Chon Buri Perspective

World of Technology

One of the great driving forces of human nature is our desire to gain knowledge and the desire to improve ourselves. These two factors are the very reason the advancement of mankind is where it is today. However, factors such as gravitational limitations, size limitations, environmental limitations, and multiple other limitations of humans brought upon the invention of great technological innovations to surpass these limitations. As Ozayr phrased “Technology is the brain, seeking servants, soldiers and armies…beyond what the body can provide.� Technology is the source that functions as a bridge between man and physical/mental limitations.

Some motivation for technology…

=> Idea of defense, offense, warfare - weapons:

The Atomic Bomb

=> Conserve/ Minimize Use of Energy:

Solar Panels

=> For Production of Food:

Genetically Engineered Plants

=> Assist in Health & Life Care:

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The Golden Ratio

I’m sure I will not be the only person that is choosing to talk about the Golden Ratio for this assignment. When talking about mathematics in architecture, this Golden Ratio or also known as the “divine proportion� almost always is the topic of discussion. Well, it’s kind of hard to miss; it’s everywhere. I’ve been hearing about this golden mean since about 6th grade…thank you Donald Duck and Mathmagic Land… and I continue to hear about it even today. So let’s continue to take a closer look at the Golden Ratio and its presence within architecture and the environment.

DEFINITION:
The Golden Ratio is a number often encountered when taking the ratios of distances. It is denoted otherwise known as “phi.� That ratio is: 1.61803399

Definition taken from >http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GoldenRatio.html<

Before taking a look at the golden mean in architecture, let’s observe its existence in the natural world. The presence of the Golden Ratio can be observed in nature, humans, the universe, etc. long before art and architecture. I’m not trying to preach to anyone; however, when the natural world seems to be so carefully constructed, it’s hard for me to take on the position that some higher being was not responsible for the creation of the world. Here are some examples:

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The Golden Ratio

I’m sure I will not be the only person that is choosing to talk about the Golden Ratio for this assignment. When talking about mathematics in architecture, this Golden Ratio or also known as the “divine proportion� almost always is the topic of discussion. Well, it’s kind of hard to miss; it’s everywhere. I’ve been hearing about this golden mean since about 6th grade…thank you Donald Duck and Mathmagic Land… and I continue to hear about it even today. So let’s continue to take a closer look at the Golden Ratio and its presence within architecture and the environment.

DEFINITION:
The Golden Ratio is a number often encountered when taking the ratios of distances. It is denoted otherwise known as “phi.� That ratio is: 1.61803399

Definition taken from >http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GoldenRatio.html<

Before taking a look at the golden mean in architecture, let’s observe its existence in the natural world. The presence of the Golden Ratio can be observed in nature, humans, the universe, etc. long before art and architecture. I’m not trying to preach to anyone; however, when the natural world seems to be so carefully constructed, it’s hard for me to take on the position that some higher being was not responsible for the creation of the world. Here are some examples:

Continue reading "The Golden Ratio" »

Posted by patty khamdam at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Golden Ratio

I’m sure I will not be the only person that is choosing to talk about the Golden Ratio for this assignment. When talking about mathematics in architecture, this Golden Ratio or also known as the “divine proportion� almost always is the topic of discussion. Well, it’s kind of hard to miss; it’s everywhere. I’ve been hearing about this golden mean since about 6th grade…thank you Donald Duck and Mathmagic Land… and I continue to hear about it even today. So let’s continue to take a closer look at the Golden Ratio and its presence within architecture and the environment.

DEFINITION:
The Golden Ratio is a number often encountered when taking the ratios of distances. It is denoted otherwise known as “phi.� That ratio is: 1.61803399

Definition taken from >http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GoldenRatio.html<

Before taking a look at the golden mean in architecture, let’s observe its existence in the natural world. The presence of the Golden Ratio can be observed in nature, humans, the universe, etc. long before art and architecture. I’m not trying to preach to anyone; however, when the natural world seems to be so carefully constructed, it’s hard for me to take on the position that some higher being was not responsible for the creation of the world. Here are some examples:

Continue reading "The Golden Ratio" »

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It is very interesting to be forced to find different oppositions that surround our every day life. Without this forced analysis, these oppositions are overlooked or quickly dealt without a second thought. Here are a couple oppositions and their resolutions I’ve found around me:

1.Climate vs. Enclosure

As the temperature is starting to change outside, so is the temperature inside our house. It’s become significantly colder inside because our house is poorly insulated. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even like to stay upstairs anymore; my favorite place isn’t so much my favorite place as of right now. Yes, we have turned on our heat for the winter; however, we are all college students so in an attempt to save whatever money we do have, the heat is turned on for a minimal amount of time.

