According to Budnitz Bicycles, Paul Budnitz began creating bicycles for his own use in 2006 while running Kidrobot. By 2010 people were stopping him on the street and asked where they could get a bicycle like the one he was riding. Several offered to buy his bike right out from under him! The bikes are classic-looking and built to last. Depending on the model, the bike frames are made of either brushed titanium or gloss black True-Temper™ cro-moly steel (chromium, molybdenum, steel alloy). In my opinion, the standout bike in their lineup is the No. 3 Honey Edition. According to the company’s description, the bike is: a classic remix of our Model No.3. German-made 2-inch creme tires, a titanium honey leather Brooks saddle and…
A Purposeful Process
it's about what happens in the middle…
Posts from the “School” Category
Cellulose Nanocrystals, also known as “CNC”, can be made from wood chips and saw dust. prepared properly, CNCs can be stronger, stiffer and cheaper than Kevlar and carbon fiber and carry similar light-weight characteristics. These qualities have attracted military interest for use in lightweight armor and ballistic glass, as well as automotive, aerospace, electronics, consumer products and medical industries. The US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, has opened a US$1.7 million pilot plant for the production of cellulose nanocrystals. Cellulose is the most abundant biological polymer on the planet and is found in the cell walls of plant and bacterial cells. Composed of long chains of glucose molecules, cellulose fibers are arranged in an intricate web that provides both structure and support for plant…
Categories: Materials, Thesis Research
After finally taking some time off from work, I’m finally back to attack the final semester of my time at Pratt. Here’s an video that serves as a good inspiration for such an occasion
Posted on Vimeo regarding the making of “American Eagle”. Filmed by Ronin of HotMop Films, he spent 9 days filming Osamu Koyama, an artist who built a gold-plated armor for a blank Nike Zoom Force 1, a commission from Nike for their Shoeshine Project 2012.
AMERICAN EAGLE from Hot Mop Films on Vimeo.
Xylinum is a bacteria that consumes sugar and produces an artificial cellulose material, a random three dimensional fibre nano structure. It can grow around any given form. The properties of this material can be changed by changing the genetic code of the organisms. Jannis Hülsen, in collaboration with Jenpolymers, developed a technique to create a skin around a wooden fram, forming a coating and the seating surface. Here is a very informative video from Jannis explaining the process. Xylinum from Jannis Hülsen on Vimeo. http://www.jannishuelsen.com/?/work/xylium/ [via designboom & fastco.]
The first weekend of June, I had the opportunity to test out my theory to that materials can alter the perception of an object with the help of some dummy iPhones and interchangeable iPhone cases. Please note that I am treating this round as a test run. Subsequent studies will be modified.
In this scenario, three iPhone 4S users participated in the study.
Mary is a recently retired co-president of a company in the mid-west. She first acquired her iPhone during christmas of 2011. Her first iPhone case was made of semi rubber, which she thought would be good for grip and for providing a softer landing should the phone drop on the floor. After five months she decided it got dirty too easily so she changed to a plastic shell by Uncommon. Mary looks for cases that feel high-end and unique, not slippery, perhaps textured, with a ridge/lip around the screen so that it would provide an offset if the phone was placed face-down. She was definitely surprised by how light the wooden one felt and notes a definite disconnect between how the cases look and how they feel.
Here are Mary’s Choices, lightest on the left, heaviest on the right:
Materials-wise, smooth plastic is on both ends of the extreme. Rubber cases were ruled out all together. I wonder if color was a factor in the evaluation of weight. In any case, There is no correlation between “Visual Bulkiness by Volume” and “Perceived material weight.”
Sarah is in her early 30s and a VP of Marketing at a major bank in the US. She is based in the New York metro area but travels within the US for work. She is fashion conscious though not a fashionista. She cautiously curates her style. She first acquired her iPhone 3GS a couple of years back and protected it with a Speck Hybrid Candyshell case but recently upgraded to an iPhone 4S. She has tried a variety of cases during that time but has settled with the Kate Spade Polka Dots Case for now.
Notes: Sarah looks for cases with good visual aesthetics along with durability when they are placed in different context (pocket or purse) and also the case’s durability when and if it should fall. She notes strongly that cheap and flimsy just is not worth the money even the case has a “stand”… i.e. features must also be sturdy. She mentions the Kate Spade case is nice in terms of thinking about how it could protect the phone but it becomes very bulky, which is not good in certain situations. She fears if she takes the phone out in those situations and put them in a slimmer case, she would eventually loosen/break the Kate Spade case. She notes that she likes the snap-on cases in those situations.
The wooden case is cool. It’s different, but rather big. The InCase Hybrid Cover is just strange. The change in material makes her think that the two should separate but it doesn’t. She would not consider the Perforated case because it would get dirty in her purse (lint etc.). No particular feelings about the metal case, other than to state that they are expensive and hard to get. Often back-ordered.
Sarah has an behavior of note: She puts the phone face up or down depending on whether or not she’s expecting messages. In a meeting, the phone faces down or she puts her company-supplied Blackberry on top. This makes her feel the lip/ridge around the screen is very important.
