Everyday Tech. Blog Post 3

The piece of technology I chose would be the "highlighter". The reason for choosing this would be that before this invention people would most likely have to circle, underline or make arrows on the sides of the book pages to have a way to remember the statement or important information. With the use of the highlighter you just draw overtop of the area of interest and it is stored and sticks out from the rest of the text. I use a highlighter with just about every text book I use, it makes it much more simple than copying down on a separate sheet of paper what you need to remember, as well as it makes it less cumbersome and you only have to remember to bring one item, which would be the book. The highlighter may not be useful to everyone but it can serve many other purposes other than for book use. You can draw whatever you like with it, and most are vibrant colors that stand out and are good for doing outlines of pictures and such.

Our hair is full of secrets..

 Technology seems to be the main focus of growth throughout our society. There’s always some new technological gadget being marketed as a “must have”, to add excitement and color our lives.  We are so inundated with technology that the simple, non-technological items we may count on everyday are easily overlooked.  And often these items can be so mundane, so common like a toothbrush, or pencil, or toilet paper.  We take such items for granted until suddenly they are missing.  For me, such an item is the hair clip and more specifically, the “jaw clip”.

According to “The Hair Styler,” A jaw clip is pretty much used as an alternative to a hair tie for keeping longer hair up and out of the way. I do agree with this statement, but low and behold hairstylist, there is WAY more to it. The design of the hairclip has varied over the years, adding new shapes and colors making it more of a fashion item. I enjoy wearing hairclips because it won’t pull my hair like a hair-tie. If I tie my hair in a hair tie, usually when I take it out the ends of my hair are dry and strands of hair usually come out—but when I wear a hairclip and take it out, my hair looks brand new and there are no snarles.

When I checked in with a few of my friends about the hair clip, I found it is used for so many other uses than keeping long hair away from your face. My friend Sara uses her hair clip for adding volume to her hair. Her hair is short and pin-straight, so in the morning, after she showers, she whips her hair in this crazy styled bun (that actually makes her look like Frankenstein), securing it with a hair clip and leaves it in until it dries. When she takes it out, voila, her hair is full of body and is ready to be debuted. This was very intriguing to me because when I wear a hairclip my goal is to make my hair look pristine, not the opposite.

Another one of my girlfriends, Elizabeth, wears hair clips for different purposes. Because her hair is FULL of volume, she wears it to keep her hair tightly in tact. As I was walking around campus, I noticed many girls wearing hair clips for different hairstyles: half-way, messy up-do, tight-ballerina bun, ponytail, and pigtails. It’s a small, insignificant little item but such a resource.

Beyond being a helpful fashion item, if I think about it in greater detail, the importance of being able to work and exercise without the constant annoyance of your hair getting in the way and becoming a major obstacle is quite significant.

 If I for some reason someday had control of the hair clip companies, I would definitely make some changes. The hairclips job is to hold the hair together, BUT when a tooth breaks or several; it doesn’t do the job. This happens quite frequently I must say, I usually go through three hairclips every two months. A way to improve the hairclips is instead of using plastic but actually using wood, so it’s not as fragile. Also, since my friend Sara was all about the volume, it would be cool if the “tooth’s” of the hairclip had crimped affects, so while it being in your hair would work on it getting extra wavy.

So it is with these small, non-technological items that we may use in our lives everyday with out any thought to their importance that can really have an impact on the way your day goes.

 As pathetic as this is (especially to those with short hair), the hairclip has been a blessing in my life and to many others with long and/or big hair.

Reference:

http://www.thehairstyler.com/features/articles/hair-care/hair-accessories-the-definitive-guide

Hmmm.... Simplicity... A glue gun? (Blog #3)

            After reading the section from the Design of Everyday Things and the cover story about Steve Jobs, what really stood out was the emphasis on simplicity of design. So I began to think about what items that I use that are simple in design but have many applications. What I came up with was the hot glue gun.

            As far as crafting hobbies go, there are very few adhesives that are as effective yet simple as using hot glue for a project, and the tool itself is not that difficult to understand. The hot glue gun is composed of a metal cylinder and funnel, which is surrounded by an insulating material to prevent the shell of the glue gun from melting. The metal parts are then connected to an electrical circuit when plugged into the wall, which heats up the gun. Then there is a lever system and glue stick holder that work together to keep the glue stick inside the gun and allows the tool to be used with one hand (Frontier). The glue gun is a simple tool that can be used for many crafting projects.

