tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70040092394398149642024-03-18T21:32:05.289-07:00SmartSurfaces 2009Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-18520251773473837592009-12-19T13:33:00.001-08:002009-12-19T13:49:04.541-08:00that's allOverall, I enjoyed the course. I loved the first half especially. Learning to program was one of my favorite academic experiences. I sat in the kitchen of my coop- ALL the engineers in the house super jealous that I got to play with an Arduino board- trying to figure out how to wire the thing up. After the wiring, I began to program. THIS is the kind of learning I can get into. Immediate feedback of whether it works or not. Literally telling the computer what I wanted the Arduino board to do, then watching it either do it or not do it, and problem solving from there. I worked on this for hours, all night, it was satisfying and I could not pull myself away. Nor could the engineers in the house pull themselves away from watching the art student attempt to write code for this apparently really fun little device. They watched me on and off all night, just hoping my face would look panicked and upset so they could run over and sit down next to me to help. Unfortunate for them, me and the Arduino board got a long great, and the first time programming and making a lamp went really well, I was so sad the next day to unwire it!<div><br /></div><div>I really enjoyed some of the conversations we had. The last day, although we were all completely sleep deprived, held great conversation. It was nice to have people from outside of the class involved, and hear their input and suggestions. I really gained a lot from that. The workshops we had in class were very beneficial as well, and again, I thought having other people come in and talk to us about their careers and then about our projects was very helpful. </div><div><br /></div><div>With my final project, I was very pleased. A few things were disappointing, and I really would love to see it work moving all the panels. I would love to see a larger version of this and see the shadows created below. I think it has a lot of potential ecspecially with the idea that the entire panel could be the solar surface, and even the reduction of snow accumulation- although questioned in class- i think has potential, and is something that could be improved upon. I would love to have this even more refined, all the details are important, and we are missing some neatness with the materials. I am extremely happy, however, that it functioned and moved the way we had wanted. We have the interaction with the sun as well as a human (in the gallery setting) stimulus. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope this class continues and would love to see projects from other groups of students. That is what has been so interesting throughout the semester. Watching different groups present extremely different approaches to one problem/prompt. The personalities, habits, and skills of the different group members is what produces the final project, and I would love to stay involved/see what future classes and groups produce. </div><div><br /></div>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-16248246568351859622009-12-19T13:26:00.001-08:002009-12-19T13:32:55.549-08:00time crunchI find it extremely interesting that all four groups were in the gallery the two nights before constructing and installing their work in the most efficient manners of work I had seen for this entire project. The time crunch truly creates efficiency and time management, and if there were a way to create that sort of response without the looming deadline, than people would be incredibly successful (or maybe that is the trick of those who are). This is something we have dealt with all semester, and something most people have dealt with much of their lives. The feelings that you can work on it later, procrastination. Where does it come from and why is it so powerful? <div><br /></div><div>This is not to say people did no work on the project all semester, but the number of prototypes each group had were a fraction of what they should have been. I just wonder how to get rid of this habit we all have of putting things off until there is a fearful deadline that must be met, and I think of the amazing things we could do should we use all of our time and use it wisely...</div>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-13910442115657747452009-12-17T14:30:00.000-08:002009-12-19T13:26:20.319-08:00interdisciplinary workThe interdisciplinary aspect of this class was great. I think that these three fields and teach and learn a lot from each other, and that working together is critical in any one of their success. That was the major reason I signed up for the class, and even through frustration and seeming disaster, I still look view that as the most important part of the class. <div><br /></div><div>It only makes sense that people learn to work with other people, for it working only with other art students for the rest of my life is not something i want, nor plan on happening. I think this is true for all disciplines. Whether or not any of us got better at working with other people can be up to speculation, however, I suppose it was quite the test, and we got a lot of practice!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It was great to get a better understanding of what other students are learning. Watching what other students excelled in or wanted to learn about was interesting. </div><div><br /></div><div>I worked a lot with johanna and making decisions about the project as well as with the posters and pictures. When her and I sat down we made a ton of progress. It was much easier to work the two of us on the details than with the whole group, because decisions just needed to be made. We drew out pictures and talked about how everything would fit together and be structured. This was a huge step, for we were able to all be on board and have a greater understanding of the functioning of the project. </div><div><br /></div><div>We then spent a lot of time taking pictures of the progress, editing, creating a template for the posters, and picking graphics and pictures that we wanted on the posters. We met a lot throughout the last three weeks to discuss various options and kept each other updated with newer versions. I was able to learn inDesign and incorporate work from everyone involved in the project. I spent a lot of time going back through our older brainstormings and inspirations. I wrote up all the text discussing goals and inspirations as well as the process we took to accomplish the project. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also worked on the entire progress section of the paper. I went back and looked at our progress and how we got there. I discussed inspirations and goals (like in the poster), and our work process. </div><div><br /></div><div>When it came down to construction, I was very excited, because that was something I really like to be a part of. I learned a lot about soldering and about solar panels. We did a ton of gluing, soldering, drilling, testing, and finger crossing that nothing would go incredibly wrong!</div><div><br /></div><div>The begining of the class started off much more promising in terms of learning from the interdisciplinary aspect of the group. We were learning about alternative energy and each doing our own programming. People were brainstorming together, using different machines, constructing together, and really keeping each other updated. I would get emails daily from my group about what people were working on, and architects would be programming while engineers would be constructing, and art students would be creating files in digital project. THIS is what the class was meant to be. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the final project I saw a lot less of this in my group (however I know it was still prevalent in others). Art and Architecture students were using digital project, constructing, etc, while engineers were programming. There were many weeks where group meetings existed only between the engineers or the architects. People were working on what they knew how to do instead of really stepping outside of the box. Overall, I feel this is true, although I do acknowledge that I have taken away a number of skills I DEFINITELY did not have before the class. I learned to solder and a lot about construction and such. I would love to have done a lot more programming and arduino work, for that was really interesting and fun. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-70994705982753518632009-12-12T13:21:00.000-08:002010-08-09T14:36:25.720-07:00final construction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZFfYXq2CPTRLuZycQFrqzn0cUscquwlCLcwV05BaPtPgES5qkya1M79Kd9O-bzIclFIBkml9kM9qxXkRF7mBJ-Bey7wNrCK5hM0nRYvCzD-XI9mZDYzV7qofkk0vrpNRMa7_qoZwIwyv/s1600/%5Bsection.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZFfYXq2CPTRLuZycQFrqzn0cUscquwlCLcwV05BaPtPgES5qkya1M79Kd9O-bzIclFIBkml9kM9qxXkRF7mBJ-Bey7wNrCK5hM0nRYvCzD-XI9mZDYzV7qofkk0vrpNRMa7_qoZwIwyv/s400/%5Bsection.jpeg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0H_2VUC_LY8SpXJDlq3b4-OuIajAA7To-LT5Md5n7EeryA5tykJeUI7SMi2ynZ3NtFwC_ro-OF3-vyQd2wNZ7gyVVugyashZ23xoJ6vuHxp-1SLGWfO-BsylGH84ETjx1JnOmMlr7C6iq/s1600/%5Bfiiiinish.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0H_2VUC_LY8SpXJDlq3b4-OuIajAA7To-LT5Md5n7EeryA5tykJeUI7SMi2ynZ3NtFwC_ro-OF3-vyQd2wNZ7gyVVugyashZ23xoJ6vuHxp-1SLGWfO-BsylGH84ETjx1JnOmMlr7C6iq/s400/%5Bfiiiinish.jpeg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyfS9LqCNjitb2qhiJyqmiD4uXcfYiyBvQm3o8LBx5g4B2ZmG8KPHevmmGghkEe8m3X-0QXyRhpfCTNCMeYRDFc07K_D5tYrYA3z6U_Un5jcrZUi5tqm3BP0j1O7K_liHuUerBY3BfQU8/s1600/Schematic+One+Unit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyfS9LqCNjitb2qhiJyqmiD4uXcfYiyBvQm3o8LBx5g4B2ZmG8KPHevmmGghkEe8m3X-0QXyRhpfCTNCMeYRDFc07K_D5tYrYA3z6U_Un5jcrZUi5tqm3BP0j1O7K_liHuUerBY3BfQU8/s400/Schematic+One+Unit.jpg" width="280" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN_grLTuo9btQdtgJ_d4bBmw2w90ySiXKQiMa9796Io0fbgOwkJTN_cAg610eyMVGEBeJMCSZxybeRQ4Ykxj6ZMbMHipr0P32uwePCZnbNp19FG5eKwx_O2CvNxgc08On5kL-G5GZtrBw/s1600/DSC_0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN_grLTuo9btQdtgJ_d4bBmw2w90ySiXKQiMa9796Io0fbgOwkJTN_cAg610eyMVGEBeJMCSZxybeRQ4Ykxj6ZMbMHipr0P32uwePCZnbNp19FG5eKwx_O2CvNxgc08On5kL-G5GZtrBw/s400/DSC_0085.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9B7VUmjNtu9RU1v9tevksUUyCClUv22GSG_WzisE9HPFPzShdasMunSFxqDtMqUvYuVgdf4H-0WuHTTEY8hMZ4b8GZ06rAi0VS1JdraeH1jNgHZcrFb8WP-sURHYgTbrX3YuWNRUkBPpN/s1600/CIMG4912.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9B7VUmjNtu9RU1v9tevksUUyCClUv22GSG_WzisE9HPFPzShdasMunSFxqDtMqUvYuVgdf4H-0WuHTTEY8hMZ4b8GZ06rAi0VS1JdraeH1jNgHZcrFb8WP-sURHYgTbrX3YuWNRUkBPpN/s400/CIMG4912.jpeg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64hZJ-8T2yQEuzrCfRXggQ7DoD4BDQlCaf3I1BM67PHH_XQbq2VOyDhcqWg6SS50xFGfOMwOohu0DFiLD5wvOyZ0oFSPSpGfuu8R9E-2uMNL6gYLJrKHVX_XLBp8HtQ1UzO6_niooU6RK/s1600/CIMG4930.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64hZJ-8T2yQEuzrCfRXggQ7DoD4BDQlCaf3I1BM67PHH_XQbq2VOyDhcqWg6SS50xFGfOMwOohu0DFiLD5wvOyZ0oFSPSpGfuu8R9E-2uMNL6gYLJrKHVX_XLBp8HtQ1UzO6_niooU6RK/s400/CIMG4930.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdv0yD4hbcd3Wo1puGYhu3Tly4fq9swkVhQre8c3HF2XT-WkRP_DC6rOFHexsOyjLJsVUEMp-qLI_BaOcbh6C3nhj5ayMLtx8Ndk1t_ySXh9gua0epNTiO-ihdsnEsY9kPkjNy6RlxlhD/s1600-h/CIMG4934.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414464420357034114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdv0yD4hbcd3Wo1puGYhu3Tly4fq9swkVhQre8c3HF2XT-WkRP_DC6rOFHexsOyjLJsVUEMp-qLI_BaOcbh6C3nhj5ayMLtx8Ndk1t_ySXh9gua0epNTiO-ihdsnEsY9kPkjNy6RlxlhD/s640/CIMG4934.JPG" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" width="640" /></a><br />
Day two of actual we-have-to-build-everything-NOW began early and continued onto the morning of December 11, 2009. Everyone's moods were dramatically different, and there was a bit of tension building up, which all had to be ignored so we could get this thing working!<br />
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We had people working on different things. We cleaned off all our panels, and drilled the servos into our structure. We made significant progress, and were getting very excited. There were issues, however, with regards to how we wanted it mounted, drilled into the wall, standing on the ground, or on a table? We worked all night and finally when we were ready to leave, we double checked the servos, and none of them worked. Nothing turned.<br />
We had no idea what went wrong, but thanks to our motivated, incredible, genius of an engineer (jason!), movement returned.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-54627398429233608762009-12-12T12:47:00.000-08:002009-12-12T13:08:53.042-08:00snow covered solar panels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn-iqlzmC2tbL9xtDlSx_emCc4ArlxD0wTk9rx6Me62aTbOXJ-4kX93Wrb-QP_Ppz1dw1dsVIgkEiRKx37cY-KoNNb19mDao2dP1nwd2qio6vX1ot4zp3TpqVgLh37cVlq6gFl8_P4XvU/s1600-h/solarpanels.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn-iqlzmC2tbL9xtDlSx_emCc4ArlxD0wTk9rx6Me62aTbOXJ-4kX93Wrb-QP_Ppz1dw1dsVIgkEiRKx37cY-KoNNb19mDao2dP1nwd2qio6vX1ot4zp3TpqVgLh37cVlq6gFl8_P4XvU/s400/solarpanels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414455046331642450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Living in Michigan we are vulnerable to a wide array of weather conditions ranging from sunny days, to dreary rainstorms, to freezing temperatures and massive snowfall. This is a setback for eco-friendly residents yearning to power their homes with energy produced by the sun. Our solar array protects itself from the elements of the not-always-ideal Michigan outdoors,<br />while taking a new direction from standard solar fields by adopting an animated surface.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu41KAaJDBlEHfG0j6rCcQ_6nOWL0w5qjldZFBi4tdgQm7h52Fv6F4e2I_q-992N2Q7TRS7Ihc0u_tkwc6IEi_dtY1wmA5TymXOxWRMqUNrwb_bOOf0Drhk-XXLRg7lICsgDQ6_szrzRg/s1600-h/roof_rakegd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu41KAaJDBlEHfG0j6rCcQ_6nOWL0w5qjldZFBi4tdgQm7h52Fv6F4e2I_q-992N2Q7TRS7Ihc0u_tkwc6IEi_dtY1wmA5TymXOxWRMqUNrwb_bOOf0Drhk-XXLRg7lICsgDQ6_szrzRg/s400/roof_rakegd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414455043974148466" border="0" /></a>Looking at other solutions that have already been discovered, I found the roof rake. This allows for one to "easily" reach his or her roof in attempts to scrape off the accumulation of snow. Although a viable option, it appears as just another chore added to the list. And this one involves cold weather, and falling snow... snow being pulled off the roof, and potentially right on top of you... this either meant I wasn't looking hard enough, or that maybe there WAS potential for our snow removing solar panels...?<br /><br />We thought about a heating device, although were uninspired, and unprepared for creating such a surface. We really wanted the animation of the surface and were turned off by the heating device which already exists in many surfaces to prevent ice/snow accumulation.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56fv1MEj7Lb5Vh5ZViKRp9ok4SZNBvSKA-BrI6ELRdxLgODsm7fOrzy5gWttgAcJGqwgYB2mi4BBVHgxlYyzjaFoDpYLANYHYe6R7Tox18U-R_8FgzyXWpYjhYknnel-K1nmucVq0IgOt/s1600-h/20081014_30_solar_panels.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56fv1MEj7Lb5Vh5ZViKRp9ok4SZNBvSKA-BrI6ELRdxLgODsm7fOrzy5gWttgAcJGqwgYB2mi4BBVHgxlYyzjaFoDpYLANYHYe6R7Tox18U-R_8FgzyXWpYjhYknnel-K1nmucVq0IgOt/s400/20081014_30_solar_panels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414455037889380706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbus9fk5-ZZ6iYhJjyiHSfHvJ3bYWlcmOPBMS-XPYRLhHCceVCj7EUialkHDoNsf6K1KCvJ5tfQnElOWxPXVBZjC_3mIJ9j9qNPpIRk-OtR5_vcnW4qPsg8jIraJ_uppK-jzNs0ubw4RKH/s1600-h/221678-600-0-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbus9fk5-ZZ6iYhJjyiHSfHvJ3bYWlcmOPBMS-XPYRLhHCceVCj7EUialkHDoNsf6K1KCvJ5tfQnElOWxPXVBZjC_3mIJ9j9qNPpIRk-OtR5_vcnW4qPsg8jIraJ_uppK-jzNs0ubw4RKH/s400/221678-600-0-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414455034481213426" border="0" /></a>As if shoveling the sidewalks isn't enough.<br /><br />I began to wonder whether our solar panels, even when facing the snow covered grounds of Michigan, would be collecting sunlight due to the reflections from the piles of snow...<br />I assume they would be less efficient due to light that is lost via reflection, but it is definitely something I want to look into.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-15066981425332324812009-12-12T12:39:00.001-08:002009-12-12T12:47:04.117-08:00happy accident?