designapalooza’s posterous

Name:

Kevin Rustagi

What is the 'thing' you are observing?

The North Face Gamble Mid GTX XCR Multisport Shoe - Men's

What is the purpose of it?

            The purpose of a men's North Face Gamble Mid GTX XCR Multisport Shoe is to be a good shoe      for all types of weather and on any surface.  It is very versatile.

How is it a part of one's everyday life?

            It's part of my life every day because it's the shoe I wear most of the time.   

How is it designed well?

It is designed well in that it breathes very well even though it's waterproof (it's lined with Gore-tex).  It also has a synthetic ankle support that is very soft and supportive, especially for someone like me who has weaker ankles.  As an added bonus, the tongue is connected to the other sections of the shoe all the way up the ankle, preventing the snow from getting into the shoe most of the time.

How is it designed not so well?

When the shoes get wet, especially in snow, the outer mesh stays cold, even though it dries quickly.  Also the shoes wear out more quickly than advertised in that the front toe of the shoe separates from the mesh quickly.  (This happened a little over two months after I bought the shoes.)

What improvements would you make?

I would install some sort of heating system for a winter version of the shoe.  I'd make the tread more robust.  I would use better adhesives to connect the mesh to other parts of the shoe.  I would also make the tongue of the shoe slightly longer.   The strap on the back of the shoe is a little too short.

Anything else?

They've been fairly good to me over the past five months of rugged use, however the tread is wearing.  The design looks good, especially when they are wet; the green stripe is more vivid.

email address

            rustagi@mit.edu

     

Click here to download:

The_North_Face_Gamble_Mid_GTX_.zip (62 KB)

Name:

Kevin Rustagi

What is the 'thing' you are observing?

A cheap, off brand multi-tool    

What is the purpose of it?

The purpose of a cheap, off brand multi-tool is to provide easy access to a variety of tools for a relatively low cost.   

How is it a part of one's everyday life?

People use it when they need a standard "cure-all" tool that is useful for general things such as opening boxes or packages.  I use it especially for the knife.  It also has the standard tools such as screwdriver, bottle opener and so on.

How is it designed well?

The one thing this one has that isn't on some multi-tools is a serrated knife.  It is fairly small and compact and comes with an easy carrying case to attach to a tool belt.  It's pretty thin and not that heavy for the sturdiness that it possesses.  It's only $20 and the ratcheting system for the pliers lets the legs of it pull away and out.  Also the action of the spring on the pliers is really solid.

How is it designed not so well?

It's not designed so well in that it lacks certain tools that other multi-tools do have, for example other types of screwdrivers.  When you pull one tool out often other tools pull out as well. 

What improvements would you make?

            I would add more tools and make it slightly more durable, and make the knives higher quality.

Anything else?

If you can't tell, I really like this tool, partially because it was so cheap for the value that it provides me.  Also, I actually lost this tool because it accidently took it to the airport last year, and I liked it so much that I went back to the economy hardware and bought another one.

email address

            rustagi@mit.edu

     

Click here to download:

Cheap_Off-brand_Multi-tool.zip (962 KB)

Name:

Kevin Rustagi

What is the 'thing' you are observing?

Handicapped door button    

What is the purpose of it?

The purpose of a handicapped door button is to automatically open a door for a handicapped person .

How is it a part of one's everyday life?

             Often people use it when they are carrying a lot of things, or if they are handicapped. 

How is it designed well?

It is designed well in that you don't have to push it hard to trigger it.  It's relatively large so you don't need any dexterity to press it.  It is positioned at waist level which makes it easy to reach if you have a free hand.

How is it designed not so well?

It is designed not so well in that if your hands are full, and you need to use it, you have to use your knee or set down whatever you have and then pick it up really fast to enter the door.  Also, it is metal, so that when you press it, it's cold to the touch, though usually if it's cold outside you'll be wearing gloves.  Also, a major design flaw, with some the door opens towards you, so that if you're in a wheelchair, you'd have to back up quickly or the door would hit you.

What improvements would you make?

I would install it as a foot pedal with a large notice, but that might prove a problem for someone in a wheelchair, so I might install the foot pedal in addition to the hand button to make it fully accessible for someone with their hands full.

Anything else?

In the case of this one, I would repaint it and etch it more deeply so that blind people would know exactly what it was.

email address

            rustagi@mit.edu

   

Click here to download:

The_Handicapped_Door_Button.zip (814 KB)

Name:

Kevin Rustagi

What is the 'thing' you are observing?

The djembe drum    

What is the purpose of it?

            The purpose of a djembe is to be a musical instrument that is easily portable and used for live music and recording as the main percussion instrument, to keep the beat in music.

How is it a part of one's everyday life?

It's really only part of your everyday life if you attend any of a number of impromptu church music sessions or if you're a percussionist.

How is it designed well?

You can hold it easily between your legs when seated, because of the hourglass shape.  Also, the way it's designed is resonant, allowing a lot of volume for its size.  It's tunable with a wrench, unlike a lot of African hand drums.

How is it designed not so well?

It is not designed so well in that it can be bulky and not easily transportable if you have the larger one, and it's hard to play under your arm without a harness, so you have to have a seat.  Also the drumhead is not easily replaceable.  You have to buy an entire new top ring frame which includes the head.  Also, if left in the sun, it can change the drumhead's pitch.

What improvements would you make?

I would make the head more easily replaceable, like it is on regular drums.  I would make it more durable somehow.  I would maybe build a harness into the drum that could loop around one of your arms.  I would make it look cooler by making it out of different materials without changing the sound.

Anything else?

