SEI Design Group BlogBlog about news, information, happenings and mojo at SEI Design Group

Watch the blog for an announcement of our big contest this week.  The winner will get a brand new, shiny …. (hint: 4 letters). Two runners-up will get an SEI T-shirt (Nike Dryfit).   This contest is open to all including SEI friends and family.  We will ship free anywhere in the US.  Sign up for RSS or email updates (top right corner) so you don’t miss this and our other events.

The Casio EX-S10 is about the most compact and slim 10 megapixel camera that you are going to find, and the performance is great!  This is so small (even tinier than the EX-S770), that you can take it everywhere.  As when ordering the S770 that this replaced, used this vendor.  If you add a card (we got a 2 GB turbo), you get a free 2nd battery, case, card reader and LCD protector. However today, found a better deal at Buy.com for $212, and you can use a $10 off coupon if first time buyer.  Oh, and have to say that it is sad, but true - even though I was eyeing this for a while, Vic got his first!

SEI is pleased to welcome our newest client, Taconic Hills CSD. SEI will be assisting with the planning and design of an upcoming renovation project that includes infrastructure and security.

Lots of people said it couldn’t be done, but an aggressive schedule allowed sixth grade students at Syracuse City School District to move in to their new modular classroom wing at H. W. Smith School on school opening day.  It was just five months ago that the District authorized SEI Design to begin the design!   The project quickly moved forward with SED review and approval, and on August 24th, the modular units were delivered and installed on-site ready for furniture installation, the new foundation and corridor link constructed by the District.

SEI Design is participating in a really great charity event, Canstruction. This is a design build competition for design professionals and students using cans.   All the building materials (canned goods) get donated to food kitchens at the end of the event.  In Rochester, the entries will be displayed in the Bausch and Lomb Winter Garden in November.  While we can’t tell you what we are building, we can tell you that we would welcome your help in the form of donations toward the purchase of cans for the event.  Since 1992, Canstruction has donated 10 million pounds of food.  We will keep you posted on our progress.

If you don’t use Alltop yet, you simply must check it out.   Alltop is a product of Guy Kawasaki and friends.  The clean, uncluttered site collects the stories of the top news websites and blogs for many topics and displays headlines of the five most recent stories.   If you scroll over a headline, you can see part of the story so that you can decide if you’d like to read it.  There are many topics and they are adding topics daily.  We are usually aware of the new topics through Guy and Neenz on Twitter, but also have their RSS feed on our Google home page, so we don’t miss anything.  SEI is proud to be listed under architecture and design on Alltop.

How come Brian doesn’t look happy?  Our clients over at University of Rochester pulled a little prank on Brian and it appears everyone enjoyed it more than he did.  BTW, who are those masked men?

Our favorite blog designers over at Unique Blog Designs are sponsoring an anniversary contest.  Head on over and enter to win an iPod Touch or a Citrus theme for your blog, and wish them a happy anniversary.

We all need help remembering things.  For example: you are in the car driving and remember that you forgot to send an important file.  As we have told you before, Jott can come to your rescue.  Just call Jott hands free and leave a message to self.  Next time you open your email, a message will be waiting.  You have the option of a reminder message being sent (at a time of your choice) which generates a reminder email and text message.  Jott just came out of Beta and has some paid programs with major upgrades, but the free service (which includes links to Twitter) is still available.  

Another great self help organizer is emailfuture.com which allows you to send an email to yourself well into the future.

SEI Design Group was one of this year’s recipients of the 2008 AIA New York State Design Awards. SEI received one of 18 Awards of Merit for the Parry Building Office Renovation project in Rochester. SEI was one of 294 entries and will receive the award on Friday, September 26 at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains. In March, SEI was recognized for this project when they received top honor for the 2008 AIA Rochester Design Award.

The Parry Building Office Renovation project involved the first floor conversion of the former Parry manufacturing facility in the historic High Falls District to house SEI’s Rochester-based architectural office.

The four-story brick structure was built in the late 1800s. The interior consisted of heavy timber beams and old wooden columns. Into that setting, SEI integrated an office layout of new glass walls and wood veneers.