Cabinet of Delights

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Piet Mondrian's Flowers

It may be surprising that the artist famous for geographic grids of primary colors had a soft spot for flowers, which were painted as single, solitary blooms free of vase or backgrounds, intricate in their structure and shape. Piet Mondrian Did What? Flowers!Oh no, no. This is Mondrian, the

In Search of Lost Time (lol)

Adding "lol" to the end of each sentence of a classic work of literature – is it a joke, a statement, a weird way to pass the time? This literary project spans over 2,000 pages, each sentence of Proust's In Search of Lost Time ending in

Why Ancient Roman Concrete Has Literally Withstood the Test of Time

The secret to the durability of Ancient Roman concrete has been discovered. The special ingredient is a particular type of lime – adding it to the concrete mixture and heaing the whole concoction to a high temperature produces a particular chemical reaction. The resulting concrete is one that can withstand cracks

Star Trek Design Is Not Simply Sci-Fi

Star Trek + Design is a site dedicated to identifying items of home decor that appear on Star Trek sets that were actually produced for an Earthly consumer base. Glassware and tableware, furniture, and lighting make up many of the objects. The site also indicates whether the items are still in

A Simple Method to Remove Microplastics in Water

Scientists have discovered that people can remove some microplastics from their drinking water with materials they may already have, especially if they are in an area with hard water. In fact, when it comes to microplastics, the minerals in hard water may even be considered a bonus. When water is

Pollen Load Map of Europe for Travel Planning

If you have allergies, the last thing you want to do is choose a time and destination for vacation when a plant allergen is in the air. This map uses data from past years to provide predictions about allergens by pollen type and month. Pollen Load Map of Europe | PolleninformationBased

Compare Country Sizes with One Drag-and-drop Map

True Size is a site that allows you to quickly see what a country's size is relative to another by placing one over the other. When you drag them to another point on the map, the countries grow or shrink in response to the 2D limitations represented through

The Olive Tree That's Witnessed 4,000 Years of History

The Olive Tree of Vouvres is a bent and gnarled beauty still producing fruit after an estimated 4,000 years of life. Found on the Greek island of Crete, it serves as an older sister to (still admittedly old) younger trees of 2,000 and 3,000 years. This tree

Rome's Underground Mysteries

Rome, an ancient city built up over the centuries, continues to harbor secrets. Some of those secrets are revealed to individuals who are willing to descend beneath its surface to explore its cultural layers. Visitors to these sites will find ancient dwellings, tunnels for aqueducts, catacombs, and even Mussolini'

Realistic Glass Flower Creations

The delicate Blaschka glass flowers were painstakingly made by a father and son duo at the end of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka modeled hundreds of species of plants, capturing them in astoundingly lifelike color, shape, and form. Most people who see