last ever blog post ever

Guess what loyal readers (aka Mom), this here is the last post that you will experience on this blog. I will continue to think and write, especially pro-bicycle/anti-deathmobile poetry, just not here.

My blog doesn't have swine flu or anything, it is just time to shut it down. But before I go...

Funkytown went off without a hitch on Tuesday. Our fear leading up to the presentation was that there was no way to make delivering a research proposal fun (which we all had hoped to do). I think we overcame this hurdle, by our use of creative pictures, puns, and funky-style delivery. I liked it at least.

The idea itself will probably end there, which is a shame. I'm pretty sure that more events in a small community (probably not as much in big cities) would make a difference, somehow. It would at least give people the opportunity to get off the couch and meet some people/do some things they might not otherwise had.

Admittedly, I am freaking totally idealistic about these things and believe that if we all threw our computers into the trash we would be better off for it, so take that into account.

Anyway, a big "Oh-Yeah" to my Funkytown mates for some great times and good work. We turned an idea that we had totally thrown out as a joke (seriously) into a completely legitimate research proposal that everybody believed in. As an added bonus, we didn't involve social networking or twittering.

Speaking of social networking...although I still think of Facebook as a heaping pile of rubbish, I do enjoy how they have added "Pirate" as one of the available languages. Finally, somebody recognizes its legitimacy.

Speaking of language...you should go to Barcelona.

That's it. I love you. See you in real life.

the doctor recommends friends

Seeking those elusive secrets to good personal health? According to this article in the New York Times, you might want to try friends.

The article touches on the main point of what Funkytown is all about. We think that having more cultural events within a community can foster and nurture these beneficial relationships.

For many of us, I don't think we needed "official" testing to determine this outcome (although I rather enjoyed the "walking up the hill with friends" tests), but it is good that somebody has finally settled the score.

poetics

freedom

what is freedom?
is that what you ask?
such a big question,
such a large task.

its not the car,
although they sell you it as such.
but i'll take my freedom sans traffic,
thank you very much.

how about the plane?
it can bring you oh so far.
but why can't freedom happen
where you already are?

perhaps there is no answer,
but since you've asked me.
i would say the bicycle,
because it makes me happy.

maybe research. or maybe not.

This video is absolutely beautiful, and I think it fits into our Funkytown goodness.

Personally, I especially enjoyed the red streetpost's comment:

"The same way you come from I come from too. Where'd you come from? Your mother."

That kind of poetry should be painted on walls.

research.

While book and journal research is all well and necessary, sometimes a subject is more appropriately embodied in another form. I think this may be the case for Funkytown. I came across the video below, and found it to be more affirming of our intents and purposes than anything else I have found. A few notes:

1. Check out the crowd. Note the mixture of people and how everybody feels cool getting down. That is some magical stuff. Of course our town events will not always feature the likes of Chuck Berry, but I don't believe they have to in order to create this type of environment. The recipe is pretty simple: good times and freedom to groove will lead to nice things.

2. Chuck Berry is an icon.

digital friends

Funkytown is going just fine these days thank you very much. Our goal to create better communities through cultural events remains the same. Unfortunately, our competitors—online social networks, to name one—continue to grow stronger.

There was a story in the New York Times this week about a woman who was refusing to attend her college reunion, because Facebook has kept her in touch with many of her classmates. Gone is her need to attend to "see what people are up to" because the lord savior Facebook has come to her rescue and provided nice little updates that appear in a neat way on the internet. Instead of reminiscing about the good times with Jenny on the "sun-dappled lawn" (which sounds fantastic), she can instead see that she took a "What Scooby-Doo Character Are You" quiz and came out Daphne (OMG that is so Jenny!).

A better title for the article would have been: Who needs physical human beings when you can "reunite" (is that the right word for checking peoples' status updates while waiting for another website to load up?) with friends online.

Of course this has nothing to do with college reunions. It is the thinking behind it—replacing an event with an online subsitutue just so you can save time—that Funkytown is looking to cut down on.

The good fight continues on.

poetics

the sounds

what do i hear
as i ride my bike along?
the sounds of life
and birds singing a song.

what do you hear
sitting in traffic all day?
the roar of an engine
and time slipping away.

privacy?

It has only recently occurred to me what an objective feeling "privacy" is.

In speaking with co-funkytown team members over the last week or so, I realized that we have undergown a monumental shift in how we view our privacy. Who we trust has been replaced with what we trust.

