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The fantasy of bubble houses, and why reality bursts it
Read the story: The fantasy of bubble houses, and why reality bursts itThe dream of the bubble house has floated through modern architecture for more than half a century. Rounded walls, swelling forms and organic interiors promise a future liberated from the rigid geometry of conventional housing.
Keywords: bubble house
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Read the story: Life’s a beach when you board to death
Life’s a beach when you board to death
Surfing has evolved from the native Pacific leisure activity, through the drop-out surf punk counterculture, to a big-money profession world sport but through it all, remains an aspirational lifestyle
Category: Lifestyle
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Read the story: The art and the mathematics of the impossible
The art and the mathematics of the impossible
The intersection of art and mathematics reached a peculiar and enduring clarity in the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher and his indirect collaboration with Roger Penrose
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Read the story: In the pink – it’s a Barbie world!
In the pink – it’s a Barbie world!
From bubblegum lakes to blush-tinted beaches, these extraordinary landscapes reveal how salt, microbes, and light combine to paint parts of the natural world in vivid pink
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Read the story: Electric cars are nothing new, in fact, they were first
Electric cars are nothing new, in fact, they were first
Listening to Elon Musk today, you’d think that electric cars were a new idea but in truth, the very first ‘horseless carriages’ were powered by electricity. Electric cars are a very old idea
Category: Automobiles -
Read the story: Pan Am and the rise and fall of the golden age of air travel
Pan Am and the rise and fall of the golden age of air travel
Pan Am’s story is inseparable from the birth of international aviation, the glamour of the jet age, and the harsh economic realities that ultimately brought the company to an end
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Read the story: Despite appearances, this is planet Earth…
Despite appearances, this is planet Earth…
It looks like a movie stage for a Martian landscape, but Deadvlei is a real place. A stark, white expanse littered with the skeletal remains of long-dead trees against a backdrop of towering ochre sand dunes and an endless blue sky
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Read the story: Alphonse Mucha and the poster that changed art
Alphonse Mucha and the poster that changed art
One night a jobbing graphic designer had a rush-job for a client needing a poster for a play. Alfonse Mucha knocked-out the poster and inadvertently created a whole new genre
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Read the story: The Astra-Gnome: a vision of a future that never arrived
The Astra-Gnome: a vision of a future that never arrived
In the mid-20th Century, the 2000s was an exciting world of flying cars, robot staff and rocket ship shopping trips to Mars. What went wrong?
Keywords: concept car
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Read the story: The very best of the World Wide Waves
The very best of the World Wide Waves
Dedicated surfers happily travel around the world, endlessly hunting for the perfect wave. Here is a quick guide to where to find the best swells
Featured: Automobiles
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Read the story: Electric cars are nothing new, in fact, they were first
Electric cars are nothing new, in fact, they were first
Listening to Elon Musk today, you’d think that electric cars were a new idea but in truth, the very first ‘horseless carriages’ were powered by electricity. Electric cars are a very old idea
Category: Automobiles
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Read the story: The Astra-Gnome: a vision of a future that never arrived
The Astra-Gnome: a vision of a future that never arrived
In the mid-20th Century, the 2000s was an exciting world of flying cars, robot staff and rocket ship shopping trips to Mars. What went wrong?
Keywords: concept car
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Read the story: The rarest of the Volkswagen bus variants
The rarest of the Volkswagen bus variants
The Volkswagen Camper is one of the best-known, most iconic vehicles of the 20th Century and you might think you’ve seen ’em all, but have you seen this coachbuild?