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5bwGi_ak8w1cL3LSd7un4Ni8YpTWOjL6uApvQ2Oa1MYlI3emGNy2_PXsjH13zOscpFBOP7HRI1SpM-lGD5eQXGsEi-F84_FS0NnTSc_uen8X7cswmBY2UTpAOJIy2qG5ML3KxxD6RciZ/s1600-h/Solar+Array+Large-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5bwGi_ak8w1cL3LSd7un4Ni8YpTWOjL6uApvQ2Oa1MYlI3emGNy2_PXsjH13zOscpFBOP7HRI1SpM-lGD5eQXGsEi-F84_FS0NnTSc_uen8X7cswmBY2UTpAOJIy2qG5ML3KxxD6RciZ/s400/Solar+Array+Large-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414452407183310818" border="0" /></a><br />Although not our original goal, we soon discovered (with the help of our professors) that the shape of our panels, could be significant with regards to the surface are of the solar cells as well as shading that occurs with solar cells that track the sun. With this leaf type shape, when the panels would rotate, they would not shade the adjacent panels- so we were led to believe. This could be a very happy accident-and we wanted to test it.<br /><br />Mat took our shapes and did a quick study.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0heciRsdrRYMGCvCH_VPCQ031_KNZSac0JAPfQ9P2rvwdIQAAv0qYnY6mneXTTXRWNsW4bMYve9oEsLdVLXI4PPRxlI5OlZvcbj_EyfIXmCEt1nOLKpmSsJKhicEl2H98ZXE0uhTlZcER/s1600-h/Shadow1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0heciRsdrRYMGCvCH_VPCQ031_KNZSac0JAPfQ9P2rvwdIQAAv0qYnY6mneXTTXRWNsW4bMYve9oEsLdVLXI4PPRxlI5OlZvcbj_EyfIXmCEt1nOLKpmSsJKhicEl2H98ZXE0uhTlZcER/s400/Shadow1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414453013542916418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQw5R_2x8f3YgfTrnDYfVRs9cGAY5hXmBIf-dwV6IogEBTjXy4qbnX43bx_HDk6j1f49OyZEDD27GI_pb2ZBclC6-4uVdlKQrRaq5QhOXIcKZxEra6mMJ1t7Cu9Veam8VZwRW1MxtnMqB/s1600-h/Perspective.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQw5R_2x8f3YgfTrnDYfVRs9cGAY5hXmBIf-dwV6IogEBTjXy4qbnX43bx_HDk6j1f49OyZEDD27GI_pb2ZBclC6-4uVdlKQrRaq5QhOXIcKZxEra6mMJ1t7Cu9Veam8VZwRW1MxtnMqB/s400/Perspective.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414453005254740466" border="0" /></a>We found that this actually would be the case, and therefore increased efficiency would result. This was very exciting, and when we looked more closely at the actual methods of producing solar cells, we discovered that it is unlikely that making the entire panel (and getting rid of the plastic, formica, and small solar cells) a solar cell, would significantly increase efficiency, and decrease other materials we needed for this project (plastic and formica). Because the process of making solar cells involves using a mold to aquire the desired shape (usually squares or rectangles), a mold of one of our panels could be used instead. This would significantly increase surface space, and efficiency.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-33340588162020278962009-12-12T12:28:00.000-08:002009-12-12T12:47:27.291-08:00division of labor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGwg6Kemb9nVo28KNn0aFPVQDoJHjBQPCUCrCN1l2MZvHd7M73uqE5CQdCNPOCjh7v8sh1WSJMDEMD46OEQ5ItLji7M4fn9MfHhlxLnwcr2XDg8s-qgA39LhTxpqmEXE0zpB1ODvbkJVp/s1600-h/Schematic+One+Unit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGwg6Kemb9nVo28KNn0aFPVQDoJHjBQPCUCrCN1l2MZvHd7M73uqE5CQdCNPOCjh7v8sh1WSJMDEMD46OEQ5ItLji7M4fn9MfHhlxLnwcr2XDg8s-qgA39LhTxpqmEXE0zpB1ODvbkJVp/s400/Schematic+One+Unit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414451878863362034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLStadWZqU6kgYe6YuS40yGQWUblZLRnTlvOIrvRXgwt6O6B5eP0BNH-xyk7B7tzBz3oDPj9uSLJH4TqHekHvRWMOJzrYI3S5g_Ln725bck0o1Pxh6drMCKdC2YG_H7yzv5X0_ZtKaux6/s1600-h/top+view.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLStadWZqU6kgYe6YuS40yGQWUblZLRnTlvOIrvRXgwt6O6B5eP0BNH-xyk7B7tzBz3oDPj9uSLJH4TqHekHvRWMOJzrYI3S5g_Ln725bck0o1Pxh6drMCKdC2YG_H7yzv5X0_ZtKaux6/s400/top+view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414451872744697442" border="0" /></a><br />We were having difficulties dividing up work before we actually cut out the plastic and had materials ready. Because only one person was working on these files, the other people would be working on other things such as diagrams, posters, designing the structure, programming, etc.<br /><br />I began work on the posters that we would want to hang behind the posters. I got a lot of help from Johanna, who had a very clear sense of what she liked, didnt like, what worked, and what didnt. This was very helpful, because I can spend many hours just moving things around, playing with how things look, etc. The two of us completed the template for our posters, and decided what kind of images and information we would want to display. I wrote up the text, gathered images and renderings, and made sure that everything between the white paper and the poster were on track.<br /><br />I also worked with Michelle on the white paper. I studied our process, found images, and wrote up a few pages that could be used.<br /><br />Michelle worked on writing the white paper, updating it to our current project aspirations. Jason, although in Boston, worked HARD on the programming, and really kept us all up to date with what was going on with his work. Mat, Chris, and Johanna did a lot of renderings and designing. They created the files for the router, as well.<br /><br />These were a few tasks that were done on our own, when not meeting together.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-16032149020691039592009-12-12T12:13:00.000-08:002009-12-12T12:25:33.323-08:00Count down<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i8z6x9EfbxWffllDN7driZ6MJq4eNz5OqqkiJqdm8wC8UFdYTVLJztUlQ-uuejawVW7Qahd5ZCP6RQ8NP1Uhs8ebEfKlIHe6hxhU72MFX2rnk96yyYm9mWDApJ_VwzPwLMYMtouAALhN/s1600-h/DSC_0108.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i8z6x9EfbxWffllDN7driZ6MJq4eNz5OqqkiJqdm8wC8UFdYTVLJztUlQ-uuejawVW7Qahd5ZCP6RQ8NP1Uhs8ebEfKlIHe6hxhU72MFX2rnk96yyYm9mWDApJ_VwzPwLMYMtouAALhN/s400/DSC_0108.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448473760242098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTofywpmmGU9mckKg17Ma1kiSmmUe1o0LZqTJPXqfCQlM6eYxCfalFXfhLKRJtcKJ_N6kJXvag0FycIn4Ta-lfiPb1gGQoc7NAOJsJ7Fwo_9bZgQP6gyytsy6mdeoFeb2BztJ8KzTFLhQ/s1600-h/DSC_0107.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTofywpmmGU9mckKg17Ma1kiSmmUe1o0LZqTJPXqfCQlM6eYxCfalFXfhLKRJtcKJ_N6kJXvag0FycIn4Ta-lfiPb1gGQoc7NAOJsJ7Fwo_9bZgQP6gyytsy6mdeoFeb2BztJ8KzTFLhQ/s400/DSC_0107.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448042007350418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZB-imZ9_ufGG2nk9koeet4ny2DB-FiDiwlQ77s0wVjH_58WQ98dQ3SujS3sAMlZNv7YnQZN5n7yEbXX47u3lprMLpBRATQ018t64-SXHhYkV8E2DepICQD9ZML2Z8LBVyKLHnHEvSw6N/s1600-h/DSC_0101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZB-imZ9_ufGG2nk9koeet4ny2DB-FiDiwlQ77s0wVjH_58WQ98dQ3SujS3sAMlZNv7YnQZN5n7yEbXX47u3lprMLpBRATQ018t64-SXHhYkV8E2DepICQD9ZML2Z8LBVyKLHnHEvSw6N/s400/DSC_0101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448037034977106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_x783DcH4D46aJ0wE592ObjQzUfSWx5M6Qf1r1yg1dpkxiJNXcu5KFNd2Ou7tuQTQTALMQ_G9d73Ed8IzRn8NgBsIWW-WmXCN6VhmW6fgtdMFY6XWp-jvNac3CE3DjRhCsgPeM4pZk6Gz/s1600-h/DSC_0100.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_x783DcH4D46aJ0wE592ObjQzUfSWx5M6Qf1r1yg1dpkxiJNXcu5KFNd2Ou7tuQTQTALMQ_G9d73Ed8IzRn8NgBsIWW-WmXCN6VhmW6fgtdMFY6XWp-jvNac3CE3DjRhCsgPeM4pZk6Gz/s400/DSC_0100.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448033664697362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-4rXZVjkiTZaDMN68P9ukW2ixdk2MNCXUajInE3ySvjyWBNsQRaFh46krrYnQ95XHkjGwas_kSUyo1e7AdTIhxprLP8M9inwW19FUaHUujczhrVLvfiOYPtiiA4R0LhJSlohN5jAz8P1/s1600-h/DSC_0097.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-4rXZVjkiTZaDMN68P9ukW2ixdk2MNCXUajInE3ySvjyWBNsQRaFh46krrYnQ95XHkjGwas_kSUyo1e7AdTIhxprLP8M9inwW19FUaHUujczhrVLvfiOYPtiiA4R0LhJSlohN5jAz8P1/s400/DSC_0097.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448028039560610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKy_Y_d10gCsnjJnF2FVS3N9NmTgj6DLsdDD8NSR1IYWAksaJnTGrYAT5WiuS2eyvF8D0VhQvgRJRjgipB-XJaN-lJrJm_xgL25hyphenhyphenz0SpFGkjFehxY2ENAJJrwt65gLaJkxiF8YohWu5eO/s1600-h/DSC_0094.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKy_Y_d10gCsnjJnF2FVS3N9NmTgj6DLsdDD8NSR1IYWAksaJnTGrYAT5WiuS2eyvF8D0VhQvgRJRjgipB-XJaN-lJrJm_xgL25hyphenhyphenz0SpFGkjFehxY2ENAJJrwt65gLaJkxiF8YohWu5eO/s400/DSC_0094.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414448026240059778" border="0" /></a><br />This last week was a test of many things. A test of endurance, a test of patience, a test of functionality compared to exhaustion, and a test of efficiency. As if smart surfaces couldnt keep us busy, we were loaded down with the work of our 13 other credits. Exams, papers, 3 group presentations, and a video documentary-all due Thursday, and this does NOT include our shy solar cell.<br /><br />Early this week (tuesday i believe), Chris, Mat, and Johanna finished the file for the formica, and got it routed. This was the last piece before we could really begin gluing things together. I soldered solar cells together all week with Michelle and Jason, so tuesday night would be our first intensive building period.