Various rooms and internal courtyards within the house are joined together by two, ultra-thin roofs supported at one central point, which creates a floating effect. Constructed from lightweight materials, the roof takes on a thin and wispy appearance at its edges, which also help to enhance the effect. Even though many areas of the house are covered, one of the central themes throughout is that there is no way to define whether a room is inside or outside....

Spacewar! Not the first game ever made, but one that set forth the mechanics of how basic gaming was going to work, Spacewar! proved that technology could be fun, and laid the groundwork for the whole industry. Pong Most games of the ’70’s were pretty terrible. They tried to emulate Spacewar! or made the mistake of trying too hard to translate board game concepts, with much failure. The more simplistic Pong proved that simplicity was the most fun, and showed how to work with physics in the graphical realm....

Black-on-black and bold as hell, Hublot’s new limited edition timepiece is one for the wrists of your local double “o” agent or nothing at all. Fit for James Bond himself, but designed with a wider appeal in mind, the Hublot Big Bang King Watch is complex in machinery, progressive in design but simple in spirit. This black dialed, black banded and black cased watch features three individual dials, exposed hardware and a thick winding piece which laugh collectively at the shiny, jewel-ridden pieces of present day....

The Hunsteigen Nature Lodge is a quiet modern retreat in the hilly Norse countryside. Designed by Logg Architects, this hunting, fishing and nature cabin sits quietly on the banks of a fresh, mountain-fed river and at the foot of rocky, rolling hills. Its interior is open, comfortable and well-stocked with the amenities of urban living, but with a view unparalleled in Norway’s cities. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows put that view front-and-center, the main focal point of this contemporary retreat....

Icehotel is remarkable not just for its unusual construction material, but its inherent evolution. Each year, Icehotel is redesigned from the ground up. Rooms are never the same, year-in/year-out, providing a new experience to guests both local and international. Its reinvention is part of its allure, and it has become a great point of celebration for Sweden each year. In fact, Icehotel has been named as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden for its meaning to the Swedish....

Choosing the Best Weather Apps “Best” is always a relative term, and in this case the definition is extremely broad. The best app for you is the one that tells you everything you want to know in a way you understand and is easy to use for you. Since that’s different for every person, we opted for the apps that worked most reliably in most conditions, gave us a lot of information that we could customize, looked and worked naturally, and improved every trip we took outside....

LEGO Architecture: The Imperial Hotel of Tokyo Gallery View in galleryView in galleryView in galleryView in galleryView in gallery

The shape of the Mulhouse Cultural Center is faceted and angular, a collection of triangular geometries that are accented by color and light from within. A scaled black fascia is perforated with off-axis windows that add to the building’s strange appeal. Spacial recesses, like the pink entryway in the front of the building, add even more character while providing visual guidance to approaching visitors. Paul le Quernec’s latest work of municipal architecture is a success in design and meaning....

On the banks of the Talek River in Masai Mara, Kenya, this luxury tented camp provides a most exclusive safari experience in high style and comfort. Visitors to Naibor are greeted with a row of seven private tents connected under a main canopy, also housing dining, relaxation rooms and an open air massage spa. During the day, guests of Naibor can tour the Masai Mara Game Reserve and its diverse African wildlife....

Located just outside of Washington D.C. is the site of the Nevis Pool and Garden Pavilion by Robert M. Gurney. This example of landscape artistry includes tall trees surrounding the site in correlation with a serene pool, multipurpose pavilion unit and manicured gardens. The pavilion creates a connection between the nearby forest and the pool terrace area which leads into the lovely garden areas. A tall stone fireplace acts as a central connector and the geometric nature of the design adds a contemporary edge to the organic feel of the site....

Tell me something, folks. How many times have you donned a pair of ear-buds, only to realize – likely with no small degree of frustration – that they don’t quite fit you right? That with even a slight head movement in the wrong direction, they’ll fall out. How many of you have found yourselves frustrated at the amount of noise leaking in past your music; just enough that you have to listen to the vagrant on the street corner bellowing about the End of Days?...

While the front of the O House carries its signature design element, the rear is where the real success has been executed. The home provides unparalleled views of the Swiss lake and Mount Pilatus in the distance, as the rear-facing windows are airy and open to the environment beyond. This panorama is the focal point of the home, a natural mural around which the interior is furnished. The amenities of the O House are fruitful, but none deserve as much attention as the indoor outdoor pool at ground level and the wide garage below....

The glass wall acts as a sonic veil, deflecting the sounds of engines and horns and other ambient noises. It allows light in from the environment, both from the sun and the lights of the city, with the former feeding plants and the latter providing the context of city living. Indoors, the house’s inhabitants enjoy a tranquil lifestyle with a sense of nature without having to depart from the city they call home....

How to Nail Outdoor Concert Photography Your standard summer music festival is amongst the highlights of the season, when the greatest touring acts of the moment are celebrated on stage and outdoors. Photographing these moments can be a challenge, but an adventurous photographer can nail a great photo with the right access and the right equipment. The difficulty with the outdoor concert is the lack of control over lighting. At night and from a distance, a photographer must rely primarily on stage lighting, which can be a bit too hot or “high key” for comfort....

One of the companies that got in on the initiative was London-based Plane Industries. This group specializes in upcycling pieces salvaged from decommissioned planes and scrapped airport features, just like the PDX carpet. Within Plane Industries, brothers Ben and Matt, along with their team, repurpose unneeded airline materials into a varying selection of bags. They use everything from carpets to seat coverings, right down to the screws and metal pieces that come out of deconstructed airplane parts....

Prada has released a lookbook for its Spring/Summer 2010 line of menswear, a collection as rich and refined as the brand’s long history. While we respect the clothing, it’s the photography that caught our attention. For 2010, Prada tapped famed photographer Hedi Slimane to give this line its place in history. To do so, Slimane reached back to urban living in mid-century Asia, where a dapper set of gents and tight-lipped damsels strolled the streets in ultimate style....

Ralph Lauren’s passion for style is certainly illustrious, but it may indeed be eclipsed by his passion for automobiles. The fashion magnate himself has one of the world’s most impressive car collections, a private grouping spanning nearly 100 years of automotive history featuring the most lust-worthy marques. A 1938 Bugatti, a 1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa and a 2010 Lamborghini Murielago highlight his private stock, rounding out a collection of automobiles that rivals some of the world’s best....

2CV Saharas were created in 1960 in limited quantities, with a total of only 694 ever built. These vehicles were unique because they were the only series of cars ever made with both a twin engine and all wheel drive capabilities, making them weigh over 700kg. They were originally used for intense purposes in high impact places with harsh climates, like mountains and deserts, enabling people to more easily travel to parts ....

The landscape of New Zealand is truly the stuff of myth– picturesque mountains dive sharply into calm seas, while lush forests stretch into sparse desert sands. If you want to live richly amongst this beautiful nature, the Fearon Hay Architects have a simple, sleek and angular home that gives focus to it’s environment. The Sandhills Road House is decidedly contemporary, but it promotes wide open spaces extending its walls far into the expansive lot around it....

This concrete, steel and glass home is built along the incline of the mountain, allowing for a yard to extend out over the cliffs below. SAOTA responded to the inclining landscape by building a series of terraces, one indoor above, one outdoor below, that provide the emotion of outdoor living over two levels. On the central level, a long roof bisects the outdoor space providing cover and a continuance of “indoor” space....