Motion In Balance

Final Project Love

2006-12-11T05:59:48Z

I enjoyed the final outcome of the group that is giving ACES a "playbook." I think the project was well thought out both in terms of what this course project asked and also on a level that I think ACES can directly and immediately benefit from this groups "product." It was quite apparent that much thought and research went into the outcome and to which this can only benefit and again-support ideas that ACES can use at each of their sites to improve the learning environments of each of these said places. I remember this group stating during their "rough draft" presentation that they were going to include a desk as well as the playbook but I think in the end, the playbook is the most important and reasonable piece of the groups overall concept and only true necessity to conveyiong their ideas and hopes for ACES. Overall, a well thought out concept with a great final outcome.

Gershenfeld, Kahn, and Man

2006-12-05T06:20:15Z

Louis Kahn

Neil Gershenfeld

]]> I have to say I am befuddled as to what I should write after more than a long enough period of contemplation in regards to the Neil Gershenfeld and Louis Kahn articles. Heres two intricately intelligent indivuals, obviously successful in their own rights and crafts discussing, from what I was to gather, one of man's greatest qualities - his/her creative mind. Although both articles go about different avenues for discussion, they both focus on mans drive to createGershenfelds article was fascinating in that his program of "How to Make (almost) Anything" saw individual users designing and creating solutions to questions they posed themselves. In a society that is becoming ever more individualized, questions and problems are going to arise that stem from an individual level, a level that varies from person to person. With this, Gershenfelds reality that is the "fablab" does just that, creates real solutions to individual, varying questions in the form of personal fabrication, with answers based solely on that individuals creative mind. Now what I pulled from Mr. Kahn's article took a little more insight but revolved around a similar idea - the "desire" for what does not exist harkens ones creative juices, "desire brings the new need." Much to my thoughts throughout Kahns article, my blog entry is quite rambled, but what I have taken from both readings is that we as a collective mankind are driven to find answers and these answers stem from man's creative mind, both on an individual and communal level.

Technopoly and You

2006-11-28T04:13:40Z

]]> I have to admit, I am a little torn about what I feel in regards to Neil Postman's ideas on technopoly. Not to disregard the ideas that Mr. Postman has so introspectively brought to the table. First, to define technopoly: A societies ever-constant dependance on technology and its advance in hopes that new marvels will lead to a better life - this is at least what I have derived from Postmans article. Users of technology often become the used by technology, most often unwillingly and unknowingly. For example a persons dependance upon such items as cell phones (for which I somehow feel it important to share my dire hatred for), televisions, even the macrocosm that is the internet, can become so overwhelmingly powerful that it becomes habit, a norm, and leaves the user unbeknownst to the dependence they maintain with said technology. On a personal level, I feel the advancement of technology caters only to the lazy in society; often I associate a new technology with its ability to make a task easier than it once was. Here I give you the example of a medical advance that allows for obese persons to rapidly lose weight: the procedure known as gastric bypass surgery. Now I must state before going any further I realize that they are people whose well-being and lives can be saved because of this procedure (the reason behind the inception of said procedure). Where I have a problem with this "technology" lies in that it, along with other "technologies" (i.e. the television and one of its children - MTV for example) these create an easier way of tackling a problem: in this case, losing weight without actually having to go on some gimmicky/trendy weight loss plan or even, heaven-forbid, lose weight the old fashion way and exercise. Gastric bypass surgery is the best of both worlds, yes one must endure a surgical procedure, but only to be granted the gift of a new, slimmer figure just like those found on the screen at the local movie-theater and can still eat as many deep fried caramel glazed pork rines as they want all while never having to sweat one drop. But why should I care? Who am I to tell someone that they are wrong for having gastric bypass surgery or that they have wasted hours upon hours of their life looking up old high school flames on facebook.com? Postman and I agree here that again, although technologies are created/invented to solve problems and bring advancements, they most often bring repercussions that go unseen.
But I should state where I oppose some of Mr. Postmans ideas on technology and I do so via Lance Lavine and his distinguished ideas on nature and technology and a relation to architecture. Where would humans live or how could humans construct without building ideas or "technologies" like trabeated or arcuated structural systems? I keep invisioning in my head its 2006, there is no "technology", and a couple billion people try to call only a few caves "home". Again, that is just a figurative thought. It fascinated me the first time that I learned that columns, Egyptian columns were formed obviously as a main, structural component to a building, but formed around the bunching of reeds. I keep writing about things that pop into my head when I think of architecture and technology and continually cant help how technological advances were formed in a way that emulated nature. Example: windows to bring in natural light where it otherwise wouldn't be found. The biggest problem I had with Postman's ideas where that all technology brings with it greater downfalls to man, but I can't help but think that Postman is ironically contradicting himself (i.e. the tool of language and writing - even more so symbols, and Gutenbergs printing press invariably made it possible for Postman to let his thoughts be known to the greater world, thoughts that most obviously were derived from innumberable encounters he had throughout his lifetime with technologies).

