Mosul school: …Decorative Arts, Paris), attributed to Dāʾūd ibn Salamah of Mosul, is bronze with silver inlay. It displays the familiar medallions but is also engraved with scenes showing Christ as a child. Rows of standing figures, probably saints, decorate the base. The background is decorated with typically Islamic vine scrolls and…

Battle of Tukaroi: …Akbar under Munʿīm Khan and Dāʾūd Khan, the Afghan sultan of Bengal. The battle, which took place at a village between Midnapore and Jalesar in western Bengal, was decisive in scattering the Bengali army. The conquest of Bengal, which had been independent from Delhi since about 1338–39, was completed by…

Iraq: The revolution of 1968: …head of military intelligence, Colonel Ibrāhīm ʿAbd al-Raḥman al-Dāʾūd, chief of the Republican Guard, Colonel Saʿdūn Ghaydān, and Colonel Hammād Shihāb. The first two agreed to cooperate on condition that al-Nāyif be the new premier and al-Dāʾūd the minister of defense. Shihāb agreed to help on the condition that ʿĀrif…

Iraq: Political process: …two Shiʿi religious parties: the Islamic Daʿwah Party and the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (known since 2007 as the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq). Another group, the Iraqi National Congress, received strong, albeit intermittent, support from the U.S. government during the 1990s. All operated outside Iraq…

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), transnational jihad movement that has orchestrated or inspired numerous terrorist attacks around the world, including the Paris attacks of 2015, the Brussels bombings of 2016, the Orlando shooting of 2016, and the New Orleans attack of 2025. The organization

Iraq: Political process: …two Shiʿi religious parties: the Islamic Daʿwah Party and the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (known since 2007 as the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq). Another group, the Iraqi National Congress, received strong, albeit intermittent, support from the U.S. government during the 1990s. All operated outside Iraq…

Kuwait: Iran-Iraq War: …underground pro-Iranian Iraqi radical group al-Daʿwah attempted to assassinate the Kuwaiti ruler, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

decibel (dB), unit for expressing the ratio between two physical quantities, usually amounts of acoustic or electric power, or for measuring the relative loudness of sounds. One decibel (0.1 bel) equals 10 times the common logarithm of the power ratio. Expressed as a formula, the intensity of a

dubnium (Db), an artificially produced radioactive transuranium element in Group Vb of the periodic table, atomic number 105. The discovery of dubnium (element 105), like that of rutherfordium (element 104), has been a matter of dispute between Soviet and American scientists. The Soviets may have

Libya: Turkish intervention, retreat of Tobruk government, and renewed attempt at unity: …the representatives elected prominent businessman Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to serve as prime minister. A presidential council was also elected. It was headed by GNA diplomat Mohamed al-Menfi and included a member of Tobruk’s House of Representatives. The proposed government was approved in early March by a joint session of the…

database management system (DBMS), system for quick search and retrieval of information from a database. The DBMS determines how data are stored and retrieved. It must address problems such as security, accuracy, consistency among different records, response time, and memory requirements. These

water purification: Pretreatment: …result in the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), such as trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, chlorite, and bromate. Exposure to DBPs in drinking water can lead to health issues. Worries stem from the practice’s possible association with stomach and bladder cancer and the hazards of releasing chlorine into the

deep brain stimulation (DBS), surgical procedure in which an electrode is implanted into a specific area of the brain in order to alleviate symptoms of chronic pain and of movement disorders caused by neurological disease. DBS is used primarily to treat patients affected by dystonia, essential

television: Direct broadcast satellite television: Communications satellites located in geostationary orbit about the Earth are used to send television signals directly to the homes of viewers—a form of transmission called direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television. Transmission occurs in the Ku band, located around 12 gigahertz (12…

dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), in psychotherapy, a type of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) that emphasizes the acceptance of all feelings and behaviours while at the same time attempting to change some of those behaviours. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) was developed in the 1980s by

Dbus-Gtsang, one of three historical regions of Central Asia (the other two being A-mdo and Khams) into which Tibet was once divided. Dbus and Gtsang were provinces in the days of the early kings of central Tibet (c. 7th century ce). The area of Dbus encompassed the Skyid-chu valley system in which

