This project is for my Ollywood elective course and this is the second project of this course. The purpose of this project was to pick a movie from a list that we were presented in class and then watch it and with the partner(s) that we were given we had to write a film critique. My partner and I chose the movie Beetle Juice. I learned a lot about how to properly write a film critique and also how others have done critiques. I am proud of the work i did on the video and everything i said in the video and i feel that we had a very good video. MY partner and I made a video that you can watch by clicking the link below.
THIS IS THE VIDEO
CITATION
Beetlejuice Green Light. Digital image. Tumblr.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
Back to the Future Critique
This project us for my elective term about movies. The purpose of this project was to write a critique about a movie of our choice. I chose Back to the Future because it is one of my favorite movies and I've never really looked at it in depth so I figured id give it a try. I learned a lot about how to write a good movie critique and what components have to go in it for it to be of good quality. I am proud of the critique I wrote because I feel like I did a pretty good job. The reason I say that is because I don't consider myself a good writer but I feel like I did good on this project
Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future (1985) is the director’s first out of 3 very successful films. The first film was the highest-grossing film of 1985 and became an international phenomenon, leading to the production of the second (1989) and third (1990) films which were actually back to back film productions. Even though that second and third films didn't do as good as the first they were still undoubtedly great films. The first movie starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly. The story follows Marty McFly a High school student that travels back in time and has to get back to his own time period by going on a intense and confusing journey. From the time Marty said “I came here in a time machine that you invented, now I need your help to get back to the year 1985” till the end you will be wondering what will happen next.
Now that Marty McFly has went back in time he has to find doc and he has to get his help to get back to the year 1985. The Libyans are the ones that caused all of the mess that you see in the movie because Doc took their plutonium to power the time machine. The Libyans found doc and started shooting, they killed Doc and were now after Marty yelling “get him” which forced Marty to get in the Delorean time machine and drive away. Marty had to do something fast so he accelerated the car to 85 mph and traveled back to the past. When he arrived in the past he instantly tried to travel back but he forgot to grab the plutonium to get back so he was stuck. The Libyans are only in one part of the movie but that one part shaped up everything that happened in the movie.
This movie was created when the co-writer/ producer went through his fathers old yearbook and thought “would we have been friends if we’d been at school together.” He realized that most people have those type of thoughts and what then inspired him more was when he thought about the fact that everyone can shape their future by the paths that they choose and that his parents were young once too and he figured that they could dramatize those two things. The delorean was never originally there, at first it was a time-chamber apparatus. Also the clock tower scene at the end was never there. Instead of the clock tower the time-chamber was powered by radiation from an explosion at a nuclear testing site.
The setting itself in this movie was really good. The set is exactly what I would picture a small town in the past to look like and what was great was that nothing was just thrown on for aesthetics, everything had a purpose. A lot of scenes happened in the café and I feel like that setting is accurate because that would be what i would picture if I think of a hang out spot in the past. As for costumes I feel like they weren't that accurate because I feel like the costumes were almost the same, the only difference was that Marty was wearing a vest. The clock tower felt kind of janky just because of the simple fact that the chance of Doc hooking the wire right when Marty connected the hook seemed a little unrealistic. A lot of the props were pretty cool, like the scooter/skateboard or all of Doc’s inventions. I feel like the part where Doc had on the huge machine that read minds was pretty iconic because still to this day in some tv shows when they build a mind reading machine it sort of resembles the one from the movie.
One of my favorite scenes of this movie was at the end when the lightning struck because I feel like that was the moment where I was stuck thinking “is he gonna make it or will he be stuck” and there was just so much thrill and suspense. One thing that bugs me about that scene is how the wire got disconnected from both sides and the car was going 85 miles per hour and somehow Doc had enough time to reconnect it in the exact same moment the hook attached to the car hit the wire. It was very suspenseful and it was actually really cool but I feel like it was unrealistic. Honestly its no wonder Back to the Future was such a big franchise and when the first movie came out it was a huge hit.
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| "List of Back to the Future Characters." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. |
Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future (1985) is the director’s first out of 3 very successful films. The first film was the highest-grossing film of 1985 and became an international phenomenon, leading to the production of the second (1989) and third (1990) films which were actually back to back film productions. Even though that second and third films didn't do as good as the first they were still undoubtedly great films. The first movie starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly. The story follows Marty McFly a High school student that travels back in time and has to get back to his own time period by going on a intense and confusing journey. From the time Marty said “I came here in a time machine that you invented, now I need your help to get back to the year 1985” till the end you will be wondering what will happen next.
