Sunday, May 31, 2009

EDUCAUSE Quarterly (EQ) | EDUCAUSE

EDUCAUSE Quarterly (EQ) | EDUCAUSE: "A special Issue On Learning Spaces Science Learning Center, University of Queensland Featured Articles"

A special Issue On Learning Spaces Science Learning Center, University of Queensland Featured Articles

Using the PAIR-up Model to Evaluate Active Learning Spaces by Aimee L. Whiteside, Linda Jorn, Ann Hill Duin, and Steve Fitzgerald
A Case Study in Master Planning the Learning Landscape Hub Concepts for the University at Buffalo
by Shirley Dugdale, Roger Torino, and Elliot Felix
Challenges in Technology Implementation for Learning Spaces in Higher Education
by Bryan Lewis and Gerald Starsia
Creating Learning Spaces Through Collaboration: How One Library Refined Its Approach
by Robert Fox and Crit Stuart
Virtual World Learning Spaces: Developing a Second Life Operating Room Simulation
by Stephanie Gerald and David M. Antonacci
“Where Do You Learn?”: Tweeting to Inform Learning Space Development
by Elizabeth J. Aspden and Louise P. Thorpe
Decision Theater
by Angelo Fernando and Ricardo Leon
Learning Spaces: A Tutorial
by Larry MacPhee
Collaborating with Users to Design Learning Spaces: Playing Nicely in the Sandbox
by Barbara Weaver
Learning Spaces as a Strategic Priority
By Gene George, Tom Erwin, and Briony Barnes
Collaborative Learning Spaces at Missouri University of Science and Technology
by Angie Hammons and Lauren Brady Oswald
Uses of Labs and Learning Spaces
by Clare van den Blink
Aligning Learning Space Design and Student Work: Research Implications for Design Processes and Elements
by Andrea Lisa Nixon
Best Practices in Learning Space Design: Engaging Users
by Phyllis T. H. Grummon

Saturday, May 30, 2009

CBSM/public/world.lasso

CBSM/public/world.lasso

Nice portal design. With "newness indicators" and "auto-updating pictures" it could be both stream of consciousness and an ongoing directory.

google Wave preview

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

ThinkCycle: Open Collaborative Design

ThinkCycle: Open Collaborative Design
[Seems to be moribund since 2002. What Happened?
Clues:
  • ThinkCycle was an organization that sought to enable “open source design innovation,” allowing a community of designers to collaboratively solve design challenges. It was piloted at MIT and a class was created specifically to test the idea and the architecture of online collaboration. Nitin Sawhney [2] examined how patents interacted with the model. In particular, more than half of the teams of collaborators in the pilot project decided to avoid public disclosure of their designs through the main architecture. After a certain point, they used private virtual meeting rooms to continue collaborating. This type of cyberinfrastructure (one which allows for the use of the Web to reach a broad number of potential collaborators and then facilitates closed collaboration among small groups where public disclosure is not a risk) may be important for the design of a Web–based collaborative tool when the technologies on which the site is focused, are patentable. http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1869/1752
  • Another challenge which hinders ThinkCycle’s development stems from the co–location of many of its contributors. Because ThinkCycle originated as an MIT project, it was used most by MIT design teams. Because team members were co–located, the projects were developed in real space and then recorded retroactively on ThinkCycle out of obligation. In these cases, participants saw ThinkCycle as a time–waster. They felt they were duplicating their efforts by using the system (Sawhney, 2003). ThinkCycle would benefit through a political structure that supports peer review, successor benevolent dictators, making participation a condition of membership, and encouraging participation through a more geographically dispersed area." (http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue11_6/coffin/#c4)

  • http://web.media.mit.edu/~nitin/ [queried]
]



About ThinkCycle

ThinkCycle is an academic, non-profit initiative engaged in supporting distributed collaboration towards design challenges among underserved communities and the environment. ThinkCycle seeks to create a culture of open-source design innovation, with ongoing collaboration among individuals, communities and organizations around the world.

Why Open Source?

How does one apply an Open Source approach to Hardware Products and Engineering Design? How can a global community of distributed domain experts and stakeholders collaborate towards evolving solutions to critical problem domains?

That is the driving motivation behind the ThinkCycle Initiative.

Approach

At the heart of the community is an evolving database of reasonably well-posed problems and ongoing design solutions contributed by universities, Non-Govermental Organizations (NGOs), companies and the general public. The system is primarily aimed at, but in no way limited to, using the design and engineering skills of the students and researchers in universities worldwide. One scenario is for professors to assign challenges to their students, assist them in working collaboratively with communities and organizations in developing countries while encouraging peer review from domain experts of evolving design solutions archived on ThinkCycle. Motivated teams of students may also work on critical design challenges as independent study projects with their departments. The objective is to document all evolving design solutions, rationale, processes, peer reviews and contributions within a searchable and cross-referenced system. Distributed and shared intellecual property issues are approached by maintaining all contributions for individual projects on the system (more on this issue will be formalized soon, as we work closely with our current ThinkCycle design teams).

