Holzer Truisms

Jenny Holzer is an American Conceptual Artist. I happened to come across her documentary entitled, About Jenny Holzer. Protect Me From What I Want and found it to be quite inspiring.  Who knew that such few words can have such an immense impact. These short phrases or one liners she would go on to call, Truisms. Below are some of her most famous lines.

‘men are not monogamous by nature’,

‘money creates taste’,

‘a lot of professionals are crackpots’,

‘enjoy yourself because you can't change anything anyway’,

‘freedom is a luxury not a necessity’,

‘don't place too much trust in experts’.

Although she initially wanted to become an abstract painter, the medium she would become famous for is writing- whether it be on walls, t-shirts or LEDS. Some call her a futuristic Artist because of her use of LEDS, and to a certain extent I would agree. Her work relates more than ever now given how our world currently revolves around such technologies as touch screens and smart phones. But what I like most about Jenny Holzer is that she lets her art do the talking.

Is this something you would call art? Does it have an impact on you or do you simply think this is nothing more than writing on a wall.

Gifts for Architects

Happy Holidays to all!!!

It's Christmas time! A time to spend with loved ones discussing the wonders life has to offer. It's also a great time to look back at the year and note areas in your life that have improved or still need improvement. One should also reminisce and be thankful for all no matter what you may or may not believe in.

And yes, it's also a time for giving. For those who love gift giving, this time can become quite stressful especially when it's time to find a gift for an architect friend or lover. Architects are complicated individuals who are very particular when it comes to their possessions. Over at Matters of Taste  the author, who is a former architect himself, provides a very useful list of 10 things to five, or not give, an Architect.  You should all make your way over to the blog. A very comical response is given to each suggestion.  

The list goes as follows:

DO GIVE: 

Garments 

Things for recording inspiration  

Building fragments 

Books on Architecture you've never heard of

Interesting looking cookware

Toys

DO NOT GIVE: 

Electronics

Books on Architecture you've heard of 

Coffee- or tea making devices 

Sports-related gifts

Do you guys agree with this list? Are there other things you can think of that an Architect might enjoy?

Bob Borson from Life of An Architect also came up with a pretty interesting list for What to get an Architect for Christmas. Check it out for your amusment. 

Classified : That ain't classy

Bringing you the very talented, yet grotesquely underrated, Canadian rapper and producer, Classified (Luke Boyd) with 'That ain't Classy'.  This track here is a simple remainder for us all that we should always remain truthful to ourselves; that we should always stand behind what we belief in;  and most importantly, that we should never change who we are as individuals for the sake of someone else's joy.
Let's stay classy.

These lyrics sum it up nicely.
I'm adamant I won't become extravagant cause you're my managementAnd the guys i travel with they havin' itI'm just an average man who happen to have a plan

ad·a·mant/ˈadəmənt/ 

adj

1. unshakable in purpose, determination, or opinion; unyielding

Flying Squirrel vs Human Dolphin

I love adventure! I love the outdoors! I can be extreme at times, yet I wonder why in the world I decided on becoming an Architect where almost every waking second is spent behind a computer screen. Yes, it's a noble profession, one that is admired by many, but it lacks the adrenaline inducing excitement that these two gentlemen below get to experience on a regular basis. 

In the first video, you the worlds craziest man! He certainly is crazy. Who in their right mind flies through trees at such speeds?? Granted he does have a pretty sweet carbon fiber helmet but I'm sure it would do absolutely nothing if he were to hit a tree going +100mph.  I am envious just watching it though. One day I would love to do something like that... (check out how close he gets at 1:46)

The guy in the second video is not as crazy but definitely still has an amazing job.  For only about 6k you can fly through the water like a dolphin! I'm sure that's every water lovers dream. It certainly is a very interesting contraption but is it me or does it not smoke a lot? Not sure how healthy that is for the wearer of the apparatus or for the marine life in general. 

Which one would you guys/gals rather be or try - A Flying squirrel or a Human Dolphin that zips through the water?

