It’s been a while but I finally got this page uploaded. The [RaBV] bungalow has been completed and the clients are living there already. Teething problems are still being sorted out - rather slowly - by the local contractor and they should be done soon. more…

I’ve been using some free photoshop compatible (8bf) filters within IrfanView but you can only really apply them to the entire image - or not at all. If you want a little more control, you might use something like the GIMP. The beauty of it is, these filters can now be used under Linux.

Go to :: PSPI
Via :: ossblogger.com

Warning: This post is slightly technical

I’ve been using AVG’s free version for quite some years now and have always been happy with it. Accordingly, when they posted their latest version, 8.0, I was quick to download and install it. AVG now includes an antispyware component and a bit of fluff called LinkScanner. This, I found to be rather unnecessary and also a consumer of bandwidth and time (although AVG denies it on their support forum). Search results loaded noticeably slower in Firefox and disabling it in the AVG control panel resulted in a horrible “you may not be protected” icon in the system tray.

Reinstalling AVG 8 without that component did pretty much the same as just disabling it in the tray and that led me on a hunt for a permanent solution. Well, it’s documented in the AVG FAQs and it is possible - albeit a little differently from what they say because of the way my XP is set up; I can’t RUN any program directly.

Here are AVG’s instructions:

1. Download the AVG 8.0 Free Edition installation package from our website.
2. Run the installation with the parameters /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch.
3. One way to achieve this is to:
   • save (or copy) the AVG Free installation file directly to disk C:\
   • Start > Run
   • type c:\avg_free_stf_*.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch
4. The installation will be started, and AVG will be installed without the LinkScanner component.

In my case, I had to make a batch file in C: with the following line (watch for wordwrap).

Start “” avg_free_stf_*.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch

This is the only thing that worked for me and I hope it helps someone else in a similar situation.

One more thing. The download is a huge 47Mb+ in size compared to just 22MB for version 7.5. I suppose the antispyware component does need some space. However, I’m beginning to wonder if this software is getting too bloated for its own good. Time will tell…

I can’t say I like the look of this furniture myself but, if you’re aiming for a slightly retro look, these GDL objects might be just what the architect ordered.

Go to :: http://www.johansondesign.se/

A couple of months ago, I was telling you about a free download of David Nicholson-Cole’s “GDL Cookbook 3″ and saying how I was looking forward to the updated version. Well it’s out and it’s a free download as well. You can get it either as a single concatenated file or as 48 individual chapters. Alongside, you can also get his brilliant “Introduction to Object Making”.

Go To :: ArchiCad East

Found this article at Sustainable Design Update about Sintex Industries making a prefabricated biogas digester which turns waste and garbage into cooking fuel. Nothing new about the technology but constructing a tank has always been the biggest headache. Now, you can just get it ready-made and install it. According to this Fortune magazine article, it costs about Rs. 17,000 for a tank that’s 1m³ in size. This, apparently is enough for a family of 4 and the payback period is 2 years.

Interestingly, most references to Sintex call it a “plastics and textiles manufacturer”. I didn’t know they did textiles. Here in Bombay, Sintex is to tanks what Xerox is to photocopiers. In the meanwhile, not a single Indian newspaper or website had picked up on this. Yet…

The Sintex website makes no mention of this product and it’s still probably a pilot project because only 100 have been installed as of date. They do plan to increase production tenfold but 1000 tanks is still merely a drop in the ocean. If other manufacturers copy this design with as much alacrity as they did the Sintex loft and overhead tanks, then we might get somewhere.

This is absolutely wonderful. When it comes to inexpensive, self-help construction, you can hardly go wrong with this extremely low-tech system.

See :: Earth Bag House in Haiti [via :: Sustainable Design Update]

CADalytic Media has released a free beta of SpecifiCAD for ArchiCAD 10/11, AutoCAD, ADT, Revit and Sketchup. SpecifiCAD allows you to click on a building component within each of these programs and access its CAD details, 3D models, specifications and Green information using the Sweets Catalog network and the Sketchup 3D warehouse depositories.

Download SpecifiCAD from here

Graphiosoft are offering a stripped down version of ArchiCAD 11 for way below their normal price, the target market being small architectural firms. On the face of it, it’s a good move because small firms may be able to get by without features like teamwork, markup tools or even a printed manual. However, if you look at the comparison, there are way too many essentials that have been removed. I mean, how can you do without something as basic as rendering (lightworks & sketch rendering have been knocked out), profile manager for making custom wall/column shapes or the ability to open normal ArchiCAD files?

I think, if they tweak the feature set a bit, they might have a winner but in its present form, they’ll get little response.

ArchiCAD Start Edition 2008 v/s ArchiCAD 11

Researchers at IIT Kanpur are working on a toilet design that will reuse water. The design is still under development but, if it works as advertised, it’ll be a good thing because the amount of fresh water flushed down the drain is dramatically reduced. The article at Down To Earth may disappear in the next few days because access to archives requires subscription. From what I understand of the system, a vortex is created to clean the pan and then, further, to separate the solid from the liquid matter. The liquid is then being pumped back for reuse. In places where there is little or no power, hand-pumps can be used a couple of times a day.

What you are left with is dry waste which can be composted and reused liquid which contains a lot of urine. They’ll have to work on the smell angle because… well… have you ever been to a urinal at a train station? The smell is so strong, methinks it would almost be commercially viable to bottle the ammonia!

I’m also left wondering if at least a small amount of electrical power would be required to help with this mini centrifuge work better. Indian Railways have approved the design and they’re going to test it out on one particular route. It remains to be seen if the centrifugal force which is running on gravity is strong enough to override the rock and roll effect of a railway carriage running at high speed.

Finally, even if the system doesn’t work for reusing the water, I still think it’s a good idea to separate the solid and liquid components because dry composting is far more efficient.

Go to :: Down To Earth Magazine