Why is everyone saying such mean things about this car? OK, so they say good things about the fact the AIRPod runs on compressed air. As they should - how could that be bad? But everyone's saying how ugly it is - or at best that it looks like it was designed by their four-year-old nephew. I disagree.
Laos is not one of those countries that tourists regularly beat a path to, so it's great to read about the Mekong Estate, a new 'smart dwelling concept' in the north of the country. Located in the former royal capital of Luang Prabang along the Mekong River, it's a complex of dwellings available to rent by the week or month.
I'm a fan of heights. I love expansive views, tall buildings, and the back row of the balcony. But even I get an attack of dizzy looking at the new mountain-top viewing platform located on top of a glacier in Tyrol, Austria. Not only is it 3200 meters up, overlooking the alps, the platform is built ON SNOW. Oh hi, vertigo? It's me.
It was a hot day in Seaside, Florida. We had spent the entire day photographing models on the beach. We were all hot and sandy. The last couple of shots I was watching the light changing and thinking how lucky I am that this is my office. As we all were leaving I saw the sand dunes with the last bit of daylight on them and the one stalk of beach grass that was showing up gold. I stayed to photograph this scene while my crew was waiting in the cars. - Jae Feinberg
The Seat Brisa could be the ultimate in enviromentally-friendly vehicles. It's only a 'study' at this stage, but the streamlined solar-powered sports car looks great. A bit like a German wooden toy, but the (almost) real deal.
I'm never happier than when I'm immersed in a totally new environment, especially if it's somewhere new - and breathtakingly beautiful. The Juvet Landskapshotell fits this vision perfectly. The 'landscape hotel' in Gudbrandsjuvet, Norway, is a bold blend of modern design and natural surroundings.
How's this for a twist on the traditional treehouse? A swinging tree tent, designed to look like a nest. It's the work of Spanish industrial designer Gerard Moliné, who makes the case that our lives are too complicated, and we need to simplify them. After all, he says, birds don't pay rent. He has a point.
We've featured a lot of green concept cars recently on Been-Seen - cars that spin, cars that glow, cars that are really bikes. Cars powered by electricity, cars powered by the sun, cars powered by the force of positive thinking (well, not quite, but I'm sure it won't be long). Here's a round-up...
According to late makeup guru Shu Uemura, we come from the sea, and its waters contain all the elements that our bodies need. That was the logic behind setting up Utoco Deep Sea Therapy Center & Hotel in Japan, far off the beaten track in Kochi, on the subtropical island of Shikoku. Unlike any other spa on earth, the revolutionary center uses water pulled from the deepest depths of the ocean.
If you ever find yourself drifting through the desert around Palm Springs, wondering why you're there, make your way to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. As with many things round there, it may at first come across as a little kitsch. And it is... a little. But it's also insanely cool.
There is something romantic and exotic about train travel. Most trains today may be on the verge of speeding bullets, but as a culture we manage to keep a romanticized image of them that includes lackadaisical hours spent staring out the window and fine dinners consumed at a leisurely pace in luxurious dining cars.
The Sea Ranch Lodge knows how to put on a show. Sort of. During the three-hour drive on Highway 1 north from San Francisco, we expected our destination near the Sonoma/Mendocino county border, to be many things. Lively wasn't one of them. Yet, vibrant it was.
