In designing a house, there are many aspects to consider from the use of space to the different colors and accents for the walls and furniture to the types of materials needed.

But in this particular project called House Bras done by DDM Architectuur, they thought about incorporating the sun's movement as well as the view toward the panoramic garden.

[DDM Architectuur] meticulously studied the sun’s movement and natural light qualities in the lush site, before designing house bras. 

[L]ocated in brasschaat, belgium, in the greenery between a small lake and an old plot division, the project’s layout was designed to maximize daylight hours with the change of seasons, and open views towards the panoramic garden.

[C]overed entirely in natural stone slabs, the residence’s roof and facade allow the building’s raw exterior to blend completely into the landscape.

(Image credit: DDM Architectuur)

As we all know there are many types of dashes. There's the hyphen, the figure dash, the em dash, and the en dash. But it's a bit of a stretch to mistake the apostrophe for one of these.

President Trump isn't known for an expansive vocabulary or great English writing skills. But last Friday, Merriam-Webster had to take a bit of a jab at him for confusing his punctuations. His spelling, on the other hand, is another matter entirely.

“For those looking up punctuation early on a Friday morning: A hyphen is a mark – used to divide or to compound words. An apostrophe is a mark ‘ used to indicate the omission of letters or figures,” the Merriam-Webster tweet read.

(Image credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

Apart from emissions from fossil fuels, other ways we contribute to global warming and climate change is through the food we eat. In particular, the way we produce our food. There have been several initiatives proposed and undertaken to manage food production such that it would reduce the greenhouse gases being emitted during the process. But will it be enough?

"Balanced diets featuring plant-based foods, such as coarse grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and animal-sourced food produced sustainably in low greenhouse gas emission systems, present major opportunities for adaptation to and limiting climate change," Debra Roberts, co-chair of IPCC Working Group II, said in a press release.

But how much difference can such choices really make? A wealth of research supports the idea that adopting a low- or no-meat diet is a significant way to lower an individual's greenhouse gas footprint. The IPCC report cites data showing that livestock production accounts for the greatest portion of ice-free land on Earth's surface, and contributed to over half of anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions in 2014.

(Image credit: ja ma/Unsplash)

The standard distance between the rails on a railroad in the United States is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. It seems like an incredibly odd measurement to have. It probably would have been easier to simply make it 5 feet or 4.5 feet. But why is the standard that way and how did it happen?

Bill Holohan explains the history of the US standard railroad gauge in this Twitter thread. It's intriguing to say the least and the answer at the end is interesting, if not a little surprising though if there's one thing we should know by now, it is that history matters. A lot.

(Image credit: Tom Barrett/Unsplash)

The Panama Canal was one of the largest engineering projects undertaken during its time. It stretches from the Port of Balboa which borders the Pacific Ocean to the Port of Colon on the other side, connecting the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.

It shortened the time it took for ships to cross South America without having to pass through the notoriously hazardous Cape Horn on the southernmost tip via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan. And since it's been almost 40 years since the process to transfer ownership of the Panama Canal took place, it's time to test our knowledge on it.

Check out the quiz on Inside Sources and see how well you do.

(Image credit: MrPanyGoff/Flickr; Wikimedia Commons)

Police officers risk their lives every day to ensure the peace and order in their community. They don't always get applause or commendation but that doesn't matter to them, they're just doing their job.

But once in a while, it's nice to show some appreciation for them. So as Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer will be retiring soon, Big Fresno Fair decided to honor him and his 40 years of service by building a metal sculpture inspired by Transformers.

(Image credit: John Walker/screen cap)

The Olympics is one of the global cultural events that would be great to see up close, especially in order to cheer for competitors from your country or your favorite athletes. However, as with other popular massive events, it's very difficult to get the chance to watch the Olympics live and even just buying tickets for it is a big struggle.

Next year's Olympics which will be held in Tokyo is no different. Organizers held a domestic lottery to see who will have the chance to buy tickets. About 3.2 million tickets were sold. But the organizers revealed that 6,900 tickets were bought with fake IDs.

(Image credit: Tokyo 2020/International Olympic Committee)

Food is both an art and a science. The way food is presented on a plate can already stimulate our brains and signal that what we are going to eat will be delicious. This visual aspect of food can be expressed through plating. And Martha Ortiz is using this to empower women and make her native Mexican cuisine known to the world.

