3D Knight

Blog Intro: For this action project we created a chess set as a class. We started by drawing what we thought a chess set would look like. This then lead to us creating some rules and parameters around hoe large, tall, and the stile of the peaces so are chess set would look like a more cohesive chess set. After we had a solid idea of how we wanted to create are chess set we went ahead and began making models out of different materials. For example we created the knight peace out of card board, clay and then finally created it on a 3D digital on line platform. We then took the file/stl file and sent it to the Makerbot for 3D printing.

Collaboration P1: We drew are own interpolations of what a chess piece would look like, then we all agreed on a few specific traits and incorporated them into are chess peace. This allowed us to make one cohesive chess set.

Tinkercad.com and Thingiverse.comP2: Then we took are final draft of sketches and turned them in to 3D models using Tinkercad.com this then lead to us converting are 3D models into stl files. This allowed us to upload the stl files to Thingiverse.com. Once we uploaded are

123Dmake/ Cardboard P3: In the 123Dmake program allowed us to view a 3D Scan of are image so that we could have the program cut our 3D model into slices. Once we had altered are image I was able to print out a stencil for each slice and cut it out of cardboard and resembled it to create a card model.    

Clay P4:  When creating are clay model we had to measure each section of clay with an electronic ruler that gave us exact measurements in mm. once we assembled the clay model I based my tinker cad model off the measurements and look of the clay model

3D Printing Process : When we creating are 3D model I was able to upload my .stl file to a flash drive. We then took the flash drive and connected it with the hub mini 3D printer and an hour lader we had a 3D printed model of my chess peace.















calculations

Hands v.s Silhouette Cameo Cutter

For our first rapid prototyping action project we compared what it was like to create letters by hand, using X-Acto knives, box cutters and scissors, versus using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter to create exact outlines of the letters we were assigned. We were also required to include certain materials, the two materials I was required to use for this project were paint and vinyl. Not only did I include these two materials but I also found a way to incorporate card stock and glitter into my project. I created each letter by hand first and then created the letters using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter. I chose to cut the letters by hand first because I assumed it would be easier to get the long process of cutting the letters by hand and painting them by hand out of the way, so that at the end I could quickly input my letters to the computer, so the Silhouette Cameo Cutter could cut out my letters. 

                                

My process for creating the letters by hand began with creating a graph. The graph allowed me to measure out vertices to create a cohesive network of lines that created a non-traversable out line of my letters. Once the sketch was finished I labeled all the points on the graph numerically and did distance formula to conclude which two points were farthest away from each other. The second step for creating the letters by hand involved me tracing out my first letter on vinyl, then tracing the letter again on a larger scale on yellow card stock. Once the letters were traced on both types of material I cut them out using an X-Acto knife, box cutter and ruler. The letter I cut out of card stock I glued to a peace of orange card stock and then placed the vinyl letter on top of it to create a colorful layering effect.                 

GCE Lab School 2015

Silhouette Cameo Cutter card stock and vinyl letter "P"

GCE Lab School 2015
Hand made vinyl and card stock letter "P"

My process for creating the letters using the machine was to first input the points I had made on the graph into the computer to make an exact replica of my sketches. Once my letters were input to the computer I noticed a few changes I had to make. First the letters came out way too big and would not print on the size of card stock I had. This was also an issue with cutting the vinyl on the Silhouette Cameo Cutter because the sheets of vinyl were small squares. So I figured out how to shrink the letters so that they could be cut on both the card stock and the vinyl. Once this was done I was able to use the cutout of the letter “j” as a stencil for my painting and glittering.

GCE Lab School on the left is a hand make "j"
and the one on the rite is a "j" made by
 the Silhouette Cameo Cutter

The process varied for hand and machine a great deal. When it came to printing out the letter “P” it was very hard to get it to work on the machine. The program only allows straight lines so creating curves had to be done by using a tool that did not have exact measurements. Creating the “P” by hand was very easy because I was able to use a ruler and an X-Acto knife to carve each side and curve the way I originally wanted to, especially when it came to creating the cut out in the center. That was much easier by hand. When it came to creating a “j” with the machine, it was very easy to cut out my stencil perfectly. When it came to hand making my “j” it did not come out looking as good as it did on the machine because I had to do that without a stencil.

