#Modern and Traditional Dubai

[personalgrowthoasis]

Billionaire Mindset: Why Dubai Represents My Ambitions

Embark on a journey with me to the golden city, Dubai, a place where dreams and reality blur. Together, let's discover the charm of this city!

Imagine this: You’ve just won two free air tickets to any destination in the world. Where would your heart leap to? For me, without a second thought, it would be the jewel of the United Arab Emirates – Dubai. Ever since I was a child growing up in Spain with my Bulgarian roots, I’ve had a fascination for places that merge history with the modern world. Dubai, a city that sits on the edge of…

[interiorergonomics]

Traditional vs. Ergonomic Workstations

When comparing traditional and ergonomic workstations, the primary focus is on the design and functionality of the furniture used and how they impact user comfort and productivity. Traditional Workstations These setups typically consist of a standard office desk and chair which don’t prioritize user comfort or adaptability. For example, a traditional desk is fixed in height, forcing users to…

[pergola-company-in-dubai]

Blog - 800Pergola

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[mammonscheeks]

demon brothers + dateables as destinations in the human world

✎ a/n: these are my opinions! i'm south and west asian, so i am most knowlegeable about those countries, please correct me if i've said anything incorrect!

LUCIFER

new york city, usa. he likes the cold, industrial corporate feel of nyc. it helps him avoid his feelings.

anywhere in germany. he likes their no-nonsense culture and unspoken social rules.

MAMMON

las vegas, nevada, usa. he always begs mc to take him there. the flashy lights and casinos are right up his alley.

dubai, uae. he loves the luxurious feel of it, and how its the center of celebrity gatherings, vacations, and parties.

LEVIATHAN

tokyo, japan (especially the akihabara/electronic district). he's always updated on pop culture and the newest technology/games.

seychelles island, africa. he likes swimming, but not socializing on the beach. that's why he likes isolated islands.

SATAN

london, england. he's interested in their medival history and seeing the places that inspired novels like harry potter and the sherlock holmes franchise.

cat island in japan, or any mediterranean country where cats freely roam.

ASMODEUS

paris, france. he'd love paris fashion week. he also just seems french to me, idk.

seoul, south korea. he'd adore seoul's culture, everything from the modern sappy kdramas to traditional dresses, like hanbok. he would bring an empty suitcase to stuff it with beauty products.

BEELZEBUB

mumbai, india. this metropolitan city in india offers so many different kinds of food. he would love to eat his way through the city, if not the entire country.

every city in mexico. he'd try the regional cuisine, but also hang out at the beach with his brothers and mc (so cute).

BELPHEGOR

cairo, egypt. he was once fascinated with humans, and often watched them build civilizations from heaven when he was an angel. he would enjoy the historical wonders of egypt.

reykjavic, iceland. idk why he just gives me iceland vibes. life there can be slow and cold, and it often gets less light than other countries.

DIAVOLO

transylvania, romania. he loves its breathtaking castles and culture, and is intrigued with all the pop culture references of vampires.

petra, jordan. this is a significant place in abrahamic religions, known for being haunted by demons, or jinn. diavolo would be fascinated by this history, whether its actually haunted or not. i know he'd eat up those scary ghost tours (insert fic about that here) and even probably try and scare a few tourist groups, despite barbatos advising him against it.

BARBATOS

istanbul, turkiye. istanbul has well-maintained structures from the byzantine empire, the ottoman empire, and even "newer and hip" neighborhoods. barbatos, being able to see the past and future, would appreciate the blend of it all here, like he's walking through time.

kathmandu, nepal. he'd enjoy the peace of monasteries and mountains, which are as old as the earth itself.

SIMEON

tuscany, italy. he'd enjoy the vast fields, heavenly sunsets, small towns and historic churches. he would find tuscany a peaceful place to write, but appreciates the community feel of small italian towns. would definitely be so friendly he'd get invited to eat dinner at a random family's house.

thessaloniki, greece. he would absolutely love seeing all the greek orthodox churches there, with their blue and white colors and dome roofs. he is just amused to see the religious structures humans have created. he'd also probably be interested in greek mythology, even though he's an angel.

LUKE

cape town, south africa. he would be so excited to see penguins at the beach and would enjoy the burst of color south africa offers. he'd also enjoy the modern bakeries and desserts in south africa.

lyon, france. the country is known for desserts. luke would probably take a baking class there to learn how to bake more things.