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Read the story: AI reimagines Italian elegance in electric vehicle design
AI reimagines Italian elegance in electric vehicle design
Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the future of automotive design, and nowhere is this more striking than in the realm of Italian-styled electric vehicles
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Read the story: Europe’s most fantastic castles
Europe’s most fantastic castles
Europe’s castles are the legacy of armed conflict and politics, but now they are more about medieval fantasy and Instagram. Here are the most picture-perfect
Keywords: castles
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Read the story: The accidental creation of Hot Club Jazz
The accidental creation of Hot Club Jazz
Django Reinhardt was an accomplished but unremarkable guitar player until his caravan burnt down. Out of the ashes he became one of the most iconic jazz musicians of all time
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Read the story: Baroque and roll is the thing for 17th Century teenagers
Baroque and roll is the thing for 17th Century teenagers
Dress to impress by dressing in excess! When it comes to the future of flamboyant fashion, you can’t go wrong reinventing the opulence and drama of European Baroque
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Read the story: Living life in full colour in Cape Town’s brightest quarter
Living life in full colour in Cape Town’s brightest quarter
If the psychedelic world of Alice’s Wonderland were real, it would probably look something like the crazy coloured Bo-Kaap neighbourhood
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Read the story: The rarest of the Volkswagen bus variants
The rarest of the Volkswagen bus variants
The Volkswagen Camper is one of the best-known, most iconic vehicles of the 20th Century and you might think you’ve seen ’em all, but have you seen this coachbuild?
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Read the story: Repurposing junk and culture in object art
Repurposing junk and culture in object art
Artist, Soasig Chamaillard, had fun mixing statement in recycling junk, toys and religion in his pop-art concept sculpture, Nouvelle Lune
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Read the story: Anna Ammirati’s frivolous career
Anna Ammirati’s frivolous career
Anna Ammirati’s career started with a starring role in the Tito Brass erotic comedy, Monella, but from there, she’s go on to become a talented and versatile actor in Italian television, film and theatre
Featured: Fashion
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Read the story: Baroque and roll is the thing for 17th Century teenagers
Baroque and roll is the thing for 17th Century teenagers
Dress to impress by dressing in excess! When it comes to the future of flamboyant fashion, you can’t go wrong reinventing the opulence and drama of European Baroque
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Read the story: Slim Aarons and the art of ‘Attractive People Doing Attractive Things’
Slim Aarons and the art of ‘Attractive People Doing Attractive Things’
Slim Aarons created a visual trope of the times with his photographic voyeurism of the rich and famous. It looks like a fantasy, but it was all very real
Keywords: Riviera
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Read the story: Sophia Loren: A timeless icon of cinema
Sophia Loren: A timeless icon of cinema
Sophia Loren is a name synonymous with grace, talent, and timeless beauty. She rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most celebrated actresses in the history of cinema
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Read the story: Photographer Norman Parkinson’s pilgrimage to India
Photographer Norman Parkinson’s pilgrimage to India
The 1956 Vogue photograph of Anne Gunning in a pink mohair coat, taken by Norman Parkinson outside the City Palace in Jaipur, has become an enduring icon of twentieth-century fashion photography
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Read the story: Lupe Vélez: The life and career of the ‘Mexican Spitfire’
Lupe Vélez: The life and career of the ‘Mexican Spitfire’
María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez, aka Lupe Vélez, was one of Hollywood’s first major Mexican film stars. Fierce, funny, and notoriously volatile, she earned the moniker ‘The Mexican Spitfire’
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Read the story: The enduring significance of painting in art
The enduring significance of painting in art
From the earliest cave drawings to the masterpieces of the Renaissance and the abstract works of the modern era, painting has proven to be more than just decoration; it is a fundamental mode of expression that continues to hold immense importance
Category: Art
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Read the story: Cocktails are happiness served in a glass
Cocktails are happiness served in a glass
Beer, wine and spirits take themselves seriously, while cocktails are unabashed party animals. Dressed-up, colourful, and accessorised with umbrellas, neon cherries, they are liquid frivolity
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Read the story: Tim Baggaley’s Digital Impressionism art-photography project
Tim Baggaley’s Digital Impressionism art-photography project
Tim Baggaley’s Digital Impressionism explores the digital photograph as a painterly, mood‑laden expression—capturing fleeting moments with an impressionistic blur born of light, motion, and serendipity
Featured: Architecture
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Read the story: The fantasy of bubble houses, and why reality bursts it
The fantasy of bubble houses, and why reality bursts it
The dream of the bubble house has floated through modern architecture for more than half a century. Rounded walls, swelling forms and organic interiors promise a future liberated from the rigid geometry of conventional housing.
