Homework 6

TASK: The past few days I did a few chores in which I definitely noticed a rhythm. While folding laundry I noticed this rhythm: pick up, fold, fold, fold, put down. While vacuuming I noticed a very simple rhythm that is very relaxing when you focus on it: push forward, pull backward, push forward, pull backward, etc. And finally, while making my bed I noticed this rhythm: lift, place, tuck, tuck, tuck, and this was repeated three times for my sheet, top sheet, and comforter.

THEATER: I decided to research the word "academy". While reading up on its etymology, I found that the word has a pretty straight forward history. There was a famous Athenian from the ancient Greek Trojan War tales named Akademos. His name actually means "of a silent district" but that has no bearing on the meaning of the word today. He owned an estate in Athens that was the place where Plato taught his school therefore similar places were referred to as "academies".

EMPATHY: I'm imagining walking in the shoes of my favorite NHL goaltender, Dominic Hasek. Growing up as boy in Czechoslovakia behind the Iron Curtain is a difficult life. I have an aspiration to be an athlete but in my home country there are not many options. I grow up looking up to the elite hockey players of the USSR and eventually play throughout my school career. I move to a very strange country, the United States at a young age and must adjust to a whole new culture. I eventually earn fame and money on my way to having a very successful career in the NHL and going on to win the Stanley Cup.

If Dominic Hasek grew up in my shoes, I believe his life would be very different. In my hometown and in my schools growing up, hockey was not a popular sport and there are not many opportunities to play. He would probably begin to play roller hockey and be very successful at a very low level, probably going on to playing ice hockey in high school, then eventually playing in the NCAA during college before most likely starting a successful NHL career at a later age than he did in his real life.

Light House Balloon (Brain Bank 7/31)

This is a picture taken by photographer named Ilamo Ibai Acevedo. This photograph was taken as is without any type of manipulation taking place. I am inspired by the ability of photographers to snap a moment that is simply amazing without the need to alter it in some way using photoshop or other techniques. What I love about this photograph is that it feels like it's telling a story, it almost makes you imagine that balloon drifting slowly toward the right, traveling with the rays of light emitted by that lighthouse. I also really love the colors. This photograph was taken at a perfect time of day.

Bokeh Photography (Brain Bank 7/30)

This photograph is an example of Bokeh Photography. This is an un-manipulated photograph that uses depth of field in very interesting ways. Bokeh is a Japanese word meaning "blur" or "haze". Bokeh photographs use this manipulation of focus and depth of field to combine blurry and sharp elements into a new unique image. What I love about these images is the creativity and ingenuity. It takes a lot of foresight and imagination to look at an object and its surroundings and think of what that might look like if photographed using the Bokeh method.

Bus Ad (Brain Bank 7/29)

This is an advertisement found on a bus somewhere in Asia. I'm not sure what the ad is for, but I believe it is very effective in the country it's in. I think one of the most important things an advertisement does is get the attention of its audience. In order for it to do this it needs to be entertaining. This advertisement is really entertaining to me. I think that it is so creative and ingenious. This advertisement will definitely turn heads and have people looking long enough for it to be effective.

Couch Image (Brain Bank 7/28)

This is a picture that I took of a smudge on my couch. My couch is made up of that kind of material that if you rub it in a certain direction, you can add marks to it that can be erased by rubbing in the opposite direction. This smudge of marks appeared tonight after I stood up. My girlfriend noticed that it looks like the profile of a man (a la Alfred Hitchcock) sideways with the front of his face pointing down. I really love when accidental things like this can turn into a cool image. I like to look for neat images hidden inside other patterns and images.

Invisible Hotel (Brain Bank 7/27)

This is a photograph of an invisible treehouse located deep in the natural forests some 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. It's not actually invisible, this is a room sized mirrored cube that seems to be virtually invisible because it reflects the trees and skies around it. Inside the cube is an eco-friendly hotel room that one can stay at. I love this idea because it is just so unique. Also, the idea of invisibility is just such a cool concept to me and this hotel seems to really capture the essence of that idea.