Lesotho: Challenges in the 21st century: …the party and establishing the Democratic Congress (DC), which then became the ruling party. When parliamentary elections were held later that year in May, the DC won more seats than any one party, but it did not win an outright majority and was unable to form a governing coalition. A…

Italian Popular Party, former centrist Italian political party whose several factions were united by their Roman Catholicism and anticommunism. They advocated programs ranging from social reform to the defense of free enterprise. The DC usually dominated Italian politics from World War II until the

direct current, flow of electric charge that does not change direction. Direct current is produced by batteries, fuel cells, rectifiers, and generators with commutators. Direct current was supplanted by alternating current (AC) for common commercial power in the late 1880s because it was then

DC Comics, American media and entertainment company whose iconic comic-based properties represented some of the most enduring and recognizable characters in 20th- and 21st-century popular culture. Its parent company, DC Entertainment, is a wholly owned subsidiary of WarnerMedia. Its headquarters

electricity: Bioelectric effects: These dc potentials occur in the following cases: in areas where cells have been damaged and where ionized potassium is leaking (as much as 50 millivolts); when one part of the brain is compared with another part (up to one millivolt); when different areas of the…

Boeing Company: McDonnell Douglas Corporation: …several notable aircraft, including the DC-10 (first flown in 1970) for its commercial customers and the F-15 Eagle fighter (1972) and F/A-18 Hornet fighter (1978) for the military. In 1984 McDonnell Douglas expanded its helicopter activities by purchasing Hughes Helicopters, Inc., from the estate of the American aviation manufacturer Howard…

history of flight: From airmail to airlines in the United States: The DC-2, with an advanced NACA cowling, refined streamlining, and other improvements, mounted Wright Cyclone engines and carried 14 passengers, surpassing the Boeing 247 in every way. Significantly, leading European airlines such as KLM acquired the new Douglas transport, beginning a trend for European operators to…

DC-3, transport aircraft, the world’s first successful commercial airliner, readily adapted to military use during World War II. The DC-3, first flown in 1935, was a low-wing twin-engine monoplane that in various conformations could seat 21 or 28 passengers or carry 6,000 pounds (2,725 kg) of

William Patterson: develop the DC-4, the first airliner equipped solely for passengers. After retiring as president in 1963, Patterson was elected chairman of the board. He held the position until 1966, when he was named director emeritus and honorary chairman of both United Airlines and its parent company, UAL…

McDonnell Douglas Corporation: …most advanced piston-engined airliner, the DC-7, whose range made possible nonstop coast-to-coast service. With the development of commercial jets, however, Douglas began to lag behind Boeing. It was because of its deteriorating financial condition in the 1960s that it sought a merger with McDonnell.

history of flight: Postwar airlines: …appeared in 1956–57 as the DC-7C, known as the “Seven Seas,” which was capable of nonstop transatlantic flights in either direction, and the Lockheed 1649A Starliner, which could fly nonstop on polar routes from Los Angeles to Europe. The Starliner carried 75 passengers at speeds of 350 to 400 miles…

Boeing 707: …however, it also ordered 25 Douglas DC-8s, a similar jet airliner being developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which already supplied airlines with most of their piston-engine passenger planes. However, the Boeing 707 was faster than the DC-8, and Boeing was willing to customize the aircraft to meet its customers’…

Boeing Company: McDonnell Douglas Corporation: …Douglas first flew its twin-engine DC-9 short-haul commercial jetliner, which became the company’s most successful transport since the DC-3.

carboxylic acid: Conversion to acid derivatives: …amide, the most important being dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC):

digital sound recording: …1990s saw the introduction of digital compact cassette (DCC) recorders, which were similar to DAT recorders but could play the older analog tape cassettes in addition to similarly shaped digital cassettes. See also sound recording.

