Tinselman

Great Babylon

This Babylonian pillar, which now rests in the Louvre, is unbelievably huge. It's just one of many pillars that once held up an ancient temple in ancient Babylon.

Hugely Great Small

As devoted tinsel-readers already know, tinselman is a ginormous fan of the miniature. That's why his brain practically exploded at the tinselmagically amazing Musée des Plans–Relief! Why, he asks, are there no tourists at this remarkable collection of historic diminutives?... especially when they're housed in such a central location: in the heart of Paris' 7th arrondissement, at the Musée de l'Armée.

click images to enlarge or click here for flickr set

• official website

• previous tinsel-miniatures
 

Splash

Night at the Fair – click to enlarge

It was grand. It was colorful. It was futuristic. It was the 1964-1965 New York Worlds Fair! In a 25 page photo spread, National Geographic called the fair, "A journey round the world. A look back in time, and a window on the future. A treasure house of religious faiths. A procession of products. And a dream of 'Peace through Understanding.'" Modern Mechanix has been kind enough to post the article in it's entirety, and it's stunning.

Looking through the photos, you can't help but notice It's a Small World, the Disneyland ride which made it's premier at the fair and is still popular at Disneyland. It wasn't the only Disneyland attraction (or technology) that made it's premier at the fair: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Carousel of Progress, introduced at the fair, were popular at Disneyland for a long time after. Most importantly, the animatronics and the omnimover transportation, introduced at the fair, are still in use today at all the Disney parks.

• Previous posts – Disneyland
• Previous post – Rides and Attractions

 

The Venus Future

Jacque Fresco's The Venus Project (click to enlarge)

Someday, in the not too distant future, we will all live in retro-modern homes (like the Thunderbirds). There will be no crime. No wars. Life will be perfect, and the weather will always be warm.

We will all wear the most inspired outfits! They will be blue. They'll have a sash for the men and a delightful little blue hat. Striking! Even our children will wear them (I'm wearing mine now).

Truthfully speaking... I have no idea what to think of The Venus Project. I don't know if I should laugh or be impressed. Or both. In any case, Jacque Fresco went to an incredible amount of work, and it's a lot of fun to browse around his personal vision of paradise.

• See more Cities Tinselistic.

(via: spy's spice)

Building within a Building

Don't be worried! This isn't the real Unite d'Habitation. It's just a gigantic miniature bearing the same name, by artist Tom Sachs. But I warn you; this is not your run-of-the-mill miniature. Mr. Sachs constructed his Unite entirely out of foam board and hot glue!

For our enjoyment (and education) Sachs has provided us with a fascinating glimpse into the creation of his faux architecture: a short film which shows Sachs carefully measuring Le Corbusier's great modern work. But the best part of the film is that it continually compares the actual building to similar shots of Sach's fascimile.

But better than any any of this is the QTVR panoramic photography of Sach's other recent installations. Astounding! They fill the screen with incredible detail; it's got to be the next best thing to being there!

My favorite is this air craft carrier tower (at left), but his whale is not to be missed. See more here.

• About Unite d'Habitation

 

Taiwanese Resort of the Future

Is it a house? Is it a spaceship? Is it a crumbling Taiwanese retro-fantasy-space-apartment-thing?

As best as I've been able to uncover, this abandoned structure was built as a hotel-spa... a place for vacationing Taiwanese to escape from the rat race of Taipei! One could relax in one of its two delightfully large pools or simply lay back in plush comfort, gazing out a picture window at an endless sea!

Our cute retro resort is located along the north coast of Taiwan, where there's also a healthy fiberglass yacht construction industry. And if one is already making fiberglass yachts, one might as well make fiberglass homes! Diversification! It's not a very big jump for any forward looking entrepreneur. Unfortunately, our eager entrepreneur is blind to the catastrophe that will befall his investment.

What was that catastrophe? It's a mystery. But a dizzying number of explanations have been offered. According to visitors to the ruins, it may have been something as simple as bad fung shui. Others say that the fiberglass may have been downright uncomfortable in which to live. Still others point to a Taiwanese real estate "bubble" that forced the investors into bankruptcy.

Or who knows... it could have been a combination of all these things. Whatever the case, the ruins recall an earlier similar dwelling of the future... Disneyland's Monsato House.

• More Taiwan Resort photos

Reader comment: Rollmops has kindly pointed out a few more more photos (including a Google Earth aerial view) on his Rollmops Blog.

