Happy Holidays

Thoughts on Integrated Design

In 2006, Bob Berkebile, FAIA, Laura Lesniewski, AIA and myself co-authored a paper on sustainable design + BIM for the 2006 AIA conference on Integrated Practice. We examined "what the authors characterized as the ultimate design challenge, integration between nature and human nature, between the built and natural environments, and also technology."
There were 10 papers that were presented during that conference and now, 3 years later the AIA is touching base with all the authors of the different papers to see if their views had changed. One by one, they are interviewing the authors and presenting their works as podcasts. Other authors include Thom Manye, Robert Smith, Markuu Allison, and Chuck Eastman. It's good stuff.

Find them here.

Ours is released this Friday.

Mastering Revit - Templates

As we begin our journey in re-writing "Mastering Revit Architecture," we would like to gather as much feedback as possible to make the 2011 version the best yet. My first chapter will be covering Revit Templates and I have created a short online survey to gather feedback from our readers. Please feel free to click the link below to participate or leave your comments here on our blog.

Click here to take survey

Video Killed The Radio Star

Screencasts are posting for AU2009. The links on the right side of this page will send you to the sessions presented by yours truly and Eddy Krygiel (registration required). You can watch them online or download for offline viewing (in WMV format). As an added bonus, I've also converted and uploaded the offline files to M4V, which is suitable for playing in iTunes - which you can also sync with your iPod and iPhone.

It's all about the customer.

Anyway, Justine recons I'm using a radio voice...which if you think about it, is a nice way of saying I've got a great face for radio. ;)

A Changing Of The Guard

For those of you who attended AU, you might already know this. But for the rest of you......

I've been writing the Introducing Revit and Mastering Revit books with Greg Demchak and Tatjana Dzambazova for the past three years. Due to circumstances beyond the control of mere mortals, there is a changing of the authoring team in the works. I won't go into the semantics but the authoring team formerly known as Greg, Tanja and Eddy has been disbanded. I wish my old authors luck. They are good people, good friends, and passionate Revit users. The Introducing Revit 2011 series will be carried forward by a new author, yet to be determined.

The Mastering Revit 2011 will have a new look as well. The new team will be the trio of this blog: Phil Read, James Vandezende, and Eddy Krygiel.

When the book was started three years ago, it was primarily structured as an appendage to Introducing as not all of the material could fit into only 400 pages. But in the past 3 years so many people have gained such expert knowledge of Revit, we felt it was time to rework the book from scratch. The new book will be geared towards more advanced content taking the use of Revit to the next level.

As we work diligently to create new and interesting content (and teach Phil to use the Ribbon) we're hoping to post some of the new tome for your feedback and comments. We've even gone as far as discussing sending Beta copies of the book to the Revit development team. Call it Karma if you will.

'Tis the season

Welcome back from AU. Upon my return to KC, the temperature dropped about 40 degrees and after looking at my calendar, I noticed it is apparently December. That means Christmas is just around the corner. Only 20 shopping days remaining! As I try to figure out what to get this season for my 10 and 13 year old girls, I happened upon a website that has nothing to do with BIM, sustainability, my growing hate of the LEED process, or anything involving ribbons. It's all about Christmas. Or, more specifically, what NOT to buy for Christmas for your kids. Seriously. Check it. It's good for a good smile, good to be offended as a parent, and good to know the toy companies are out there with your kid's best interests at heart. Here a teaser:

The fish fillet game.

Seriously, how can you go wrong??? PS. Make sure to click through enough to get to the Elmo doll that makes death threats when you replace it's batteries.

And to the 75-100 of you who joined us at the MiX on the 64th floor of the Mandalay Bay, wearing your T-shirts, a heart-felt THANK YOU. It was a space with a killer view and a rockin' good time. Maybe we can make this an annual event. We'll have to see what happens to the ribbon in 2011. :)

Remember, what happens in Vegas gets posted on YouTube.

Order of the Drunken Leprechaun Unite!

The location has been selected. And it's great!