Rahm Emanuel: …was named head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee the following year. In that role it was his job to identify vulnerable Republican candidates, recruit suitable Democratic contenders, and secure financing to make the races competitive. The 2006 midterm elections saw the Democrats pick up 30 congressional seats and secure…

neurodiversity: Kinds of neurodiversity: Dyspraxia, sometimes called developmental coordination disorder (DCD), is a neurodevelopmental difficulty with movement and coordination. Many other conditions are sometimes included under the neurodivergent umbrella.

intelligence: The United States: The director of central intelligence (DCI) plays two distinct roles as both head of the CIA and a leading adviser to the president on intelligence matters relating to national security. The powers vested in the office of the DCI have increased over the years.

Carnivore, controversial software surveillance system that was developed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which used the system to search the e-mail and other Internet activity of identified criminal suspects during investigations circa 2000–02. The system—which some claim became

endangered species: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: …and abundant after careful assessment Data Deficient (DD), a condition applied to species in which the amount of available data related to its risk of extinction is lacking in some way. Consequently, a complete assessment cannot be performed. Thus, unlike the other categories in this list, this category does not…

Sherman tank: …famous variation was the “Duplex Drive,” or DD, tank, a Sherman equipped with extendable and collapsible skirts that made it buoyant enough to be launched from a landing craft and make its way to shore under propeller power. The M4 also was transformed into the M32 Tank Recovery vehicle…

Hywel Dda was a chieftain called in the prologues to the Welsh lawbooks “king of all Wales.” This epithet was indeed appropriate for Hywel, particularly during the last years of his reign. Hywel became ruler of Seisyllwg (roughly the area of Dyfed and the Towy Valley) jointly with his brother

Hywel Dda was a chieftain called in the prologues to the Welsh lawbooks “king of all Wales.” This epithet was indeed appropriate for Hywel, particularly during the last years of his reign. Hywel became ruler of Seisyllwg (roughly the area of Dyfed and the Towy Valley) jointly with his brother

cyberwar: Attacks in cyberspace: Other cyberweapons include distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks, in which attackers, using malware, hijack a large number of computers to create so-called botnets, groups of “zombie” computers that then attack other targeted computers, preventing their proper function. This method was used in cyberattacks against Estonia in April and May…

East Germany, former country (1949–90) that constitutes the northeastern section of present-day

leprosy: History: Diaminodiphenyl sulfone, or DDS, was synthesized in Germany in 1908, but it was not until the 1930s that researchers began to investigate its possible antibacterial properties. In 1941 doctors at Carville began to test a derivative of the compound, called promin, on patients. Promin had…

DDT, a synthetic insecticide that belongs to the family of organic halogen compounds and is highly toxic toward a wide variety of insects as a contact poison that apparently exerts its effects by disorganizing the nervous system. DDT, prepared by the reaction of chloral with chlorobenzene in the

feed: Determination: …energy needed are measured as digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME), net energy (NE), or total digestible nutrients (TDN). These values differ with species. The gross energy (GE) value of a feed is the amount of heat liberated when it is burned in a bomb calorimeter. The drawback of using…

de, in Chinese philosophy, the inner moral power through which a person may positively influence others. Although the term is often translated in English as “virtue,” de is not simply a desirable human trait or quality, such as goodness. The term is etymologically linked to and homophonous with the

Mariano Azuela: …work, Los de abajo (1916; The Under Dogs), depicting the futility of the revolution, was written at the campfire during forced marches while he served as an army doctor with Pancho Villa in 1915. Forced to flee across the border to El Paso, Texas, he first published the novel as…

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus: De administrando imperio, a handbook of foreign politics, is perhaps his most valuable work, a storehouse of information on Slavic and Turkic peoples about whom little else is known except through archaeology.

Procopius: The Buildings contains an account of the chief public works undertaken during the reign of Justinian down to 560. If not written at the command of Justinian (as some have supposed), it is evidently grounded on official information and is a valuable source of information.

