February Challenge

I hate February.  No, not because of past horrific Valentine's Days (and honestly, who doesn't have at least one war wound from that holiday?).  I hate it because it is supposed to be the shortest month of the year, but it drags on and on.  I have had enough winter and and am ready for spring, and yet here is February standing right in the way.  This year I am determined to have a better February.  My goal is to have an inspired February, instead of a cold, bleak, interminable February.  To that end, I am going to comment every day on this post with a positive of the day.  For those that know me well, you know this is a bit of a shake up for me.  But February calls for drastic measures.  I challenge anyone who reads this to join in.  Together we might all just end up with a pretty good looking month.

The Piano Guys

This weekend while listening to Pandora this song played. As a cello player my ears instantly perked up.  Bach's Prelude to the First Cello Suite is one of the songs every cello player knows and has played or at least attempted.  What struck me, or rather, inspired  me was what he did with it.  The original is an amazing piece, but it really has become over played.  By recording himself 7 more times and layering that together he created this awesome piece.  I love it not only because of his musical talent, but also the use of technology.  Without the ability to pull eight different tracks together and finesse them into the final piece, this could not have happened.

And then I looked up the video.  Even cooler use of technology.  Not only did he layer the audio, he layered 8 different video tracks together (note that at one time he throws his bow and catches it at another seat - very cool special effect).  From there I explored the site (thepianoguys.com) and was amazed my several of their videos.  Some of it can get a bit schmaltzy if you think to much about it, but what I love is that here is a group of musicians really enjoying themselves and producing some great music.  What's not to love?  How can I not be inspired by that?

Is there a YouTube video that does that for you?  If not, you haven't spent much time at YouTube.  Share with us a link to something that gets you going.

Happy Holidays

So this blog has been a bit neglected. I had great hopes for it at the beginning of the year, but I have not tended to it as I should have. Perhaps some of my students could say the same about their academics. . .but I digress. One of my New Years Resolutions is to be more active here. Hopefully, this will result in more traffic and a bit more back and forth discussion. I am again turning to TED for this post. I was blown away by how revolutionary a simple redesign of a product could be. Watch the video to see how making some simple, yet vital changes to a wheelchair changes the lives of so many.

http://www.ted.com/talks/amos_winter_the_cheap_all_terrain_wheelchair.html

This reminds me of something my older brother was fond of saying. "All engineering should be directed towards pampering the end user as much as possible." Yes, he was a bit of a snob when it came to the products he purchased and rarely settled for second best in anything. However, I think that drive in him made him an awesome engineer and moved him to only produce his best and expect that from those around him. I ask you to think about the items you rely on every day. Do you think they were designed with you in mind? If not, what drove the design process? Are there any that could be better engineered for the end user (you)?

Inspiration

Inspiration: 1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative 2. a sudden brilliant, creative, or timely idea

For those of you who have been in the FCS room, this should sound familiar as it is posted on the bulletin board behind my desk. Inspiration is my word for the year. I choose inspiration as I was thinking about this school year and how going 1:1 would shape how we go about our day to day activities. I am so excited about the possibilites the technology has opened up and the equal playing field we are creating.

One of the sites I return to often for inspiration is TED.com. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. TED holds an annual conference and invites outstanding minds to share their vision of a new world. The talks are recorded and posted online at TED.com. There is a huge wealth of ideas on almost every topic. I encourage anyone reading this to check out the site. Be careful, it might just change your life.

On a recent visit to TED.com I watched a video (click here to see it) about an artist in New Orleans. There is an abandoned house in her neighborhood that she passed daily. Because it was such a sad sight, she decided to change it for the better. Watch the video to see the amazing transformation. Afterwards, leave a comment that finishes this statement:

Before I graduate from HPS I want to . . .