schmuck

The Weight of Technology

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 20:57:06 +0000

As the Apple iPod became more and more popular, I always thought to myself, "This is going to take over the world!" This is exactly what I think of when I think of a technopoly.

In lecture, we discussed how technology is neither good nor bad. It doesn't add or subract something. It changes everything. We concluded that technology has many motivations including an escape from privital helplessness, shelter and safety, defense, navigation, assistance in healthcare, communication, and tools that make tools. All of these are true. Beyond this, technology has changed the way of life, the way we live day to day. People often say, "What would I have done without a cell phone?" This may be true in times of diar need, but this type of technology can also be a burden. These days, we find ourselves in the midst of our own technological worlds. We no longer talk face-to-face. It is mostly via email and cell phone. Hand written letters are a thing of the past.

Putting things in the past is also the wonderful part of technology. All things are constantly changing, and we adapt to this daily. Technology can make lives so much simpler, while cluttering it at the same time. That is the wonderful love-hate relationship mankind has with technology. Is there ever a stop? No, as humans, we are curious, and desire to see exactly how far we can go.

This brings me to cloning, a thing of the near future. In the past, this is seen as impossible. There are horror films such as Frankenstein that teach us this. People wish to play God, to choose their childs hair and eye color, height, weight, strength. The perfect human being. This change in technology shows us just how far we have come. It also shows us the wonders that we are capeable of.

So, is technology taking over the world? I think so. And this is what I believe a technopoly is in my mind...

Le Haussier

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 03:48:52 +0000

Le Corbusier + Haussmann = Le Haussier!

The two architechts have very different styles, mostly because of the decades that lie between the heart of their lives, but they have one thing in common. Not only did they have extraordinary plans for Paris, they have also effected the lives of so many people with the ways that they think and how they see the future world.

Le Corbusier is widely known to be the architect to have changed the people (whether we know it or not) of the twentieth century. He believed that this century would be one with much progress, with a whole new way of life. Although not all of his ideas and drawings came to life, his prediction was very true. He had many plans to solve problems for urban living. He saw the urban sprawl, the world trapling across miles and miles of square miles. To solve this, he created a new kind of city and world of its own. It is known as the city for three million. He planned it to stop this urban sprawl, to stop man from ruining the earth, and to create harmony among the human race and Mother Nature.

One of his most famous quotes was, "A house is a machine for living in." His designs did just that. They were so well thought out and composed that most considered them genious. His works also tried to encorporate nature into them. During his time, people often lived in victorian, dark houses, and this may have felt like a trap to them. Le Corbusier escaped from this. He offered highly planned cities were one could escape and visit nature.

Baron Haussmann was born many years earlier than Le Corbusier, and is very well known for transforming Paris. He was a civic planner that changed Paris into what we know today. He brought a whole new quality of life to Paris that the people there had never seen before. His goal was to not only help the people there, but to change Paris' look into somthing powerful and unforgetful. Haussmann tore down slums and old neighborhoods and created huge streets and public buildings to put in there place. The people suffered from disease from a bad water and sewage system, so he refined that also. Although Haussmann only changed Paris, it was very influential to people all over the world.

"Le Corbusier" http://www.open2.net/modernity/4_1.htm

"Haussmann and New Paris" 2001. France in the Age of Les Miserables. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/mapping-paris/Haussmann.html

The Bicycle

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 03:12:46 +0000

The bicycle was newly introduced in the early 19th century, mostly in Europe. Though people have been using the bicycle for years, they have not noticed its facsinating physics and design. There is much to know about the physics of a bike, but some of the most important key ideas are torque, breaking, and pedaling.

Torque is what causes rotational speed of the bike to change. A greater force on the rotation causes greater rotational speeds and acceleration. A force and a lever arm is what makes up the torque. The function to find the torque is equal to the force times the radius.

Breaking puts more friction on the wheel, making the bike slow down or stop. The lever ont he handel bars of the bike is connected by levers and cables the the breaks, which make the pads press against the wheel, cuasing the wheel to slow down. When applying pressure on the breaks, and slowing down, it is possible for the rider to fly over the front of the handle bars. The inertia of the moving bike causes this to happen.