Resolution

To resolve the heating and insulation issue we have tried to eliminate the cold from coming into the house. This last weekend we went out to Menard’s and purchased some indoor window film and lined all the windows in our house. So far it’s working wonderfully. This process is a nice and easy way to resolve the problem.

2.Performance vs. Entropy

Living with five other people, there are inevitably schedule conflicts. Usually when people walk in, other people walk out. When someone’s trying to sleep, other people are up and about. This latter example has actually caused a few fights within the house. Or if some of us are working on homework, others want to hang out and may become distracting. Here’s a specific example: my room is in the basement directly under the living room and just a few feet away from the washer and dryer. I’m constantly being woken up because people walk into the house and slam the door or someone’s having a party upstairs and I can’t sleep because it’s way too loud. The best is when I’m about to go to bed and someone starts doing their laundry at 3 o’clock in the morning. Mind you, the washer and dryer aren’t so quiet when it’s right outside the door. Or try doing your homework when four other people in the house aren’t; it’s hard to stay focused. Performance is definitely hindered when there is so much disorder. So what’s the resolution…

Resolution

Well, for us, it’s impossible to coordinate all of our schedules together. An important thing to remember is that I’m not the only person living in this house; there are four other people I have to consider. None of us can or should go around forcing other people to change their entire schedule to accommodate one person. So we envelop the opposition and allow the opposition to sculpt itself. The majority of us have accepted and just deal with the problem. I’ve somehow developed a way to ignore and block out most of the noise. If I’m doing homework and people are being distracting, I’ve just learned to force myself to go somewhere else. We all deal with the same problems. Most of us have come to terms with the schedule differences. It’s simply the way our us functions.

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Nintendo. This little piece of technology is probably one of the most valued inventions of the 20th century. It is adored by millions ranging from kids all the way to adults (who probably should have stopped playing years ago). From one amazing innovation, grew this entire gaming community that's devoted to playing, creating newer, better gaming boxes and games, and competing gaming companies. Nintendo video games are definitely a phenomenon of the 20th century. For god sakes, there's an entire store devoted to Nintendo!
Phenomena consist of things, framework, and clockworks. Also all phenomena have a marked beginning, a genesis. Nintendo contains all these factors. Let me break it down.

GENESIS:
Let’s begin with the source. Where did Nintendo originate? What is it’s beginning? Believe it or not Nintendo started with playing cards called Hanafunda. The original Hanafunda were hand made out of mulberry tree bark. These cards could be used to play a number of different games. The owners of Nintendo, Fusajiro Yamauchi and later his son-in-law Sekiryo Kaneda, were very business driven, coming up with new and innovative enterprises (www.nintendoland.com). The one that made a difference was obviously Nintendo video games.

Hanafuda cards

1) THINGS: Physical entities that exist in the sensation of our experiences and impact our senses (Saloojee).

Here are all the things that create the Nintendo “atmosphere�:

a. Controllers
b. Nintendo box
c. Games
d. TV
e. Cords

2) FRAMEWORKS: a set of ideas, principles, agreements, or rules that provides the basis or outline for something intended to be more fully developed at a later stage
(www.msnencarta.com).

I think that the framework for Nintendo was based on technology and entertainment. Entertainment was a big drive in the Nintendo company. They created concepts that focused on amusement, fun, and games. As for technology, Nintendo paved the way for the video game industry.

3) CLOCKWORKS: Framework in which fixed number of things start with a given set of mutual relationships, go through changes in periodic manner and keep returning to an original set of relationship. It is also stable and predictable (Saloojee).

Obviously, the inner workings Nintendo video games are predictable because they run on programs that direct specific commands. If you press this button, your character jumps. Or if you press the other, he runs….you get the idea. The outcomes of the games aren’t predictable, but the actions and consequences are predictable.

Nintendo created a huge video game following. It’s made video games one of the most popular past times. Whether this is a positive or negative phenomenon depends on who you ask. For the majority of the population, they would probably tell you it’s one of the best innovations of all time. So even if you despise Nintendo and what it’s created, you still can’t deny the fact that Nintendo is a huge phenomenon.

