When I think church I think a large heavy building, I think stone columns. What doesn’t come to mind is something that nearly disappears when looking at it…

Reading Between the Lines © Filip Dujardin

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Last night’s IGO EV Member Party was filled with fun, information, and intrigue. After toasting (yes, toasting!) IGO’s EV start with a plastic cup of champagne, the IGO CEO explained some of their plans on moving forward with their EV releases. There were plenty of snacks and drinks going around while people enjoyed good discussion, thoughts about the program, and yes, even some test rides in the their new Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

Some recap and insight:

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I was really impressed by the quality and content of this article by Penn Jillette on Money and Art:

Vissa D’arte Even on The Celebrity Apprentice

The event in question (for reference and entertainment):

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It has been a while since having heard about Google making a self-driving car but I never thought of all the ways it could be used:

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The contractors said they couldn’t do it. They hated the designs from many of the architects. The Zielinski’s wanted something different, but no one seemed to bite.

Then they talked to Mr. Fisher of Fisher Architecture. Ms. Zielinski recalled her reaction to the paper towel drawing from Mr. Fisher:

 ‘I was very calm, but my whole insides, there was like a party going on. I went out to the factory and said to Bob, ‘We have our architect.’ “

An Industrial Strength House in Pittsburgh

What a reaction! Consider this … a large percentage of the general public does not get to experience a working relationship with an architect. Therefore, we have a responsibility to go out there and create great architecture for our clients. For the Zielinski’s, many of the architects they spoke with were producing bland, boring, or otherwise terrible architecture that did not meet their needs or wants.  How disappointing … but then Fisher Architecture came along and showed them a path toward their dreams. And what a success it was!

Now, I’ll be honest…

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“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better.

It’s not.”

– Dr. Suess

And if you haven’t seen “The Lorax” in theaters (or read the book for that matter), you need to see it!  It is an amazing movie, not only from the fact that the story is from Dr. Seuss, but because it is amazingly relevant for our world right now.  Go see it, and enjoy!

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Architecture puns and innuendos have to be some of my favorites, mostly because they were so much fun to create while in school. This year for Valentines Day it seems very fitting that they are being shared to express a love for others as well as a love for the field itself. If you think about it romance is always connected to architecture, especially in the movies.

Perfect Example = THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Why? because in “On the Town” Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra they agree to meet the girls they’re crazy about on the top of the Empire State to start there night out. Sinatra sings an amazing song called  “You’re Awful” while looking through the binoculars on the observatory deck. (Click the title for the YouTube Video).

Sleepless in Seattle, Tom Hanks plays an Architect whose son tries to set him up with Meg Ryan and they meet at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentines Day.

Also King Kong takes the object of his affection to the Top of the Empire State Building (lets just forget the fact that he gets shot at while he does it just for today)

I encourage you to follow #architectvalentines on Twitter today and find that someone you want “Aalto” yourself, and let the romance of design become an inspiration to what the rest of the year has in store.

Architecture Ryan Gosling

Also if you know a girl who really likes Ryan Gosling (aka Picture Above) you should check out this website: Architecture Ryan Gosling, complete with valentine quote ideas as well as interesting twists on taking architectural concepts (i.e. less is more) and turning them into pick-up lines.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Remember Elmo? Of course you do…Sesame Street has been a major part of the lives of millions of kids. But do you know the story behind Elmo’s puppeteer? Well, a group of us found out the story at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and it was an absolute inspiration!

Trailer | Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey

Kevin Clash’s story is full of struggle, opportunity, and passion, as well as a variety of life lessons and inspiration. It’s amazing to see that a passionate young kid from Baltimore can follow his dreams from as early as 10 years old to become successful, loving everything he does and touching the hearts of millions.

So, what about the rest of us? What about the teens, 20s, and 30 year olds, and beyond, that know they want to do something great but have no idea what? What about our journeys?!

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“Destiny is for people who are too lazy to create alternate timelines.”

R. Stevens

For all those recent grads and soon to be recent grads, remember we can make our own alternate timelines. There will be jobs eventually but in the meantime stay involved and enjoy yourself!

The comic this Monday from XKCD was a depiction of money and it’s relative value.

Money from XKCD

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