Butterflies are propelled flowers and Pengamen aren't blue!

WEEK5-DAY7

1. SOUNDTRACK OF THE DAY

Michael Jackson - Butterflies
Street musicians which is called "Pengamen" are singing on the local train in Jakarta, Indonesia. Another Pengamen performance, a great one. They are singing Sandy Sandoro's Blue Night. Awesome!

2. PLACES TO KNOW

Surabaya, Indonesia - Let's sing along, Surabaya, Surabaya

Jakarta - time lapse

Wayang Puppet Museum - Wayang (or “shadow” in Javanese) is a very special kind of theater. A special video on it. What is shadow play.

3. PEOPLE TO DISCOVER

Dyah Pitaloca (Student): her Facebook Page on Butterflies

4. QUESTION OF THE DAY

5. INSPIRATION

Robert A. Heinlein - “Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”

“Time Enough for Love.

” It tells the life of Lazarus Long, the oldest living man on the planet (more than 2000 year-old) whom is fed up of living (it must be quite terrifying to stay alive for that long...). But then, for as long as people listen to his stories, he chooses to keep on living… We like Lazarus a lot but also the way the novel is made. Episode over episode, it’s like a very big collage. And then, there are two “intermissions” or: the “Notebooks of Lazarus Long.”

"Science-fiction is one of the main nourishments for the contemporary designer.In the previous world, you had science, you had fiction and they were clearly separated. Nowadays, the greatest fiction comes from science, and the best science is structured upon fictional lines. Science-fiction is not anymore about the future, it is about what’s happening tody. Or, in a different way, we have the future creeping now into our lives…" From the Course Letter

“Make It So,” written by Nathan Shedroff and Christopher Noessel. How design meets science-fiction and how it is shaped by it.

Robert Baden-Powell-

“Be Prepared.”

“The secret of sound education is to get each pupil to learn for himself, instead of instructing him by driving knowledge into him on a stereotyped system.”


"Design is not linear. It is not like engineering or mathematics. It is made out of fragments, concepts, ideas, moods, rules, things. The key thing regarding “design basics” is that they do not

imply a basic knowledge. Each of us builds and shapes it upon all kinds of different circumstances.

Good design is to take in as much as possible, and to give out as much as possible. Design is not for accountants. It works on high-scale flows." 

From the course Letter

Luis Barragan’s world. And some more Barragan...

Hapiness is warm gun John Lennon

I need a fix cause I’m going down

Down to the bits that I’ve left up town

I need a fix cause I’m going down

(courtesy of Myrto Dokou)

Celebrating in Portugal!

WEEK5_ DAY6

"Greetings from Figueira da Foz! From Valencia, we took the boat and navigated all the way to Portugal. Attracted by the town’s lighthouse, we arrived and were greeted by the effervescent Belinha Fernandes"

OMG! I usually get here so early that the letter isn't showing yet. Today I was late and got this surprise. No need for this, honestly. But I am loving that you all loved it. So, thank you very much. It's so cute the way you pronounce my name, LOL! I just want to say I picked this song because to me it sounds kind of universal and able to convey a positive energy/message to everyone no matter the place or language they speak. 

Design 101 is a multicultural learning experience. We have people from around the world sharing all sorts of things. One month! I think that's still early to evaluate the impact this course will have on us. I get excited by knowledge itself, sometimes it's simple things, but amazing things, that I just don't know. Honestly, it's almost like a drug! It's strange and funny at the same time. I wasn't like this when I attended University. 

One thing I know. We can learn everywhere. Not just at University. But sometimes it's easy when we get some help. From family, from teachers, from peers, from work colleagues, from friends. We don't have all the time in the world. I don't know much about Design so I really apreciate this map Design101 is providing. I feel like my navigation is safer and quicker. Well, enough bla-bla-bla! Thank you, instructors and students. You are making a difference.

1. SOUNDTRACK OF THE DAY

Music for Aeroports - Brian Eno

2. PLACES TO KNOW

The river Mondego meets Atlantic Ocean here. 

This is my favorite spot in the city.

Welcome!

3. PEOPLE TO DISCOVER

Pharrel Williams - on The Guardian

Happy 24hour video: “The song itself is four minutes long and repeated on a loop for the video. By the end, Pharrell has exhorted the viewer to “clap along” 8,640 times”. 

"This is contemporary design. To be able to mix, to do one thing in an excellent way and then to work on other fields. The tensions and the relations between the different fields make the interesting design." From the Course Letter

Andy Warhol was doing a lot of different things also:

 "Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes"

Velvet Underground's Warhol documentary

He directed Chelsea Girls movie

He was mostly a visual designer

4. QUESTION OF THE DAY

What did I learn from the other students?

That I belong to a community, Design101 community.

That I’m collaborating in knowledge construction.

That’s better to be on Design101 than learning by myself.

That we look at the same things but we see different things.

That I can’t please everyone.

That I must respect difference.

That there isn’t a unique approach to learning.

