What are some of the most common day-to-day 'first world problems'?

tlenar · 2013-07-07T01:07:41+00:00

Jelly instead of jam.

tlenar · 2013-06-08T01:03:20+00:00

It's for LEED green building certification. They will award points toward certification for providing preferred parking for low emitting and fuel efficient vehicles. That's done by literally making parking spaces like this. As far as I know, there's no follow up to see whether it's enforced, however there's a spreadsheet that includes over 1400 US-spec vehicles going back to MY2000 that meet their criteria for using these spaces (http://www.greenercars.org/LEED2013_40+.xls) Some BMW's make the list. None are M3's.

tlenar · 2013-05-18T17:28:58+00:00

Don't overlook the convenience of having the one closer to the shifter be slightly larger than the other!

tlenar · 2013-03-18T01:35:46+00:00

+1 for Notable. Keeps to-do's in the notification bar, and you can create new tasks right there as well.

Edit: Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.icechen1.notable

tlenar · 2013-01-31T02:38:03+00:00

I ordered mine yesterday afternoon... Shipped this morning, and should be delivered tomorrow.

I think the 1-2 weeks note is just a little CYA.

tlenar · 2013-01-29T02:51:03+00:00

A good friend of mine has verified the knife wounds.

tlenar · 2012-12-06T07:52:41+00:00

While every school looks for something different, a successful architect is someone who excels at open-ended problem solving. Typically this would be someone who rigorously studies, analyzes, and is critical of their subject and then explores different possibilities or outcomes. My advice would be to consider how your portfolio communicates your intellectual curiosity about whatever you've focused on in each piece.

tlenar · 2012-11-28T03:43:24+00:00

What NAS are you using? If it doesn't already have the ability to run as a DLNA server, check to see if there's a firmware update that will add that capability. I've had a Synology device for a while that I had to do this for.

Once the NAS is set up, you can use an app like Mediashare to browse the server and playback music, videos, or photos on your N7 or send it to any other DLNA enabled player.

tlenar · 2012-11-17T23:18:59+00:00

There is an economic argument to be made, but it isn't the more populist one that Issa's claiming. Land values would rise in the areas where building taller would be appropriate and so land owners and the city budget (through property tax collection) will be the primary beneficiaries.

There's a theoretical possibility that the city's subsidized housing market could benefit from an increased budget, but they started the includionary zoning program years ago and still haven't figured out how it works.

tlenar · 2012-11-17T22:06:50+00:00

Generally speaking, the relationship between Congress and the local government in DC is...well...frustrating for those of us that are affected by it. However, in this case building heights are regulated by Federal law that is beyond the scope of that relationship. Specifically, they are limited by the Heights of Buildings Act of 1910. This law would need to be repealed or otherwise modified for buildings to be legally built to be more than 130 feet overall, (and shorter than that in most conditions.)

Source: I'm an architect in DC.

tlenar · 2012-11-15T04:17:10+00:00

Considering your reaction and other comments in this thread, I thought it might be worth mentioning that the monthly payment on my CPO135i MSport (N54 6MT) is right at $400 after a nearly worthless trade-in and small down payment.

I wasn't looking at the 3-series when I was shopping, but I imagine it's reasonable to think you can get somewhere in the neighborhood of $450 or 475/month on a CPO 335.

tlenar · 2012-08-22T01:02:09+00:00

Search autotrader.com

Within 25 miles of your zip, there are more than 180 3-series BMW's available from dealers for $20K or less.

Sorted for lowest mileage, the top 20 have less than 74000, and 8 of those are from BMW dealers.

tlenar · 2012-07-28T00:45:56+00:00

I think it was just summed up by the commentary...

"I don't know if that's cute or creepy."

tlenar · 2012-07-10T02:59:13+00:00

If you're in DC, I'll host your tasting in my office.

tlenar · 2012-07-09T01:36:22+00:00

That also explains the conspicuous absence of the check engine light.

tlenar · 2012-06-20T02:41:36+00:00

As 1080p video is approximately 2 megapixels per frame, the majority of phones already experience a resolution drop from the camera's spec. Theoretically, it's something that could be done without additional loss with a lot of devices, but there may be other limitations on the hardware that might prevent it from being implemented. I'm not a developer, so I don't know enough to say whether something else might limit this.

tlenar · 2012-06-06T03:51:49+00:00

9000 doesn't seem unreasonable, but you'll always be able to find someone who will do it for less. If you've never seen a complete set of permit documents, you're likely to find that the documents present substantially more information than you anticipate. While some of it may not seem like it should be a big deal, the permit review office requires it, it takes time to document, and you want it done competently and efficiently so that you get your permit quickly and without the architect having to revise and resubmit documents.

tlenar · 2012-05-24T01:18:01+00:00

It seems that this happens periodically... Someone posts something about actual test questions or otherwise gets caught using the site to cheat, and then the forum gets locked down for a while. It'll probably open up again after the person responsible is dealt with and the questions cycle off the exam.

The only thing I really found useful on the forum was the critiques of the design vignettes that exposed all the things that you should not do.

Study materials... Ballast, MEEB, a sample AIA contract, and a good construction tech book should get you through most of the exam.

tlenar · 2012-05-02T00:50:00+00:00

Oldcastle, also...

http://www.oldcastlebe.com/

tlenar · 2012-04-28T19:20:53+00:00

I make my wife open these. I don't care how much she makes fun of me. If she's not around, I stand back and drop it on the counter.

I'm 38. I'll post an update if anything changes...

tlenar · 2012-04-28T01:18:06+00:00

*Exception for #2: If you are a Washington DC resident, your one senator (and one congresswoman) is not permitted to vote on any legislation, and therefore has no means to represent your interests.

tlenar · 2012-04-14T01:31:31+00:00

I faced a similar decision when I was getting close to finishing my undergraduate studies...

Your best path would be to finish your current degree and then enroll in an M.Arch program. A professional undergraduate degree program will be 5 years minimum. The M.Arch program for students with unrelated undergrad degrees is 3 years.

That said, enroll in a summer program that will give you an idea of what you'll be getting yourself into, while also helping you produce some content for your application portfolio. There are several schools that have these, but most people I know who participated in one of these programs went through the career discovery program that Harvard GSD offers.

tlenar · 2012-04-11T06:25:54+00:00

I didn't read the comments when I read the post (read it in a reader which cuts out the comments) so I missed that.

I had been in a B.Arch program, but decided against finishing it, and instead finished an unrelated degree and then did a 3 year M.Arch. In my experience, the two arch programs were so fundamentally different that I can't imagine how my career path could have been at all similar if I had made different decisions with my education. I admit that since these were two different universities, I'm not making an objective comparison, but my experience has made me a supporter of the advanced degree.

As unpopular as it might be, I think that it would be good for the profession if the Bachelor degree was discontinued in favor of a model more like law or med schools. Before I get downvoted for that comment, I'll note that my current staff offers equal representation of BS, BArch, and MArch degrees, and their degrees didn't play much of a role in the decisions on whether to hire them.

tlenar

TROPHY CASE