Leaderboard

Hard to get good pics when the seedlings are so small but there's a lot green going on in there. Great seed Nitrogen!

Using a biologically inspired algorithm, SoftKill demonstrates an exciting new path for large, 3-D printed structures. 1 Comments Behrokh Khoshnevis and Enrico Dini are edging ever closer to developing a 3-D printer large enough to print houses, the technology is still a long way from being widely implementable. That hasn’t stopped architects from designing for it, though--after all, plenty of great architecture is unbuildable.A London design studio called Softkill is leading the way, painting a far-out picture of what 3-D printed architecture could eventually look like. At last week’s 3D Printshow, the team of Architectural Association grads presented a concept called ProtoHome, which imagines a radical new mode of construction based on the strengths of 3-D printing. Their design is in stark contrast to other 3-D printed home schemes, which are either markedly utilitarian or oddly traditional. The spindly, web-like structure is based on an algorithm that mimics the way bones grow in human bodies. It directs extra material to the points of greatest stress within the home, and tells them to form stronger bonds in those spots--hence the rabbit’s warren of micro-columns that form under the home’s long cantilevered deck. ProtoHouse is different from traditional structures in roughly the same way an invertebrate like a spider is different from mammals. It has no exterior facade, meaning that rain and snow would permeate the dense honeycomb shape, and rather than relying on an internal skeleton, its structural components are completely exposed (possible because the building is printed in plastic). The cladding, waterproofing, and insulation are actually embedded inside the structure, in a reversal from typical home detailing practice. Each habitable space is nestled inside a cocoon of flexible waterproofing that’s also 3-D printed, thanks to a new type of laser sintering we’ve written about before. Softkill’s prototypes for the flexible membranes include a fascinating mesh chain mail made up of interlocking 3-D printed rings (similar to those used in a recent 3-D printed iPhone case). The house is divided into 30 discreet sections, defined by the size of the flatbed truck that would transport them to the site. Amazingly, Softkill has modeled each section to interlock with the others--meaning that no additional adhesives would be required during assembly. “The Softkill house moves away from heavy, compression-based 3-D printing of on-site buildings, instead proposing lightweight, high-resolution, optimized structures,” write the designers. In a brief interview over at Dezeen, Softkill partner Aaron Silver had this to say about the emerging technology: One strategy that a lot of people have been experimenting with is constructing a very large 3-D printer on site. The printer is essentially the size of the structure that is being built. But we were interested in working within the constraints of the existing technologies. I think at the moment, as you said, [3-D printing is a specialized, one-off, luxury, rich man’s thing]. But I think there really is an interesting future for architecture and 3-D printing; because you have great cost savings and material efficiency, which architects are really interested in. That’s where 3-D printing is really pushing the discipline. Silver tells Co.Design that plans are in the works for a larger-scale prototype than this (relatively small) 1:33 model. But it’s important to note that ProtoHouse isn’t really a literal design for a "house," so much as a provocation, pointing out that in the face of large-scale 3-D printing, traditional thinking on structures and construction will undergo a transformation on par with the first steel buildings. http://www.fastcodes...ource=twitter#1

Oh that sounds good Amazonian!!! I had to pay for things like that in Asia! Only Joking!!!!! Yawning Man you better come it has been too long! Everyone who can please make the effort to come down and have a beer with the Shark if possible!

For sale is some fresh "Giant" Tillandsia seed the pods are just opening. God knows how many seeds to a pod but for augments sake say 50 seeds. From my experience you get pretty good germination from fresh seed, I have just put some seed into a humidity chamber and so will soon find out. I don't have a great photo of the mother in flower but you can get the idea from these images. In flower and now for scale and the seed and a pod Asking $10 for about 100+ seeds. pm me if interested and hopefully tonight I will have correct scientific name too as I can't seem to find it right now.

PS: I have been into one of these gay hardwares, theyre called "The Tool Shed"

Ayahuasca- bowl (clay) from the shipibo in Amazonia (with Yagé and Chacruná): Tree-needle- baskets from the Tarahumara in Mexico (with Oncidium cebolleta- bulb, Scirpus atrovirens- tuber and dried Peyote): Betelnut-cracker- antique (bronze) from India with betelnuts: Betel- chalk- repository (bone) from Southeast-Asia: Chillum from Ladakh (from old monk, wood with wire-cladding and metal in it): Old apothecary Coca-leaf- jar: Coffee-jug (Djabana, copper with silver)- antique from Axum- Ethiopia: Yarn-fancywork (Peyote-vision) from the Huichol (Mexico): Kava Kava- bowl from the Fiji- Islands (wood) with Kava Kava: Opiumpipe (wood and jade) and Opium-weights (bronze, antique, from Burma) in chicken-form: Hempfarmer-cap (woven) from Manali (a souvenir from the ancient origin of Hemp, the Himalaya): Shipibo- Schamanspipe (red wood) from the Amazon-rainforest: Coca-chewer- figure (clay) from Ecuador: And my particularly proud: A selfmade mush-stone from ONE piece soapstone. Model: a Maya-mushroom-stone, found in Guatemala, from 300 - 600 AD: Ayahuasca-fancywork from the Shipibo:

Paradisia & Collectors Corner are the same company.

