This article from ConstructionWeek is sure to fuel a debate that could go on forever with proponents of both systems backing their favourite. Any rating system can be manipulated and, in this regard, GRIHA scores higher because there is lot less scope to fudge it. More importantly, LEED gives points for, say, high-tech systems to save air-conditioning costs whereas GRIHA rewards you for passive cooling that does away with the air-conditioning in the first place – a far more appropriate strategy in a country that is chronically short of power.
At the end of the day, I just use the GRIHA checklist to do a self-analysis and see if there is some way to improve the design.
See :: Will GRIHA take the lead?
I hate that I have to check for the “s” after http to make sure a site is secure. Firefox does show a blue colour behind the site’s icon but it’s hardly noticeable. That’s easily changed – have a look at what Amazon’s secure site now looks like to me.
To see how it’s done, go to :: ghacks.net
If you’ve received an email supposedly from IKEA telling you about a fantastic new and free Home Planning Software, please note that it is (surprise, surprise!) a virus. Ralph Grabowski of WorldCAD Access received just such a mail and has posted a screenshot. IKEA, meanwhile have clearly stated that this email is a fake and a scam. Given that it installs a trojan on your system, I’d say it’s far worse…
In an earlier post I talked about a formula that could be used in Ooo Calc or MS Excel to group numbers according to the Indian system of lakhs and crores. Now, Open Office 3.x has the possibility built into it. All you have to do is make sure your locale settings (in Ooo) refer to India or Bhutan.
This isn’t something most people look into but a company called spranq in has created this font which saves ~20% of your ink. They recommend a laser printer for best results but, since I don’t have one, I tried it on my regular inkjet and didn’t find any degradation of quality upto 14pt at least. However, on screen as you can see in the attached image, it starts to get irritating. Ecofont is free although the developers do take donations.
Get it from :: Ecofont
Yesterday, while trying to update this WordPress installation things went crazy and the entire news section failed. Had to do a restore from backup this morning and, so far, everything seems to be back in place.
I’ve railed against the unnecessary use of concrete for years but I was not aware that it is such a huge contributor to Carbon Dioxide emissions – 10% of the worldwide total according to some estimates.
Here’s an interesting article because it gives a few alternatives to the use of concrete – most of them are not available here but, nonetheless, the article is worth reading.
Go to :: Concrete: a ‘Burning’ Issue
Trying to bring users of different flavours of IntelliCAD together to interact about all things IntelliCAD, Deelip Menezes has launched IntelliCAD.net. The intention is to:
- Use the forums to ask and offer help.
- Post on the IntelliCAD.net network blog.
- Create or join groups of members.
- Share photos and videos.
- Post events such as user meetings, tradeshows, etc.
If you’re an IntelliCAD user, head over to IntelliCAD.net a.s.a.p.
Not exactly a name I’d choose for a website, but never mind. The content is wonderful.
Stair Porn via :: TreeHugger
This is the ideal air conditioner – the hotter the sun gets the better the a/c works. Still, there have been drawbacks that made such machines non-viable. Now, a company called GreenCore Air has released a hybrid unit that claims to have solved the inefficiency problem.
Go to :: GreenCore via :: MetaEfficient