A bunch of Super intelligent, yet hyperactive and ruthless 9 year olds, with ultra fast reflexes and photographic memory, but total lack of self-control and morals, begins their master plan of taking over the world.
Giving them toys, then spending time showing them how the toys work. Toys that challenge them to do something are good - like legos - stay away from "Disney type" toys (yeah, I know, it's a blanket definition. You know what I mean)
Teaching them to read - don't wait for fucking kindergarten, teach them yourself. Added benefit of getting to know your kids better. Books. Lots of books. Share the reading with them. Read to them, with them, and for them.
Answer questions. "Why is the sky blue?" Answer it. If you don't know how to, learn why it is. There are a lot of questions that a kid will ask that will require you to to know at least something about it. The hardest part is translation. I asked that question when I was very young, and my old man told me that it's because it's the color that "comes thru"; later I learned that he wasn't bullshitting me. I really appreciated that. He didn't evade the question, just tried to put it in terms I'd understand.
Which leads to
Don't ever, every lie to your your kids. Don't bullshit them. Not about anything. If they ask you about sex, don't evade the question or bullshit them - they'll find some other avenue to educate themselves, and it will likely be something that's not the best way to learn it. You might have to actually think about it to find some way to explain it to them. Do it. You might learn something, too.
Don't ever, EVER try to bullshit your kids, or evade what they are curious about. You will lose their respect and trust when they find out (and they do, eventually, and that's one of the biggest problems in the US right now, but that's a whole 'nother topic)./rant:((:(*:)
it's a little unfortunate that you flamed me and pulled off +5 in the process
Bing! Man, you tried to push buttons there, didn't you? Well, here's some results for you.
Oh, shut the fuck up, already. It's obvious that you have never done any coding - and dealt with idiot function/API implementations.
"Professionalism"? Ever met a Navy Seal? Think they don't swear? Do you honestly think that professionals don't swear? I simply don't understand what fantasy life you are living in.
Tell your folks to quit indoctrinating your ass so badly. But then maybe after you move out of their basement, you might find out what real life is like. You can spew your linguistical correctness all over, but I'll tell you, kiddo, when you get out in the real world, you might just have to learn to put up with it, or have a lot of people look at you and think that you are a damned fool.
People like you are the whole fucking reason I hate Political Correctness. If you don't like the way I say things, then hit that little "X" in the upper right corner of your browser window, and don't read it.
Man, the parent is one of the reasons I hate AC posting. Yeah, I went a little overboard in my response - mod me however. But I'm just sick of this kind of bullshit. Most of the really capable people I know don't worry about it.
Moron./rant
Mod me whatever, I don't care about karma - but if you are serious about disagreeing, you'll respond. The only thing worse than an AC is someone who hides behind flamebait mods.
I see you are using socially impolite words in your bug report to Microsoft.
Would you like to:
1) Rephrase your email
2) Reconsider your problem and upgrade to our latest version (only $199)
3) Download 500MB of updates to repair your problem
4) Choose the CowboyNeal option. Please be aware that if you do so, your license to run Windows(TM) is hereby revoked:)/Clippy
Give me a break, it's Friday and I have tomorrow off. Ah....Guinness:)
LOL. I think you meant that as funny, despite the mods, didn't you?
I have a few comments tho:) and somewhat tongue in cheek
"dumb terminal to a mainframe" - well, hehhee, but 10 years from now, cufflink sized music players will have the computing power of current systems...
The quasi religious organization(s) has(have) been dying. Instead there will be a huge market in recycling throwaway computers. Programmers will be recognized as a wholly seperate species from the human race and given special status as wage slaves. Oh...wait....bzzzt...
(not that I couldn't see a "theocracy" (wrong word, but there isn't a good one, techno-oligarchy?) springing up...)
The US economy is dying. There will be a new economy, one based on the relevance of your product to the global industry (which is mostly based on the value of anime). YMMV. *joke*
A meltdown in housing prices could be all too real - housing values and construction costs are certainly following the same basic economic trends that the dot-com boom did. I think it'll be a race as to whether the shaky economic theory melts first, at this point. IANAE, so I shouldn't comment further:) but I do think you are right, sooner or later the inflated housing market is going to crash, at least on a national level - local levels will vary according to their livability - just moved somewhere where the reality is very different than where I lived before, and the real factor here is that there are a lot of rich out-staters moving here. That won't last, either.
