designapalooza’s posterous

When I first tried this hat on in the Coop, I thought it was somewhat
good-looking, and very warm. That's why I bought it. The inside lining is made
of fleece, which is regarded as one of the warmest fabrics in the winter,
excellent for protecting your head/ears from the fierce cold in Boston.
 
A week after I bought it, it began to bug me. First of all, not only did I
realize that I could have bought a nicer hat, but it also did not fit my head
the same way it did when I first tried it on. When I wear it, I have to firmly
pull it down in order to make sure that it's fully covering my ears. As I walk,
however, it gradually makes its way up my head until eventually my ears are
totally bare and about to be blown away by the wind. Another 'bad' design
feature is that the lining has already begun to rip off (as can be seen in the
photograph). I can only conclude that the hat was not worth the money spent on
it.
 
-Iman

   

Click here to download:

My_MIT_Winter_Hat.zip (262 KB)

I love my camera. It has numerous cool features, and takes very high quality
photos. At 7.1 megapixels, this camera makes me feel like a genius photographer
when I take photos. I know that 7.1 megapixels is not that much these days, but
my camera makes it that much.
 
The screen is very large, which makes it easy to navigate the menu, and is also
great for viewing photos. It can take videos in addition to still pictures,
which means that I don't have to carry a huge video camera with me when I want
to tape something. The menu is very user friendly, and easy to get used to.
 
One thing I dislike about my camera is that it does not warn you about the
battery status far in advance. The red battery light only starts flickering
right before the battery dies, so it doesn't give you much of a warning. I
always suddenly find myself with a camera with a dead battery. One thing I
would change about that is I would keep the user constantly informed of the
battery usage, so something like what you see on your ipod or cellphone.
 
-Iman
 
p.s. no photo available because my camera can't take a photo of itself.

I guess I can see what the product designers of this screwdriver were
thinking: Many battery operated appliances use screws to seal a
battery compartment, so in the spirit of batteries, why not screw your
duracell batteries in style with one shaped like a duracell AA
battery. Cute.
 
And that's probably the only word to describe it. In terms of
functionality, there are many inherent problems with operating
something like this:
 
a. The handle is round, so it drastically makes it an ergonomics
nightmare trying to grip it.
b. It's short, so there's not much surface area for hands to get a good grip.
c. You place it on a table, and next you know it has rolled off the
table and properly situated on the floor
d. No magnetic capability for the screws, so it's a pretty lame screw
driver if you ask me. Why have one of these to add to the clutter in
your hope over a designated bad@$$ magnetic twist locking screw
driver?
 
Guess Cute isn't enough for me.
 
-Rich
 
 
 

I'm a dude pretty big on tea drinking, and so when it comes to having
a nice tea party with the ladies, I need a device that will fulfill
the demand. This sunbeam speed water heater has served me well, and
produced many cups of delicious tea, instant coffee, and instant
oatmeal in a matter of 1.5 minutes after filling the top with water.
 
One big problem: Notice that bowl in the picture underneath the water
release? No it's not because I drink hot water from a bowl. It's
because that thermo on the right of speed heater is too tall to fit
under. So a ghetto workaround I have developed is to pour hot water
into the bowl first, and then dump all that into the thermos. (this
usually isn't a very dry process).
 
Therefore, I propose that sunbeam remanufacture this brilliant product
with a height adjustable backing such that you can adapt to varying
heights of cups. Even if you have a short tea cup, it would be nice to
shorted the height such that when the water pours into the cup there
isn't as much splash and splatter of hot water at bystanders.
 
-Rich

By: Heraclio Hernandez
Throughout my whole time at MIT i never rode a bike to class. This past fall term was the first time I bean pedaling to class, mostly because it got me there faster.  So for the first time in a long time I got back into the habit of locking up the bike. All has been well in terms of locking up the bike except now that it is cold.  On very cold days the locking mechanism jams up and it makes it very hard to lock the bike.  What was originally an easy task can now take me up to a minute sometimes, plus i look like a fool struggling with a bike lock.  What originally started off as a time saving transportation alternative has become an annoying necessity for making it on time to class.  I want masterlock to fix their lock mechanism so that it  can work smoother during the cold season, this way riders will not have to waste anymore time than necessary locking up their bike in the cold.

