When creating a home server finding a balance between cost, performance, and versatility can be a challenge, especially when it comes to setting up a home server. An Atom $300 fanless mini PC emerges as a strong contender in this space, offering a solution that is both affordable and capable of handling the demands […]
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In 2024, the landscape of creative writing has been revolutionized by the advent and integration of advanced AI technologies, with ChatGPT at the forefront. This tool, built upon the sophisticated GPT-4 architecture, has emerged as a powerful ally for writers, poets, playwrights, and other creative professionals. Its ability to generate human-like text, brainstorm ideas, and […]
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Islamic architecture, an ancient architectural tradition, is deeply grounded in the principles of Islam. It is renowned for its remarkable sculptural shapes and intricate decorative elements, making Islamic structures among the most awe-inspiring architectural marvels in the world. This distinctive design style originated in the Middle East and later expanded its influence worldwide. Islamic architecture includes various structures like palaces, fortresses, schools, fountains, tombs, public baths, and homes.
Designers: Quad Design Associates, Mohamed Makiya (Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat)
Location: Minaret on Mizwa Mosque, Oman
Minarets are impressive tall structures with internal staircases and petite openings. They not only possess a striking visual presence but also serve a vital role by issuing the call to prayer, a practice performed five times daily by Muslims.
Location: Jumeirah Mosque, UAE (courtesy of Donna Corless)
Islamic architecture incorporates the use of pendentives, which enable the placement of circular domes atop rectangular or square buildings. These pendentives are frequently adorned with intricate mosaic tiling.
Location: Ala’ Darwaza, India
Horseshoes, pointed, scalloped, and ogee arches are common in Islamic architecture.
Islamic ornamentation frequently incorporates vibrant mosaic tiles adorned with recurring geometric or floral designs, including the arabesque. It also commonly employs Arabic calligraphy scripts, such as verses from the Qur’an. Additional embellishments in Islamic design encompass wall paintings, stucco sculptures, wall panels, and ornate woodwork.
Location: Tunisia
The mashrabiya is a wooden lattice framework, employed on windows for privacy and climate regulation. It occasionally serves as a purely decorative feature or a means of partitioning interior spaces in modern contexts.
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Designer: Peter Vaulin (Saint Petersburg Mosque, Russia)
With a design reminiscent of honeycombs or stalactites, intricate muqarnas vaulting introduces a textural and single-hued element to the ceilings of interiors that are often adorned with intricate and vibrant tiles.
Location: Great Mosque of Córdoba, Spain
The Mihrab, an architectural feature, designates the direction of prayer and is often a semicircular niche within the mosque’s wall.
Location: Umayyad Mosque, Syria
Islamic ornamentation comprises geometric designs, floral patterns, and calligraphy, with influences from Roman, Greek, and Sasanian cultures emphasizing symmetry. A recurring motif in Islamic art and architecture is the eight-pointed star pattern. All Islamic decorations exhibit symmetry, typically following a spiral path from which leaves and flowers emerge.
Location: Mir-i Arab Madrassah, Uzbekistan
An Iwan is a rectangular chamber enclosed by walls on three sides and left open on one side, featuring a vaulted roof, with the entrance, known as a Pishtaq, adorned with calligraphic friezes, glazed tilework, and geometric designs, and this arched entrance typically leads into a courtyard.
Location: Taj Mahal, India (courtesy of Amos Chapple)
Islamic architectural design frequently includes gardens, enclosed inner courtyards, open spaces with columns supporting a roof and vaulted structures.
Designer: Mohammed Yasir
Islamic places of worship called mosques or “masjid” in Arabic, serve as hubs for prayer, education, and reflection. They typically feature an open courtyard for gatherings and a prominent minaret for the call to prayer.
Location: Ben Youssef Madrasa, Morocco
The madrasa is an Islamic educational institution with early variations including open and closed courtyard buildings; iwans, distinct archways, are key features, and later madrasas provided student accommodations.
Architect: Mimar Sinan
Designed by the architect Mimar Sinan, this Ottoman Mosque situated in Edrine, Turkey, is hailed as one of the paramount accomplishments in Islamic architecture. The Selimiye mosque features an innovative octagonal support structure that is formed by eight pillars within a square wall framework, along with four domes and arches extending from these pillars.