Teachers and academics now have a resource for selecting interesting, applied problems while students gain experience in working on challenging real-world projects. Design teams can approach partner organizations for support in extending their work on the field and the development of subsequent products and services. NGOs, practitioners and researchers now have a resource for sharing problems and design challenges, while the general public benefit from open-source access to innovative design, and a new generation of individuals working on problems that matter for the environment and our communities.

About the ThinkCycle Initiative

ThinkCycle is an academic non-profit initiative, developed and operated by a group of doctoral students at the MIT Media Laboratory with the support of many students and faculty throughout MIT. The system is now being used to support workshops and courses in partner universities to scale this initiative worldwide. The online site complements ongoing design courses at MIT and many campuses around the world, such as the inter-disclipinary design studios: Global Design that Matters. ThinkCycle seeks to support design, resources, peer review and funding grants for students, individuals, design teams and organizations engaged in collaborative design with ThinkCycle. It will remain open to the public domain, although we encourage companies to partner with members on design projects hosted in this initiative. More details forthcoming soon.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Bamboo Bike Film Festival

















http://bamboobikemaker.com/Movie.html

Saturday, May 23, 2009

» 10 Free Wooden Bike Plans: Make Your Own Wood Recumbent, Bamboo Bike and More! - ToolCrib.com Blog

» 10 Free Wooden Bike Plans: Make Your Own Wood Recumbent, Bamboo Bike and More!: "

you’ll find:
A High Speed History of Wooden Bikes
10 Free Wooden Bike Plans + Build Notes/Pics
Wooden Bike Wheels + Add Ons + Etcetera
2 Fee Wooden Bike Plans

3 Wooden Bike Manufacturers
Wood Bike Pics + Design Inspiration
3 Wooden Bike Videos
21 More Free Woodworking Plan Collections from ToolCrib.com

Matters of Scale - Bicycle Frame | Worldwatch Institute

Matters of Scale - Bicycle Frame | Worldwatch Institute
Persons per hour that one meter-width-equivalent right-of-way can carry, by mode:

Auto in mixed traffic
170
Bicycle
1,500
Bus in mixed traffic
2,700
Pedestrian
3,600
Suburban railway
4,000
Sources: Bicycle ownership: Cycle Press (via www.bicycleretailer.com). Urban travel by bike: U.S. Transportation Research Board. Obesity rates: OECD Health Data 2005. Health spending: World Health Organisation, World Health Report 2005. Modal carrying capacity: United Nations, Transportation Strategies for Human Settlements in Developing Countries. Energy per passenger-mile: Marcia Lowe, The Bicycle: Vehicle for a Small Planet (Worldwatch Institute, 1989).

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Rochester Subway : Subway Maps, Posters, Movies, and Subway History. Take a trip back into the Abandoned Rochester Subway System, Rochester NY.

Rochester Subway
. At present, the current programs of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) typically allow for up to 80 percent of the total cost of a highway or bridge project (replacement of existing or construction of new) to be funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). FTA administers the New Starts program for fixed guideway systems. This program typically requires a non-federal (local/state) share of 50 percent of the project costs even though the enabling legislation allows for up to 80 percent to be federal – this is because funds from the New Starts program are awarded on a competitive basis and the amount allocated to the program is significantly less than the amount of interest from agencies across the nation (many of whom are expanding existing fixed guideway systems). As a note, this community supplements Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding dedicated to RTS with FHWA external link funds in recognition that USDOT external link does not provide enough funds to sustain, much less improve, our existing system.

The introduction of light rail in this community is not financially feasible at this time given the multitude of issues facing the community that require public resources, the overall resistance to additional local and state taxes and fees, and the fact that the local/state share for the construction costs of a light rail system (not including the on-going operating and maintenance costs) would be, at a minimum, approximately $12.5 million per mile (50 percent of the total cost at $25 million per mile).

With that said, GTC continues to assess the potential of high-capacity corridors in the region to determine the viability of implementing cost-effective fixed guideway public transportation services in coordination with associated transit oriented development. We do this because opportunities may arise in the future that would make a fixed guideway system cost-effective such as changes in USDOT funding policies, current development patterns, and personal travel preferences.

ROCHESTERSUBWAY.COM: What would be an example of a corridor in our area that would be a candidate for a fixed guideway system? What destinations might be connected?

MR. PERRIN: GTC has identified Commuter Corridors for the Rochester Transportation Management Area (see CommuterCorridors.pdf external link ), which includes all of Monroe County and the surrounding areas to the south and east in Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne Counties. The most prominent one at present would be a subset of Commuter Corridor 8 from, at a minimum, the University of Rochester to Downtown Rochester with consideration of extending the line south through portions of Brighton to the Rochester Institute of Technology and potentially north to the Port of Rochester/Charlotte.

Rochester Rail Transit Committee - Questions & Answers

Who We Are

Incorporated 1995


An artist's conception of a potential future line that would serve the areas south of the city on old rail beds. This scene is on the University of Rochester campus, near their famous Library Tower. Illustration by Otto Vondrak.