Take Inventory of Skills

List of skills required for my field of work: technical mastery in various programs such as photoshop, illustrator, after effects, dreamweaver, flash, soundboard, maya, unity, and many other programs, hard work ethic, organization skills, creativity, interpersonal skills, perseverance, charisma, design, time management, composition, to name a few. Of these skills, I believe that I have an intermediate technical mastery of certain programs like photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, and flash, organizational skills, creativity, perseverance, design, and composition. Some other skills that I have are good strategic abilities that I may be able to use in dealing with handling my time or resources on a given project, my stamina while doing exhaustive tasks that could help me while I'm spending all night or any significant length of time working on a certain project, and my ability to delegate work to people based on their individual skill set, which could come in handy if I'm in a position of leadership and delegation is an important responsibility of any good leader.

MQ

1. Visual: I saw a few clouds just now that had some images hidden inside them. Some of the things that I saw inside those clouds are a wolf's head, a key, a hammer, and a few other animals like a rabbit, a dog, and a giraffe.
2. Aural: I was standing beside the SEPTA tracks listening to the trains driving along the tracks. It makes a very loud clicking sound that reminds me of a gear turning in a factory. This rhythmic sound makes me think of a chant being performed by monks or lamas or something like that. I imagine someone in a yoga position repeating a rhythmic chant over and over again.
3. Faith: I'm thinking of the superstitious saying "knocking on wood" when not wanting to jinx a situation. Obviously it always brings to mind a fist knocking on a piece of wood like a block of 2"x4". But one image that this always brings to mind is one of my hockey team and our games. I think this is so because my friend (who is on my team) and I always use that phrase when we're talking about upcoming games as to not jinx our performance.
4. Curating: Two works of fine art that I'm very fond of are "Mystery and Melancholy on a Street" by Giorgio de Chirico and "Composition X" by Wassily Kandinsky. Some connections that I can definitely make between these two paintings are certain colors and shapes. They have very geometric shapes and share some dark colors in common. Another connection can be made is the style in which these paintings were made. Both are very abstract in the way they're made. De Chirico's work is similar to real world structures, but it is still a very surreal and abstract work and Kandinsky's work is just plain abstract from start to finish.
   

Spinal Tap - 5 Favorite Creative Works

Here is a list of my 5 favorite creative works:

1. Mystery and Melancholy of a Street by Giorgio de Chirico. What I love about this painting is the dark and mysterious mood created by the artist. He is able to create such a sense of suspense and terror just by altering the mood of the environment and including a few shadows. I believe he wanted to keep this painting very surreal and minimalistic and yet make the suspense and terror obvious to anyone who looks at the painting. These visuals and environment don't actually exist in the real world, but people viewing this painting probably feel as if this painting spells danger around the next turn.
   
2. The Dark Tower series of novels by Stephen King. This series epitomizes storytelling. He is able to take elements from so many different genres and make them meld together in such an odd way that seems completely believable and heartfelt. It is so obvious that this entire story is a labor of love. King wanted to tell a story of such an enormous magnitude but make it still relateable and unique for his audience and that definitely occurs.
   
3. The Back to the Future movie trilogy written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. This series of movies is so original and creative, I have never seen a film about time travel that really captures all of the tribulations and consequences as perfectly as this movie. I think the creators of this movie wanted to take time travel so seriously and yet have such a lighthearted mood about it. They wanted to make the story not entirely to be taken seriously and yet still offer such a compelling and heartfelt tale.
   
4. Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders classic computer game by LucasArts. I played this game many times during my childhood I love so many things about it. There is no game like this one. It offered an open story that allows the player to travel all around its universe at their leisure before that was a common concept in video games. It also contains some of the wackiest characters, settings, and situations you'll ever see in a video game. I believe the creators wanted to create a compelling game with really crazy scenarios and they succeeded.
5. The Falling Water house by Frank Lloyd Wright. This is a house that was designed by the great architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is built in a remote area with a waterfall built on top of it so there is a constant stream of water flowing off the house. I think that Wright wanted to create a structure that could exist as part of the natural scenery as opposed to being something so obviously man-made sticking out like a sore thumb.. and at the same time build a house that is livable and could be a comfortable home, and I think he was really successful in melding those two concepts together.
   

A Song's Story

This piece of music reminds me of a gangster story like Reservoir Dogs or something like that. There is a peaceful conversation at first, but there is something underlying that you can't put your finger on. The conversation would be between leaders of rival gangs or mobs who are in some type of negotiations. As the song picks up, I feel like that is the point where negotiations go south and a fight or shoot out occurs. When I hear a piece of music like this my mind automatically jumps to juxtapositions between tone of music and tone of story, so whereas the song is upbeat and uptempo, I feel like it is hiding something dark and scary like a gang-related fight or massacre. At the end when the song becomes slow and peaceful again, the battle is over and the prevailing gang is picking up the pieces and walking slowly out of the place, which is probably an Italian restaurant or something like that. I feel that a song like this is so upbeat and optimistic that it just HAS to be hiding some sort of dark, scary secret. There is something sinister sounding about the lower portion of the melody that seems to be lying dormant behind the pretty, beautiful of the higher melody.

Turtle Hatchings (Brain Bank 7/26)

My girlfriend showed me this photograph this evening. From a photography standpoint, I really love this photograph. At first, it's hard to discern what the subject of the photograph is, then you slowly realize that it's a bunch of newly hatched turtles crawling on a beach. I really love the dark colored turtles and seaweed against the very light colored sand. I also really love the depth of field used in this photograph. I also really enjoy the subject matter itself. I love the thought of all of these newly hatched turtles crawling toward the ocean and starting their lives.

Chapter 24: The Three B's

The problem I chose to solve with this exercise is "I need a story to use in the children's book for my nephew." This morning, I woke up at 9 and spent the rest of the morning reading and researching sources on the internet about coming up with story ideas for children's books. I spend hours just reading and researching and adding knowledge to my brain. I took a nap for about 3 hours to incubate this knowledge. Upon waking up, I immediately wrote down three ideas that I find to be very good ideas for this story.

I really enjoyed this exercise because I found that it gives you a great opportunity to allow your brain to do the work and come up with a solution for you. I did this exercise in my bed as I woke up in the morning, then I came up with my ideas again in my bed.

ComicCon (Brain Bank 7/25)

Years ago, video games and anything associated with Marvel or any kind of comic books were
seen to be the “dorky” things to be into. Now, it’s a well known fact that most people enjoy these
kinds of entertainment. Today, my inspiration is Comic Con 2010. People dress up, have fun,
and showcase their new ideas at one huge convention. Every one waits in excitement as new
games are revealed and the newest movies are showcased. Comic Con is so renowned that
not only those at the convention, but those waiting at home are glued to their TVs and computer screens for information from the convention. At the actual convention site, there are sculpture artists, comic book artists, TV show stars, and almost anything you can imagine. That’s what is so inspiring about Comic Con. It’s all based from the imaginations of millions around the world, and those appreciating it.

Chapter 9: SCAMPER

I am doing this exercise about my problem: "Creating a children's book for my nephew"

1. Substitute: What can be substituted for a children's book in this problem? I could substitute an animated cartoon or a children's comic book for a traditional children's book.
2. Combine: What ideas can be combined? Instead of a children's book or a cartoon, I could make a children's book that still interacts, like a popup book.
3. Adapt: Whom could I emulate? I can emulate classic children's writers like Dr Seuss or Shel Silverstien.
4. Magnify: Can it be made enormous? I can make this book really big, the size of my nephew.
5. Modify: Can there be a new twist? Instead of a single book, I can make it a series of books with continuing storylines.
6. Put it to good use: What else can it be used for? I can re-create this for other children or sell it as a children's book.
7. Eliminate: What should I omit? I can make the style of the art and storytelling very minimalistic.
8. Rearrange: What components can be interchanged? I can change the order in which I create the story and create characters, I can write the story with no characters in mind and just create them as I go along.
   
