March 2013

Video games, Micro-transactions, and Nine Minutes of your Time well spent

March 16, 2013

So you know micro-payments have been on my mind recently. I’ve been thinking a lot about how in conjunction with augmented reality and/or QR codes these small amounts of money offer some intriguing possibilities for architects. I’ve also been dwelling on all that for a few reasons that go beyond architecture. I’ll do my best to share the details soon, but I have some personal requirements to get out of

What does my journey as an Architect look like?

March 15, 2013

My career has gone astray I followed the proper path. Summer internships, an architecture job right out of school, hopping between firms to climb the ranks, getting exposure with different project types, taking on leadership challenges where possible, moonlighting anytime the opportunity arose. Then a funny thing happened on the way to becoming the Project Architect/Design Architect I assumed I wanted to be. I met ArchiCAD. We fell in love.

What kind of Architect are you?

March 14, 2013

I talk with a lot of architects, interns, and people who studied architecture but went in different and/or non-traditional directions. There is a particular type of architect that comes up again and again in these conversations. A prototypical architect that we all seem to measure ourselves against: the Natural Architect. But that’s not the right term (we’ll get to that in a moment). Read the comments of my previous posts

Reading the Economist hindered my job prospects, but helped my career

March 13, 2013

Maybe certain former co-workers won’t like me sharing these kinds of stories. But I doubt they’ll ever read them. And if they do, I hope they can understand that this isn’t about us; it’s about something much larger. I can’t remember when it happened. I think it was during an annual review. But it might have been during one of the dozen meetings I had with various co-workers leading up

Texting and Driving

March 12, 2013

A little different from the usual post on Shoegnome, but don’t worry it all connects… So there’s a problem with people getting distracted while driving. They start looking at phones and replying via text, e-mail, or some other function that requires eyes and hands to be on the phone and not focused on driving. The problem keeps getting worse. So what’s the solution? Because we need a solution. Laws that

First Memories, AutoCAD version 2.5, and 3D Studio R4

March 11, 2013

I’ve been using ArchiCAD since 2006. Over 7 years now… kind of surreal and surprising. I first modeled in 3D on a computer back in 1994. I was 13 and my older brother acquired a copy of 3D Studio R4 for me. Best not to think too hard about that one. But even by then I was already quite familiar with 2D drafting. I first used AutoCAD in 1987 or

BIM Server Scare

March 11, 2013

It was like we’d just saved the world from a nuclear holocaust. But we couldn’t tell anyone because it wasn’t rogue KGB operatives still disgruntled from the end of the Cold War or Kim Jong Un and his lackeys with their fingers on the button. It was aliens from another dimension. And if we tried to explain that everything was alright, the citizens of the world would just freak out

QR Codes and Micro-payments

March 8, 2013

Did you read my post on Augmented Reality and Micro-Payments? You should. It’s pretty cool. The more I think about affiliate links and micro-payments, the more I get excited about the idea. Could we test this concept in 2013? You bet we can. Here’s how. Step One -Â Find a client willing to do an experiment with you. It probably needs to be a commercial client, my guess is that a

Ten Years Later, summer internships aren’t what they once were

March 6, 2013

I’ve seen into the Chasm. It’s beautiful, ambitious, and not the architectural graduates of times past. Back in January I had coffee with two students from the University of Minnesota that I’m mentoring. I asked them a question, “do you have any classmates who still say ‘I can’t wait to graduate and start designing buildings!’?” The answers: “We’re not allowed to be that optimistic” and “There are people who say