Back to the Ziggurat idea. I'd played around with this concept of LCD/Plasma faux windows for the interior, where instead of having actual windows I'd instead install video cameras on the outer walls of the structure and feed the live outside images to digital screens throughout the interior, which would give the appearance of being windows. I could look outside in real time, but never concern myself with someone else looking in.
By pure random chance - or the mind of a burgeoning god, I haven't decided yet - I stumbled across this website for a company called the Sky Factory (www.theskyfactory.com). What do they make?
Fake, luminous, skylights/windows.
How fantastic a concept is this? They basically build a lighted panel into your ceiling, install a special photographic panel, and cover that with an overlay. Flip a switch and presto! you're looking out at a great image of the world, any image of your choosing!
They can also design it in any pattern of your choosing, whether you want an entire ceiling panel or a round, gothic skylight. Which you absolutely KNOW yours truly would have to have. I loved that giant window they had in the movie "The Crow"; I've sworn that if ever I had the money, that would become my bedroom window. With this concept, I can have it and not worry about who's looking in, about needing curtains, or even where to place my bedroom - who cares whether or not the room is looking out over a particular view, when I can decide myself what image shows up on the display? 
There's one design that I absolutely love on their website, it's sort of a ceiling/gutter skylight concept that follows the curve of a hall, along the ceiling; it just looks fantastic, providing a "natural" light while enhancing the design of the hall itself. I'll have to throw that in as well, I like the idea of curving halls within a pyramidal structure. I may even do that for the basement of the house; let's go with the underground feeling, but give it a sense of being above everything by hinting at nothing but sky being above it. I love the duality of it. [UPDATED NOTE: oooo! oooo! What if...instead of sky...it's an UNDERWATER display?! Holy school of fish, batman! How fuckingly awesome would that be? Hell it'd be like a better version of the old fish screen saver; imagine the occasional WHALE swimming overhead, casting a virtual shadow as it moves? Goddamn, I'm good.]
Now of course, their design s isn't quite MY design idea; theirs involves static images, a sort of mylar/film singular image that is installed into the window and becomes your permanent view. My idea would be to take their design and replace the lighting fixture with the digital wiring needed, and instead of the film photograph I'd replace that with an LCD or Plasma screen. I could even have a central computer system, where I could change the "weather" at will throughout the house - deciding on a clear night sky full of stars, perhaps, or a bright sunny day. Tie it in with the central air conditioning, and change the heat - and "wind" - to go with it. Add in scents to mimic the ocean, or fresh-cut grass, or the muskiness of a jungle or forest, or a garden...the possibilities are near-endless.
Oh and yes, they do have wall windows as well. These frames are about as fugly as hell, but the word "custom" is all over the place with these guys and believe me, I'm all about the customization.Hell, depending on their patents - if I've got the mega-money to build the house, I've certainly got the bucks to finance a company to build these on my own. I may just market this myself.
Where's my lotto ticket?
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