SOLOMON

salem, or just any small town in massachusetts. as a sorcerer, he's intrigued with their history of "witch hunting" and the paranormal.

lalibela, ethiopia. being old, he's intrigued with how ancient cities like lalibela have changed since biblical times. he also probably enjoys learning about different cultural practices and what they have in common with his sorcery. he also wants to learn how to cook more dishes from different countries, but fails miserably

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Predictions: Eternity In A Box (Spoilers for Blood Communion)

In Ep3 I was freaking out over the parallels b/t vampires running their fingers thru Louis' hair as he thinks he (& Claudia) are gonna die.

In the movie's version of The Trial, Santiago condemns Louis to solitary confinement:

"Eternity in a box. Walled in a dungeon. Your only company will be your screams."

And I'm convinced the Theatre's gonna bury Louis alive.

TBF, I could be WAY off; but I was thinking abt how the scene went in the movie: the Theatre locked Louis in an iron coffin and buried him underground in the walls of Theatre, and how Mr. I Could Not Prevent It waited until way later to come in and literally dig Louis back up.

Hatred as a Box: Buried Alive

Both are HORRIBLE ways for vampires to "die." Compared to going out by fire it's a light sentence, sure, until you consider the LORE.

Iron + vampires = no bueno. (The same applies to witches & fae.)

Initially, AR's vampires weren't subject to traditional wards like silver, iron, crosses, garlic, etc. The Theatre coffin was wooden, just sealed with iron locks. But magic DOES have a strong effect on vamps, as highlighted in Merrick.

In TVA Armand describes his kidnapping by the Children of Satan:

In Blood Communion, AR specifically retconned iron in 2 notable instances. Cyril bound Baudwin in iron pickets ripped from a wrought-iron fence:

And most infamously: Rhosh's kidnap of Gabrielle, Marius, & Louis:

(I pray to GOD that AMC gets this far, it's one of my fave AR books.)

I can't tell if the coffin AMC!Lou's in is iron or wood, but if he's stuffed in the Wet Room's morgue-like "burial vaults," that's definitely metal, if not steel/iron. Which is such a clever modern update to coffins. 👌

Then there's the pebbles all over Louis. Nothing much here, except that they're made of stone, and I was reminded of the hardening/crystalizing process of AR's vampires, as they age & become more & more stone-like as their luracastria hardens over time.

The stone hardening of a vampire =/= Death, but rather SLEEP; as exemplified with Akasha & Enkil--the 2 oldest vamps, who look/feel like statues. (The QotD movie took this too literally with Maharet.)

But yeah, I like the visual poetry of Lou in a coffin full of stone pebbles, essentially put to sleep by Santiago for eternity in a box; which is not unlike too what Rhosh would end up doing to him in BC.

Love as a Box: A Prized Treasure

The imagery of coffins & the theme of Louis spending eternity in a box further made me think abt Louis' (toxic) romantic relationships.

I've spoken ad nauseum abt Loustat, so I wanna focus more on Loumand here. Cuz Armand's love of Lou seems to contradict his tendency to wait for catastrophe to strike b4 he "rescues" Lou from horrible situations that could've been avoided had Armand made his move a lot sooner. (Unkind & ungracious, I know, but I'm on a tangent here.)

We see this with the Theatre, as Armand lets the coven slowly descend upon Louis & Claudia, knowing they're in danger but wanting Claudia out of the picture before he extracts Louis.

We're seeing it in Dubai, as Louis' broken "in pieces for the privilege of putting them back together again," like jigsaw pieces kept in a box. (Not NEFARIOUSLY, but Louis does speak about "pieces of himself" that he's lost/forgotten. And he asks Armand's permission to see Claudia's diaries? Which tells me that Coven Master Armand's ALWAYS held significant sway over Louis' life in their household.

And I suspect that we'll see it again if AMC pulls a Merrick on us, and swaps out Merrick & David for Armand & Lestat (a la AR's Tulane drafts), when Louis puts his own coffin in the sun and burns alive.

Cuz this is all just history repeating itself. We've seen this dynamic in Lou's life w/ Les. As his 2 great romantic loves, Les & Armand are similar & different. Neither of them's healthy for Lou, but they genuinely love him in their own effed up way. But Claudia's still right: BOTH of them keep Lou in a box.

