GOOGLE BUT GREEN (well black)

Basically it’s the Google search engine but due to the dark screen uses less energy to create the page than the standard Google white background ...
Information and screen shots from the page are below :

"How is Blackle saving energy?
Blackle was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.
Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." Roberson et al, 2002
In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.
We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy.
How can you help?
We encourage you to set Blackle as your home page. This way every time you load your Internet browser you will save a little bit of energy. Remember every bit counts! You will also be reminded about the need to save energy each time you see the Blackle page load.
Help us spread the word about Blackle by telling your friends and family to set it as their home page. If you have a blog then give us a mention. Or put the following text in your email signature: "Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time".
Have a look at our energy saving tips page for ideas on steps you can take to save energy or you can follow Blackle on Twitter and we will keep you updated with simple energy saving tips.
There are a lot of great web sites about saving energy and being more environmentally friendly. They are full of great tips covering the little things that we can all do to make a difference today. Try Blackling "energy saving tips" or visit one of the many great blogs dedicated to environmental awareness. "

Research Proposal : The after effects

I had been searching for a research topic right up to the day before the final submission.

I had thought that it would have something to do with parametric modelling or surface/form creation i.e. some of the previous work/posts that I have done.

But I realised that I didn’t start my architectural studies hoping to learn code, algorithms or heavy math. And I thought that having taught myself this much so far, I would be able to continue this learning process on my own (outside of the university structures and pressures).

I also realised that without question, one weakness of mine is the understanding of sustainable practices, and as yet I have not had a unit or the time to focus on this increasingly important topic.

As such, my topic turned to 'using the computer for good', and its ability to analyse data to produce ratings and readings regarding the different components and elements of a building.i.e. the amount of sun light entering a room, the cost of heating a space or the ecological cost of a building...

This is now my topic and posts from now on will reflect this.

Today I am planning to watch a video entitled HOME.

My understanding is that it will provide a large amount of quantifiable information about the energy use, living standards and impact our (‘humanities’) current lifestyle is having on the planet.

It’s general background information and I am planning on taking notes and screen shots throughout the movie for latter posts.

Previous Work : 3d prints

A render of the models that I am about to print. The result of some playing around in 3ds max. Another test with regards to the structural capabilities of the printer.

These models and the ones in the previous post have been sealed using 'super glue' rather than the wax or epoxy that has been suggested/ previously used.

The glue does give off a reaction with the models (burny eyes if you’re not carefully)
But the result is a WHITE model that is much more stable (and less little to break when handled) than the other options.

The total cost was aprox $80 for the 4 models

Previous Work : 3d prints

These were printed earlier in the year as experiment with the thickness and stability of the models. The Sphere represents a triumph over the earlier failed attempted to produce something similar.

Previous work : laser cutting

Although my laser cut vase was a slight failure, in the way that the cut pieces didn’t fit together without glue, I have produced a 1-500 site model for my studio project.


The cut drawings where produced in auto-cad after days of preparing the site drawings, and where assembled into 5 sheets.

Each of these 900x600 sheets contained a ‘cut’ and an ‘etch’ layer that where plotted from auto-cad from the same page layout. With a border surrounding both drawings, cutt1-etch1, cutt2-etch2 etc , an overlay could be produced by the technicians in the lab.

Previous Work : 3d prints

My first experiment with an object that was latticed and had a top and a bottom, the bottom broke when I tried to move it from the printer to the depower box, as I didn't properly understand the process.

The latticed theatre object.

Previous Work : 3d prints

There is a machine that is full of wax.

It takes some time for the machine to warm up and melt the wax but once it is finished the models are simply diped into the pool of wax, removed and then left to 'set'.

Previous Work : 3d prints

Previous Work : 3d prints

3d prints:
These prints where done over the past few years for an external project. The architects wanted where experimenting with forms for a water side theatre down south. The models where not specifically design tools, but because very useful to explain the building to the client, and latter to the sub contractors. The latticed model was latter given to the structural engineers.

Turorial 2

Tutorial 2: The vase was broken down into a singular element and using the contour and section tools this mock up was produced. The resulting model did not 'work' because the vase was designed using 3mm card and the final output was 1.8mm card.

Kinetic sculpture at the BMW Museum

This seemed interesting because it appears that the lights (or points) are simply being adjusted to making up a number of different surfaces.
Much like the way the rhino and max can produce point cloud that can be manipulated to form surfaces.