François Viète: …the theory of equations is De aequationum recognitione et emendatione (1615; “Concerning the Recognition and Emendation of Equations”), in which he presented methods for solving equations of second, third, and fourth degree. He knew the connection between the positive roots of an equation (which, in his time, were thought of…

bioclimatology: …ago in his treatise on Air, Waters, and Places, the science of bioclimatology is relatively new. It developed into a significant field of study during the 1960s owing largely to a growing concern over the deteriorating environment.

agrarianism: Greek and Roman roots: …in his only surviving work, De agri cultura (On Farming), defended the honour of farming, offering moral prescription and wisdom alongside advice on the tilling and managing of land. The Roman poet Virgil’s highly praised Georgics, written in the last century bce and influenced by Hesiod, expresses a love for…

Hucbald: De alia musica deals with a notational system called daseian notation. Although it never became generally accepted, it was an early attempt to show exact pitch in musical notation; it used symbols showing 18 specific pitches and placed the words to be sung in a…

Edmondo De Amicis was a novelist, short-story writer, poet, and author of popular travel books and children’s stories. Educated at the military academy at Modena, De Amicis was commissioned in the artillery. He wrote many sketches of military life for the army journal L’Italia militare and became

Isabel Allende: …amor y de sombra (1984; Of Love and Shadows; film 1994), Eva Luna (1987), and El plan infinito (1991; The Infinite Plan) and the collection of stories Cuentos de Eva Luna (1990; The Stories of Eva Luna). All are examples of magic realism, in which realistic fiction is

Giovanni Pontano: …flavour, and a collection called De amore coniugali, a warm and personal series of poems on the joys and sorrows of family life. Pontano wrote Latin as if it were his native tongue, with unusual flexibility, smoothness, and humour.

Torbern Olof Bergman: His De Analysi Aquarum (1778; “On Water Analysis”) is the first comprehensive account of the analysis of mineral waters.

Newton and Infinite Series: …De Methodis and the manuscript De Analysi per Aequationes Numero Terminorum Infinitas (1669; “On Analysis by Equations with an Infinite Number of Terms”), which he was stung into writing after his logarithmic series was rediscovered and published by Nicolaus Mercator. Newton never finished the De Methodis, and, despite the enthusiasm…

John De Andrea is an American Super-realist sculptor known for his detailed life-size female nudes depicted in naturalistic poses. He is associated with the Photo-realist and Verist art movements. De Andrea began studying art at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned a B.F.A. in

Domingo Gundisalvo: Two of his works, De anima (“On the Soul”) and De immortalitate animae (“On the Immortality of the Soul”), suggest the Neoplatonic argument for the soul’s natural immortality that markedly influenced later Scholastic philosophers—e.g., Bonaventure and Albertus Magnus—at the University of Paris.

Aristotle: The Academy: His dialogue Eudemus, for example, reflects the Platonic view of the soul as imprisoned in the body and as capable of a happier life only when the body has been left behind. According to Aristotle, the dead are more blessed and happier than the living, and to…

George Engelmann: His illustrated thesis, De Antholysi Prodromus, was an important study of the morphology of monstrosities. He went to the United States in 1833, and in 1835 he settled in St. Louis, where he became a leading physician. Continuing his studies in biology, he pointed out the adaptation of…

Giambattista Vico: Early life and career: …of Vico’s great metaphysical essay De Antiquissima Italorum Sapientia (“On the Ancient Wisdom of the Italians”), which was a refutation of the Rationalistic system of Descartes.

Sextus Julius Frontinus: …of Britain, and author of De aquis urbis Romae (“Concerning the Waters of the City of Rome”), a history and description of the water supply of Rome, including the laws relating to its use and maintenance and other matters of importance in the history of architecture.

Quintus Aurelius Memmius Eusebius Symmachus: Symmachus’s oration De ara Victoriae was considered so brilliant that even after 19 years the poet Prudentius found it necessary to write a reply to it. The increasingly Christian character of Valentinian’s court caused Symmachus to lose much of his influence; but when Magnus Maximus drove Valentinian…

Vitruvius: …celebrated treatise De architectura (On Architecture), a handbook for Roman architects.

Vitruvius: …celebrated treatise De architectura (On Architecture), a handbook for Roman architects.

Sebastiano Serlio: …wrote the influential architecture treatise Tutte l’opere d’architettura, et prospetiva (1537–75; “Complete Works on Architecture and Perspective”).

