Patrick T. Hoffman

May 29 2012
The flexibility of silent Skype has been a pleasant surprise for our international group. Without voice, holding a meeting across time zones becomes possible; we can participate without fear of waking others who might be sleeping nearby. A similar dynamic occurs internally. People can easily step out of the chat without disturbing the group’s flow (a simple ‘brb’ suffices!). Upon return, catching up is as easy as scrolling back through what has been missed.

From a blog post detailing the Post Growth Institute’s use of Skype, not for video and not for audio, but simply as a portal for gathering their people for productive meetings.

Why Silent Meetings Can Be The Most Productive by Donnie MacLurcan and Janet Newbury 

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There is no doubting the value of architectural technology. However, there is an argument that while technology allows designers architectural freedom and almost infinite possibilities, it may very well be stunting creativity.

Tim Moore’s article, Is Technology Creating Lazy Architecture

When asked by Big Think if he thought technology was dramatically improving design, Yale School of Architecture dean Robert A. M. Stern’s response was mixed.

“It’s made more possibilities, and it has resulted in some buildings of extraordinary beauty,” says Stern.

He proceeds, however, to discuss the drawbacks of focusing on one aspect of modern beauty and architectural greatness that is easy to fall back on using these technologies.

“(In) producing a bland uniformity in our cities, including our city of New York,  it’s a question of how much glass is appropriate?” says Stern.

Many who entered the industry without the influence of technological elements still fall back onto traditional means of design. Stern himself has relied on sketching models and constructing them out of clay. This may seem like nostalgia for the old methods, but there is artistry in working with tactile forms which, if forgotten altogether, could stunt the creative and artistic element that is so very imperative in design.

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“Jinhee Park and John Hong of SsD approach design as an interdisciplinary venture, simultaneously exploring aspects of architecture, landscape, history, and social systems.” - The Architectural League

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Animated short film to advertise a new desktop 3d printer by Objet

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May 28 2012
The key takeaway from our article, we hope, is that the abstraction of enemy space is part and parcel of modern warfare,
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