Now that Marty McFly has went back in time he has to find doc and he has to get his help to get back to the year 1985. The Libyans are the ones that caused all of the mess that you see in the movie because Doc took their plutonium to power the time machine. The Libyans found doc and started shooting, they killed Doc and were now after Marty yelling “get him” which forced Marty to get in the Delorean time machine and drive away. Marty had to do something fast so he accelerated the car to 85 mph and traveled back to the past. When he arrived in the past he instantly tried to travel back but he forgot to grab the plutonium to get back so he was stuck. The Libyans are only in one part of the movie but that one part shaped up everything that happened in the movie.
This movie was created when the co-writer/ producer went through his fathers old yearbook and thought “would we have been friends if we’d been at school together.” He realized that most people have those type of thoughts and what then inspired him more was when he thought about the fact that everyone can shape their future by the paths that they choose and that his parents were young once too and he figured that they could dramatize those two things. The delorean was never originally there, at first it was a time-chamber apparatus. Also the clock tower scene at the end was never there. Instead of the clock tower the time-chamber was powered by radiation from an explosion at a nuclear testing site.
The setting itself in this movie was really good. The set is exactly what I would picture a small town in the past to look like and what was great was that nothing was just thrown on for aesthetics, everything had a purpose. A lot of scenes happened in the café and I feel like that setting is accurate because that would be what i would picture if I think of a hang out spot in the past. As for costumes I feel like they weren't that accurate because I feel like the costumes were almost the same, the only difference was that Marty was wearing a vest. The clock tower felt kind of janky just because of the simple fact that the chance of Doc hooking the wire right when Marty connected the hook seemed a little unrealistic. A lot of the props were pretty cool, like the scooter/skateboard or all of Doc’s inventions. I feel like the part where Doc had on the huge machine that read minds was pretty iconic because still to this day in some tv shows when they build a mind reading machine it sort of resembles the one from the movie.
One of my favorite scenes of this movie was at the end when the lightning struck because I feel like that was the moment where I was stuck thinking “is he gonna make it or will he be stuck” and there was just so much thrill and suspense. One thing that bugs me about that scene is how the wire got disconnected from both sides and the car was going 85 miles per hour and somehow Doc had enough time to reconnect it in the exact same moment the hook attached to the car hit the wire. It was very suspenseful and it was actually really cool but I feel like it was unrealistic. Honestly its no wonder Back to the Future was such a big franchise and when the first movie came out it was a huge hit.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
This project is for my Five Faces of Genius elective course. This class is all about creativeness and genius and how we see that in our own lives and also how we can find creative genius in people that inspire us. For this assignment I had to write an essay about creative geniuses. The one thing I liked about this assignment was that I got to do the project mostly about graffiti and I also loved that the project had a lot to do with creativity because I am a pretty creative person. One thing I disliked about this project was the actual writing because I do not consider myself a good writer I am more of a graffiti/street art person.
One pattern that I have found is that mostly all of them have a certain message or point that they want to get across but they all have their own creative way of expressing their point. Eminem is an example because he kind of expresses his life and how he had to grow up and what he had to go through. I feel that his songs are some of the deepest songs out there because not only do they have their own meaning but they also make you think of your life and how you can relate it to your self. Seth MacFarlane does TV shows such as Family Guy and he does themes to express a message. For example he made an episode of Family Guy that was all about drugs in high school and the moral was don’t do drugs but he expressed his message through comedy which is a pretty creative skill. Lastly Noter, a graffiti artist, uses paint to get his name out there and his name is basically his message. This is not only for him all graffiti artists pick a name and the goal is to get your name or message out to the public. I feel like this is an example of creative genius because everyone has their own way of getting their message across. They all do it their own unique way and I feel like they had to develop that way which took some creative genius.