            In my own experience I have used a hot glue gun for many projects. I do have a hobby modifying nerf guns, and the hot glue gun is very important because there are many things applications for it. Sealing cracks, molding to a specific shape, as a slight cushioning agent, and to strengthen parts of the blaster to handle the new stresses I add to it. The only thing I wish that the hot glue gun did better would be that it came with an attachment that could remove hot glue from projects when I make a mistake and I cannot just rip the glue out of where it is.

            As far as I have seen not many people use a got glue gun differently than myself Most of the time when I see people using a hot glue gun it is for their own crafting projects, either for a quick fix or projects of ranging size. As far s I am concerned the glue gun is one of the best tools and should be owned by anyone who enjoys crafting.

"Frontier Nerds: An ITP Blog." Free Body Diagram. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.             <http://frontiernerds.com/free-body-diagram>.

Technology We Take for Granted Blog 3

The article with Steve Jobs shows how people are obsessed with technology. Jobs obsession was to constantly make the next new product for people to buy. This showed me that the creators of products are just like every other person that is obsessed with technology. Jobs making the next new product showed that he liked that technology was constantly upgrading, but unlike most people he was able to make a living from the obsessions from people in the world.

This blog showed me how much people only think of electronics when it comes to technology. Practically everything that we use nowadays is some type of technology. People get so wrapped up in phones, video games, and computers that they think that is the only type of technology. Since electronics are always upgrading it is the biggest thing noticed as technology. People do not always recognize products like tables and chairs as technology. New chairs are not constantly made so people do not pay attention to that. I even had problem of thinking about a product because electronics was the only thing that came to mind.

The dryer is something that I feel that I use differently from other people. I do not only use the dryer to dry my clothes. This machine is another way I get the wrinkles out of my clothes. Instead of using the iron I use the dryer to get wrinkles out my clothes. I adopted a lazier way of ironing my clothes because of technology. I was already given a way to get wrinkles out of my clothes because of how far technology has come. My family doesn’t use my method of ironing my mom actually hates that I do it. After observing a few people washing their clothes I noticed that many people do not use this method of ironing either. The biggest reason being because nobody would want to pay $1.75 to iron clothes that just is not a smart choice.

Mirror Mirror On The Wall.. Is technology on its downfall?? (Blog 3)

I know we are not allowed to choose any electronically technology to talk about, but I feel the need to share this comment.  I attended a wedding this passed weekend in Baltimore.  My cousin was getting married and he is pretty wealthy. The wedding was very nice in a Catholic church.  Then came the reception, where the food was so delicious.  It now came time for the dancing part of the reception.  My cousin found the musical group off of YouTube and they were phenomenal.  They were relatively younger (mid-20s) and played up-to-date music.  How did the group remember all the lyrics to every song they played for 3 and a half hours? They used an iPad propped on a stand right in front of the microphones.  I talked to one of the singers and she said that it was some program they could use that listed all the lyrics to that song.  After the song had ended, he or she could slide the screen on the iPad to the next and play the next song and BAM there were all the lyrics.  I noticed this and how much the singers benefited from using the iPad throughout the night.

I find a car to be a piece of technology.  So I observed cars and how people drive them.  Where would the world be without cars today?  I believe we have come a LONG way since the old Model T cars to now.  Before I go in depth about the technology behind cars, and how I observed them.  I would like to pose a few questions to you - the reader.  What type of car do you drive?  What do you like about that car?  What do you dislike about that car?  Does your car have any technology inside of your car to boost the appeal?  What is your dream car? Have you ever imagined owning/driving your favorite car? Now picture yourself being driven around in a stretch limo, filled with a 52-inch flat screen television, built in phone, wireless internet, and a laptop just for the car.  You would be pretty happy about your new car, wouldn't you?  Now lets reflect on your life... How has your life changed since having this high-tech limo compared to driving your average car?  If it were I, my life would most likely turn 180 degrees around.  I am sure that everyone wants to live a life like that at least once.

Every car has its’ own unique design.  The crafter carefully designs the best way the car will perform.  You - the driver- can personally design what type of technology you would like placed into your car.  So it is up to the owner of the car to decide on what he or she wants for the car.  As long as I could listen to music and the car drives well, I would be content.  I do not need the most expensive car to be happy with life.  If I can get a decent car with excellent gas mileage and get me from A to B, then I am set.  To me, cars are a piece of technology that can be used for long periods of time and never have a problem. On the contrary, some cars seem to always have a problem with it.  I continue to use cars because they are a way of life and a necessity to get from here to there.  What would make cars better?  Lets see.. if there did not give off fumes to delude the ozone.  Maybe make all cars with technology that can be beneficial to each driver.  What makes this piece of technology different from the way I use it than others?  I take care of my car and want nothing to happen to it.  Other people drive recklessly and seem not to care.  Once those people lose their car or don't have it anymore than they realize how nice they had it.  I think I drive different than many other people.  In my own opinion, people from big cities drive much different than people from not so populated.  I am excited to see what kind of new technology is placed into cars.  Some cars use technology to park themselves.