Ow. This is a whole nuther conversation. Mod me offtopic:)
Someone I knew once compared the US economy to the mythical Hydra. I don't think they were that far off the mark:)
Now you've got my curiosity working. (needs a jumpstart sometimes)
Is this just a english language thing, or is it really related to the snoopy cartoons? I'm aware of the emphasis differences in the pronunciation; I'm curious where they really came from. Not that important, though - I'm not willing to pour my time into the research either, so if you don't know offhand, don't go nuts answering.:)
I remember many years ago riding thru parts of Iowa and Wisconsin and having to stop to clean my helmet off every few miles, especially if I was riding during the early morning hours (the best time to ride on hot summer days). You'd be flying along just fine, then there'd be a concentration of the little beasties, usually down in low spots near creeks or rivers, and it was like being sandblasted by paint gun slugs. Within a half mile you'd have to pull over and scrub your helmet visor, preferably with muriatic acid (joke, some bug juice is incredibly hard to remove) and try getting the bug juice stains out of your leather...argh.
That said, grasshopper swarms are much, much worse. Run into one of those at 80mph and it can be dangerous... a friend back in '88 ran into a particularly thick swarm near Mason City and was blinded almost instantly, resulting in him laying the bike down at over 60mph. He was lucky it was a typical water filled Iowa ditch he ended up in. Trashed the bike, tho.
I really don't know what they're trying to accomplish
Making more June bugs:)
SB
Re:Decentralize the power grid and generate your o
on
The Power of Sewage
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
This isn't a new idea - there are rural homeowners who do it. Micro-turbine hydro seems to be the most popular tech for it now, probably because it has the highest return on investment.
Go find some issues of Mother Earth News, Countryside & Small Stock Journal, or Backwoods Home. There have been literally hundreds of articles over the last twenty years.
Fuel Cells (and you don't necessarily need hydrogen, there are FC's that can utilize methane, natgas, LP...) are really going to revolutionize small projects like this, once the bugs in the FC tech get ironed out and it gets into mass production.
What we really need right now to make this all take off in a huge way is better battery technology. Right now electrical storage efficiency sucks. If someone could come up with a really efficient way to store electricity, we could practically eliminate oil usage for energy production in a couple of generations.
One thing I've haven't seen done yet, is to use the surplus CO2 from those plants to supply greenhouses growing food (which also use the sewage). I suspect it's probably been done before on small scales, but I'd like to see it done more often - it could hugely increase food production during the winter seasons. So far I haven't seen anything indicating it's being done on a large scale tho.
It'd also be experience that would be needed in building closed systems like what we'll need for offplanet colonies.
The baseboard channel is an excellent idea, and I've seen it done that way (mostly in prefab concrete apartment buildings). There are some things about it that can be a pain, tho - mostly having to have taller baseboard in some circumstances, and also protecting the lines from some uber-trimmer coming along with his air nailer (I saw a guy get zapped that way once, he didn't get seriously hurt but it scared hell out of him and cost a couple hundred bucks worth of rewiring:)
The only way I can see this being practical is if metal ductwork for you electric/plumbing lines is built into the framework before the robot starts. This adds expense, unfortunately, and doesn't really help with remodeling if changes are wanted, although it makes repair somewhat easier. Seperating the electric/water lines in such a case would *really* add to the expense, too.
I definitely agree about utility lines being left accessible; but it's not always the way it's done; sometimes to save expense, sometimes to make it easier on the utility installer, and there are a few other reasons.
Ah well, I think this robot is impractical for home construction anyway. Be nice for building tornado shelters and pools tho:)
Hmm....plaster work is much easier demonstrated in the flesh:)
But here's one; ever troweled cement (like a sidewalk square or patching)? It's somewhat the same kind of motions, physically. Or, as an alternative, learn to use a flat trowel for taping/mudding instead of a taping knife. That helps you get your hands used to the motions.
