Author Archives: cosmopolitanscum

About cosmopolitanscum

Journalist, writer, commentator, blogging about architecture, urbanism and design from a humanist perspective.

Squarepusher and the Geometry of Sound

Posted on September 21, 2012

In one of Arup’s London offices is an array of speakers designed to help architects and acoustic engineers hear how the designs of their spaces will sound when complete. It’s called an ambisonic array. Virtual sound models for proposed concert … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Engineering, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Avante Arduino

Posted on September 20, 2012

What’s the greatest piece of design to come out of Italy in the last decade? The Branca chair by Mattiazzi? Something by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso? It was the Arduino, a simple microcontroller board, named according to the Wall Street … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Engineering, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Endless Interruptions

Posted on September 17, 2012

Designer Sam Bernier’s starting point is the ultimate contemporary dilemna. “After finishing the content of a mason jar… I always clean it and keep it for later use. I quickly realised that I had almost no opportunities to actually reuse … Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Printing, Design, Engineering | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Airport Guy

Posted on September 12, 2012

The all-to brief appointment of Daniel Moylan as chairman of the London Legacy Development Company marks a sea-change in the development landscape in London. His departure, after just 7 weeks, marks the end of an 8 year period during which … Continue reading →

Posted in Engineering, Urbanism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Flags and People: Olympic Boxing Semi-Finals

Posted on August 11, 2012
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“To the traditional sounds of an English summer…”

Posted on July 30, 2012

After the first weekend of the Games, it’s already becoming clear that the relationship between the city and the event is working well. This is partly because half the population of the British capital has apparently been scared into going … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Nothing Will Be Restrained

Posted on July 27, 2012

This short film essay looks at how man has built and talked about elemental architecture forms since the Tower of Babel. It takes the viewer inside the ArcelorMittal Orbit for the first time as well as placing it in historical … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Architecture, Engineering | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Poor Wee Wenlock

Posted on July 17, 2012

Some people saw it as symbol of a military state’s collusion with the corrupt forces of international sport. To me it looked very much like a penis dressed as a policeman. When I read in this Guardian article that the … Continue reading →

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An End to Psychogeography.

Posted on June 23, 2012

Having written a short book analysing the architecture and urban plan of the Olympics,  I’d like to address some of the other criticism about the Olympic development.  I have taken issue with Iain Sinclair on this blog before, not just … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

At Home With Jimmy Carter and Don DeLillo

Posted on April 25, 2012

I read White Noise recently and noticed by chance that Picador have bizarrely just published a 40th anniversary edition of Don DeLillo’s book, although it was first published in 1985. Perhaps it is the accumulated prescience of the book that … Continue reading →

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