That it takes courage to show the work we do.

That sometimes isn’t easy to be on Design101.

That I learn both from observation and practice.

That some students are very passionate about Design101.

That some are not very passionate about Design101.

That helping each other feels good.

That making the others smile feels good.

That generosity is not just a word.

That every student can be a story teller.

That I must learn how to deal with frustration.

That we are connected.

That I am learning how to walk.

5. INSPIRATION

Polymath - is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas; such a person is known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. The term was first used in the seventeenth century but the related term, polyhistor, is an ancient term with similar meaning.

POLYMATHS: 20 LIVING EXAMPLES

Robert A. Heinlein :“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects”.

Gesamtkunstwerk: "Total work of art"

Black Friday, be a good consumer

WEEK5_DAY5

1. SOUNDTRACK OF THE DAY

Kiss - Forever

2. PLACES TO KNOW

Valencia
Las Fallas Festival
La Tomatina - animated video about it and this one is spanish/english
Paella
La paella vallenciana, historia e receta video

3. PEOPLE TO DISCOVER

Rosa Montesa (fellow student) and her tshir video

4. QUESTION OF THE DAY

5. INSPIRATION

Mohammed Ali - “I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.” 
Charles Cher - “Sometimes you gotta just do what works and not overthink it... one hour is all we need.”
Robin Debacker - “I started clocking in when I open the letter... I had one day where I didn’t get up from my seat for 5 1/2 hours, and still hadn’t started the homework...”
Picasso -  “Work is a necessity for man. Man invented the alarm clock”
Ravikiran Rajagopal -  “About the work from the teaching team, I wonder how much time they spent on setting up this course.”

... Forever, this time I know

And there’s no doubt in my mind

Forever, until my life is through...

(Kiss)

6. A thing I learned from my friends

"Here is an English translation of a Ghazal (ode) by philosopher, thinker, politician and one of the greatest poet of Urdu history:/ English Translation./(though 90% of its charm is lost by change of language)/ I want to have the extremes of your Love,/ See, how silly am I, wishing for unachievable./ I don’t care if you maltreat me or promise to unveil your beauty,/ I just want something unbearable to test my fortitude/ Let the God fearing people be dwelling in the paradise,/ For, instead I want to be face to face with you./ ( I don’t want to go to paradise but want to observe the Divine Beauty)/ O fellows, I am here for a few moments, as a gust,/ Like morning star I will fade and vanish in a few moments./ I disclosed the secret in public,/ I need to be punished for being so rude./"

From  Shazadi Kanwal, fellow student, when we exhanged comments

7. A thing

Black Friday - Be a good consumer

The weather for the next days

Olé!

WEEK5-DAY3

1. SOUNDTRACK OF THE DAY

A street singer in Madrid

Musicians in Madrid's metro

More music on the streets of Madrid

Music at Plaza del Sol

2. PLACES TO KNOW

Madrid

Museo del Prado

3. PEOPLE TO DISCOVER

Diego Velázquez - Las meninas, his magnum opus and his complete works

The central figure in the painting, the princess

Miguel de Cervantes

Katerina and her notebooks

Bunuel’s short movie - Un chien andalou

4. QUESTION OF THE DAY

?

5. INSPIRATION

"A designer questions everything."

Battle Royale trailer

Osborne bull

6. FLOWERS TO FRIENDS

No flowers today.

7. A thing I learned from my friends

Thomas Pitre (fellow student) mentioned the Haida people and their art. I knew nothing about it so I checked and found this interesting video and this one

The museum of innocence

WEEK5-DAY2

1. SOUNDTRACK OF THE DAY

The Kinks - Tin soldier man

2. PLACES TO KNOW

Kusadasi, Turkey, from the air and on the ground

Museum of Innocence - Istambul

3. PEOPLE TO DISCOVER

Orhan Pamuk - "The Museum of Innocence uses his novel of lost love, The Museum of Innocence, as a departure point to explore the city of his youth. In The Innocence of Objects, Pamuk’s catalog of this remarkable museum, he writes about things that matter deeply to him: the psychology of the collector, the proper role of the museum, the photography of old Istanbul (illustrated with Pamuk’s superb collection of haunting photographs and movie stills), and of course the customs and traditions of his beloved city. The book’s imagery is equally evocative, ranging from the ephemera of everyday life to the superb photographs of Turkish photographer Ara Güler. Combining compelling art and writing, The Innocence of Objects is an original work of art and literature."

An interview with Mr. Pamuk explaining his love for his hometown.

Osman Sahin (student)

Toru Iwatani - game designer

4. QUESTION OF THE DAY

5. INSPIRATION

"He’s a tin soldier man
Living in a little tin wonderland
Very happy little tin soldier man
When you set him on your knee"

Movies on students and schools:

“Zero for Conduct,” a movie by Jean Vigo (1933).

6. FLOWERS FOR FRIENDS

Burgmansia. Be careful. It's poisonous. 

