The December 2009 issue of Computer Graphics World quotes Joe Letteri, a senior visual effects supervisor for the film "Avatar," describing the technical challenges of the project: "We had to go through a complete re-tooling and re-architecting." Gosh, architecting the first time is hard enough...
"...Fannie Mae, the lending giant that required a government takeover, is creeping back into the market for mortgages with no down payment from a new program called Affordable Advantage, available to first-time home buyers in Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin and created in conjunction with the states’ housing finance agencies. The loans are 30-year fixed mortgages, with mandatory homeownership counseling, available to people with credit scores of 680 and above (720 in Massachusetts). The buyers have to put in $1,000 and must live in the homes..." - The New York Times
From manufacturer Belkin: Find out how much energy your devices really use—including, the cost of operation, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced in generating the electricity consumed, and watts. See at a glance the true impact to your wallet—and the environment.
The Government has allocated $14 Billion in the first initiative to help borrowers holding 500,000 to 1.5 million loans valued at more than their homes are now worth. Creditors that write down mortgages to less than the value of the property can essentially hand off the reduced loan to the government. Loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not eligible. Analysts say that the program is most likely to succeed on loans that banks already own in their portfolios. It could also provide investors with a vehicle for getting rid of loans that have been modified and are current again. - Wall Street Journal
Qreative Medias new application provides quick assessments of a home's energy efficiency based on the guidelines of three performance certification programs by inputting construction and system details like building and structure type, orientation, ventilation, thickness and type of insulation, and climate control systems. $3.99 from Apple's iTunes App Store
Listening to the rationale Clayton Homes gives in their video for introducing changes in their modular iHouse 2.0 put us in mind of Mousketeer leader Jimmie's reason why he was gonna "M-I-C... See you real soon.... K-E-Y... Why? Because..."
Work by these architects included in this Fall's tour: Zoltan Pali, FAIA - Studio Pali Fekete architects (SPF:a); Marc Angélil and Sarah Graham, FAIA - agps architecture; John Pugliese, Assoc. AIA - Cambia Designs LLC; Aleks Istanbullu, AIA - Aleks Istanbullu Architects. More at aialosangeles.org
A Wall Street Journal article about recent home price reports referred to Redfin as "a Seattle-based real-estate brokerage". That's like describing eBay as a thrift store located in San Jose. Redfin is a smart, innovated web-based company that happens to have its home office in Seattle. The company is dedicated to eliminating the broker middle-man, as much as is possible legally and practically, from the real estate searches and transactions everywhere. Zillow is on a similar mission (run by the guys who put travel agents out of business with Expedia) but isn't licensed as a brokerage as is Redfin. Insofar as it provides better service for the consumer that's a good thing. Just understand that when you're looking at a property on the Redfin or Zillow websites, it's probably not actually listed by Redfin or Zillow at all, but rather by a local real estate agent whose listing on the MLS has simply been lifted from the internet by those web based companies, often by agreement with the MLS.
Sunday morning while Fox's Chris Wallace was talking to Glen Beck about his version of restoring honor, CNN and NBC observed the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with broadcasts from New Orleans which focused largely on restoring shelter. Naomi Klein's recent book The Shock Doctrine describes the "Rise of Disaster Capitalism" which operates on the "exploitation of disaster-shocked people." But the New Orleans shock has also yielded some creativity and innovation. In an exhibition of the Positive Power of Celebrity, Actor Brad Pitt showed off the results of his "Make It Right" effort, featuring homes aspiring to zero-energy consumption dressed in a decidedly modernist aesthetic, followed by actor Wendell Pierce discussing his efforts to rebuild the city's neighborhood with LEED certified homes of a decidedly more conservative architecture. Later on CNN HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan appeared standing on a New Orleans street. He resisted interviewer Ed Henry's attempts to nail him on recent optimistic statements about housing and the economy, citing overall increased equity nationwide and promoting new federal programs to help underwater and jobless homeowners, as well as renewed emphasis on rental housing quality. Reference was made to the current Time cover story "Rethinking Home Ownership."
From manufacturer 
Qreative Medias new application provides quick assessments of a home's energy efficiency based on the guidelines of three performance certification programs by inputting construction and system details like building and structure type, orientation, ventilation, thickness and type of insulation, and climate control systems. $3.99 
Sunday morning while 
In an exhibition of the Positive Power of Celebrity, Actor Brad Pitt showed off the results of his "