In Korea, as well (this is a guess) as in other places of the world, people have become less likely to talk to others in their community. What used to be both tradition and necessity—neighbors had to interact for agricultural and gastronomical reasons—is now vanishing from our physical world, and being replaced by a virtual world accessible by anybody with a tiny machine.

Over the past few weeks, there has been discussions around the perceived "privacy" of social networking giant Facebook. It seems that some facebookers are upset over their photos being shared, potential employers checking their profile, or their own "friends" initating a chat. "Really" I ask, "what the hell were you expecting?" How can you think about privacy after you voluntarily submit an entire life worth of information to a random server in some temperature-controlled room? Is it because Facebook is such a big and well-respected organization? How counter-intuitive is that?

Its not just social networking either. Its everything from shopping online to registering for a Tesco membership. We see those little checkmark icons that supposedly mean our info is safe and proceed onward.

At the same time, we (as a collective) have become isolated from one-another. Most walk around with iPod headphones on, not having to talk to anybody, until they are at their destination where they know the people around them, thus making it okay for interaction to occur. In a better metaphor, we have moved from the front porch to the back patio.

Of course, the scenarios above do not apply to everybody; nor am I not suggesting that we stop and say hi to every person we pass on the street (although you can try it). It just seems that our sense of community and privacy has been redirected to an array of machines (from the computer to industrial food) that have somehow gained our trust. We cheer the creation of "online communities" but don't bat an eyelash at the destruction of our actual communities. Seems backwards.

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A good thing about this life: the scenario of listening to a song you have heard before, but enjoying it on a higher level. Is there a name for this phenomenon? Regardless, this happened to me today with Modern Romance by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (the video doesn't include the whole song, but the album is available at your local music retailer).

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I used a semi-colon above in memory of Kurt Vonnegut.

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Random thought: why have we let the polaroid camera die?

newspapers and communities

As I sit here thinking about how we can save the newspaper industry, I can't help think of our connected communities project. At one point in time, newspapers were the thread that held communities together—they were an institution, and the loudest voice of the people. Now they are in serious trouble and it makes me sad.

What's happening to us? Why do most of us spend hours in front of an electronic box just to race home and stare at another (sometimes the same) electronic box? Isn't that madness? Don't people want to talk to others (not "chat") or share with others (not "facebook") or go on dates (not match.com) or spend time with their friends/family (not "skype")? We can't turn everything into a computerized world, can we? Hell, even playing cards has moved online. When I was younger, I used to play cards with my grandparents and great aunt, listening to stories about them playing cards with friends, and waiting for the day when I could follow suit (pun!). Now it appears that I'll have to get myself a credit card and a account number to do so. Sounds, um, great?

We need to come together. Our team has proposed the installment of a town social coordinator. To be honest, it started as somewhat of a jokey idea, but the more I think of it, the more it makes sense. If towns hosted regular events (and here's the catch, they need to support the local economy as much as possible) where friends and family and neighbors and strangers could gather, wouldn't that help things? Could it possibly not?

On Friday night, I attended a large caleidh. You should have been there: young folks and old folks, Scots and non-Scots, came together to do coordinated dances, eat delicious stovies, and spend time with each other (all while supporting a good cause). It was completely amazing, and no amount of online dancing (do they have that?) could ever replace it.

These are the types of things that will bring us together, but they are too few and far between. The social coordinator is going to have tons of work to do.

PS: We can't let newspapers die. Sitting at a table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper is morning bliss, and a practice that I have followed since I was just a teen. If you are a fan, write to your favorite newspaper and tell them to charge for online content. Why should good journalism be free?

PPS: Is it silly to write a blog post on my computer about how we need to save newspapers and stop people from spending too much time on computers/tv? I think so.

legos

Our group is called funkytown.

This is pretty much the best video I have ever seen.

poetics

fools in traffic

look at those fools
look at them over there
sitting in traffic
so empty of cheer

and look at us
gliding right past
who knew that the bike
could be so fast

connected communities

The UK is looking to fund projects that are aimed at connecting communities, which means that is what our projects are centered around. Half of team 2108 is back to bring communities together.

Anyways, a few things I have read/seen over the past few weeks have given me some ideas on how to achieve this goal:

1. From reading The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan, I am a believer that establishing local farms like Joel Salatin's Polyface Farms around the world would do massive good. Here's a taste of what would happen: local people would be supporting their neighbors, everybody starts eating healthier, a decrease in fossil fuels being used, people start to understand where their food comes from, and more humane treatment of animals.