Tomorrow

I've hit a wall, taller than I’ve ever hit before. It happens every so often, a moment where I realize I’ve reached the end of my current plateau. This plateau is a metaphor, representing a composite platform of my current skills, abilities, methods, approaches, beliefs, philosophies, ideals, and accomplishments. Engaging this wall is always disorienting. It seems like there’s virtually no way to begin scaling this surface. It is void of articulation, seemingly infinite in width & height, and white with a sheen just glossy enough to recognize my own blurred reflection...

Fall

Sit back, relax, and let the season change...

On

Released in 1993, almost 20 years ago, Aphex Twin's "On" exemplifies a tectonic ambient styling which has become very popular in recent techno genres including house, rave, drum & bass, jungle, and more...

From Wikipedia // Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music".^[1] He founded the record label Rephlex Records in 1991 with Grant Wilson-Claridge.

ba ba ba back at it!!

whats up yall!! its been a while, the whole summer actually! i usually dropped in on friday with some tunes, well i didnt have studio on friday this summer and i usually wasnt around a cpu to hook it up. well im back! sitting in studio across from ya boy Abe Mora jammin out! i have been saving this one the whole summer. its a remix but you need to check this guy out he has some pretty dope jams. Jam of the week!

Dreamality

Dreamality

This song always makes me think of the season’s turning. The vibe is very conclusive yet forth-looking; a consistently reoccurring theme in our lives, which reminds us to stop and smell the flowers, but to always keep pushing forward. The further you push, the more pleasurable those flowers become. No good has ever come without hard work and determination. I suggest taking a moment to stop what you are doing, to take a deep breath, and think for a moment about where you are, how you’ve gotten here, where you want to be, and what it will take to get there.

SC 

Foster The People : Pumped Up Kicks

Happy Friday

TV On The Radio -- Will Do (XXXChange Dancehall Mix)

Whatcha Say (Dubstep Remix)

John Hopkins | Vessel (Four Tet Remix )

Four Tet adds a mechanically vivid quality to the already ambient-machine vibe of John Hopkins "Vessel"

BIG JET PLANE

Calculated Aesthetic

Swamp Funk (Remix) - Ibunshi & Indidjinous

This composition demonstrates a very modular style of drumming, where mini-rhythms and phrases are used in new combinations throughout the arrangement to produce a deceptively progressive rhythm. In actuality this piece might consist of only 5 short yet intricate rhythms.

Blog it Architects!

Turns out blogging matters for Architects. Frank Lloyd Wright had one and so did Le Corbusier, however it's tough creating a successful blog. For some great rules, check out this article by Derek, Rules for an Architect's Blog, which came from Life of An Architect.

Here are three rules from the article which I thought were pretty important:

6. Share
Share as much as you can. Don’t worry about sharing information with competitors. As my business partner, Christian told me recently, if our competitors start copying us, then it just means we need to step up our game.

7. Have an Opinion
Not everyone will agree with you. That’s fine. If we aren’t critical of our profession then it will never improve. However, complaining is easy. Provide as many solutions as criticisms.

8. Be Helpful
When you learn something, share it. Many people have helped us. We’re just passing it along.

In the article it says that Louis Kahn never started a blog because he thought the internet exposure would lead to his multiple families finding out about each other.  Wow.

People need Architects - and not just to design

Mike from The SomeChum Drum explains why Architects are important not just for their designs but also for their presence. Very amusing article that you need to check out!

What I Miss Most About Working With Architects

zaha hadid: galaxy SOHO

zaha hadid: galaxy SOHO now under construction

Zaha Hadid : Riverside Museum : Glasgow, Scottland

Zaha Hadid : Riverside Museum : Glasgow, Scottland

zaha hadid: chanel mobile art pavilion paris

 zaha hadid: chanel mobile art pavilion paris

Outro on GPA

the end! goodbye GPA....

Zombie Proof House

The owners wanted their homes to be safe and secure, so that's exactly what KWK Promes, Architects from Poland (Respect), provided when they designed "The Safe House".  Insane. Safe. Insanely Safe!