Ortiz's culinary ascent is anything but straightforward. She encountered roadblocks in her earlier endeavors but didn't admit defeat, instead, she rose to her feet to challenge a system with a male bias.

Equipped with a Political Science degree, Ortiz looks to contextualize each of her dishes with a narrative. "Fairy tale stories" she explains, with fragments that evoke feminine traits that she wants to share with the world.

Read more on Gestalten.

(Image credit: Jean Cazals)

Critically-acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix actually belongs to a family of entertainers. Most of his brothers and sisters have been part of the entertainment industry since they were kids but the one who left the biggest impression on them and inspired them to pursue a career in entertainment was their eldest brother, River Phoenix.

However, as many would know, River tragically died at a young age. But his memory still lives on in the films he played in as well as in his family's and fans' hearts. Here are some facts about River Phoenix from Looper. -via ZergNet

(Image credit: Alan Light/Flickr; Wikimedia Commons)

The former French president Jacques Chirac was a man with rustic tastes and a love for local delicacies. So as a tribute to him, the people of Paris dined on one of his favorite dishes: the tete de veau or calf's head.

There are several places which Chirac frequented and one such place where he would eat tete de veau was the bistro Le Pere Claude.

Dining at Le Pere Claude, close to the Eiffel Tower, has become a rite of passage for French politicians. But with a whiff of nostalgia for the Chirac era, Perraudin lamented how the modern-day politician had become too straight-laced.

“Sometimes Chirac would have a little pastis with a mint syrup, or a Corona beer. Now, the politicians who come here order roast chicken and a glass of water,” Perraudin continued. “It’s sad”.

(Image credit: Instagram via Deccan Chronicle)

Films tell various kinds of stories and they often try to communicate a certain message. There are also times when they can be subversive and include ideological elements that attempt to influence its viewers.

Propaganda in films isn't something new. And even today, films are being used to bring forth a certain propaganda or at times, a cause or an advocacy. In this second part of Escapist's two-part series, they explore the different pop culture propaganda present in films.

(Image credit: Escapist Magazine/screen cap)

The first few things that comes to mind when I hear the word "wok" is East Asian cuisine particularly, Chinese food, as I always seem to see cooks in Chinese restaurants use woks for cooking their dishes. But Chinese cuisine isn't the only one that uses it. In fact, many other cuisines make use of the wok for cooking a variety of dishes. So what makes the wok such a special piece of cooking equipment? To find out, Serious Eats lists down the many uses of the wok.

(Image credit: Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash)

One of the biggest regrets Wally Conron has, he says, is creating the labradoodle. Because of the first mixed bred dog he made 30 years ago, many people are following the trend and interbreeding their dogs.

But his biggest issue with it is that people are doing it now for very different reasons from when he first bred the labradoodle. His original intention was to fulfill the request of a blind lady who wanted to have a guide dog that wouldn't trigger her husband's allergies. Now, dogs are being crossbred mostly for fashion purposes.

Read more on Boston.

(Image credit: Seth Weisfeld/Unsplash)

Living costs aren't getting any cheaper so if you're looking for a nice place to stay at an affordable price then the Residence 9 may not be the one for you.

However, if luxury is what you're looking for then there's no other place that screams luxury than Ireland's most expensive one-bedroom apartment, the Residence 9 which can be found inside the InterContinental Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin.

The other rather special aspect about Residence 9 is the price - it's asking €1.2m. This makes it the single most expensive one-bedroom apartment in Ireland bar none, and quite likely the most expensive one-bedroom apartment ever offered for sale in Ireland at any point in time.

But the advantages for those who will pay it are myriad, particularly for a high-end commercial traveller, who might need an office and meeting room and residential base in Ireland with everything thing rolled into one.

(Image credit: Residence 9 via Independent.ie)

Minor issues can cause major problems, especially when we're talking about nuclear upgrades. And with the defects found in cheap commercially available electrical components, upgrades for the Navy's and the Air Force's nuclear warheads will be delayed for 18 months and will cost $1 billion.

When engineers evaluated available parts, they ran tests to determine if the off-the-shelf capacitors were compatible with the systems due for upgrades, Verdon said. Initial results suggested the components would work in the short-term.

The problem is, these parts used in the warhead upgrades must survive for decades, up to 30 years after production, Verdon said. However, the quality of each capacitor production lot varied, which led to the stress testing failure.

(Image credit: US Navy)