Louis of Troy: Venus de Milo

Let's think for a sec abt the Venus de Milo we saw at the end of Ep1:

At the time I was thinking: why did AMC pick that statue? Sure, it's famous & iconic and is at the Louvre in Paris. But I stuck a pin it it.

Loumand visits an art museum in Ep4, and we can probably assume it'll have something to do with Armand's career as an art thief/broker.

During WWII all kinds of buildings got looted & bombed up, and museums had to literally bury their priceless art in boxes/crates in the dirt in order to keep them safe from the Nazis and people who wanted to steal/destroy the priceless statues.

Which is ironic, cuz a lot of discovered art was excavated/dug up; people exhuming ancient statues out of the dark earth, into the light of a new era--like a vampire. (Venus de Milo was dug up too.)

Supposedly, VdM depicts the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, holding the Apple of Discord in her hand (which was found broken off next to the statue). The Apple of Discord was the prize given to Aphrodite during the Judgement of Paris, a beauty pageant that caused Paris to run off with (the already married) Helen of Troy/Sparta & started the Trojan War. Herodotus, the "Father of History," said the West (Greeks/Europeans) vs the East (Asians/Africans) were always fighting cuz people kept stealing e/o's brides. 😂 Women were chattel just like animals in antiquity, so bride raids & cattle raids were typical catalysts for numerous mythic & historic conflicts.

Typical xenophobic fodder for racist miscegenation laws, ofc, but vampire literature eats this trope up, thanks to Dracula. AR's books do this over & over--culminating in Rhosh's infamous rape/capture of Gabrielle, Louis & Marius in BC. And AMC's emphasis on interracial/multicultural relationships inevitably draws comparisons, too.

Naturally, I'm thinking about how Troy burned over Helen; and the Theatre burned over Claudia (& Madeleine); and the Chateau burned over Gabrielle/Louis/Marius.

But I'm also thinking about how the first time Akasha & Enkil moved in 1000+ years, it was cuz Akasha allowed Lestat to drink from her, and Enkil was so mad that he got up and nearly curbstomped Lestat to mush b4 Marius wrestled Enkil off of him. 🤣

The victim/woman inevitably gets blamed, from Helen to Akasha, and ofc Louis; but it still tracks that entire wars get launched purely over love/sex--another form of treasure/money/property/status.

And I can't help but wonder how much AMC will or won't lean into the possibility that Lou's being held captive in the Dubai penthouse by Armand--NOT necessarily by force, but rather by...compliance; COMPLICIT--and that their relationship is a huge catastrophe that Lestat will inevitably have to "rescue" Louis from like some damsel in distress, like he had to do with Nicki. Or if Lou will somehow rescue himself and NOT pull a Merrick after all. 👀

And that (finally) brings me to my final point.

Safety as a Box: Louis' "coffin"

When Daniel asked Lou where his coffin was, Lou told Dan the entire Dubai penthouse was his coffin. Thanks to Armand's UV-light-controlled iPad, the vamps can walk safely in gold-warm sunlight.

But the penthouse still radiates CHILL. They're in the middle of a desert, but Daniel's constantly in a cardigan, Louis' often dressed in hoodies, Armand even wears an actual coat--it looks cold. 🙁 The sunlight's filtered/diluted; it can't warm anybody--human or vamp.

As opposed to the natural lighting at 1132, coming not from the windows (which are always carefully closed & curtained), but from the fireplaces--seemingly ALWAYS roaring by Loustat's coffins in the Coffin Room, and sofas in the parlor (there's another one across from their bed, too). 1132 exudes warmth; the florals & earthtones adding to the tropical NOLA vibe--there's peacocks on their wallpapers ffs.

Loustat's townhouse emulates a wild & free Savage Garden, but the vampires sleep in extremely close quarters in their coffins--even doubling up after Lou breaks Les.' Is it confining? Or intimate?

I have to wonder if, in Louis' efforts to take Claudia's words to heart, and not be confined in a "small box" anymore, Lou insisted on not sharing a coffin with his 2nd husband. Instead, they sleep in a HUGE king-sized bed, with plenty of space (at the price of less intimacy). But Louis hilariously STILL sleeps like a corpse vampire in a coffin, arms/hands folded across his chest! XD

And as spacious as Louis' new bed is, he's sleeping in a literal JAIL CELL; an utterly inorganic crypt-looking edifice of strange shapes, where the open plan does nothing to distract from the mental patient aura of the sunken bed & padded ceiling & metal (iron? 👀) cage bars. Is it for Louis' reluctant safety? Or for Louis' elusive sanity?