**Car-to-Car Communication... "Unlike driver-to-driver communication, this (probably) won’t involve middle fingers. Once cars are connected thanks to technologies such as Intel’s M2M (Machine-to-Machine), they’ll be able to share data with other cars on the road and warn drivers of accidents, as well as figure out alternate routes based on real-time information — which in turn will help cut down on traffic and increase safety on the road."  If this piece of technology is created, a ton of accidents will be averted because of it.  More people will be saved and the world will be a happier place thanks to this new technology in cars.

YouTube. BMW's Future Car Gina Light Visionary HD. from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8m6lMj6vHc&feature=related

**Schusterman, M. (2012).  13 future car technologies for your road trip in 2020. Matador bnt. Retrieved June 19, 2012, from http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/13-future-car-technologies-that-will-aid-your-road-trip-in-2020/

Behold: THE PENCIL (Blog #3)

So, the pencil is pretty great.  And it really comes in handy.  I mean, who invented the pencil?  Because they're brilliant and should get a million dollars every time one is used.

Pencils were invented in the 1500's.  Legend has it that "a violent storm in the Borrowdale area of Cumberland led to trees being uprooted and the discovery of a strange black material underneath. This material turned out to be graphite, and shepherds began using it to mark their sheep". Yeah, that's awesome.

As we all know, pencils are made by having the lead or whatever sandwiched between, or engulfed by, wood.  We sharpen it, and as the lead goes down, we resharpen it.  Pretty simple.  But here's the downside: as you sharpen it, the pencil gets smaller and smaller until it's basically a stub and completely useless.  The other downside? Every time you sharpen it, the lead is really super pointy and either stabs you, or pokes holes in your paper, or both.

But then they created the mechanical pencil.  And the world changed.  Because now you don't have to sharpen them!  All you have to do is click the top and the lead is magically reloaded! Brilliant!  Until your little lead canister is empty and you have to refill it.  But make sure you bought the right size lead. Or else you're in trouble.

So, yeah. I love pencils. Why do I continue using the pencil?  Well, because I have things to write down.  But I can say that I will always prefer the pencil to the pen.

It's hard to say what would make a pencil easier to use.  Is there a way to invent a self-loading pencil?  So we never have to click or sharpen again?

Actually you know what would be better?  A pencil with a never ending eraser.  Because when those erasers disappear, I get so mad.  You have a perfectly good writing utensil, but no eraser.  And if it's a mechanical pencil, don't even think about trying to get more lead in there because that stub of an eraser is not going to move.

Even better, make a pencil that allows left handers to write without getting lead smudges all over them. I don't know if that's possible, but I think half the population would be really pleased.

I recently found out about a pencil being made that can be planted once you finish with it.  It has a seed inside of it, so when it gets down to the useless stub, you just put it in soil, water it, and it sprouts.  You can get it in herbs, veggies, flowers, all sorts of things.  I thought that was pretty awesome.

Everyone holds a pencil differently.  There is a supposed "correct" way to hold it, but I don't think anyone follows that.  That's why all of our handwriting is so different; because everyone handles the pencil differently.  But, I was watching my friend Jessi write the other day, and she's left handed, but she holds her pencil in such a bizarre way.  Her entire arm wraps around the paper and she writes sideways.  Make a pencil that makes it less likely for her shoulder to dislocate.

Ah, the pencil. Gotta love it.


"Pencil Museum." Pencil Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/>.
"When This Pencil Becomes Too Short, Plant It to Grow Herbs - DesignTAXI.com."When This Pencil Becomes Too Short, Plant It to Grow Herbs - DesignTAXI.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://designtaxi.com/news/353386/When-This-Pencil-Becomes-Too-Short-Plant-It-to-Grow-Herbs/>.

The Microwave: Friend or Foe? (Blog Post #3)

The kitchen is a prime place for family gatherings. Usually, my family comes together in the evening and talk about our day. My parents will make dinner on Sundays and we will eat leftovers from the week on or until they run out. Those leftovers are cooked in our microwave.

Our microwave is a new addition to our family. We recently purchased it after our old, white one decided to stop working. The new one is bigger with a sleeker design. When we first started using it, I thought it was the best thing ever. The black and steel gray colors seem futuristic to me. Like most microwaves, we have multiple settings for different variations of cooking.