My Playground!!

MY PLAYGROUND - PREVIEW from KASPARWORKS on Vimeo.

I need to lose the school weight I put on during the semester...this is how I'll do it!
I'll parkour the weight off!

Water Towers

Abe's Dream Home Selection

Boomsy Outro!

come on everyone, lets all going to la la land! boomsy gansy outro music

Architecture as a Product

Being Development & Designer Nanne de Ru from Powerhouse
The Dutch supplier of prefabricated modular homes – Being Development, has recently launched 6 being homes in The Netherlands. Designed by Nanne de Ru from Powerhouse, the homes are produced off-site, thus reducing waste (only 2% of waste can’t be recycled), high efficiency and offering the contractors a healthy environment to work in.

Machine Work

Snaper : Something
Finals around the corner? Need some energy? Need to buckle down and belt out the work like a fucking machine? Listen to this.

Stephen Coorlas : Sleek Comfort Bench

Sleek Comfort Bench
This design contrasts the typical "extruded profile" bench shape. The sweeping lines in this design inform a morphing profile, which allows different styles of use along its entire body.

Outro of the Week

hope you guys are ready for this ride!! classic deadmau5. real hot! its like a good movie, you know the ones where you have to watch it from start to finnish with complete attention. its not like one of those good bad movies you can just jump in and out of.

have a good weekend!

UNstudio : DUO²

UNstudio : DUO²

Neat building, but something feels a bit stale about the interior.

NAU Architects : Raiffeisen Bank

NAU Architects : Raiffeisen Bank

Beautiful space by this Zurich, Switzerland based firm.

AUDI trimaran yacht

AUDI : Trimaran Yacht

The geometry / style / fabrication is very nice on this yacht design by Stephanie Behringer.

Basic Math

[Adidas] + [D.Rose] = MVP & Championships

Here's why....

LIC Cinema

SC/DP Collaborative : LIC Cinema

This project explores the potential of extending a cinematic viewing experience beyond the 2-Dimensional screen and into the 3-Dimensional public space of the theater facility. This is achieved by situating the movie theaters so that its occupants can observe public scenes [including bars, restaurants, and lounges] through a transparent screen before the movie begins.

I need more juice....

With three weeks left of the spring semester I'm ready to call it quits. I'm tired of school, tired of the projects and just tired in general. Many others feel the same way so I know I'm not alone. Could this be a result of the environment we are in; the direction we are asked to follow- or simply, could it be that we just lost our creative juice?

Below are the Top 10 Ways to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing, and as you can see, I've managed to cross three items off the list.

10. Plan Ahead 

09. Set some weird rules 

08. Think inside the box 

07. Don't stress about being truly original 

06. Stay motivated with side projects

05. Change up your morning routine 

04. Get some exercise

03. Stop working Mid-thought

02. Get some sleep

01. Know when to take time off

Fluid Sculpture : Charlie Bucket

I happen to find this installation to be absolutely stunning. It was made and developed by Charlie Bucket and is composed of 80 ft. of 1/8” OD tubing knit on a 5.5” loom (blue ring.)

This was the prototype for fluid dress that was displayed at the '09 Maker Faire in San Mateo.

Check out Casual Profanity to watch the Fluid dress in action! 

Z-Chair

Z Chair : Zaha Hadid

Nice movement captured in the shape of a chair by Zaha

Check it out!!

So I have never heard of poggled before and I don't know much about it other than it looks like groupon or living social.  It looks as though they do deals with bars and clubs. Some of these deals look really hot!  I say we all get on it and hit the bar together!! link below

poggled

Outro

I am a big fan of la roux, not her original stuff but the remixes produced from it. I have found that people love to dub out and mash up her music. I really like 'in for the kill'. There are a couple of good remixes out there, this one is pretty heavy though. It took a couple times hearing it to really like it. This is some serious robot music, it is kind of like a robot orgy in your ear. So play it loud! Enjoy and have a good weekend.