Pick Your Poison

So this is my long-winded way of saying: Lou's BEEN doomed to spend eternity in a box. It's just that that box is shaped & defined by the love his 2 control-freak toxic AF husbands have for him:

Lestat is clingy and heavy-handed, and 1132 is more cramped/crowded, but more warm & intimate. It's a contained wilderness/Savage Garden in miniature; the seraglio crawling with mistresses (Antoinette) & soldiers picked for an orgy; fit for a pimp--where Louis himself is paranoiacally caged like a prized slave/housewife.

Armand is more distant/mature (internally desperate) and enabling, and the Dubai penthouse is more spacious/open-planned, cold and foreboding; a locked off tower in the sky. It's a glorified jail cell not even trying to disguise its bars; full of around-the clock staff & handlers & nursemaids/doctors (Fareed)--where Louis is jealously guarded like an in-house mental patient kept in an asylum.

[cottagecoreloreee]

Chapter 3 will be up later this week! Catch up on the first two chapters in the meantime. ❤️

-Snippet-

Lestat could not be dissuaded. The next day he called again, and telling myself that he would continue to call if I did not answer, I picked up my phone. Modern technology had provided Lestat with a partial bridge to the sacrifice he took as my maker. While he could not read my thoughts, we could communicate across large distances and I believe this comforted and flustered him in equal measure. I was accessible at the push of a button, but then I would not answer, further proving my detachment. Though if I answered, it signaled my care for him. 

I was the cold-hearted Louis; I was the adoring Louis. I was demon and angel, tormentor and savior–the dichotomy he claimed to love even in his most crazed states. As soon as I answered, I knew I shouldn’t have. I thought to hang up, but my breath betrayed me. 

“Mon cher, how are you?”

I swallowed. “We talked yesterday.”

“I am, how did you say it, Daniel? Oh yes, clingy.”

“You sound like an old man if you phrase it like that.” I laughed and so did he, and the question he asked on our last call weighed on me–his charms hadn’t been lost on me.  “And yes, you are.” 

“I was a recluse for seventy years, Louis. I am still adjusting to the times.”

“That would explain the rockstar stint in those ridiculous outfits. Who’s dressing you?”

“So you’ve watched my shows?” And Lestat made an ungodly sound, a single-syllable laugh that inflamed me. “I could send you a ticket to see me live. VIP, if you like, so I’d see you backstage.” 

We spoke for an hour–our longest conversation since New Orleans. He detailed life on the road, observing how humanity had changed. Gone were most superstitions that forced him into the shadows–the fear of vampires had faded. In the media, we are brooding, fraught creatures, embroiled in romance. Lestat was both awed and disappointed by the development, and I could not point out the irony. 

And time lent fondness to the past. We reminisced over the old traditions, and how laughable they were to us, even then. He mentioned her once–and only once–the name Claudia slipped from his mouth like the first leaf that falls from a tree in autumn, by surprise and almost unheard.

“Claudia kept the dolls,” he sighed, the strain of pride in his voice.“But she gave one to a baby just to watch the mother scream in horror.” A moment passed where neither of us could speak. It was something of her that didn’t reside in my memory. But he remembered. Lestat: her maker, her uncle, her brother, her keeper, her torturer. Lestat, the actor, filled every role. And he was her father, despite his limitations. 

“We should stop here,” I said. 

There was a pause. The world around me shrank, and the distance between Dubai and San Francisco became a stone’s throw. I felt the ghost of his hand on the back of my neck, his breath summoning goosebumps on my flesh. “My Louis,” Lestat’s voice broke, and how it unwound me–I wished to drag my fingers along his cheek, and promise him a day in the future I couldn’t guarantee. “Always short on time.” 

“I’ll call soon,” I found myself saying. 

“You will?” Lestat cleared his throat. “I’ll be patiently waiting for your call.” 