When: Tomorrow night. Tuesday. 9pm until (this is Vegas). No cover until 10pm. Get in early!
Location: Mix Lounge. 64th floor of THEhotel at Mandalay Bay.
Dress Code: I'm buying your first round if you're dressed appropriately. Them's the rules.

See you there!

"Just a matter of time, I suppose..."

Documentation for "Autodesk® Revit® for Film and Stage" has been posted on the AU 2009 Website! Link here and another here compliments of Dropbox. And another set of links has been added just to the right (over there - to the right of this post...above the t-shirt), including a link to Eddy Krygiel's session, "Using Autodesk® Revit® and 3ds Max® Design for Daylighting".

It's a largish PDF (33mb) file and at nearly 40 pages I'm really glad Autodesk isn't printing documents this year. No - not because trees have souls (Ents have souls, but that's another story...). It's simply that the color and resolution of an electronic file is such a better customer experience and they're saving a lot of money and resources in the process.

There is a link at the bottom of the cover page to some associated Revit files. But no links to any of the actual set designs (sorry - them's the rules).

Overall, I owe an extraordinary debt to Bryan Sutton, who has been extremely gracious and patient during some tough times (tougher than you know). He's obviously Canadian - but this is way above the required level of niceness mandated by the Canadian government. And this session would not have been possible without his direction, input and sense of humor!

While I've seen some pretty incredible work in Revit over the last 10 years or so, Bryan Sutton has taken Revit and elevated it's use to an art form - by no means an easy task. There's a joyful elegance to the linework, color and geometric attention to detail. And in this sense, I really don't know of anyone that has accomplished more with Revit.

Like guitar makers that sponsor accomplished musicians to play their instruments, Autodesk should sponsor Bryan Sutton! :)

See everyone in a few days! AU2009 is nearly here!

Software Turns Webcam into 3D Scanner

“It’s called ProFORMA, or Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition, but it is way cooler than it sounds. The software, written by a team headed by Qui Pan, a student at the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University in England, turns a regular, cheap webcam into a 3D scanner.”

Read more about it at the Gadget Lab on WIRED.com

AU and Beer

Use2009UI=1
The Order of the Drunken Leprechaun

Hey, Phil is still promising beer. But with the new venue, we gotta find a place. Check the blog for updates. It's all about location, location, location.

See you all @ AU.


Oh, and PS. Check my daylighting class Tuesday night @ 5pm. AB122-4. Not as heavily promoted as stairs, but equally as enjoyable.

Not Your Dad's CAD

Documentation for "Insanely Great Stairs and Railings with Autodesk® Revit®" has been posted on the AU 2009 Website! Link here and another here compliments of Dropbox. Once you download the PDF file, you'll find there's a bunch of links right at the bottom of the cover page. The very last link is to the 100MB or so of datasets and sample files.

Disclaimer: you use one of these stairs in a real project you owe me a beer. And not a some crappy American beer designed to be consumed minutes after production and measured in volumes rounded to the nearest cubic kilometer.

I'm talking about one of these:

Preferably the bottle on the far left. Long story - but it's JamesV's fault. Buy me one of those and I'll really tell you what I think about the 2010 UI. ;)

Vertigo at Burj Dubai

Even if you don’t work for SOM, this is way too cool.  Construction workers at Burj Dubai have been posting video from atop the world’s tallest building.  Here’s one (via Arch Daily) from the very top of the spire…

Also of interest are videos on SOM’s website featuring structural engineering partner Bill Baker discuss the concepts behind tall towers in “Structural Lessons” or his lecture at the Skyscraper Museum.

Indiana University Requires BIM

[ Co-posted on “All Things BIM” ]

Yet another organization in the United States has hopped on the BIM wagon…this time it’s Indiana University (IU). I recently had the opportunity to speak with Theresa Thompson LEED AP, the Director of In-House Projects & Spatial/Project Information at the University Architect’s Office about their new BIM requirements and associated documentation.