<br /><br />Johanna glued the formica to the plastic, Chris and Mat worked a lot on the structure and the servos, and Jason and I soldered and soldered and soldered. We finally began to see glimpses of a finished project. We worked until 3 in the sculpture studio, and felt good when we finally packed up to go home.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-41840584226893259182009-12-07T14:28:00.000-08:002009-12-12T12:13:47.288-08:00router<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKTi4jLGCKaKejSarO083vb_PNKNNMo1Qi0u8gGH5f_J3_tyOeV7GZa07DODYH5L6oIkJgCrcCen6ml1QSySOMs0lrQPutkS-AuVeC5Kn56LgH7zRC0bwCEfM-pX3ucj6wzPJHoG_3FuJ/s1600-h/DSC_0085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKTi4jLGCKaKejSarO083vb_PNKNNMo1Qi0u8gGH5f_J3_tyOeV7GZa07DODYH5L6oIkJgCrcCen6ml1QSySOMs0lrQPutkS-AuVeC5Kn56LgH7zRC0bwCEfM-pX3ucj6wzPJHoG_3FuJ/s400/DSC_0085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412626127170474306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItgKtO0_sg1HK423shnei6zfnQHigz27Y1bKcQIAtLV57Y8ixSp2KQMIOpT5F1sH4nnEo4dq20nMSdNtTguv8xq-wve2c_0qt8BMa35Pf0h4LBeAovBhq7A9wxbxzRwShSnyuhahISvUH/s1600-h/DSC_0081.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItgKtO0_sg1HK423shnei6zfnQHigz27Y1bKcQIAtLV57Y8ixSp2KQMIOpT5F1sH4nnEo4dq20nMSdNtTguv8xq-wve2c_0qt8BMa35Pf0h4LBeAovBhq7A9wxbxzRwShSnyuhahISvUH/s400/DSC_0081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412626125563236834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4StA6sF31IizMx9GVUiPngLMruurDOZ9DtAwQj_31VILoXlLohLQ7eC04JadH4fEYYsnujp-uKcS2kBrYijikb8d1J6KLLFMC-mqDitP1-MbxIcgTE5Yd6p738mRfABQi72BkhkPGq2cA/s1600-h/DSC_0079.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4StA6sF31IizMx9GVUiPngLMruurDOZ9DtAwQj_31VILoXlLohLQ7eC04JadH4fEYYsnujp-uKcS2kBrYijikb8d1J6KLLFMC-mqDitP1-MbxIcgTE5Yd6p738mRfABQi72BkhkPGq2cA/s400/DSC_0079.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412626120658956658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PJPddZ-GYDXscvArEJIg6mSxeA5WErl77Nw_PVsftuwqw8-9hJF_4HimjTTi35zUnz2isg4gm59wU0NBEQxcZzKmrtYIkbgX9iYvZpl2E9RzhCKzUvO16bxolX9mYXE8zig3boSOKi2i/s1600-h/DSC_0077.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PJPddZ-GYDXscvArEJIg6mSxeA5WErl77Nw_PVsftuwqw8-9hJF_4HimjTTi35zUnz2isg4gm59wU0NBEQxcZzKmrtYIkbgX9iYvZpl2E9RzhCKzUvO16bxolX9mYXE8zig3boSOKi2i/s400/DSC_0077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412626116267376018" border="0" /></a><br />Friday, we took the massive sheet of plastic to the massive router, where a lot of cutting took place. It took a few hours to finish the cut, but it was exciting to really get moving, to the point of FINAL construction! To actually begin putting things together and laying them out, would be a huge step forward, one that we should have probably taken long ago.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-33380601741453386182009-12-04T20:35:00.000-08:002009-12-04T20:37:36.301-08:00theremin wildness<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW0B1sipLBI&feature=player_embedded#">theremin<br /></a>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-54326013672202505492009-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:002009-12-02T14:24:58.751-08:00nine days<div>nine days!</div><div>is not much time<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FDMG0Kb3oe5ZtOlERsPHW4TyfOaBt60bOfizgTIBhi0Lu9oiwWBkWEOcnP3XB96dpMrTcg-Y4mgn550VHHVAczM0M9AXFAb6WUfvbuGqzcnC-p_c39pQmSStjS_5lrX74J2BefMNBX4F/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2009-12-02+at+5.17.42+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 366px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FDMG0Kb3oe5ZtOlERsPHW4TyfOaBt60bOfizgTIBhi0Lu9oiwWBkWEOcnP3XB96dpMrTcg-Y4mgn550VHHVAczM0M9AXFAb6WUfvbuGqzcnC-p_c39pQmSStjS_5lrX74J2BefMNBX4F/s400/Screen+shot+2009-12-02+at+5.17.42+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410767910730203010" /><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-15734059189807178722009-12-01T21:18:00.000-08:002009-12-02T14:26:55.920-08:00constructThis week has been extremely productive, maybe break helped. Upon meeting with the whole team (minus Jason who is far away- and in touch), we finalized the design and the last materials we would need to buy. We made a schedule of when certain things would need to be accomplished, and divided work. Johanna and I have been gathering inspiration and documentation for the visual that will aid in explaining the project, and Michelle and I worked on the white paper. Chris showed up and taught me and Michelle to saulder, and we sauldered our solar panels in series.<br /><br />We have example pieces routed, and have fit everything together, made adjustments, and a new file. Chris and Johanna tested the servos, and it appears as though the smallest servos will (unbelievably and hopefully) work to turn our panels. This is very good news, assuming all goes well.<br /><br />The idea to create a sandwich with two materials came from the weight constrictions of our servos and our desire to hide the wires. We would not be able to use a solid piece of plastic or wood, and to cleanly hide the insides of our project, we may need to do layers similar to the layers of MDF in our previous module hexagon smartsurface.<br /><br />Our final materials are plastic and fomrica, which allow us all that we desire! We have routed compartments for the solar cells, and the fomrica acts as a skin, protecting and hiding it from the viewer. The panels themselves are looking much better than I was expecting, and the biggest obstacles that remain will be the routing, the construction of the base, and the actual piecing everything together.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-42951411560810522682009-11-13T13:20:00.000-08:002009-11-15T19:16:47.531-08:00the whyThis week, we got a lot down. We made decisions regarding dimensions, materials, functionality, and such. We did a number of drawings, and talked through a lot of the design. Upon meeting with our professors, and Michelle, we made (again) FORWARD progress, which was exciting. We are all very excited at this point, and the positive feedback helped fuel discussion that has taken us in a slightly different direction.<br /><br />Our desire to work with broken solar cells in attempts to make a statement about using recycled solar cells, has shifted to a new direction. We are now making a statement about the waste produced in solar energy instead of using the broken cells themselves.<br /><br />This will be interesting.<br />We got together this weekend to work on assembling one cell and to play with resin and the broken solar cells. We tweaked the leaf design a bit and discussed further material options, etc.<br />We have lots to get doneAlyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-53233280698460417122009-11-13T11:34:00.000-08:002009-11-13T11:35:39.799-08:00speaking of a smart surface...<h1 style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span id="altHeadline">SixthSense</span></span></a></h1>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-27026457783738057592009-11-11T21:23:00.000-08:002009-11-11T21:57:37.867-08:00slowlyWe are finally headed somewhere... in a direction...a direction that is straight and forward. This is extremely good news.<br /><br />Last friday, we had a pretty good sense for where we were headed. We had met nearly every day to discuss plans for the project, we made a prototype of our mechanism. We had outlined and discussed how our previous ideas and inspirations had brought us to our present spot, and we had gone through many of the necessary calculations to understand the feasibility of the project we had in mind.<br /><br />Upon meeting friday morning, we were very pleased to have work time and to finally get to sit and talk with our professors in a small group. This was an incredible change from the usual critiques we get in class, which are helpful, yet leave a lot to be desired (and generally, my group confused). Our short discussion was helpful, yet caused very painful, unpredictable problems we now faced.<br /><br />Total makeover?<br />They seemed to like the idea, and offered up some interesting perspectives, yet it changed the minds of some of our members, and really frsterated the group, as a whole, for it is MUCH too late in the game to still be changing our ideas!<br /><br />A whole lot of decisions needed to be made, and doing this as a group of six proved difficult.