Everything Nowhere

UNStudio / Galleria Centercity

Everything Nowhere

This project by UNstudio got me thinking about the purpose and emphasis of "Programming" in the architectural process. Below are some thoughts and ideas about how we as architects can modernize our programmatic approach and incorporate it more thoroughly into our designs.

Not long ago, Abe brought up the concept of improvisation within architecture and design. As a refresher, improvisation is:

 

"The practice of reacting, making, or creating, in the moment and in response to one's immediate interpretation of their surrounding environment. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or new ways to act or behave."

Lemme Lay On Your Curves

UNstudio chairs at milan design week 2011


Some sexy pieces of furniture designed by UNstudio

TRONned Out

Special Effects of TRON Legacy

Architecture & Design Film Festival

Architecture & Design Film Festival coming to Chicago in May

1st of tha month!!

So pay your rent, your child support, and your student loan. It's friday too, so throw your blue shirt on.

Dark Speed

I'm streaming along, speed is irrelevant, millions of floating fragments assemble into a roadway only moments before my wheels rip across its surface, almost simultaneously the traveled surface fragments and drops away. There's a horizon line. I'm riding towards it in hope that someday that horizon line will fragment and drop away the same way my  traveled road has. Spaceless, Timeless, I will still be gesturing my way across the multiverse.

Solillaquists of Sound

When it comes to music,I go thru genre phases like it is my job. This week I have been listening quite a bit to Solillaquists of Sound. Their music makes you think.  Unfortunately, one of the reasons why this group has not achieved the success they deserve is because mindless music is what sells nowadays(i.e. kesha, lil wayne, soulja boy etc.) Below is a better description of what their music is all about:

"Fusing brutally honest messages with a multi-dimensional sound, As If We Existed -- built with irrepressible positivity, chest-filling spirit, and body-throbbing rhythm -- is a public service announcement with spit. Launched with "The Pledge of Resonance," a poetic musing that links personal action, sound, and truth, S.O.S. focuses in on specific issues. 

A thinking person's brand of the genre -- imagine Digable Planets or The Fugees with greater dynamics and a bigger chip on their shoulders -- Sol.iLLaquists of Sound look to change the world one listener at a time. Leaving music lovers well-grooved, duly enlightened and -- quite possibly -- inspired, The Sol.iLLaquists are a family based on likeness of mind and because of it are, in many ways, more functional than any unit based on bloodline alone."

More songs after the break.

Facade Printer

Alright, I cannot lie - this is quite brilliant! Martin Fussengger and Michael Sebastion Haas, two product designers, combined paintball with graffiti to create a new form of street art! Why didn't I think of this? Below is a description of their facadeprinter.

"The Facadeprinter is a simple robot. Its purpose: shooting out large scale graphics onto walls. Calculating movements based on digital artwork, software controlled motors position an airpressure-marker to fire thousands of colorballs and print the work on a distant surface. The artwork grows dot by dot, like the drawing of a magic pen. An inkjet-printer in architectonical dimensions."

Becoming Usefully Unique

If nothing is original, and our efforts are actually an accumulation of many borrowed ideas, we should at least acknowledge what those ideas are, and who they are coming from.

Shift Step

This is an exercise in an experimental composition theory I've slowly been developing. In short, my interest here is in grouping short rhythms [phrases] and treating them as individual "Strokes" in order to create an even grander rhythm from those groupings.

It's perhaps better understood when referencing linguistics as in the use of letters to create words versus using words to create a sentence. The progression of my music can be better understood as a sentence (a grouping of words(words made from letters)), which I believe can be used to communicate a more rhythmic storyline.

I begin the piece by introducing each rhythm separately on their own layer. Once familiarized, I begin shifting the individual notes of each layer into groupings(words). This happens at the 1:06 mark in the video. Sometimes, the letters of a word fall across several different layers, creating a layer interdependency for the comprehension of the whole sentence. This grouping and interdependency can be observed on the sheet music throughout the video.