[dwreader]

interior design insp/references dubai edition

Just like with Louis's wardrobe in Dubai I feel like there's a lot of misconception about the design of the penthouse and what it's meant to represent. First of all, dark modern was and still is super popular design style amongst the wealthy!! It's a very popular way to style large open spaces (like a penthouse apartment). Light and airy designs are usually intended to reflect more natural light to make your rooms look bigger but when you already have a MASSIVE space that's kind of unnecessary. Also it doesn't need to be said that these are vampires so enhancing natural light with bright wall colors/furniture is utterly irrelevant and quite frankly counterproductive to them. You would rarely see a very dark design in a tiny apartment though, that's why its popular mainly among the super wealthy in their mega penthouses or modernist mansions.

Black furniture also screams lux because it's a PAIN in the ass to maintain like lint, dust, grime, etc gets everywhere constantly so by purchasing black furniture you're pretty much announcing to your guests that you have a maid who cleans for you cause your rich ass sure as hell isn't dusting that shit every day.

While the overall aesthetic of Dubai I would say is highly modern, there are interesting touches that suggest a couple that has collected items through time. In the first screenshot, you see Daniel and Louis sitting in the ultra modern living space while Armand is off to the side at his very mid-century chair, a very early hint that he's maybe from a different time.

Looking at this shot, you can see as many as 4 different design styles in a single frame. The table is clearly ornate traditional, the chair (which looks like rattan or bamboo) is more mid-century/boho and the japanese garden, and finally a little pink modern organic henri dejeant lamp. It's such a perfect representation of how long Loumand have been alive and together cause its normal for couples to accumulate different pieces over the course of their lives together and try to fit them in even though they don't exactly match the current designs. But this is what happens when you've been together for 75 years!

It's also interesting to see how the design choices of the penthouse evolved because an earlier visualization had a green mario bellini couch instead of a dark grey/black. The bellini couch was a 70's design that made a huge comeback in the last couple years, which is like the WHOLE 2nd interview like someone from the 70s who has entered the picture again after a long absence. However, I bet they probably pulled back on the bellini couch cause it was becoming overdone although it is still mega expensive (comes in at around $20k) but it's kind of become one of those ughh not that shit again kind of item.

[fashionbooksmilano]

Arabesque 2

Graphic Design from the Arab World and Persia

Edited by Eps51 - Ben Wittner and Sascha Thoma

Foreword by John Martin and Salma Tuquan

Die Gestalten Verlag, Berlin 2011, 208 pages, 24,5x29cm, ISBN 978-3-89955-330-7

euro 40,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

Cutting-edge graphic work from the Arab world and Iran that is emblematic of the cultural emancipation of this entire area. The wave of protests that started this year in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and other countries have made it clear just how much the Middle East is searching for a new identity. Young designers in the region are playing a part in this movement by increasingly emancipating themselves creatively. In their work, they are charting their own compelling course between local visual convention and a modern international style. Arabesque 2 documents the potential of this current creative emancipation in the Arab world and Iran. The book features examples of recent innovative and groundbreaking design work that is inspired by the richness of the region’s visual culture. Given the important role of calligraphy in the Middle East, Arabesque 2 focuses on typography. The book presents a wide range of Arabic fonts and typefaces inspired by traditional calligraphy. These are accompanied by a rich selection of applications. Select examples of design and graffiti serve as powerful demonstrations of how text can be used illustratively. This work is particularly relevant to those creating street art and poster design. Arabesque 2 also features graphic design, logos, Edited byial design, and illustration by young designers and activists from Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. Regardless of the location and nationality of their creators, all of the examples included in the book combine modern design with the traditional, letter-based canon of Arab forms in striking ways. The book’s preface is written by John Martin, co-founder of Art Dubai. Additional texts and interviews describe the environments in which the featured designers and artists work.

09/01/24

[cuntylouis]

What are your hopes / predictions for Season 3?

I think and hope that Louis will stay as very important for the story and isn't reduced to a sidecharacter or just Lestat's love interest. It's the single most important thing to me. I think him and Lestat won't get back together until later but they'll still be interconnected and everything Lestat will do is related to Louis

They're going to do the whole rockstar Lestat thing, which has potential to be an incredibly entertaining storyline and it'll probably run through the whole season and possibly longer. Lestat's rock star era is a reaction to the book being published, but i've seen people speculate that in this version he isn't angry at Louis for it, and more at Talamasca and Daniel, and the tour thing could be partially to protect Louis by distracting vampires who're planning to kill him. I think that could be the case but i hope there's still some friction between Lestat and Louis about the book and different versions of events because i thought that was interesting in the original series. Wrt Lestat's music and stage persona it sounds like it's not going to be traditional rock and more like a mix of different genres