Primeval Metro

I'm back. I've escaped my imprisonment (and believe me, it was a harrowing experience for all of us). But until I get around to explaining all that (probably in my next post) I'll entertain you with these amazing photos. Where is it? What is it? I don't really know except that it's somewhere deep under the ground in Russia, it looks very old and battered and I'm very sure we're all dying to explore it!

In the meantime, here's some more photos (click to enlarge)...

Thanks Road Runner!

Selenitic Second Life

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Understandably, a number of people didn't exactly appreciate my comments about Second Life in a previous post. I'd like to respond.

The core concept, a population of people, empowered to create their own physical (virtual) space, is exceptional. Second Life is undoubtedly the best thing of it's kind out there. My frustrations lie in the fact that it doesn't live up to it's full potentional. What attracts me most about Second Life is the community (at an affordable price), so I'm not so interested in the islands. But community is what I feel is most poorly implemented. In short, it attracts me much less than my own real world and I'm left wondering why the Lindens (the Second Life staff) did not try to attract people like me with the most basic city planning. Why isn't the megapolis divided into small towns, each with a limited population of around 3000? Why aren't market areas seperated from the living area? Why aren't there town centers, with town squares? And what about a central public park and large public building that one can see from almost any part of town? All of these things are just the first steps toward beginning a community... then there's government, voting, virtual laws. And above all else, the town settings must be designed and inviting – like a town set on a high mesa or clustered on the side of a steep hill, where every dwelling has a view to the river below. And some of these settings could even border on the fantastic... an escape from the real world rather than a sensory near oppressive sensory overload.

The Second Life concept is great. It's just poorly implemented. So who will make it work? The Lindens? I hope.

In the meantime, it's refreshing to witness the hundreds (thousands?) of people who, though they may have never developed any software at all, find themselves in Second Life, creating mini-worlds of their own!

~aDen, a Second Life inhabitant, just sent me images of a the Myst rocket ship that he/she made. Wow! You gotta love this! (I've included the corresponding images from Myst, along with ~aDen's images... click to enlarge.)

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Reader Comment: Torley Linden from Linden Labs left an excellent reply to this post. Below is an excerpt but I encourage you to read her entire comment (and thanks Torley!)...

Some say "First Land" (512 m2 parcels, each for a first-time landowner) are like ghettos, with each person imposing their vision into a compact space. Over time, people move out, wanting more land, and from the chaos comes some degree of stability--like a fine wine--with age.

I don't think the Lindens can "make this world" insularly--it's a Resident-created world! It's up to the Lindens to provide tools, yes, but it's this constant exchange with the community. As a former Resi who frequently made feature suggestions, I've experienced this trueness multiple times. (LA, KEEP AN EYE ON CALEDONICS. :O)

But for now, here's a blunt generalization: think of sci-fi cliches with "the galactic core" and alien homeworlds. Homeworlds are more orderly and uniform because they stock a single (or in some cases, several cooperative and/or not-so-cooperative) species. But the galactic core, like Trantor, or Coruscant, have such a kaleidoscopic mishmash of STUFF that it causes exponential, intergalactic culture shock.

Think of the islands as homeworlds, and the mainland as the galactic core.

Reader Comment: Also, from Second Life resident Maxx Monde...

You're right, of course Robyn. SL is a free-for-all that doesn't result in aesthetic coherence, but there is some excellent things there, if you can look in the right places.

Having Myst recreated (in part) inside of SL is very cool, just like the URU players did with their island when the service shut down. SL is the only place to even attempt such a thing.

It can only get better, over time, as pure design talent gets poured into the arena. I certainly try to do my part :)

Pattern Languages in the Cyberverse

A pearl of a book in my library is A Pattern Language. Every student of design but especially every set designer, game designer and architect should ingest the contents of this invaluable bible of architectual patterns.

It's difficult to summarize A Pattern Language. The patterns themselves can best be described as those qualities of human or evolutionary design that function together in the style of a network, whether one is observing the most minute flourish or standing back and observing from afar... either way the patterns are still present, working seemlessly together in a sort of language (or vernacular). In nature, that which is not fit enough to function correctly within the parameters of the patterns dies. But humans can tend to keep oppresive architectural and design trends alive – billboards, fast food restaurants, above ground parking garages – despite their various malignancies. So in order to live harmoniously within the context of a city, building or structure, humans can artificially create (or evolve) their own pattern languages based on careful [intuitive] observation of what has and has not worked in structures throughout time and around the world. They then can apply this language to future city-planning, building or structural designs.