The pedaling of the bike is what causes the bike to move foreward. The pedals move the front cog and that pulls the chain. The chain causes the rear cog to turn, which turns the back wheel. The rotation of the back wheel is what makes the bicycle move foreward. The pedaling of the bikes is what creates torque.

There are so many types of bicycles designed for a variety of uses. For example, there are mountain bikes and racing bikes.
Mountain bikes are designed to be ridden offroad. They are generally very sturdy and have durable frames and wheels with thick treads.
Racing bikes are meant for speed. They are only to be ridden on road. The tires are so thin that it makes it difficult to ride on gravel. They have dropped handelbars for more aerodynamic riding position
.

They bicycle was designed for efficiency. It is calculated to be one of the most efficient self-powerd means of traveling. The use of gears reduces the input given by the rider by 10-15%. The physics of the bike can be a very misunderstood concept with many people, but most of us know that it is one of they fastest ways of transportation.

Thanksgiving Feast

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 03:01:38 +0000

Many people would never think that having a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with loved ones could be an opposition, but it is. In my family, it is a time to bond and stuff as much as you can into your face. This can be quite the dilemma because our stomaches can only hold so much. There is a wide variety of delicious foods spread all over the table. There is, of course, a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean hotdish, steamed broccoli, bread, fruit and cranberries, and not to mention pumpkin pie with a dollup of whip cream on top. How is one to decide? I want a heap of each one.
After many years of deliberation, I had to face the facts and realise that I cannot physically eat all of this, and I will not give up any of these wonderful foods on my plate. I have come up with a few solutions:

1. Eat in proportions;get a small pile of each, a little sampling!
2. Eat in a longer span of time. Spread it out.
3. Wear bigger pants! Sweat pants, comfy and roomy.
4. Unbutton your pants. Create room where there wasn't before and still look good in your slacks.
5. Fast the Wednesday before. Make yourself so hungry, you can't hold back.

All of these are acceptable solutions, but maybe not practical for everybody. We'll see how this November 23rd goes...

The Volcanic Phenomena

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 21:56:35 +0000

Volcanoes are one of the world's most astonishing, yet devastating phenomena. The Earth is made of many different layers, including the core, mantle, and crust. Volcanoes can be formed when two or more of the earth’s tectonic plates converge. They can also be formed from mantle plumes or “hotspots�?, which is an abnormally hot rock in the Earth’s mantle that has had volcanic activity there for a long time.

Volcanoes are a beautiful example of clockwork. They can be classified by how often they erupt, if they erupt at all. Volcanoes that erupt regularly are called “active�? while volcanoes that have erupted in the past, but no longer erupt are called “dormant�?. There are also volcanoes that have not erupted and are called “extinct�?.

Volcanoes have an amazing infrastructure. When the tectonic plates are pushed beneath another, the Earth's crust melts and it becomes magma. When there is enough magma, a Volcano is formed. It is made up of the Magma chamber, at the very bottom and center of the volcano, the strata, or the layers in the volcano, the central vent, and the crater. This is shown in the diagram below.

Volcanoes can have a huge impact on humans also. They force people to leave their homes to seek safety, they cause people to find a new source of water, and they also restrict travel to the popular tourist sites.
A volcano is an extraordinary example of a phenomena because it exhibits all the characteristics of one.

“Volcano�? Wikipedia. 2006. Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia. 5 Oct. 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano

Genius Loci

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 15:58:48 +0000

My cabin was always a place to get away from life. Whether it was to be in a solitude place, or to have fun with friends, it was and is still a wonderful and relaxing place to be. Our family didn't always have a cabin on our property. Ten years ago, we had decided to sell the old camper we were living out of and build an actual cabin. So, right in the middle of tall birch trees, overlooking the lake, is our small cabin in Remer, Minnesota.