Another pattern that I feel shows creative genius is doing whatever you can to do what you love. By that I mean doing illegal things to continue doing what you love. Skateboarding is a tough example but I feel Rodney Mullen fits this pattern because most skaters skate illegal spots and they have the risk of getting caught, but when they see a good spot they don't necessarily think about whether its private or not they just go for it because skating is a passion. I feel that Rodney Mullen fits this more than most professional skateboarders because most pros skate in private skate parks or legal spots but Rodney Mullen is a street skater and he chooses to skate flat ground normal streets rather than ramps so he’s always looking for spots to skate and most of them are private property. Another person that fits this pattern is Matthew Hoffman, a street artist because he put out the message “you are beautiful” by putting up little silver stickers around the world. Even though his message is great and it shouldn't be illegal to put a positive message out there it is and he acknowledges that but he still does it because he believes that his message can change someone's day or mood. Lastly I feel that Noter fits this pattern because he is a graffiti artist and that is his passion. Even though graffiti is looked at as dirty and ugly he still loves it and so do I. Graffiti is an addiction in my opinion when you do it you get an adrenaline rush and from then on it becomes a lifestyle. I feel that this displays creative genius because it shows that you are smart enough to find a way around the law to do what you love.
The last pattern that I feel shows creative genius is putting in hard work and education into what you do. When it comes to music I feel that Eminem is a great example because he not only produced a lot of music but he also had a very rough life, but he was dedicated to music even though he was in a bad situation. He wrote his own music and did what he had to do and now he is famous and successful at what he loves to do. Another example is once again, Rodney Mullen. Rodney Mullen started off just doing free style and eventually after hard work and practice he actually invented a couple of tricks that are popular today. Lastly Noter is a great example because he tags whenever he can not regarding the law or property because he is dedicated and loves graffiti. Graffiti has been a part of his life for about four and a half years. Even now Noter still practices and gets better and obviously still tags. I feel that everything that is creative comes with hard work and dedication because nothing just falls into your hands in this world. You have to be dedicated and willing to put in work to make it where you want to be in life.
One creative genius that I would like to highlight is Noter because I know him personally and he fits all of my categories. One of his many strengths is his handstyle. When doing graffiti a handstyle is basically your signature and in the graffiti game you want to be able to do your handstyle fast so you won't get caught. Noter’s handstyle is known as a one-liner and it is best because it is kind of like cursive, everything flows and he can do it very fast and that makes it less likely for him to get caught while tagging. Another strength that he has is his throw-up is very clean and he can also do it fast. A throw-up is fast and simple bubble letters that can be done in a short period of time but still has aesthetics. Noter’s throw-up is very clean and simple but it looks really good and he can do it in about 3 minutes and that is great because throw-ups should never take more than 7 minutes. One of his biggest strengths is the connections he has made with people. Now when he goes tagging he has people to go with and look out for him and vice versa. That is a strength because it makes it less likely for you to get caught because you have someone to watch your back. One challenge that not only Noter faces but every graffiti artist faces is the police, but like I said above Noter has an advantage because he has friends that can look out for him and also he is fast when it comes to tagging so he’s less likely to get caught. Another problem that Noter faces is lack of money. You need money to get spray paint to tag and if you don’t have money then you basically can’t tag. Something that Noter does to get around that problem is stealing. He steals almost all of his markers and supplies. Another way he overcomes the problem is by buying one dollar cans instead of expensive spray paint cans.
http://www.thebutchershop.com.au/shop_online/art_supplies/aerosol_paint/ironlak/
One strength that I have when it comes to graffiti is I can do my handstyle sort of fast and that helps me get away faster and “get up” more because it takes less time. Another one of my strengths is making friends that are also interested in graffiti because I have an Instagram that I post all of my graffiti on and people follow me and sooner or later I end up talking to them and hopefully if they are in Chicago we could meet up and tag together. Also one of my cousins does graffiti so I often meet up with him and go tagging and that helps a lot because I have someone to look out for me while I tag and I look out for him when he tags. He explains, “I love graffiti, it is not only a hobby it is a lifestyle.” Another one of my strengths is being able to purchase spray cans. Whenever I have money I go to a shop in Forest Park and they actually sell paint no matter what age you are so that is a big advantage. One thing that has made my experience as a graffiti writer harder is I didn't start with letters. In the graffiti world you start with letters, build them up until you get it right, and then you worry about your characters. But for me I actually started with characters first so I haven't had much practice in letters so it’s hard to pick it up. I have to dedicate a lot of time to practice them. One problem that exists in this world that is important to me is the issue that people think of graffiti as dirty and ugly but if they would experience it the way that I have they would think different. One way that I could change peoples’ mind is putting out quality work and hopefully people will start to appreciate it more. Also I could educate people about graffiti and teach them that it is actually an art form not just vandalism.
