Kami Harbinger

"Good design, as far as I am concerned, embodies these six points:
relevant, intelligent ideas;
function,
expression (semiological appropriateness and aesthetic originality);
appropriate use of technology and materials;
minimal impact on the environment (throughtout the full product cycle);
and high quality (including maintenance and durability).
Good design can also alter human behavior and create new social conditions."

-Karim Rashid, I Want To Change The World

I'm still just skimming it, but it's a fantastic book; the objects he makes are weird and alien, but comfortable and organic. Certainly it raises my bar for what I'd consider attractive building in SL.

Hiro is approaching the Street. It is the Broadway, the Champs Elysees of the Metaverse. It is the brilliantly lit boulevard that can be seen, miniaturized and backward, reflected in the lenses of his goggles. It does not really exist. But right now, millions of people are walking up and down it.
-Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash