Interesting Links for 13-01-2019

[andrewducker]

What do you do when you can't give away a building, can't sell it, and can't demolish it?

(tags: architecture scotland )

Misconceptions about Alexander Hamilton

(tags: politics history usa )

This is pretty much going to be my approach for posting about Sophia online

(tags: children privacy consent )

Forget Inbox Zero - Here's The Case for Inbox Infinity

(tags: email organisation advice )

What makes men send dick pics?

(tags: penis pictures )

Kids: Connection to nature lessens distress, hyperactivity and behavioral problems

(tags: nature psychology children happiness )

Idiots are challenging each other to drive blindfold because of "Bird Box"

(tags: idiocy blindness movies driving OhForFucksSake )

When people complain about political correctness, ask them exactly what they can't say

(tags: language society )

The Era Of Easy Recycling May Be Coming To An End

(tags: Recycling waste )

DNA pioneer James Watson has final honours stripped amid racism row

(tags: racism dna )

Discussion of the single greatest photograph in history

(tags: photography reddit history )

Packbonding tips for introverts

(tags: advice work introversion )

Comments

[claudeb]

Yeah, that's what people do in my neck of the woods. Sadly, they do this with historical monuments of actual value, that really deserve a better fate.

The building in the story doesn't qualify. It's yet another of those giant Modernist/Brutalist piles of concrete that can only be described as megalomaniac, designed to look good on the architectural plan and in photos, but not to be, you know, at all friendly to the human beings who were going to use it. Possibly without much of a choice. No wonder the style was mostly favored by Communist regimes: it's fundamentally anti-human.

Note: I say this as a visual artist who grew up immersed in exactly this kind of architecture (and urbanism), and found it fascinating enough to try and explore it in my art. But after a point they all look the same. The traits the article calls unique/distinctive? They are in fact so typical for this kind of building, I almost yawned.

Nowadays the same thing is happening all too often with office towers and luxury high-rises. People stubbornly refuse to learn, now do they.

[cmcmck]

It's what I like about Erno Goldfinger's work- a modernist but one who insisted that his buildings were liveable.

He spent some months living in each of his projects once completed.

[claudeb]

Oh! I've heard of Trellick Tower before, and 2 Willow Road looks very unusual. Thanks for the pointer!