Works Cited
Silver, Scott. "8 Mile." Film. 2010.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Gone But Never Forgotten
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| BKJ, Never Forget (2014) |
Most young people nowadays do not feel any pain when death is around them because they are used to it and have seen it throughout their lives, but I feel that gun violence is one of the most serious problems, not only in my hometown of Chicago, but everywhere. People are killed every day for no legitimate reason at all, and some of those victims could be family or friends. Gun violence has created a tragic situation for families to go through. I feel that you should not only care about this topic, but you should get up and do something to stop it such as educating the youth about gangs and violence; placing a 3 month waiting period on gun purchases; and having background checks before purchasing a gun. These are only three solutions, but we are smart people and probably have better ideas bottled up in our heads--today is the day to go out and make it happen. No matter how unreal you feel your idea is just remember it can never hurt to try; you'll be surprised where your ideas will take you. If you don't already think this is a problem, then maybe you should know that over the weekend of July 4th, 2013, there were 82 shootings in the Chicago area and 16 of those resulted in death. You should also know that so far this year, there have been about 201 murders. Another thing you should know specifically about our city is that “In 2012, it had 500 murders, the most of any city in the country; Chicago has been among the top three cities with the most murders since 1985” (Drew Desilver, Pew research center. Factank,July 14 2014, Web, 10/17/14) and Chicago had about 440 murders total, last year.
The medium I chose to bring attention to this issue is sticker paper. I used markers, sticker paper, and a printer so I could mass produce my message. I plan to make an initial image on a piece of paper and then get more of my design printed and actually stick them up around the city of Chicago to get my message out to the public. Like I said, I want to get my message across and you can't do that with only a blog post that not everyone will see, so I would put these up, and hopefully more people will see my message and get the point. I mainly want my art to be displayed in the city streets of Chicago--what better place than the heart of the problem, the streets? The reason I want it in the streets is so the public can see it and they will hopefully get my message and I could spark a change, one way or another.
My piece shows ethos because I am obviously credible to speak about this topic because I have seen it a lot throughout my life and actually three of the people I mentioned in my physical art piece are people that I knew very well. My piece appeals to logos because these are true events and they are facts. They people that I mentioned in my piece were actual victims of violence. And I feel that my message is pretty logical “stop killing people.” honestly not everyone agrees with this message but nonetheless it is a very logical statement and I feel that more people should start taking this message into account. Lastly I feel that my art piece has a very strong appeal to pathos because it is a very emotional topic for one and on the other hand we almost all can relate to this topic one way or another. Most of us have gone through the pain of losing a loved one to violence and that only enhances the emotional thoughts I am trying to provoke. I am trying to not only make people think about this topic but I am also trying to make they want to get up and do something about it.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Can...t You See What You're Doing To The Earth
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| BKJ, World (2014) |
Humans throw so much away with so little thought as to where that trash is going and how it affects us in the future. In my Design and Engineering course, we were assigned to collect samples of a product that was being wasted and assemble the samples into a visual representation of an issue. The purpose of this action project was to create something that represents and illustrates a global issue we are facing: material waste. Our waste material was aluminum, particularly aluminum cans. I learned and appreciate trial and error and I am proud of the way my partner and I worked together.
A beverage can is a metal container designed to hold a fixed portion of liquid such as carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, fruit juices, teas, herbal teas, energy drinks, etc. Beverage cans are made of aluminum (75% of worldwide production) or tin-plated steel (25% worldwide production)(Wikipedia).
Aluminum is a slippery-white metal and the second most abundant metallic element in the earth's crust. It weighs about 1/3 as much as steel, and is remarkable for its excellent corrosion resistance, durability, ability to be easily machined or cast and its volumetric mass density (density) (Wikipedia). Some of the uses for aluminum are in electrical transmission, packaging, and transportation.
Here are some interesting facts about aluminum waste from Lehighcounty:
It takes about 80-200 years for an aluminum can to biodegrade.
