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THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS
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| May 6, 2015 www.watershapes.com |
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Chemical-Free? Really?
His clients wanted watershapes without chemicals, and Randy Beard was determined to deliver. Long intrigued by the way koi ponds work, he tinkered until he developed a simple system that fills his pools with pure, clear water — and makes a home’s plants happy, too. [more] |
 DIGITAL DESIGN
Want to know how to optimize the technology you’re using to run your watershape-design software? Finding the answer, reports Chris Adamczyk, is as easy as joining the video gaming community and picking the brains of the tech-savvy teens you’re trying to keep up with. [more]
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CASCADE CREATION
Up the Hill
It’s always good to know what you’re doing on the job site, notes Eric Triplett — and that’s particularly true if you’re on a steep slope and have assumed responsibility for adding a long, multi-tiered, boulder-strewn system of cascades and pools to a big backyard. [more]
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ESSENTIAL
Thoughts for the Eyes
The balancing of plant and stone, a layering of views, the use of perspective, a careful plotting of footpaths and the subtle use of water: All these come together in Japanese gardening, a form of expression that accounts for many of the world’s most beautiful and elegant man-made spaces. Among the finest of these works of art, says Douglas M. Roth, one stands out: Katsura Rikyu.
This article, originally published in WaterShapes in January 2002, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.
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TRAVELOGUE
Earth, Air, Light and Water
Devised to teach children (and their adult companions) about basic forces of nature, the plaza at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vt., features an array of water effects that Jane Shoplick describes as informative, entertaining, delightful — and well worth a visit. [more]
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WATERSHAPES WORLD
Shaken Loose
A video of a pool made during Nepal’s recent earthquake reminded Jim McCloskey of an unusual seismic experience he had following the Northridge quake in 1994 — and of the importance of helping survivors of these disasters pull their lives back together. [more]
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WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .
Cool and Cute Dept.: Watch giraffes have great, good fun jumping in a CGI-driven high-dive spectacle. [more]
If only this were an actual sporting event . . .
Ponds to the Rescue Dept.: Duke University is to save $400,000 annually by capturing rain, runoff. [more]
This sort of headline should be far more common!
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WATERSHAPES CLASSIC
Setting Personal Standards
Back on 2010, Dave Peterson called on his teaching experience to make a point about the way watershapers approach hydraulics. It’s a powerful message about built-in quality that still reverberates today. [more]
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CAT 3500/5500 Controllers from Hayward Pool Products
Hayward Pool Products (Elizabeth, NJ) has released the CAT 3500 and CAT 5500 wireless water-quality controllers, complete with conductivity and TDS monitoring. Equipped with Internet-based monitoring capabilities tailored specifically for salt chlorine applications, the intuitive systems monitor pH, ORP and salt level/TDS. For details, click here. Focus Industries Offers SL-40 Series Underwater Lights
Focus Industries (Lake Forest, CA) manufactures the SL-40 Series of underwater lighting fixtures. Made of cast brass and featuring flat, high-impact, tempered-glass lenses in five colors, the units can be wall or floor mounted and come standard with 20-watt MR11 lamps rated to last for 10,000 hours. A 50,000-hour LED option is also available. For details, click here.
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THE AQUATIC QUIZ
Caroline the Black Lab Causes
Pickup Truck to Plunge into Pool
Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below.
1. Episodes of humans accidentally driving their vehicles into swimming pools are fairly common. But recently in Erwin, N.C., reports fox11online.com, a 90-pound black lab named Caroline made her owners’ pickup truck do the same thing. How did it happen?
a. The owners left Caroline in the pickup with the motor running while they dashed into a nearby
store for a minute.
b. Caroline got spooked by something and dove onto the floorboard, pushing the driver’s foot
down on the accelerator.
c. Caroline started barking loudly, causing the driver to become momentarily distracted.
d. Caroline stood up right in front of the driver, blocking her view out the windshield. |
2. What may be “the world’s scariest swimming pool,” the FloWave at Scotland’s Edinburgh University, can generate massive waves and extremely fast currents. The facility, according to dailymail.co.uk, is used to test marine technologies. How high can the waves reach?
| a. Three stories |
b. Five stories |
c. Seven stories |
d. Nine stories |
3. In Elliott Bay off Seattle’s Myrtle Edwards Park, notes crosscut.com, a group of sea lions has been spotted performing what amounts to a synchronized swimming move using their flippers. According to a Seattle Parks employee, the odd behavior takes place just one day every spring. What does the author of the article about the phenomenon speculate as to the cause?
a. It’s a mating ritual by male sea lions to impress females of the species.
b. It’s a mating ritual by female sea lions to attract males of the species.
c. A slight change in the earth’s magnetic field during the spring disorients the animals.
d. The animals were released from a SeaWorld park, where they performed the same
synchronized move as part of a show. |
To find out how many you got right, click here.“
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