Health and Performing Arts

For this action project we focused on issues that mattered to us individually. I chose to focus on Physical health because being a performing artist I know the positive benefits of being physically in shape. It contributes to self confidence it also relates to the quality of life. Being physically active for at least 20 min a day every day can make a huge difference in your health. It doesn't have to be running or weightlifting, for example I do trapeze and other aerial arts. Make sure that you like the physical activity you choose, when you enjoy an activity it can make the biggest difference in your motivation to make sure you keep up with your work out. When it comes to Physical health and self confidence being proud of the body you live in is very important. when feeling self conscious of your figure can make you feel down or unhappy with yourself.

I have trained Trapeze tumbling and other aerial apparatus since I was 10 years old I am now 16 years old, I have learned a ton about the human body through the performing art that I have chosen. I chose this topic because I know that there are many teens that would benefit from participating in the performing arts. Not only is it good for your physical health it can benefit you social and emotional health.

You learn new ways of communicating with your peers. When is a performing art you have a chance to explore other sides of yourself helping strengthen your self confidence. Self confidence is something that a lot of teens and young adults struggle with. I chose to express my piece of art through film, I set up a camcorder and have my friend record my trapeze act set to one of my favorite pieces of music. This medium of art also allows me to show my physical strength and confidence in what I enjoy doing.

My piece of art expresses a lot of ethos because I'm moving a very calm and confident manner speaking audience feel as if I am secure in what I'm doing. I also try and evoke pathos with the music I chose to allow my audience to understand and more gentle and soft side of me as a performer. These are skills I was able to develop over time as I committed to my physical activity and art. Knowing how to do these things physically and in a performance has allowed me to apply them to other parts of my life, like school, home and when interviewing for jobs. This piece of art would be most effectively performed in a theater in front of a live audience. It would allow me to connect with the audience through more eye contact and stronger energy that cannot be relayed on video.

     

JB Trapeze Act Warm Up (2015)

Chi-Fly

 For this action project we redesigned bikes for different people living different lifestyles. My partner and I were given the persona of a young man living in uptown, that needs a bike that is efficient to commute with and light to carry. We are most proud of our bikes frame and innovative fender; what makes the bikes frame so special is that it is steel and hollow allowing to be very strong but lightweight. The innovations we made on the fender allow it to fold into a small cube that you can fit into your back pocket or into a small bag.Along with learning how to make bike innovations we studied. Diameter, Circumference, Force, Area of the Circle, graphing circles and radius. Understanding these concepts allowed us to make more efficient bikes. We were able to calculate things like gear ratios which are very important when designing bikes.

The young man we were designing her bike for is a high school student Looking for a bike that is fast and efficient to ride, the bike also needed to include a unique visual aspect. The bike also needs to be lightweight because he lives on a top floor apartment. The bike me and my partner were able to design meets these criteria is to a tee. For example when it comes to the bike being efficient the hollow steel frame allows it to be strong and lightweight, making it easy for him to carry it up to his top floor apartment. Having a fender that is collapsible allows him to fit it into his bag and it won't take up too much space that can be used for school supplies. The visual aspect that makes the bike unique is the color changing paint that reacts to sunlight, when the bike is in a dark space it turns dark blue and when the bike is exposed to sunlight turn the light shade of blue. When it comes to the mechanics of the bike the wheel to gear ratio is high, allowing you to do less work peddling but still allowing you to go a very far distance. When going uphill the rider will build a lot of potential energy, The kinetic energy will allow the rider to coast with less petals. When interviewing a bicyclist I found that one of the main challenges they face is biking up and down hills. " biking up hills is one of the worst parts of biking but within a fishing gear setting it can make the ride easier."

The diameter of the bikes wheels are 24.5 inches and the circumference of 76.9 inches the area of the wheels is 471.4. Which is an identical measurement to most hybrid, road and fixie bicycles. This happens to be the type of bike we need to design to fit our persona. The gear ratio we chose for bike is two petals for six rotations.Along the bike to travel 2 m/s, the bicycles commute is 15 minutes this allows the bicyclist to travel 1800 m in 15 minutes.

Time to Dump Trump

For this action project I decided to analyze the speech done by Donald Trump. I was really excited to explore Donald Trump's writing because we all know how ridiculous it is. When going through and dissecting some of the things he says and the rhetorical devices he uses you start to really understand what he is an ineffective speaker. In the process of studying down Trump I found out a lot about his past, what informed some of the decisions that he made. He is a very conservative Republican focused on money in America not necessarily keeping it a diverse melting pot where opportunity can come to anyone.

