#helical

"Helical Stepwell"

A 1,000-year-old helical stepwell with 8 entries is located in Walur Village, Selu Taluka, in the Parbhani District of Maharashtra, India.

This unique "Helical Stepwell" features spiral steps from 8 sides leading to the well shaft and 8 Devakoshta (niches) above the steps.

Recently, the locals of Walur Village undertook a massive cleanliness drive to restore the stepwell to its former glory. They removed the rubbish and debris that had accumulated over the years, revealing the intricate design and historical significance of this ancient structure.

Turbo Moka, designed by Matteo Frontini !

Originally invented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti and Luigi De Ponti. While maintaining the recognizable form and function of the classic design, the project introduces significant technical and material innovations aimed at improving energy efficiency and performance.

At the core of Turbo Moka’s redesign is its helical spiral base, inspired by aircraft turbine geometry. Engineered according to principles of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, the spiral structure increases the surface area in contact with the flame by 93% compared to a traditional moka pot.

This enhancement allows for greater heat capture and more uniform energy distribution during coffee brewing. 

The configuration also prolongs the contact time between the flame and the boiler, improving thermal efficiency and reducing energy consumption by up to 50%.

As a result of these refinements, Turbo Moka can brew coffee in approximately half the time of a traditional model while using about 30% less energy.

 H-el-ical// 1st Album “解放区/Kaihōku” NOW AVAILABLE

【Release】 1st album “解放区/Kaihōku” Release date: June 29, 2022

It’s past midnight in Japan so you can now purchase and stream Hikaru’s 1st full album in digital format on various Japanese sites (mora, OTOTOY, etc) and streaming platforms (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, etc).

Please be sure to ❗SUPPORT HIKARU❗ in any way you can (especially if you have not ordered a physical copy of the single)!

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BUY it on mora (TUTORIAL here)

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BUY it on Ototoy (VPN proxy required)

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BUY it in your local iTunes store!

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My initial thoughts: Finally I got to listen to the new songs. My initial reaction to the teasers was more or less accurate, nothing big changed about my opinion.

I adore that she sprinkles some lovely short deep and high notes throughout 螺旋の繭 (Rasen no Mayu). Particularly fond of her “ima” in the chorus. It’s a solid track with pretty nice lyrics (albeit not Hikaru’s) but overall it's probably not among my favourites out of her five new songs, mostly because the style is just not my cup of tea. it sounds like a generic anisong or something. I can totally see myself being into it though when I am in the right mood. Ambient Border has such a nice dramatic flair, I am absolutely in love with the chorus, it’s SO GOOD and the bridge/ending is pretty epic The verses are just meh but I don’t care, this is an instant favourite. Hopefully we’ll get a broadcast for this play as well because I definitely wanna experience the song as part of the story. I am not sure what to think of イエスノウ (YES-NO) yet . It is quite a lot of fun and as far as weird experimental styles go, I much prefer this to let’s say, IMPOSSIBLE LOVE... カナシイケダモノ (KANASHII KEDAMONO) is not as similar to GIRA-GIRA as I had thought/feared, there are hints in the chorus of course but it’s distinct enough not to be a cheap copy. Very, very enjoyable and incredibly refreshing, Hikaru’s voice had maybe a little more oomph(?) in GIRA-GIRA but I think I still like KANASHII KEDAMONO a lot more, simply because she does some cool stuff with her voice and it is her own song and not just a cover. Wish she had been in charge of the lyrics (I actually like them quite a bit). かわいそうだよ (Kawaisou da yo) literally killed me! I am smitten. I am obsessed!! This is 100% my type of song. Might be one of my all-time favourite Hikaru songs to be honest. I need to hear this live NOW! I am gonna be so sad if she ends up singing it during all the upcoming events that I cannot attend T_T

Helical shapes

Fluid dynamics archetype,

"Cadenza staircase"

NEST building’s STEP2 unit in Dübendorf, Switzerland,

Created by ETH Zurich and ROK Architects,

It reimagines concrete construction with 3D-printed formwork and dry-joint assembly, this helical staircase comprises 16 prefabricated steps, each connected without permanent binding materials, allowing for easy disassembly and reuse.