All posts by Intellicurious

News, Views and Reviews for the Intellectually Curious

Architecture: Boonburrh House In Noosa, Australia

The Local Project (September 12, 2023) – Located in Noosa, Australia is a beach house designed by Frank Macchia, Principal at Macchia Design Studio. Boarded by lush greenery on the eastern side and a magnificent ocean bay on the northern, Boonburrh House does not dominate the site but instead respects all that was there before it.

Video timeline: 00:11 – Introduction to the Stunning Beach House 00:40 – A Magical Beachside Location 01:07 – Respecting the Original Site 01:39 – Keeping the Home Discreet 02:05 – A Focus on The Landscaping 02:23 – Influences for the Design Process 03:11 – The Living Pavilion 04:05 – The Minimalistic Material Palette 04:48 – Proud Moments of the Design Process 05:20 – 2024 Dulux Colour Forecast

However, as the beach house sat on a public block – with a busy street out front – there was a need for the designer to make the family home private, secure, nurturing and comfortable, all while being open and connected to its surrounds. As such, Frank Macchia has used a range of interior design techniques that help to keep the home discreet from passers-by. One contributing idea for discreetness was to layer the beach house within the site while the second idea was a minimisation of the material palette.

As the beach house tour reveals, the landscape of the home has played a critical role for two reasons – one being that the designer wanted to establish a connection to the magic of the garden and the second to create a sense of privacy. Alongside these elements, there were many interior design influences for the family home that were discovered while the owners were on vacation in Sri Lanka. After staying at some of Geoffrey Bawa’s homes, the owners wanted to create a pull-apart home that would reveal a series of pavilions connected by open courtyards, link ways and verandas that are either partially opened or closed.

Complemented by Noosa’s perfect climate, Boonburrh House is further supplemented with open architecture that allows the owners to turn the extra courtyards and link ways into extra rooms. Exemplifying this is the living room pavilion, which has large glass sliding doors that disappear and open the space up to immediately connect to the garden. However, the home’s true appeal is the interplay of dark and light of the interior design where the main part of the residence is given access to both eastern and northern light.

Travel: An Aerial Tour Of The Isle Of Wight, England

Natural History Museum (September 12, 2023) – The Isle of Wight is full of beautiful landscapes, from rolling hills and luscious vegetation to dramatic cliffs and golden, sandy beaches. But have you ever wondered what it would be like to see it all from a bird’s-eye view? Well now you can! So, sit back and relax as we take to the air and soar across the island’s breathtaking land and seascapes.

News: Kim Jong-un Meets Putin, Canadian Politics, Israel Supreme Court

The Globalist Podcast (September 12, 2023) – Kim Jong-un reportedly arrives in eastern Russia for arms talks with Vladimir Putin, as Moscow seeks to replenish its dwindling stockpile. Who has the upper hand and how will the meeting be portrayed for home audiences?

Plus: Israel’s supreme court prepares to rule on its own future and we discuss the British parliamentary researcher accused of spying for China.

The New York Times — Tuesday, Sept 12, 2023

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China Sows Disinformation About Hawaii Fires Using New Techniques

China’s most recent influence campaign suggests that it is making more direct attempts to sow discord in the United States.

Beijing’s influence campaign using artificial intelligence is a rapid change in tactics, researchers from Microsoft and other organizations say.

Fury as Quake Help Finally Arrives: ‘How Many Hours Has It Been?’

Men helping Mohamed Abarada, left, in green, search for his missing daughter in Douar Tnirt, Morocco, on Monday.

The people of a village high in the Atlas Mountains erupted in anger when the Moroccan government left them alone for three days to dig out and bury their loved ones.

Michelin’s Coveted Stars Can Come With Some Costs

As its universe of dining guides expands to new places, the company is asking those regions to help pay the bill. And some chefs fear the honors are fostering a world of restaurant clones.

America’s Fire Spotters Aren’t Ready to Fade Away Just Yet

Officials say the future of wildfire detection is cameras. But in northwest Montana, solitary humans on mountaintops still do more than machines alone can offer.

Opinion: The Middle East’s Future, Managing Wealth, London Bus Driver Health

‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (September 18, 2023) – Three essential articles read aloud from the The Economist. This week, the future of the Middle East, Wall Street’s race to wealth management (10:00), and how London’s bus drivers revolutionised health (17:40).

Views: Artisans Of Bavaria

Monocle Films (September 11, 2023) – Bavaria’s rich manufacturing heritage shows that there is more to the region than the Alps, sausages and beer. Monocle Films takes a tour behind the scenes of renowned art materials manufacturers Faber-Castell, Gmund Papier mill and Theresienthal glassmakers to explore how traditional ways of making have endured thanks to a legacy of familial entrepreneurship.