But then...what a beautiful and misterious shape!

7. A thing I learned from my friends

From Esther Allerton (fellow student) a lesson on botanics and something more

What I have learned most from other members is that although I see things very differently to most of you, we need to find a common language. And that one of the first exercises we were given, to share flowers with each other, might be the best way to do that. I'm going to share a picture with you that I think you will all find beautiful, and try to explain why I find it beautiful. Then maybe the common language we are leaning to share will help to give a better glimpse into each others' worlds.

This is Cistus Ladanifer, a type of rock rose. The locals have a love/hate relationship with it and it's a fascinating plant. It will quickly colonise disturbed ground, so it grows like a weed anywhere that is ploughed up. Because of the fire risk on abandoned land here, lots of land gets ploughed up ('cleaned') and this stuff will then take over en masse. It grows quickly, the stems are woody, and the whole plant is full of a highly flammable oil, so they end up with an even bigger fire risk. That oil is amazing in its own right though. It smells gorgeous and can be used as a fixative in perfumes, and is a vegan alternative to ambergris, which is extracted from whales.

After a few days the ground looks like this. Today's petals are white, yesterday's are shrunken and yellowed. Each flower only lasts one day, and in the evening the petals fall littering the ground like snow. There is a steady stream of new buds and the following morning new flowers open.

There are loads of different species of wild bees around here, and they love Cistus. Unlike honey bees, they don't stuff their pollen sacs on their legs full of pollen, they roll around in it like a donkey in a sand-pit until they are coated with pollen and carry it back to their nests like that. Wild bees are actually better pollinators than honey bees because of this behaviour.

This is some abandoned land near my farm. It's basically a mass of cistus, and a huge fire risk. It does, however, shade the ground, which would otherwise bake solid in the crazy summer heat, and the leaves that fall create a protective, nourishing mulch. After a few years, pine seedlings will start to grow up through the cistus, and after about ten years, when the cistus is near the end of its life, oak trees will have got a foothold. Cistus has been described as a scab on the landscape, allowing the soil to heal. It's not a bad analogy.

The locals will collect the woody stems to burn in their bread ovens. Most villages have a community oven rather than over-heat individual houses, and cistus wood burns hot and fast, perfect for baking. So while you see the men of the villages out in their tractors ploughing up vast acres of land trying to get rid of the cistus, you'll see the women out cutting it by hand, tying it in bundles, and carrying it back to the village on their heads ready for a baking session.

HAPPY!

Celebrating one month of Design101 

by Slidely Slideshow

[Verse 1]

It might seem crazy what I’m 'bout to say

Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break

I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space

With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way

[Hook]

Because I’m happy

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I’m happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I’m happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I’m happy

Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do

[Verse 2]

Here come bad news talking this and that

(Yeah!) Well, give me all you got, don’t hold it back

(Yeah!) Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine

(Yeah!) No offense to you don’t waste your time

Here’s why...

[Hook]

[Bridge x2]

Bring me down

Can’t nothing bring me down

Your love is too high to bring me down

Can’t nothing bring me down

I said...

iversity Meetups Everywhere

iversity Meetups Everywhere!

iversity is on the move. New things. Everybody is invited to create a meetup with fellow iversity enthusiasts nearby for both academic and non-academic purposes.iversity created a tool where events can be hosted.

Facebook does not like my photos

Well, I am not quite fond of Facebook. So Facebook is taking a revenge on me! I can't upload photos to Design 101 albuns and I really can't understand why! I can comment and Like everything. But my photos just don't upload. I just get this white rectangle. I gave it up. Photos are on iversity and here. I can send it to Twitter also.Facebook is out of the equation. Meahh.

A story within a story

WEEK5-DAY1-VISITING YOU

1. SOUNDTRACK OF THE DAY


Cairo! - The music of modern Egypt (Capitol T10021, 1956)

Cairo - Taxi (Portuguese song from Portuguese Band from the 80's. I loved this song when it got out and still do.)

2. PLACES TO KNOW

Cairo
Cairo
Cairo

3. PEOPLE TO DISCOVER

Karima Khalil ( a fellow student)

Naguib Mahfouz -  Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature.

The AUC Press Documentary on Naguib Mahfouz and article.

4. QUESTION OF THE DAY

5. INSPIRATION

Kerima Khalil’s Shirt

“One Thousand and One Nights”- a collection stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. A story within a story example.

"Schools are places where the smart students set good relations, and network with other fellow students."

If... is a fascinating movie by Lindsay Anderson (1968), starring the first timer Malcolm McDowell, it's famous for its depiction of a savage insurrection at a fictitious boys boarding school. Full movie on Youtube, yeah!

6. FlOWERS TO FRIENDS

7. A thing I learned from my friends

Stanka Shingarova said: Of my friends on the course I learn something from different cultures. I try to show photos of my country and my national culture. I am glad that I know you. Image showing you a lace with horsehair. This is something unique in my homeland.