Keywords: bubble house
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Read the story: Europe’s most fantastic castles
Europe’s most fantastic castles
Europe’s castles are the legacy of armed conflict and politics, but now they are more about medieval fantasy and Instagram. Here are the most picture-perfect
Keywords: castles
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Read the story: Living life in full colour in Cape Town’s brightest quarter
Living life in full colour in Cape Town’s brightest quarter
If the psychedelic world of Alice’s Wonderland were real, it would probably look something like the crazy coloured Bo-Kaap neighbourhood
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Read the story: Highpoint: London’s Modernist masterpiece
Highpoint: London’s Modernist masterpiece
Architect Berthold Lubetkin, envisioned the perfect solution for the problem of dense urban living developing in Britain between the wars. Highpoint was his blueprint
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Read the story: AI-generated fantasy Citroëns
AI-generated fantasy Citroëns
Suspendisse vitae nunc eget orci sagittis semper vel et libero. Proin facilisis, risus a feugiat viverra, elit elit mattis leo, in venenatis dui ligula non felis. Donec sodales sodales turpis nec aliquam
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Read the story: The Lagarita: the best of both worlds
The Lagarita: the best of both worlds
This is a Lagarita. It’s not a margarita. It’s not a beer. It’s the best of both worlds, and it’s here to save you from…
Category: Booze
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Read the story: The Boeing 314 Clipper – a flying cruise liner
The Boeing 314 Clipper – a flying cruise liner
The Boeing 314 Clipper was a game changer for civilian air travel bringing luxury, comfort and range; it was a cruise liner with wings
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Read the story: The balconies of Valletta
The balconies of Valletta
The balconies of Valletta, Malta’s capital city, are striking, colourful, and often ornate. They offer a glimpse into the city’s historic past while adding vibrancy to the urban landscape
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Read the story: Sophia Loren: A timeless icon of cinema
Sophia Loren: A timeless icon of cinema
Sophia Loren is a name synonymous with grace, talent, and timeless beauty. She rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most celebrated actresses in the history of cinema
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Read the story: The art and photography of Saul Leiter
The art and photography of Saul Leiter
Saul Leiter (1923-2013) was an American artist and photographer famed for his great contribution to the canon of color photography
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Read the story: Nu Sous Un Parasol Carrier Belleuse
Nu Sous Un Parasol Carrier Belleuse
Nu Sous Un Parasol Carrier Belleuse is a captivating painting by the French artist Pierre Peinture, which demonstrates a blend of sensuality and elegance. The…
Category: Art
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Read the story: The art of Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh
The art of Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh
Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, a key figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement, is best known for her intricate and symbolic artworks that blend flowing, organic forms with a deep spiritual and emotional resonance
Category: Art
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Read the story: The art of Leonhard FW Fries
The art of Leonhard FW Fries
Leonhard F. W. Fries (1769–1843) was a German painter and lithographer whose work bridges the late 18th and early 19th centuries, aligning with both the…
Category: Art
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Read the story: The Bloody Mary – the breakfast of champions!
The Bloody Mary – the breakfast of champions!
With tomato, celery and lemon, that’s at least three of your five-a-day incorporated in a breakfast that gets you started as you mean to go on – get back on the horse that bit you!
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Read the story: Photographer Norman Parkinson’s pilgrimage to India
Photographer Norman Parkinson’s pilgrimage to India
The 1956 Vogue photograph of Anne Gunning in a pink mohair coat, taken by Norman Parkinson outside the City Palace in Jaipur, has become an enduring icon of twentieth-century fashion photography