A nice little write up on Ostatic – an open source blog.

http://ostatic.com/blog/rapidftr-helps-reunite-children-and-parents-after-large-scale-emergencies

We mocked up these screens and put this video together back in November/December, but I never posted it – until now. RapidFTR has progressed greatly since then and much has happened in the past three months. Jorge’s been doing an incredible job managing the project and I’m excited that it’s evolved beyond our Design for UNICEF class.

For more info: http://www.rapidftr.com

Rapid FTR: Mock Up from teknevision on Vimeo.

A rough sketch of the inflatable installation idea. This is definitely NOT to scale.

I just downloaded Balsamiq Mockups to use for wireframing the website idea. I have OmniGraffle Pro and even though there are a bunch of stencils available for web wireframing, I find the mish-mash of different styles distracting. OmniGraffle may be useful for the installation idea.

I’ve been looking online for a website dedicated to some kind of DIY Sustainability and though I can find the term in random articles and blog posts, nothing yet is full on. I’m concerned that I’m possibly not using the right combo of search terms and that perhaps one or several exist, but are just not prominent via Google.

At this point, the idea is to have a reader/user submissions that go through a review process before being published.

Some ideas:

What makes this project sustainable?
Is it the energy it uses?
Is it the energy it generates?
Is it the materials?
In what way are the materials sustainable?
Where do the come from?
How will this break down after?

For the art installation (2nd project idea):

The concept of an installation that pops up only when there are viewers illustrates how the artwork only exists if there are people there to view and experience it.

It also reminds me of the philosophical idea of “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

I have to figure out how large and powerful the fan needs to be in order to blow up the inflatables. I’m thinking the “final prototype” of the forest will be somewhere between 4 & 5 feet high.

I’m wondering if the fan/fans can be turned on and off using a midi-controlled light dimmer. I will test something other than a light this week and hopefully there will be a fan of some sort on the floor I can use.

Also found the work of Chico Macmurtrie.

Sketch idea:

Person walks into room
Sound starts
Then video
Then inflatables.

I’ve been enduring a headache since early this evening and feel it more as I use the computer. I believe the headache is a result of considerable tension/achey-ness on my eyeballs – so I will make this very brief.

I’m currently looking at CMS (content management system) options for the website. I looked through a CMS matrix, but it only does initial comparisons by name, instead of having a tick-list of features.

So – I’m narrowing it to the three popular ones: Joomla, Drupal and WordPress.

The site will basically be composed of a combination of submissions that will be subject to an review process (similar to Make) but possibly have video embeds and/or several still images per submission.

For the installation idea, instead of several fans per pop-up, I was thinking that a routed pipe with a big fan on one end could work – similarly to a ventilation system.

Today was very Sunday-like: late-start, sunny, warm(!), slow, incongruous pop-lock-krump-flipping to Classical music (a la Oscars)….

In other news, I’ve been researching inflatable art online and Lina was kind enough to suggest an artist that works with inflatables – Carlos Blanco. Here is some of his work.

I’ve seen a lot of cool artwork, but nothing yet like what I have in mind. So far – the work I’ve seen – with the exception of the subway grating pieces – use some kind of polyvinyl – which is too heavy for what I have in mind.

I’m also looking at 360 degree projectors.

Since I seem to be having this conflict of either going with something resourceful and sustainability related or something that’s purely artistic expression/exploration, I just had a whim to look up existing combos.

Some interesting resources:
http://greenmuseum.org/
http://www.thegreenartproject.com/

Today was composed of….

Day:

Night:

Today was primarily about the Cymatics exhibit build and prepping for my performance tomorrow night. Though – it was more of an equipment check and no practice whatsoever.
Aside from those things, I’ve had two ideas in mind for my thesis project. One is web based resource – which would also be the continuation of my If Products Could Tell final. The other idea is more whimsical and artistic and essentially an interactive installation which incorporates a pop-up environment (with inflatables). I will have to post my sketch of it later on, possibly Sunday – as tomorrow is a full day of class, then the exhibit/performance at 319 Scholes.
Today was primarily about the Cymatics exhibit build and prepping for my performance tomorrow night. Though – it was more of an equipment check and no practice whatsoever.

Aside from those things, I’ve had two ideas in mind for my thesis project. One is web based resource – which would also be the continuation of my If Products Could Tell final. The other idea is more whimsical and artistic and essentially an interactive installation which incorporates a pop-up environment (with inflatables). I will have to post my sketch of it later on, possibly Sunday – as tomorrow is a full day of class, then the exhibit/performance at 319 Scholes.

I’ve successfully gone through the 21 days of meditating, observing, documenting. I am now in my second cycle of 21 days. This cycle is supposed to be the Design Process. Although, I believe during the Design process will also involve prototyping and building throughout. This morning I felt like I had a better idea of my direction. However – in this rather late evening/wee morning – I am feeling unsure. In this moment, I’m sifting through personal feelings, connections, inspirations, illuminations, aspirations, disconnections, discouragement and doubt.

What is the right direction?

Where is my heart?

Where is my head?

Where do the two meet?

What are the steps moving forward?

Today’s design should also entail the initial  aspects of a framework. I will lay this out in more detail as well as more of today – in a few hours.

I feel like I’ve just had the recipe for getting to sleep ASAP. It includes an early morning, day of stuff, beer before a meal, and a filling dinner. Add a dimly lit room and voila! Instant sleepiness!

I received the Tisch Alute notice today in the mail and the card colors are more or similar to the cover of  the Cradle to Cradle book, but bolder.

Today, I also ate some yogurt and found this under its lid:

The idea of reducing junk mail and al the paper manufactured along with it is a great task. But this makes me think of SPAM and electronic junk mail – and I wonder just how much SPAM is actually circulated. What percentage of email is straight up junk? And how much data storage does all that SPAM take up in data centers around the world?

For my final last year in the Sustainability/If Products Could Tell their Stories class – I found a 2007 Environmental Protection Agency report (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=prod_development.server_efficiency_study) that stated in 2006, data centers consumed 1.5% of the total electricity used in the U.S. – or I 61 billion kilowatt hours. When this study was published, it was estimated that those numbers would double by 2011 and 10 additional power plants would be needed – if the energy consumption continued on the same track.
Since then, many companies have started to make/build “energy efficient” data centers – such as Google . But even then, I don’t know what kind of follow-up has happened via the EPA or other organizations, nor do I have a clue what those numbers are today in 2010. Energy efficiency is addressed in the Cradle to Cradle book and essentially they say “efficiency” is not enough and should really be replaced with “effectiveness”.

Going from paper junk mail to virtual junk mail and the data centers that store all the virtual and electronic-ness – prompts me to question how much energy “cloud computing” currently consumes. As the cloud grows (just as gmail’s storage capacity grows infinitely bit by bit) and the need for space increases, how many more data centers will pop up in the next 3-5 years? And with them, how many more power plants? The next question after that is – what kind of power plants?

I also just found this article from a few days ago about Facebook building their first data center in Prineville, OR – and this related blog post by Jonathan Heiliger of Facebook.

Some food for thought.

As I was adding the Journler tags to this entry (usually “Documentation, Observation, Focus, Thesis”), I had the inclination to write “Determination”. I didn’t see last night’s entry in the proper folder and panicked for a few seconds, thinking perhaps I had slipped and forgotten to make one. But I remembered that I had drawn a doodle on my new Wacom tablet and checked online to make sure I actually did post. Eventually I found the entry oddly in the Trash folder.

That moment of doubt was a bit weird, but similar to double checking that the stove is off before you leave home, even though you haven’t been cooking for a few hours. I will say that that moment of doubt also exemplifies how this exercise still manages to be quite challenging for me. I’m afraid of lapsing somehow, but determined to continue. My hope and intent is to continue with this and evolve it considerably in the next month as well as after Thesis. I know this may seem like a super simple task to some, but again this process is challenging for me.