In 2012, 55 percent of aluminum beer and soft drink containers generated were recycled, which is about 0.7 million tons.
The largest source of aluminum in the MSW (municipal solid waste) stream is used beverage containers and other packaging containers.
There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled.
It is estimated that over the past twenty years, we've trashed more than 11 million tons of aluminum beverage cans worth over $12 billion on today's market.
Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
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| "Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI." Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. |
Logistics for cans used in our installation:
2 Diet coca cola cans
7 Root beer cans
4 Sprite cans
1 Coca cola cans
1 Sparking water can
* All of our materials comes from either staffs or students from GCE (Global Citizenship Experience).
Calculations:
On average each American drinks 597 cans of soda a year. The average life expectancy of an American in 2012 was about 78 years (World Bank). This means that over a lifetime, an American would drink 46566 cans of soda. In 2012, the United States population was 312,780,968 (US. News). Number of aluminum cans of soda drank in 2012: 312,780,968 x 46566 = 1.456495856e13 (14,564,958,560,000 cans).
Amount of times the number of aluminum cans went around earth calculations:
- Earth's circumference: 24,901 miles.
- Conversion to miles/space: 14,564,958,560,000 cans x 4 (height of a can) x 12 ft/5280 = 919504959.6 miles
- Number of times United States' waste of 2012 goes around the earth: 919504959.6 miles/24,901 miles (circumference of earth) = 36926.42704 times.
Recycling is an important part of a sustainable lifestyle and is a solution to this aluminum waste problem. It’s important for the future of the planet that we all live sustainably. Recycling aluminum saves an enormous amount of energy, because the aluminum is already in its metallic state. Recycling was a low-profile activity until the late 1960's when the growing use of aluminum cans brought it to the public's attention.
Here are some facts about the importance of recycling aluminum:
Tossing away an aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can's volume of gasoline.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours, this is the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.
Making beverage cans from recycled aluminum cuts air pollution by about 95%.
The pollutants created in producing one ton of aluminum include 3,290 pounds of red mud, 2,900 pounds of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas), 81 pounds of air pollutants and 789 pounds of solid wastes.
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| GN, Can Earth (2014) |
Works Cited:
"Aluminum Recycling Facts." Aluminum Recycling Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
"Aluminum, Common Wastes & Materials." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
Aluminium. (2014, October 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:47, October 24, 2014.
"Chemical of the Week -- Aluminum." Chemical of the Week -- Aluminum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
"Aluminum Statistics and Information." USGS Minerals Information: Aluminum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
"Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI." Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
Robert Schlesinger. "U.S. Population 2012: Nearly 313 Million People." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Life Expectancy at Birth, Total (years)." Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Ending Gun Violence
Stopping gun violence is my dream, it may not be perfect dream but it is mine. Gun violence in Chicago is a growing problem that will never stop unless each and every one of us contributes. “In 2012, it had 500 murders, the most of any city in the country; Chicago has been among the top three cities with the most murders since 1985” (Drew Desilver, Pew research center. Factank,July 14 2014, Web, 10/17/14) Chicago had about 440 murders in the year of 2013 and over the weekend of July 4th 2013 there were 82 shootings in the Chicago area and 16 of which resulted in death. I find this so sad that we take a holiday that is supposed to celebrate America and pride and instead of celebrating we murder each other. 82 is a shocking number for just one weekend but what is worst is it was on a holiday; the irony of so many murders during our most patriotic day as a country is sickening.