9. Reverse: Can I do this backwards? Instead of writing it linearly, I can write it ending-beginning.

This exercise was very helpful. It helped me find different solutions to individual parts of my problem instead of finding a solution as a whole. I did this exercise in my kitchen. The lighting was very good, fluorescent and natural light from the window. My seat was a metal folding chair, cold and hard. I'd say this environment isn't very conducive to creativity.

GoogleDoodle (Brain Bank 7/24)

When you go to www.google.com one of the more popular search engines on the internet, sometimes you find that the Google title known as the “Google Doodle” is decorated. Today’s Google Doodle was in commemoration of Alphonse Mucha’s 150 birthday. Today this especially caught my eye because the “Doodle” was so well thought out and beautiful in coordination to Mucha’s artwork. If you scroll your cursor over a box appears and informs you of Alphonse Mucha’s 150^th birthday. If you click on the Doodle, you are sent to a link with information on Alphonse Mucha. All doodles have a commemoration. It inspired me because something so simple, and with the scroll of a cursor can enlighten millions of people during their busy search of the day. I always look forward to what Google has to show us with their Doodles.

Mortal Kombat (Brain Bank 7/22)

This is a still image screen shot of an animated video about fatalities from the old video game, Mortal Kombat. I am a huge fan of art that remediates classic video games. I get a lot of enjoyment and entertainment by looking at these animations and images that bear similarities of classic video games. Another thing that I really like about this animation is the way it was animated. It's animated using stop-motion images of cut-out construction paper.

8 Bit Art (Brain Bank 7/21)

These are a pair of painting from an annual art exhibition called I Am 8 Bit. This exhibition has been going on for several years now and it showcases visual art by many artists. The underlying theme of all the artwork at this exhibition is that of classic video games from the 8bit era. I really enjoyed these two panels. I always find myself admiring art about classic video games and these particular panels are just visually stunning. I love the stylization of these illustration-like paintings.

Perspective (Brain Bank 7/20)

These are several chalk drawings made outside on the pavement in public walks places. One thing that I really love is art that messes with the viewers' perspectives. These particular images are lying horizontally on the ground but from one specific angle, the perspective gets totally changed. I love they way these images can fool the viewer into thinking that what they are looking at has a third dimension.

Random Novelties

20 Random Items:

1. Moon-
2. Water-
3. Pin Cushion-
4. Sun-
5. GPS Device-
   
6. Boat-
   
7. Camera-
8. Duck-
9. Refrigerator-
10. Police Car-
11. Flower-
12. Bowl-
13. Train-
14. Book-
15. Cupcakes-
16. Canoe-
    
17. Bench-
18. Wind Turbine-
19. Bus-
20. Couch-

10 Novel Combinations based on those objects:

1. Train+Boat = A new passenger boat service that works on tracks in a canal.
2. Moon+Couch = A couch in the shape of a crescent moon.
3. Book+Water = A sleeve in which to slide your book to make it waterproof for reading while relaxing in the pool.
4. Pin Cushion+Duck = A novelty pin cushion in the shape of a duck that quacks when you poke it.
5. Sun+Police Car = Hybrid police cars that charge their batteries when plugged into a solar powered charger while at the station.
6. GPS Device+Bus = An app that can tell the user exactly where the bus they're waiting for is located on a live traffic map.
7. Camera+Flower = A high-res camera built in the shape of a flower to automatically take nature photographs without ruining the scenery with ugly machine-like cameras.
8. Canoe+Wind Turbine = Instead of a boat with a sail, this canoe will have a wind turbine that gives power to the motor for when the passengers don't want to row.
9. Refrigerator+Bowl = A battery powered bowl that keeps it's contents cool no matter where it is.
10. Cupcakes+Bench = Little cakes baked in the shape of benches on which to rest other desserts like cupcakes.
    