Or they can haphazardly throw things together, without any planning.

Though anyone can come up with their own pattern language, A Pattern Language presents the authors' version of a language, laying forth many well researched patterns as varied and practical as "Four Story Limit", "Lace of Country Streets", "Promenade" and "Windows Overlooking Life", each of which is described in detail and well-illustrated by sketches or photographs.

If I have any complaints about the book, it's that the patterns seem to be built on inspirations from quaint old world towns and villages; the tastes of the authors are decidedly old world. Perhaps this is forgivable; the authors' research has led them to seek out those patterns which have proven (to them) to be the most time tested. But it's really not too much of a problem: many of these age old principles can easily be applied to even modern and post modern design.

There are probably other faults with the book; which is why it all has to be taken with a grain of salt and run through one's personal grid, with the end result of forming one's own pattern language. In fact the authors openly encourage this.

I'm not a city planner; I can only guess how architects or city planners might utilize information like this, but I've found it all very useful and I'm certain that game designers who routinely create large environments would stand to profit greatly by reading or at least referencing A Pattern Language.

Second Life is a great example, and I don't mind picking on it because it's so poorly designed. In fact, it's a designless environment. The Second Life world physically evolves as the combination of inhabitants desire it to evolve; the players are the authors of the content. Which sounds wonderful... in a way it is a unique experiment. But it could be much more than this; it has the potential of attracting a much broader audience: all ages and in all walks of life. It will never do that until it has a overarching "point of view" given to it by the Second Life staff. It is seriously in need of a pattern language.

For example, as a newcomer to Second Life, one is lost against the endless flat megapolis, cramped with flashing buildings and more flashing buildings. There's barely space to move: one must fly to get away. Perhaps that's because there are no paths or greenways in the city (do I dare call it a city?). Trees are instantly mowed down to make way for more flashing buildings. Not once did I ever encounter a city park or city forest, though I always enjoyed resting on random spots of unsold land (which would quickly be bought – the trees soon mowed down). Nowhere is there a Second Life sponsored monument or memorial. Not even a sponsored Town Hall or city square. There are not housing hills or house clusters or seperate shopping promanades and markets. Instead, everything is thrown together in one endless chaotic clutter.

Second Life is not even a visual circus: it is an endless trash heap of a city. It will never achieve true cyberverse status because it can't really compete with the real universe for our attention. In the Second Life environment, even the most unfit structures survive... in fact they seem to thrive. Discarded structures survive (my own land and it's pile of half-built experiments sits there... no one cares). It is a world with hardly any ground rules, no limits, no divisions; it is not an evolutionary design, it is cancerous growth.

(click to enlarge)

Second Life is just one example of a cyberverse that could greatly increase its audience by an increased understanding of the classic patterns that make life itself livable. These are the same patterns to which we are naturally attracted in cities such as San Francisco, Kyoto or Calcata. They are also very often present in classic, visually immersive works of fiction, such as Disneyland, Star Wars or fill-in-the-blank.*

A Pattern Language is obviously just one reference tool out of many. But an invaluable one. I recommend it. If you're a designer, you won't be sorry.

Reader comment: gfburke says,

Pattern language is excellent stuff and indirectly spawned the object-oriented programming discipline of design patterns. Are you familiar with Christopher Alexander's other works, such as A Timeless Way Of Building and especially the recently published four volume masterwork The Nature of Order?

Update: Thanks gfburke! I just received my copy of The Nature of Order and am shocked (and thrilled) to see that Christopher Alexander's philosophy is based around nature and life (I hadn't clearly understood this until now). I can't wait to dig in.

* Walt Disney or the visual designers of A New Hope never read A Pattern Language (the first edition was released in 1977), but many of the book's principles are intuitively sound. Many designers have intuitively used many of these same patterns long before this book ever existed (they're often that intrinsic), not only utilizing the language but also intentionally misusing it for dramatic effect.

Note: There is a Pattern Language website, but it cost money and doesn't have a clear interface – it's jumbled – which is ironic given the nature of their book. A Pattern Language cost around $40 at Amazon.

Treehouse From Space

Here at tinselman, we love treehouses, especially if they look like giant robotic eyeballs, humming low and keeping a hovering vigil above the heads of the furry little squirrels and mice.

SummerSeventySix at Cool Hunting says about the Free Spirit Spheres,

[Tom Chudleigh's] beautiful tree spheres evolved when an original plan to build a boat didn't quite take off, and he put what was effectively the cabin up in a tree in his native British Columbia instead. Since completing the first prototype called Eve, which was made out of yellow cedar wood, Tom has perfected his techniques. Now, he also constructs the spheres out of fiberglass, fitting them with plumbing, wiring and the all-important windows. Prices start at around US$45,000.