<br />What to keep? What to scrap?<br />Do we want the same motion? Do we want the same mechanism? Meaning? Do we want it to respond to humans/sun/weather/? Where would we install this piece? What shape do we want the surface? How many solar cells per surface? (When will the solar cells arrive!?), how will we link everything together? Where will the wires go? How big do we want this? How many rows? How many surfaces per servo? Arduino/microprocessor? Material? Layout? Is this enough energy? Will there be extra energy? What will we do with the extra energy?<br />And this is just SOME of the many unanswered questions we were facing!<br />Frightening, right?<br />We thought so.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXlr56k9D9kUPE3VduZkyC-4z11OIigjVXQOav4Lz34wrRES7vfCTzMIPl5cMz8Ofqh2asUgCmsU3sWKBlRZEZR4F4T3vYtBU4qwFg4LrRqUJsOpoCmZupfwrlp-etWd-4cA3HCL7e4c8/s1600-h/rando.1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXlr56k9D9kUPE3VduZkyC-4z11OIigjVXQOav4Lz34wrRES7vfCTzMIPl5cMz8Ofqh2asUgCmsU3sWKBlRZEZR4F4T3vYtBU4qwFg4LrRqUJsOpoCmZupfwrlp-etWd-4cA3HCL7e4c8/s400/rando.1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403091729395220754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vDtH8AxXhyphenhyphen-lC6LAmG9TTr7mxaVNPw-eNuZeQF0Jn3jpN5Mx1_dIg5y8qvO_CMPoCutnq1u0x57R1gY84wbA0i03flxlCOhyIipZspS6uq3xGGeRekgm8knAp6ieP4AV4Bh7Om5vAo4k/s1600-h/shoppinglist.1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vDtH8AxXhyphenhyphen-lC6LAmG9TTr7mxaVNPw-eNuZeQF0Jn3jpN5Mx1_dIg5y8qvO_CMPoCutnq1u0x57R1gY84wbA0i03flxlCOhyIipZspS6uq3xGGeRekgm8knAp6ieP4AV4Bh7Om5vAo4k/s400/shoppinglist.1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403091728717165282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIpT0AZCfPvUfGVr8MYfW4SjWxjwzzFkFcLNsIkG-KFyrg2V10kx8qohto2F62MXA_DTs26Kb_OjpF3OmlXTz4xzcM5glz2AYa2du_vuIcd3-8gPp2nEk4IVIwAj2cC_aMa8NZp-Ek2WD/s1600-h/sketches_1.1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIpT0AZCfPvUfGVr8MYfW4SjWxjwzzFkFcLNsIkG-KFyrg2V10kx8qohto2F62MXA_DTs26Kb_OjpF3OmlXTz4xzcM5glz2AYa2du_vuIcd3-8gPp2nEk4IVIwAj2cC_aMa8NZp-Ek2WD/s400/sketches_1.1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403090917846559378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxxq7gHFpct_pvBSLZHjNNh_92izKQcNjxQb4qlQw4kyfgbXxXT71hRAMZ0u7V83ZbKhXCemWV8H4gDSyBf3l0sBUAy2NsKOiGFSWqRechNWnb1r29DYV7w34xuFcQmPqSnxeZU8qGpnZ/s1600-h/diagram2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxxq7gHFpct_pvBSLZHjNNh_92izKQcNjxQb4qlQw4kyfgbXxXT71hRAMZ0u7V83ZbKhXCemWV8H4gDSyBf3l0sBUAy2NsKOiGFSWqRechNWnb1r29DYV7w34xuFcQmPqSnxeZU8qGpnZ/s400/diagram2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403090503876283186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />tonight,<br />we made some decisions.<br />solar cells are also working<br />forward movementAlyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-60337878741209356532009-11-04T19:21:00.000-08:002009-11-11T21:23:39.794-08:00solar sculptures and inspiration<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lwyi9XSUqOsRZqCbiVm4vYi5CRQTgeQ20vTZ9sxfe61Uzuq0Cym571dKkpG3SRnG1A-DQ6j88uCoRux1Oj1jWkZZSLqLg2YawjwofwSLkbMYkUX80Qdo-sxqX57ZEEN_hBCgUcjliXeO/s1600-h/solarcollector2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lwyi9XSUqOsRZqCbiVm4vYi5CRQTgeQ20vTZ9sxfe61Uzuq0Cym571dKkpG3SRnG1A-DQ6j88uCoRux1Oj1jWkZZSLqLg2YawjwofwSLkbMYkUX80Qdo-sxqX57ZEEN_hBCgUcjliXeO/s400/solarcollector2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400458395429793730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLC2-dUk_ZNHKidhrRQ3B2j510LnthKXYqkNaFVH-QE22nmn9iq2jspQl37kTUfYMhdi2cwSLB3Tiv8sKmStIcrHSVilR7gT2J75TgCVA0KvmFDjkdrd-dvDfkVcGTbsUX4DxuB0H4biG2/s1600-h/solarcollector5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLC2-dUk_ZNHKidhrRQ3B2j510LnthKXYqkNaFVH-QE22nmn9iq2jspQl37kTUfYMhdi2cwSLB3Tiv8sKmStIcrHSVilR7gT2J75TgCVA0KvmFDjkdrd-dvDfkVcGTbsUX4DxuB0H4biG2/s400/solarcollector5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400458395862681650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrER6Oz4ctcrF77Bo3B3Hh6sRTDkAC3_doe64s18o0yNLPQ-6BrMUXBz7es-VvuNk4-sqoHgtbVraM10UUazYEgPHJwCLbnKrUu5unXHWpJvgygMPPite8JDVmzQ0ZucU8JYAicGBzVFIj/s1600-h/solarcollector4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrER6Oz4ctcrF77Bo3B3Hh6sRTDkAC3_doe64s18o0yNLPQ-6BrMUXBz7es-VvuNk4-sqoHgtbVraM10UUazYEgPHJwCLbnKrUu5unXHWpJvgygMPPite8JDVmzQ0ZucU8JYAicGBzVFIj/s400/solarcollector4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400458393110856210" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/26/canadas-shimmering-solar-collector-sculpture/">The above</a> sculpture depicts the movement of the sun in the sky throughout the year, something our group has been very interested in pursuing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/solar-textiles.php">Below</a> we have an example of solar fabric. This is material that has come up over and over in my group, for we find ourselves constantly wanting to incorporate fabric into the design.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJuOL0V_rYp3wfoEbNw4OzIw15tGayEL_GeznspXjZq4rw88M2bNeqMSY9XxSv7PJW2_C8AF3JixdmemZTpVVAK6CgtBL2S3s6S9eHoRPpcJFKH4RfrYHmmZojqzVPMdkGIv_wzRnD9_x/s1600-h/solar-soft-house.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJuOL0V_rYp3wfoEbNw4OzIw15tGayEL_GeznspXjZq4rw88M2bNeqMSY9XxSv7PJW2_C8AF3JixdmemZTpVVAK6CgtBL2S3s6S9eHoRPpcJFKH4RfrYHmmZojqzVPMdkGIv_wzRnD9_x/s400/solar-soft-house.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400486864023867698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGdUkcioIpZDQ-7hOYE6KMVPWgWTR1TYfSy3FtvAej-XmOfCdy0F8rxrXILFXJr5Y-gr1THNsbkiLL8gTEaVgVv88T-Q0DTCODT0820QO6EhU_SYGGLClYrQ5kGaEFexsWumu1Zt0tAfX/s1600-h/mit-solar-textiles.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGdUkcioIpZDQ-7hOYE6KMVPWgWTR1TYfSy3FtvAej-XmOfCdy0F8rxrXILFXJr5Y-gr1THNsbkiLL8gTEaVgVv88T-Q0DTCODT0820QO6EhU_SYGGLClYrQ5kGaEFexsWumu1Zt0tAfX/s400/mit-solar-textiles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400486867823820914" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="file:///Users/aalyssa/Desktop/solarcollector2.jpg" alt="" />Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-17223779116747886022009-11-04T18:24:00.000-08:002009-11-05T20:53:24.848-08:00creepy like our fingers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFta35171OdUbx_LpLCYMcpflKBjD7C8L5iyaLERR2NyPvvdtXpF1ohFYcL8H0o-tsYEplFqV1BG-FWJ_JW72nNpgpC8kwoWW5GonWRYKr9CHz8gNphOgbuK5WeSTxpeYQdiODuL1vMCg/s1600-h/lumin2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFta35171OdUbx_LpLCYMcpflKBjD7C8L5iyaLERR2NyPvvdtXpF1ohFYcL8H0o-tsYEplFqV1BG-FWJ_JW72nNpgpC8kwoWW5GonWRYKr9CHz8gNphOgbuK5WeSTxpeYQdiODuL1vMCg/s400/lumin2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400448692459108258" border="0" /></a>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-56295508239861696942009-11-02T19:22:00.000-08:002009-11-02T19:42:59.398-08:00blogging<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ILvF_bjTmDOka7pIexM3tVzmLcuU8h5i5p06ye-ByYxx0v-MdSWhhlj7AIHP913p48DAxWMbCXlSVibCWQKVkzclQR_xlxLv2SBT3WxjyjVHIkri4AEVSWsmY1ZTDM1RH7iS4qLz15eR/s1600-h/211135412JLyhog_ph.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ILvF_bjTmDOka7pIexM3tVzmLcuU8h5i5p06ye-ByYxx0v-MdSWhhlj7AIHP913p48DAxWMbCXlSVibCWQKVkzclQR_xlxLv2SBT3WxjyjVHIkri4AEVSWsmY1ZTDM1RH7iS4qLz15eR/s400/211135412JLyhog_ph.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399713325452960898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dzY2FE8RBAacitMbAK3y6bZKASH6mpj6gASVym7b2rmKn0Oi-6pinRLouD62Uu9G6wa1NAIJqLB7aeSOPcILyGuYIKEZm_oL9CCsD7tUh0Jv5vu_FD2miye2SI2XbP2AfEgH7uugQ7kz/s1600-h/1_page_14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dzY2FE8RBAacitMbAK3y6bZKASH6mpj6gASVym7b2rmKn0Oi-6pinRLouD62Uu9G6wa1NAIJqLB7aeSOPcILyGuYIKEZm_oL9CCsD7tUh0Jv5vu_FD2miye2SI2XbP2AfEgH7uugQ7kz/s400/1_page_14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399713323895683122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmW8xWt468Gd5LnnY8SYGydeKvfA5eJSli0vUhqNi4MxpJYtdxMbHPBU4VeR2YglU8JN9TTwyAmZf7xrGUsItHvbNosBSKEP9FCn5GwhCsVXqWUyz3xfUbgqJtRPn_2gYk-GKvjmUJwsVu/s1600-h/SolarDomeL1a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmW8xWt468Gd5LnnY8SYGydeKvfA5eJSli0vUhqNi4MxpJYtdxMbHPBU4VeR2YglU8JN9TTwyAmZf7xrGUsItHvbNosBSKEP9FCn5GwhCsVXqWUyz3xfUbgqJtRPn_2gYk-GKvjmUJwsVu/s400/SolarDomeL1a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399713319056979762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4cdrQToL_r14eh9LIf3F83BQZJ2k4QR24PP9HngTCaOkNti9STm11newhk2sZTnalwXeNSpIVsm3Y0sI9yb91QIN7PT1YkrOIboJI3VoyImfD23BtxunXCKy0iFivyioQEv4rPLPF2Cd/s1600-h/sun_dia.