Solar Power

A company "Novothink" has the first Apple certified solar charger cases for iphones and ipods.

Farmville Addiction

Got Farmville Addiction, if your studio work is interrupted so you can harvest your crops, feed your pigs, or find black sheep then it might be time to sell the farm or maybe not. This and other "tech addictions" have filled our generation and taken our time hostage. One after the other they develop and we become infatuated with them. Our dependency on them directs and molds our culture and social state. Our need for more though is eventually conquered by our desire for better and our addiction serves as a motivator for furthering our advancement. So are they bad, there is no answer, there is only limit.

The Garden State

On November 3rd New Jersey will be holding state elections. Along with voting for governor, state assembly leader, and state senators, voters will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" to the public question regarding the Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2009. If your looking for information on the act I found some great information and facts on the ANJEC site, explaining why to vote "yes".

Freestyle Sketch Thursday

This first sketch I did while studying for construction.

This second sketch displays how much I enjoyed learning about brick positions.

Why Blog?

So lately I have been asked the question, "Hany, why do you have a blog?" The question at time catches me off guard, I am unsure whether the question is meant to undermine my pursuit to have a blog or if it is a simple inquiry. Either way I do enjoy the question, there is a part of me that enjoys defending or selling my perspective, whether it comes to a decision I make or a design I create. I'm given the opportunity to express myself and it is this permission to voice my thoughts that I look forward to the most. That would mean the start of my blog was initiated by my desire to communicate, share my knowledge and thoughts, and/or other information I come across. Of course I would have thought the title said it all, "Reflections", but I guess one should never assume.

To the visitors of my blog, in Steve's words, I become like an "online newspaper" and that sums it all up. I don't expect the blog to grow to worldwide recognition (even though it is possible), but I do expect those related to the field of landscape architecture, or design, or one of the many other topics I may discuss on the blog to find their way to my site. I especially reach out to my colleagues, who may either be attracted by my posts and gain some insight they may have otherwise not come across or to the stalkers, with just the simple curiosity of what I'm up to.

The blog also provides me with time to do something else I enjoy and that is - to write. Words are among our most powerful tools, they invoke levels of emotion, modes of persuasion, and imagery through description and the list goes on. For me this opportunity to write is one of the greatest reasons of why I choose to blog.

Of course I may just be blogging so I can get rich.

Small World

Came across this data put together by researchers at European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, and the World Bank that mapped out how long it would take to travel to the nearest city of 50,000 or more people by land or water. Most of the world is accessible in under 24 hours, even places one wouldn't expect. I found two the of the maps particularly interesting the first map illustrated the web of roads that have consumed our planet and the second the railway network. These maps really put into perspective a view of our Earth I know I didn't have prior to looking at them.

Great Streets

Our conventional idea of the streetscape and vehicle focused designs have proved unsustainable. But what does make a great street? Walkability, stormwater management, walking space, sitting space, bike lane space, plant space, pervious concrete, block sizes, how should these and more be addressed? Design Workshop has been working with places like St. Louis, as part of the Great Streets Initiative to design a sustainable and a Complete Streetscape. The seniors had a preliminary crit yesterday for their community designs, which all looked great, and as they continue to work I hope these are a few of the elements they further consider and explore.

10 Google Commandments

A recent article I found on Money.CNN.com discusses the 10 Things Google Has Taught Us. Google has proved itself as an iconic symbol for companies in this 21st century and their unorthodox methods have proved successful and appealing. There is a lot to learn about the way this company has designed, and continues to design, itself.

This is another really good article I read on Forbes.com, http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/22/wealth-greed-success-leadership-careers-managing.html. I post this one for the people that always seem occupied with thoughts of money and getting rich as soon as they graduate.

Climate Action Day

Ages varied, Race was diverse, but the goal was the same. The more people that are educated, the more people that are inspired, the closer we get to real change. I met people today that truly care; they care about their communities, about their planet, about the future. I plan on increasing my involvement with such groups and I encourage all others that are interested to contact me and I will be sure to keep constant updates on the blog about events. Check out the out come world wide: http://www.350.org/350-action-gallery

350

350.org is an international campaign dedicated to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis. October 24th (today) is the chosen date for the international day of climate action where people around the world were called upon to organize an action on October 24 incorporating the number 350 at an iconic place in their community in order to lift public awareness. The number 350 represents the 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere that is the safe limit for humanity. Currently we are at 387ppm.






350

Climate Change Aftermath Video

I came across this funny yet very serious climate change aftermath video.


(of course it had to take place in Cairo, Egypt)
As extreme as the scenario in video is it still speaks a powerful message.