The Fretlight FG-421sells for around 500 bucks. This guitar is pretty sweet. Software provides pre-recorded lessons for beginners, as well as downloads for songs for the more experienced player. The frets light up as you are supposed to play them, making it simple and easy to learn a new song. Not only that, but once you have the hang of it, it is still a pretty decent sounding electric guitar.

As a self-taught guitar player myself, I can say that I really would have benefited from one of these. While they are a little more expensive than their non-light up counterparts, the benefit of a simple and easy way to work through the nuts and bolts would be worth the extra money. Not to mention what one might save in lesson costs.

My current method to learn songs involves finding free user-submitted tabs on the web, which are inevitably missing parts, missing details, or downright wrong. I would not mind shelling out a little money (think iTunes) for the convenience and accuracy of learning a song at my own pace, and knowing I sound exactly like Hendrix while I'm doing it.

A good idea, a good device, and a good model for repeat earnings after the sale.

-Gavin

Things amazing about the chair's design,
 
1. It's leather
2. It can recline backwards, depending on the person's weight
3. It rotates
4. It's stationary
5. Arm rests
6. Made from very light materials
7. Easy to clean
 
Overall, is a very good design, and I would recommend others to get it.

By Heraclio Hernandez

The Gateway Tablet PC is a great tool for designers, I own one of the great devices.  Unfortunately this design friendly tool has a design flaw of its own.  The screen pivots on one central mechanism at the the base of the screen.  This mechanism enables the screen to assume a more comfortable writing position. The problem that occurs with the mounting mechanism is that the hinges tend to loosen up over time and the screen becomes wobbly. When the screen becomes wobbly enough it then becomes hard to position properly and the plastic casing that holds the screen starts to open up a little.  The other inherent flaw is that when the screen is in the writing position it prevents air flow across the keyboard, which results in the unit to get hotter.  If the person using the computer is using it to takes not on their lap, it quickly heats up and becomes uncomfortable.  I bought one of the first models on the market and I wonder what has been done to prevent these inconveniences.

   

Click here to download:

Designed_for_Designers.zip (3967 KB)

After three years of trying to navigate the infinite in various states of hurry, and in the spirit of tour-group related chindogu, I think the Infinite would definitely benefit from a traffic control system. Perhaps separating the corridor into two separate lanes, delineated by lines on the floor, would encourage travelers to remain on their respective sides of the hall, with a passing option when the opposing lane is free. This would allow the wide array of walkers (and sometimes runners or bikers) to move at their own pace. The Infinite highway would also encourage the ultimate Infinite blocker - the tour group - to stay on one frickin' side of the hall, so when I'm in a hurry on my way to class, I can still get by. The addition of traffic lights at key intersections would probably be a little over-the-top, although a good option for a hack. Essentially, what works on the street should work in the Infinite. Good design practice for the civil engineering department.



Gavin

Sorry I don't have a Mac. But dude, I have a Dell, and the laptop's
treated treated me well these past two years despite the abuse I
inflict on it transporting it to campus everyday. I'm not a person
that's particularly ocd about neatness or symmetry in life, but random
little misplaced marks on smooth surfaces annoy me. In today's
addition of my grumblings, I'd like to admit that I get a little
irritated looking at the keys on my keyboard at times. Why?
 
There are oil and finger marks all over the keys most often used
(spacebar, asdfjkl etc.)
 
It's an eyesore everytime, and I confess it makes me more conscious
about my fingers when I'm on gchat. It seems that the underlying cause
of this change in texture/color for the keys is from a gradual wearing
away from long term use. For the avid and ocd computer user nowdays,
it would be nice for Dell to invest in some plastics that don't catch
onto oil or wear out as easily. Am I just being overly petulant?
 
-Rich
 

   

Click here to download:

Keyboard_finger_oil_marks.zip (5237 KB)