From: Charles J Knight (c.knight_at_juno.com)
Date: 03/04/00
Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 18:09:33 -0600 Subject: Re: staplers, design, blueberries, domes, etc Message-ID: <20000304.194638.-357385.0.c.knight@juno.com> From: Charles J Knight <c.knight_at_juno.com>
> I've been lurking awhile on this list and now feel I have to jump in
I'm thrilled you did...glad to meet you!
> > basically need to create a new classic.
> I completely agree. The problem is that the dome is a radical
> departure from
> most people's preconceptions of their "dream house". Widespread
> acceptance
> of domes will require time and a LOT of persistence. The predictions
> I have
> seen about global climate change bringing on an increase in
> frequency and
> severity of bad weather work in our favor.
Interesting...my dream house has always been very different. Its
current incarnation is reminiscent of the Trylon and Perisphere...the
Perisphere being the house, and the Trylon being a tower collector
for the heliostat array.
While I very much appreciate the classic plantation house, and would
jump at the chance to live in one, that's not my *dream* house. Mine
just happens to be a dome.
Here's a slightly different way of looking at this. Most people have
ideas as to what features their dream house should have. They usually
have lists which include such amenities as a big family room, vaulted
ceilings, big picture windows with a view, etc. All those things are
possible and even practical within a dome...they just don't know it yet.
Advertising can inform the public.
> I wish Chuck had chosen examples with wider acceptance. The Beetle
But I did. The Beetle introduced us to small cars as viable
transportation,
and created an entire movement. Even today, they are sought after. And
the entire small car movement which began with the roadsters in the '60s
and which continued due to the '70s gas crisis, could be attributed to
the
original small car, the Beetle.
Considering their age, I would not expect them to have modern safety
features, though the gasoline fired heaters were just a bad idea from day
one. They did have a lot of other endearing qualities, though, including
the ability to customize them *to death.*
I know of few cars with the widespread acceptance and owner loyalty
of the Beetle, despite that ugly piece of rolling Tupperware that they
came out with recently.
> many; the Fallingwater concept is beautiful, but six-footers tend to
> crack
> their skulls because Wright always customized to his own short
> stature. As
Look at its design, though. Flat roof, intersecting planes, indigenous
stones, melding it into the landscape. It doesn't look like a "space
pod" landed on the site.
It inspired countless modern buildings, as did Wright's other works,
especially Taliesin...and its approach to melding modern architecture
with a site is still used today. It is truly a design classic.
I'm not saying that architects should duplicate Fallingwater on other
sites...but in terms of design, it's exceptional and timeless.
> for the iMac . . . I have used (and serviced) just about every
> hardware/software combo there is. When someone asks me which to buy,
> I say
> go with Windows/AMD to get the most bang for the buck combined with
> open
> standards, wide choice of software, and especially upgradability.
So do I. Let's mention the eOne, then...it's a Celeron based all-in-one
computer with a 17" SVGA monitor, which is available in various
translucent
colors. But, in terms of base design concept, it's an iMac knockoff.
Very
few would argue the fact that the iMac and iBook are a major
reason...possibly
the primary reason that computers today are starting to show some style,
and why we're getting away from the "beige box."
Look at sales of *all* computers since the introduction of the iMac.
There's
been a very definite trend. iMac made it "cool" to have a computer in
your
house, even if you weren't a nerd.
Anyway...
I do wish that it was easier to find non-beige (or black) natural
keyboards
and monitors...they look so tacky with a "stylish" computer.
> What would be really great is if some developer built a large
> project using
> domes as the primary architectural feature of not just the homes,
> but the
> stores, schools, and other facilities as well. "DomeWorld", as it
Monolithic has entire apartment and subdivision plans available, now.
It's
just a matter of finding someone who could actually build this, and
promote
it properly.
As I understand it, CalPoly (I think) has a dome village as student
housing.
Might be possible to start there...it's the only student housing that
operates
in the black...and the entire place has been there for 20 years or more.
> Throw in some amenities like fuel cells for off-grid power, a
> development-wide water recycling network, low-maintenance roadways,
> deed
> restrictions against non-native plants, and I'd be there in a
> heartbeat.
As would I. But make it hundreds of miles from the nearest patch of
lawn... Used to be that allergy sufferers got shipped off the Arizona or
New Mexico, but now that they're covered in grass, etc, those places
are just as difficult for us as anywhere else.
-- Chuck Knight
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