The basics you can pick up in a book - it's actually doing it that takes practice. Practice can be cheap - take an old piece of scrap sheet lumber, staple some expanded mesh to it, and grab the trowel and go. The two hardest things are getting your mix right and learning how to create a smooth surface with the trowel (which is easier to do when you're working "down" rather than horizontally) Troweling over wood lath is somewhat harder, as you have to work the plaster more to 'key' it into the lathe; but if you are just patching, cut some expanded mesh to fit the hole and staple/nail it into place rather than trying to key the lathe. It's easier.
You can also use a cement float to help you achieve that smooth surface.
Of course the best way is to have someone teach you, or even just be able to watch someone doing it.
Scratch that lotto ticket off in two years, and tell us how it came out then.
MS is betting a lot on their attempt at (re)(pre)defining a standard. OSS folks are reacting, because it's necessary. But let's see how the market deals with it, K? Cause that's the ultimate test.
Ow. You're in a world of hurt there, if you just want patchwork rather than restoration. Have you asked around of the local handyppls? Chances are that if you are in a big enough town, someone might have the skills you are looking for. Speaking as someone with 6 years of handyman experience, you might find it - remember too, that if they are old, they might know what they're doing.:) Forget the Yellow pages, you aren't going to find anyone there.
I do know what you mean, tho. Get calls/requests like that every day - and I'm technically on vacation, working a retail job to give my wrists and knees a break before I plunge back in - well, that and I moved almost a thousand miles last year, and working hardware sales is a great way to get the know the locals for a stubborn independent asshole like me:)
I do have a suggestion. Rather than seeking a plaster specialist, look for a old(er) established drywall independent. Chances are they'll be able to patch you up at a moderate price. Can't speak for everywhere, but most longterm experienced drywaller finishers have also learned plastering. It's part and parcel of the same techniques (I'm a master drywall finisher and I wouldn't have quite the skills I do if I hadn't had a early start in plaster 25 yrs ago)
The absolute best thing you could do is DIY it - the tool expense for plaster is minimal, and there are plenty of texts around to learn from. If you could find a local retired elder who would be willing to teach (many of them are) that'd be the best way to learn. If you plan on owning your house for a while, it'd probably be the best longterm solution financially, and you might get hooked on it, too:)
No matter how you do it, if you want it done right, you have to be in on the process. So the last option is probably your best, short of total remodelling. However, if you'd like some tips, I'm willing to give them - respond to the post and I'll give you my new email. I'd need particulars of what you are trying to do, though.
Even with the tools (I have them) the work still sucks. I rarely do it, only when begged to (and I get $45/hr for it, too, dammit:) Concrete dust , the sheer difficulty of making a jig to run a straight line along a vertical concrete wall (basements) and the bloody mess that results just aren't worth less.
I hadn't thought of stone veneer reinforcement, that's a good idea. Perhaps the owner of this robot will end up there - and there were some other good ideas in these threads, like swimming pool walls (now *there's* a good application! as long as the equipment isn't too expensive for pool contractors). Still niche - I think he's aiming at the wrong market.
There are half million dollar++ homes here in the Black Hills, too - but 90% of them are extraordinary log homes built by a few locals (nice, that). I can pretty much tell you for a fact that concrete shell construction won't gain a foothold here; not in home building, anyway.
Heh. I'm of Swedish descent, and a few distant relatives over there have gone on and on about their building codes being superior to ours. Personally, I'd mod both sets of codes overrated:) I think more homebuilders ought to be pressuring their states to start accepting alternative building techniques like strawbale construction (look into it, it's impressive, especially for northern climes - I've researched it for years, participated in two builds and seen some superb and incredibly energy-efficient homes built that way, there's one in Thief River Falls, MN that is particularly impressive). But it's going to be a while yet before it's as widely accepted as something that brings lots of $$ to contractor pockets. Thank god not all contractors think that way.
Code acceptance for SB building per state is slowly gaining ground. I first started reading about it almost 15 years ago, and as a low-cost enviro friendly, sound building method it makes a hell of a lot more sense than anything else out there - which is why I think ideas like the one that this guy had are going to be niche market. But enough tootin', go read about it for yourself.
