Friday, January 18, 2008

The Second Saturday

The week is over and the intensive ctits are here. For those of you that have had some time between this crit and your last undergrad crit here are some examples of how to handle a crit jury that has gone bad.

below are a few suggestions to combat a bad jury...

taken from "What to Do When a Design Jury Attacks" this is provided by the Harvard GSD

1. Blowfish
Puff out your cheeks and point your fingers out around your face, like dangerous spikes.
10. Postmodern simulation
Leaf through your sketchbook and then look up and say, “I’m sorry, that’s not in the script. What page are you on?”
29. The John Wayne
Insist on speaking in a Texas accent. Swagger. Refer to the critic as “Pardner.” If the critic asks you a question you can’t answer, make your hand look like a pistol and yell “POW.”
60. Hostage
Determine quickly which member of the jury means the most to the critic. Then grab that person, hold a knife to his or her throat, and demand that all negative criticisms must end. You might as well ask for a little spending money, too.
100. Sherlock
Reply, “No sh-t, Sherlock,” to everything the critic says. See if you can convince the other jurors to join you.

For the complete list click here

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Roommates at the Midtown

Roommate paring:
The hotel puts two to a room (unless you opted to pay for the single room) based off the cohort list and if there is over lap... persons from the other cohorts get pared... But always guy to guy.. girl to girl. The BAC told us that they are not in the business of match making… the hotel can (and they have) rearranged roommates on request as you check in if there is a preference.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Meals During Studio Intensive

what does everyone do for meals during studio? can i meet my sister? Is it a group event or does everyone grab a sandwich while rushing back to their desk?
Eat when you can and constantly snack at you desk....
Meals are generally up to you... there are times that the BAC (Curt, Jeff, or Tom) will provide lunch/dinner while things are going on... but for the most part we are on our own. Typically we get a hour four lunch and dinner, but you will soon learn that time (things that you need to get done) really determine how long you have. Most times it is up to us where we go or how long we take, most of the time you will find that you go in groups... lunch/dinner with friends or family is certainly up to you but don't plan on a five course meal... there won't be time for that.
The First and Second cohorts know the drill but for you first timers here are some suggestions and places near by, also the head engineer for the building always gives us a number to a pizza place that delivers and a map to food that is in walking distance:
  • a noddle place - across the street
  • a Greek place - across the street
  • Subway - not to far...
  • McDonald's - down the street from the Berkley School of Music
  • Starbucks - a few doors down
  • Trident (bookstore/sandwich shop) - a few doors down
  • Dunkin' Donuts - a few doors down
  • the food court at the mall (student favorite and best selection) - half way between the BAC and the Midtown (the Prudential building)
  • a great hot dog joint - near the Berkley School of Music
  • a couple local bars - across from Fire House towards the Mall
There are more but you will discover them as you walk to and from the BAC and in the area.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Tips for Requesting Books from the Library

thanks to Eric Nelson for this info


Check the status of the book you wish to request. Go into the book’s online catalog record and check the “Location” and “Status” of the book in the online catalog. If the location is “Main Stacks” and the status is “available,” you can request to have that item sent to you. Books which are marked Reference, Periodical Shelves, Closed Stacks or Closed Reference cannot be loaned out (copies of particular chapters/ articles from this material can be made and sent to you in most cases). Books which have been placed on reserve cannot be loaned out. BAC theses cannot be loaned out. If a book you want is unavailable or not held by our library, try your local public library. Often, if the public library does not own the book you need, they can borrow the item from another library in their network. If you have any questions about what items can be sent to you, please contact Whitney Vitale, Information Literacy / Distance Education Librarian at 617-585-7337 or at whitney.vitale@the-bac.edu. If the BAC does not own a book which you feel would enhance the collection, please let the library staff know. The BAC always welcomes new book suggestions from our students and faculty.

Document Delivery Services from the Library

thanks to Eric Nelson for this info


Although many valuable resources exist online, there are times when distance students need access to the print material owned by the library. In response to this need, the library offers the following delivery services for students enrolled in the Practicing Professionals Distance M. Arch program:

Materials That Can Be Delivered Are:
1. Books - Distance M. Arch students may check out six books per semester from the library. Students can either check these books out during their onsite residency or request to have the books shipped to them during the course of the semester. Books may be checked out for 4 weeks, with the possibility of renewal. The library absorbs the cost of mailing out book material, but students must cover the cost of mailing these books back to the library.
2. Copies of Articles and Book Chapters Owned by the Library - The library can deliver copies of book chapters and journal articles either through email or first class mail. Each student may request 10 copies of articles or book chapters per semester. Please allow 2-3 days for these requests to be filled (it may take longer for requests sent through the mail).
3. Copies of Articles and Book Chapters from Other Libraries - If the library does not own a particular journal article or book chapter, a copy will be requested from another library and sent to you through email or first class mail. Please allow 2 weeks for delivery of these items. We cannot interlibrary loan books at this time.

How to Request Delivery:
To place a request, please contact Whitney Vitale, at whitney.vitale@the-bac.edu. In your email, please include:
1. As much of the article or book citation as possible (title, author, publisher, year, etc).·
2. Your name and course number or title·
3. Your delivery preference (email or post)·
4. The email or shipping address to which you would like the material sent

Finding Books and Articles in the Library - The following online resources will help you locate books and articles that the library owns: Online Library Catalog http://library.the-bac.edu/ Search our online catalog to find books, maps, and other print material that the library. Databases & Indexes http://www.the-bac.edu/x884.xml The library subscribes to both article and image databases. The BAC also has a variety of online reference sources such as the Chicago Manual of Style and Grove Art Online. Please visit our Databases & Indexes page http://www.the-bac.edu/x884.xml to find descriptions and links to these resources. When you click on these resources, you will be prompted to enter your user name and password (these will be the same as your Angel user name and password.).

If you have any questions about finding or delivery of library material, please contact Whitney Vitale at 617-585-7337 or at whitney.vitale@the-bac.edu. You can also contact the library’s main line at 617-585-0155.