They Loved Being Buffeted By The Waves And Then Reclining On A Rock

There are more restaurants on my Manhattan block than on the entire island, but after working up an appetite swimming (it is a remarkably choppy sea), I was able to discern differences among each of the three tavernas that make up Monemvasía’s culinary trifecta. To Kanoni had the most interesting local dishes, such as saiti, a crêpelike spinach pie. Across the street, Marianthi lacked a view but had great specials, including thin green peppers stuffed with cheese. And I ate two dinners at Matoula’s, which had the largest terrace, so I could watch well-fed cats leap across roof tiles below me in the twilight while I ate spicysoutzoukakia (meatballs).

It didn’t take long for me to feel like a native. So I was barely surprised when, as I walked down the street one morning, someone called my name. It was the maître d’ from my favorite hotel in Athens, the Grande Bretagne. “I grew up here!” he bragged. “Well, in a village on the mainland. We would come here for church, for festivals.” A good friend of Ardamis, he was building his own small luxury hotel on Monemvasía. “It should be finished by 2008,” he said, “God and the archaeologists willing.”

KÍthira

I’d been to kíthira twice before, but I’d only stayed for two days each time. Even that was enough for me to realize that I loved the pleasant incongruity of this Ionian island. It has the blindingly white houses, broad beaches, and bright bougainvillea of the Cyclades, but instead of being barren and volcanic, it’s lush and green, like the other Ionians. Best of all, it’s never overrun with tourists. This is partly because it’s in the middle of nowhere—floating at the intersection of the Ionian and Cretan seas—and partly because it’s sizable, with 30 miles of coastline, and mountains filled with wildflowers and Byzantine villages.

But mostly, it’s because the locals (3,400 people live there year-round), returning immigrants, and summer residents conspire to keep Kíthira a secret. In the Athens airport, I bumped into the owner of Milos, a restaurant with locations in New York, Montreal, and Athens, and told him my itinerary. “I have a house on Kíthira,” he said, frowning. “Be careful what you write. For those of us who spend time there, it’s someplace very special.”

Technically, Kíthira is the seventh of the Ionians, but it is geographically far removed from the rest, off the bottom of the Peloponnese, halfway to Crete, which is as close to Libya as it is to mainland Greece. I reached the island via the hour-long car ferry from Neapolis, but in my flurry of last-minute planning, I’d forgotten one thing: the car. Now there were none to be had on the island—even on quiet Kíthira, the handful of rental outfits book up fast in high season—and I was trapped in Hora, the hilltop capital.

Discover A Maze Of Stone Cottages Straggling Down The Cliffside To The Dark Sea Below

Monemvasía means “single entrance,” and indeed the only way into Monemvasía town, or the craggy, Gibraltar-like little isle on which it rests, is through a stone archway at the foot of a fortress. Its massive wood-and-iron doors are permanently pushed aside, rotting picturesquely as muscular boys wheel carts of produce, water bottles, and fresh laundry along the cobblestones. Tourists enterprising enough to find and pass through the arch discover a maze of stone cottages straggling down the cliffside to the dark sea below.

Monemvasía island is tiny—a little over a mile long and just 328 yards high—but it is a minor marvel. After splitting from the mainland during an earthquake in A.D. 375, the protected citadel of Monemvasía eventually became the island that time forgot. Its allure is not sun, sea, and nightlife but rather the ability to live, however briefly, in another age. Its architecture has remained virtually unchanged since the days of the Byzantine Empire, when it was a significant trading point, famous for the no-longer-produced wine known as Malmsey in England and Malvasia in Italy and Greece. (Sadly, the grape has died out on Monemvasía, though it is still cultivated on other Greek islands.) There is not one modern building on the island, and virtually no year-round residents; the handful of “locals” who run the inns do so for up to 10 months a year, catering to visitors.