For me, even if I was willing to let someone else build my house, I wouldn't want a concrete shell. There are better ways - unless you're going for the futuristic look, anyway (and even that could be done with ordinary stickframe...but that's another topic). I'd just hate to have to pay the costs down the road. Not that I think that it'll be all that inexpensive to begin with, anyway.
After reading your post and the ones below it, I am left wondering if Microsoft didn't quite let their testing department finish before releasing the patch.
At least they fixed it, in any case. But now I'm wondering if there aren't other things they missed, or that the poor Patch Testing monkeys will find tomorrow.... not that releasing incomplete or flawed patches is that unusual for Microsoft (and yes, I'm aware that it can happen to anyone, but MS has quite a track record in that respect)
That kind of thing - especially some kind of integrated sheet composites with the concrete - might be nice for basement foundations in regions with deep frost problems. I'd think it'd be more resistant to localized stresses, anyway.
I just can't see this technology taking off for aboveground walls, tho.
Then again, I'm not an engineer, just an on and off builder/remodeller.
could build a dog house for (a totally wild guess) $50,000
That'd be one hell of a dog house;)
Doing repair on concrete shell houses is still going to be considerably harder than it is on conventional construction (not that I prefer stickframe crap anyway, but at least it's easy to fix).
I agree with you about systems installation - I can see a few ways they could make it easier, like with multiple pre-formed ducting in the walls to lay your plumbing/electrical/HVAC in - but finishing? No. Hanging finish work on concrete is always going to be harder than on wood, no matter how good your adhesives are (only way I can see to make it easier)
It's repair, remodeling and furnishing that will keep this from being anything other than a niche for regular housing. Heck, where I live log housing is the rage again, with prebuilt kits. These houses are GORGEOUS - and relatively easy to repair. I just can't see concrete shell housing, no matter how convenient, replacing that among the people who can afford it (and it'll be expensive, I can guarantee you that - plus, who the heck would want the equipment this entails trampling all over their nice new lake property? Not me. )
Slashdot Mirror
So, what's new about any of this ?
That's exactly what I was wondering, and why I posted.
SB
Thank you.
Teach. Don't assume that the school system will do it for you. Did when I was young. Rarely does anymore.
SB
A bunch of Super intelligent, yet hyperactive and ruthless 9 year olds, with ultra fast reflexes and photographic memory, but total lack of self-control and morals, begins their master plan of taking over the world.
This is different from reality how?
SB
The heavy ones that have petrochemical engines on them. ;)
SB
Smarter children thru:
Playing with them, spending time with them.
Giving them toys, then spending time showing them how the toys work. Toys that challenge them to do something are good - like legos - stay away from "Disney type" toys (yeah, I know, it's a blanket definition. You know what I mean)
Teaching them to read - don't wait for fucking kindergarten, teach them yourself. Added benefit of getting to know your kids better. Books. Lots of books. Share the reading with them. Read to them, with them, and for them.
Answer questions. "Why is the sky blue?" Answer it. If you don't know how to, learn why it is. There are a lot of questions that a kid will ask that will require you to to know at least something about it. The hardest part is translation. I asked that question when I was very young, and my old man told me that it's because it's the color that "comes thru"; later I learned that he wasn't bullshitting me. I really appreciated that. He didn't evade the question, just tried to put it in terms I'd understand.
Which leads to
Don't ever, every lie to your your kids. Don't bullshit them. Not about anything. If they ask you about sex, don't evade the question or bullshit them - they'll find some other avenue to educate themselves, and it will likely be something that's not the best way to learn it. You might have to actually think about it to find some way to explain it to them. Do it. You might learn something, too.
Don't ever, EVER try to bullshit your kids, or evade what they are curious about. You will lose their respect and trust when they find out (and they do, eventually, and that's one of the biggest problems in the US right now, but that's a whole 'nother topic).
SB
it's a little unfortunate that you flamed me and pulled off +5 in the process
/rant
Bing! Man, you tried to push buttons there, didn't you? Well, here's some results for you.
Oh, shut the fuck up, already. It's obvious that you have never done any coding - and dealt with idiot function/API implementations.