In my experience plants can build immunity to pests. When you measure the plants sap with a refractometer to get a brix reading this will give you a good idea of the sugar content of the plants sap and a bit of an idea of the mineral content of the sap. Once the plants sap starts to measure in the good to high ranges on a brix chart then the pests will become less interested in your plants and many times they will just leave them alone. One theory (not mine) is that plants emit light in different spectral ranges depending on the health of the plants and pests can see this light and know which plants are sick (low brix) It suggested by people who support this theory that high brix plants (high sugar content sap) are not agreeable with the pests and if they eat such plants they cannot metabolise all the sugars which ferment into alcohol and kills them, so they just don't eat high brix plants. I don't know if that part about the emitted wavelenght of light is true as I have no way to measure the emmisions, but I do know that pests stay away from high brix plants that I've grown myself. http://search.yahoo....brix-charts.php

Are you sure they are mites, they almost look like a type of scale. Diatomaceous earth could help. if you mix it with water and add a drop two of detergent so it sticks to the little bastards and then spray the whole plant. When it dries out it will grind the little suckers joints up.It works for mites too. There's a few suppliers in QLD, greenharvest being one, I can find it on their website but I can't see any price listing. A few others have it too.

My mob are out on the deck in their dressing gowns all wearing welding helmets & welding goggles I REALLY should get a photo

We might kidnap you at your last Melbourne plant meet. *prepares dungeon.

Got I think there is variation on the flower but it should be pretty similar. The flower actually has a sent too smelt quite nice, which I thought was pretty cool.

http://www.reverbnat...h/song/15116160 The only components of this tune are - Drum kit, Bass guitar, one 3osc synth (FLStudio) vocals. All the Atmospheric noises are heavily processed vocals believe it or not.. Apart from the 3osc synth which can be heard at around 26 seconds, long sustained "psy" ish noise. I reckon the tune needs a guitar track or something in the mids/ high ranges.. So I ask the musos of this site to lay something down. Over to you.

My partner drives taxis (whilst studying). On a typical 8 hour shift, she pulls in around $200 tops (lucky if that).. 50% goes to the owner of the taxi. So she gets $100. She also has to pay around $300 or so for a taxi licence + periodic medical examinations + 10% GST on her income + income tax.. So that $100 dwindles even further. She's come across taxi drivers who have worked 8 - 12 hour shifts only to bring in $70.. Then, on top of that, they're losing all of the above (income tax, GST..) Considering the high cost of living in Australia, there's one reason to aim for a skilled position. I honestly don't know how anyone could stand doing the same boring, repetitive job. I don't know how the hell anyone could be happy doing that. Seems a hell of a lot like The Last Man to me. If people think a simplistic self-serve checkout machine is so deplorable, I think we're all in for a rude shock in the coming years.. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Nanotechnology is looking to replace a lot of physical labour. I agree that they may be a way of cost cutting, but I also believe it's a possible catalyst for encouraging people to get off their arses and do something, too. And I'm not talking about obtaining a skilled position so you can buy thousand dollar suits (like real estate agents) or Beamers -- I'm talking about skilled positions that encourage you to learn and constantly develop, whilst providing for a comfortable living (unlike taxi driving!). It's possible to have this and be working typical 9 - 5 hours without sacrificing your personal life.. I find it quite sad that there are people out there who are content with working in the same job year after year doing the same repetitive tasks over and over with no room for (self)-development..

do you fellas remember Secret Valley Or cities of the gold. I always loved those Incas http://www.myspace.com/video/nick/cities-of-gold-best-1980s-cartoon-intro-ever/958541

Hi Amazonian, How have you been? Yeah, I did know that SAB have them, I just didnt have any coin to part with at the moment, hence the trade request. I have had generous PM offers, so I should be right now. Big thanks to all of you. peace cornilius maximus

Sound awesome mate. hey my wife's Selenicereus anthonyanus is in flower today we have a pretty big collection of the ornamental Epiphytic cacti. Most of the planst are only small but. I have the yellow dragon fruit Selenecereus spp. And have a heap of seedlings if your interested

Got first flower today here's some pics: so puuurrrddyyy

Is nobody going ??? I'm not heading in if I am going to be the only one there. Ill go spearfishing instead. ( and to think of all the giveaways i was bringing along too )

It's been a long time since I posted, but I was looking through the old pictures and my collection sure has grown and evolved. I live in another state now and some of them didn't like the move much but they've settled in and are putting on a very good growth season this year. I thought I'd put up some new pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBpDlQ66v4o

and I'm messing around with Caigua beans yams Ipomoea aquatica

There are actually some pretty good youtube video's out there. Many "Chemistry 1A" vids etc. Many uni's (eg Berkeley IIRC) record their lecture series, and make it available online for free. It certainly can help having at least familiarised yourself with the content before you see it in person. The best advice I can give is to never miss a lecture. Not even once. It takes WAY longer to catch up than had you simply attended. Feel free to send me a pm with questions (or better still, just post them here so others can participate too). I majored in chemistry, and did honours and PhD in Chem (just about to submit woohoo!), and now work as a research chemist (one can never have too much chemistry in their lives lol ). So I should hopefully be able to at least steer you in the right direction, I'll do my best. It's not that scary really, we just have to find the best way to explain it based on how your particular brain is wired (visually, mathematically, spacially etc). There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to education and learning unfortunately.

There's some really cool but kinda specific stuff on http://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry. It's all explained very well. It comes highly recommended by a lot of people too

Yeah that cat's not happy about you diverting your attention away from it. Don't trust that cat near your cacti!