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4cdrQToL_r14eh9LIf3F83BQZJ2k4QR24PP9HngTCaOkNti9STm11newhk2sZTnalwXeNSpIVsm3Y0sI9yb91QIN7PT1YkrOIboJI3VoyImfD23BtxunXCKy0iFivyioQEv4rPLPF2Cd/s400/sun_dia.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399713315874083618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbORm_YVkmH7X5znCobnbk-Hm2ZKDBEXC_vEbgR7hbex0Nmn3eGVjfrgwRLvcZHW3GdUaxwN6ROSyy8c0heBKRbGML7mvhB0OmJ4-jMLTHHb3PWPW6ACDDsUq0C2JbaRyc7db6IUBU3d_/s1600-h/maz_exp.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbORm_YVkmH7X5znCobnbk-Hm2ZKDBEXC_vEbgR7hbex0Nmn3eGVjfrgwRLvcZHW3GdUaxwN6ROSyy8c0heBKRbGML7mvhB0OmJ4-jMLTHHb3PWPW6ACDDsUq0C2JbaRyc7db6IUBU3d_/s400/maz_exp.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399713307871633058" border="0" /></a><br />Although blogging is something I enjoy more than many other types of homework, I have unfortunately found that when I am frustrated with how things are going, I completely neglect blogging altogether. This is a problem, for both my grade and for keeping track of our progress, and is definitely something I am working on.<br /><br />As for the group...and the project, and the progress... Again, hard to talk about without frustration and neglect, but powering through- my group is great. Everyone brings a lot to the table and we have very easy, free flowing conversation. People are motivated and there are moments of excitement and advancement in ideations as we look at books and websites people bring to our meetings. The project, is less than we had originally hoped, and we are definitely less excited about it than we had hoped we would be, BUT we are not dwelling in this.<br /><br />We continue to meet nearly every net yet have nothing tangible since the small mechanism we had made for Friday's class. Finally, we put together a budget, and the beginning of prototyping is in site.<br /><br />We have moved away from the inefficiencies of laying the panels on a flat plan, and have opted for something to increase its interaction with human beings as well as the sun. Our plane of moving solar panels has morphed into a 3D surface protruding out from a gallery wall and attracting potentially curious people towards it.<br /><br />Inspired by the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq3UuHlPLQU&feature=player_embedded">Mimosa plant</a>, which reacts to touch, be continued to brainstorm how to engage a human being via our surface which is powered by the sun.<br /><br />With today's meeting we have changed the motion of our solar panels to a flipping motion instead of an up and down movement. We have changed the sensor from one sensing voltage to one sensing proximity, and we have completed our budget.<br /><br />I am still very concerned that our dome is no more efficient than the plane we had in mind.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4vUJPnN68YHnqpVdCCi-G_s6_HQBklbjUTQMxM6tzr3KYkRnd2P9AcDcxh6j2Xdlr1IE6FSmM4dwhKErAzgsOABe8YqDWTsfTslvsnIBqauhIuZfjDbyNQWJkAfKjiuwJ1lctosqLEIi/s1600-h/Dome.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4vUJPnN68YHnqpVdCCi-G_s6_HQBklbjUTQMxM6tzr3KYkRnd2P9AcDcxh6j2Xdlr1IE6FSmM4dwhKErAzgsOABe8YqDWTsfTslvsnIBqauhIuZfjDbyNQWJkAfKjiuwJ1lctosqLEIi/s400/Dome.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399717306247069698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69HVUPCPKVf_M7Jkg3Erww697vazGcX8DDO3n_F0lUsJMmIE-Ws40nzDnEwvQjpvZrfYina3fumeAfl1tMKCALoT7VYPXc6FUip0knGip6FXkr1968015mT2xfC1hOIJbgwjChgwa8duQ/s1600-h/mazria.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69HVUPCPKVf_M7Jkg3Erww697vazGcX8DDO3n_F0lUsJMmIE-Ws40nzDnEwvQjpvZrfYina3fumeAfl1tMKCALoT7VYPXc6FUip0knGip6FXkr1968015mT2xfC1hOIJbgwjChgwa8duQ/s400/mazria.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399717299001742546" border="0" /></a><br /><img src="file:///Users/aalyssa/Desktop/fall%2009/smart%20surfaces/final%20project/sun/211135412JLyhog_ph.jpg" alt="" />Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-55030042207171334882009-10-31T11:55:00.000-07:002009-10-31T12:20:30.351-07:00resultsLast class was great. Eugene Shteyn came and did a workshop for the majority of class. Originally, we were all curious as to why this workshop did not occur much earlier in the course, for by this time in the semester, we are all extremely frustrated with the brainstorming that must take place between our groups of diverse thinkers, however, after today we had a better understanding of why.<br /><br />Talking about invention and innovation, we discussed the example of crow who would drop a nut from a wire line, wait for a car to smash it, wait for the cross walk to display the walk sign, and go retrieve it's meal. We thought this, incredible for a crow, yet tedious and silly should a human attempt to do the same. Looking a bit further into this example, I searched the web to find out how people would crack nuts without a nut cracker. First of all, the fact that a number of instructional sites had directions for how a person should retrieve the insides of this food was surprising, as well as the complexity involved in their answers.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xndHvMvPm86gy0SLIpnlud_Ym8m1uYNr6NEf8nTy3o1z6an6KUeHiVj8YctP_iZbrOCiyXXHGMiuM6XnNDonFFv0fIlLl5-5NDqLYHRURwT2sjSsB9gbKURmm_6v4LjjW7To9cP40mwm/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2009-10-31+at+3.01.08+PM.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xndHvMvPm86gy0SLIpnlud_Ym8m1uYNr6NEf8nTy3o1z6an6KUeHiVj8YctP_iZbrOCiyXXHGMiuM6XnNDonFFv0fIlLl5-5NDqLYHRURwT2sjSsB9gbKURmm_6v4LjjW7To9cP40mwm/s400/Screen+shot+2009-10-31+at+3.01.08+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398842106380280498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This changed my mind on how silly it would seem for a person to attempt the crow's feat, for although the steps are different, they remain similarly tedious.<br /><br />We looked at examples of inventions and spoke of seemingly good ideas that turn bad due to circumstances and/or timing. An example that was explained was a spandex type material in a time of great obesity- changing trends clearly change the success of a product.<br /><br />What I found interesting, as well, was the comparisons of yahoo and google. Discussion about why google has been so wildly successful and yahoo has fallen behind.<br /><br />The most important part of this workshop to me and my group, was the brainstorming. We spoke a little bit about brainstorming and further, did a whole lot of brainstorming, as well. The reverse brainstorming session was great for moving my group forward. It was easy to agree upon problems our project would face, and by writing them on a BIG piece of paper, allowed us all to see it, read it, and come back to it as often as necessary. We could easily point things out to each other, and releasing all these potential problems that get pushed around from the very front to the very back of our minds, now shared a common place. A place where instead of being one person's responsibility to remember this problem, it became a problem for the group to address head on.<br /><br />Walking to class on Friday I was extremely curious as to how it would go, after a week of increased frustration and stress, however this was the best class we have had all semester (in my opinion), and were offered intriguing material, great discussion, and interactions, as well as actually brainstorming and moving forward on our projects, as well.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-11625031414906161282009-10-25T20:04:00.000-07:002009-10-28T13:08:30.022-07:00side stepI feel as though we meet every single night, and we brainstorm, and discuss, and draw pictures, and bounce ideas off each other. Everyone is very open about other people's ideas, we all get along great, and everyone contributes a ton. People bring in materials, books, movies they have seen for inspiration, and we move. Only it's in a direction that is not forward. In a direction that leaves us drained of motivation, frustrated, and completely discouraged.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-48681260889104347152009-10-23T17:31:00.000-07:002009-10-24T16:16:56.806-07:001 step forward, 3 steps backThis week was full of intense conversation and discussion about many ideas for our final project. Our team has been working extremely well, and everyone is very open minded. We all worked on researching three of our own ideas that really excited us and present them to the group. We spent a lot of time looking into each of these ideas individually as well as somehow combining them into a SUPER smart surface, (thanks to the amazing art skills one of our engineers has been hiding).