[Steve Mercer]

Hi Thomas,

How did you eat your lunch and check your eye-lids for light leaks at the same time?  Must be a true multi-tasker!

LOL!

 

Happy Holidays!

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

Unfortunately the answer to your question is it depends.  Overall workflow is always a consideration.  It does you no good if you have to jump through extra hoops to go from your concept, and construction drawings to your 3D perspective drawings and then start over in the rendering department.  Overall my workflow is BricsCAD (a AutoCad clone) and LandFX for concept thru Construction drawings.  LandFX has a SketchUp plug-in and it swaps 2D tree symbols for 3D tree symbols in SketchUP. But it will also go the other way too.  So if you adjust your design in SketchUP Pro you can send the design back through the plug-in back into LandFx to update your quantity take-offs. I do my 3d Perspective drawings in SketchUP.  If I just need a quick an dirty rendering inside SketchUP… Lumen RT or Shaderlight are good options.  If you need even better and larger renderings Vue has a SketchUP plug that allows for a smoother transition into Vue.  There will always be limitations.  It is the nature of software (and software versions 🙂 )  The trick is to find a workable workflow for you and stick with it.  Because the learning curves are steep in all these programs.  I look forward to the day when the dna mapping is completed for all the plant material we use.  Hopefully by the time that happens the computing horsepower will improve to the point that someone can write a program based on the DNA growth habits and the cultural habits of how the plant is to be grown.  You would then place those plants into an environmental model that mimics the real world environment.  You would then be able to actually see your landscapes grow over time based on parameters like annual prunning techniques.   It will be years though before we see something like this.

 

Best Wishes,

s.

[Steve Mercer]

Hi Guys!

 

I thought of you when I saw this today 🙂 !

[Steve Mercer]

Hi Daniel

 

Here is a link for a mfgr of the recessed tray covers discussed on http://www.pavingexpert.com/recess01.htm.

 

http://www.aquacastltd.com/recessedtraytype.html.

 

Best Wishes,

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

I prefer John Smith of the Jamestown era… “if you don’t work you don’t eat”

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

Democratic Socalism… Now that is an oxymoron if ah ever heard one!  Ah think you need to take a few less drags of whatever you are smok’in Jon because it is effecting your better judgement.  Keep that up and the boys in white coats are gonna pay you a visit.

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

It sounds like we have more in common that we do differences Craig.

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

I would say that Mr. Madoff is reaping what he sowed right now don’t you think?  He is likely to die in prison that in my opinion is far worse that shooting him.  Losing ones freedom for the rest of your life is a pretty stiff penalty don’t you think?

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

I wonder if you have ever run a business Craig.  Any business owner will tell you that they have fought hard to get where they are.  There is a wealthy elite class and there are the wealthy on paper.  By the time you add up all the commitments and responsibilities shouldered by many business owners they are not making as much as you think.  Capital is hard to come by especially right now.  You don’t think somebody of a General Electric status would be going to Warren Buffet for capital if things weren’t really bad out there do you?  Have you tried to borrow money from a bank lately?  Anyone who has money has to work twice as hard to keep someone else from taking it away from them.  I find it distainful that you would insuate that someone who has fought and worked hard to build up their fortune are now somehow criminal.  If that were so then why is it that people all over the world perfer to come to American more than any other country?  Our system may be flawed but it is still better than anywhere else you will live.  I still have a hard time figuring out why you want to protest against Wall Street.  Wall Street does not set the rules the government does.   Given, Wall Street has poured a lot of money into Washington and may have gamed the system.  But you are protesting to the wrong people.  I would think you would be more interested in marching on Washington.  If enough people March and protest in Washington long enough and you follow that up with voting out incumbents of both parties.  The influence that Wall Street has in Washingtion will be diminished.  I think that is the goal your movement should be concerned about.  If you were a Doctor you are treating the patients symptoms not the disease.

I personally am not happy with either party.  Rand Paul is my Senator,  and I voted for him,  Not because I believe in everything he stands for.  I voted for him to send a clear message to Washington that it is NOT business as usual and if both parties keep it up there will be more people like Rand Paul holding seats in Washington and power that each party now enjoys will be diminished.  That has already occured in the Republican Party.  The Vice President was interviewed on CBS this morning and said that there is a new arm of the Republican Party and it is not like the Party that the Dems are use to dealing with.  I say great we have now got their attention!  How much more political blood needs to be spilt before those who are left straight up and fly right?  It would help if the Democratic Party had a similar movement afoot.  It is time to try something different.  What has always been ain’t work’in no more!  I say if the American people has to throw every incumbent in office (Dem or Rep) out for new blood, so be it if that is what it is going to get control of our government.

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

Yes there is a group of Americans who are not just worried about the here and now.  This group of Americans not only look at the individual trees in the forrest but the WHOLE forrest.  We as Americans cannot continue to spend our way out of this national crisis that we are in.  At some point someone has to hold the line on the out of control spending that is occuring in Washington.  Or your grandchildren will be in such a finacial hole that it will be impossible to climb out of.  I make no apologies for supporting such a notion.  When economic times are tough it is not the time to go on a spending spree personally or nationally. 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

sketuchUP, sketchUP…SKETCHUP!

s.

[Steve Mercer]

the evil environmentalist … tongue in cheek of course :-).  I certainly didn’t advocate no government.  Whine yes but there will always be whiners.  That is just a human nature trait.  There will always be politicans that don’t agree with the status quo.  That is the nature of politicians.  I don’t necessarily see that you need large government buracracies to enforce the penalties.  How about putting the laws on the books in such a way that there is one entity within the government that you can file the charges with.  And the loser pays all attourney’s fees and court costs of all parties concerned.  That cuts down on the frivolus lawsuits so only legitimate claims are litigated.  The problem as I see it is when the government is the violator.  In our state there is the The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.  leaking Radioactive ooze into the environment.  These plants were run by the government in the name of national security.  So it is not just companies that are violators.  The government itself is probably the number one violator if the truth be told.  And what happens when a new product is manufactured only to find out years later just how dangerous the product really was.  For example asbestos.  At one point you could find the product everywhere.  Or how about lead paint?  It is one thing to go after a company that  is knowingly violating environmental law.  It is quite another to go after a company that was manufacturing a product in good faith and years later after science and technology improves it turns out that the product is detrimental.  A line has to be drawn somewhere or there will be no companies.  Half the products that you use on a daily basis would never reach market if you enforce environmental law to the max.  Including computers, cell phones and any other electronic gadget.  There are some pretty toxic materials that go into producing those gadgets.

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

There is another way to regulate business Roland.  Make the penalties for damaging the environment, people, and other people’s property so severe that business can’t afford to cause harm.  However, government’s attempts to legislate common sense will just raise the cost of doing business for everyone and make American businesses less competitive in the world economy.  That also translates to fewer jobs for the masses. 

As for me I would like to eliminate the concept of campaign finance.  After so many signitures your campaign is finaced by the government.  And the canditdates get x dollars to run the campaign and no more.  No Personal, Private, Lobbyist or Corporate contributions allowed.  I think it is far better that the taxpayer funds these campaigns as it is the price of running a fair democracy.

s.

[Steve Mercer]

maybe… but most certainly and evil evironmentalist!  🙂

 

s.

[Steve Mercer]

Well said William!

 

s.

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