Traditional 4/4 timing
Layer 1:  This ismy theo ryof shif tste pcom posi tion

Proposed Gesture timing
Layer 1:  This  Is  My  Theory  Of  Shift  Step  Composition

Actual Layer Interdependency
Layer 1:   T                  y     Th     y                ift          p                si
Layer 2:     hi             M         eor               Sh        Ste               o   tion
Layer 3:        s     Is                          Of                           Comp

SC

Chris Brown + Benny Benassi?

Now, normally I am a big believer in Benny Benassi let alone anything techno - BUT I saw this new video today and I am less than impressed. I am so tired of this trend of audiotunes or whatever it is that makes people sound like robots in every new song that comes out now a days. If I had not seen this video and only heard the song, I would never have thought that Chris Brown had his hand in this. I mean the last time I checked the guy was a lady beater with strong vocal talents ... why not showcase this? The vocal talents not the lady beating.

Anyways ... check this out

Pixel this!

This was brought to my attention earlier today and I wanted to share it with all of you. Also, if you have not yet noticed, I have a theme going tonight - Cities baby!

I'm all about Playtime

Plot: Monsieur Hulot has to contact an American official in Paris, but he gets lost in the maze of modern architecture which is filled with the latest technical gadgets. Caught in the tourist invasion, Hulot roams around Paris with a group of American tourists, causing chaos in his usual manner.

Facts: Directed by Jacques Tati and at the time of its making, "Playtime" (1967) was the most expensive film in French history.

Thoughts: This could possibly my favorite film to date. There really isn't a story or a hero and there is minimal dialogue that is usually inaudible but it's filled with wit! The film shows how humans wander aimlessly through impersonal cities and sterile architecture. Check out below for a few scene clips.

Verdict: Definitely a must see! This should be the next film you order on Netflix.

An Empty City I can enjoy

It's short and an instrumental but how amazing does this sound? I've had this song playing over-and-over again (you know how much I love to kill songs) while doing some wall sections for our studio project. I enjoy it and I hope you do as well!

David Guetta : One Love

A throw back outro for ya'!! I'm playing this to hype everyone up for next friday!! David Guetta will be at Congress April 1st! No fools. I'm interested in hitting that one up! Stephen expressed some interest as well, anyone else feeling it?? Let me know.

In Your Face!

J. Mayer H. Architects : Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain

Remember that Crazy project you did back in undergrad that the critiques said couldn't be built?  Well..

Wendy's Week Outro Jam

Another hot track I heard all the time in Europe...and of course it's a techno beat.

Thirsty Thursday and all that jazz

Well, it's Thursday and I must say it has been quite a successful week thus far, plus we are scheduled to begin building our vertical garden wall this weekend! It has been a fabulous 80 degrees or so here in Charleston the past few days and today I decided to sport my first pair of shorts for the year. In my Introduction to Craft class we are going to start designing a bathroom for our school building here. The Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston (CAC.C) is actually located in a historic marine hospital building in the downtown and next to the city's historic jail building. Our wood shop is located in the lower level of the jail and adjacent to the American College of the Building Arts. Needless to say, these buildings are quite old and require a lot of maintenance. Unfortunately the school budget for the project this semester is not enough to redo the entire bathroom, so we will be phasing the project. Now, I must explain that the bathroom on the studio floor of the building is multi-purpose as it also houses some server equipment and a small kitchenette. Since a lot of people feel rather uncomfortable cooking in the bathroom, especially when others are coming in and out to use the facilities while food may be cooking, we are going to work to separate the two functions by reclaiming space in the printing and laser cutter room. Just finished taking measurements of the three spaces with two of my fellow classmates and we will see what happens during our design "charrette" later this afternoon. It's such a beautiful day, it is quite hard to focus on school and especially computer work, but there is only about 5 weeks of school left before all of our projects need to be built and then I will be halfway done with graduate school!