"Professionalism"? Ever met a Navy Seal? Think they don't swear? Do you honestly think that professionals don't swear? I simply don't understand what fantasy life you are living in.
Tell your folks to quit indoctrinating your ass so badly. But then maybe after you move out of their basement, you might find out what real life is like. You can spew your linguistical correctness all over, but I'll tell you, kiddo, when you get out in the real world, you might just have to learn to put up with it, or have a lot of people look at you and think that you are a damned fool.
People like you are the whole fucking reason I hate Political Correctness. If you don't like the way I say things, then hit that little "X" in the upper right corner of your browser window, and don't read it.
Man, the parent is one of the reasons I hate AC posting. Yeah, I went a little overboard in my response - mod me however. But I'm just sick of this kind of bullshit. Most of the really capable people I know don't worry about it.
Moron.
Mod me whatever, I don't care about karma - but if you are serious about disagreeing, you'll respond. The only thing worse than an AC is someone who hides behind flamebait mods.
SB
/Clippy
:) /Clippy
:)
I see you are using socially impolite words in your bug report to Microsoft.
Would you like to:
1) Rephrase your email
2) Reconsider your problem and upgrade to our latest version (only $199)
3) Download 500MB of updates to repair your problem
4) Choose the CowboyNeal option. Please be aware that if you do so, your license to run Windows(TM) is hereby revoked
Give me a break, it's Friday and I have tomorrow off. Ah....Guinness
SB
LOL. I think you meant that as funny, despite the mods, didn't you?
I have a few comments tho
"dumb terminal to a mainframe" - well, hehhee, but 10 years from now, cufflink sized music players will have the computing power of current systems...
The quasi religious organization(s) has(have) been dying. Instead there will be a huge market in recycling throwaway computers. Programmers will be recognized as a wholly seperate species from the human race and given special status as wage slaves. Oh...wait....bzzzt...
(not that I couldn't see a "theocracy" (wrong word, but there isn't a good one, techno-oligarchy?) springing up...)
The US economy is dying. There will be a new economy, one based on the relevance of your product to the global industry (which is mostly based on the value of anime). YMMV. *joke*
A meltdown in housing prices could be all too real - housing values and construction costs are certainly following the same basic economic trends that the dot-com boom did. I think it'll be a race as to whether the shaky economic theory melts first, at this point. IANAE, so I shouldn't comment further
Ow. This is a whole nuther conversation. Mod me offtopic
Someone I knew once compared the US economy to the mythical Hydra. I don't think they were that far off the mark
Cheers,
SB
Now you've got my curiosity working. (needs a jumpstart sometimes)
Is this just a english language thing, or is it really related to the snoopy cartoons? I'm aware of the emphasis differences in the pronunciation; I'm curious where they really came from. Not that important, though - I'm not willing to pour my time into the research either, so if you don't know offhand, don't go nuts answering.
Cheers,
SB
Yum, extra protein, no need to stop for lunch.
:)
Yeah, just install a scoop on your helmet
I remember many years ago riding thru parts of Iowa and Wisconsin and having to stop to clean my helmet off every few miles, especially if I was riding during the early morning hours (the best time to ride on hot summer days). You'd be flying along just fine, then there'd be a concentration of the little beasties, usually down in low spots near creeks or rivers, and it was like being sandblasted by paint gun slugs. Within a half mile you'd have to pull over and scrub your helmet visor, preferably with muriatic acid (joke, some bug juice is incredibly hard to remove) and try getting the bug juice stains out of your leather...argh.
That said, grasshopper swarms are much, much worse. Run into one of those at 80mph and it can be dangerous... a friend back in '88 ran into a particularly thick swarm near Mason City and was blinded almost instantly, resulting in him laying the bike down at over 60mph. He was lucky it was a typical water filled Iowa ditch he ended up in. Trashed the bike, tho.
SB
I really don't know what they're trying to accomplish
:)
Making more June bugs
SB
This isn't a new idea - there are rural homeowners who do it. Micro-turbine hydro seems to be the most popular tech for it now, probably because it has the highest return on investment.
Go find some issues of Mother Earth News, Countryside & Small Stock Journal, or Backwoods Home. There have been literally hundreds of articles over the last twenty years.