Over the last two years, Indiana University has been embracing the use of building information modeling to expand and enhance their commitment to sustainable design and efficient use of funding through lifecycle data management.  This journey began with various GIS and facility management implementations and has come full circle to encompass the building design and construction domain.

Earlier in 2009, IU had a positive experience with BIM - going literally from light table coordination to virtual building model – on the completed Innovation Center at their Bloomington campus.  Messer Construction Company led the effort by generating models of the design data from BSA LifeStructures, ensuring a successful project delivery and a happy client in IU.  In October 2009, the university announced that it would require the use of BIM tools and processes for all capital projects over 5 million dollars and on all projects within the next year or two.

Standards and Guidelines

IU has made the following documents available on their website:

• BIM Requirements Presentation
• BIM Guidelines and Standards
• BIM Proficiency Matrix
• BIM Execution Plan Template
• IPD Template
• Revit CAD Layer export template
• Revit CAD import lineweights file

Goals and objectives

The following are the key objectives behind the IU BIM/IPD program:

• Capture information early and throughout the design/construction process
• Improved change management
• Better construction documents and as-builts
• Database links to FM / Campus Management
• Decrease cost of managing information and facilities
• Improved energy conservation
• Establish standards for the future

Top-Level Takeaways

Beyond the usual standards and protocols, here are a few interesting highlights I found while reading the IU documents.

• IU requires Revit as the BIM format deliverable
• “The model managers from all parties will establish modeling standards and guidelines.”
• “The architect’s model manager should coordinate with the consulting engineers’ model managers to eliminate duplicate or redundant objects.”
• “The Architectural and Consulting Engineers’ models will be revised throughout construction, based on owner directives and As Built comments. The models will always reflect the revised contract documents.”
• Definition of “Level One, Level Two and Level Three Collisions” (see BIM Guidelines and Standards)
• COBIE Design Data required
• Energy Modeling - “After building completion and occupancy of a minimum of one year, actual building performance shall be evaluated against this model.”

By focusing on data reuse for facility management, Indiana University presents a clear understanding of their objectives in requiring a BIM/IPD process.  At the same time, IU is still learning about the process by placing much of the design and construction BIM standards in the hands of the architects, engineers and contractors.  These documents and others listed below can help the AEC industry continue to improve its efficiency and can also assist those just learning about the implementation of building information modeling and integrated project delivery.

 BIM Proficiency Matrix (BPM)

Other recently published BIM standards:

Wisconsin BIM Standards: http://www.doa.state.wi.us/dsf/masterspec_view_new.asp?catid=61&locid=4

US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District BIM Standards:

http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/business/buslinks/contract/ae/index.htm

Whole Lotte Love

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates announced it has completed conceptual design for Lotte Super Tower 123 in Seoul, South Korea.

Read all about the announcement on:

Arch Daily

What makes this project special to me?  For one thing, it is slated to be the world’s second tallest tower to SOM’s Burj Dubai, but it was a lesser known fact that SOM actually designed an earlier version of the Lotte Tower in Revit as a follow up to 1WTC.

 

In the Lotte World Tower design, we were able to build on the BIM pioneering achieved with WTC. The complex diagrid and curtain wall were designed and optimized through scripting in AutoCAD and Excel, modeled and tested in Digital Project and composited for documentation in Revit Architecture.  It was quite an amazing project with an equally amazing team.

We even had started to coordinate structure and MEP systems in Navisworks for the first time on this project (see below).

  

 

 

 

 

 

...All That Glitters Is Gold...

Global Warming Done Well

The world wildlife fund created a bit of 'performance sculpture' in Berlin recently. They put 1,000 ice sculptures on the steps of the concert hall in Gendarmenmarkt to bring awareness to global warming. Regardless what you think about global warming (real), it's a great display of art and delivers an awesome message.

