Hearst Tower is the first green building completed in New York City, with a number of environmental considerations built into the plan. The floor of the atrium is paved with heat conductive limestone. Polyethylene tubing is embedded under the floor and filled with circulating water for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. Rain collected on the roof is stored in a tank in the basement for use in the cooling system, to irrigate plants and for the water sculpture in the main lobby.
The main spatial “event” of the Hearst Tower is the grand internal plaza that occupies the entire shell of the historic base. Inside is a dramatic 10-story atrium and café space surrounded by the original windowed masonry facade. More experienced Hearst employees have voiced a feeling of connection with the new facility because they can actually see the windows of their old offices intact in the old masonry shell.
The thing I think is coolest about this building is the dynamic adjustment of interior lighting that reacts to ambient light levels from the outside. So, the interior lights turn down as the exterior light (the sun, you know) increases. From an energy saving standpoint, this seems so stunningly obvious… it’s shocking it hasn’t been implemented on such a large scale sooner. But again, the main reason I write about the building is because of how amazing it looks.
Every Friday afternoon this fall is another round of layer tennis — it’s an online game played live where two designers face off against one another; each receives 15 minutes per volley to riff off the other’s image. The game takes the pace of design and increases it by a coupla (sic for humor) orders of magnitude, giving spectators the option to watch the creative process unfold within the minds of two talented artists. Humor, beauty, and speed combine for a truly unique experience. Playing today is a man named Chuck Anderson, who has a vivacious, one-of-a-kind style… here’s a short bio by Jason Kottke:
Chuck Anderson is a 22-year-old designer and artist from the Chicago area. Not wanting to wait through four years of design school, he dove full-time into the working world right after high school. Since then, he’s accumulated quite a reputation and a client list to match. You may have heard of some of them: Microsoft, Dolce & Gabbana, Pepsi, and Adidas.
I never knew that bonsai trees could look so stunningly realistic. Certainly, they are very real and alive tiny trees, but the trimming and maintenance patterns employed in this example by John Naka are tree-mendous. Ha! The caption for that linked picture:
John Naka’s famous bonsai masterpiece “Goshin,” on display at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum of the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. It consists of 11 Foemina juniper trees (Juniperus chinensis ‘Foemina’), representing Naka’s 11 grandchildren. In this photo, the “back” of the bonsai is facing outward.
For more bonsai greatness, check out the tree on the far right of this picture of bonsais at the Melbourne Zoo. That perfectly shaped specimen is a “Weeping Ficus” and it is 45 years old. Man, the Japanese have suchcoolarts.
Here are some pictures of a real-life wireframe of a Toyota Camry. The effect is incredibly convincing, especially in the high-contrast picture where the folks are lifting the model into a truck. Apparently, this was for a commercial.
Now I’ll bet you’re wondering why I haven’t posted some new pictures for a while, aren’t you? Me, too. See, these really big birds came by and snatched the camera from my hands when I was trying to take a picture of a… no, no, that’s not it. Well, the answer is quite simple, really — I just finished moving out to Saint Paul, into my first apartment off campus. Moving into your own place where you cook your own meals is particularly difficult since kitchens need many many many many little items to make things work. You can run scenarios through in your head all you want, but really you just have to attempt to cook something, then write down everything you don’t have. The resulting list can get long.
Perhaps you’d like to know a little about my apartment; well, perhaps I’d like to tell you. It’s a nicely sized efficiency with a main room of 12' x 13' a dining area about half that size, and a tiny kitchen and bathroom. (Two huge closets, too). Plus, it has been recently renovated: so, while the building was put together probably in the 20’s, there are refinished hardwood floors, new tile, sink, and floor in the bathroom, and some miscellaneous new fixtures. Windows are updated, too, which is a big deal. If you look around at windows of apartments from this time, you’ll find that some craaaaazy landlords left the original windows. (The glass on these windows is thicker at the bottom, indicating their age.) What’s more, the dern things are basically falling apart… Remember, if you’re looking into renting an old apartment, always make sure the windows are updated.
So, I’m out here still setting up connectivity and basics for living, which right now doesn’t include the internet. Hopefully, access will get worked out. Regardless, as soon as I hook up my computer, I’ll edit down some pictures and post them on another internet connection (possibly Mykala’s - thanks, Mykala!).
A question for today: if your wife is pregnant with your first child and it is “take your child to work day,” then does your wife come to your place of work?
This “instructive” video details How to Shower: Women vs. Men. You see, it’s the same word/verb, but it results in two very very different activities (depending on your gender).
I’m going to have to quote John Gruber quoting Annie Dillard, just because this is so good:
“If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be too cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.”
