Post War Perspective

Vannevar Bush’s piece ‘As We May Think’ has great insight to the technologically evolving human race. It greatly interested me, how his description of a futuristic camera (from 1945), still aligns with how we are obsessed with making technology faster and smaller today. His point about the Industrial Evolution being the driving force behind modern technologies, due to cheaper manufacturing of parts in bulk, is still a very valid point. Also, his point about technological innovations coming well before they could be manufactured was quite interesting, directly linking back to the concept of design fiction.

I guess, after 70 years its refreshing to know that we haven’t changed much. That our aspirations for a more  efficient lifestyle will be with us until the end.

My first Haiku experience

Whilst in the company of friends, I played a game where to end it you had to create a Haiku Poem, out of selected cards with phrases on them, to end the game.

My poem was:

The south, pulling out.
Destroying the evidence.
Ethnic cleansing. Hope.

It meets the 5-7-5 syllable rule. But tragically is not about the weather…

 

#haikuqueen 

#doesntmakesense

hello from instagram

Check out my sidebar… yeah, thats right…. I have Instagram, and only I have the code

(Thanks to Elliot).

If you too would also like to incorporate some Instagram into your blog…

click here

once you hit this website, go to the ‘get started’ tab and fill out the parameters of how you want your Instagram widget to look and function. Then click ‘get widget’. Copy the available code shown. Then navigate back to your blog dashboard. Go to the widget page, which can be found in the appearance menu. Drag the ‘text widget’ into your sidebar. Then click edit. and paste the code into the text box. hey presto, Instagram is now located in your side bar.

take note: a slow internet connection, may cause the widget to load slowly.

Design Fiction, New Concept?

So my favourite part of this weeks readings was the line ‘hip with the kids’…does any one even say that anymore, well apparently Matthew Ward does and apparently I should be ‘hip’ with design fiction. Design Fiction strikes me as something, that isn’t new… I think it’s been around since man kind began to walk the earth. Our civilisation is built on reaching for the stars, using our imaginations and making what seems impossible, possible. Inventing anything to make our lives easier, more functional and maybe one day a utopia will come to light. maybe.

Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)

Bruce Sterling’s article relates design fiction to technology seen in Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, it describes how the movie envisages a gadget. This gadget is now commonly known as an ‘ipad’ or tablet, I’m sure over forty years ago many people found the concept preposterous and could never see it coming to light. And yet it did. I understand how bad design fiction seems impossible now, but maybe it could be possible in the future. So maybe I will flap my arms and fly to the moon, in forty years time. Now it seems impossible. But who knows. Anything can come into existence, if we imagine, create and develop it.

#throwingmyboneintotheair

#maybeitwillturnintoasattelite 

forever a pessimist

Two weeks later and I’m still not won over..

I think the main thing I dislike about blogging, is having to think about something original to write about.

As an introverted person, sharing my personal thoughts on the internet isn’t my favourite thing to do.

This project extends far and beyond my comfort zone, and I am starting to feel like I am never going to be able to accept this into my daily routine.

I still have no drive to conceptualise a point and a purpose for this blog.

How exciting for my none existent audience, more of me being a negative nelly.

#themagicwillneverhappen

#fml 

I’ve been told to write about what I’m interested in…

So I’ve started re-watching ‘The Simpsons’ from season one. And oh boy, it’s like busting open a time capsule.

For me the show is more than a cartoon, it was my week night companion at 6’oclock as a kid. Maybe I learnt some morals but mainly it was for a laugh. I think watching back now I see it in a whole new light, not just for it’s countless sexual innuendos, but how relatable many of the episodes are, on the grounds of moral fibre. Surprisingly, these are the episodes I would switch off as a kid as I didn’t fully understand their context.

A gem of an episode I have come across recently from season two is ‘Lisa’s Substitute’. I never understood the importance of this episode as a kid. But re-watching it now I understand the point of Lisa’s daggy substitute teacher, Mr. Bergstrom walking into her life and changing it forever in just under 23 minutes. It’s made me understand the importance of having mentors and or inspirational people in your life.

Mr. Bergstrom (voiced by Dustin Hoffman) nurtures and encourages Lisa’s gifted intelligence. He gives Lisa the outlet to be the person she wants to be without being ashamed of what other peers think of her. It has made me realise, how much I appreciate the people like Mr. Bergstrom in my life.

 

For Example:

At work last night, I had a supervisor come and sit in with me whilst I was mixing audio promos. He took the time to sit down with me and give his advice and opinions on my work to better the end result, ultimately so the producer was happy (welcome to the world of media).

I ended up a bit frazzled by the whole ordeal and he gave me a sort of pep talk to boost my confidence. Whilst talking about dealing with nerves, he mentioned some of the amazing work he has done spanning his career *cough audio directing the opening ceremony for the Sydney 2000 Olympics cough*.

This astounded me, that a person so accomplished is humble enough to:

1. have never mentioned this before in the 18 months I have been working for him.

2. give me advice and help to further better my knowledge and also for thinking that I am deserving of it.

Even though the moral of his story wasn’t to talk about what he’s achieved. Only how nerves don’t disappear, all you can do is learn to control them.

I simply could not get over his achievements. I still can’t! His modesty astounds me! I feel honoured, like I’ve just met the Queen or something.

 

This is the Mr. Bergstrom effect!

 

At the end of the episode, Mr. Bergstrom leaves to substitute at another school in a different city. It saddened me that Mr. Bergstrom’s presence dissolves so quickly from Lisa’s life and to be blunt, I cried at the end of the episode. Furthermore, the note he leaves her really touches you, knowing that the influence he’s had on Lisa’s self confidence is permanent, even though his physical presence in her life is not.

#youarelisasimpson

#isthisaformofdoublelooplearning

 

 

In other news, I watched Sharknado. For a terrible movie, it’s amazingly good!