One Reason Not To Hack Your iPhone

I know Phil loathes AT&T and has given up rights to his first born for allegiance to T-mobile. Personally, I'm a bit more carrier neutral, but I do like my iPhone. Apparently, for those who have jailbroken their phones, there's the first virus appearing that exploits those hacked phones. According to posts:

....a harmless exploit that simply changes the user's iPhone background to an image of singer Rick Astley...

which is already very close to my current iphone background:



Update (Phil): If you've unlocked your iPhone and haven't reset the default password head over to Cult of Mac for a quick step-by-step. Only necessary if you've installed SSH.

"There's A Lady Who's Sure...."

Can't stop tweaking the "Insanely Great Stairs and Railings with Autodesk® Revit®" AU2009 session. It's the same every year - and at the end of AU I tell myself that next year it'll be different - that next year I'll really finish early for once.

But then I decide to change this one little thing...nothing else...just this one thing. Oh - and this other thing...but nothing else. Well - except for this other thing. Okay that's all no more changes. Actually, I should change this one final detail....And so it goes till I've reworked 30+ pages of documentation for one session with just a month before AU.

Anyway - here's some recently created stairs and renderings in Revit. Look closely and you'll notice that the edges of the treads are actually curved. This can't be done with the OOTB stair tool. But a bit of hacking actually makes it pretty easy.

In the next image - you'll notice there's a fairly complex support element. This is a pretty common feature in historic stairs, and this particular instance was modeled after photographs of an access stair in a lighthouse. Again - all OOTB Revit - just not the stair tool. It's an interesting technique or two that I'll be discussion during the presentation.

Finally - I need to pick a location for the "1st Annual Meeting of "The Order of the Drunken Leprechaun" at AU 2009. Suggestions welcome. Yes, the latest iteration of the Ribbon is a move in the right direction. But it's still a good excuse get together with friends and remember the good times!

Don't forget to wear a t-shirt. And if you happen to be wearing a very particular t-shirt (order information here) then I'll be buying your first round.

And don't worry - exceptions will be made for those in the Factory that own t-shirts but know better to wear them in public. I know who you are so just show up and deny you have one. Except for you-know-who. I'm really hoping he'll show up wearing his t-shirt and have a laugh and a beer with the most passionate of his Revit users!

See you at AU!

It's Snowing in Charlotte!

No - not that kind of global-warming-run-amok kind of snow (sorry Eddy). This is blacksn0w.

George Hotz (aka 'geohot') has gone and released the most elegant of unlocks / jailbreaks for the iPhone 3G and 3GS to date (doesn't work with 2G iPhone - but that's not a big deal). Couple of important points:

1. Do this at your own risk.
2. Doing this will void your Apple warranty.
3. If you have any doubts and/or questions before proceeding, please re-read #1 and #2.
   

So if you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS and 1) you've always wanted to be able to operate it with another carrier or 2) install non-Apple-apps, this is about as easy as it's going to get for a long time.

First - make sure that you're on the latest / greatest iPhone software. If not - upgrade via iTunes to version 3.2.1 (7D11).

Second - go to http://blackra1n.com/ and pick your OS and download.

Third - plug in your iPhone (if iTunes starts just quit iTunes).

Fourth - start blackra1n. Now you have to push a button. There is only one button. It's the button in the middle:

This will "jailbreak" your iPhone, meaning you can now install non-Apple-apps. And here's where it gets interesting. See the black, eye-drop shaped icon in the upper left corner? That's your newly installed blackra1n app.

When you start blackra1n, you'll see the following three options:

Cydia and Rock install applications that allow you to install other applications. Like GoogleVoice Moblie. Which rocks!

Fifth (and finally) - the really magic button is the one called "sn0w". Pushing this one button will "unlock" your iPhone 3G or 3GS and allow it to be used with other carriers.

"AT&T is frightful,
But T-Mobile's soooo delightful,
Thanks to some guy named 'geo'(hot)
Let it sn0w, let it sn0w, let it sn0w."

Cut! Take Two!

Due to unforeseen and unimagined circumstances - the Revit/Universal Studios/Project Phoenix...has been nixed by NBC/Universal powersthatbe. Very sad about it. News made for a very poor start to a week two Monday's ago.

