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Green Ricky
Tags: Ricky, Green, bike, Utah, VaLon
Campaign: Be an Eco Champion - Round 2
Added: 6/11/2009 12:23 AM PT
Last Modified: 6/11/2009 12:23 AM PT
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I would like to nominate my friend Ricky. Sure, he does the normal stuff that everyone should be doing anyways, like recycling paper, after is it used for scratch paper. Or, using a reusable shopping bag, which can actually be hard to do sometimes. Or a metal water bottle for all drinking needs. He is also studying how to make architecture more sustainable, come to find out that is just good design. He does all that, and more, but what is the most profound thing is his bike riding.
He is normally the one to point out how pretty the sunset is, so pretty because of the smog, which then makes it horrible. "That's why I rode my bike today."
I think he is anti-car, as am I, he just has the guts to not take his car places. It took me two months to even realize he owned a car.
He travels all over on his bike, even if we are all traveling by car to someplace, like the cemetery, or downtown to a site visit. He even took his bike to a wedding, a 45 minute drive (by car) away. He assured me that it was okay because he would take Trax, our public transit train, out there. I stared at him knowing the end of the line was still a 20 minute drive away. His story was funny, about how it was pouring rain, and so windy he kept falling off his bike. He had to go up a hill, got stuck by some police, then had to turn around and find a different route up a different hill. But would he do it again? Yes.
If he wasn't known for his singing, he would totally be known for the one who rides his bike. A lot of people at school ride bikes when the weather gets nicer, but he has been riding his bike the whole winter. I don't think I've ever seen him drive to school. I have seen his car, so it does exist. It was during the horrible snowstorm that I didn’t even want to drive in. He brought his car up because it would be hard to carry a large building model on his bike. I wanted a picture of him on his bike riding around in the snow, because he does that a lot.
He also rides that thing around in the oddest outfits. Because he is in choirs, he has to dress nicely for things. But he wears them on the bike.
I look up to him because of it. Sure, I may give him a hard time, but I would love to be able to do it as well. I have tried, and it didn’t work. I'm impressed with how he has the guts to do it. He doesn't care that people give him a hard time. He does it anyways.
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Green Ricky
Tags: Ricky, Green, bike, Utah, VaLon
Campaign: Be an Eco Champion
Added: 5/12/2009 10:26 AM PT
Last Modified: 5/12/2009 10:36 AM PT
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I would like to nominate my friend Ricky. Sure, he does the normal stuff that everyone should be doing anyways, like recycling paper, after is it used for scratch paper. Or, using a reusable shopping bag, which can actually be hard to do sometimes. Or a metal water bottle for all drinking needs. He is also studying how to make architecture more sustainable, come to find out that is just good design. He does all that, and more, but what is the most profound thing is his bike riding.
He is normally the one to point out how pretty the sunset is, so pretty because of the smog, which then makes it horrible. "That's why I rode my bike today."
I think he is anti-car, as am I, he just has the guts to not take his car places. It took me two months to even realize he owned a car.
He travels all over on his bike, even if we are all traveling by car to someplace, like the cemetery, or downtown to a site visit. He even took his bike to a wedding, a 45 minute drive (by car) away. He assured me that it was okay because he would take Trax, our public transit train, out there. I stared at him knowing the end of the line was still a 20 minute drive away. His story was funny, about how it was pouring rain, and so windy he kept falling off his bike. He had to go up a hill, got stuck by some police, then had to turn around and find a different route up a different hill. But would he do it again? Yes.
If he wasn't known for his singing, he would totally be known for the one who rides his bike. A lot of people at school ride bikes when the weather gets nicer, but he has been riding his bike the whole winter. I don't think I've ever seen him drive to school. I have seen his car, so it does exist. It was during the horrible snowstorm that I didn’t even want to drive in. He brought his car up because it would be hard to carry a large building model on his bike. I wanted a picture of him on his bike riding around in the snow, because he does that a lot.
He also rides that thing around in the oddest outfits. Because he is in choirs, he has to dress nicely for things. But he wears them on the bike.
I look up to him because of it. Sure, I may give him a hard time, but I would love to be able to do it as well. I have tried, and it didn’t work. I'm impressed with how he has the guts to do it. He doesn't care that people give him a hard time. He does it anyways.
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I wish...
Tags: wish, money, travel, world peace, flying, power, talent, art
Campaign: I Wish...
Added: 3/31/2009 9:15 AM PT
Last Modified: 3/31/2009 9:15 AM PT
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I wish I had something good to wish for in this campaign.
Sure I could be all cheesy and wish for world peace, or life to be free of trouble. But come on? Is that really going to happen? I doubt it.
I could wish for supernatural powers. Flying would be the best, but I'm happy being who I am.
I could wish for talents. I'd love to be able to play the guitar better, be better at art, do this and that. But I know that if I really want it to work on it and be able to do it. I'm the only one to blame for that.
I could also wish for things. I would love a VW Bug, nice house, lots of money. But what kind of happiness will that bring? None.
I do wish I could travel more. See the world - or at least more than school and home. I could do that though. I could just go if I wanted. I need the money to do that, but I'm working on saving up.