I don't know are we going to see ghost!Claudia yet at this point (i think it might reduce the impact of her death like i felt the appearance of dreamstat sometimes reduced the impact of his 'death') but i think her presence and absence will be heavily felt. She'll be constantly in every character's mind

Though s3 has been called TVL season i'm sure it's going to be structured very differently than the book because TVL being almost entirely flashback doesn't really lend itself to television medium, it would grind the plot to halt. I think the flashbacks are going to be interspersed with the modern time scenes, and at least half of the story is going to take place in the present. I think Lestat telling his story to Louis is one possible way they can bridge the timelines and also involve Louis more

The entirety of the Vampire Chronicles lends itself poorly to television adaptation, because it's so dialogue/internal monologue and description heavy, has so much origin stories, and often has little plot or the plot sucks. I think as Rolin has already implied, they're going to mix the best and most adaptable elements from all the books of the series rather than going in order book by book. So we'll likely see things from qotd and later books already in s3

I think what Assad said about making 'what happened between Armand and Daniel in Dubai' the new 'what happened in San Francisco' and doing a whole bottle episode focusing on it is a great idea, would love if they actually did that. I'm very curious to see what's going on between Armand and Daniel, and learn more about Armand and his motivations. Not to sound like an annoying stan who can't accept different interpretations of their fave, but Armand is one of my favorite characters of all time and i thought his characterization in the show was amazing for 2 seasons until this finale where i thought it felt pretty confusing and shallow, and stuff related to Armand and his relationships with other characters felt very rushed and inconsistent with his earlier characterization. I trust that there's going to be more to it, and i hope that more is good and complex enough to feel satisfying to me

GABRIELLE! Gabrielle is one of the best characters in the books and i'm really excited to meet her and find out who's playing her and how she's going to be portrayed. And like Sam has said several times now the dynamic between her, Lestat and Louis is so interesting. With writers who actually care about Louis and Gabrielle as characters in the way Rice didn't it's going to be an absolute hydrogen bomb of a dynamic. Can't wait for the best worst mother-in-law and son-in-law relationship of all time

[interiorergonomics]

Elegance of Arabic Architecture

The elegance of Arabic architecture is a timeless testament to the region's rich cultural heritage and artistic ingenuity. Characterized by intricate geometric patterns, graceful arches and ornate detailing, Arabic architecture exudes a sense of grandeur and sophistication which captivates admirers for centuries.

From the majestic domes and minarets of mosques to the serene courtyards of palaces and homes, every element is meticulously crafted to harmonize with the natural surroundings and evoke a sense of peace and tranquility.

The use of locally sourced materials such as limestone, marble, and gypsum enhances the authenticity and beauty of Arabic architecture, while features like mashrabiya screens and latticework windows provide privacy without sacrificing natural light and ventilation.

In Dubai luxury interior designs inspired by Arabic architecture, these timeless elements are elevated with lavish materials, intricate detailing and modern amenities which create spaces of unparalleled opulence and refinement. Surely, it seamlessly blends tradition with contemporary luxury.

Whether in the bustling streets of old souks or the modern skyline of contemporary cities like Dubai, the elegance of Arabic architecture continues to inspire awe and admiration, serving as a timeless reminder of the region's cultural legacy and architectural brilliance.

[pergola-company-in-dubai]

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Dive into the magical world of the Perfume Souk, where enchanting oriental scents await, and explore the Textile Souk for incredible finds. 🌸👗

An unmissable shopping journey between modernity and tradition. ✨

[n2qfd]

Welcome to program 377 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

1:43 MFSK32: Program preview (now)

2:52 MFSK32: Slim Dubai skyscraper just one apartment wide*

7:55 MFSK64: Laser communications for historic moon flyby

13:10 MFSK64: This week's images*

28:39 MFSK32: Closing announcements

* with image(s)

Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on X/Twitter now: @SWRadiogra

From New Atlas:

Incredibly slim Dubai skyscraper will be just one apartment wide

By Adam Williams

November 01, 2024

Work is currently underway on an extremely slim new skyscraper in

Dubai. Despite its supertall height of 380 m (1,246 ft), the

tower will be just one apartment wide – or 22.5 m (73 ft).