Climate Change Map

Here is a new and interesting interactive map displaying climate change developed by Met Office Scientists. The map represents a 4 degree Celsius rise in global temperature.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2009/oct/22/climate-change-carbon-emissions
The map was displayed at the London Science Museum's new Prove It Climate Change Exhibition that you can check out here: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/proveit.aspx
You can even play the game to save the Earth: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/climatechange/CarbonLifeStyles/CarbonLifeStyles.html

More Freestyle Sketch Thursday

doodles are sketches of what we see in our mind


This sketch was done by April Maly, she titled it "Geometric Island." This is all about interpretation and I see something pretty unique when I look at this sketch, it kind of reminds me of Cape May County's barrier islands.

Jersey Shore Gallery

The Mason Gross Gallery at Rutgers University will be hosting photographs by "Paul Moakley" entitled "Shore Points" until November second. As Ibrahim Bouzine, my source to this event, points out,"it screams JERSEY SHORE" and "delivers a sense of place." It might be interesting to check out during my free time and maybe yours. Thanks Ibs.

Google Road to Hell

Click the arrow to move towards the wall... if you dare...
http://streetviewgallery.corank.com/tech/framed/google-Street-View-Car-Hits-a-Wall-and

Freestyle Sketch Thursday

Here are this weeks sketches:


This sketch is by Zeina Zahalan of one of the Santo Spirito Church doors in Florence, Italy.













This is a sketch done by Steve Somers of the infinity pool and water feature at the Christian Science Church in Boston, MA.


This is a sketch I did of El Campo in Siena, Italy.





This is another sketch I did of a statue at Boboli Gardens.

Sea Level Rise Awareness

I came across this public art project known as the "Watermarks Project" that was designed to address sea level rise awareness. The art was UK based and designed by artist and Landscape Architect, Chris Bodle. I don't think this gallery is still up, but the site does mention future plans of expansion. I'll try to find more examples of sea level rise awareness or if anyone else knows of any feel free to post them.

Steve Strom Memorial Lecture - Laurie Olin

This years Steve Strom Memorial Lecture given by Laurie Olin was exceptional. As host, Mr. Olin had the crowd entranced with each design he presented. The lecture started with a brief history of Laurie's life and work given by Kate John-Alder.
Designing with a vision and keeping the future in mind, stood out to me during his talk. As time changes it is important for our landscapes at times to do the same and a great design will allow for its vision to be achieved and for new ones to be born.
The understanding of the culture in a landscape is important to appreciate and acknowledge. We should also understand how users of our spaces will interpret them. (sometimes you have to show people the water) As designers at times we have ideas of how we see our intended plan at work, but we should also accept the reality of how it may be used and percieved.
As a word of advice to future graduates and Landscape Architects, Laurie informed the audience that what his firm looks for is great artists. The hand, according to Mr. Olin, is the most fluid tool we can use, sure computer renders look good, but a hand drawing and sketch can be done on the fly. Good thing we have Freestyle Sketch Thursdays.
One of the last pieces of advice Mr. Olin left us with was, "The most interesting thing you will ever design is yourself."
At the end as Mr. Olin was walking out, I got to thank him on giving a great lecture and even gave him a pound, too bad he didn't make it blast, maybe next time.

Hooked on Maps?

If you can get enough of maps your prayers have been answered, ESRI released "Mapping for Everyone " yesterday. The first part is an interactive web map that allows users to create their own maps with data layers. The service works with a second program, web mapping API's, which allow users to create interactive applications along with their maps using programs such as Javascript, Flex and/or Silverlight. The finisher, ArcGIS Explorer, will accompany Virtual Earth and Google Earth in the quest of virtual globe viewers.

Walk Score

The Rutgers LA seniors are working on "community design" this semester. As they plan and design I have noticed some of the different directions taken. Walkable neighborhoods offer the most in sustainability and health. Walkscore.com is rating neighborhoods based on how walkable they are. Check out the site to see the walkability ranking of your neighborhood.

Laurie Olin

"Be proactive, not passive. Do not wait for people to ask for help. Make things happen. Stimulate others. Invent projects that need doing. Seek allies and help. Don't worry about career or money or having enough to do. Just do good work and all the rest will happen." Laurie Olin, FASLA

This Wednesday is the 5th annual Steve Strom Memorial Lecture in Trayes Hall at 6:30 PM presented by guest lecturer, Laurie Olin. This will definitely be one you don't want to miss.

CVS

This one is for all us constant computer users, "CVS" = Computer Vision Syndrome. Maybe you should take a break after reading this.

Google Street View Trike

If you felt bad for the Google street view guys in the video below, imagine now riding a 250 pound tricycle hooked up with a GPS and camera off road. Google expanded their street view option, "Street View Trike" earlier this summer, to parks, trails, zoos, landmarks, university campuses, etc. Now they are looking for feedback and you can vote for where you want them to go next at google.com/trike.

Google Street View

Ever wonder about the pioneers who have made google street view possible, spending countless hours in a vehicle, recording street after street?

