Creativity / Design / Reading Material

I find Creativity to be a very in-depth subject in that it has many different meanings and or levels. Everyone forms different opinions and have different perspectives of the events that happen in their life. I would have to conclude that everyone has a different level of Creativity, with more in certain individuals, but I feel that everyone is capable of being creative. I also feel that it depends on your chosen direction or path in life that may limit the creative side of your brain such as the classes you take or possible music you listen to. After taking part in high school art classes, I found that the best way to be creative to study others and to manipulate what you could call the fabric in front of you in your own way. I feel that with the new age of design and computers, I have a thorough background in all the different Medias and have the ability to be creative in my own way. I would say that it all depends on our ability to adapt and form. 

Books that I have read to indulge my more creative side are previous ceramic based processes which include firing and glazing techniques. Parallel Worlds, which is a book about our current dimension. Ballistics, which is a book about warfare technology in the past. The Subjects I would like to know more about are space related material or astronomy, ceramics, aeronautics, and alternative energy sources. 

In Class Discussion

                                                                   Neither here nor there.

After attempting the multiple divergent or obscure questions in class that challenged the creative side of our brains, I felt the need to look further into riddles or mind tricking questions. I came across a number of sites and found a great deal of interesting questions. I wonder how these people come up with or discover these thoughts and think they are truly artists, but of a different sort. An interesting book I came across was found on this site Typographic Riddles .

My Solution to a Bad Design

I have the exact same clothes rack that I purchased from Walmart at the beginning of the semester. After first putting it together, I realized the sleight unbalanced form it was in. The base seemed to stay together, but the upper half of the bars swayed to the left and continued to lean more every passing week. Eventually I wrapped a duffel bag strap around it and secured it to my desk. It was only until a couple of weeks ago that I attached a middle aluminum bar that connects the two side bars together. By adding this second bar I was able to stabilize the clothes rack and to add more space in which to put hangers. The initial design of this clothes rack was bad because I don't believe it was stable enough to last a long usage period. The price spent on the clothes rack was low, but it seems that such a simple design of aluminum bars and a plastic base should withstand a minimum amount of hangers.

Bad Designs?

Exercise Equipment
The link and picture above depict an ab exercise machine to help you shape and form the perfect abdominal midsection. After working out and exercising for the past couple of years, I have noticed that the best results are reached by using standard equipment or techniques that have been around for a much longer time than these machines. People watching television see these infomercials that show a fitness trainer or body builder in very good shape using these machines. After the "testimonials" they believe that by using these machines for 10 minutes a day they will look amazing. It is a small wonder why these machines disappear after a short amount of time and are replaced by similar, newer models. The conspiracy is that the same company could be developing these machines to make a quick profit from the users at home. My own research has shown support in my opinion of using simple equipment like your own body resistance or medicine balls. You can find professional videos online that actually show and describe the muscle groups being worked. I find all of these get in shape fast videos misleading and try to sell you a badly designed piece of equipment.

Brochure

Here is a brochure I did in favor of utilizing wind farm technology and how important alternative energy sources are to our future. In my research papers prior to this post I cover subjects such as renewable resources and how we should approach our future in a more intelligent way. Instead of forcing a product or technique along for the best time frame, we should develop the best overall final design.

U.S. Heat Ray Project

Heat Ray Project

The link and picture above show a recent development in crowd control and dispersing protesters. I found a similar video one or two years ago and just recently stumbled upon this technology again. The idea behind this defensive gun is to send waves towards the human crowd, heating up the liquid inside your skin to a temperature in which the individual becomes extremely uncomfortable and moves out of the way. This technology could be adapted to any case in which dispersion or direction would be required. I feel that it is a safe design because the time in which it would take to cause any possible harm is much greater than the time in which an individual could stay in its direct line.

Apple Software

I have been researching the pros and cons of an ipod touch recently and I'm still convinced Apple prices are too high. Even though the prices of older models continue to drop, is it still worth it to spend that significant amount just for an added interface quality or accessibility. After researching online the Sandisk Fuze, which is coming onto the market, I see a much lower price compared to the  8GB audio/video player from Apple. Apple lists their 8GB ipod touch at $229 while the Sandisk Fuze is listed at $89.99. Is the Ipod touch, and other Apple models overpriced or a bad design? Due to their extremely user friendly interface and easy usage, I would conclude that Apple products are a good design. Their computers and other products are very well constructed and thought out, but their prices I feel are still too high for what your are getting. When designing your own computer even, including all of the apple software, you could spend around $1,000, while they would charge $2,000. I feel that Apple products in general are over advertised and consumers are just too lazy to research other available products that offer the same functions, at a much lower cost.

SuperCooling a Liquid

Supercooled Water
Above is a picture and link to a video covering the supercooling process. Supercooling occurs when you lower the temperature of a liquid or gas below its freezing point, without it solidifying. I came across videos about this topic a while back and remembered I found it interesting. I would really enjoy attempting experiments such as this with other related materials to see the possible energy they may hold.

IDEO

After learning about the IDEO company during class, I visited their website and searched for any interesting project they were involved in. After coming across IDEO hot hand audio , I agreed with Dr. Lewis' statement that they are involved wherever they're needed. The finger attachment shown above controls an audio wah device that records your body movement and translates it into sound. With more research into other projects IDEO was involved with, I'm contemplating whether or not these people were this innovative when they first started or were helped by those already at the company. It is astounding what technology is out there for us to read about.

Addiction to Contemplation

For over five years I've constantly read reviews and statistics on guitars and their sound or tone. I continue to read about new designs or updated models, yet I won't commit to buying one. I included this post in my blog because I greatly appreciate the Schecter guitar company. Compared to other manufacturers, their fairly new, yet their designs are unique and built with perfect precision. I find it interesting that so many hours go into manipulating guitar necks for certain hand positions and playing styles. I feel that it would be a very probable job for me to work with the designers at Schecter due to my knowledge of guitars and the processes involved with manufacturing.