"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein

LEED Green Associate Study Guide (Part 1 of Series)

December 3, 2009

Features, Society, Technology

5 comments

This entry will focus on how the LEED rating systems are set up and the basic categories of credits. For a basic introduction to LEED, check this website.

The LEED Rating Systems are the sets of credits and categories that a LEED project team is aiming for. They are specific for the type of construction, like a new building would go for LEED for new construction, a school would go for LEED for Schools, a home would go for LEED for Homes.

Every rating system has the same set of categories, though the credits within them may be different.
The categories are:

  • Sustainable Sites
  • Water Efficiency
  • Energy & Atmosphere
  • Materials & Resources
  • Indoor Environmental Quality
  • Locations and Linkages
  • Awareness & Education
  • Innovation in Design
  • Regional Priority

The different credits in each category may be weighted to be worth more points than other credits. Some credits allow for incremental points to be earned by how much is accomplished by the building. For example, a certain percentage decrease in water usage could result in 1 point, but by decreasing water usage by then next threshold percentage could result in 2 points.

The Energy & Atmosphere category’s credits have the most potential points to be earned.

That’s it for now. I’ll be posting more on this since I’m almost done with graduate school applications, but for more advanced notes, see my previous post.

I have Google Wave!

December 1, 2009

Nerdy Things, Technology

1 comment

Last Sunday, I got my invite for Google Wave (from now one I will call it GWave). If you don’t know what it is, Google has created what they think email would be if it were invented now instead of 40 years ago.

Here is a short video with a basic explanation:

So far, I have done very little that could actually be called productivity on GWave. I did post to a friend my Statement of Purpose that he helped edit for my graduate school applications. There was also a poll on how awesome is Rain (Bi) the Korean star in Ninja Assassin. I started a Sudoku Wave with my sister and some friends. GWave also have maps! I’m sure the functionality will only get better, so the little complaints you might hear now are just because GWave is still in Preview. It hasn’t even been released to beta.

I’m glad that GWave exists and I look forward to using it for many more things!!

I even mentioned it in my Statement of Purpose. I’m thinking of including it somehow in my research, but that is a secret for now! If I make it into a program, perhaps I’ll release some more details. :)

Google Flu Trends

November 9, 2009

Nerdy Things, Science, Society, Technology

(No comments)

So I am sick, possibly with the flu, and I remembered looking at Google Trends for the flu a while back so I though I’d post about it. Here is a video explaining it:



It is interesting to me how they use search terms data to put together these models. It makes me think about what else could be graphed like this that they haven’t done yet or how Google Trends can be used for research and gathering a sense of what the public is thinking and doing.


Specific links to pages of interest:

LEED Green Associate Study Guide Outline and Notes: Day before the exam

November 2, 2009

Features, Society, Technology

8 comments

So today I took and passed the LEED Green Associate examination! I can now add the LEED GA credential to add to my resume!

quapan

While studying, I pulled together this basic outline of study tips and resources. These are meant for people who are also in the process of studying for the LEED GA exam. If you know nothing about LEED, check out this website first.

Hopefully these notes will help others study for the exam. U.S. Green Building Council is the nonprofit organization that releases the rating systems and standards, and Green Building Certification Institute is the organization that does the certification and accreditation.
Image Credit: Flickr user quapan

Key tips:

  1. Many things are calculated by area and cost so pay attention to those ratios and things. Know what types of data go into the ratios. For example, recycled materials used is calculated using proportion of costs.
  2. I had difficulty differentiating minimum occupancy rate and full time equivalent occupancy. Minimum occupancy rate is just for LEED O&M and has to do with how many permanent tenants are in the building, which needs to take up 75% of the floor area for at least 12 months continuously prior to registration of the project. Full time equivalent occupancy has to do with the actual amount of time the people spend in the building, and this is calculated using person-hours per day divided by 8. For example, an 8-hr shift worker is equal to 1 FTE.

    3. Continue reading →

Our country is overweight; Food Network needs a new image!

October 29, 2009

Science, Society, Some Comments, Technology

4 comments

Watch the Food Network for a few hours of programming and count up the number of times a healthy eating habit is promoted. You won’t count very high.

Even with over 50% of the U.S.’s adult population overweight or obese (Wikipedia citation), healthy food and eating is on the backburner for the Food Network. As the premiere food oriented channel on basic cable, the Food Network should be more concerned with being the leading resource for good eating and lifestyle habits that can shape the country’s dietary future.
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Image credit: Flickr user wallyg

I have been watching the Food Network a lot these past few weeks, and one thing seems to bother me incessantly about their programming. It is greasy, sugary, fatty, and generally unhealthy! Now, I don’t think we should tend towards the fanatic side of “nutritionism,” but more like eating less processed foods and more whole foods cooked in less grease.

A quick rundown of the shows (This is by no means a comprehensive study or accurate list of statistics. It is just an estimate from data I have gathered from viewing experience and online perusing.):
# fatty, meaty shows = 8
# sugary = 6
# of hosts who are overweight = at least 6
NONE of the primary programs have health themes
Continue reading →

Cool new thing of the week: commands in your browser!

October 23, 2009

Nerdy Things, Technology

(No comments)

I just added a new add-on to Firefox that is pretty awesome.

It is called Ubiquity and it serves as a command based way to create your own content mashups, access the web, and in general do things.

I can’t explain it that well, so here is this video that can show you some of the things that Ubiquity can accomplish.

Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

I’m interested in using this as a tool to gather knowledge more efficiently and really use the Internet to accomplish things.

I think one of my favorite functions is the TinyUrl. You can highlight any url and use Ubiquity to instantly make it a TinyUrl. It is really helpful for putting links into Twitter. You can also tweet directly using Ubiquity.

Try it out and let me know what you find!

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