Made in the USA?
What does "Made in the USA" mean? During my research these past few weeks, it means different things to different people. A bolt might be made in China with materials from that part of the world, sold here : for a fraction of the price of another bolt proudly en-blazed with the label MADE IN THE USA. My research has led me to understand that when the raw material isn't chosen by you, and you let someone else choose it for you they'll choose the cheapest they can get away with. No matter what the materials, plastic, rubber, wood, metal it can all be watered down, mixed with something else, or worse substituted with something else.
For example : Currently my condominium is in the process of having a Sealcoat contractor lay down some coating on our parking lot. I did some research and found that Coal based sealcoat is hazardous not only to the nearby wildlife through run off, but also to humans. People wonder why cancer rates cluster or spike in certain areas, how are they so high if people live healthy lives (don't smoke etc) its the choices that others make for you that you don't even know about that make you sick or contaminate your every day living environment. BTW, no the condominium did not consult with me when they got the specs for the sealcoating, but I did forward to the President of the association this article and suggested he demand Asphalt based sealcoat.
I am making careful decisions about where I get my materials from, wood, stains, sealers, bolts, nuts and washers : I am crafting a business plan that takes into consideration all the overhead for adding labor here in the USA, and not manufacturing anything over seas at this stage of the game. And for that I am incurring substantial costs which I think in the larger scheme of things is worth it. If I can put people to work here in this country and make a little less but be able to control the quality and fit that goes into the actual labor, then why not? My intentions are to make the best quality product I can make here in the USA. I know that low material costs along with low labor costs makes for a more profitable business model : but that can only be achieved outside of this country. Some do it in this country but I want no part of that...
dl.v
PS. I am looking at Automation : complementing my sketching, scanning, scale modeling and 3d modeling, with 3d Prototyping. I'll post on that later.
What fuels us?
We finally have one .25 miles down the street!... Awesome sandwich, pretty good company, and very catchy advertising. Our fuel...
dl.v
PS. NO they don't pay me, and I don't get anything for free.
Interesting discussion on Archinect about Scripting
A few posts ago I talked about scripting to create form, this link to the forums @ Archinect discuss the issue to death. It explains my "brilliant horny people" quote brilliantly. God only knows why those people over there complicate the english language in the way they do. Being descriptive is one thing, but when you start to erode cannibalize the entire meaning of a movement, you know there wasn't a solid foundation to begin with.
Software is a tool, not a chapter in the Bible. Some software has given voice to the intellectual voiceless, who lacked the ability to draw by hand or to direct others to do so. We are witnessing the unleashing of that intellect and in some cases it comes across as "elitist hog wash".
Sketch it, model it and build it and then shut the fuck up....
dl.v
What’s the deal with code names?
While in the design phase of a product its best to not refer to it by its real name (until ready for public consumption). Microsoft called Windows XP : code name Whistler, Apple folds the code names into the final release, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Audi calls their A4 platforms with a B designation B6, B7, etc... Although not a product even the current President of the United States is "Renegade" and his wife "Renaissance" not sure why they publish that one, but worth mentioning. Just for fun, Top Gear calls their test driver The Stig. Why? Because (speaking to my original point) the design process is in so much flux, a thin veal of anonymity is a good thing. The product might will go through multiple names before release, flip flopping on names doesn't lend much confidence to the product so code names help mask all that turbulence.
I got myself an expert in code names : this person invents names for things by just one look, and she is 9 years old. My niece ll.v. I sat her down in front of a laptop, attached my USB drive containing a slide show of the furniture pieces and I asked her to bless them with code names. This is the result (exact spelling by her, remember she is an expert)...
- Trestidectifobia
- Futeristic
- Moshi
- Cubical
- Splash
- Crazly
- Streemers
- The Wave
- Tubish
You can't ignore brilliance like that, thanks L! These code names will help me refer to the pieces without revealing much about their real name, concept or function.
dl.v
Think Tons not pounds : TONS!
60 minimum sheet order of plastic plywood @ .25" thick that comes to about 2.2 tons of material on a minimum order of 4X8 sheets! This changes my perspective on materials in general : When you order them in such large quantities to your shop, then work them and disseminate them back again to the public, when in the first place these were all milk jugs in your refrigerator! Its sort of mind blowing. The simple fact is more than anything our country needs to focus on biodiesel for distribution of materials! We'll never stop consuming and recycling, but the distribution is not recyclable. Distribution/transportation is where its at.
dl.v
Haiti
"The ultimate test of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and moments of convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and moments of controversy."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Another tool…
We've acquired a printer cutter which allows us to slice templates out of plastic used to make templates straight from Illustrator... Yes, I am low tech and high tech all at the same time! Since I build my scale models by hand, I usually trace the paper templates on the material by hand, but using plastic will allow me to be much more accurate. The actual working and cutting of the material will be much more evident when my hands work it, i.e. less precise : just how I like it...
dl.v
1st 1st round financing meeting…
The meeting went well, very well...
Quote:
" I've never seen anything like this, you have to have an exhibition to show these... "
Needless to say I was very happy to hear this comment from the first outside person with many years of refined design taste to see my pieces... I feel more encouraged and more sure of this venture. Sometimes when you make dry runs and you go through the stress of presenting someone your ideas even when they aren't entirely finished, makes you appreciate even more the amount of time, thought and effort you've put into what you've already accomplished. Your life's work isn't to be toyed with, and the time you have to do that work is irretrievable : doing it well and having others appreciate it is so fucking priceless.
dl.v
Rhino v.4 complaint! (it’s official)
Someone was gracious enough to upgrade us to v.4! I've been a loyal user since version 1, and this release is by far the most refined... I am very happy to have the tool and its many many capabilities! Digging through commands, its incredible how this software has stayed true to all of its original roots, but still innovated leaps and bounds on each release... I will always be a loyal Rhino user due to their support of the design community. By having respect for skill sets learned over the years, they've never changed the UI on us nor taken away capabilities to toy with us. An open plugin ecosphere full of just about any add on imaginable. If only Autodesk would learn from this business model the construction document software industry would be much more vibrant... Autodesk's subscription based software and retirement of previous version licenses is nothing more than extortion. Long live Rhino!
dl.v
Still here!
Been busy working on proformas! Was at a zoning meeting last night for another project, very enlightening. Looking forward to being cut loose on a large project I've been working on for a long time.
Making a trip to Orlando tomorrow, going to do a private showing of the furniture scale models : hopefully I'll make 1st round financing happen soon...
dl.v
Big Brother…
Note: In his house is the first prototype I ever built, Splash (code name) and my expert code name expert lives there too! He helped me build that first prototype, cutting wood and having neighbors come by and wonder what the hell we were making, cause it really didn't look like anything until it was actually up on the wall... I'm sure he'll be part of the future of this furniture journey, adding this entry helps me record his involvement. Oh and his birthday too...
dl.v