Had the box review on Tuesday and the entire jury had great comments about everyone's design and execution. Apparently this is one of the best batch of box designs and projects that they have ever had so that was great to hear.

Holy Crepe!

I have a confession to make - I am addicted to Crepes and I need help. But who could resist this deliciousness? What you are feasting your eyes are the Lyon (Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, green peppers and oregano) and, my favorite, the Amsterdam crepe (Gouda and muenster cheese, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and oregano).

Where can you find this amazing meal for a very reasonable price you ask? Great question. You can enjoy this food at Iguana Cafe, a European cafe, located at 517 N.Halsted St. Chicago. Just last year they were awarded by Celebration Media, U.S. as one of its 2010 Talk of the Town Award Recipients in the category of top Creperies and it's about time!

Tiny Apartment : 24 Rooms

For studio, we have been asked to design a Boutique POD hotel in New York City located on West 31 street and 8th avenue - a corner site diagonal to Madison Square Gardens.

Pod hotels have been quite popular around Europe and they are finally starting to gain some traction here in the states. To get an idea of what to expect, check out Citizen M. The basic premise is to reduce the cost of the stay by reducing the size of the room but not sacrificing any amenities during the process. One of the rooms we are set to design is roughly 77 s.f. Figuring out the logistics of the space and what to include has been problematic so far but if this tiny apartment can be transformed in 24 rooms then I know anything is possible!

Sweet & Salty

MVRDV : Shenzhen, China

Simple lofting gestures are used to celebrate special moments within this corporation office building including: double height entry space, leisure and dining hall level, and executive offices.

A "sun protection" system was developed by slanting the walls of each level outward, mimicking the 35 - 55 degree angle of the sun.

Crafty & Selective design implementation makes this Architecture a humble yet well-characterized building. Remember : Dessert is sweeter after you've eaten all yo salty vegetables...

Peeta : 3D Graffiti

Commissioned mural work by Italian graffiti artist Peeta.  His interest in shadow-play is what allows these drawings to really pop off the wall.

I'm interested in these works for their formal composition in their seemingly 3 dimensional space.  If only architects were as talented at arranging shapes in space...

VoltaDom Installation : Skylar Tibbits

SJET is a multifaceted practice, started by Skylar Tibbits in 2007 as a research platform for experimental computation + design.


His work is inspirational to me, in-that he's pursuing his personal interests, which happen to blur across several disciplines. I'm not sure that his work is helping clarify the role or responsibility of the Architect, but that doesn't seem to be his objective. He is, however, creating a sophisticated catalog of effects, techniques, systems, tools, and vocabularies for us to borrow from if need be.

Week Intro Jam ...

Haha, sorry Matthew ... stole your theme with my week intro jam by Morgan Page. Just heard this song on Pandora the other day and it really gets me into the mood to spend endless hours on my computer making architectural magic happen for my studio class.

Also ... new updates on my box project. It is due tomorrow and I have the second coat of Tung Oil on it and drying as we speak. Whoooeeeeee!

Duck Sauce?

Well, I don't have the time to be surfing the web and finding cool new stuff to share like my counterparts on this blog, BUT I do have a great song to share that I heard all of the time while studying abroad in Barcelona this past fall. It's Duck Sauce's Barbra Streisand

An Archi's Tale

As family members and friends start heading to bed; the architectural student continues to slave away at his task. You often try to find a purpose for it all. It must pay off at the end right? But what if it doesn't?. There are no guarantees to where we will end up or who we will ultimately become. Who even knows how much longer we will get to enjoy ourselves on this earth. (2012 is just around the corner ya'll!!!) So is it worth it?

Visual communication in Chicago

Thanks to technology, communication between individuals has become simple and instant but it got me thinking - how else can you send a message without actually saying it verbally or displaying it through technology?

I spent a few hours walking around Chicago trying to find these different forms and managed to come across these few examples...

Faxing Berlin

Exclusive blue shirt friday jam!