So far in 2014 there are 201 murders and that number is expected to increase if we as a city don't do something quickly. Three years ago, our Mayor made some promises during his Inauguration speech to make the city streets safer. Addressing the voters who had elected him, he told the crowd, “Today, more than any other time in our history, more than any other place in our country, the city of Chicago is ready for change.” Where is the change??? Specifically, our Mayor cited violence as one of the four main challenges
for all the neighbors who deserve to walk home on safer streets.” This quote was said by chicagos very own mayor Rahm Emanuel and seeing the statistics above I believe that Rahm Emanuel has done little to nothing to solve this problem. These statistics are a little sad because most of these are after Rahm was sworn in and it is scary that a man that loves Chicago and says it is a beautiful city would let this violence continue and do nothing about it
Some of the people I have known since I was a little kid are laying in a coffin because they were in the wrong neighborhood or they had on the wrong colors or someone just didn't like them. I am personally just sick of it, sick of chilling with someone one day and the next day you are at their funeral remembering what you last said to them. When a family member or close friend gets killed we feel the pain and it really hurts, so my question is, why do we kill others knowing the pain it brings? I bet that if we ask the whole population of Chicago not one of those people could give a legitimate answer. The reason I feel that way is because I don't feel there is a legit reason we should be killing our own kind. Chicago is such a beautiful city and is known for Pizza, culture, diversity, and just great places to see and that should be what chicago is known for not gangs, killings, dirty, segregation. Chicago is a city with potential to be great but as of now when you mention chicago the first topics that are brought up are gangs, violence, guns, murder. Now our bad rep could change but we have to start trying to make a change not just talk about it
I cannot guarantee that you will all agree with me but I believe that if you ever want this to stop you first have to accept that it is a serious problem. After you accept it,,the first thing I think we need to do is to lower the voting age. Older people are not the ones that have to go through these problems, they are not the ones being killed on a daily basis. Young people are being shot and killed because someone decides that they don't like that person and wants them dead. Another reason is gangs. Now-a-days people can't wear certain colors in certain neighborhoods because you could be killed for territory and color. I feel that if we start to make chicago less segregated then there will be less gangs because a lot of gangs are based on race. I also think that if older people actually talk to the youth about gangs and educate them about it instead of labeling them as a bad child and giving up on them then just maybe they won't join a gang. I also want to get more community activities in all neighborhoods in chicago and have more sports teams that anyone can do just to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. I also think that they should be tighter gun control. There should be background checks before buying a gun and if that person has a record of being violent he/she can not buy a gun. There should also be a 3 month waiting period before you obtain your gun. A way to make sure the person that bought it keeps it, we will put a stamp on it with a number and if that person sells it and the person he sold it to is caught it will be tracked to that person and they will both be incarcerated for 8 years.
The people that make the decisions are often the type of people that don't really know anything about the topic or have never experienced it. So my question is, why should older people decide our fate and make decisions that could affect our life more than they know if most of them have never went through what we go through. Most of the adults that vote have gone through what we have but it really doesn’t matter what the voters say because the end decisions falls upon the people that put in the laws and they have probably lived great, safe lives. They take our suggestions into consideration but if they have never lived our lives then they can have no empathy for what we say and basically make a blind decision based on what they “think” goes on
So far in 2014 there are 201 murders and that number is expected to increase if we as a city don't do something quickly. Three years ago, our Mayor made some promises during his Inauguration speech to make the city streets safer. Addressing the voters who had elected him, he told the crowd, “Today, more than any other time in our history, more than any other place in our country, the city of Chicago is ready for change.” Where is the change??? Specifically, our Mayor cited violence as one of the four main challenges
for all the neighbors who deserve to walk home on safer streets.” This quote was said by chicagos very own mayor Rahm Emanuel and seeing the statistics above I believe that Rahm Emanuel has done little to nothing to solve this problem. These statistics are a little sad because most of these are after Rahm was sworn in and it is scary that a man that loves Chicago and says it is a beautiful city would let this violence continue and do nothing about it
Some of the people I have known since I was a little kid are laying in a coffin because they were in the wrong neighborhood or they had on the wrong colors or someone just didn't like them. I am personally just sick of it, sick of chilling with someone one day and the next day you are at their funeral remembering what you last said to them. When a family member or close friend gets killed we feel the pain and it really hurts, so my question is, why do we kill others knowing the pain it brings? I bet that if we ask the whole population of Chicago not one of those people could give a legitimate answer. The reason I feel that way is because I don't feel there is a legit reason we should be killing our own kind. Chicago is such a beautiful city and is known for Pizza, culture, diversity, and just great places to see and that should be what chicago is known for not gangs, killings, dirty, segregation. Chicago is a city with potential to be great but as of now when you mention chicago the first topics that are brought up are gangs, violence, guns, murder. Now our bad rep could change but we have to start trying to make a change not just talk about it
I cannot guarantee that you will all agree with me but I believe that if you ever want this to stop you first have to accept that it is a serious problem. After you accept it,,the first thing I think we need to do is to lower the voting age. Older people are not the ones that have to go through these problems, they are not the ones being killed on a daily basis. Young people are being shot and killed because someone decides that they don't like that person and wants them dead. Another reason is gangs. Now-a-days people can't wear certain colors in certain neighborhoods because you could be killed for territory and color. I feel that if we start to make chicago less segregated then there will be less gangs because a lot of gangs are based on race. I also think that if older people actually talk to the youth about gangs and educate them about it instead of labeling them as a bad child and giving up on them then just maybe they won't join a gang. I also want to get more community activities in all neighborhoods in chicago and have more sports teams that anyone can do just to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. I also think that they should be tighter gun control. There should be background checks before buying a gun and if that person has a record of being violent he/she can not buy a gun. There should also be a 3 month waiting period before you obtain your gun. A way to make sure the person that bought it keeps it, we will put a stamp on it with a number and if that person sells it and the person he sold it to is caught it will be tracked to that person and they will both be incarcerated for 8 years.