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is one of the world’s ancient surviving Islamic structures. Additionally, The Dome of the Rock was the initial Islamic edifice to incorporate a Byzantine-inspired dome, with a gilded wooden dome perched atop an octagonal foundation. It is beautified with intricate floral and geometric mosaics.
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The Alhambra is a 14th-century palace and fortress situated on an elevated plateau with a beautiful view of Granada, Spain. Although the passage of 700 years has led to the loss of some original structures, what endures is a magnificent showcase of Islamic architectural adornment. Within the Court of Lions, intricate details such as carved wood and stucco, vibrant tiles, calligraphy, and muqarnas embellish the surroundings.
Architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahori
The Taj Mahal is recognized as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It harmoniously blends Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural influences, making this extensive 17th-century mausoleum complex one of the most visited and photographed tourist destinations in the world. Its iconic central white marble tomb immediately catches the eye, while its façade showcases exquisite intricacies and exquisite details with precious inlaid stones and Arabic calligraphy.
Architect: Mimar Sinan
Suleymaniye Mosque was commissioned by the Ottoman ruler Suleyman the Magnificent between 1550 and 1557, during the peak of the Ottoman Empire and it forms one of the largest and most exquisite mosque complexes in Istanbul. Inside, the mosque features a spacious square chamber illuminated by over 100 large windows, some adorned with stained glass. Surrounding the mosque is a complex with a hospital, religious schools, shops, a mausoleum, and a bath designed by the accomplished Ottoman architect Sinan, who played an important role in shaping a unique Ottoman architectural style.
The Great Mosque of Córdoba in Spain began in the late 8th century on the site of a Christian church, built by the Umayyad ruler Abd al-Rahman I between 784 and 786. It got bigger in the 9th and 10th centuries, and one expansion added a beautifully decorated mihrab, a niche showing the direction of Mecca, set behind a fancy arch. Another striking feature of the mosque is the expansive hypostyle hall, featuring around 850 columns crafted from materials like porphyry, jasper, and marble, which support two-tier horseshoe arches.
The Great Mosque of Damascus, also referred to as the Umayyad Mosque, stands as one of the world’s largest and most ancient mosques, holding the distinction of being the fourth holiest site in Islam. It features a rectangular layout with a courtyard enclosed by four outer walls. Ever since its construction, this mosque has set the architectural precedent for congregational mosques in Syria.
The Agra Fort is a brick fort that exhibits a semicircular design, with its chord running parallel to the river and walls towering at a height of seventy feet. The architects established the base and constructed the core using bricks, while they employed sandstone for the exterior.
The Sultan Hassan Mosque stands as a college mosque distinguished by its cruciform layout, iwans, sunken porticos, grand pointed arches, and other impressive architectural features, even though it has minimal ornamentation. It features a domed entrance chamber and an intricately adorned muqarnas-adorned doorway.
Architect: Fahraddin Miralay
The Bibi-Heybat Mosque, a historic place of worship in Baku, encompasses the resting place of Ukeyma Khanum. Also recognized as the “Mosque of Fatima,” it features an intricately ornamented interior. The mosque integrates a 20-meter tall minaret, and its interior consists of a rectangular space with lancet arches.
The post What are the Characteristics of Islamic Architecture first appeared on Yanko Design.
Ford's F-150 Lightning electric pickup was one of the few models to retain the full $7,500 US tax credit for 2024, but a lot of that advantage is about to be negated. The price of 2024 models is set to rise from $49,995 to $54,995 (excluding delivery charges and incentives), while the next model up, the XLT, is going up massively by $10,000 to $64,995, according to a report from The Detroit Free Press seen by The Verge. The 2023 models will retain the same pricing.
Buyers eyeing premium versions of the F-150 Lightning are in luck, however. The Platinum model with a 300 mile EPA estimated range is dropping from $91,995 to $84,995, while the price for the Platinum Black (pictured above) is falling $5,000 to $92,995. A complete list of the changes is pictured below (excludes destination charge):
Pro (240 mile EPA-estimated range): $5,000 increase from $49,995 to $54,995
XLT 311 A (240 mile EPA-estimated range): $10,000 increase from $54,995 to $64,995
Flash (320 mile EPA-estimated range): New "tech-forward" model with 300 miles of range for $73,495
Lariat (320 mile EPA-estimated range): $2,000 increase from $77,495 to $79,495
Platinum (300 mile EPA-estimated range): $7,000 price reduction from $91,995 to $84,995
Platinum Black (300 mile EPA-estimated range): $5,000 price reduction from $97,995 to $92,995
Ford added a new model call the F-150 Lightning Flash to the lineup (above), which includes "in-demand tech capabilities" like an extended-range battery with 320-miles of EPA-estimated range, BlueCruise hands-free highway driving and a standard 15.5-inch touchscreen." However, the automaker completely dropped two models from the lineup, namely the 240-mile range Lariat and 320-mile range XLT 312. The 2024 models aren't yet available on Ford's website.
Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said that the company must cut down on the number of Lightning models to improve quality. At the same time, the changes are designed to improve "sales growth, profitability and customer access to the IRA tax benefits," a spokesperson told CNBC News. "The F-150 Lightning is America’s best-selling electric pickup after a record fourth quarter, and demand continues to grow."
While Tesla sold a record number of EVs in 2023, sales of Ford's electric offerings have been relatively weak, representing a $3.1 billion loss for the company last year. Ford was one of the few automakers that managed to retain the full $7,500 tax credit for the F-150 Lightning, though, along with Tesla (across most of its range) and Chevrolet's Bolt EUV and EV.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-is-raising-the-price-of-its-entry-level-f-150-lightning-by-5000-123521105.html?src=rss
In a move towards a more personalized and intelligent computing future, Microsoft has announced the introduction of the AI-driven Copilot key to Windows 11 PCs. This significant shift represents a new era where artificial intelligence (AI) is seamlessly integrated into the system, silicon, and hardware of these machines. Microsoft’s intention with this development is to […]
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LG has unveiled its new 2024 OLED TV lineup an the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, ands the new models come with LG’s latest AI processor and a range ofg new features and updates. Driven by a customer-centric approach, LG’s “Sync to You, Open to All” vision expresses the company’s aim to create personalized […]
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Tetris always endures. The blocks keep coming and the game itself gets reinterpreted, twisted and remade for new generations. Now, a 13-year-old boy has become the first person to ‘beat’ the NES version of Tetris, 34 years after it was first released.
Yes, ‘beat’ goes in quotes because there’s no way to complete the game. Instead, he played such a flawless game that he forced a kill screen, from an overflow error. While he’s the first person to do this, but not the first time it’s been achieved: An AI program called StackRabbit forced a kill screen with the NES Tetris back in 2021.
But hey, we got there eventually.
– Mat Smith
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Microsoft calls this "the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades" in a blog post ahead of CES 2024 in Las Vegas. The Copilot key immediately summons Microsoft's AI companion to do your bidding, and while yes it is just a key, it signifies how serious the company is taking its AI moves. The last time it tweaked the keyboard in a major way might have been the Windows key, following the introduction of the Start menu.
LG revealed its new lineup of OLED TVs, just days before CES 2024 starts. Its Signature OLED M4 and OLED G4 TVs will have an updated AI processor that offers four times the performance of last year’s models. The refresh rates have also been improved. Last year’s models capped out at 120Hz, but both the M4 and G4 will now hit refresh rates of up to 144Hz. Marginal? Yes. But better? Yes. Expect the prices to appear closer to going on sale.
After an Indiegogo campaign amassed over $800,000 in funding, GE Appliances is bringing its indoor smoker to consumers nationwide – before CES even started. While the design has been updated since it first appeared, it’s still the same thing: a countertop device for all your BBQ smoking needs. I’m British and don’t understand good BBQ, so please read on for Billy Steele’s explanation – he knows what he’s talking about.
Is there a video game character Black won’t play?
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-someone-finally-beat-nes-tetris-121503520.html?src=rss
In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, a new framework is enhancing the way we create and interact with chatbots and AI assistants. This innovative tool, known as the Semantic Router, is reshaping our expectations of digital conversations by offering a level of understanding and response accuracy that was previously unattainable. James Briggs explains […]
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Since the roll-out of ChatGPT early last year there have been many different ways to write prompts to get the most from your AI. However as artificial intelligence (AI) advances new methods of prompt writing our discovered. In the world of creative writing, a new prompt system has emerged that is transforming the way writers […]
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing, and as we look towards 2024, it’s clear that these developments will significantly influence our daily lives. The progress in AI is not just a matter of more sophisticated gadgets and software; it’s about creating a world where our interactions with technology are more natural and efficient. The upcoming […]
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