Martianus Minneus Felix Capella: De arte rhetorica, De geometrica, De arithmetica, De astrologia, and De harmonia. Mercury gives his bride, who is made divine, seven maidens, and each declaims on that one of the seven liberal arts that she represents. The prose style is often dry, but in parts it is influenced by the…

Ana de Armas is a Cuban-born actress known for her breakout role as a kindhearted caretaker in the 2019 film Knives Out. De Armas began her career in Spanish-language films and television series and then learned English so she could land roles in Hollywood. She soon secured a part in the James Bond

Ana de Armas is a Cuban-born actress known for her breakout role as a kindhearted caretaker in the 2019 film Knives Out. De Armas began her career in Spanish-language films and television series and then learned English so she could land roles in Hollywood. She soon secured a part in the James Bond

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Early life and education: ” In 1666 he wrote De Arte Combinatoria (“On the Art of Combination”), in which he formulated a model that is the theoretical ancestor of some modern computers: all reasoning, all discovery, verbal or not, is reducible to an ordered combination of elements, such as numbers, words, sounds, or colours.

Martianus Minneus Felix Capella: …remaining seven De arte grammatica, De arte dialectica, De arte rhetorica, De geometrica, De arithmetica, De astrologia, and De harmonia. Mercury gives his bride, who is made divine, seven maidens, and each declaims on that one of the seven liberal arts that she represents. The prose style is often dry,…

Martianus Minneus Felix Capella: …and entitle the remaining seven De arte grammatica, De arte dialectica, De arte rhetorica, De geometrica, De arithmetica, De astrologia, and De harmonia. Mercury gives his bride, who is made divine, seven maidens, and each declaims on that one of the seven liberal arts that she represents. The prose style…

Charles-Alphonse Du Fresnoy: …on art whose Latin poem De arte graphica (1668) had great influence on the aesthetic discussions of the day. It remained in print continuously into the 19th century.

Martianus Minneus Felix Capella: …arte grammatica, De arte dialectica, De arte rhetorica, De geometrica, De arithmetica, De astrologia, and De harmonia. Mercury gives his bride, who is made divine, seven maidens, and each declaims on that one of the seven liberal arts that she represents. The prose style is often dry, but in parts…

Western dance: Court dances and spectacles: …the first European dance manual, De arte saltandi et choreas ducendi (“On the Art of Dancing and Directing Choruses”). His disciple, Antonio Cornazano, a nobleman by birth, became an immensely respected minister, educator of princes, court poet, and dancing master to the Sforza family of Milan, where about 1460 he…

Frederick II: Legacy: …most outstanding, his own work De arte venandi cum avibus, a standard work on falconry based entirely on his own experimental research.

Conon of Samos: Conon’s works included De astrologia (“On Astronomy”), in seven books, which according to Seneca contained Egyptian observations of solar eclipses; however, some historians doubt this. He also wrote Pros Thrasydaion (“In Reply to Thrasydaeus”), concerning the intersection points of conics with other conics and with circles. None of…

Martianus Minneus Felix Capella: De geometrica, De arithmetica, De astrologia, and De harmonia. Mercury gives his bride, who is made divine, seven maidens, and each declaims on that one of the seven liberal arts that she represents. The prose style is often dry, but in parts it is influenced by the style of…

Francis Bacon: Bacon’s scheme: Its first part, De Augmentis Scientiarum, appeared in 1623 and is an expanded, Latinized version of his earlier work the Advancement of Learning, published in 1605 (the first really important philosophical book to be written in English). The De Augmentis Scientiarum contains a division of the sciences, a…

Italian literature: Religious poetry: …“On the Heavenly Jerusalem”) and De Babilonia civitate infernali (c. 1250; “On the Infernal City of Babylon”), were the liveliest and most imaginative of this group.

godparent: in Tertullian’s 2nd-century treatise De baptismo. The sponsors to whom he alluded may have been in many cases the actual parents, and even in the 5th century it was not felt to be inappropriate that they should be so; St. Augustine in one passage appears to speak of it…

Mark The Hermit: …theology consists of his treatise De Baptismo (“On Baptism”). Rejecting other traditional explanations for personal sin, Mark asserts that following baptism every sin is the result of human choice. Christ’s atonement, by virtue of its reconciliation of alienated man to God, restores perfect freedom of the will to the baptized.…

St. Augustine: Controversial writings: …De baptismo contra Donatistas (401; On Baptism) expounds his anti-Donatist views most effectively, but the stenographic Gesta Collationis Carthaginensis (411; “Acts of the Council of Carthage”) offers a vivid view of the politics and bad feelings of the schism.

