Electric radiant heaters are one of those technologies that seldom get a glance from me. And maybe that''s why I was attracted to this exhibit. I didn''t see anything I recognized. I walked over to see what those black crates were that BBC Industries was exhibiting. They didn''t look like much, and then the radiant heat hit me. Thermazone Black Body radiant heaters are simple, unpretentious and are available in sizes from 450 watts to 6,000 watts.A former employer of mine, Novar Controls Corp., shocked me out of my shoes with its exhibit. The old Tesla coil spark machine was gone but Novar''s entire line of building controls has undergone a complete redesign, which includes attractive packaging, enhanced communications and new product names. In particular, the product renamed Lingo can now converse with almost all manufacturers'' equipment in their own protocols, including Lon Works and BACnet.

I have now begun building a traveling commons--an eight-foot round redwood table atop four wheels and a car engine. I, and whoever else ends up joining me, will drive the table around the world. Talking, cooking, writing, sculpting, playing billiards ... the table escapes narrow definition of purpose.It will be a drama in which many people, with all their stories and concerns, thoughts and passions, will be the actors, the landscapes, the backdrops. It will be a community based on what people have to give--and there is everything to give. Some may offer food, wine, and a place to park; others, content and inspiration. The traveling commons is the stone in stone soup, the sand in the oyster. It is a magic carpet that flies--not above people, but through and within them. There will be a library, dictionary, typewriters, cameras, easels, and elegant china stored in compartments below deck. We will stop at universities, parks, capitals, housing developments, and sometimes even red lights--the traveling commons transcends class and country. We might stay in a place for weeks, or just a couple of minutes. As we gain recognition, and take on the momentum (wobble?) of a pottery wheel, we will sometimes write ahead, inviting artists, writers, and thinkers for a meal and a chat. Over the engine, using the heat of combustion, we will bake bread and make coffee. We may also have a zucchini or two growing in a well in the center of the table.

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