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Right now in my extremely busy, non-social life, there is one place that I can always manage to go; that place is the TV room. Yes, this place may sound quite insignificant; however, this is the place that I spend most of time. I can go into that room to relax, escape, and become trapped. Let’s see… I take most of my naps there, watch TV, do homework, play games, read, draw, and think. Everyone in the house calls it my room because I spend the most time out of anyone there. And even though they call it my room, it is a community room. It’s where we all gather on Sunday -well now Thursday- to watch our show. It’s where we all sit and catch up with each other’s lives. That’s another reason I love it so much.
Besides the bathroom, the TV room is the smallest room in the house. I would call it very cozy. Seating option is at a minimal. There’s one small couch, one rocking chair, and the floor. This way everyone is close and makes the room more intimate. On sunny days, the large window allows the room to fill up with light; it is very beautiful. On rainy or cloudy days, the TV room is the best atmosphere to take a nap. One other really special aspect about this room is that it encapsulates the décor and attitude of the entire house. Look in this one room, and a stranger gets a very good idea of the rest of the house. Yes, the room is very “old lady� (that’s from its previous owner); however, it also screams college house. The mismatched furniture, all the Nintendo paraphernalia, and random decorations. I find this mismatched aspect very endearing. We all joke, laugh, and appreciate it.
As unimportant as this room may seem, the TV room is my place. When this experience is over, I will associate this tiny, mismatched TV room to my college years.

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One issue I feel needs much consideration is parking in the cities and especially on campus. To be quite truthful...it really pisses me off. I'm aware that expanding parking in already established places and near residential areas is something that cannot be easily executed; however, for future projects, parking should receive a bigger deal of attention. Let’s review some of the parking options.
There are of course parking garages. Parking garages can be great, that is if there is no charge and if they are not used on a regular basis. In my case, this does not apply; I do use garages on a regular basis, and I pay every time.
Option number 2 is miniature parking lots. It’s incredibly frustrating parking in tiny, cramped parking lots. Getting in and out takes much effort and the likelihood of an accident occurring increases.
Last but not least, there is street parking. Metered or not, to locate an open spot almost becomes a game of luck. And much of the time, I find myself having to dig for the quarters at the bottom of my purse. Who seriously has that many quarters handy all the time? It’s even better when there is a limit. What? I can only stay for 1 hour, but I need to stay for two! Oh, and not to mention, parallel parking can be challenging.
I feel it’s important to consider these points. If the frustration of finding a place to park overrides the actual experience of wherever someone is trying to get to, that frustration can deter people from returning.
I truly believe that there should be something done about parking on campus because it is something that could be solved. I think that it is absurd students and staff should pay full price to park in the many garages located on campus. There should be a reduced price for students and staff. By doing so, the school can alleviate a portion of the parking issue, offer another benefit of being part of the University of Minnesota community, and still make money. This is a great university with access to many resources. Why not use those resources to make parking more efficient and student friendly.
As a designer, it’s important to contemplate every aspect of what is being created. This includes things that both directly and indirectly affect it. We must think without boundaries.

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Going to the Midtown Market, I noticed that this midwestern market was strangely reminiscent of the markets I've experienced in Thailand. It reminded me of when I would go to the market with my family back in Thailand. In a way it made me sad because I miss those times, but I also appreciated the fact that it brought back the memories and feelings. From this excursion to a local market, I was able to discover a “close� connection between two worlds very near to my heart.
Yes, culturally there are very big differences between the two places; however, the energy (the hustle, bustle, and purpose of the market and the people) is extremely similar. Of course I wouldn't be able to find the same specific products, even though I wish I could; yet, the same types of things are still present in both markets. Random product such as: fruits, vegetables, jewelry, clothes, etc. Both places are filled with people walking about shopping, observing, vending, eating, etc. The excitement exuding from all the people at the Midtown Market was the same.
The creation and exchange of energy is also the same between the Midtown Market and the markets in Thailand. When individuals are interacting through bargaining; buying; selling; laughing; etc., energy is created and exchanged. Energy is also created when people are absorbed by their surrounding. When one tiny movement occurs, energy is created. The list could continue for a long time.

Thai market

Thai market

Midtown market

Midtown market

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