Coffee shops are interesting places. I’m sitting in one trying to write but the people around me are far more interesting. I purposefully sat amongst a crowd of people because a) it affords me an opportunity to observe people, and b) it is less awkward than sitting in a corner alone. Let me introduce you to the cast of characters filling this particular coffee shop. To my right is a father and daughter pair. He appears to be helping his daughter with her school work. Grammar and spelling are all well and  good but what I find more interesting is the snippets of conversation between homework problems. He’s asking his daughter about her mother, presumably his ex-wife. He’s asking her things bout what the mother has said. When he does it makes his daughter noticeably awkward. From the way he talks it seems that the breakup was fairly recent or that it is ongoing. I want to tell him to shut up and leave his daughter out of it.  He doesn’t need to make it worse by making her choose sides. It is not fair to drag his daughter into the petty disagreements between him and his ex-spouse. It is already a painful and awkward time for her. The two have just left, I’m trying not to listen to their conversation too intently but one last thing stood out to me as the girl gathered her things to go. She made some comment that I didn’t catch but then she added the phrase “no offense” after it. When you feel it necessary to add the phrase “no offense” after a comment it is most often because the preceding comment was offensive, and you are trying to absolve your self of responsibility for it. There are a couple of things that are odd about what she said a) when did kids, who are clearly in middle school, learn to sat “no offense” and b) what kind of parent allows their kid to talk to them like that with nary and admonishment? Man  parenting sure isn’t what it was when I was a kid, but that’s a subject for another time and place.

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I’m writing this post from Windows Live Writer on Windows 7. My first impression is that it is relatively impressive for a free piece of blog posting software. I am writing this in the “Editing” window, and when I switch to preview, it shows me what it will look like when I actually post the story, and much too my surprise it has downloaded my handmade theme and it looks exactly what it will look like, well it looks right insofar as It moves old posts down and renders my css correctly. I can’t say it’s pixel perfect but it seems good enough for government work. I will have to add a photo and try other more advanced features but so far I am impressed. Let me try to post this and see if it actually works and I can give you a real opinion on it soon.

Now I know Snow Leopard (SL) is out and you may be wondering why you would want to put the archaic Leopard on your new Mini 9, but support for SL is somewhat spotty. The installation itself seems to work but some hardware is not yet fully supported so the next best thing till we get a full solution is to install Leopard and update it to its final version.

My configuration:

-          Dell Mini 9 (BIOS v.A05)

-          16gb stock STEC SSD

-          2gb of Crucial RAM

-          Stock Wifi card

-          No Bluetooth or WWAN card

-          Retail copy of OS X 10.5.6

If you have a configuration similar to mine it should work exactly like this guide.  If you are outside my specs, all indications point to things working exactly as this guide describes but I can make no guarantees.  All I can say is good luck and enjoy. Read More…

Atlanta’s popular Screen on the Green made its debut last night in its new location at Centennial Park.  Those from Atlanta know that this popular series of older movies, such as Ferris Buller’s Day Off, was formally shown at Piedmont Park in the lawn next to Park Tavern.  On a Thursday night you could grab your blanket, gather up some wine and cheese bought at Trader Joes or Whole Foods, and walk down to the park.  It was always a challenge to secure the best spot and colorful balloons and aisles were scattered around so you can meet up and find your friends.

Those were the days and I took it for granted.

Reason 1: Centennial Park.

Dallas’s version: Due to grading and drainage, the landscape is slopey, bumpy and a good portion of the screen is not fully visible.

John’s Version: Yeah, I agree, Centennial Park is rather lame. It does not have the beautiful lawns of Piedmont. It was my first time visiting CP  and I was not impressed at all. Bad move changing locals.

Reason 2: No outside alcohol allowed.

Dallas’s version: Not that I have the financial resources to bring along a wonderful Bordeaux or Napa red to the movie, but the fact that that option is no longer available takes away from the experience for me.  The event is now more commercialized and simple joys have been replaced with having to shell out $7 for a beer.

John’s Version: $7 for a fricking beer, ridiculous. I expect this at a ball game but at a park, when I’m there to watch a free movie, is outrageous. Not only do I expect a free event to have relatively priced concessions for obvious reasons, there are a ton of sponsors for the event. Clearly beer prices aren’t high to help fund the event they are high for no particular reason.

Reason 3:  The sound sucks.

Dallas’s version There is a good view of the screen from far away but good luck hearing the movie!  If you can’t read lips you might be in trouble.

John’s Version: All I can say is more speakers. If given the choice between hearing or seeing a movie I’d go with seeing. The view in the back is much better than the front but as you go towards the back the sound volume degrades quickly. Setting up more speakers is easy there is no excuse that they didn’t.

Reason 4:  People are rude.

Dallas’s version People standing up and walking in front of you after the movie has started for no apparent reason.