However, my favorite setting is for popcorn. I love making popcorn and microwave setting works for how I like to cook it. The microwave fulfills our commands at will. The microwave is our fourth member in the household. Yet, in comparison to my parents, I use the microwaves in subtle different ways then I realize.

My mom and I use the microwave the same way. We are always in the vicinity waiting for our food. I like to walk around the first floor of the house while waiting eagerly for the blaring sound of the microwave. However, my mom likes her food scorching so after the clock stops, she pulls the plate with the food, eats a little bit of the plate, and if her meal is a tad bit cold, she places the food back in the microwave. Sometimes, I stop it at 30 second intervals to see if it is hot already. Similar to Goldilocks, I like the temperature of my food to be just right. I take for granted by how much our microwave is very essential to the life of my family. I wonder how many ways can the microwave be improved to benefit our lives even more.

For starters, the design could be a lot smaller. Microwaves take up too much space. I think that it would be more efficient if you could make a smaller microwave with a lot of power similar to many of the other technologies that exist today such as cellphones, laptops, and tablets. If compact microwaves existed, that would be amazing. Imagine being able to pull out a portable microwave whenever you can. It would make things a lot easier.

On the other hand, microwaves are not terrible for the household. For many meals that can be instantly cooked, the microwave comes in handy. When I am in a hurry and I want to warm up a Pop-Tart or a bagel, the microwave can be quite useful. Many people believe that microwaves could cause cancer. Even I thought that standing in front of a microwave could cause for me to have cancer. Contrary to popular belief, microwaves have a small effect on people getting cancer.

“According to the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, a unit of the Food and Drug Administration that regulates microwave oven safety, every microwave that reaches the market must meet a requirement limiting the amount of radiation it can leak in its lifetime to five milliwatts per square centimeter at roughly two inches away from the oven. According to the center, that is far below the levels of radiation that have been shown to harm humans,” (O’Connor, NYT).

This aspect can be seen as a positive. I never liked to stand directly in front of our microwave but knowing that it is not as much harm as I previously thought. Although the microwave can be very bulky in design, the multiple functions and convenience that it provides for a variety of dishes can be a great asset to any household. I am very grateful that my microwave exists to make some delicious popcorn.

Works Citied:

O’Connor, Anahad. “The Claim: People Shouldn’t Stand Too Close to a Microwave.” New York Times. Pub. Jul 10, 2007. Accessed. Sep 10, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/health/10real.html?_r=2

Simple yet Satisfying! (Blog #3)

I picked a back-rest pillow for my "something" to look at it's design. A back-rest pillow is very simple in design and is very comfortable. It's like a chair without the seat. You set it on the back of your bed against the back rest. It looks like someone just added arms to a very fat pillow. This makes it very comfortable for me to sit on my bed without having my back hurt in the process of doing homework for various classes.

I was sitting in my bed doing my homework one night and my back started to hurt. I had to keep changing the way I was sitting all the time. Then my one friend comes down from her room to do homework with me and she brings down this pillow thing and I ask her, "What's that?" It looked like a mutant pillow. She told me that she uses it when she sits up against something to help her back from hurting whilst doing homework. She let me try it out from a day and it kept me from having to move around thus eliminating the time I spent on homework. I was able to finish my work faster.

The back-rest pillow is not too big to carry around if I move to a new location to complete my work. Accompanying the pillow is a handle on the top making it very easy to move to and from some place I am currently working at. I continue to use it for comfort and it has a very soft plush texture to it while still being very firm and supporting my back well.

I looked at this pillow for a long time trying to think if I could possibly make it better. It was hard to think, because it's pretty awesome the way it is. But if I had to change one thing, I would want it to be a little wider so it could support that much more of the back and allow more padding.

I've seen most people use this pillow the exact same way I do, however I saw my friends roommate, who has one, use it very much like a pillow. She laid on it and did his homework that way. I tried it out to see if that was comfortable, and to be honest, i thought it was ridiculously uncomfortable. It was too fluffy for me to be comfortable to lay down on my stomach and have it underneath me.

I love how simple the design of the pillow is. Someone put "arms" and a handle on an extremely fluffy pillow and its like having part of a chair in your bed. It allows me to focus on my homework and less on whether or not I'm comfortable. I think it's neat how something so simple can make a huge difference in something such as doing your blog for this IT class at this college called Juniata College.

