The Apple TV arrived on Friday. I am glad that I have the device, but do hope for some updates in the next coming weeks/months of use:
- Browsing photos should be as easy as browsing photos between one computer and the next. Right now it only plays a slide show and doesn’t allow thumbnail presentations on your television screen. This would be a great feature, as you can select the picture that you would like to view. Giving you the ability to sit on the couch with friends, family, neighbors and/or new acquaintances. Right now it just starts playing a slideshow. With the convenience of the remote you should be able to slideshow yourself.
- Purchasing content on the Apple TV should be as easy and convenient as purchasing on our computers. Since it becomes that easy once you authorize a computer.
- If your in the room with you Apple TV and the computer that you would like to share the content from is in a different room at the other end of the house. We should be able to turn on and authorize the sharing of the content on these computers. This would be a huge feature!
We are also planning on moving. I designed the entire house inside Google’s Sketchup! Check out an elevation shot:
Exact same house, different elevations. On the left is Zygar and on the right is Stalberger. What a great piece of software. A couple tricks I have learned when designing with SKETCHUP:
- Do not use your floor plan drawings at first to design your elevations.
- Treat everything separate in top view, then design accordingly. Example: 1st Floor and 2nd Floor our right next to each not overlapping, yet.
- Design every stinking detail that you would like to see on the house design, you will see the level of difficulty with laying it out and understand better how to make it look good on the job.
- Once you have FINAL floorplans, footprint, rooms etc… Go ahead and design the elevations and just push/pull the overall shape of your house. Apply materials, cut in windows doors and use the floorplans to help determine measurements. Remember the exterior wall thickness
Then transfer the information to your floor plans. - Once you have FINAL, FINAL drawings go ahead and design them all together so you can really experience the house. Push pull walls up, place 2nd floor over first floor. USE TUTORIALS!!! I have probably 200 hours vested in learning the program.
- SKETCHUP is a great tool for a builder, I will comment later on how many things were discovered before the sticks and bricks went vertical.
Should start in May and plan to move later this summer.