Crop Circles

2006-11-06T04:52:59Z

]]> Being a kid growing up who was deathly scared of even the idea of extra-terrestrial life and aliens, crop circles where something that I remember trying my hardest to put out of my mind as per evidence and proof of those dreaded beings that haunted me in my sleep. Only as I got older (admittedly I still think E.T. and ?his/her? buddies are on a different level of creepy) did I start to find the notions of intelligent life outside our universe to be really fascinating. And, after finding out that crop circles were of this world, not only was I able to sleep easier but I was also able to see a result of all those damn math classes which coincidentally also kept me from sleeping soundly at night.
Crop circles are the product of a small group of people who literally stamp out geometric patterns typically based on a specified axis in your every day farm field, grain crops such as wheat are ideal for crop circles. "Crop circle designs are constructed from circular arcs and straight lines. Even the more complex crop circles, including those made to look like Mandelbrot sets, or the head of Mickey Mouse ©, conform to this rule. All crop circles can be constructed using the standard methods of Euclidean geometry. This should tell us something. The aliens making these drawings must be using ungraduated rulers and compases."(D. Simanek, www.lhup.edu, 2002)
Interestingly not-so-basic designs created using basic mathematical principles with an interesting social twist, sounds like the stuff that cheesy movies are made of.

Opposition: Un-Originality

2006-10-23T20:27:47Z

Now I could be missing the goal of this entry, to document and describe an opposition and it's solution, but when thinking about this topic I can't help but talk about something that really chaps my ass. I feel that we live in a world that more and more feeds its inhabitants, or those pining to listen, a large, steaming pile of "this is the way you should think/act/move/look/exist." A world which to me seems to cater to those who "follow the norm." How boring. Perfect example of this - advertisement. Its everywhere we are in our daily lives: from billboards alongside roads, to television and radio, magazines, newspapers, even on the sides of buses - right there for everyone to see. I fully understand that persuasive media forms will always be apparent and I am not stating that I am Mr. Originality but Id like to believe that I am not swayed by images of what is socially "cool", how I need to project myself to the outside world to be "accepted", and simply that I dont care whether or not the flannel shirt I am wearing is a part of the "in" fashion at this very moment. What is so wrong about doing your own thing, speaking out about what you care about, living your life the way you want to and not by the way society dictates. Easier said than done? In some aspects - yes, but why not try. Who knows, maybe along the way you might find out who exactly you are as an individual and hey - at least you won't be boring. "No Life / No Challenges : Suicide"
So what's the solution? Well, figure that out for yourself.

The Internet

2006-10-09T04:20:19Z

Blanket yourself in the brightly colored, pixelated glow that makes up the internets most popular websites.

]]> The internet forms a vital part of the evolving world. An entity, a "phenomena", a tool that exists itself not physically, but yet surrounds all of us and either directly or indirectly effects our daily lives. With the internet one can live a life never needing to leave his or her own home. Looking for a job? Post your resumé on monster.com and become a webmaster. Want a job that doesn't really require any etiquette or, well, work? Try your hand at partypoker.com. Hungry? Order a pizza at papajohns.com or get some Frosted Flakes at simondelivers.com. Dont know what the hell brobdingnagian means? You can find the definition at dictionary.com. Lonely? Looking for love? Make yourself out to be whoever you want and find the perfect match at eharmony.com. Or are you just looking for a shoulder to cry on? Sign on to AOL and instant message your friend "joniloveschachiguy24" and let it all out. The tool to do all of this though relies in the composition of the world wide web, it's framework. And this lies partly in the servers and the domains, the meat and potatoes of this nonphysical structure. But the most important factor in this equation is people, the 1's and 0's that make up a persons identity in this metaphorical world. This makes up both the framework and clockwork of the internet. One can argue that because people are unpredictable (what they deem important) they should not be considered a part of a system that is defined by stability and complete predictability. But the constant evolution of the internet revolves around its ability to entice visitors/customers/members and keep them interested, to fulfill what they find substantial. The vast and ever-expanding phenomenon that is the internet has become in just a relatively short lifetime, the axis for which the global community revolves around.