Travel In Turkey: What To See, Do And Eat In Istanbul

The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia
The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia

The Times and The Sunday Times (September 11, 2023) – No exaggeration, Turkey’s rambling former capital, unspooling either side of the broad Bosphorus strait, is up there among the friendliest places you could visit for a long Euro-style weekend. Hospitality is in the Turks’ DNA, whatever you might think about the politics. The weather will always deliver too: midwinter has a snowy, Soviet chill that is super atmospheric, while spring and late summer into autumn turn the city into a giant urban resort, with bars, cafés and pool-trimmed hotels lining the endless waterfronts on Asian and European banks.

Karabatak
Karabatak

What to do

● What was founded as the Byzantine emperor Justinian’s 6th-century church has ballooned over aeons into the Hagia Sophia. Now a mosque, it’s a gargantuan spectacle. Enter and in the spiritual gloom a magnificence develops, daylight angling through windows in the galactic dome light years above. Remarkably there is even runic graffiti, carved by a mercenary from the Viking age (free; muze.gen.tr).

The Anadolu Kavagi village on the Bosphorus

● Allocate a day to explore Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans built in 1459 by Mehmet the Conqueror, who grabbed Constantinople from the fading Byzantines. Chamber after chamber reveals military regalia and priceless gifts from dynasties as far away as China. The Bosphorus views are magnificent and the emerald lawns are made for lounging on (£20, includes harem access; muze.gen.tr).

● The Ecumenical Patriarch, spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, resides at the Patriarchate of Constantinople, a serene neoclassical complex in Fener district, above the waters of the Golden Horn creek. Join global pilgrims in the glittery cathedral aisles and witness, perhaps, the divine liturgy or, later, vespers — black-clad, scented and seductively mystic (free; ec-patr.org).

● We associate art nouveau with Paris and Budapest, but in the twilight years of the Ottomans it flourished in Istanbul. Casa Botter (originally Botter Apartmani), built on Istiklal Caddesi at the turn of the 20th century for a tailor to Sultan Abdul Hamid, was the city’s first example. After decades of neglect it’s now a must-visit art gallery and, façade-wise, a real kooky looker, chiselled and Viennese-ornate (free; Instagram @casabotter).

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Ukraine War: An Interview With President Zelensky

The Economist (September 11, 2023) – As the counter-offensive continues, Ukrainian forces are running out of time to make substantial gains. Diplomatic attempts to isolate Russia have failed and progress on the front lines is slowing. From the capital Kyiv, the president tells The Economist’s editor-in-chief how the country is bracing for a long war.

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Sept 18, 2023

R. Kikuo Johnsons “Bodega Cat”

The New Yorker – September 18, 2023 issue: The new issue features R. Kikuo Johnson’s “Bodega Cat”, where the the artist discusses pivotal moments and his relationship to pets.

Ross Douthat’s Theories of Persuasion

Ross Douthat photographed by Adam Pape.

At a time of distrust and polarization, the conservative Times columnist seeks to bridge the worlds of the Christian right and the secular left.

By Isaac Chotiner

This summer, Ross Douthat, liberal America’s favorite conservative commentator, wrote a piece about liberal America’s least favorite Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Douthat argued in his New York Times column that an unwillingness to debate Kennedy—who has claimed that childhood vaccines cause autism, that 5G networks are part of a mass-surveillance system, and that covid was designed to spare Jewish and Chinese people—was an insufficient response to voters who are increasingly distrustful of the establishment. 

What Kate DiCamillo Understands About Children

Painting of Kate DiCamillo.

Her books for young readers have sold more than forty-four million copies. They are full of yearning, loneliness, ambivalence, and worry.

By Casey Cep

Three winters in a row, Kate DiCamillo went into the hospital, never sure if she would come home and always a little scared to do so. One of those winters, when she was four years old and the air outside was even colder than the metal frames of the oxygen tents she’d grown accustomed to having above her bed, her father came to see her. He was wearing a long black overcoat, which made him look like a magician. “I brought you a gift,” he said, pulling something from his pocket as if from a top hat.

News: G20 Summit Proves A Success For India, Armenia And U.S. Military Exercises

The Globalist Podcast (September 10, 2023) – We look back at the G20 summit in India, which concluded yesterday, and discuss its key points.

Plus: the start of joint military exercises between Armenia and the US, a flick through the day’s papers and a round-up of stories from the Asia-Pacific region.