John’s Version: Not only that but people bring laptops which they leave open to entertain their small children. Rude people are everywhere but when everyone is there for the same reason (to enjoy a lovely evening and a movie) have some manners and some common sense.

Reason 5:  Pepsi is a sponsor.

Dallas’s version Really Pepsi?  The screen is right in front of the World of Coke and the Coke Headquarters!  The LED coke bottle was obnoxiously lit up behind the screen in an attempt to exert its presence and dominance over the Atlanta soda market.

John’s Version: All I can say is really?

On a positive note, it was nice to catch up with John after he was on vacation all week and being surrounded by the downtown architecture was a pretty cool backdrop.  Since we bounced early we didn’t have to fight our way onto a crowded train on the way back home.

We will be back but we’ll be better prepared, stake out a better spot, and bring more friends.  Maybe for Ghostbusters.

So as you can see lifestraightup looks a little different. This is a new theme that I have been developing for too long. As I’m sure you can tell it’s not perfect yet but as the saying goes “Art is never finished, only abandoned”. So in the interest of just getting it up there to get feedback, here it is. The theme is called “Modern Classic”, if you can think of a better one, let me know. The comments do not work yet so send me an email, johnekingsley@gmail.com. I will update theis theme as time goes by so bear with me. I hope you enjoy the new look!

Okay, here’s the deal, the new design is close to being done. I ran into some issues with both my testing WordPress installation as well as this WP as well. My testing server was shredding my design when I added a “read more…” link. I tried the theme on here, where there already is read more links and it seemed to work fine so hopefully tomorrow I will get the design finished. Second, it is not Evan who has been writing these last posts, it has been me, John. For some reason when I write posts it does not allow me to specify that I am the author. I will investigate this more thoroughly soon.

Finally, I am preparing to install the Windows 7 RC in a few minutes. I apologize I never posted a thorough review of the beta, I will post a through review in a few days. So that’s it for now, I’m off to try Windows 7!

There is no denying that this website has gotten off to a slow start. That is completely my fault. My initial excitement quickly wore off and my attentions drifted elsewhere. Despite Evan’s best efforts to post new, interesting, and relevant information, the volume of posts aren’t what they ought to be for a site that is almost 4 months old. I intend on rectifying that.

Part of my plan involves a new design of the site one that is days away form being completed after far too long in development. It is quite a bit different from the current design. At the same time I am creating another site focused on testicular cancer. Anyone who knows me knows that testicular cancer is a subject that I have had quite a bit of experience with. It’s going to less serious and more focused on fun and openness. I wont go too in-depth into what it is right now but you can check out a site mock-up at its URL: playwithyourballs.org.

So this is going to be a short post. Here are the highlights:

• New design coming in the next few days.
• More posts in the future. (sorry)
• New side testicular cancer side project (playwithyourballs.org)

Hope everything is going well with you!

Dissatisfied politicians and wonks (mostly non-Democrats) are busily opining President Obama’s failure to even attempt the bipartisanship he had promised. These folks may be right to some extent, but certainly not to the extent that would warrant all of their whining.

It is clear why they moan, however: their concept of bipartisanship is ridiculous. They think that bipartisanship means that they actually end up getting their ideals manifested in law, or that they more generally just get something that they want. Perhaps this operating definition of bipartisanship is best seen in Mr. Rush Limbaugh’s proposal that the stimulus bill be 51% spending and 46% tax cuts, to reflect the proportion of people who voted for each of the two main candidates. (I don’t recall exactly the figures used in Mr. Limbaugh’s example.) However, I must reiterate: bipartisanship is not everyone getting what they want in proportion to the representation of their opinions in the legislative body. Instead, I submit that it suffices to qualify as bipartisan if one seeks the advice of people in the opposing party and seeks to garner their support, as opposed to concocting something without consulting the opposition and without seeking to sway them. Of course, such activity is consistent with the opposition still not getting a single thing that they want. Read More…

Most of you in the non-architecture world might know a little about architecture. For example, the cool building you pass by everyday that is a milemarker on your route or maybe the Disney Concert Hall in LA by Gehry. A lot of what you see everyday is corporate designed architecture that follows an established formula and is profit driven. It is infill, and often realized as part of an urban planning scheme, but not “coffee table book” architecture.

I thought I would introduce you to others that are less loud and attention grabbing, although there are a couple exceptions on this list. It is an architecture to be digested more slowly, responsive to the site and program in a visionary way.

So I’ve compiled a short list this week for you to check out, if you stumble upon others let me know where it is and what you liked about it. Attach a photo if you like.

1. Carlos Scarpa

2. Rafael Moneo
3. Francesco Venezia
4. Peter Zumthor
5. Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen
6. Donald Judd
7. Raimund Abraham
8. MVRDV

If you would like to learn more about major Stararchitects, check out the Pritzker Prize list. I do not strive to someday make this list, but do hope to someday be exposed to the ideas, dialogue, and impressions of those that question and redefine the way we experience our built environments.