So now what? Well - a bit of scrambling. I'm going to refocus the session on the use of Revit in the film and stage industry. Slightly different flavor, same creamy goodness.

This will be an **major** update to the AU 2006 presentation with industry veteran Jack G. Taylor that presented some extraordinary examples of Revit being used in major motion picture production, while highlighting industry specific challenges of level of detail, work flow and speed of delivery.

Full update course description here: Autodesk® Revit® for Film and Stage.

We'll also be showcasing far more recent examples of major motion picture set designs in Revit. Brilliant stuff that I'm very excited about! For example?


Seriously. Revit. FTW.

Extra huge and gigantic props to Joseph Wurcher (Twitter feed here) and his crack team of hyper-text editors. Seriously - getting class titles and description stuffs edited this close to AU nearly requires a Papal decree. But they managed to jump through hoops to make the necessary changes. Nothing but net! Thanks Joseph!

So the economy is a squishy. You know what? There's industries that would love to have your mad Revit skills besides Architecture.

See you at AU!

Some Happy

Today has not been a good day. Sometimes I need a pick-me-up. Help me help you to help me. For that, I share a story:

I was at a baby shower for a friend the other day. He was telling me that he's been trying to come up with crazy ideas and then trying to Google them to see if they exist. So far, they all have. The one he was telling me about was a helmet that you would wear to bed and it would block out sound. Apparently they sell one online.....

The internet is a strange and wonderful place. A place where you can find so many, many things. Like a site devoted to professional cakes gone wrong. It's a bit like cloud busting. Someone can look and see a turkey...........

Hil-ar-ity.

LEED Rant #17

You know at some point I actually have to finish documentation on LEED and be done with this process.

My biggest problem with LEED for Homes to date: It's not a progressive process.
No, like fighting for equal rights progressive but that it hall has to happen at once. It works for commercial, but it doesn't fit home owners. You get ONE chance at getting your rating. How many home owners do you know who are actually 'done' with their homes in one round???

The process should be set up where you could build upon past performance. If in 3 years I put up a wind turbine, why can't I tack those points on to my score? Instead, the process caters to having more $$ to gain more points which makes it inaccessible to many.

LEED for Homes.
Star Date 276.
That's how many days I've been filling out paperwork.
Gas bill last month: $25 | Electric bill: $60

iNeedles

You know that thing I've been talking about where people can unlock their iPhones to install totally non-Steveness blessed applications? Like Google Voice Mobile - great sound quality - available only via Cydia (once you jailbreak your iPhone). Like T-Mobile - so far, really great customer service - available only via Dev-Team (once you unlocked your iPhone). Like Cycorder - great video quality (ditto on the jailbrake part). Cycorder has been around for quite some time on the iPhone.

Well - this same kind-o-effort to unlock and distinguish software from hardware is being leveled at Apple's hardware and their OS. And it's a really big deal to Apple because it'll allow people to bypass purchasing Apple hardware in order to run OSX. And I suspect it's at least on the radar of Uncle Fester...er...Steve Ballmer too because it'll show cracks in the dam. Balmer can laugh, monkey dance and dismiss the Cult of Linux. But not so with the Cult of Mac. Because while MSFT's stock price has been flat-lining for the past ten years or so, Apple has increased nearly 1000% (10x):



Apple 2008 Revenue / Profit? $ 32.5 billion / $ 4.8 billion
Microsoft 2008 Revenue / Profit? $ 60.4 billion/ $ 17.7 billion

Apple is 1/2 the size of Microsoft. Who'd a thunk? Their profit is proportionally only half (15% compared to 29%). But Apple also makes hardware - where the margins are much lower compared to software. So who has the most to lose if people start using OS X without buying Apple hardware? Who has the most to gain?