2. A gas tax. Just read Thomas Friedman's NYT article.

3. I don't have a link for this one, but Bill Maher, the host of Real Time with Bill Maher, had a great rant the other night. He basically used the Snuggie as an example of the crap that Americans are spending their money on. What if we stop buying things and start making and doing things? It's not a new concept, but it would help. Making things localizes markets. Doing things can't be outsourced. Sure it's vague, but, um, so what?

poetics

smiles

look at their smiles
they stretch from ear to ear
how peaceful they seem
reflecting not a care

their words are calm
and laughs are so sweet
a wave and good tidings
passed to whomever they meet

what, you may ask
has caused such glee?
are they rich beyond need
or famous celebrities?

it is not wealth nor fame
nor anything of the like
their happiness is a result
of riding a bike

motivators

Both Brian Carlin and Mel Woods mentioned staying motivated as a key factor in completing a project—in their case creating a new product out of nothing.

So what does this mean to me? What will keep me motivated to work on this third semester project idea of mine (bicycle friendly cities)? I've made a list:

1. Riding a bicycle around NYC and feeling at peace in a city where peace is hard to find.
2. Riding a rented bicycle around Amsterdam and discovering an unknown city.
3. Thinking of the time I have spent sitting in traffic.
4. Zipping past a gas station on my bike with a smile on my face.
5. Laying down on the back lawn of my parents' house in NH and looking at the sky when I was younger. Why can't the sky be that clear in urban areas?
6. Escaping a horrendous traffic accident unharmed.
7. Riding my bike home from a park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan one early evening. As I cruised along the Hudson River Park, I stumbled across a band playing a live gig on a small patch of grass along the river.

There are more I'm sure, and hopefully some reasons not yet discovered. I'm sure I'll have days this summer where the project seems more like a lion than a lamb—hopefully this list will keep me going.

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These guys were just talking about Motivators.

This is has nothing to do with anything, it is just nice.

poetics

the first bike

i remember getting my first bike
when i was just a child
oh what a day!
i screamed for joy and smiled
my bike was my escape pod
it gave me such glee
riding with friends around town
made me feel so happy
but then i got a car
because according to the news
its what you do when you get old
but it gave me such blues
sitting in traffic
and filling it with gas
a bike may hurt your bum
but a car is a pain in the ___

funding and hip-hop

Guess what? The prospect of getting my research funded by an outside organization scares me.

Its not the application process or prospect of rejection that has me fearful. It is the fear of an outside organization owning my work. Its the fear of my creation falling into somebody else's hands.

And I think I know why this is: because I am a hip-hop fanatic. I have been listening to hip-hop music since I can remember, and I have more knowledge about the subject than probably anything else.

Anyway, back in the early days of "commercial" hip-hop, record companies would sign artists to ridiculous contracts that left them without ownership of their art. Remember, we are talking about mostly poor African-Americans from NYC, so they didn't really have the leverage to pass up on a deal. The record companies simply took advantage of them (which is why nobody is crying these days as the same record companies are losing hold of the industry).

I've grown up with the notion that somebody who wants to fund your art will end up hurting you. If this happened—if I were to create something that could possibly make a city more bike friendly, and it was suddenly "owned" by my funders and never used—I would be devastated.

The worst part of this fear is that it may be unnecessary. I still don't have enough info about the process, or any funding organization, to say with certainty, but the Sara(h)s gave no indication that this was the case. They even mentioned that presenting the outcomes of the research wasn't always mandatory.

Is this fear misguided?

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Random memory I had while writing this: When I was in seventh grade, I stole one of my older brother's mix-tapes (that's funny to read now) to play in my walkman (also funny) while I mowed the lawn. On it was A Tribe Called Quest. I immediately fell in love with them, and thinking back, that moment changed my life forever. I'm talking serious chaos theory here. I doubt I would be here today, writing this post, if it weren't for that moment.

Feel free to check out any of their songs & videos on the web. This is a good start.

demand more from dundee government

Greetings. As those in the Dundee area know, recycling plastic bottles is a difficult task. The University of Dundee has zero places to recycle plastic bottles, yet sell many of them (through cafeterias and vending machines) every single day.

This doesn't make sense.

I have emailed the city council asking for plastic bottle recycling bins to be provided. They said "we are working on it". When I told them that I was willing to collect the plastic bottles myself, they gave me the same answer.

This is unacceptable.

Below is a movie that documents the trip I make to recycle plastic bottles. I used my digital camera, so the quality is poor, but I think it still makes the point.