Powderhorn Falls

2006-10-03T02:12:52Z

October '06

October '06

Dec '05

]]> These are pictures of a tucked away little water fall and swimming hole in a tucked away corner of the world. Known of by only a few, my lucky self included, this spot holds a small chunk of my heart. More defining than the memories I have from this place is the feeling I encounter with every visit. There are certain things I think that just click with people in an unexplainable way. Things that appear seemingly out of nowhere in a dream,or maybe a knack for a specific view or taste, things that you can't explain why they strike a cord but enerringly stick with you. This place does just that to me, evokes a feeling that cannot be summarized. A simple, unassuming stream which has spent it's entire time here in this place carving out granite, spilling over an edge, and digging out a pool has found a way to effect my entire state of being. To use words like "humbling" or "peaceful" to describe this place seems incontinent, you cant really describe why that place/thing/entity/person just makes sense to you, its like trying to describe the color red, it clearly registers in your brain but you just don't know where to start or how to go about conveying the idea. Maybe with this place its the sound of running water, the smell of white pine, slight breaks of light through the canopy accenting the moss on the rocks or catching that flash of light off the water, maybe just a sensory overload caused by the hands of mother nature. But what is clear is that the spirit of this spot, this little nook in the earth, is that of the spirit of mother nature itself and with it a world of no deadlines, no traffic, no grades; maybe in an attempt to describe Powderhorn Falls I can say it is what I have found as just an example of nature at it's finest.

Affordable Housing

2006-09-25T00:56:35Z

Crane Ordway Building - 1904
Crane Ordway Building - Today

]]> It seems as though the cost of living is an ever present burden being echoed throughout our daily lives. Its something we deal with everyday, somedays striking far deeper into our psyche than others. As a college student, I am no exception to feeling first hand the toll that the increase in cost of living takes. The pictures above are of the Crane Ordway building in downton St. Paul. The 102 year old building started off as warehouse used for the manufacturing of pipes, valves, and steam supplies for the Crane Company. It changed hands over the years but still maintained its title as a warehouse. In 2003, the building which had been dormant for almost 30 years, had been proposed to be turned into affordable housing by a non-profit organization - Central Community Housing Trust (CCHT), and as of August of this year, 70 units of affordable living have been opened for rent to qualified persons. It is as simple as everyone deserves a home and everyone deserves a chance to have a home of their own. Organizations such as Central Community Housing Trust are giving people the ability to have a place of their own and giving them a way to stay in that home even during hard times when the cost of living can be too much.

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2006-09-22T04:22:34Z

Dwight Schrute

The Midtown Market

2006-09-19T03:05:44Z

]]> I had read about the new Midtown Market just a couple months ago and it's part in playing a role in trying to clean up what has been seemingly forever to my knowledge been known as an area that was deemed a sort of " no mans land" - East Lake Street. Anyone familiar with the cities at least knows of Uptown even if theyve never been, but few dare venture on the otherside of the imaginable divide unintentionally created by 35W. The Midtown building and surrounding area depicts a different scene though, one of intense revitilization backed by a demand to clean the area up.

The market inside the Midtown Building gave off an interesting feeling though. A large space divided by more or less permenant kiosks and stands selling products from all different ethnic backgrounds, the market carried with it an aura that was as mixed as the products found throughout the gathering. From the time I had entered up to when I walked out, I had this lingering feeling like I was walking through a scaled down "Festival of Nations" (anyone who may have attended this event at the Xcel/Roy WIlikins Auditorium iin high school might understand the "vibe" I got). This inkling had nothing to do with the unordinary congregation of several different ethnic backgrounds, but more so with the feeling that it was all forced and thus unnatural in nature.

Now I am supposed to comment and define energy from and relating to my visit to the Midtown Market and to this the claim could be made that energy is not only a physical, tangible object - like a yam, or the mexican Jarrito drink, but it is also an undescribable entity of intangible means, one that occurs through the interaction of people. All of which could be found throughout, even in what seemed to be a rather quite, semi-capacity crowd. People requesting orders of food could be found as exchanging one form of energy(the transfer of ideas to words from one person to another) for another (actual physical energy - food). People sitting in a central seating/dining area could be seen as exchanging energy through conversation. Different forms of energy could be found in abundance here and I think that is the intention of such a place as this, a gathering for exchanges, both physical and abstract. But, to me, the Midtown Market seemed too forced as an entity or even idea. Flea market meets farmers market with a global twist. Much like a forced conversation can make one feel awkward or contrived, an idea or being can be similair, and this was the feeling and energy that I walked away with.