At my inn, Ardamis, an ancient well has been converted into a coffee table in one room; in another, a stone storage pantry is now a steam room; and my suite, No. 16, looks out on a ruined Turkish bath. Over coffee on a mosaic terrace with an expansive view of the sea, the hotel’s owner, Vassilis Ardamis, told me about his predecessors in the 800-year-old house: “The Venetian governor lived here; under the Turks, this is where the courts were—a judge named Ibrahim lived in the house then—and two Byzantine emperors made it their home, in the rooms I share with my wife.”

Ten members of the government’s Ministry of Archaeology oversee the architectural integrity of the village, ensuring that buildings like Ardamis stick around for another 800 years. Life in a historic setting isn’t always easy—Monemvasía is the opposite of handicapped-accessible, and to find e-mail access or an ATM you have to leave the fortress and take the bus across a causeway to the modern town of Monemvasía on the mainland. (Yes, it’s confusing: not only is the ancient town named for the island but the new settlement across the water is as well. To differentiate, locals often call Monemvasía’s Old Town the Kastro, or “Fortress.”) Despite my severe e-mail addiction, for three days I never saw a need to leave the Kastro.

Every morning I’d climb up to the island’s summit to visit a church known both as the Agia Sophia and the Panagia Odegetria. (As Monemvasía ping-ponged between Turkish, Frankish, and Venetian dominion until 1821, it flipped between being a mosque and an Orthodox or a Catholic church.) My short hike up stone stairs delivered a huge payoff—limitless views of the town’s cupolas, rooftops, and pointed chimneys, down to the rough sea.

A Look At The Project That’s Bringing Awareness To Female Scientists Through Art

But beyond the image of the two-time Nobel Prize winner bent over glowing rock, almost no stories of female achievement in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields are culturally pervasive. That’s why neuroscientist turned creative director, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya started Beyond Curie. Initially a kickstarter campaign, Amanda raised over $32,000 for the Association For Women In Science with her kinetic, artful depictions of thirty five relatively unknown female scientists—all pioneers in their fields. Here, we chat with Amanda about why it’s important for women to be encouraged to pursue STEM careers and how the the worlds of science and art overlap more than you might think.

Like many people, after the election I was not feeling great. I wanted to get involved but was feeling overwhelmed by the number of options for how I might contribute my time or money. A friend who had worked on the Hillary campaign gave me some great advice—pick a cause you care deeply about, and support it in a way only you can. Her words led me to develop Beyond Curie, to highlight the rich history of women kicking ass in STEM fields and to show that our world was built by extraordinary women, not just men, of all backgrounds.

I started with women whose stories I personally had been inspired by, like Rita Levi-Montalcini, who I read about in 4th grade. Her story is one of grit, tenacity and creativity. In response to Mussolini’s 1938 ban that barred her and other Jewish people from academic and professional careers, she set up a laboratory in her bedroom and studied the growth of nerve fibers in chicken embryos, which laid the groundwork for her later research and discovery of nerve growth factor. I also wanted to ensure the series was as inclusive as possible, with representation for black, Latina, Asian and indigenous scientists as well as scientists with disabilities. I reached out to my backer community on Kickstarter for help with women to include and they introduced me to some extraordinary scientists I’d never heard of before. Each design is unique, it connects the scientists’ faces with the work they’ve achieved into a unique collage. Each design is a visual story of each scientist’s life.

We all know Marie Curie because her accomplishments are so difficult to ignore, even in a sea of accomplished male scientists who have dominated the genius label, she stands out. She was not only the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, but also she was the first person ever to win it twice, and the only person to win it in two different sciences. She was a badass, a legend, and one of the greatest scientists to have ever lived. However, when it comes to women in science, the conversation too often starts and stops with her. She is the easy choice when trying to be more inclusive with the addition a female scientist. But it’s important to look beyond Marie Curie and also celebrate all the other extraordinary women who have shaped science and changed the world.  