Technically Toothbrushing (Blog Three)

When we're young, the one of the many tasks our parents insist we do is to brush our teeth. "Brush after eating, brush when you wake up, brush when you go to bed, brush brush brush..." Something I got very tired of as a child. But when it comes down to it, necessity breeds advancement, and in the past few years, the advancement of the technology of toothbrushes has been quite apparent to me. Ads plaster the TV giving us the choice of such advancements as a flexible rubber bristles, tongue scrubbers, and even toothbrushes that play music...you all remember these:

Now that my teeth can hear, how can I make my ears smell? We're counting on you technology...

But what I don't understand is why there have to be many choices...I've been studying lately how many people use toothbrushes and admittedly, I have been spending far too much time observing people brush in the bathroom (it's not creepy, I swear). And you know what conclusion I have come to? Everybody freaking does it the same...maybe they differ brushing patterns, but not once did I see someone brush their tongue, remember that they had special bristles, or even (get this), I saw a man using a motorized toothbrush that was turned off to brush his teeth...normally. And no, the batteries weren't dead, because he turned it on to rinse it. So why overload us with all these advancements when people have no idea what they're getting? And how many types are there? Dr. Shir, a dentist who runs the site for her company, "The Artistic Center for Dentistry" and has received multiple awards for her work as a dentist, has found some serious numbers:

"Target has 28 choices online, and that does not include the 48 choices in “electric toothbrush”. This seems equal to what they have in their actual store – I took the accompanying picture myself.

Amazon.com has 3,498 results.

Drugstore.com has 240 results.

You can see where I would hesitate to declare one “the best”. The variety of angles, bristles, and other elements make it nearly impossible. One rule remains, however – make sure to change your toothbrush at least every three months…!"

-From the Article "How Many Kinds of Toothbrushes are There?" written by Dr. Nushin Shir

But I...I pay attention to what toothbrush I'm using. I use a toothbrush that is red and white with rubber gum massagers on each side and a tongue cleaner to boot. And I use the features as they should be used. I use the bristles to massage my gums so that I have good gum heath, and I use the tongue brush to clean all bacteria off of my tongue so I don't have bad breath. But why do I continue to use it? Because it works. I haven't gotten a cavity since I started brushing my teeth, and this type of brush gets the job done. I don't feel the need to use a motorized brush or to use some fancy brush. I use what works for me. And the proof is in my dentist's patient folder on me. How would I make this simple technology better? I wouldn't. I feel that it already has exactly what it needs. The base set of bristles has remained the same since its invention, even though the horsehair has been replaced with plastic fibers. I think that we have plateaued in terms of toothbrushes, which brings me back to my other point. The advancements in these toothbrushes are nothing more than aesthetic, cosmetic, and entertainment based advancements. They make the art of brushing fun, because as kids, our parents needed some help getting us rowdy kids to brush our teeth.   

Source: 

Shir, Dr. Nushin. "How Many Types of Toothbrushes are There?." Artistic Center for Dentistry. N.p.,                              

12 Sep 2011. Web. 10 Sep 2012. <http://www.theartisticdentistry.com/how-many-kinds-of-toothbrushes-are-there/>.

My Guitar (Blog #3)

      As time goes on, people keep coming out with more and more complex machinery. There is one device I use every day, however, that has changed very little in the past eighty years since their invention*. This device is my electric guitar. She is my first guitar, and over the approximate year I have both learned to play and had her, I have gotten to be a semi- skilled guitarist. She is a heavily modified Ibanez GiO (not sure on specific model), featuring upgraded pickups, extra tremolo springs, and a custom aluminum pick guard I made myself. I have other guitars yet I still use her every day because she is my favorite, due to the fact I love playing electric and that she is very easy and fun to play.

      I play everything from classic rock to heavy metal on my guitar, and some of my favorite songs to play are “Purple haze” by Jimmi Hendrix, “Little Horn” by Marilyn Manson, and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

      Electric guitars work on basic principles of electromagnetism. As the strings are plucked and moved, it creates a current in the pickups which goes to the amplifier and gets reproduced as sound.** There is not a lot of things I could do to make her better, as she already features so much. Perhaps the best thing I could do would be to have an Edge-3 tremolo system put in, as that would seriously improve ho I use the whammy bar. I do not use the whammy or “tremolo” bar often however, so I am content with what I have.

       I see other people (dorm neighbors, etc.) using my guitar, which is fine. I enjoy listening to others play, and seeing how they do it and try to learn techniques from them.

      Overall, I very much enjoy playing her, as she is a very fine instrument. She works well, and sounds as good as I play. I couldn’t ask much more from my guitar

*"Electric Guitar." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_guitar>.

**"How Electric Guitars Work." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/electric-guitar1.htm>.