In the past someone needed to make a really binary decision to use Apple over Microsoft. And the friction of having to jump both hardware and software hurdles has probably kept a lot of people from moving to Apple. This on the other hand this will allow someone to jump over one hurdle now - and maybe another later. Maybe. If you're cool enough. /s

Rebel EFI software will allow users to easily boot and install Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and even Mac OS X on their machines and is available for download at Psystar.com. The full version comes with the Darwin Universal Boot Loader, which allows for the installation of up to 6 different operating systems on a single machine.

What does this mean? Got a computer sitting around the house that's constipated on spyware, crapware, auto-porn-pop-ups and who knows what else? Got a teenager with a mild geeky streak? Well - for starters, it'll cost you $100: $50 for OSX and $50 for Rebel EFI. Well - maybe only $50. Because Apple users don't have to bother with OEMs when they install their OS. So if you know someone that has an Apple computer they'll probably let you "borrow" their OSX install disk.

So here's the big question: are people really going to risk playing cat and mouse with with their data and Apple in order to run OSX on non-Steveness approved hardware?

Well - judging by the number of people playing dodge ball with Apple/AT&T/iPhone/iTunes just to run non-approved apps and non-approved carriers on their iPhone - then the answer is "yes".

And then like it or not, Apple will have increased their customer base without those customers passing through the eye of John Ive's hyper-elevated, meticulously well-designed and brushed aluminum iNeedle. At least at first. Because when it's time to upgrade - I suspect they'll consider Apple hardware as well.

Sorry John. Sorry Steve.

Thanks Psystar.

Dude, Where's My Tool?

What? can't find your tools in the new UI?
Apparently neither can someone else. So, they made what I thought was a very handy little tool.



What out - it resizes your browser window.

Infinity Tower

One of my favorite recent SOM projects is currently featured in The Architect’s Newspaper. The Infinity Tower is a spiraling luxury residential building reaching 1,038 feet over the Dubai waterfront.  Designed by structural wizard Bill Baker and former New Yorker, Ross Wimer, the elegant structure was designed with the help of the brilliant Victor Gane (Stanford CIFE, etc.) in Digital Project.

“We try to take something that’s complex and make it simple. Simple for the exterior guys, simple for the concrete guys, simple for the sales agent. It’s the same floor plate because every floor rotates around the central column.”

Go Carol, It’s Your Birthday…

“Yahoo triples profits, beats expectations”

It’s good to see Carol Bartz (former Autodesk CEO) making headway with her new gig; however, it’s this kind of blurb which gets me excited:

"Most of the benefit that they are seeing is because the economy is improving -- a rising tide -- not because of all the changes they've made," said JMP Securities analyst Sameet Sinha.

All for One, One for All

Pardon the cliche quote, but I can’t begin to explain how happy I am to join my partners in crime in their blogging adventures. Phil did a pretty nice job in summarizing my likes, dislikes, general demeanor and opinion of major appliances. Did you know I was the top-rated new speaker at AU 2004? Good times…

And yes, I have had the experience of meeting Gene Simmons at our local fire house. He was taping an episode of Family Jewels and was the honorary host of our Fire Safety Day…

Meeting Howard Stern is a story for another post…hmmm, stay tuned.

Anyway, Phil and I are still waiting for our chance to share a drink atop the completed One World Trade Center and reflect on many fun years of implementing BIM.

The Circle is Now Complete...

The third member of the BIM Alliance is now in place. ;)

As you know, Eddy Krygiel joined this Arch | Tech experiment in early August 2009 and began posting in earnest. Now after equal amounts of begging, pleading, prodding and plying - Eddy and I are honored to have James Vandezande round out this key cast of players.

For those of you that haven't had the pleasure to meet or work or hear James speak at AU, I'll start with my own personal experience and impressions:

• Digital Design Manager and Associate at SOM NYC
• Early BIM | Technology adopter
  
• University Lecturer
  
• An extremely significant Force of Will(TM) that kept the WTC project on track in spite of much fan-hitting action
  
• Dedicated, hardworking - sharp-minded as well as sharp-tongued
  
• Focused on Programming, Standards, Very Large Projects as well as Multi-Platform BIM as a process - not a platform Environments
  
• Patient yet only suffers fools to a point
• Hands like a brick-mason, mind of poet
  
• Favorite beer: Chimay
• Has met Howard Stern and Gene Simmons
  
• In spite of his love of technology, very poor personal experience with home appliances. Offer him one of the above adult beverages at AU, sit back and enjoy the stories. ;)
  

LinkedIn
Twitter

His blog in it's native format is here.