So what do I really wish for? Something good to wish for. Most things in life are never going to happen - winning a million dollars. Or, you can work for them and make them come true - becoming a millionare.
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Mocking Bell
Tags:
Campaign: Rants & Raves
Added: 12/31/2008 11:17 AM PT
Last Modified: 12/31/2008 11:43 AM PT
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| I think I'd really love to get rid of half of the stuff in my house. Yes, half. Take for instance the bell, sitting on my nightstand. I know it is a horrible little item, just there mocking me and my need for it to leave. But does it? No. It knows I can't bear the thought of throwing it away and how wasteful that would be. It also knows the only reason I took it in the first place is so I wouldn't feel bad by not taking the stupid little piece from the hard working lady at church. It knows it is empty and has no point in life. Still it sits there, cluttering up my room. And if say, the guy I like gave it to me, it would forever be this ghastly little bell that would never leave because it had some sentimental power to be forever in my life, and probably end up in a cardboard box in the basement. Which, by the way, I have stacks of good cardboard boxes cluttering up life so incase I find more useless items to keep I have the box for them. Gosh life is horrible! |
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My favorite toys are Legos. When I was a child, I loved to play with these little pieces of heaven. I don't mean the little play sets that you can build a spaceship or an animal with, but the plain building blocks.
My favorite thing to build is buildings. I enjoyed playing with them so much, my mother decided that I would most likely be an architect. Now I am in architecture and amazed at how many people I know also love Legos. My favorite architects even have a project that incorporates Legos into the design. |
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It is not a hobby that has gone away, I still love them. I had sorted them all by color and put them in a box in my basement. Then, I lost them. I have been searching for them for about a year. The other day our water heater exploded, covering my boxes in water. My Dad was moving a box and I was able to see the other side of it, which was labeled 'Legos.' I literally jumped for joy. I was so excited that I had found them I was dancing around. I couldn't wait to play with them. It didn't take long for me to start.
The small house was fun; it had a lot of design problems to work out. Who would have thought? My latest goal is to build a whole man out of Legos. I need some more, but have got a good start on his head. I modeled him after my Dad for the face shape, but my friend and I decided his hair looks just like a guy I work with, I think he resembles Isaac Hanson.
My favorite thing to build was large houses. I would start to build and then run out of blocks because I didn't have enough. I then would have to buy more, then more, then more. It is sad that kids don't play with Legos a lot anymore. Everything has to be electronic.
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CRAP
Tags: crap, VaLon, design
Campaign: none
Added: 8/4/2008 10:09 AM PT
Last Modified: 8/4/2008 10:09 AM PT
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So, I was just looking at some ad designs, and I saw some problems that came up again and again. I learned these basic little things in a class I took that can completely change how well something is designed. I thought I would share it.
Before you go off on a hissy fit about me saying how bad peoples designs are and how much better I think I could do, and how I haven't even done one. It is coming, so just wait for it.
CRAP - that is all a design needs to be, is CRAP.
C - Contrast - If the colors are to close together, and you can't see the difference in them, it can be hard to read. Nothing is worse than a green background with red text.
R - Repetition - Having the same type of thing repeated. The best use of this is fonts, having the same font on the whole design. Not to say you can't have more than one, but know when you are doing it so it doesn't become overwhelming.
A - Alignment - Ah, my favorite. Centered text is horrible, nobody wants to read it! Lining up things along one side is nice. Things that have no alignment just look busy and are hard to read.
P - Proximity - Sometimes things can get to close. Everything needs some 'white space' or blank space to be able to read right. But be careful, they can get to far away as well.
Just a few little tips that can make a world of difference.
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Photo Shoot Out
Tags:
Campaign: none
Added: 7/29/2008 10:06 AM PT
Last Modified: 7/29/2008 10:57 AM PT
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So, I’ve recently been looking at the Photo Shoot Out campaign. Some days I wonder if it was wise to ever let some people use a camera. It is so easy to just point and click now that everyone thinks they are a good photographer. And sure, sometimes this works great, there are some amazing pictures out there taken by people who have no idea what they are doing. I have been one of these people, and have even entered some photo contests myself. But then there are the pictures that are truly amazing that for one reason or another, people do not see because of the other wanna be photos out there.
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| One of those, Trainwreck comes from Lee, a brilliant piece that mystifies me how it could have been taken so well. The idea of someone hurt on the tracks becomes so alive in this photo. The black and white is amazing. |
Brooke has also created some wonderful shot. Among her other ones, Darian stands out. The concept is clever, the black and white stands out, and the subject is amazing as well. |
Then we have Lucas, at only 16 his talent is amazing. As stated in his Face It campaign, he would like to be a photographer, and I believe he is well on his way to doing that. He has three works that I find amazing. Nick and Emmie is a touch of real photography is a place where there seems to be none. It has the look and light of something the only planning and a real eye for what is good would be able to capture. Choking From Intoxication reminds me very much of another artist whose show I recently went to, but for the life of me can’t remember who it was. The ideas and colors are amazing! It takes real talent to break away from the box like that. On the softer side, Make a Wish catches a real life moment with such grace and beauty it is hard to describe. Lucas has done some amazing things so far in life, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what else he can do.