Pros and Cons

The pros and cons of the following subjects:

-Obeying the Rules:
-pros:
- proven successful methods
- not getting in trouble
- staying in a favorable position
- not losing support
- they keep you safe
-cons:
- you do things similar to everyone else
- without taking chances, you can't experience new things
- with great risk comes great reward
- maybe the rules are not appropriate
- the rules may be holding back your potential
-Being Different:
-pros:
- you stand out in a crowd
- people will notice and remember you
- your successes will be seen by many
- you can be as creative as you want to be
- you're not tied down to a certain formula
-cons:
- your failures will also be seen by many
- potential for embarrassment
- without precedents, you won't know how something will work out
- everything is a trial and error process
- you may alienate yourself

Ocean Thief

These three items are a bunny in a car, a dock, and a portion of the sea. A man came up to me in a coffee shop handing me a bag containing these three items. He is a super-criminal in the vain of Carmen SanDiego. This super-criminal works for an international crime syndicate attempting to steal all of the oceans on Earth. He is being pursued by Interpol's bunny unit. Several unmarked sedans driven by humanoid bunnies were on his tail until he was able to trap one on a dock. Using his super-criminal powers, he was able to capture the bunny in a car AND the dock and place them in the same bag that he is keeping his stolen portion of the sea. Still followed by the bunnies in sedans, this mysterious fellow offered me refuge in his water castle once all the oceans have been successfully taken in exchange for me holding these items for a short while. Naturally, I accepted this offer since in a short time (after the oceans have been stolen) it will cost Billions of dollars to experience the ocean and I will probably not have that kind of money.

Chapter 23: Blue Roses

Tonight for the past few hours as I went about my regular business of watching TV, doing homework, eating dinner, etc., I've been practicing ways to improve my intuition as this chapters states. I spent some time reflecting over the decisions I've made today and thinking about my choices and how I came to those conclusions. I realized that when I make decisions, I tend to read my problem in my head as a written word and my intuition gives me the answers written down in my own handwriting in my imagination. I've spent the night trying to use my intuition to guess who was on the telephone before I answered it, what commercials were coming on, and what my brother was going to say before he said it, to say a few. By combining my intuition with my reason, I was able to accurately predict a bunch of those questions. I was able to predict who was on the phone by thinking who would be calling at that particular time and why they would be calling. I was able to predict (in general) what types of commercials would come on based on my past experiences with watching that particular channel and what time of day it was.

I did not do this exercise in one particular place. I did this exercise all over my house in all sorts of situations and levels of comfort and lighting. I basically spent several hours of my regular night just paying attention to all of my decisions and guesses that I made throughout the night.

Homework 4

Define My Problem:

I would like to create a children’s book (write and illustrate) for my 3-year-old nephew, Jacob.

Restructure My Problem:

Five Whys:

Problem: Creating a children’s book from start to finish.

1. Why? To create something for my nephew to cherish.

2. Why? Creating a book is more personal than other gifts.

3. Why? Because the time and effort can be seen in the work.

4. Why? I would be putting a little bit of myself in my work.

5. Why? I want to make my nephew something that he will always enjoy.

Who, What, When Why, Where, How:

· Who: Myself and my nephew.

· What: A book and an imagination.

· When: By Christmas.

· Why: To make something that he can cherish.

· Where: Anywhere inspiration strikes.

· How: My nephew does not have anything very personal from me that he can cherish, so by creating this for him I will give him that item.

Rephrasing the Problem:

· Creating a children’s book from start to finish.

· Creating a book for children from start to finish.

· Starting to create a book for children.

· Finish creating a children’s book.

· Finishing a start to create a children’s book.