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDQAFmz5XB31W8mLjv46Ahc7NdqmBFq6wMe9fJ7wnNoC_2yGBzDCBKhUZgk9-0zvhwNuHOQG3o6Ny0AfecBUMRV0YYTaB0KTX48i1FLMK8eaDmlDxzHRuCyPYgJgRDco9S5tPIO445U_W/s1600-h/56.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDQAFmz5XB31W8mLjv46Ahc7NdqmBFq6wMe9fJ7wnNoC_2yGBzDCBKhUZgk9-0zvhwNuHOQG3o6Ny0AfecBUMRV0YYTaB0KTX48i1FLMK8eaDmlDxzHRuCyPYgJgRDco9S5tPIO445U_W/s400/56.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396264663215426178" border="0" /></a><br />We began with the idea that we want to bring green indoors. Having taken classes and done a good amount of research on the importance of green and natural environments on the behavior and efficiency of people, the group felt this was an essential issue that we could all get excited about. As described by <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=tmGLFf1dUasC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=nature+restoration+kaplan&source=bl&ots=nZbwviLVWT&sig=4HDOUgjONcaa9CYsUkv0kifgR4A&hl=en&ei=MUziSoO2HMSl8Abm7eD8AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=nature%20restoration%20kaplan&f=false">Kaplan and Kaplan</a> (our very own wolverines!), eight hours of sleep is not enough to restore the directed attention that we expend on activities such as studying, reading, and other activities that we must force ourselves to focus on. This type of attention takes effort and naturally fatigues. It has proven that being in nature helps to restore this type of attention by distracting us with involuntarily fascinating stimuli, which in result allows our directed attention to restore itself.<br /><br />With this in mind, we all split up to work on and research a few of our own ideas, which were brought together (as already mentioned). Every day we met, we would come up with a finalized-ish idea, and every day that would be something completely different.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtk6z2wtUKqHd5qzkT_J-cV7IK9uph7yhw1xgFpaujzHjWaLtqYMtO0UV7zhRhqmC3C8y7vrFh5vHYfNMixyYRbBcCnqh40M1tGxMKuETx4ubyriyimnsBR5M9R3lcWd7TPCbfYmeks78/s1600-h/algae-valcent1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtk6z2wtUKqHd5qzkT_J-cV7IK9uph7yhw1xgFpaujzHjWaLtqYMtO0UV7zhRhqmC3C8y7vrFh5vHYfNMixyYRbBcCnqh40M1tGxMKuETx4ubyriyimnsBR5M9R3lcWd7TPCbfYmeks78/s400/algae-valcent1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395970925144836082" border="0" /></a><br />We looked a lot into algae and how algae was being used for biodiesel. We were intrigued both by this process as well as the suprisingly visually appealing set up of such a system. Having worked with algae in the past, I was VERY excited about this possibility. We began looking into people in the area who are or have worked with algae, as well as began looking into efficiency, and feasibility. <span style="font-weight: bold;">What I found so intriguing about the possibility of using algae, is the parallel between natural and technical sun-based systems.</span> Algae has not been totally removed from our final project, however, and has played a huge role in bringing us to our current ideas.<br /><br />Another issue that we really wanted to tackle was that of water purification. We talked a lot about natural systems and how to use a mix of both natural and technical systems in order to filter water. We discussed where the water would come from, and what the purpose of the filtered water would be (for drinking, for watering plants, etc). We looked into using the algae in this process, as well, although this seemed to be getting super complicated and we began to divert slightly away from this topic.<br /><br />I looked a lot into people power, and read about bike systems that would generate power that would be put back into the grid when one parked. The amount of energy produced would equate into credits that a person could now use on other sorts of public transit. Gyms, where the energy generated from working out on the machines was powering the machines, was another incredible example of using energy produced by people's every day activities.<br /><br />Somehow we ended up on "Evil Green".<br />The idea that people smoke, and will continue to smoke. We began to question if we could generate some sort of power from this seemingly terrible habit in attempts to... well the "in attempts to" is still being discussed. Whether we want this to be in the form of an ashtray, a smoke lounge, an outdoor smoking area, we have not decided. We have been doing some research into how much energy we could potentially generate if we used the heat from cigarettes that were burning out, instead of being put out.<br /><br />Although we have already had numerous meetings, it does not necessarily feel as though we have made much progress, for the "final" idea changes drastically each time we meet, and so not much forward movement has occurred. I really hope to begin prototyping this week.<br /><br />We have a lot to do, a lot to talk about, and some significant decisions to address this week.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-2418672533967446762009-10-23T09:59:00.001-07:002009-10-23T10:52:17.708-07:00inspiration-a new direction<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGQtPaOTS17xaGjA-eRAuvb6h3_IMYesXdz2OidFd6oMFNEYuWbX00G0n40TaZFbHkeax9Vw8TDhCXkfB7Hszh7gy5oGHDptaEzQE3LYLCv-DdC6YE1zKIaM-p05TX8LHU9EfArkhezq4/s1600-h/plant-air-filter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGQtPaOTS17xaGjA-eRAuvb6h3_IMYesXdz2OidFd6oMFNEYuWbX00G0n40TaZFbHkeax9Vw8TDhCXkfB7Hszh7gy5oGHDptaEzQE3LYLCv-DdC6YE1zKIaM-p05TX8LHU9EfArkhezq4/s400/plant-air-filter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395852814967677874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZ28EwKgNKTmUm8gjcccrq8O7Ary6J6bxe_npQVk8UY2_D-nAd-iURMGtjJreUe8JY0sZgZfjf1aXS8KBTi_q_JX0CKiKVmMs_LLtQt3_qeW6Urr_UrE5E06qlUKxnM-_d-qbvEBgojlX/s1600-h/greenwall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZ28EwKgNKTmUm8gjcccrq8O7Ary6J6bxe_npQVk8UY2_D-nAd-iURMGtjJreUe8JY0sZgZfjf1aXS8KBTi_q_JX0CKiKVmMs_LLtQt3_qeW6Urr_UrE5E06qlUKxnM-_d-qbvEBgojlX/s400/greenwall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395852808853860546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-FYhqWPe3E6UJAPNWk5qRofNnpnFPoaIqyqotJByBQp7tboVVfqWJ5bvjI_ITtffGV_fz3aAyDn1bzX6MlY0L8JuRKUui8R6aRPNHH50Gyoa6-Ov1Hla9j_b6yKkcRlR3ZGRZzjulg3_/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 336px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-FYhqWPe3E6UJAPNWk5qRofNnpnFPoaIqyqotJByBQp7tboVVfqWJ5bvjI_ITtffGV_fz3aAyDn1bzX6MlY0L8JuRKUui8R6aRPNHH50Gyoa6-Ov1Hla9j_b6yKkcRlR3ZGRZzjulg3_/s400/10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395852804732359938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Xj6CCEvYMD76o2I1CDJBIk3r8MoWHNFuGkaWwihJsNTFUrotMre_3NT4Kv1mYLQW4XpHaRoyd6vo7S7XxTqED7PGnRC-nJKajHYsPB9gvp-xgLWrYNPheT3A_uyZ2YNpPl4OwhCJyzmp/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2009-10-23+at+12.21.40+AM.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Xj6CCEvYMD76o2I1CDJBIk3r8MoWHNFuGkaWwihJsNTFUrotMre_3NT4Kv1mYLQW4XpHaRoyd6vo7S7XxTqED7PGnRC-nJKajHYsPB9gvp-xgLWrYNPheT3A_uyZ2YNpPl4OwhCJyzmp/s400/Screen+shot+2009-10-23+at+12.21.40+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395852793736358210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/cigbutthowmany.htm">Stats</a><br /><br />People are not going to stop smoking.<br />Is there a way to create some good out of this seemingly terrible, potentially unbreakable habit?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.greendiary.com/entry/20-awesome-sculptures-made-from-trash/">Sculptures from Trash</a>Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-63466417634703983652009-10-20T11:23:00.001-07:002009-10-23T18:16:30.826-07:00inspiration<a href="http://webecoist.com/2009/08/23/power-generating-bike-alternative-energy-design/">Generating energy-biking </a><br /><a href="http://columbian.com/article/20090216/NEWS02/702169966"><br />Gym members help keep lights on </a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnOSnJJSP5c">Algae</a>- bio diesel and other usesAlyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-63247096870176733082009-10-19T14:17:00.000-07:002009-10-20T19:02:48.856-07:00sparks fly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFufZ6Y_gmz5yXCEn2I2qjczDg_WH7kcdxG7U2kRUbkS178TPYAoczsSwmjtqx_WbarNEpiaFTPRVRW1xaeAiBz_PB4pJafEyWRji90ecIWwLCIwQaD15E-LcpnrAFrnrCEyRz5oS88j2G/s1600-h/goatsonroof.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFufZ6Y_gmz5yXCEn2I2qjczDg_WH7kcdxG7U2kRUbkS178TPYAoczsSwmjtqx_WbarNEpiaFTPRVRW1xaeAiBz_PB4pJafEyWRji90ecIWwLCIwQaD15E-LcpnrAFrnrCEyRz5oS88j2G/s400/goatsonroof.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394864050197239362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsfoyjeR-5GEWtN2lQKGwLzQA8GNb6-1sXfTYhxYgPDisu6jaz73IQctLQsuj6PK4HJFL2nXysXazZVS5R13sKQTz3WhK0jMJAQxVCHS2a_DT6MLjg-7GKN0U08maHQJap0nnSR3eiCmP/s1600-h/verticalgarden09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsfoyjeR-5GEWtN2lQKGwLzQA8GNb6-1sXfTYhxYgPDisu6jaz73IQctLQsuj6PK4HJFL2nXysXazZVS5R13sKQTz3WhK0jMJAQxVCHS2a_DT6MLjg-7GKN0U08maHQJap0nnSR3eiCmP/s400/verticalgarden09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394864044073563634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKz95RsgTXrPMrQxf1rq8Onf68mzcrQdM3UKqHrGioalvmv_9L6egFaR2YQvnLskwf0Cpf12SM-_VkvLTkRBeLzgJLyjVeYZpeZvTmcVapEnNvAYNAZNoUaOxCxwPV_E_4MN0p_-iuMGC/s1600-h/3473473444_e13b588c90_o_tXRaY_22976.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKz95RsgTXrPMrQxf1rq8Onf68mzcrQdM3UKqHrGioalvmv_9L6egFaR2YQvnLskwf0Cpf12SM-_VkvLTkRBeLzgJLyjVeYZpeZvTmcVapEnNvAYNAZNoUaOxCxwPV_E_4MN0p_-iuMGC/s400/3473473444_e13b588c90_o_tXRaY_22976.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394864028888143970" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/06/24/versatile-system-by-javier-fernandez-han/"> </a><h2 id="post-35590"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bringing green inside/Urban</span></h2><br /><br /><h2 id="post-35590"><br /></h2><h2 id="post-35590"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">People Power-</span><br /><br /><a href="http://webecoist.com/2009/08/23/power-generating-bike-alternative-energy-design/">Generating energy-biking </a><br /><a href="http://columbian.com/article/20090216/NEWS02/702169966"><br />Gym members help keep lights on </a><br /></h2><h2 id="post-35590"><br /></h2><h2 id="post-35590"><span style="font-size:85%;">Algae</span><br /></h2><h2 id="post-35590"><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/06/24/versatile-system-by-javier-fernandez-han/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to 15 Year Old Invents Algae-Powered Energy System">15 Year Old Invents Algae-Powered Energy System</a></h2>In our brief group discussion, we touched on the use of algae to create energy. The fact that algae can survive in a closed system and is very much dependent on the sun, this leaves great potential for a heliotropic smart surface. I have worked in the past with algae (biolumenescent), and am intrigued by these new discoveries which transform nature into human commodity.<br /><br />The fact that algae is extremely efficient with regards to photosynthesis and that it could feed off of both human and animal waste is promising.<br /><br />Talk of Algae farms and the costs in dollars and land that exist in creating these farms makes me question whether it is possible for people to produce/raise their own algae in attempts to harvest their own oil, and therefore take a huge step towards self sufficiency. Oil, as far as I know, has been a commodity people bought from large companies for a very large time, and the idea of gaining personal control over ones production of oil would result in the increased attention given to one's consumption of oil.<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnOSnJJSP5c"><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MIT Algae Bioreactor</span></span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">-</span> </span>Further uses for Algae have sparked inspiration in our group.<br /><br /><br />Discussions of all sorts of ideas, projects, and visuals.<br />Very patient, orderly, interactive, and engaging.<br />Lots to sleep onAlyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7004009239439814964.post-36149026109219401972009-10-15T18:21:00.000-07:002009-10-16T16:21:48.026-07:00a lot more than stress and productivityTonight has been the most fun and the most productive night I have taken part in this semester. I have been learning from my peers to CALM down and stress slightly less, which has been a huge development, both for my sanity and for my effectiveness. I have come to the conclusion that we all care about the project and no one is going to let it fail (at least without giving it all they can), and this makes me confident. Our group had some issues from day one, and have made slow progress. Our ideas were very broad, there was an overflow of different ways to solve the same problem, while the problem continued to change, leaving everyone, often very confused. Our communication got much better by the second week and things did become together.<br /><br />We decided to build our prototype using air instead of water, however, water is not to be forgotten when discussing further applications. We wanted to transform a 2D surface into a 3D form in accordance to the amount of sunlight available. When the LDR senses a lot of light, the bubbles will begin to inflate, focusing the light in order to increase temperature. When the flex sensor finds that the bubble is completely inflated, the input will turn off. Ideally we could replace this with a sensor testing for temperature, and once the water reached a high enough temperature, it would be released and circulated through the building- or where ever these cells were placed. It works similarly, with minor differences when substituting air for water, etc.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGATiDoDPpn6Dvklak0C8ffyN9_2IyGylJanr-mDu5sQ10FOhX2ZDIY_3cRP-qM5LIPEU1_UTl-1e-glAmv-JdfeBBPjZgRzdrgQHPGfstNzE2F_v5mDwNi79WiAdYqXBgeI5zOyBfK3u/s1600-h/4014640658_3216340ea0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGATiDoDPpn6Dvklak0C8ffyN9_2IyGylJanr-mDu5sQ10FOhX2ZDIY_3cRP-qM5LIPEU1_UTl-1e-glAmv-JdfeBBPjZgRzdrgQHPGfstNzE2F_v5mDwNi79WiAdYqXBgeI5zOyBfK3u/s400/4014640658_3216340ea0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393002580717598258" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oc0-HBZPriPxBUwrBTdLHObs0m7UURBSZDxaJxtdlpkxmtyMtXfA2kRRoZuXjeW_HFP0eqLDEon2v6tBM1HoRYAeXJF7TyL_vKatNUmFbQcfJZryvMN-LSL5pQI0pX_Dsuik_bX0xPek/s1600-h/4010018878_2424a5f57b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0Dh7pzZOE3heuGJAalsewSogxR-TWvXCParRMHBNZ0Nxd63H4Jt_BSru8lVtYM9r0JriQuB6A31KM3JrGcX9tNfzGHpLcYt7rO4uMXDZsndl4n68Q7zL7Wt0YCPmN6jhowtkbvVbXMhQ/s400/4009249667_f1133e218a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393002351587886082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiL7gyjYRqrZtva9jAonFaucLX_yoxQwHD7lJKEcQMiIHvZWTQU_D669QTdUn4OT-O1cwPSOazUjTOTKbmi0RtaV-hqbN3jt1__yUW4pHaqJRQM1r7AZwwYX2-bK09M-pJa_WxFAlyDps/s1600-h/whole+assembly+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiL7gyjYRqrZtva9jAonFaucLX_yoxQwHD7lJKEcQMiIHvZWTQU_D669QTdUn4OT-O1cwPSOazUjTOTKbmi0RtaV-hqbN3jt1__yUW4pHaqJRQM1r7AZwwYX2-bK09M-pJa_WxFAlyDps/s400/whole+assembly+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393002340936070962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0caRgEFW6XRz8vu6ZjIvg_aXttCyqlY5TJi-uQsth2iDgr-mfYPWx60o3zF3jrOnO5WnNUxuIIlbnmSwi1ZBfis2TF5nhJsdFi38CJlBAdv9mCr_0T6pGHG34njxup6ZFAiiSPC63pGBC/s1600-h/rendering_day.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0caRgEFW6XRz8vu6ZjIvg_aXttCyqlY5TJi-uQsth2iDgr-mfYPWx60o3zF3jrOnO5WnNUxuIIlbnmSwi1ZBfis2TF5nhJsdFi38CJlBAdv9mCr_0T6pGHG34njxup6ZFAiiSPC63pGBC/s400/rendering_day.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393002334988267378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsH4UjKx_cGbRqOdcmxLWHZLsgl2-9gUzHjzeKT5YtZAjna2prL1rKC6yniablLT3Kzgl8_BrVe9xUEfuEwx8RXit-uMUGVJTW2kX4hz2570IW7IlKEGiO4UZoiwLxnHgn1e1fDcFNR-G/s1600-h/rendering_night.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsH4UjKx_cGbRqOdcmxLWHZLsgl2-9gUzHjzeKT5YtZAjna2prL1rKC6yniablLT3Kzgl8_BrVe9xUEfuEwx8RXit-uMUGVJTW2kX4hz2570IW7IlKEGiO4UZoiwLxnHgn1e1fDcFNR-G/s400/rendering_night.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393002325169857090" border="0" /></a><br />Although by last night, we probably all should have been extremely stressed out (or I thought thats how I should feel), everyone was extremely laid back and in good spirits. We laughed a lot and worked really well together until we were all pleased, and we could confidently say goodnight, wander to the dud, and get in a crowded BUT FREE cab home.Alyssa Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05933080205908612622noreply@blogger.com0