The RRTC is a §501c not-for-profit, grassroots citizen's group dedicated to exploring and promoting the opportunities of rail transit in the greater Rochester, NY area.

The goals of the Rochester Rail Transit Committee are to:

RRTC - Questions & Answers

How much would rail transit cost in Rochester?
A typical light rail line would probably cost about $15 million per mile, and a commuter rail line could cost as low as $1 million per mile.

That sounds expensive to me. How can that cost be justified?
Light rail would most likely be less expensive to build than the cost of increasing road capacity. Adding a new lane to I-490 in the city would cost about $50 million per mile and would have an extremely destructive impact on the surrounding neighborhoods (and as a result it is not likely to happen). The widening of I-490 between routes 441 and 31F, just completed, cost $19 million per mile. Also, the cost of constructing a new parking garage in downtown Rochester is over $10,000 per car, and that is roughly the cost per passenger of a new light rail line.


Weren't there plans for new rail lines in Rochester before?
Yes. In the late sixties and early seventies, there was a plan for rail line from Charlotte to Riverton. Initially the line was planned as a heavy rail line, but later this was changed to light rail line called "RACE", Rochester Area Commuter Express. This plan was considered too ambitious and the plans were eventually shelved.

The plans were taken off the shelf in the late seventies for a study that was concluded in 1982. The feasibility study for this "North-South Corridor" from West Ridge Road to Henrietta said that the line was feasible. However, the skeptics outnumbered the supporters, and the plans were once again shelved.

Two new studies are today underway, and the Rochester Rail Transit Committee is actively engaged in seeing that the plans from these two studies are not shelved as the last two have been.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

RochesterGreenway.org

The Rochester Greenway

A revolutionary all-weather alternative energy transitway
for bikes, e-vehicles, joggers, and skaters connecting
RIT, U of R, and MCC, downtown Rochester.

Three Opportunities, One Big Idea.







Monday, May 18, 2009

Dezeen » Blog Archive » Xile by Mats Karlsson

Dezeen » Blog Archive » Xile by Mats Karlsson: "Swedish designer Mats Karlsson,"


Stockholm Design Week: Xile, a flexible tunnel designed by Swedish designer Mats Karlsson, is one of three winners of the Forum AID Award 2008, announced in Stockholm on Tuesday.







Sheffield Plastics - Product Literature - Brochures

Sheffield Plastics - Product Literature - Brochures


Weatherable Films

Weatherable films have been developed to provide enhanced weatherability and performance under extreme conditions. Makrofol EPC film is a special composite film that provides excellent first surface chemical and UV resistance.

Origami Sightings - Architecture and Design

Origami Sightings - Architecture and Design

ClearSpan Round Cold Frame 12'W x 8'H x 96'L - FarmTek

ClearSpan Round Cold Frame 12'W x 8'H x 96'L - FarmTek

 - ClearSpan Round Cold Frame 12'W x 8'H x 96'L
Zoom Image

Item# 102859
ClearSpan cold frames, also known as hoop buildings, are ideal for starting seedlings or transitioning greenhouse plants prior to outdoor planting.

• Easy to assemble; no drilling or welding.
• 4' rafter spacing.
• Heavy gauge Allied Gatorshield structural steel tubing.
• Ground posts and purlins on all models.
• Round style hoop building frame.
• Baseboards are recommended. Our recycled plastic lumber, sold separately, comes with a 50 year warranty and is ideal.

Our Price: $1,449.00 / EA
Estimate Shipping Cost | Live Help

Still avoiding Objective-C? iPhone App Development with Python | diamondTearz

Still avoiding Objective-C? iPhone App Development with Python | diamondTearz

Update: Please also read -Why I’m learning ObjectiveC for a status update.

Also check out Developing iPhone Applications Using Java for Java Options for iPhne Application Development.
I’ve taken a couple of looks at ObjectiveC. Long enough to initially decide that iPhone development was not for me. That accelerometer just seems so neat though so between Unity3D’s iPhone SDK and other avoidance strategies I’m back on the iPhone development bandwagon. I’ve been dabbling with Python for a few years now with slow progress. Lately I’ve accelerated my study of Python and been becoming very fond of the missing brackets that made me batty a few years ago and loving the brevity and the ability to throw a few lines of code out there and get serious results. This would not be a good time for me to wander off to dip into the Objective-C Pool. Then it crossed my mind to Google Python iPhone development. I was surprised by the results. I’m listing a few here. I welcome feedback from anyone who has had any experience with this.

  1. iPhone Development with Java- my collection of Java tools for building Native iPhone Applications
  2. iPhone Applications in Python- includes quick HelloPythoon with sqlite db app
  3. PyObjC Mailing List
  4. Python on iPhone Actually Rather Good- includes mini install guide for Python on iPhone
  5. Py-Phone -from google code
  6. Build Apache, Python, and other Open Source Apps on iPhone
  7. Running PyAMF on iPhone OS
  8. Run Django on the iPhone
  9. Easy iPhone Support for Django Apps
...

Buffalo ReUse: Home Page

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We offer a community-minded alternative to traditional demolition

What is Green Demolition?

History of Buffalo ReUse

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