· Booking a finish to start a book for children.

Word Chain:

· Children’s book

· Illustration

· Drawing

· Sketching

· Art

· Creative

· Imagination

· Whimsy

· Enchantment

· Magic

· Wizardry

· Spells

· Casting

· Witch

· Ugly

· Unattractive

· Unappealing

· Appealing

· Cute

· Happy

· Wonderful

Making a positive action statement:

· The action: Create a children’s book

· The object: The existence of a children’s book for my nephew

· The qualifier: A physical change

· The End Result: Creating a quality book for my nephew to cherish

Switching Perspective:

· My Point of View – I want to create a children’s book.

· My Nephew’s Point of View – I want my uncle to give me a children’s book that is personal that I can cherish.

· My Brother’s Point of View – My son will have a book that he can keep forever as a reminder of his uncle.

Questions:

· Why is it necessary?

o It is necessary to make something personal and from the heart for my nephew.

· What is unknown?

o The theme and subject story that I’d like to write.

· What do you not understand about it?

o I don’t yet understand the nuances of writing a children’s story and I do not know how to bind a book.

· What info do you have?

o I know that I want my book to contain a frog protagonist and that I am going to write and illustrate it as well as put it together.

· Have you seen the problem before?

o I’ve had similar creative problems in the past when I needed to come up with ideas for various art and animation projects.

· What are the best/worst scenarios?

o The best-case scenario is that my nephew gets a quality story that he will love and cherish. The worst-case scenario is that he won’t like the story and it will end up collecting dust.

· What would the problem taste like?

o The problem would taste like cotton candy because it is a light and fluffy.

· What color would the problem be?

o This problem will be many colors like a circus because I want this project to incorporate many visual wonders.

· How would the problem sound?

o This problem would also sound like a circus because it will be joyous and happy.

Day and Night (Brain Bank 7/19)

Today, I just saw the newest Pixar short that accompanied the theatrical release of Toy Story 3 called Day and Night. I was really amazed by this animation. The most stunning aspect of this short is the three dimensional animation meshed with the traditional two dimensional animation. This meshing of 2D and 3D graphics seems so seamless and visually stunning. I am also inspired by the story told in this short. Pixar is so great at conveying so much emotion and story without so much as a dialogue track.. this whole short is just simply beautiful.

Chapter 7: Cherry Split

My original problem is: How can I improve my chances of finding a part time job?

Stating that problem into 2 words: Find Job

Now I will separate those words into 2 words then separate those new words into 2 words:

1. Find
A. Locate
a. Explore
b. Read
B. Search
a. Ask
b. Listen
2. Job
A. Work
a. Career
b. Pay
B. Part-time
a. Flexible
b. School

By looking at the words that I came up with, it seems that a good way to go about finding a new part-time job is to read things (such as newspapers, websites, bulletin boards...) and asking around and listening to what's available.

I did this thinkertoy assignment in my dining room as I waited for dinner to start. I sat in a padded, wooden dining room chair. My light sources consisted of natural sunlight coming in through the window and three incandescent bulbs on the ceiling above me.

Garden Art (Brain Bank 7/18)

I came across a very interesting story today about an artist in Australia who has made such amazing pieces of art in his vast garden. These statues that he's carved fit right in with the vegetation and plant life. It is very whimsical and enchanting and I believe that is why I find it so intriguing and inspiring.

Heavy Rain (Brain Bank 7/17)

I was inspired today while playing the PS3 game, Heavy Rain. This game is completely inspiring in every aspect. Artistically, this game is amazing. It sets a new standard in realistic modeling and sets such a unique tone for a video game. It has a very noir-tone seen in old detective films. The story is also really creative and unique. It also sets a new standard for interactive story telling. The story is completely affected by the player's actions.