Not to be confused with the New Muraaba, the Muraba Veil is

designed by Pritzker Prize-winning RCR Arquitectes. It also

involves engineering firms WSP and Arup, with Muraba developing.

Inspired by traditional Arabian housing, it will be located on a

prime spot in Dubai and wrapped in a porous stainless steel

Mashrabiya-style mesh, or "veil," intended to take the sting out

of the harsh Dubai sun. Its interior will consist of 73 floors

and from the renders we can see it will be a lot longer than

wide, allowing it to fit 131 luxury residences.

The apartments themselves will range from two to five bedrooms,

with prices starting from AED18,000,000 (US$4.9 million). Each

spans the full width of the tower, providing unobstructed views

of the Dubai skyline and indoor-outdoor living. As you'd expect,

for that sort of money there will be lots of amenities, including

a restaurant, art gallery, cinema, an amphitheater, and even a

subterranean spa.

"Muraba Veil is our response to the unique landscape and culture

of Dubai," says Rafael Aranda, Founder at RCR Arquitectes. "Our

goal was to design a building that feels connected to its

surroundings while pushing the boundaries of what a skyscraper

can be. The Veil stands as an emblem of a new architectural

approach – one that reflects both heritage and modernity."

The Muraba Veil is the latest of several ultra-slender

skyscrapers that are either already completed or at the planning

stage, including 11 West 57th Street, and the Pencil Tower Hotel.

We've no word on the expected date of completion for the Veil at

this time.

https://newatlas.com/architecture/muraba-veil-dubai/

Image: The Muraba Veil is an incredibly thin supertall skyscraper

in Dubai that will have a width of just 22.5 m (73 ft) ...

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From Phys.org:

Communications user terminal prepares for historic moon flyby

By Ariana Tantillo

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

November 4, 2024

In 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the

moon's surface—a momentous engineering and science feat marked by

his iconic words, "That's one small step for a man, one giant

leap for mankind." Three years later, Apollo 17 became NASA's

final Apollo mission to land humans on the brightest and largest

object in our night sky. Since then, no humans have visited the

moon or traveled past low Earth orbit (LEO), largely because of

shifting politics, funding, and priorities.

But that is about to change. Through NASA's Artemis II mission,

scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2025, four

astronauts will be the first humans to travel to the moon in more

than 50 years. In 2022, the uncrewed Artemis I mission proved the

ability of NASA's new spacecraft Orion—launched on the new

heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System—to travel farther into

space than ever before and return safely to Earth.

Building on that success, the 10-day Artemis II mission will pave

the way for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the

lunar surface, with the goal of establishing a future lasting

human presence on the moon and preparing for human missions to

Mars.

One big step for lasercom

Artemis II will be historic not only for renewing human

exploration beyond Earth, but also for being the first crewed

lunar flight to demonstrate laser communication (lasercom)

technologies, which are poised to revolutionize how spacecraft

communicate. Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory have been

developing such technologies for more than two decades, and NASA

has been infusing them into its missions to meet the growing

demands of long-distance and data-intensive space exploration.

As spacecraft push farther into deep space and advanced science

instruments collect ultrahigh-definition (HD) data like 4K video

and images, missions need better ways to transmit data back to

Earth. Communication systems that encode data onto infrared laser

light instead of radio waves can send more information at once

and be packaged more compactly while operating with less power.

Greater volumes of data fuel additional discoveries, and size and

power efficiency translate to increased space for science

instruments or crew, less expensive launches, and longer-lasting

spacecraft batteries.

For Artemis II, the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications

System (O2O) will send high-resolution video and images of the

lunar surface down to Earth—a stark contrast to the blurry,

grainy footage from the Apollo program. In addition, O2O will

send and receive procedures, data files, flight plans, voice

calls, and other communications, serving as a high-speed data

pipeline between the astronauts on Orion and mission control on

Earth.

O2O will beam information via lasers at up to 260 megabits per

second (Mbps) to ground optical stations in one of two NASA

locations: the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New

Mexico, or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Table Mountain

Facility in Wrightwood, California. Both locations are ideal for

their minimal cloud coverage, which can obstruct laser signals as

they enter Earth's atmosphere.