Three words that enter my mind since I’ve started meditating daily are “focus and flow”. I guess those are inherently my goals at this stage. At the next stage (which starts this Thursday), I will have to take the focus and flow and integrate it into “plan and prepare” or “strategize and devise”.  Nothing solid enough has entered my mind, but I at least feel good about my direction and concept of timeline.

Taking a deep breath
and exhaling.

Today was about precision – and the methods and tools that can help achieve it. Time and repetition often play a significant role – as well as a steady hand.

I’ve been thinking more on the sustainability/alternative energy idea and have come back to some books from the If Products Could Tell Their Stories class. The one I have in my bag at the moment is the well known Cradle to Cradle. I’m also going back into Emotional Design and Shopping Our Way to Safety.

It’s pretty evident to me that all these things are intertwined – and they inherently address our (not sure who “our” is exactly, but certainly mine) manner of consumerism.

I can say that I’ve spent a good portion of time when looking for and researching products I want to own – whether it’s the nuance of detail in design, the materials, and/or the final price that drives my search. I wonder what percentage of online shoppers – or shoppers in general go to such lengths. I also wonder if perhaps a materials breakdown or some kind of sustainability rating will soon enough become a part of the shopping search engine process.

If even novel at first, such a feature would really augment the consumer experience. Would it make consumers overly self-conscious about what they’re purchasing or even desiring? Could it make manufacturers more responsible? Could it work? Even then – how could it be smartly implemented in a way that would feel balanced to both consumers and manufacturers/companies? I think it would be an interesting possibility that could work similarly to the way consumer ratings are created, though admittingly time-intensive.

Definitely something to ponder.

2nd “schools are closed” snow day of the year. Just one week (& one day) apart!

sustainability – (from dictionary.com)

sus·tain [suh-steyn]
–verb (used with object)
1. to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.
2. to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).
3. to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.
4. to keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.
5. to keep up or keep going, as an action or process: to sustain a conversation.
6. to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.
7. to provide for (an institution or the like) by furnishing means or funds.
8. to support (a cause or the like) by aid or approval.
9. to uphold as valid, just, or correct, as a claim or the person making it: The judge sustained the lawyer’s objection.
10. to confirm or corroborate, as a statement: Further investigation sustained my suspicions.
Origin: 1250–1300; ME suste(i)nen < AF sustenir, OF < L sustinēre to uphold, equiv. to sus- sus- + -tinēre, comb. form of tenēre to hold

—Synonyms
1. carry. See support. 3. bear. 5. maintain.

sus·tain   (sə-stān’)
tr.v.   sus·tained, sus·tain·ing, sus·tains
1. To keep in existence; maintain.
2. To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for.
3. To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop.
4. To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage.
5. To bear up under; withstand: can’t sustain the blistering heat.
6. To experience or suffer: sustained a fatal injury.
7. To affirm the validity of: The judge has sustained the prosecutor’s objection.
8. To prove or corroborate; confirm.
9. To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example) competently.

[Middle English sustenen, from Old French sustenir, from Latinsustinēre : sub-, from below; see sub- + tenēre, to hold; see ten-in Indo-European roots.]

sus·tain’a·bil’i·ty n., sus·tain’a·ble adj., sus·tain’er n.,sus·tain’ment n.
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I am thinking about what I am doing, this daily process, this idea of 21 days – and it’s now making me think of sustainability, specifically sustainable energy.

I find these words both literal and metaphorical in their implication.
I feel it would be worth exploring how my personal process of creative sustainable energy is mirrored in/into a process of environmental sustainable energy. Possibly giving this a MIRRORED MICRO/MACRO bent.
I’m thinking of it less in the way of an individual recycling and reducing their carbon footprint to help reduce the global warming and more in terms of the creative process of the changes and shifts an individual goes through in order to maximize their personal energy & productive output and how that energy flows out and effects the world around them.

This is a rough idea that I just came up with this evening. I’ve been thinking about my interest in environmental sustainability, the related classes I’ve taken at ITP, my general personal pursuits in this area, as well as the desire to educate myself even further in this area. This would be a good opportunity to do that. We’ll see.