Raphaella Spence (Brain Bank 7/16)

This is an amazing painting by a British artist named Raphaella Spence. Personally, I'm always drawn to more abstract and/or stylized works of art, but the paintings by Raphaella Spence are so amazingly breathtaking. These paintings are so realistic and photo-like it is almost impossible to believe that these are actually paintings. These paintings are so amazing and inspiring to me.

Folding Paper (Brain Bank 7/15)

This is a picture I found tonight of a piece of work done by a German artist known as Simon Schubert. He folds single pieces of paper into amazing works of art. One of the things I just love most about his work is the simplicity of it all. For example, this work that I included in this blog is of what seems to be a hallway in a mansion or a hotel. The ability to make such convincing and detailed works of art, but keeping such a high level of simplicity is amazing and inspiring.

Thumbtack Art (Brain Bank 7/14)

I saw a clip from the Sunday Morning news program on CBS.com. This clip was of beautiful photo-realistic portraits made with simple push pins in a wall. Using only red, yellow, blue, white, and black thumbtacks, these artists were able to make a photo-realistic portrait that looks amazing.

Pulsate (Brain Bank 7/13)

http://lab.andre-michelle.com/pulsate
This is a website that I found through another blog. This is an interactive Flash program with a black background. The user clicks anywhere in the field and an orange circle starts to grow outward from the point that the user clicks. When two circles collide, they make a tonal sound and begin to collapse, then they start to grow again once they are back to a single point. The tone that you hear when they collide is based on how big the circles are (the smaller the circles, the higher the tone). This is really original and amazing. I love the way you can make music and see it's visual counter part. It is easy to watch and play with this for hours.

Homework 3

There is a really old historic stone tunnel about a half mile from my house that I chose to describe in this homework.

1. Dark gray
2. 20 feet high
3. Made of large gray stones
4. Traffic roof is about 12 feet high
5. Built into a hill
6. Cars drive through it
7. Floor is paved road
8. About 10 feet wide
9. Small trucks can fit through it
10. It is historical
11. Drivers are required to beep their horns before driving through so there is a steady sound of beeps.
12. There are train tracks on top of it
13. It carries freight trains
14. It's very strong and sturdy
15. It is very old
16. It has a sidewalk along one side of the road inside the bridge
17. The stones are smooth to the touch
18. The stones are dull
19. Sounds echo inside
20. The tracks on top are surrounded by small gray stones

A haiku based upon these observations:

Old gray-stoned tunnel.
Trains above and cars beneath.
Beeps sound eternal.

Chapter 22: Chilling Out

This chapter is all about finding ways to relax and chilling out. The four step exercise told me to find a quiet environment, pick a specific relaxation technique, take on a passive attitude, and find a comfortable position. I chose to do this exercise in my bedroom, in a quiet environment with my air conditioner on high. I lied on my back in my bed and closed my eyes while I tried to attain a level of relaxation. I attempted the "Jell-O Syndrome" technique of relaxation. I completely emptied my mind and focused solely on tensing my muscles and then relaxing them, working from my hands up to my head and down my torso to my feet and then working them backwards to my head then to my hands again.

I really enjoyed this exercise. Rarely do I find the time to just relax my entire body and mind for 15 minutes. It was really great to just empty my thoughts and feelings for a short time. As I described in the previous paragraph, I did this exercise in total quiet in my bedroom lying on my back. The room was dark and I was able to just lie on my bed and do the technique properly.

Hubcap Art (Brain Bank 7/12)

Today I read an article all about interesting and creative pieces of art created with hubcaps. These hubcap sculptures really caught my eye for a few reasons. I am always inspired and awestruck when I look at art that is made from odd and interesting media. The idea of creating something brand new by meshing and altering old hubcaps is really amazing to me.

Lego Sculpture (Brain Bank 7/11)

This is another post about something that has to do with LEGOs. This is from a very talented artist named Nathan Sawaya. I really love all of his LEGO sculptures. He manages to capture organically modeled pieces with nothing but cubic LEGO bricks. I find this to be really awe-inspiring and creative. This particular piece is of a man opening his chest, which allows a bunch of legos to flow freely from the now open cavity.