At the heart of O2O is the Lincoln Laboratory–developed Modular,

Agile, Scalable Optical Terminal (MAScOT). About the size of a

house cat, MAScOT features a 4-inch telescope mounted on a

two-axis pivoted support (gimbal), and fixed back-end optics.

The gimbal precisely points the telescope and tracks the laser

beam through which communications signals are emitted and

received, in the direction of the desired data recipient or

sender. Underneath the gimbal, in a separate assembly, are the

back-end optics, which contain light-focusing lenses, tracking

sensors, fast-steering mirrors, and other components to finely

point the laser beam.

A series of firsts

MAScOT made its debut in space as part of the laboratory's

Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) LEO

User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T), which launched to

the International Space Station (ISS) in November 2023.

After a few weeks of preliminary testing, ILLUMA-T transmitted

its first beam of laser light to NASA's LCRD satellite in

geosynchronous (GEO) orbit 22,000 miles above Earth's surface.

Achieving this critical step, known as "first light," required

precise pointing, acquisition, and tracking of laser beams

between moving spacecraft.

Over the following six months, the laboratory team performed

experiments to test and characterize the system's basic

functionality, performance, and utility for human crews and user

applications. Initially, the team checked whether the

ILLUMA-T-to-LCRD optical link was operating at the intended data

rates in both directions: 622 Mbps down and 51 Mbps up. In fact,

even higher data rates were achieved: 1.2 gigabits per second

down and 155 Mbps up.

"This first demonstration of a two-way, end-to-end laser

communications relay system, in which ILLUMA-T was the first LEO

user of LCRD, is a major milestone for NASA and other space

organizations," says Bryan Robinson, leader of the laboratory's

Optical and Quantum Communications Group. "It serves as a

precursor to optical relays at the moon and Mars."

After the relay was up and running, the team assessed how

parameters such as laser transmit power, optical wavelength, and

relative sun angles impact terminal performance. Lastly, they

contributed to several networking experiments over multiple nodes

to and from the ISS, using NASA's delay/disruption tolerant

networking protocols.

One landmark experiment streamed 4K video on a round-trip journey

from an airplane flying over Lake Erie in Ohio, to the NASA Glenn

Research Center in nearby Cleveland, to the NASA White Sands Test

Facility in New Mexico, to LCRD in GEO, to ILLUMA-T on the ISS,

and then back. In June 2024, ILLUMA-T communicated with LCRD for

the last time and powered off

"Our success with ILLUMA-T lays the foundation for streaming HD

video to and from the moon," says co-principal investigator Jade

Wang, an assistant leader of the Optical and Quantum

Communications Group. "You can imagine the Artemis astronauts

using videoconferencing to connect with physicians, coordinate

mission activities, and livestream their lunar trips.

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-communications-user-terminal-historic-moon.html

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This week's images ...

Flowers in the indoor conservancy at the Minnesota Landscape

Arboretum. https://tinyurl.com/23u95lzm ...

pic_2024-11-09_231507z.png

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Looking like a face, this image combines mid-infrared light from

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and ultraviolet and visible

light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The smaller spiral on

the left, IC 2163, passed behind NGC 2207, the larger spiral

galaxy at right. https://tinyurl.com/22xnqr33 ...

Pic:242x111C;

pic_2024-11-09_231653z.png

Migratory birds fly in the Hongze Lake Wetland National Nature

Reserve in Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, October 30.

https://tinyurl.com/22gwwyh8 ...

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Scottish photographer David Gilliver uses a light sabre and long

exposure to create effects like this "Ribbon Dance."

https://tinyurl.com/27tgh3r9

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pic_2024-11-09_232004z.png

The Stone Bridge over Bull Run, west of Washington DC, at sunrise

November 3. https://tinyurl.com/27l5tzl7 ...

pic_2024-11-09_232142z.png

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Guelder Rose berries at the Lewes Urban Arboretum in Lewes,

England. https://tinyurl.com/27oonzcx ...

pic_2024-11-09_232317z.png

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Red autumn leaves at the Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire,

England. https://tinyurl.com/2dbm366f ...

pic_2024-11-09_232448z.png

A large tree in Gaithersburg, Maryland, showing its colors.

https://tinyurl.com/29yzqom8 ..

Our painting of the week is "Murnau [Germany], Street With Women"

(1908) by Wassily Kandinsky. https://tinyurl.com/2y2mj6bf ...

pic_2024-11-09_232831z.png