Old Slice

For this action project we were tasked with the challenge of creating a tool for the elderly. My partner and I decided to create a machete that would be safe for the elderly to use and one that was more efficient. When designing a product we use empathy to understand what it would be like to be an old person using a machete and what kind of challenges they might face. Some of the challenges we faced along the way were figuring out how to make a blade that was lightweight and that would be easy to keep in a garage without worrying about anyone getting cut or it falling. We are really proud of the aspect of the machete that involves the collapsible blade. We are also very happy with the fact that the machete has a rubber covering and holes in the blade that still allows it to be very sharp but it will not have too much resistance when cutting.

JB (2015) Old Slice story board

Before we started the creation process we did some research on how machetes function.The most important part of the machete, the blade is a thin wedge witch is a simple machine used to split things apart. The machete has three main parts: the handle, the extension and the blade. The handle we saw at Home Depot was a plain, orange, rubber handle. The Home Depot machete also did not have nay formal covering or way to protect the blade. This could become a hazard because the blade will be exposed witch could lead to injury. To innovate our handle we decided to make it include a jelly formfitting handle so that whenever you grip it the handle will form to your hand shape since we felt the one at Home Depot could easily slip out of an elderly weakened hand. The next important piece of the machete is the handle extension, it is an extra 5 inch piece of wood that allows you to reach into lower or higher places without bending over. To access the extension on the handle, you press the red button on the original short handle with the formfitting grip. The next important piece of the machete is of course the blade. The blade is made of steel and is about a foot and a half long. 

This next aspect really allows an elderly person of any level of strength to use the blade easily. We included large holes in the blade to reduce resistance when cutting, but they still get a strong clean cut. At the very top of the blade right before the tip is a small notch that allows you to cut cord and wire. When putting the machete away, press the red button to retract the extension handle, then fold down the blade by pressing on the back of the blade till it clicks into the handle. When talking to the elderly about what was really hard about using some gardening tools, one of the most common quotes that I found was," Having to bend over is the number one issue." This shows how eliminating bending over could really change their gardening experience.

JB(2015) Diagram of machete includes vector

Finding the Right School

Throughout this action project I use my own personal experience and information I found online about high school education in Chicago, to write on why it is so hard to find one that fits well for students. I want to express how hard it is to find a school that is a healthy learning environment and strives to pick all of its students up and teach them how to become good communicators in their communities. Some of the challenges that I faced while completing this process is finding that had a relative statistics. I ended up learning a lot about how not having a strong high school education can really make it hard later in life.

At 6:45 AM I unlocked my phone and open Facebook, I check my newsfeed to see what's going on in the first thing that pops up is a video of two high school students beating up one other student. After the boy was beaten half to death he was lying on the ground shaking and bloody. Keep in mind that this is all happening in the school cafeteria. I scroll down even further skipping a few images, and there is another video of two girls fighting inside the classroom and they end up hitting their teacher. Why is it so hard to be in a school where students are inspired to learn lift one another up and stop the outside world from tearing them down? It looks as if we have created a monster. School has become about who can fight the best and partaking in risky behaviors and not get caught for it. Many schools have created a toxic environment where Students will not be able to thrive and success is a mere afterthought.

However a lot of people may say teens will be teens but it is not all our fault. No matter where you go I can respect the fact that they're going to be kids participating in risky behaviors and bullying one another and not focusing on learning, but we have an opportunity to change that. The adults in these high school environments really need to step up and help change our school system. Chicago high schools have a graduation rate of 65.4% a little less than half of our high school students are even graduating. Graduation from high school should be a no-brainer for every student.

This way of thinking needs to start as soon as high school students hit the ninth grade, students who pass ninth grade are almost 4 times more likely to graduate then one who doesn't. This is why the adults in high schools need to make sure that they're creating a learning environment that is not too fast and not too slow and is a safe place where students can learn and ask questions. It also needs to be a place where issues are not ignored. Students should not go through their entire high school career feeling like just another number. The result maybe that the student fails and chooses not to finish their high school career.

MLA Citations 

contributors: Walter H. Dyett, Technical Advisory Committees 

last updated:August 14, 2013

 contributors: Kate N. Grossman 

Last updated: July 16 2015