“Technically” Funny Comedian

Are you always laughing at binary or ASCII jokes, yet wondering why no one else finds it funny? Well enter, Don McMillan. He’s an engineer turned funny man and some of his jokes will just make you roll on the floor laughing. It’s definitely “Office Space” level of humor with jokes about powerpoint, management, sales, and a lot of just funny jokes.

Check out his site and a couple of his videos and you’ll get the idea.

http://www.technicallyfunny.com/

http://www.technicallyfunny.com/videos.htm

Autodesk 2009 software to be released soon? (Revit 2009)

So today I got a postcard in the mail for “The Autodesk Experience Tour” coming to select cities across the US & Canada over the next month. The dates range from April 22nd to June 26nd. Now the question becomes, why have a “launch” tour of the 2009 software if it has not yet been released?

My prediction: We’ll see the 2009 software rolled out before the end of April… possibly on or before the 22nd.

Now I have no other information other than pure speculation based upon this postcard. But it makes sense to me that you’d want to launch the software, then tour and showcase it. At least that’s what Microsoft does.

Anyhow, even if it’s not released until June, you should still sign up and register for the city closest to you to check out the new 2009 software suite (3ds Max Design 2009, Revit Architecture 2009, AutoCAD Architecture 2009, etc)… also a good networking event:

Experience your designs before they’re real: walk through buildings, open doors, and simulate real-world scenarios within an integrated 3D building information model with Revit® Architecture 2009 and design visualization with 3ds Max Design 2009. Also find out more about AutoCAD® Architecture, the version of AutoCAD® software created just for architects.

At this information-packed event, you’ll learn how to:

* Create more accurate, reliable designs
* Communicate more effectively between consultants and clients
* Improve coordination and collaboration to better manage complex designs
* Generate photorealistic renders of your designs

Learn more at:
The Autodesk Experience Tour

HOWTO: Disable Restart after Installing Windows Update

Ok, after coming in to work today to find my computer rebooted without saving jack squat, I immediately disabled “Restart” after installing Windows Updates:

So here is how you can disable the restart & reminder of Windows Automatic Updates:

1. Click Start -> Run
2. Enter “gpedit.msc”
3. Go to Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update
4. Double-click on “Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations”
5. Disable it!
6. Double-click on “No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Update installation”
7. Enable it!
8. Reboot the computer

nondescript error codes from Revit

thanks programmers… no error code, no option for recovery, just close and lose all unsaved work… brilliant!

at last! denver!

i apologize for the long span of time between posts lately, a lot has been going down in recent months. my wife and i just moved to denver and are still getting settled in, there will be a couple updates soon!

IKEA “bags” the plastic bag

Starting March 15th All IKEA U.S. Stores will Charge Five Cents for Plastic Bags and Endorse Purchase of Reusable ‘Big Blue’ IKEA Bag.

After last years announcement that their UK stores would be charging for the big blue plastic bags, IKEA finally made it so in their US stores this month. Treehugger reports that IKEA US stores will follow suit and now charge for the big blue bags in an effort to get people to reuse their bags when they go shopping. Another bonus is that IKEA has offered to donate the proceeds from the bag campaign to American Forests, the nation’s oldest non-profit citizens conservation organization, to plant trees to restore forests and offset CO2 emissions.”

To help alter customer behavior and endorse environmentally responsible habits, IKEA will be selling its reusable ‘Big Blue Bag’ for 59 cents, reduced from 99 cents. “We realize that our ‘Bag the Plastic Bag Program’ is a small step. But we know our customers want to help and support the sustainability of our planet – for today – and for the future of our children. This program lets our customers know we have our stake in the ground and are committed to continuing to be an environmentally responsible company,” says Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president of IKEA North America. IKEA projects that the number of plastic bags used by their U.S. customers will be reduced by at least 50% from 70 million to 35 million in the first year. This program was launched in IKEA stores in the UK in late Spring 2006, and reduction has been an impressive 95 percent. Read more about IKEA’s environmental and social reports here, and don’t forget your own bag the next time you go.

IKEA US via CSRwire

[Source: http://www.treehugger.com/.../ikea_us_to_bag.php ]

what does it mean to design “green”?

I’m not even a fan of the term “green” but I use it here to explain what exactly it means in the design community. Right now the term “green” is a buzz word associated with everything and anything that’s supposedly better for our environment. Whether it’s a 2o Watt lamp instead of a 60 Watt lamp, or whether it is a material that comes from a local source instead of an international one… it’s considered “green”. Does it mean that you’re a tree hugger because you design green? Absolutely not, but it does mean that you care about the world you live in… and that is what’s important here.

Here’s a short description of sustainable design and how it helps create environments that help replenish themselves and become “producers” rather than “consumers.” This isn’t just good practice, it’s smart design.

“The Concept of Sustainability

The concept of sustainable design has come to the forefront in the last 20 years. It is a concept that recognizes that human civilization is an integral part of the natural world and that nature must be preserved and perpetuated if the human community itself is to survive. Sustainable design articulates this idea through developments that exemplify the principles of conservation and encourage the application of those principles in our daily lives.

A corollary concept, and one that supports sustainable design, is that of bioregionalism – the idea that all life is established and maintained on a functional community basis and that all of these distinctive communities (bioregions) have mutually supporting life systems that are generally self-sustaining. The concept of sustainable design holds that future technologies must function primarily within bioregional patterns and scales. They must maintain biological diversity and environmental integrity, contribute to the health of air, water, and soils, incorporate design and construction that reflect bioregional conditions, and reduce the impacts of human use.

Sustainable design, sustainable development, design with nature, environmentally sensitive design, holistic resource management – regardless of what it’s called, “sustainability,” the capability of natural and cultural systems being continued over time, is key.

[Source: http://www.nps.gov/dsc/dsgncnstr/gpsd/ch1.html ]

“The Hannover Principles
1. Insist on rights of humanity and nature to co-exist
2. Recognize interdependence.
3. Respect relationships between spirit and matter.
4. Accept responsibility for the consequences of design.
5. Create safe objects of long-term value.
6. Eliminate the concept of waste.
7. Rely on natural energy flows.
8. Understand the limitations of design.
9. Seek constant improvement by the sharing of knowledge.”

[Source: http://www.mcdonough.com/principles.pdf ]

So next time you’re designing something, think about what you’re doing and how you can benefit the environment. Be thinking about things like how your design can work with nature. Learn to take responsibility for your design and to design with long-term benefits in mind. Remove the word “waste” from your dictionary. Improve upon what’s already been done and take it to the next level.

Don’t worry, designing green doesn’t mean you’re a tree hugger, but it does leave a statement about yourself that you care about the world you live in. We have the resources to design and build smarter, the question comes down to why don’t we? We are already seeing the financial benefits from designing more sustainable buildings, why should the ‘first cost’ be the driving factor anymore?

I’ll leave you with this, as for investors and developers, sometimes numbers speak louder than words.

“Reaping More Green From Green
Significant sales premiums are also possible. In
Chicago, the John Buck Company spent $270 million
constructing 111 South Wacker Drive, a LEED-gold-certified
51-story tower in the Loop district. Completed in
late 2005 when the Loop market was struggling with an
18% vacancy rate for Class A office space, the building
leased quickly to prestigious tenants. In January 2006, it
was sold to a German investment fund for $386 million,
a $116 million profit.“

For more information check out U.S. Green Building Council:
» http://www.usgbc.org

Read more on the financial benefits of designing green:
» http://charleslockwood.com/pdf/barrons_article.pdf

Learn more about sustainable design:
» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_design