The people that make the decisions are often the type of people that don't really know anything about the topic or have never experienced it. So my question is, why should older people decide our fate and make decisions that could affect our life more than they know if most of them have never went through what we go through. Most of the adults that vote have gone through what we have but it really doesn’t matter what the voters say because the end decisions falls upon the people that put in the laws and they have probably lived great, safe lives. They take our suggestions into consideration but if they have never lived our lives then they can have no empathy for what we say and basically make a blind decision based on what they “think” goes on
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
The Comfortable Distance
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| BKJ, Bike Sketch (2014) |
When we first started designing our bike we looked up parts on the internet but then we learned that we don't have to do something that has already been done. We also learned that it doesn’t really matter how the frame is set up as long as it still has the components to make up a bike. Another important thing I learned is that handlebars can make the bike more aerodynamic. An example would be the drop down handlebars which would make you sit in a crouching position and make you more aerodynamic. When designing the bike for our assigned person we had to make the bike fast, comfortable, and stable for the ride. My partner interviewed Anne and she said “I need to be able to ride fast, comfortable, and stable when I’m riding.” which is basically exactly what our persona needed. Our targeted user is a 17 year old high school student named Travis. Travis lives on the third story in the South Side of Chicago. His day includes carrying a bike up and down three flights of stairs and traveling 10 miles to school and back on a bike. With that being said we knew that he had to have a bike that was fast, aerodynamic, and light.
The bike that we came up with is great because it is ultra light which makes it easy to carry. That is important because our persona lives on the 3rd floor and has to carry his bike down the stairs every day. Our bike is also extremely easy to lock because it has a retractable lock that is built into the frame. The lock is five feet long so it is easy to wrap around the whole bike so people can't even steal individual parts. Our bike has built in shocks under the seat and by the front to make the ride even more comfortable. Another reason the ride is comfortable is because we added a memory foam seat that is still slim enough to be aerodynamic.
Our bike holds some unique benefits. Our bike is a road bike with shocks, a storage compartment, and a built-in, retractable lock. The shocks combined with the road bike type frame induce a very comfortable ride while keeping it aerodynamic. The carbon frame and wheels make it extremely light and easy to carry up and down three flights of stairs at the end of a long ride. The retractable lock makes it extremely easy to lock up anywhere. For more comfort we added a bag to the frame that is slim but can still hold everything our persona needs for school. Travis should believe in this design because it is made to be easy to carry up and down three flights of stairs, is aerodynamic to fly against the wind, and is easy to lock up when he gets to school. The road bike type frame allows him to travel at high speeds. On top of all that he doesn't have to carry a book bag on his back anymore, he can just store it in the compartment attached to the frame.
We did run into some obstacles while designing the bike such as, we had to make the bike light and fast. To fix the speed part we wanted to make the bike electric but when we were on FE we learned that electric bikes are very heavy so we quickly ruled that out. Another thing that made the process harder is that we wanted to add drop down handles. However, one of the considerations was that the bike had to be comfortable and those type of handlebars force you to sit in a crouching position, which is not very comfortable at all.The estimated time that it would take our persona to get to school from his house is about 56 minutes to an hour. Travis is travelling 10 mph 4.47 meters per second. The Comfortable Distance Tire’s diameter is 31 inches. The circumference is 97.34 inches around. The Comfortable Distance’s wheel will rotate 6501.46 times from Travis’s house to his school.
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| BKJ, Bike Terrain (2014) |
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