A Wired interview with Steve Wynn...

"The engineering and the coordination of putting those two things together -- the tower and the mountain -- make a pyramid of Egypt look like a Lego toy! A Lego toy!" -Steve Wynn

Can we please make a full scale Lego Pyramid now? Thank you.

Las Vegas Density

Hal Rothman's article in the Las Vegas Business Press is a lament for the mythical American community and a fair warning to anyone who thinks density will cure Vegas' lack of connectivity. I think he's right on target.
"Such tight-knit community also fostered a set of relationships in the neighborhood. In that world, everybody knew you..."

Should this footnote always be a question?

TOSHIKO MORI - ARCHITECT

I've bumped into Toshiko Mori's name several times recently. When I was considering applying to the GSD I remembered reading that she was named the Chair of the Department of Architecture, at Amazon I'm always getting reccommended Immaterial/Ultramaterial but I've yet to buy it, and when I bought the new 10/10_2 (a fat book filled with profiles of 100 architects) she turned up as a critic. Finally, today I came across a lecture she gave about her work at Architecture Radio. She blew me away. You can listen to her lecture here(mp3 file).

Leaders are teachers.

SLADE ARCHITECTURE

This image caught my eye in Lofts: Design Source; Ana G. Canizares, ed. It's listed as the Smith Loft by Cho Slade Architects. It appears that Cho has left the building.

How do you find a great business partner? How do you keep them?

urban sprawl: Definition and Much More From Answers.com

Reading this article made me want to compose a definiton of sprawl.
Here goes:

Sprawl is the land use pattern characterized by decentralized services and emphasis on the individual land owner. Community participation requires a car and predominantly occurs in commercial spaces. Further the decentralization of services (utilities, law enforcement, etc) raises the cost per family for these services (needs more plumbing, police, etc). Consequently sprawl tends to create a community which is excludes the participation of the poor.

This needs some work...for example I think sprawl kind of feeds on itself. creating greater and greater rings of low density development. I'll try again later.

Architecture!

Play Games? Try Sudoku.
Puzzles IQ Tests Brain Teasers Mind Benders Tricks and Traps Accessible Over The Web

Virtual Egyptian Museum - The Full Collection

This is amazing: The Foundation for a Better Life

Just Another Soldier

black counters

Here's my first move. Aren't you dripping with anticipation? What will happen next. I think I will try to get more and more creative with my postcards. Thicken the game's creative rue. Touche' Michael. What'chu got?

Click on the board to see the whole postcard.

white's break

Michael started up another game so I figured I'd start back to random posting. I've been gone for a while. No good reasons for leaving or returning, but I'm glad to be back. I may need to learn some chess parlance in order to label these moves correctly. Or I'll just make something up.

Click on the board to see the whole postcard.

Afganistan

My brother deployed for Afganistan this morning. There's too much to say about this. I'll try to come back to it.

Carl
Carl died. He was hit by a car while on his bicycle. Buried yesterday.
Growing up he was more than a little scary. He was fifteen or twenty years older than us and had a very limited vocabulary. A child-man.
On our bikes raceing in opposite directions we teased and provoked him by yelling, "Hee Haw!" It was terrifying and exhilarating being chased by him. He always yelled back at us, "Hee Haw, Hee Haw!"
After coming back from college I realized he'd been visiting my parents for years. As often as everyday he'd come by to cool off from biking around and have a coke or whatever my folks had for him.
Last time I saw him he was visiting my parents house as usual. My nephews playing near his feet.
I didn't know what to think of him as a boy and now I feel so sorry that his life was cut short. I wonder what he thought of us back then, and what he thinks of us now.

ninth move

Here's my move. My friend Greg told me that there is a winning move. Lucky for Mike I probably didn't make it.
Other moves: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

By the way neither of us claim any chess talent. Oh, and click on the board to see the whole postcard.

Juarez: A City on the Edge
Scott Carrier tells stories, he breathes life into events and make them occur in history. He has power in his voice and compassion.
He's doing a seires of shows for NPR's Day to Day...
Part 1: Poverty in the Global Economy
Part 2: Gangs Battle for Turf, Honor
Part 3: Life Around the Maquiladoras
Part 4: Americans Party in 'Juarez Land'
Juarez Murders Produce Few Answers, Much Grief

Feelin' Good
The good people over at Six Feet Under stole my song for their ad, but they put it to good use, and it was never my song anyway. For 3 minutes Nina Simone tells you how she's Feelin' Good. The line that gets me best:

Dragon fly out in the sun
You know what I mean
(Don't ya know)

The song reminds me that the fullness of life is free. The line reminds me that it's summer, and winter's coming. Reminds me of visitng my gradmother during summer break. Of vacation, effortless speed, running through corn, swimming in creeks, childhood, and all of it ending too soon.

Encounter with racism.
I'm just going to relate this as it happened...
Walking to the car after watching Van Helsing Saturday night I see a woman get out of the passenger side of a truck and yell, "That was our spot, you black bitch!"
Astonished, I meet my brother's bewildered eyes, both of us thinking, "Hey crazy person, what does black have to do with it?"
Perhaps because she's used to racism, somehow accustomed to ignorant hate, the spot 'thief' calmly asks, "Now you've called me a black bitch, you think I'm gonna move?"
"That's what you are! A black bitch!", says crazy lady.
"Maybe so..." she says as she walks away.
My brother and I are already in the car discussing how disturbing it is that racism exits when we hear the final rant, in a manic voice, filled with self satisfaction and fear, "Nigger!"
I could go on and on about how this encounter bothers me. Instead I hope it speaks for itself and I'll try to do something about it.

Two more defeats.

Another night of softball. 0-6, Maybe we need cheerleaders (or some skills). Eitherway it'd be funner.

This site just launched. It would be nice if it succeeds. Lets give it a try. If you read this and you want Las Vegas to be a better place, vote and list something at Las Vegas Free Classifieds.