Cybertecture Egg

The world’s longest beard

Sarvar Singh, an Indian school music teacher, wants to be an example for his students because the idea of taking care of his beard, demands effort and dedication. We believe him. His beard is 6.3 feet long. Read more

Indian Fuzzy Knits

Though it’s hot and sticky in Delhi, people were warmly dressed in their woolen clothes when I was there last December. Indian fashion is notoriously bright and colorful. As I discovered, their fuzzy knits are no exception. If you’re a Westerner traveling in India, it’s quite common for men, women, children and even entire families to approach you for a photo. At first, it’s a little awkward, but you get used to it. Read more

The Almighty Defenders’ Bow Down and Die

This morning, Stereogum premiered the first slab of lo-fi gutter gospel from Vice Records super group The Almighty Defenders, a meeting of might between Atlanta garage goblins The Black Lips, Berlin-based soul punker King Khan, and Mr. BBQ himself, Mark Sultan. Conceived during the Lips’ Berlin exile (after their VBS documented ejection from India), the band’s self-titled debut is a madcap, liquor-drenched revival, a blissfully fucked up realization of one of garage rock’s most fitting collaborations. Bow Down And Die, the ‘booming, chivalrous third song’, is an off kilter, beer-swilling chant-along that borrows just as much from choral church music as it does from skuzzball rock n roll. We have the single available for free download via the Music Download section of the Lost At E Minor site [psst, it's in the third column]

Floating House

This house has many facets that make it an intriguing example. First of all, it is a very aesthetically pleasing project with the use of light horizontal timbers and a clean pitched roof. Designed by MOS, an interesting design collective based in America, the secret to the Floating House is that it floats on a structure of steel pontoons. The house rises and falls with the changing waters and is frozen in place depending on the season. The steel pontoons were constructed first and towed to the lake outside the contractor’s factory and then the house was built atop of it. When finished it was towed to its position, anchored and enjoyed in its unique position. Finally, it forms a bridge between the land and an island. Wonderful!

Torre Bicentenario

Dutch uber-firm OMA, headed by Rem Koolhaas, has created this concept in Mexico City to symbolize the coming two hundred years of Mexico’s independence. There are many layers of symbolism in this building, from Mayan pyramids to which part of the building controls the park and which part controls the city, to the fact that the bulge of the building is below the centre height, and that it all happens on a relatively small footprint. Most of all, in this building there is a barely contained energy that seems near to release and it may be that this is what Torre Bicentenario represents.

Danish Building Bridge

The Danes are renowned for their considered and subtle design. However, in these times of change, they must feel they need something with this selection of a bridge building as the winner of a recent architectural competition in Denmark. The American architect Steven Holl designed this building with a pedestrian bridge that links two sides of the harbour in the distinctly low-rise Copenhagen. Read more