Here are Sarah’s Choices, lightest on the left, heaviest on the right:
Again, “Visual Volumous Bulk” vs “perceived material weight” does not indicate any correlation.
Cory, Sarah’s husband, is in his late 30s and works for a publishing company based out of Minnesota. He can talk to anyone about anything. He likes to try new things as long as it is economically reasonable. He has tried numerous iPhone covers since his iPhone 3GS. Now with his iPhone 4S he uses a slim snap case similar to the Elago S4.
He agrees with Sarah regarding the context of the phones use is important in determine what case to use. He had a chrome plastic slider case from InCase for his iPhone 3GS because it was cool looking but eventually gave up on it because it was too slippery. He changed over to a Speck fitted case that had soft-touch rim with a fabric back, which he soon gave up on because it was too bulky. He eventually settled on a minimal slim plastic snap-on shell, which is similar to what he has now for his iPhone 4S. When the others asked whether or not he’s worried about the screen since the slim shell does not have a lip or ridge around the screen, he responded that he seldom puts the phone face down and even if he did, there’s a screen protector.
He notes that he has dropped his iPhone 4S several times and at a variety of heights and on to a variety of surfaces over the time he has had it and luckily nothing catastrophic has happened, which he attributes to how well the phone is built/engineered. This gives him the confidence that his choice in case “protection level” is suitable for his use.
When he picked up the cases that were presented to him, he mentioned that it’s really all about how it feels in his hand. He really doesn’t like bulk. The wooden case is cool but it is just too big. He had been eyeing the aluminum cases personally but since they are very rare in stores he hadn’t touch one till now. He thinks they are cool, especially needing little screws to fasten the case together but didn’t like the sharp edges. He mentions aluminum cases from Japan, Deff Cleave but sold under Draco here in the US, had really nice contours which made them very unique looking. He also thought the Luxe Plate metal backing is cool too.
Here are Cory’s Choices, lightest on the left, heaviest on the right:
Again, a disconnect between “visual volumous bulk” and “perceived material weight”.
Conclusions?
The users felt strongly in mentioning that their current personal iPhone cases are significantly different from the very first iPhone case they acquired. They all stated that when they first received the iPhone, their main concern was dropping the phone and breaking the glass. Their second and subsequent cases were more tuned to their daily habits such as putting the phone in their pocket or purse, how they hold the phone, etc, as well as how the phone looks to them, to other people.
They all agreed that the wooden case is very novel and wonders if it would shatter along the grain and also near the change in species of wood. Rubber cases are not among this groups choices because they thought it was just too flimsy, though they do note the same rubbery feeling achieved by soft-touch on plastic is much better.
The aluminum Element Vapor Pro case did not raise any “special” flags. Since it is anodized black, with the exception of Cory who has researched cases before and knew of its aluminum manufacturing process, it’s hard for the others to tell whether or not this case is metal or plastic.
Unfortunately only Sarah and Cory lined up the Luxe Plate with the InCase perforated case. Sarah thought the Luxe Plate was lighter, whereas Cory thought the Perforated case was lighter… so that part of the experiment is not conclusive yet.
Categories: Materials, Thesis Research
For the iPhone Case Study, the actual weight of the cases are irrelevant since we are trying to measure the perception of the materials involved and intentions of the users who chose them. Just in case people are curious, here are the cases in order from the lightest to the heaviest.
Categories: Materials, Thesis Research
The ‘X-Federation’ chair by New York-Based Designer Victor Vetterlein uses a combination of laminated wood, combined with carbon-fiber to achieve a very slim and minimal look without compromising the weight-bearing function a chair requires. The technique first started in boat building and was further developed in the skateboard industry, which is where I first encountered this technique but was somewhat skeptical. (I have 2 Sector 9 Cloud 9 skateboards, very thin wooden veneer decks. Very maneuverable and a joy to ride. Sector 9 doesn’t seem to make them this way any more. They use fiber glass now. Here’s a that proves the strength of this kind of construction.) The design includes a thin steel frame under the seat where the legs are mechanically fastened.…
I’ve been interested in the Carbon Fiber Monocoque for a little while now because of the strength and security it gives to the cars and their passengers while minimizing the weight. Here’s a small video explaining how it’s done in F1, why it’s safe and getting even safer.
[via http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/22/nico-rosberg-explains-why-f1-cars-are-so-safe/]
Joey Roth recently released a series of planters made from naturally porous, unglazed earthenware that lets water seep through the center column and into the soil. He states on his website that they are inspired by Olla, an ancient irrigation tool that famers still use to conserve water in arid climates. These planters definitely look so much better than the plastic ones, and aesthetically so much more interesting than the traditional terra cotta planters. Joey Roth also has a set of ceramic speakers that are also very interesting looking. http://www.joeyroth.com/
Categories: Materials, Thesis Research
Spotted this at Home Depot on 23rd Street last week. Leviton created the Renu line of switches. It’s clever in that the plastic covers works with many color palettes, but they also included a more expensive, metal cover.
Categories: Thesis Research