short story

Switzerland's ingenious cooling caves
It was a crisp, clear summer's afternoon, and our boat was drifting on the sparkling blue waters of Lake Lugano in Switzerland's Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. Local fisherwoman Gabriella Monfredini Rigiani, who organises boat tours and local meal experiences in Ticino, had offered to take me around the lake and its picturesque mountain-clinging villages, many of which are only reachable by boat. As part of my half-day tour, we stopped at some grottos lining the shore of the glacial lake.
By Gay3 years ago in Earth
The unearthing of Ireland's mysterious naked sweathouses
Naked and sweaty, they laid inside grass-covered stone igloo-like structures in the remote fields of Ireland. Some were ill, others may have been having hallucinations, hatching plans to distil illegal alcohol or imagining they were the Vikings who once raided this country. By the time these addled folk emerged from the structures back into the fresh air of 19th-Century Ireland, they had been through a jarring mental and physical journey. One that still holds many mysteries.
By Seamons Mahall3 years ago in Earth
Stunning cabins and hideaways around the world
hat do rural cabins give us that we can't get at home? They're smaller than many permanent dwellings, and are likely to be more basic in their furniture, fixtures and fittings. But these perceived downsides are part of what makes them so attractive. They present a break from normal life, giving inhabitants access to a different way of being. "We are all longing for a 'third place' (somewhere that's neither our workplace nor home) which allows us to be a different person," says Robert Klanten, publisher and CEO of Gestalten, citing the kaffeehaus – or coffee shop – in the 1920s; the local bar in the 1960s; the club in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, he believes, the third place is a cabin. "We may unwind and recharge and eventually become a different person for a while or for good."
By Lonetoft3 years ago in Earth
The rebirth of Tasmanian indigenous culture
Among the sand dunes that line Tasmania's north-east coast, a campfire burns. Carleeta Thomas stands beside the fire, tending the muttonbird that cooks in the flames, surrounded by a series of wooden sleeping pods dotted through the scrub.
By Gay3 years ago in Earth
The downsides of a 'wipe-clean world'
t is impossible to underestimate the enormous impact that plastic has had on our daily lives over the past century or so. The expansion of global communications, the electrification of our homes and space exploration would have all been unthinkable without it. The streamlined aesthetic of the 1930s and the futuristic shapes of the 60s would have taken very different forms. Yet a product once associated with progress and revolutionary design potential is now considered toxic, polluting our oceans and causing untold damage to marine and human health. In the exhibition Plastic: Remaking Our World, the Vitra Design Museum explores how plastic became so omnipresent, and encourages us to think about more considerate production and use. The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam is also addressing the issue in It's Our F***ing Backyard, which looks at products already on the market as well as experimental works.
By Lonetoft3 years ago in Earth
Designed to Last: 10 of the world's most ingenious buildings
"The shifts in how we live and work have radically altered our cities," writes Ruth Lang in new Gestalten book Building for Change: The Architecture of Creative Reuse. "The spatial demands of working patterns have been utterly transformed over the past 50 years." Many of our buildings could last for 50, or even 100, years; yet "fashion and changing patterns of use often curtail this lifespan, which sometime barely stretches to a decade". Instead of abandoning these structures, however, designers are developing innovative solutions "which find value in the buildings that have been left behind… in place of our obsession with newness".
By Gu Wei Di Qi3 years ago in Earth
After the Storm
Like many people, but not all, as hurricane Ian slowly approached the southwest portion of Florida on September 26, 2022, we decided to evacuate.
By Margaret Brennan3 years ago in Earth
There are many advanced civilizations in the Milky Way
In the middle of the last century, physicist Enrico Fermi and a friend discussed, "If there are many developed civilizations in the Milky Way, why don't we see any traces of them left behind?"
By Sukkning3 years ago in Earth
A fact that turns perceptions upside down
Once upon a time, mankind could only look up to the vastness of the stars, but with the continuous development of modern technology, the original inaccessible starry sky has become within reach, and even free to wander in it, the negative distance to feel the vast beauty of the universe, as well as their own small and humble.
By Lu Da3 years ago in Earth
Mayan civilization is too powerful
Although human civilization has only been around for a short period of 10,000 to 20,000 years, ancient civilizations have formed in many regions of the earth during this time, such as the four major civilizations - ancient China, ancient India, ancient Babylon, and ancient Egypt. Some civilizations have disappeared into history, such as ancient Babylon, while others still have a long history, such as the Chinese civilization. In addition to these four civilizations, there is another civilization also lasted for thousands of years, it is the Mayan civilization born in the tropical rainforest.
By Bar wall3 years ago in Earth
30°N is known as the "Ring of God"
There is such a zone on earth, where countless aircraft crashed and human beings evaporated overnight; four ancient civilizations originated here, and the lost ancient civilizations were once glorious here; earthquakes are frequent, and there have been many UFO incidents; the highest and lowest places in the world exist here at the same time. It is known as "God's ring" 30 degrees north latitude zone.
By Stajila3 years ago in Earth
5 of the best evidence for the existence of aliens
From the first time to look at the stars, the universe has shown mankind its vastness, infinity, and magnificence, but after these adjectives about space and scenery, there is another very realistic scenery - dead silence.
By Lu Da3 years ago in Earth