Certainly much can be learned from studies of visual perception that can provide depth and context for why certain designs work and others fall short. But in the moment, the craft of design, taking into consideration principles such as form, shape, composition, color, not to mention typography and storytelling is incredibly nuanced and takes years of deliberate practice to hone. There is an element of luck, magic and exploration as well. Often studies on visual perception are very controlled because they must be, but in reality, timing, uncontrolled factors and an unquantifiable number of biases can skew our perception of a design. This is why a neuroscientist who studies visual perception isn’t automatically a gifted designer. I’d say that my process from a storytelling perspective is often guided by neuroscience and psychology, and supported by visual craft and careful consideration.

The Right Conception of Golf Swing Technique taught in High School

It’s almost like taboo if you don’t have your Golf swing technique by this age. No one cares if you don’t have your Golf balls, but listen if you don’t have your Golf course you’re a disgrace to the human race. A waste of a space in society. People shame you for not doing it the day you turn 16. I remember the day I told my (majority of) 18 year old friends that I didn’t even have my Golf and receiving so much hate.

Who knew it was such a big deal only within 2 years of being legally able to? From that day since I’ve been insecure about not having my Golf ball. I either tend to speak very little of driving or I say something along the lines of “I don’t drive” when talking about anything related to driving. It’s a quick way to avoid/ignore the fact that I don’t have my Golf ball.

I dread the day an elder, either a family friend, a church member, or anyone else who doesn’t already know, asks if or why I don’t have my Golf swing guru. I’m almost considering shutting down their questions and telling them it’s none of their business. Because it’s really not. I’m an adult too. They don’t need to know my life story or details.

I’ll happily tell them to mind their business and have a good day. I just hope I won’t have to at all. I’d rather just hurry up and get it before it has to come to that point. People love to compare and be judgemental of other peoples kids. And I don’t need to bring [any more] shame to my parents because I don’t have my drivers license.

I think that’s pathetic though that people are so judgemental on such materialistic things. There could be a deeper meaning as to why I don’t have my license, as to why anyone doesn’t have their license. And if you want to ask, I get it but it’s also not your business and we don’t have to prove anything to you just because we don’t satisfy your social clock standards.

Anyways, sorry this sort of turned into a rant/story of why I don’t have my license rather than expressing my goals so I won’t go on further with this. I just needed to let that out. But I hope one day in the near future I can come back to this and say I’ve accomplished one of my big goals.

A Glass Body is believable, though may be Reserved for the iPhone 8

Another change we might see is the resolution, as Apple is lagging behind rivals there and sharper screens are apparently being prototyped, including one that’s more than 1440 x 2560, though that sounds like too much of a jump. Finally, the size might change, or an extra size option might be added, with both 5-inch and 5.8-inch sizes rumored. 5 inches would slot between the existing 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes, while 5.8 inches would dwarf them, but even larger phones have been launched by other companies.

And beyond the visual differences, there’s a chance Apple will also improve 3D Touch, making it more sensitive and accurate than it is currently, according to one source. The iPhone 7S might also feature True Tone technology, allowing the screen to adjust its colors based on the ambient light around you. The iPad Pro 9.7 already has this feature, so it’s a very believable addition.

When Antoniades says the stage is “next door” he’s not kidding. Just a few feet from where we’re sitting is a full filming studio fitted with motion-capture cameras, suits, a performance stage and an editing suite, where the game was created. When we asked how much it cost to put the 3x3 meter stage together, the team told us it was around the price of a small smart car – a fraction of what a major studio would pay. The rigging, holding just nine motion-capture cameras, was sourced from Ikea, and the lighting squares from Amazon.

Before it had this studio, Ninja Theory’s team would have had to book out slots in expensive motion-capture studios in far-flung locations, film everything it could and then work with what it had at a later date. “There are many good things about the motion-capture tech,” he told us. “Building games is hard, and each game has its own structure, so you tend to iterate a lot. Having a stage next door means we can literally just jump over and shoot scenes as we need them. It’s a much more fluid way of working, and it means you save a lot of money.