Fuel Cells (and you don't necessarily need hydrogen, there are FC's that can utilize methane, natgas, LP...) are really going to revolutionize small projects like this, once the bugs in the FC tech get ironed out and it gets into mass production.
What we really need right now to make this all take off in a huge way is better battery technology. Right now electrical storage efficiency sucks. If someone could come up with a really efficient way to store electricity, we could practically eliminate oil usage for energy production in a couple of generations.
SB
One thing I've haven't seen done yet, is to use the surplus CO2 from those plants to supply greenhouses growing food (which also use the sewage). I suspect it's probably been done before on small scales, but I'd like to see it done more often - it could hugely increase food production during the winter seasons. So far I haven't seen anything indicating it's being done on a large scale tho.
It'd also be experience that would be needed in building closed systems like what we'll need for offplanet colonies.
SB
The baseboard channel is an excellent idea, and I've seen it done that way (mostly in prefab concrete apartment buildings). There are some things about it that can be a pain, tho - mostly having to have taller baseboard in some circumstances, and also protecting the lines from some uber-trimmer coming along with his air nailer (I saw a guy get zapped that way once, he didn't get seriously hurt but it scared hell out of him and cost a couple hundred bucks worth of rewiring
The only way I can see this being practical is if metal ductwork for you electric/plumbing lines is built into the framework before the robot starts. This adds expense, unfortunately, and doesn't really help with remodeling if changes are wanted, although it makes repair somewhat easier. Seperating the electric/water lines in such a case would *really* add to the expense, too.
I definitely agree about utility lines being left accessible; but it's not always the way it's done; sometimes to save expense, sometimes to make it easier on the utility installer, and there are a few other reasons.
Ah well, I think this robot is impractical for home construction anyway. Be nice for building tornado shelters and pools tho
SB
Hmm....plaster work is much easier demonstrated in the flesh
But here's one; ever troweled cement (like a sidewalk square or patching)? It's somewhat the same kind of motions, physically. Or, as an alternative, learn to use a flat trowel for taping/mudding instead of a taping knife. That helps you get your hands used to the motions.
The basics you can pick up in a book - it's actually doing it that takes practice. Practice can be cheap - take an old piece of scrap sheet lumber, staple some expanded mesh to it, and grab the trowel and go. The two hardest things are getting your mix right and learning how to create a smooth surface with the trowel (which is easier to do when you're working "down" rather than horizontally) Troweling over wood lath is somewhat harder, as you have to work the plaster more to 'key' it into the lathe; but if you are just patching, cut some expanded mesh to fit the hole and staple/nail it into place rather than trying to key the lathe. It's easier.
You can also use a cement float to help you achieve that smooth surface.
Of course the best way is to have someone teach you, or even just be able to watch someone doing it.
Have fun
SB
Scratch that lotto ticket off in two years, and tell us how it came out then.
MS is betting a lot on their attempt at (re)(pre)defining a standard. OSS folks are reacting, because it's necessary. But let's see how the market deals with it, K? Cause that's the ultimate test.
SB
yeah, and the drivers. Let's not forget the drivers. Particularly the network drivers.
/sarcasm
Oh, and whole bunch of other code, too. Like kernel code.
But no, C is dead. Long live C. Blah blah blah.
Has Icaza lost his mind?
SB
What's weirder is I just got done watching the movie Patton on some cable channel or another.
(queue twilight zone music here)
SB
Ow. You're in a world of hurt there, if you just want patchwork rather than restoration. Have you asked around of the local handyppls? Chances are that if you are in a big enough town, someone might have the skills you are looking for. Speaking as someone with 6 years of handyman experience, you might find it - remember too, that if they are old, they might know what they're doing.
