working on designing and building our next project in shanghai. there are many things to consider beyond making it into a nice space for a future tenant. budget, landlord approval, legality, and ability to get it done. i have been meeting with a few engineers (as we are playing with the floor plates and structure) and have a new appreciation for the calculations they have to undergo in their field of work. normally quiet, reserved people, their line of work is very important in the integrity of the buildings we reside in and the bridges we cross. the stamp that they apply or the document they sign off on carries much risk should anything happen.

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a great short movie, voyeuristic but not in a vulgar way. shows what cameras can do these days.

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albert camus once started a book with an infamous statement about the questions we should be asking all the time…

There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest — whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories — comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer. And if it is true, as Nietzsche claims, that a philosopher, to deserve our respect, must preach by example, you can appreciate the importance of that reply, for it will precede the definitive act. These are facts the heart can feel; yet they call for careful study before they become clear to the intellect.

his words have merit. at times the suffering in the world becomes so much, so great that it seems to be a question that is not pondered enough.