the little big things

[nikkiatschool]

Sewing with rainbow thread.

[nikkiatschool]

Laser cutting speaker holes for the 3rd object.

[nikkiatschool]

[nikkiatschool]

All Jane needs to recover from a case of the blues is a little bit of 19th century Americana

[nikkiatschool]

Why is there a misconception today about Americans being more supportive of the space program? Because an enormous generation called Baby Boomers were kids in the 1960s; kids playing astronaut and watching shows like “The Jetsons”; kids who were bombarded with images of a bright, shiny future and for whom the world was much simpler because they saw everything through the eyes of a child.

Smithsonian Mag

[nikkiatschool]

[nikkiatschool]

Time is a technology.

[nikkiatschool]

I think it's time to let the cat out of the bag

I haven't been posting that much because I find that every time I post something, it changes the week after. There is a value in keeping things to yourself until the time is right. Here's my updated thesis.

For people who are dissatisfied with their relationship with technology, Simple Machines for the Digital Age is a collection of domestic contraptions that magnify, remedy, as well as comment on the unwanted side-effects of technology on our everyday lives. 

This project encompasses everything I've been wanting to say, everything I've done, noticed, and realized so far. All the starts, stops, and detours I've made. From my love of technology, to my fascination with time, to why I got into interaction design in the first place (yes, broader broader broader still), to teaching my older people, to my sandy blackout experience, and everything in between. 

"The one thing you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. The moment that you feel that just possibly you are walking down the street naked…that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right."  –Neil Gaiman

I haven't figured out all the specifics yet, but for now, looking at the core of it, I am happy.

[dichosyvida]

Comedy changes the world by changing individuals from the inside out. Laughter causes a transformation in the person experiencing it. It loosens and opens us up. We let our guard down. We become vulnerable. Laughter helps expose who we really are, and when we’re being who we really are we can see the world in a more true light. We can accept truths that in a different package, we might deny. We can find common ground with people we would swear are our enemies. Comedy can help us see the world, not just as it is, but as it might be, and that can serve as a great motivator.

@Baratunde Thurston: On Creativity, Comedy, and the Creative Class.  — American Dreamers — Medium (via dichosyvida)

My kind of "change the world" :)

[nikkiatschool]

What household items have descriptive and instructional information on them? Medicine, facial care products. Furniture has care instructions. Lighting has caution information. Electronic products have manufacturer information. 

[mattiasinks]

[nikkiatschool]

There is so much to figure out and wade through, but I'm somewhat comforted knowing that this type of project is exactly what I should be doing.

[nikkiatschool]

Reading clippings from the turn of the century, I tried using the search term "technology." It fascinates me to learn that people didn't use that term yet. In its place was the word "machines."

[nikkiatschool]

Many outsiders mistakenly think that the Amish reject technology. It is more accurate to say that they use technology selectively. Televisions, radios, and personal computers are rejected outright, but other types of technology are used selectively or modified to fit Amish purposes... The Amish seek to master technology rather than become its slave.

Amish Studies

[nikkiatschool]

Making spaces with Second Story. "It's a secret in there," said Traci Sym. That's exactly the feeling I wanted to create, but didn't think I did, until Daniel peeked into the little doorway.

[nikkiatschool]

The Perfect Writeup

Filled with a vibrant spice for life, Allumette has arrived to bring excitement back into yours. Allumette is done in all the brightest, most lively colors of a raging flame, including hot red, simmering pink, deep orange and scorching white. Is he animal, vegetable, mineral, or perhaps a clever woodland spirit? No one knows for sure, but he is warm and inviting all the same.

This is what I want my thesis to feel like.

[nikkiatschool]

I send her to school only because she needs to learn English. It's the law. But I sometimes open the freezer and see dolls in there. It's all real, very serious to them. It's work. School is a distraction, so they can go back to the real work of putting dolls in the freezer.

Jeffrey Zeldman, on his daughter