Your weekly friday afternoon dubstep outro.  Faxing berlin is a hot track, one of deadmau5's best I would say. Here it has been dubbed out and mashed up and it's sick!! Play it loud!! Have a good weekend

Bibio : Sugarette

Happy Friday! Here's a pretty good Jam by the British music producer Stephen Wilkinson AKA Bibio. If you listen to some other songs of his you will find that he produces a nice array of different styles & moods.

Enjoy

BLUR OMA!

Blur : Song 2

Approx. 15 years ago an English alternative rock band released this hit single

OMA : Educatorium

Approx. 15 Years ago Rotterdam based metropolitan architecture firm OMA opened doors to this hit single

BEST soup out of a can!

My first official post on the meatFAT blog. Excited I am. Currently I am reporting from Charleston, SC from Clemson University's Architecture Center here in the city. I like to bring my lunch to school and one of my favorite things to eat is soup. A lot of people like to get into these debates with me that soup is not food and cannot be my favorite thing to eat, but I think these people are extremely confused because soup is amazing and I cannot get enough of it. I have been dining on soup for my main daily meals for years and today I discovered the best canned soup I have ever had, Wolfgang Puck's Organic Roast Chicken with Wild Rice. I purchased two cans while shopping at the local Harris Teeter, and for those of you that are not familiar with the Low Country of South Carolina, Harris Teeter is the top choice grocery story. Tomorrow I am going to try the Organic Butternut Squash so I will be sure to keep you informed.

Other than that, my studio class is designing a vertical garden wall for Elliotborough Community Garden here in downtown Charleston. Community gardening is all the rage right now and we are fortunate enough to have a client that is more than pleased with the design the eight members of my studio class has been collaborating on. We begin building within the next week or so, and I will be sure to include more photographs of that process as well.

Also, I am building a box out of wood for my Introduction to Craft course. We primarily work in the woodshop and it is kind of like a product/furniture design class where we do an individual project (box design)then a collaborative project at the end of the semester that is usually an improvement project for the school. Past projects include light tables, book shelves for the library, librarian's desk, a media podium, and various other installations for the school to display photos and awards. We will have our final review for our individual box projects next Tuesday and then begin working on the group project.

Well, I guess I am supposed to plug a sweet song or band that I like ... how about this one in honor of a recent show I went to here in Charleston. The band is called Greensky Bluegrass. Not my usual type of music (techno), but it was pretty fun and I tried out some country style dancing ... maybe a jig or two as well. They have some songs and clips on their website so I hope you enjoy!

Film : 27

27 | A JOURNEY THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE

A truly incredible undertaking best described as "a journey into the heart of contemporary European architecture, under a permanent state of mutation. 27countries, 27 cultures, 27 architects build according to their own rules, and their own history while giving contribution for the construction of a common space: Europe."

GMP Architekten : Qingdao Grand Theater

German firm GMP Architekten designed this theater in Qingdao, China. A trellis sweeps across the roofs of several buildings on the site creating a hierarchy of occupiable atmospheres.  The trellis helps gradient the transition between outside and inside, gently guiding people into their theater experience. At first glance, this architectural feature seems to "overshadow" the theatrical experience for the user, but as a transitional exercise in sequencing the procession from street-scape to the viewers seat, it seems to create a very casual experiential shift, which I believe is an important responsibility for all architects.

I want my day to be made of glass

Watch "A Day Made of Glass" and take a look at Corning's vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.

Do you think this sort of technology is possible within the next 15-20 years or is just wishful thinking?  Would this technology make your life easier? Or do you prefer a life that's not so heavily focused on technology.  It's not strange to see our society consumed by the latest and greatest gadget. Case-in-point

Even though I may never see this come to fruition in my lifetime; I'm just glad someone is thinking about the possibilities.  The future is ours to design. 

You are a smart man, Jobs!

"Your time is limitless so don't waste it living someone else's life. 

Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of others opinions. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. 

And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition; 

they somehow already know what you truly want to become.  

Everything else is secondary." 

Steve Jobs
Co-founder and CEO of Apple