Las Vegas Hotel Implosion

only in Vegas!!!...

The short version...better video of the countdown



The longer version...better fireworks, and some interesting detail regarding the sequencing and placement of the charges



Enjoy...

German steeple challenges leaning tower of Pisa

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Guinness Book of World Records has ruled that a church steeple in Germany, not the famous leaning tower of Pisa, is the most tilted tower in the world.

The 25.7-metre steeple tilts at an angle of 5.07 degrees, while the tower of Pisa tilts at just 3.97 degrees, said Olaf Kuchenbecker, head of Guinness's German edition.

"When you lay photos of the two next to each other you can see it relatively clearly," Kuchenbecker said.

The new record, scheduled to appear next autumn in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, could strip the Pisa tower of its iconic status, Kuchenbecker said.

link to full article

MIT alleges flaws in Gehry building

They wanted this design...you need to know you're taking the whole package...

BOSTON - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is suing renowned architect Frank Gehry, alleging serious design flaws in the Stata Center, a building celebrated for its unconventional walls and radical angles.

The school asserts that the center, completed in spring 2004, has persistent leaks, drainage problems and mold growing on its brick exterior. It says accumulations of snow and ice have fallen dangerously from window boxes and other areas of its roofs, blocking emergency exits and causing damage.

The suit says MIT paid Los Angeles-based Gehry Partners $15 million to design the Stata Center, which cost $300 million to build. It houses labs, offices, classrooms and meeting rooms.

link to full article

Theory and Practice

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.

I could only find one reference that attributed this one to Yogi...it's still a good one...

Are You an Egomaniac?

Ten Questions with Steven Smith

egonomics: What Makes Ego Our Greatest Asset (or Most Expensive Liability)

great stuff

The very Big and the very Small...

I find these topics fascinating...as sort of an odd hobby...

Two Slits Are Better Than One

Cosmic Effort Sheds Light on Dark Energy

and I wonder why my kids think I am a boring conversationalist...

Link to "A Few Good Architects"...

Funny...

A Few Good Architects

Service Industry Re-visited

I had previously focused on issues regarding our "Service Industry"...

What we do is different from manufacturing a product. We deliver a service, and we like to think that “Service” is higher up the “Value Added” chain than a “Product” and maybe it is.

This often takes the form of answers to questions...

We are in the "Answers" business...

We get paid (a lot, I hope) to provide service (answers) to our Clients...

Clients have a right to be dis-satisfied if they pay the going rate and do not get their service, i.e. the answers

We do not get paid to provide excuses...

Mystery Solved: Mars Had Large Oceans

Since 1991, planetary scientists have floated the idea that Mars once harbored vast oceans that covered roughly one-third of the planet. Two long shore-like lips of rock in the planet's northern hemisphere were thought to be the best evidence, but experts argued that they were too "hilly" to describe the smooth edges of ancient oceans.

The view just changed dramatically with a surprisingly simple breakthrough.

The once-flat shorelines were disfigured by a massive toppling over of the planet, scientists announced today. The warping of the Martian rock has hidden clear evidence of the oceans, which in any case have been gone for at least 2 billion years.

"This really confirms that there was an ocean on Mars," said Mark Richards, a planetary scientist at the University of California at Berkeley and co-author of the study, which is detailed in the June 14 issue of the journal Nature.

link to full article

an interesting blog about space, rocketry, and associated topics...

well worth some time...

Rocketaholic Blog

Google Sketch Up

I was out to lunch the other day with two collegues...It was one of those "let's go out to lunch for your last day..." the changing times continue to change...

The discussion was pretty typical, who's hot, who's not...other industry stuff...

Drawing programs came up, and someone mentioned Google SketchUp

It a free 3D model sketching program...it's webdriven and compatible with Google Earth...

I got the download...it looks pretty fun...very powerful...I am going to try to convert some of my 2D sketch drawings into 3D models...

Check it out...

The power of many...

If you've worked in this industry long enough, you have had the opportunity to see the power of a group of people all focused on a common goal...

and the extraordinary things that can be accomplished...

If you are not sure this is really possible, take 2 minutes and 32 seconds out of your life to see for yourself...

Don't waste one minute...

Thon.org
.

Service Improvement...

What would we do if our service was a product? and we wanted to improve it...

Lots of people like Tom Peters, are always talking about moving up the service scale…
products, services, experiences…and I agree…

But that should not mean that we can’t learn something from looking back the other way…

Just the concept that there should always be an effort underway to improve…

Some quick examples…


Provide solutions for lingering problems- when the product is used, it leaves a mess in the container…solution squeezable tubes for clean product dispensing…
Improve product- from radical re-design to adding a single new feature…
Expand market segment- find another market segment to sell…expand existing market segment…
Make it cheaper…continuous improvement…
Develop related products…similar to the expanded market, have more things to sell…

In engineering, people are too quick to turn to cost as the most competitive aspect of selling engineering…it shows a limited review of the situation…

Pick Three Themes...

I have decided the following three themes will be my focus for 2007, and maybe beyond...

Client Service- what does it take to make the Client the Hero?...

Technical Quality- there is no substitute for the correct information during a construction project...

Safety- I don't think you can justify leaving this one out...

How to be creative in architecture

Another manifesto...

Being an architect in and of itself is supposedly a creative endeavor. But, it's not. The business model, the approach - not creative. It has become a commodity. Architects undercut each other to the point of insanity, creating a "low-baller's profession". The good architects transcend all of this. Joe Schmoe will not undercut Daniel Libeskind. You have to be creative, not just in your designs, but in your approach and mentality.

link to Josh's Architectural Manifesto...

Client Input...

People + process = project success….

We typically build our client presentations around two things…
our people, the Team…
and how our team will work, the Process

I think we miss out on a critical point if we think only these two items will determine whether a project succeeds or not…we have left out the client.

People + process + client input = project success….

Clients provide critical input to the project process…obviously, let’s not overlook the basics like the actual project itself, and more importantly, if not more obviously, the money to pay for the project…

The client project team also provides critical input, decision making, political support, etc…all of which have a dramatic impact on the possible success or failure of a project…

Reviewing the level of input with the client before the project starts will allow both the client and the consultant to have a clear understanding of what is required, or maybe more importantly, differences in opinions about what is required.

Even more importantly, reviewing the expected input to a project with a possible client may give you a clearer view of whether or not the prospective client shares your attitudes about what it takes from each party to make a project successful…something which is better found out before a project starts, not afterwards…

Growing the network...

My LinkedIn profile...


http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesfduffy

Design Ideas...

Mark MacInturf gave a lecture on design ideas and made the great point that there are only two good analogies for design ideas...the "suitcase" and the "bunch of grapes"...and he had great sketches to go with them...

I was driving home from a site visit today and was listening to some music for the drive...

"Architecture as frozen music" leads to some other design ideas...

Texture..., Rythm..., Articulation...

I need a list for the New Year...

of 100 things to do to improve Client service...

here goes:

1- show up prepared
2- get one thing done every day
3- explain your work process
4- communicate
5- align the team
6- focus
7- put the project first
8-
9-
10-




I also need a list of 10 things to do this year to improve Client service...

What will the "top ten" be?

I really need a list of the 1 thing to do this year to improve Client service...

What will number 1 be?

We are obligated...

to teach...

those younger than us, with less experience, we can help...we have to...

to learn...

we have to continue to learn, from those of us with more experience...we have to...