I do know what you mean, tho. Get calls/requests like that every day - and I'm technically on vacation, working a retail job to give my wrists and knees a break before I plunge back in - well, that and I moved almost a thousand miles last year, and working hardware sales is a great way to get the know the locals for a stubborn independent asshole like me
I do have a suggestion. Rather than seeking a plaster specialist, look for a old(er) established drywall independent. Chances are they'll be able to patch you up at a moderate price. Can't speak for everywhere, but most longterm experienced drywaller finishers have also learned plastering. It's part and parcel of the same techniques (I'm a master drywall finisher and I wouldn't have quite the skills I do if I hadn't had a early start in plaster 25 yrs ago)
The absolute best thing you could do is DIY it - the tool expense for plaster is minimal, and there are plenty of texts around to learn from. If you could find a local retired elder who would be willing to teach (many of them are) that'd be the best way to learn. If you plan on owning your house for a while, it'd probably be the best longterm solution financially, and you might get hooked on it, too
No matter how you do it, if you want it done right, you have to be in on the process. So the last option is probably your best, short of total remodelling. However, if you'd like some tips, I'm willing to give them - respond to the post and I'll give you my new email. I'd need particulars of what you are trying to do, though.
Good luck!!
SB
Even with the tools (I have them) the work still sucks. I rarely do it, only when begged to (and I get $45/hr for it, too, dammit
I hadn't thought of stone veneer reinforcement, that's a good idea. Perhaps the owner of this robot will end up there - and there were some other good ideas in these threads, like swimming pool walls (now *there's* a good application! as long as the equipment isn't too expensive for pool contractors). Still niche - I think he's aiming at the wrong market.
There are half million dollar++ homes here in the Black Hills, too - but 90% of them are extraordinary log homes built by a few locals (nice, that). I can pretty much tell you for a fact that concrete shell construction won't gain a foothold here; not in home building, anyway.
Heh. I'm of Swedish descent, and a few distant relatives over there have gone on and on about their building codes being superior to ours. Personally, I'd mod both sets of codes overrated
Code acceptance for SB building per state is slowly gaining ground. I first started reading about it almost 15 years ago, and as a low-cost enviro friendly, sound building method it makes a hell of a lot more sense than anything else out there - which is why I think ideas like the one that this guy had are going to be niche market. But enough tootin', go read about it for yourself.
For me, even if I was willing to let someone else build my house, I wouldn't want a concrete shell. There are better ways - unless you're going for the futuristic look, anyway (and even that could be done with ordinary stickframe...but that's another topic). I'd just hate to have to pay the costs down the road. Not that I think that it'll be all that inexpensive to begin with, anyway.
Cheers, my friend
SB
Yeah, but can this patch help me drop my nicotine habit?
*grumbles*
SB
After reading your post and the ones below it, I am left wondering if Microsoft didn't quite let their testing department finish before releasing the patch.
At least they fixed it, in any case. But now I'm wondering if there aren't other things they missed, or that the poor Patch Testing monkeys will find tomorrow.... not that releasing incomplete or flawed patches is that unusual for Microsoft (and yes, I'm aware that it can happen to anyone, but MS has quite a track record in that respect)
SB
That kind of thing - especially some kind of integrated sheet composites with the concrete - might be nice for basement foundations in regions with deep frost problems. I'd think it'd be more resistant to localized stresses, anyway.
I just can't see this technology taking off for aboveground walls, tho.
Then again, I'm not an engineer, just an on and off builder/remodeller.
SB
could build a dog house for (a totally wild guess) $50,000
;)
That'd be one hell of a dog house
Doing repair on concrete shell houses is still going to be considerably harder than it is on conventional construction (not that I prefer stickframe crap anyway, but at least it's easy to fix).
I agree with you about systems installation - I can see a few ways they could make it easier, like with multiple pre-formed ducting in the walls to lay your plumbing/electrical/HVAC in - but finishing? No. Hanging finish work on concrete is always going to be harder than on wood, no matter how good your adhesives are (only way I can see to make it easier)
It's repair, remodeling and furnishing that will keep this from being anything other than a niche for regular housing. Heck, where I live log housing is the rage again, with prebuilt kits. These houses are GORGEOUS - and relatively easy to repair. I just can't see concrete shell housing, no matter how convenient, replacing that among the people who can afford it (and it'll be expensive, I can guarantee you that - plus, who the heck would want the equipment this entails trampling all over their nice new lake property? Not me. )
SB
Mod parent up.
Oh, WRT to curved walls/drywall, your
SB