It's cool that they come in different sizes, but it's also hard to fit into its bag, so it is difficult to protect.  Overall, it's a very fun and useful instrument.

email address

            rustagi@mit.edu

   

Click here to download:

The_Djembe_Drum.zip (1284 KB)

One of the blogs that I love is WebUrbanist.

Many times, entries would come through that would be different variations on a theme, AKA designing around a common object.

This reminded me of Barry's test on Friday, so I thought I'd share a few with you guys!

Tables: http://weburbanist.com/2008/10/20/16-creative-modern-tables/
Bookcases: http://weburbanist.com/2008/04/28/20-brilliant-bookcase-and-bookshelf-designs-creative-modular-and-unique-urban-furniture/
Beds: http://weburbanist.com/2008/10/26/modern-beds-bed-designs-bedroom-furniture/
Stools: http://weburbanist.com/2009/01/13/20-stool-designs/
Chairs: http://weburbanist.com/2008/10/17/creative-unique-chairs-and-chair-designs/
Storage: http://weburbanist.com/2008/12/03/shelves-cabinets-drawers-creative-storage/
Fireplaces: http://weburbanist.com/2009/01/18/modern-fireplaces-fireplace-designs/

P.S.: Some other things that make me happy:
Art from Food: http://weburbanist.com/2009/01/08/food-art-and-food-artists/
Monochromatic Photography: http://weburbanist.com/2008/11/30/monotone-monochrome-photography/

Kuan

A friend introduced me to the electric hot pot freshman year.  Needless to say, it was love at first sight. 

I use this kitchen must-have to cook soups, vegetables, pasta, and dumplings.  It also doubles as a water boiler, terrific for some late night tea or coffee.  The flip-top lid is removable and the thermostat can be adjusted from warm to boiling. Who needs pots and pans in this day and age?  All you need is an electric hot pot, just plug it in! [no stove top necessary]


-Yi

People had some funny and quasi-dangerous stories in their observations over the weekend.  Now that you've had a first hand experience in observing people, you can try to fine tune your skills.  As you found out, writing in a large notebook is a dead giveaway that you must be observing something.  And that might bother people.

Next time you're somewhere, see if you can observe without having a recording implement right there.  Dont focus on the moment by moment details but rather try to get an overall feeling of whatever it is you are observing. 

If you still want to write something down, then having something smaller would help.  This way you could legitimately say that you are writing notes, to-dos, for yourself, when really you are observing (yes, 'stalking' could be used too).

Here are some recommendations:

CopyTech gives away the "REALLY COOL Note Pad" at their 11-004 location.

Moleskin and Field Notes have pocket size notebooks.

You can try adopting the hipster PDA.

Pandora, created by computer scientists and musicians, is not the usual sort of streaming internet radio. It is completely customizable to your tastes, whether you like R&B or classic rock, pop or classical.
 
You create a 'station' with a 'seed' of your choice - whether it's an artist/composer, or a specific song, or a genre, and Pandora automatically creates a playlist of music with similar attributes. You can further fine-tune this station by giving a 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' to each song, or even add additional 'seeds' to the station. The station will update its attributes based on your feedback.
 
You can make as many stations as you want. I have, for example, at least a dozen stations, including "Work Beats," "Miles Davis," "Mellow," and "Chopin." (You can name your stations whatever you want, though by default they're named after the first seed you input for that station.
 
Incidentally, one nice consequence of using Pandora is that it will add both indie artists and well-knowns to your lists, ensuring that you'll discover new artists.
 
The drawback is that you must create an account. (Also, I wish it would be better about signing users out after they leave a computer.) However, having an account means that you can listen to all your stations from whatever computer you want, wherever you want. They've even got an iPod/iPhone/general cell phone interface.
 
Go to http://www.pandora.com/ to start listening today!

-Alice

Many of us have heard of Shazam a nifty program in which you hold your iPhone (or certain other handsets) up to a music source, such as the radio, and it identifies the song for you. This iPhone add explains it much better than I can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy1jGtHy7AE. The app fulfills an important and universal need, and has been very successful.

However, Shazam was not the first program to be able to do this:
"You may be surprised to learn that Shazam wasn't the first application that could identify songs from your phone. Gracenote's MusicID technology has been around for ages, but it didn't have the easy-to-use UI of the Shazam iPhone application."
~ReadWriteWeb (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_mobile_web_products_of_2008.php?p=2)

This speaks to the importance of truly understanding your audience and desiging for them a program that is easy for them to use.

Name:

Kevin Rustagi

What is the 'thing' you are observing?

My Black Diamond brand, heavy duty winter mittens

What is the purpose of it?

            The purpose of the mittens is to keep hands and digits warm in as low as -20°F weather.

How is it a part of one's everyday life?

            It's is mainly a part of one's everyday life if one needs to specifically protect their hands, or lives in a very cold weather area or needs to go skiing.

How is it designed well?

            It is designed well in a myriad of ways.  It has a Velcro-in inner liner.  It has a very soft and warm inner liner separating the trigger, index finger from the other three fingers and the thumb.  The inner liner is not too tight, so one can pull the fingers back to clench the fist for warmth, but also not too loose.  The wrist shroud is two inches longer than competitors' and wide enough to completely fit over a large jacket with multiple tightening strengths to secure it.  The outer materials are water and windproof, including Gore-tex and leather.

How is it designed not so well?

            The fact that it is a mitten means that there is low dexterity when in use.  The polyester interior of the lining can get cold when left by itself out in the cold.

What improvements would you make?

            I would make the tie strap shorter or be able to be tucked away, as it gets caught easily on backpacks especially when in urban use.  I would make the "snot rag" sewn into the thumbs a little larger, and from a slightly less abrasive material for use on the face.   

   

Click here to download:

Ultra_Warm_Mittens.zip (344 KB)