I never ran out of something to do. When I was five, I would go rock and toad hunting, which would occupy me for hours. When I was 15, I found peace when I sunbathed on the dock and listened to the waves wash up on shore. Although the activities that I found interesting changed over the years, my cabin never changed. The lake was still deep and beautiful, with the trees towering over it. The inside of my cabin was still chucked full of food and friends lauging (and occasionally having a few drinks). There was always a roaring fire outside which was the neighbors signal to come over, and you can bet they will be there until about one in the morning!

There was never a sense of time, and it didn't matter. There were no deadlines, no bedtimes, no wake-up times. That is what is so amazing about going up there (although Sunday morining is aways a bummer). I cannot compare any sensation of relaxation compared to staying there. I have been going to my cabin for about 16 years, and I never once took it for granted. To me, it is the most beautiful and serene place on Earth.

Haussmann's Renovation of Paris

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 05:51:12 +0000

In the middle of the nineteenth century, Paris was in pretty rough shape. In fact, Paris's look hadn't changed since the middle ages. The streets were crowded and narrow, the blocks were cramped and the city was very unclean.

Baron Haussmann was a civic planner during this time and was asked by Napoleon III to help rebild Paris. Haussmann's plans were to tear down the slums and old neighborhoods to pave the way for big boulevards, opera houses, and public buildings to put in it's place. He also made a new water and sewage system for the city, which saved many citizens from disease. He brought a whole new quality of life that Paris had never seen before, and created the Paris we know and love today.

Although Haussmann created such a wonderful new city, he was still criticized by many for ruining the "Old Paris". The renovation brought up the controversy over gemeinshaft vs. geseleshaft. Gemeinshaft refers to the social aspect of the city. The "roots", one could call them. People argue that after this change, the city became more focused on it's economy and it's economic well being than the people itsself. It became disconnected and impersonal. Which leads me to geselshaft. It is the basis of economic activity, and the flow and circulation of the economy. After Haussmann changed Paris, they say the people changed as well.

Haussmann did wonderful things for Paris to make a better quality of life for the people, but not everyone would agree with that. To some, his plans would be a social design issue, but others would call it a social design accoplishment.

Midtown Global Market

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 03:11:58 +0000

As I walked up to the Midtown Exchange Building, the first thing I noticed was all the different ways people were getting to this place. I had come by car, but along side me were bikers, walkers and convieniently, a transit station for bus riders. In front of the building there was a fairly large metered parking lot and bike racks available. I had pictures of all these things, but unfortunately, since I am a little computer impared, I have not quite figured out how to upload them.

Not knowing what to expect, I walked through the front doors of the building right into the hustle and bustle. My plan was to walk through the whole building to get my bearings and then fully examine the place. As I strolled around the edges, I saw many different vendors with goods and produce. When I made my way to the middle, I noticed a considerably larger amount of people. I looked around and saw a variety of different kinds of foods from all over the world, many which I had never heard of. Quickly, I put two and two together and realized wherever there was food, there were people to eat it.

In the very center of the market, there were tables set up for people to comfortably eat their food and enjoyed the upbeat music of a guitar player. There was even a balloon artist making sculptures and animals!

I was asked to define the energy of the environment. Initially, when I thought energy, I thought of the way people moved in the building. Where were the "hot spots"? Where were the "dead spots"? As I thought about it, these were not the only factors affecting energy. Lighting, colors and aisle patterns are examples of other factors. The colors and lighting was smooth and warm, which was appropriate, I thought, because I was remided of warm places by looking at the goods there. Strolling though, I had a feeling of energy that reminded me of a trip I took to Europe two years ago, and of other marcados I have visited in Mexico. The aisles around the outside were spacious, only because of the lack of people strolling there. The aisles leading toward the center of the market were a little skinnier, but they also were filled with more people waiting for their authentic food!

Looking back at my experience at the Midtown Global Market, I have decided it was a good one. I found many authentic goods and merchandise that I had not seen before. The produce and food looked unbelieveable, but unfortunately, I had just eaten and didn't get a chance to try them. I found the Midtown Global Market was a wonderful and breath-taking representation of all different cultures and races around the world and really worth my time to go and check out.