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Freestyle Sketch Thursday

From now every Thursday I'll try to post some sketches done by either my fellow classmates and or myself. Hopefully this encourages me and others to sketch more often.
Zeina Zahalan sketched this mountain side and reflection. This my favorite since it goes great with the title of the blog.




This beautiful sketch of lillies is by Sarah Nitchman.












This is sketch by Steve Somers of Eastport Park in Boston.







Last is a sketch I did of the entrance to Eero Saarinen's MIT Chapel.

LA Song Remix

For those fans of the Miley Song in the studio here is a Biggie Remix for us to now blast at 3 AM.
http://perezhilton.com/2009-10-09-when-miley-met-biggie#respond

Redrawing the US

Common Census Map Project applies user input to redesign boundaries and allow for a cultural redistricting. They also have a sports census map. Those interested should vote in. It would be interesting to look at the sports maps over the years to see how well a team has performed has affected the shape of the map. This is definitely apparent in the NBA map. I know there have to be more Knick fans that that in the tri-state area.

Fall Field Trip - Boston

This year the Rutgers LA program held the annual fall field trip to Boston, MA from October 9th-11th.










Source:David Tulloch

Highlights included the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Holocaust Memorial, the Big Dig, Worlds End, Arnold Arboretum and some of us got (lucky?) enough to see Ben Affleck.









To check out all the pictures check out my slide show at: http://hanyhanafy.slide.com

Design Thinking - A Process

Today in studio we discussed "Process", a series of actions, operations, thoughts, research, synthesis, analysis, etc.
We have been processing since the start of the semester and its important for us to comprehend this larger scale of our profession. As landscape architects and designers we must not only understand our processes, but the processes of the environment around us. The process is almost never complete and seems to involve everything. Also we should understand and be able to explain our processes.
In class our professor made the statement "the architect is not a magician." We don't just think and then poof a design.
I came across this video on TED last night. Tim Brown the CEO of innovation and design firm IDEO, encourages designers to think big, and not just in the terms of consumerism. We have to understand our designs and the post process affects they will have.

Presentation Day

Today our studio class presented our Cape May County Inventory research. Among our audience was Dean Cardasis, Rutgers Graduate Program Director, Marcus Knowlton, SEBS Systems Administrator and Webmaster, Nick Tufaro, NJ Chapter ASLA President, and our professor David Tulloch.

Our layout consisted of a printed board sequence for each subtopic and an interactive screen in the center for our PDF's. Each group selected a representative to present the research on a whole.

Our presentation started with Jenna Gatto delivering a brief description of our project which included questions, history and the evolution of the county.

This was followed with Ibrahim Bouzine proceeding further into presenting information on the people and culture.
Stephen Somers gave his talk on "Land" explaining the research he discorverd which went indepth into the geologic forms of the county and their affect on soils and plants within the region.

Nicholas Grandi, our team leader for the project, presented his talk on "Water" explaining how vital and sensitive it is and the dominance it has on the total land cover of the county.

Sarah Nitchman concluded the presentation presenting the government information, which was the group I was also a member of. Federal and State Plans and Property, protection acts, and zones such as CAFRA were all discussed. She ended the talk with the statement "inventory is going to be an ongoing thing, however we know so much about Cape May County, our job from here out will be to process the information into a deeper knowledge and understanding that has the potential to inform the future and direction of Cape May County."

All in all our presentations went well. We all worked hard and everyday is a learning experience. As our information develops and our lay out is organized we will have reached the point I'm sure our professors are shooting for.

Following our presentation our guests offered their perspectives, critiquing our work, and guiding us to our next step of development, our analysis.

Our next steps include the introduction of sea level rise and climate change. This starts to revolve around questions of heirarchy and a crash between ecology and economy which also leads to considerations including property rights.

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Less is More

BBC Documentary: Mies van der Rohe - Less is More

An indepth documentary that takes a look at Mies van der Rohe's work which has helped shaped the modern world and his "less is more" motto which has become a concept for many designers today.

I guess the guided boat tour in Part 3 is what it would have been like to take one down the Chicago River during the ASLA Convention.

Party in the USA

LIVE BLOG 2:15 AM:


First I apologize to all my avid readers and followers for the lack of posts these past couple of days, but there have been many late nights and busy days as our final board and presentation for our Cape May inventory approaches.










LA students in their natural habitat. Working hard, constantly learning, and feeding off of each others energies. Yes its 2 in the morning but this is not new to us. This is our time to express our ideas and knowledge.




cigarette breaks, wawa and dunkin runs, ordering food, GIS, illustrator, photoshop, cad, errors, lagging, insanity, genius, stress, and euphoria


There is no one word that can best describe nights like this, but i encourage my fellow classmates to comment and reflect.









PARTY IN THE USA
Party in Blake Hall