Chapter 10: Tug of War

This thinkertoy is called Tug of War. I used the chart that was described in the book to analyze my hockey team's championship chances. Based on this analysis we have a positive chance to win. Our positive aspects are our winning record, our good defense, our good offense, and our high intensity. The two aspects keeping us from winning are our poor offensive production and our poor communication.

I did this assignment in my living room right by a 100W light bulb. Futurama was on television so I was working between watching that show. I worked on a wooden table chair with my computer and notebook on a folding snack tray. It was after 11PM on Sunday night when this was completed. I really like this kind of assignment because I feel like being able to physically see my problem written on paper, it is easier to analyze.

Stone Steps (Brain Bank 7/10)

This is a photograph that I found on a website called Unique Daily. This photograph is of a set of stairs carved into a cliff side. This set of steps is built into an almost completely vertical cliff and leads down to a body of clear blue water and a series of jagged sea rocks. I really like this photograph because there is nothing to tell us about where these steps are or why they were built. It leaves it up to the viewer's imagination as to why there would ever be these dangerous steps built into this cliffside.

Staircase (Brain Bank 7/9)

I found this image in an article about modern and unique staircases. This particular photograph shows a stair case that looks like a few slanted, elongated blocks fastened to the wall with a landing that stretches as a bar underneath the stairs in the room. I really like the idea of these creative staircases that also double as art or something interesting to look at and talk about. I always find it really interesting to see common household fixtures that double as something creative and artistic.

Island Home (Brain Bank 7/8)

This is an image that I found on a gallery about houses built in amazing places. This particular photograph is of a traditional house built on a very small island in what seems to be a wide river. I've seen this photograph in the past and every time i see it, it stirs up my imagination. I begin to think of many different scenarios for why this home was built on this tiny island. It also stirs up thoughts and stories I would think of as a child when I would hope to own some sort of tiny island of my own.

Animation (Brain Bank 7/7)

http://www.thehighdefinite.com/2010/07/lego-street-shootout/
Today I came across some stop motion animation videos on youtube that people made using LEGOs. I've always found these animated videos interesting and inspiring as well as very nostalgic. This is because when I was young, my friends and I often made animated videos for fun using the LEGO stop-motion movie kit. We spent lots of time making movies with this kit so whenever I find these videos, I love to watch them.

Printer Animation (Brain Bank 7/6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EiGu1OyjQw&feature=player_embedded#! This link is to a youtube video that really caught my eye tonight. I found this video on the blog Unique Daily tonight. It is an animation created by printing out frames in succession and speeding up the video. One of the things that I find completely amazing and inspiring about animation are the unique and creative media people find to animate something. This particular animation, I find very inspiring. I love the way they incorporate the style of working excel sheets and pie graphs into the animation.

Septa Train Behind 30th Street Station

1. Silver

2. Has wheels

3. On tracks

4. Blue and red stripe

5. Shiny

6. Long

7. Has windows

8. Connected to wires

9. Has electric coils on roof

10. Has lights

11. People ride inside it

12. Metal

13. Surface is hot to touch

14. Moves fast

15. Needs maintenance

16. About 10-12 feet tall

17. Can connect to other train cars

18. Propels itself on tracks

19. Shaped like a rectangular cube with rounded edges

20. Is numbered 159

In the hot paced world of public transportation in Southeastern Pennsylvania, only one train is silver and shiny enough to take people to where they need to go. This train is SEPTA train number 159. With its long blue and red stripe and rectangular-cubic frame, train car 159 flies from one station to another on an intricate series of tracks at amazing speeds. Currently residing in the depot region behind Philadelphia's 30th Street Station awaiting maintenance, this 12 foot tall train is just waiting for the moment to reconnect its electric coils to the track's suspended wire system and connect to a series of other train cars to bring people along their daily commute.