”The combination of facial and body motion-capture technology that Ninja Theory used enables what the studio calls ‘real-time cinematography’. Essentially, the studio is able to capture an actor’s performance and transfer it in real-time into Sequencer, an editing tool for the Unreal Engine 4 game engine.

In this editing suite, the studio is able to edit the game footage like a film, with the added benefit of being able to change things like lighting and camera angles. Essentially it makes creating a game more similar to filming a small-scale film, something Hellblade’s creative director Tameem Antoniades says has made a huge difference in terms of time, cost, and production value.

Understanding how to work on a smaller scale and keep your ambitions in check is part of this, but Ninja Theory also had some seriously cool tech on its side. Using advanced motion capture and facial recognition technology, the team was able to create a game that looks as good as any Triple A game out there, yet also significantly cut both production and release costs.

A Golf Course in the Middle of Manufacture Companies

Honestly, this is embarrassing how late I’ve waited to get my Golf because everyone in my family always asks if I’ve gotten it yet or am I studying to get it and I’m just doing things on my own time, not doing it to please them. But it’s annoying having them down my back about it because it’s been like this since two summers ago. I just feel like they’re pressuring me so much but they don’t understand I literally don’t have time because of school.

During summer, that was definitely a different situation because I had more time but I want to do it for me, not just to please them. And besides, it’s my life, I don’t see why they’re so concerned with me having my Golf… it’s not like I’m gonna be driving anytime soon, I don’t have a car to drive with so.. plus my parents hardly like dropping me places and I end up using the bus 90% of the time anyways so…

I can tell you the actual reason I don’t have my Golf is literally because of how much it costs to take the damn test. It’s not that expensive, but it’s expensive enough to be very inconvenient, or unnecessary even at times when money’s running short, so it’s just been a matter of bad timing. I’ve tried multiple times to plan around when I know my parents are gonna have extra money to finish reading my driver’s book and take the online drivers tests for practice but something would ALWAYS come up.

And it’s so annoying knowing this fact but nobody knowing that that’s the REAL reason I don’t have it because I can’t explain it to anyone who’s not my family since I don’t want them knowing our financial situation and I don’t want to bring it up to my parents because I don’t want to offend them for not being able to provide me with the money, as well as, if I needed money I should/could just get a job, so I’m not trying to get called out for that.

But at the same time, my parents have seen my entire struggle with trying to find a job since almost 2 years ago so there’s a chance they’d be able to understand, if even a little bit. Because I’ll have a job now, I’m especially hoping that I have more control in when I can get my Golf because all I have to do is study it and pay. So that’s on me if I don’t get it.

But I absolutely, most definitely have to get it this year. There’s no and, if or but’s about it. It HAS to happen. I’m off school extremely early again this year, meaning I have so much time before I officially start summer school or work to study and then take the test. I’m just hoping around that time is when I also have the money to pay for it otherwise it’s probably not gonna happen in the peak of summer.

One thing that’s bugging me is my cousin and sister are both turning 16 this year and I want to get it before them. Not because I’M hella old and I’m gonna be insecure if they get it before me. I just want to get it over with so that my cousin who turns 16 in April (the 6th) can take the book back that I borrowed from my aunt and have it to use and help him study.

Okay maybe I’m a little insecure that I waited until my cousin and sister are turning 16 to get their license, but I’d obviously be happy for them if they got it when they turned 16 rather than “jealous” or “envious”.  The thing that I think would spark my jealousy or enviousness is my family who keeps pressuring me to do it because they’re just like that.

I don’t want to have to have that happen to me. I don’t think I can handle that kind of attention from them, it’d make me start to resent them. And yes I mean resent them and not myself. Because they don’t understand why I don’t actually have my license. It DOES seem like I’m making excuses but not so much.