St. Augustine: Early writings: …Providence), De beata vita (386; On the Blessed Life), and Soliloquia (386/387; Soliloquies). These works both do and do not resemble Augustine’s later ecclesiastical writings and are greatly debated for their historical and biographical significance, but the debates should not obscure the fact that they are charming and intelligent pieces.…

Sir Gavin de Beer was an English zoologist and morphologist known for his contributions to experimental embryology, anatomy, and evolution. Concerned with analyzing developmental processes, de Beer published Introduction to Experimental Embryology (1926), in which he noted that certain structures

Sir Gavin de Beer was an English zoologist and morphologist known for his contributions to experimental embryology, anatomy, and evolution. Concerned with analyzing developmental processes, de Beer published Introduction to Experimental Embryology (1926), in which he noted that certain structures

De Beers S.A., South African company that is the world’s largest producer and distributor of diamonds. Through its many subsidiaries and brands, De Beers participates in most facets of the diamond industry, including mining, trading, and retail. In the early 21st century the company marketed 40

De Beers S.A., South African company that is the world’s largest producer and distributor of diamonds. Through its many subsidiaries and brands, De Beers participates in most facets of the diamond industry, including mining, trading, and retail. In the early 21st century the company marketed 40

Procopius: The Wars consists of: (1) the Persian Wars (two books), on the long struggle of the emperors Justin I and Justinian I against the Persian kings Kavadh and Khosrow I down to 549, (2) the Vandal War (two books), describing the conquest of the Vandal kingdom…

Jan Tarnowski: He wrote De bello cum…Turcis gerendo (1552; “Concerning the Wars with the Turks”), about the emperor Charles V’s projected war against the Turks, and Consilium rationis bellicae (1558; “Plans on Methods of War”), on traditional Polish methods of warfare.

Francisco Suárez: …in the Indies in his De Bello et de Indis (“On War and the Indies”). The islands of the Indies he viewed as sovereign states legally equal to Spain as members of a worldwide community of nations.

Celtic religion: The Celtic gods: … is the passage in Caesar’s Commentarii de bello Gallico (52–51 bc; The Gallic War) in which he names five of them together with their functions. Mercury was the most honoured of all the gods and many images of him were to be found. Mercury was regarded as the inventor of…

Tyconius: His first two treatises, De bello intestino (c. 370?; “On Civil War”) and Expositiones diversarum causarum (c. 375?; “Explanations of Diverse Causes”), asserted the universality of the church and the necessarily mixed moral status of its members: the church, Tyconius held, in the time before the End, must comprise…

Seneca: Philosophical works and tragedies: De beneficiis (On Favours) is a diffuse treatment of benefits as seen by giver and recipient. De brevitate vitae (On the Brevity of Life) demonstrates that the human span is long enough if time is properly employed—which it seldom is. Best written and most compelling are the…

Bill de Blasio is an American Democratic politician who was mayor of New York City (2014–21). He also served as Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager for her successful senatorial run in 2000 and as a New York City councillor (2002–09). At age five he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill: The influence of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: Although SOM architects Natalie de Blois and Gordon Bunshaft did not study under Mies, they were certainly influenced by his International Style. Their New York City skyscraper Lever House (1952) was the first commercial building in the city designed with a glass curtain wall (a non-load-bearing “skin” attached…

Emilio De Bono was an Italian general, an early convert to Fascism who helped the party’s founder and chief, Benito Mussolini, gain power. Entering the army in 1884 as a second lieutenant, De Bono rose to a place on the general staff in the Italo-Turkish War (1911). In World War I he distinguished

Jean Étienne de Boré was the founder of the sugar industry in Louisiana. Of noble Norman ancestry, de Boré was educated in France and served for 10 years in the household guard of Louis XV before he established himself as an indigo planter in Louisiana. When pests ruined the indigo crop in the

Peter Zumthor: …vacation homes commissioned by author Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture organization.