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Cardboard
Tags: archtiecture, cardboard, models
Campaign: none
Added: 7/14/2008 11:09 AM PT
Last Modified: 7/18/2008 10:00 AM PT
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A while ago I entered the I Can't Live Without My... Campaign
| "I can't live without my cardboard. It may sound a little crazy, but I build models all the time out of the favored cardboard. It is cheap, you can tear it apart, it is easy, and you can make it do anything. Instead of spending money to buy it, I use boxes. You have no idea how much I have in my basement, this is a picture of some. Man, I love cardboard." |
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Now I would like to share some things I built out of cardboard in this blog.
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This is our bridge. We were allowed two 4' x 8' peices of cardboard per person, and two rolls of duct tape a group. We had 8 people in our group, full of the smallest people. The idea was to make it hold the whole group. The bridge is 12' long, and spands 9'. First one person from our group got on, it did great. The TA also held very great. Our not so slim teacher was impressed it held him. Then half of the group went to get on and it fell. But it was fun. I was put in charge of taking the pictures, and sometimes taping. I also helped in the design when I thought something was wrong. |
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Here is one of my favorite site models, all made out of cardboard. The mountains are built up cardboard, and the river has the first layer torn off. |

Close up site model of a building I designed. |
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Wall Central Layout
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Linear Art Gallery Idea
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Wall Central Synthesis
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Grid Synthesis
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This cute little model took about 30 minutes to make. It was one of the first and would take a whole lot less time now. It was just an idea for a building, that never came to be. I make these type of things all the time. It is just a rough one, so now always that great looking. |
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Being Green
Tags: Green, architecture, gas, car, heat, computer, home, school, smart
Campaign: What Makes You Eco-Fabulous?
Added: 1/18/2008 6:35 AM PT
Last Modified: 1/18/2008 6:35 AM PT
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Some would consider it being cheap; and that is why I do it. I mean, it actually costs a lot less to protect the planet than it does to destroy it. Being Green is an interesting concept, many people are obsessed with Being Green, and I think it is just a fad. However, there are many valuable things in the philosophy that should be done everyday and not just part of Being Green. These are the sort of things I do.
My car, named Myke, is a place I spend a lot of my time. To help cut down on the cost of having him, I make sure he is running well; a healthy car is a happy car. I also get great gas mileage, 30 mpg. But I don't like to drive a lot. I normally drive up to the mass transit line and take it. Sure, it takes longer, but I get an hour more sleep a day. Better for me, better for the planet. I also don't like to use the cars heater and cooler a lot. My friends are always hot or cold. Instead, I roll down my windows, natural air conditioning. It started because it didn't work, but I like it better than cars that have real air conditioning. I also don't use my heater much, I bundle up. You don't need a lot of extra heat, your body makes enough. But when it gets into single digits, then I do turn on the heat.
At school I do a lot of things. I like to sit under the skylights; they provide great light, sometimes even brighter than the normal lights. They also provide a comforting light that any manmade light cannot provide. The bathroom, which doesn't provide that light, has the manmade kind. When I go in, I only turn on one out of the three, how much light do you really need? Plus, even though it is a public place, all of us seem to be aware, and we all turn off the lights when nobody is in it. My favorite things at school are the recycle bins. I could probably fill a small garbage can in a couple of days. I am always sticking paper in them, and always the one to yell at my friends when they don't. Another way I recycle is my scrap pile, I make a lot of models and unlike my fellow students, I keep a ridiculous amount of scraps around. You never know when you are going to need that small piece you just threw out. My basement is full of cardboard. I also eat fresh food instead of the kind out of the can. When I do need something, such as a bowl, I use a bowl and not a disposable container, which only adds to the landfills. I also use rechargeable batteries and electronics. I do use a lot of little toys that require power, but I got sick of buying batteries every week and throwing away the perfectly good ones that won't work my camera. Rechargeable is the way to go.
I also live at home, a place full of things to do. As with school, I am not fond of lights. I like to keep them off if possible. I am constantly turning them off on my Dad. I also like fresh air, during the summer before touching the air conditioning; I will just open a window. Operable windows, great idea. I also try to keep my showers short; I am amazed at how long I use to take, up to an hour. Then I hurt my back and couldn't stand longer than two minutes, my showers shortened to five minutes. We also use energy efficient appliances, and don't over water the lawn. Some things take up so much water. Ever since I can remember I have recycled cans. When I was a kid it was for money, we use to go to construction sites and get it. Now I collect them just because. It pains me when I go to parties to throw one away. I also reuse a lot of my gift-wrap supplies. Part of it comes for doing it for a living during Christmas, but I love gift-wrap, and can never throw it away. I reuse bows, bags, tissue paper, etc…. I don't see why I should ever have to buy any ever again. Another thing I do it use digital things. I don't buy CD's, DVD's, or the like. I have things on my computer to share with friends. I also like to send email and other electronic things as to not waste paper.
Overall, I am not Green, I am smart. The world is ours to take care of and not destroy. If everybody would just do some small simple things, the world would be a much better place.
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