a small machinery, a lorgnette that has mounted a magnifying lens for one eye, a comfort shield for the other eye and a small rack to hold the reading subject. Below I m attaching single page article from the June 1922 issue of Scientific American. Page 407, Volume 126, that describes the Fiske Reading Machine. "The instrument, consisting of a tiny lens and a small roller for operating this eyepiece up and down a vertical column of reading matter, is a means by

which ordinary typewritten copy, when photographically reduced to one-hundredth of the space originally occupied, can be read with quite the facility that the impression of conventional printing type is now revealed to the unaided eye. The device is only six and one-quarter inches long, one and seven-eighths inches wide, one-quarter of an inch thick, and weighs five and one-half ounces." Fiske filled for a US Patent United States Patent that was published back in 1937(No.2080172). In my opinion no other device, neither Kindle nor iPad can replace the feeling that someone has when reading books using his/her hands. There is no better thing than having a wall full of books on your apartment, no digital device can reproduce those feelings and thats a fact.

My Father and I Series by Toronto artist Laurie Kong, A BFA with Honours 2008 graduate of Concordia University in Photography,is a series of photographs that explore Laurie's bonds and relationship with her dad.

Laurie is showing the similarity in the way they express themselves, the conventionalism attitude that is lurking around when being materialistic but also the tenderness that seems to appear when all formality is gone. This series of photographs show the human need for communication and expression as a parent and as a child.

Yang Yong is a chinese photographer based in the southern city of Shenzhen, his work focus in the new Chinese economy and young girls trying to find their way through the big cities.

"On Edge"(2011) was his solo exhibition first presented in m97 Gallery at Shangai, his photographs were shot in 3 years time in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing and his subject is the chinese youth, born

in the 70's and 80's, that are constantly changing away from the traditional look of chinese woman as they move and work around big cities, "evolving" into the model of a western female.