Welcome aboard James. Don't be a "wooden tongue":

Couldn't find a reasonable glamor shot like this. Be patient. In the mean time the image above will have to do. More details to follow.

It's about to get very, very interesting.

Something's Amiss in the Factory!

Details here. Or select the image above!

Happy Halloween everyone! Smile! Loosen up!

AU2009 is just around the corner!

Whisky Tango Foxtrot

Above image links to story here.

I'm going to suggest there only one of two options:

1. Carol approved this. Which I sincerely doubt. But if true, I'll be incredibly and deeply disappointed.

2. Carol didn't approve of this. In which case someone - or some people - somewhere is (or are) going to be in an extraordinary world of hurt.

Put it this way. You'd all be better off taking that all-expenses-paid holiday on the coast of Cuba you've been hearing about.

Seriously. Just grab your passport, buy your tickets, pack your toothbrush and leave a note on the fridge for the wives and kids.

Seriously.

Wha Wha What!!!

I'm sorry Eddy. Normally I'd let a new post settle for a day or two. And the image of Fozzy Bear's head mounted to a bright aqua blue plaque is brilliant. Really. But I've just returned from the west coast, started to eat microwaved leftovers (being married to a chef RULES!) and begun to read news/Twitter/Facebook - lo and behold! A shiny new episode of South Park is online!

Click the image above to launch the episode at South Park Studios! NSFW! Seriously! You have been warned.

And I realize that everybody was all pissed off at George Jr and now everybody is apparently in love with Barry. But the next time you wonder what's the US done for the world? Two words: South Park.

I even flew through Denver this week and once again...missed out on eating at Casa Bonita. One day I'll pay tribute to the Mexican Mecca.

Coincidentally I live in a suburb of Charlotte, NC known as Southpark.

Anyone up for "Zombieland" this weekend? Do yourslf a favor and check out "Shaun of the Dead" first. :)

Friday Reprieve

Etsy is a great place to find stuff made by artists and others who want to create. There is some beautiful things out there. I bought this sugar skull from Esty for my wife as a housewarming gift. It reads "Bacon is like a little hug from God" and hangs in the kitchen in an awesome orange color.

Today I happened across DataMafia who also has an Esty site. They sell all kinds of wares, but I do like these. Now I just need to build a den.

How Green Is That??

Greenbuild is the annual expo for everything sustainable. This year, it’s being held in Phoenix, Arizona. This year, even with the economic decline, they hope to pull in 18,000 people with opening speakers such as former president elect Al Gore and artist Sheryl Crow.

While I envy anyone who gets to hear Al Gore speak, or Sheryl Crow perform, some of it is getting a bit creepy. I can let go of the Birdwatching and the Salon (yes, a 'green' salon), but there’s a ‘Cowboy Ride-n-Dine’ and a ‘Easy Sunrise Hike’. The hike meanders to the ‘Hole in the Rock’ to watch the sun rise where the early inhabitants, the Hohokam, recorded the position of the sun.

Ok, we’re getting a little too hippie even for me. But it gets better:

On the 14th is the first annual GreenBuild Golf Tournament. In Arizona.

In other news, Apple resigns from the Chamber of Commerce due to their backward policy on climate change. rock on, Apple.

Apple + Autodesk = Cool

Life is all about balance, so it's time to say something nice about ADSK development.



ADSK has come out with an Alias-esque sketch app that is pretty stinkin' cool for the iphone. Check the video here, but I have to say, it's impressive. It's called SketchBook.

Gentleman, We Have A Winner

Please donate my AU2009 Pass to Guy Robinson.