Enjoy the video, and please make your voice heard. Thanks.
(Also, huge thanks to More Than Just Aliens for the original music).

poetics

why the bike #1

on a bike
life will go your way
imagine the wind in your hair
every single day

modern assessments

Interesting article in the Times Higher Education magazine about the purpose and usefulness of traditional assessments.

This seems ripe for a design solution: how do we create an effective way of evaluating students' grasp of material, which is also beneficial to their overall learning?

Why can't somebody just come out and say what we are all thinking*: the paper/pen method of testing is soul-crushing and antithetical to learning.

*or is it just me?

having some fun

Norman Alm dropped by the lovely MDes studio this morning to chat about his recent work, the CIRCA project. In a nutshell, he and his team are trying to create an interactive touch-screen device that will help people with dimentia to reminisce about the past and, in what I think are the most successful cases, remember a long-lost story to share with those who are caring for them. He shared wonderful tales of stories that have never been told being shared with family members for the first time—pretty powerful stuff. Its safe to say that we could use more Norman Alms around this planet.

During the lecutre, he weaved (or is it inter-weaved?) stories of his own project and tips for conducting our research work quite masterfully. As he was commenting on working in interdisciplinary teams, he mentioned the value in working with people that you like—he suggested getting to know them on a social level. If you can't enjoy somebody's company, it doesn't matter how valuable they could be to the team, that person has to go (or, perhaps, you do). Why? Because the project would not be enjoyable, and therefore, not sustainable in the long term. Word.

I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on the "unsustainability of something uenjoyable" front. I've held a job that I have not enjoyed—I'm talking about waking up in the morning feeling sick to my stomach—as well as a job that I've absolutely loved–I'm talking about waking up in the morning and singing with pleasure. Although both have helped shaped my current outlook on life, I would not wish the experience of doing something unejoyable, on a daily basis, on anybody. It's not worth it.

Mr. Lif, the Boston MC, has a great quote: "life is a gift to be enjoyed, every second, every minute, it's temporary not infinite."

As I continue to ponder where to perform my 3rd semester research project (see previous post), these tips keep piling up. Again, there is a base of people I absolutely love working with back in the states. Do I take the risk of trying to recreate this—considering the small timeline I have—in another location?

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In the afternoon, Kirsty Miller, a representative of the Career Services office at the uni and possibly the nicest person on our planet, dropped in to help us with our CVs.

In all honesty, I almost didn't attend. It went something like this in my head "I have written a resume or two in my day...I am pretty confident in my abilities". How foolish. I had almost forgotten the famous line from Kansas' mega-hit "Carry on Wayward Son": "And if I claim to be a wise man, well it surely means that I don't know".

Anyway, at one point, the topic of including one's interests/hobbies on your CV/resume came up. Kirsty's opinion was that you should somehow tie them to the a skill relevant to the job you are applying for. My opinion is that this is unnecessary.

Two things about this:
1. I fear I tried to get my opinion in (which in itself was pretty unnecessary) in a very nonconstructive manner. For sure, there would have been a better way of getting what I had to say across (maybe shutting up?). I sent Kirsty an apology. I hope she doesn't hold it against the entire program.

2. I still believe that interests/hobbies can be on your resume/CV without tying into the job. It goes along the lines of what Norman Alm said about working with people you can enjoy. How better to know this then to discover what that person is interested in? I always touched upon the interests section at some point when conducting (is that word a bit too grand for this use?) an interview. It usually provides the best conversation, as well as a glimpse into a person's "non-interview" mode.

(Get ready for some anti-"the man" writing). I think it is important to convey your personality on your CV. If you take it away, you make it okay for your employer to also take it away. We shouldn't fall into the trap of all trying to be the same person, with identical looking (and I'm not talking about the design) CV's. We should be proud of who we are and let those potential employers know it. Otherwise, it seems we are just admitting that we are the "rats" in the "rat race".

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The saddest story I've read in some time. You should have seen this guy in action. He knew how to command an audience, and he absolutely loved peeling carrots. Now here is someone who had passion.

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PS. If you made it this far, you deserve a prize. Here you go (give it 8 seconds).

the business

Quick side note: At one point during the lecture Prof. Mike Press gave on Tuesday I thought to myself "right now he kind of reminds me of Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, who had the insight to rap 'industry rule #4080, record company people are shady'". If you are a fan, you may know what I mean. Q-Tip was able to be both industry-member and critical observer at the same time. Mike Press seems to be the same way.

