Wood Clad SF Building

Just a few months after NY, we get a wood clad building of our own at 6th and Howard. I really like the idea, but why didn't the architects use just one shade of wood? They've made the building look like a giant wood sample!

To see how it should be done , visit Tropolism for more photos of this tower in Manhattan:












Update 4/18/2008:
The 106 unit San Francisco building is by partners Leddy, Maytum and Stacy, and is called Plaza Apartments. It houses low income tenants. The rents range from $380 to $440 per month.

Categories:Architecture San Francisco

Martin Luther King Day

Working Class Black Americans will not secure a better life for themselves until they abandon religion, embrace education, and become class-conscious. They need to be politically active in the Labor Unions, not the Democratic Party.

Porsche Cayman vs Citroen 2CV

Click on the image for a QuickTime movie (6.6MB loads in ~2min)

I think the Boxster styling is a bit ham-fisted. A sports car should look light and sleek no matter how impractical that makes it, otherwise why bother making a 2 seater? I prefer coupes to convertibles (and hatchbacks are even better) and the Cayman looks good to me. It has some angularity compared to the Boxster and it looks light and athletic.

On the way home I spotted the Citoen 2CV. The owner had paused to enjoy some wine and brie.

Categories:Movies Cars

Cable Lighting

The cables run the length of the living room using eye-hooks, cable clamps and tensioners. The cables are securely fixed to the walls six inches apart at the picture rail. The transformer is now wired with a 3 point plug, and the next step is to wire the transformer 12v output to the cables. The final step will be to buy the lamps for up to 300 watts of bright and focused light.

DIY 12 Volt Cable Lighting

After CES and MacWorld I feel overwhelmed by technology. It's time to get the most out the gadgets I already own.

So this weekend's project will be to install cable lighting in the front room (Our building originally had gas lighting and the front room still doesn't have any ceiling lights).

The main cost was $80 for the transformer and cable at $1.50 per foot. It's a commercial transformer and I'll be wiring the input for 120volts myself (If postings to this blog stop, call the ambulance).

Tomorrow I'll go to OSH for a 3-point plug and steel hardware to support the cables. Shouldn't cost more than $20.

Progress report tomorrow.

MacWorld-Wednesday

I'm high on the new iMac with Dual core Intel processor that runs 2-3 times faster than the iMac G5. People were three deep trying to get a look at the new machines, but we already know what the case looks like and we can imagine it running faster, so I didn't bother elbowing my way to the front. I'll wait for the dust to settle then buy one later this year.

I still love my iMac G4, but the 15" screen looks small after a day at MacWorld.

Muscle Cars

The Mustang fills a huge gap in the car market for affordable 2 door V8 rear wheel drive cars.

Now Chrysler and GM want a slice of this market segment







with the Challenger and Camaro. Their Detroit Motor Show concept cars look similar to me, so they better add lots of speed stripes,chrome and cheap plastic so we can tell them apart. Perhaps the vinyl roof will make a comeback.

Thanks AutoBlog

Belkin Discount

Belkin is giving a 25% discount for purchases at www.belkin.com when you use this code at checkout: 9410306.
Offer is good until January 31st.

MacWorld SF-Tuesday

By now you've heard about the MacBook Pro and Intel iMac, but no one has mentioned these my-vu 'video glasses' from MicroOptical. They come with earphones and they plug into a video iPod. There's a small screen in front of each eye, and the image is great! Because they're so narrow you can still see some of what's going on around you. According to the booth babe they'll be $300 in April.

They had no handouts, and the glasses aren't listed on the MicroOptical website. But they are mentioned on this Korean gadget news site.

Between the Shows

CES in Las Vegas is over and MacWorld San Francisco opens Tuesday.

The Consumer Electronics Show exhibited some very nice large screen TVs, and I'd be happy to own any one of them.
But most of the other goods on display were tacky. The manufacturers need to hire product design consultants (or first year design school students) to examine the aesthetics of their products. Most of the gadgets looked like shiny rubbish because of their cluttered random design and chrome plastic (including my beloved Treo 650 and 700W). Now consider the iPod. The iPod is functionally no better than the dozens of other mp3 players on the market, but we want it because it's nice to touch, and a pleasure to look at. Designers, wake-up and pay attention!


The MoGo Mouse. This Bluetooth mouse deserves mention. It stores and recharges inside your laptop's PC slot. Simple, useful.


The Sony Reader. At first glance it's just another LCD screen pretending to be a book. But read the details and you'll find it's a new type of display that is viewable in bright sunlight and uses no energy to display a page. It might succeed, but not at the projected price of $300-$400. Available in the Spring.