Take a look at Tom's home page or, thanks to a tip from Jackson T., you can also take a look at short video about the spheres.

The Fantasy T.V. Building

This is not your new artificial heart. It is the Kunsthaus Graz building in Austria and it is supplied with Bix display technology. That means it's skin is like a gigantic, low resolution television set. Circular fluorescent tubes serve as the pixels of this great T.V.. They dance and morph (at 20 fps) and you can see them doing all of this fabulous magic by watching one of the videos at the Bix site.

But I just think the place looks fun and amazing! Wow!

(thanks: wohba and jpoje)

Alnwick

The Duchess of Northumberland seems to have something of a playful spirit. She wanted a tree house on the grounds of her Alnwick Castle. A big tree house. With dining halls. Indoor plumbing. Multiple stone fireplaces. And all the luxuries a Duchess requires. So she had her tree house built.

But this, my dear readers, this is a real tree house.

• The Alnwick Tree House – The Tree House Guide
• The Tree House Company – Builders of the Alnwick Tree House

Atomium Reigns

Down, down, down we shrink, 165 billion times into the fascinating world of the atom. We're either exploring a single iron crystal or we're visiting Atomium in Brussels, a colossal molocular model, designed for Belgium's 1958 Expo by engineer Andre Waterkeyn. The Atomium was planned to be disassembled within six months. Now it's considered by some (like the ultra-reliable wikipedia) to be the Eiffel Tower of Brussels.

If you visit Atomium, you'll get a suprise treat: the atomic structure is so big that all of Europe beneath it has been sucked into a time/space vortex and become oddly miniaturize. In scientific terms, we call this phenomenon "Mini-Europe" and the sensation is strongest directly at the crystal's base.

Or it may just be a little park of miniatures. Unfortunately, they forgot to make a miniature of the Atomium itself, which would have been somehow perfect. What a disapointment! For that, you'll have to travel to Minimundus in Austria.

More links:

• Atomium on Belgium currency (before Euro)
• For Sale – Atomium's old panels
• Photos of other miniatures from Minimundus
• Tintin.com (also from Belgium, but really doesn't belong in this post)

Romance On Ice

Have you always dreamed of marrying that special someone in artic temperatures while downing loads and loads of vodka? An Ice Hotel may be the place for you! There are few Ice Hotels to choose from, all of which melt each spring and so must be rebuilt annually. The 60 room Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Northern Sweden, was the first and still is the largest of any of them. Virtually everything is made of ice at Jukkasjarvi: the glasses out of which you drink, the bed on which you sleep, even the canoes in which you ride. (Check out some QTVRs of the Ice Hotel here.)

Quebec's Ice Hotel ain't half bad either. It may not be as big as its Swedish cousin, but it has amenities like a movie theater, a (Vodka) bar, two ice-art galleries, hot tubs (in case you get cold), live concerts, and dining fit for a gourmet. And if you're in Canada or the U.S., it's not that far to travel to spend a night on ice.

Because ice and freezing temperatures and vodka are all so obviously romantic, both Ice Hotels contain significant chapels. In fact, Ice Chapels turn out to be a prevalent thing in general...

• Lawrence University Ice Chapel, 1932
• Lawrence University Ice Chapel, 1933
• The Chapel, 1990
• The Wedding Chapel, 2000
• The Snow Castle 1
• The Snow Castle 2

Very Wandering Thoughts on Taos

That happy looking chap with the horn is Bobby Gimby, and he has practically nothing to do with Taos, New Mexico, a place my family and I often visited when I was a kid. Our real goal in going to Taos was so that we could stop by Taos Pueblo, home of the Pueblo indians. To my nine year old brain, visiting the Pueblo was nothing short of stepping into another mysterious world...

Little did I know, a year after I was born, at Expo 67 (in Montréal), participants in modern living had already been testing their own Taos-Pueblo-like living-environment. They called it Habitat 67 (by Canadian architect Moshe Safdie).

But the real mark of Expo 67 was left by the ingenious and flamboyant Bobby Gimby, who wrote that unforgettable theme song for the Expo. It is the song that both thrills and inspires, the song that still makes young girls want to dance and old men want to weep. It is that runaway, flag-waving hit... Canada.

Note: Pueblo de Taos is a World Heritage Site.