Among the many tips he offered on carrying out a research project, two really stuck out in my mind: work with the best people and work with other specialists.

Obviously both are cut from the same cloth, and I am aware of why they struck a chord with me: I can't stand working alone. This has the potential to be a problem, as our research projects are, almost by default, solo adventures. While we will all have the privilege of a mentor, it seems as if everybody is gearing up to work by themselves.

This both scares and confuses me. Why should I work alone? I will almost certainly always be working in groups in any endeavor that I take on after the research project concludes—why should I practice working alone?

There is also the slightly related problem—where the hell do I want to carry out my project (don't worry, we'll get back to working alone in a second)? Since my research involves understanding what makes a city bike-friendly, I can conceivably carry it out in any bike-friendly city on planet Earth. When I inform people of this dilemma, they usually offer one, or both, of the following responses:

1) This is your chance to live anywhere for 3 months—take advantage of it.
2) What a good problem to have. I wish I was a student of Design Ethnography at the University of Dundee. (I made that last sentence up)

While I can respect both answers, I think that they are a bit misguided. We are told on a regular basis that the most important thing is this life is to make ourselves happy. Can I really be happy living by myself, away from the people that I need most in my life, even if it is in a location that offers cold cerveza and beautiful landscapes at the end of each day?

I don't think I can. As independent as I like to consider myself, I can't live without the support network of friends and family that I have established (and I'm sorry, but Facebook just doesn't do it for me). One of my greatest fears is finishing a day and not having any person (in physical form) to share a meal or beer with. Perhaps I am just not interesting enough to survive on my own.

So here is the tie in to working solo: it is in my established network places (New England and NYC) that I would be able to work with the best people (that I know) and specialists (again, that I know). There are people there that could supplement my work—even if we are not directly working together—to an astonishing degree. Also, let's not forget that I have actual bike-riding experience in both areas, which can't hurt.

Shouldn't this close the deal for me? Haven't I answered my own question and solved this problem once and for all? You would think so. But, for some reason, I am keeping myself on the fence.

Maybe I just like the thought of living in Barcelona or Amsterdam for three months.

hello. and a bit about ethnography.

What is ethnography?

Although I happen to be in a master's course in that very realm, I am still a bit unsure of what it all means. Back to this in a minute though.

A week ago, we were privileged enough to spend lunch with Richard Harper, a user researcher at Microsoft. Many things are worth noting.

1. I was expecting somebody who was convinced that technology is the best thing since peanut butter, and was completely wrong. He gets it. Mr. Harper understands that most humans do not care about the speed of the bluetooth connection (or what the hell bluetooth actually is) of their phone—they just want to be able to share things with their friends and family. Or in his words, us humans "just want to play". Word.

2. He enjoyed (even though he didn't come out and say it) the lame mustache I had grown during vacation.

3. He once was an ethnographer for Arthur Anderson, the now-defunct accounting firm, and lived to tell about it.

Back to the definition. I often think of ethnography as "understanding people", which I still think to be true, but a bit limited in scope. Now I am under the impression that ethnography is all about understanding life, which consequently involves humans.

Yesterday we spent the day in Edinburgh on an ethnography assignment to find "traces of human activity", such as people leaving behind rubbish or notes, among other examples. While wandering around the city, I was obsessed with the actual traces: the coffee cups, people using walls as seats, etc. It only occurred to me as I was inhaling some panini at a local cafe that I was missing the point. Instead of understanding the traces, I should try to understand the life of Edinburghers. This realization allowed me to see the bigger picture for the rest of the day, and I believe it enhanced the results.

So what does this all mean? I'm not really sure. Perhaps that focusing too much on a single activity, even though it is being performed by a human, is a cheap excuse for ethnography. Maybe it means that walking around like outsiders with cameras and notebooks may look like ethnography, but can easily just be misguided tourism. It is like looking at one corner of the fishbowl without realizing that there is an entire tank we are forgetting about.

Of course all of this could be wrong, although it sure doesn't feel like it.

It seems that a problem with observation is that it is just a single snapshot of somebody's existence. It would be easy for Richard Harper to watch a human utilizing the bluetooth capability of a gizmo and saying "humans like bluetooth-y bells and whistles", instead of realizing that the human is using bluetooth to capture a quote from Anchorman to send to his or her friends.

This appears to be a simple concept when reading it in blog form. But when in the field, it can be very tough to keep this perspective.

By the way, happy year of the ox.