Where in the World?

Posted At : December 21, 2007 8:24 AM | Posted By : Sasha
Related Categories: Philosophy, Publication Choices

Its been a while since my last post. Naturally, I've been busy and perhaps a bit uninspired on the programming front - instead I've been working on my own creative endeavors and doing a few things around the house.

Most notably I have been playing with thermal siphons for passive solar heating and thermal roman shades for insulation. Here's info on WarmWindows: http://www.warmcompany.com/wwpage.html. There's lots of specs online for Passive Solar Thermal Siphons. Here are a few that I've found:

These projects have given me an opportunity for a much needed physical creative outlet and they've also given me a chance to research eco-friendly solutions to building, heating and energy.

I've intentionally allowed myself to hold off on doing any Enfuse coding in order to give the site a chance to blossom. My OCD temperament can cause me to go crazy when adoption is not happening at the rate that I want it to. Every now and again its important to step back and let things ride. The last couple weeks its actually been nice to just check in to see what's changed and be pleasantly surprised by the activity.

Probably more importantly, it is vital to step away in order to assess whether the direction the site and the core functionality itself is aligning with the passions of the participants and the larger social web. Now and again it is necessary to assess where you fit into the needs of the world at large. If the world changes around you, adapt. Without getting a bird's eye-view now again, all you can do is move seeds around - one more ant slaving away. Never really knowing whether the work you are doing has any real value or meaning. Its really a wondrous thing how malleable any given tool can be if you allow yourself to consider the possible alternative uses for it.

Is the service we provide for the arts too narrowly focused, not narrowly focused enough? Should we retool to provide a more political or social function or compliment what we already have with new goals? Should we strip away half of what we've got in order to make the site more focused and easier to use? Without stepping back and letting users do their thing, its easy to get blinded by your own vision.

I suppose I'm developing a metaphor here - a curtain is not just a decoration, it can help you save energy, money and keep you more comfortable. A box of aluminum foil can help offset your consumption of petroleum. But you have to step away and consider the alternative uses and make some simple modifications. So, too, a forum can be used as a collaborative tool or a flaming spiral of silly human ego spew.

Anyway, here's a couple pics of my Thermal Siphon and a design for one that I'd like to try to make: