Title: Parachutes
Author: Kelly Yang
Page Number: ~365 p.g
Ideas for Essay:
-about mom (her influence to Claire)
-the theme of relationship (between Claire and Danni & Claire and Ming)
-debate (Danni)
-the party (speech, performance)
-cleaning (job)
Page 2 of 7
BLOG POST #1- Define and Inquire
Task: This project aims to engineer a device that demonstrates a transformation of energy in 2 weeks. Products would be made for different targets such as education and entertainment relating to energy transfer.
Audience: The product I am aiming to make is a helicopter. The target client for this product is children in elementary school; it’s a safe and easily controlled toy without any remote control needed.
Precedents & Ideas:
-idea #1: Do It Yourself Toy- Rubberband Car
The energy transfer of this toy is elastic to kinetic energy. This product is a car with a wooden body with bottle cap wheels that moves with the elastic energy of the rubber band. I like this idea because the materials used are not hard to gather; however, the making process is a bit challenging because the steps of cutting the popsicles and making holes (in the bottle caps&woods) are not accessible.
Pros- Easily controlled toy / safe for children
Cons- Lack of materials for the clients at home / complicated to make / tiring to play / too common
OR (idea for car)
I can use a motor (with battery pack) and connect a gear (take a straw; put a skewer in the straw, and bottle caps on the two sides; make the motor touch the gear which touches the bottle cap) with a similar design.
-idea #2: Do It Yourself Toy- Coin Bank
The coin bank keeps the coin from turning the handle of the moving object that holds the coin, using kinetic energy. I like the product’s design, but it is a bit complicated to make the product by a child alone. The bank is made out of paper, cardboard, and wooden stick.
Pros- The usefulness of the product / the design that is attractive to children / and the materials are easy to find / can use for an extended period of time
Cons- Hard to cut the cardboard pieces / complicated steps for a child to make / need to use hand to operate the product
-idea #3: Do It Yourself Toy- Coke dispenser
The energy transfer of this coke dispenser is from electric energy to kinetic energy. The product uses a switch to dispense the beverage. A sensor turns the light on when the card is inserted (the energy conversion is from the electric energy in the battery to light energy). I like how there is two energy transfer in this toy.
Pros- Professional looking toy / Can use in real life / Can be an educational toy by teaching a child (client) about how the machine works / Different aspects included
Cons- Little amount of beverage comes out / need to hold for the drink to dispense / Possible for not having enough time for creating this product.
-idea #4: Do It Yourself Toy- Helicopter
The energy transfer of this helicopter is from electric energy to kinetic energy. The helicopter’s body is made out of a card pack, and it moves by a motor (connected to a battery pack by wires). I like how it has a simple design, and it uses a switch to turn the engine off and on.
Pros- Light / Uses switch for control
Cons- Does not fly / Might be dangerous for kids to play with helicopters
–> from watching this video, I have decided to make a DIY helicopter using a motor and plastic bottle.
-precedent #1 for helicopter:
This is a DIY helicopter that also uses a card pack for the central part that holds the helicopter’s motor. It uses a motor, connects to a battery by wires, and connects the wire and engine to a switch. For the blades, it uses a plastic stick and crosses them over. This video inspired me to operate a motor and connect it to a battery for the movement of the blade, hiding the motor in the card pack/bottles.
Pro- It has an excellent design: a motor spinning at the edge of the helicopter that children might like / Can make in a few classes
Con- Does not fly / Could be dangerous because of the blade
-precedent #2:
This helicopter uses four batteries and sticks the motor on top, and connects a blade of a long popsicle with a circle tool. In this video, I focused on how to make the propeller with a motor, and it gave me an idea of how I should make a propeller out of wood.
Pros- Most of the materials are easy to find (the propeller is a popsicle) / Cool design by painting the sides of the blade / Won’t take too long to do this project
Cons- Uses a helicopter part instead of making a stand / the batteries may heat up quickly because there are too many for one motor / the switch is near the propeller, which might hurt the client using it.
BLOG POST #2- Develop and Plan
This is my final plan for the DIY helicopter toy. I decided to use the motor and the battery pack for the primary energy input; I wanted to make something entertaining for children and a safe toy.
I have researched how much the length should be, and the bottle had to be half of the whole helicopter, so I decided to find the smallest water bottle and measure the size. I also had a few ideas of how to connect the propeller and the motor specifically:
The first is to drill a hole on top of the helicopter, stick the motor inside, and put the spinning part into the hole. The second one was to attach the battery pack to the bottom of the bottle and glue the motor on top of the bottle. Then, I combined these ideas and came up with the third one. At the last stage, I decided to hide the motor inside and use a bottle cap for it to spin.
For making this helicopter, I would need to learn different techniques. The techniques I would use during the construction are connecting the wire of the battery pack to the motor, attaching the propeller, and making a propeller. I would get help to cut the holes in the bottle but get ideas from the internet (videos, images) to learn how to connect a motor and make a propeller.
For the motor- I learned that the positive is the red wire and the negative is the black wire, and I have to connect those two to the motor (roll the wire to make it stay tight). I got feedback from the teacher to try solder for the wire to stay- and I noted it to try it next time in the improvement stage. I searched on Youtube for the propeller and saw that a long wooden stick propeller would work fine, so I decided to use two –cm popsicles and glue them together. Then, I would make a hole in a bottle cap and the wooden stick and attach it to the spinning part of the motor. However, I am not sure if the propeller would be fast enough at this stage.
Schedule:
Day #1- Gather materials
Day #2- Missed class
Day #3- Start building; finish cutting and measuring the popsicles and the main water bottle
Day #4- Continue building: finish sticking the motor; making a stand; making a propeller
Day #5- Finalize; improve
Materials:
- the smallest size of bottle that I can find
- 3 drinking straws for the stand
- 2 bottle cap for connecting the propeller to the motor
- 1 round wooden stick to connect the popsicles and the propeller
- 4 big popsicles + 2 small popsicles for the body
- 1 motor + 1 battery pack for it to fly
- hot glue gun (to glue all together)
Success criteria:
- The helicopter flies
- The propeller moves fast enough
- Converts electric energy (from the battery pack) to kinetic energy
- The design looks like a toy and would entertain a child
The main expectation for my project is that the helicopter would fly, or at least move, and the client would find the helicopter interesting.
BLOG POST #3- Create and Improve
In the first class, I improved my sketch through the teacher’s feedback, and once I got approved, I started to gather all the materials I needed. However, I missed the second class, so I did not make a prototype and started making the final product due to time constraints.
I got feedback and changed one part: using a smaller recycled bottle than a water bottle because it is easier to work (glue) on a smooth surface. So I decided to use a pill container.
I made the product step by step, following the schedule I made; however, I have faced a few minor challenges and managed to figure them out during the process.
Process & Problems:
In the beginning, the first minor problem was that it was hard to stick the motor inside the bottle without cutting any part to place my hand in, so I decided to glue the motor on top and the battery on the bottom. In this stage, I thought of an idea, drilled a hole next to the battery, and placed the wire inside the bottle for an appealing design and convenience.
(motor) 
(wire)
The biggest problem during the creation process was the blade. At the very beginning, I chose to use a wooden stick propeller; however, due to the change of the location of the motor and with the feedback that wood would not be a suitable propeller (slow, heavy), I had to change my plan a bit. So I decided to test out the propellers in school and chose the fastest one.
-> From the testing, I noticed the blue one was the fastest. The blue propeller made the helicopter move, and the blade spinning is not visible because of the speed. The other two were too slow that they did not even move; the propellers were too big for a single motor.
The final problem I had was the stand of the helicopter. The straw stand was too weak and light that it did not stand. Also, the location to glue the stand was very curved, but the stand I made was not long enough to be glued tilted. I moved the battery pack to the left for the stand-in this stage for better gluing.
As a result, I changed the stand into a thicker wood stand by gluing two popsicles with four columns to make it easier to balance. I had to measure the columns precisely in the same length to stand without tilting. However, after changing, the helicopter started to fall because of the heaviness of the battery.
Therefore, I stuck the battery everywhere and found the best part: the top. The weight was added to the center so the helicopter did not fall. However, it was inconvenient to touch the battery next to the blade, so I moved it to the bottom of the bottle.
Feedback:
The first feedback I got was to connect a switch to stop the energy waste. From this stage, I learned how to connect a switch to a motor and how to find the correct input and output of the energy,
The second feedback was to make an RC remote control helicopter blade because the small propeller did not make the helicopter fly. Yet, due to time constraints, I could not make another blade. As a result, I researched a remote control helicopter and found a video that gave me an idea/guide of the blade I should make if there is next time.
This is an RC remote control helicopter that uses a coke can. The body and the wings are made out of a coke can at the end. However, it uses a factory-made blade with a remote-controlled, which gives me inspiration for what form, style (two plastic that widens), and material (plastic) I should use for the blade. Also, it teaches me how to connect a remote control system in the helicopter instead of a motor, which would increase the possibility of flying.
BLOG POST #4- Reflect and Share
My final product looks different from the first design because I had to change the plan when solving the challenges. Unfortunately, the final product does not work- does not fly because:
- the propeller did not spin fast enough: The energy input was not enough for the motor to move fast enough;
- The helicopter was too heavy. The heavier weight of the helicopter was stronger than the force that the propeller produced.
- the propeller was too small
However, the helicopter still moved around because:
- The propeller’s spinning of the propeller made the wind downwards, which gave them energy and force to move. –> this produced wind like a fan, too
- Enough energy boosted the speed of the motor to move the helicopter around: by the energy, the battery produced to the motor which spun the propeller.
I am still proud of the project I made, and the success of making the helicopter was that:
-moves around
-the design (propeller, stand) looked more incredible than the plan
-successfully shown energy transfer of electric to kinetic
From this project, I learned how a helicopter moved, how the propeller moved, how the electrical energy from the battery converted into kinetic energy. I experienced how to connect the wires and correct in/outputs by making the helicopter. The most significant improvement I want to make is in the improvement stage: I would have changed the propeller into more like an RC remote control helicopter type or made a remote control helicopter. Also, I would have researched and inquired more about using gear to make the propeller spin faster (success criteria 2) and paint or decorate for the client’s entertainment (success criteria 4).
Lastly, the project has minimal environmental harm because it does not create any waste but uses recycled products such as bottles and straws. However, I used some popsicles, so the materials such as hot glue and the popsicles might pollute the ocean if they are thrown away. The potential client was elementary children for their entertainment and learning about energy transfer. The energy transfer shown by the battery, wire, and motor was successful; however, the helicopter’s design could improve by painting and using the hot glue more clearly.
Theatre Tour Experience!
This is a photo of the spotlight (in the spotlight booth) located up at the back of the theatre. The machines spot specific characters, props, or a spot in a scene to highlight and give them focus. It can adjust the size, gels (color), and the position of the spotlight to provide different moods and settings during a scene. I chose this picture because the picture makes me think of the experience of moving and controlling the spotlight; it was so cool!
This photo is taken from the catwalk, a platform that allows the backstage crew to access lights. It is above the audience theatre, so it also works as a safety tool to prevent the light from falling into the house. These lights in the catwalk are controlled in the lighting studio in the back of the theatre, and they play a significant role in a play, as it creates a various atmosphere with different effects from the gels and gobos. And the light is sometimes dangerous since it heats up fast because of the excessive amount of electricity used for lighting the stage. I decided to upload this picture because I never knew there was a catwalk, even though I would have known if I had looked up once!
This is a photo of the lighting booth, where the crew controls the lights of the stage. It is right behind the house at the back of the theatre. Since it is a booth, no sounds are coming out from the studio, which makes it the crew easy to communicate with the people inside, and it does not bother the house to watch a performance. The gel (color), gobo (pattern), size, and position of the sidelight, front light, backlight, and top light (except the spotlight) are controlled in the booth here. It was an incredible experience because I never had a chance to go in and would not have if I did not have this tour!
(HS) (ES)
This photo portrays the space where the cable moves up and down to lift the curtains and drapes by the motorized winches. It is located at the very top of the theatre. Before the machines moved the cables up and down, actual people had to use ropes and pulleys and pull down the ropes to raise the curtain and set pieces up. The photo on the right is from the ES theatre; the cables are controlled by the machines, and it is much easier and safer because it is wrapped in several layers without overlapping. I chose this picture because it reminds me of the theatre myth (that you can’t whistle in a theatre), and it was interesting to know how the system was different in the past.
(HS) (ES)
This is a photo of the dimmer rack taken in, the dimmer room. It handles the electricity flow, powers the entire lighting rig, and controls the amount of electricity to ensure they do not burn. They can pull each of the dimmers out to manage the electricity. The photo on the right shows the dimmers in the ES theatre. Since there are more LED lights in the ES theatre, fewer dimmers are used (so there is no dimmer room). Also, it is much easier (just have to click buttons in the middle) to lower the electricity because we do not need to pull out each dimmer to control. The crew had to use candles and lamps to light the stage lights by hand in the past. It was interesting to see the development of the technology by the dimmers and how theatre changed over time.
This is a photo of the thrust in the ES theatre, and it stretches the stage out to give more space for the actors to perform. The audience seating could change; they could sit around the thrust, increasing the interaction between the house and the performers. The thrust is controlled by technology (remote control), and it is a unique characteristic of the ES theatre because the MS/HS does not have a thrust. I chose this picture because I never knew there was a way to extend the stage, and it was my first experience seeing it!
Big takeaways about costume design:
-I noticed that there are different stages of making the costumes, and different people are in charge of each step. For example, there is a designer who draws and plans out the outfit, and there is another designer who dyes the costume into various colors.
-Also, I noticed that costume designers should consider the texture, design, and color of the costumes depending on the age mood of the character. For example, in a show, a character named Jane had to show the growth from childhood to adulthood by costumes. The director had to consider everything about how clothing and color would express the development (simple costume for childhood -> structured dress for adulthood), how to change onstage, and how it could match the timeframe and the music.
Costumes refer to anything an actor wears on stage (shorts, pants, shirts, dresses, hats, socks, and underwear).
Ex. Japanese Kabuki costuming
- royal, rich
- bright colors: economic status
- ancient times
- beauty standards at the time
Factors of Costume Design:
-Age
-Gender (an indicator of what style of cloth people wear)
-Social status (social status, economic status)
-Occupation (where the character fits in the society; what job the person does)
-Geographic Location (give us clues about the culture)
-Occasion/Activity (the activity determines what style characters may be wearing)
-Time of day (shows different scenes at different times of day; ex. pajamas at night)
-Season/Weather
-Historical Period (what historical period is the character in?)
-Psychological Factors/Personality/Emotion (influence what to wear)
In this design, I experimented with sidelight and the changes of color (color gel). Because the props were like autumn and vintage, I wanted the atmosphere to be warm and relaxed, so I tried to use warm colors such as orange and brown. I flashed the light from the top right angle and made it fade out to flash the light from the left angle to create different shadows and give a variety. For the color, I covered the flashlight with a long transparent plastic (colored with orange -> dark orange -> brown -> light grey) and moved the flashlight to different colors.
(I wanted to make people imagine walking on an autumn street while listening to music; however, it turned out to be a little scary because the color was too dark for it to be a light mood and the fading of the light made it a bit creepy.)
I used to think that only the color of the lighting changed the mood of the stage; however, now I know that the angle, color, pattern, and direction of light matter, and it may change people’s emotions. Specifically, I learned that the atmosphere could change from direction and angles because the direction of light may change how the character or a prop on stage looks or is presented on stage. For example, in a stage, if the light shines from the front (front light), then the character’s front part of the body (+movement) is emphasized; yet, if it is a top light, it emphasizes the top part of the facial expression of the character, which gives a different part for people to focus on, making other impressions/moods.
Lighting design- the concept that a designer creates to provide light on stage to support the mood or atmosphere of the play
Light plot- the map that shows where all of your lighting instruments are placed on stage and where they will be lighting
Lighting grid- Up above the stage, it is the system of bars and electric that power the lights
Lighting board- The control panel that power the light; when they turn on and off when and what intensity
Cyclorama- The large white ‘sheet’ at the back of the stage that can be lit or projected on
Backlight- Lighting from the back
Sidelight- Lighting from the side
Top light- Lighting from above
Front light- Lighting from the front
Foot light- Lighting that is placed on the floor in the front
Spotlight- A single source of light focused on a single subject
Fill light- Light sources that add lighting in and around the set/scenery/stage – they ‘fill in’
Wash- A large group of lighting that can ‘wash’ the stage in light that you can bring up at once together
Lighting angle- The angle of the lighting instrument in relation to the subject; usually 45%
Gobo (or pattern)- A pattern (in olden days it was a circle of metal) that blocks light to give you a shape onstage
Gel (or color gel)- The color that you want the instrument to throw onstage (or light onstage)
PART A
A. You have to show or create a shipwreck on stage. How might you do that?
- I would build parts of a ship with holes and broken parts to make it easily broken, and on stage, I would sway it to express the collapse.
B. One character in your play is a spirit. How might you have a character as a spirit onstage?
- I would wear a costume that has the same color as the background and would fly around the stage.
C. Another character is imprisoned in a rock. How would you show a character imprisoned in a stone?
- I would make a stone mask (with clay?) for the character to wear to represent they are stuck in a rock.
D. You have to portray ‘magic demon dogs’ that are unleashed onstage. How might you portray magic demon dogs (without using real dogs)?
- I would use puppetry to portray ‘magic demon dogs’ that are unleashed; I would make a large costume using fabric, with people inside controlling it, which is like the lion dance.
E. What elements would you bring in to create a deserted island? What would you create? Describe how the audience would know that it is a deserted island.
- I would make a deserted island with sand, and put some pieces of ships and branches (stuck in the sand).
F. What challenges would you face when trying to create all of these elements in person, on stage, live, in front of an audience.
- It would be challenging to organize these elements and fit them in one stage with a smooth transition (entering right on time, changing props/costumes) live.
PART B
A. “Inspiration” comes from many sources. Describe one source of inspiration for Julie Taymor when she was setting the scene for the play.
- When creating the Calaban, Julie Taymor was inspired by the Mud Men of New Guinea, who wore clay masks over their head- because, in one of Caliban’s lines, he says that he is imprisoned in a rock, so to show the character, Taymor was inspired by the masks and decided to use this element to represent the character (make a stone mask).
B. Describe one moment where you went “a-ha!” or “that is brilliant!” or “I never would have thought of that!” and describe how or why that moment stood out to you.
- One thing that surprised me was how the directors thought about ways to visualize and interpret the scenes of a play. And the results were incredible and always unexpected. For example, when the director thought about how to express a shipwreck on stage, I expected they would actually destroy it by hand during the play. However, it was shown by burning with fire on stage (behind a cloth?). I noticed that it would be really challenging to think of methods and ways to actually plan out the steps and how to deliver it on a live show.
C. ‘Symbolism’ plays an important part in most theatre. This is different than ‘Literal’. Pick one moment or element that was represented “symbolically” as opposed to literally and describe it.
- Caliban represents the island, and he is the king of the island, so when he enters the stage, he enters from the ground and through the Earth; however, opposite from Caliban, Ariel comes from the air.
D. What would you change about the production (from what you saw) if you were filming it for movies or television?
- If I was filming it for movies or television, I would use more technologies to show some of the backgrounds and characters that are hard to demonstrate in the play.
#3
(I finished Steel Heart)
Title- Parachutes
Author- Kelly Yang
Page Number- ~235 pages
Reflection-
Ideas for Essay:
-Comparison of the two opposite lives of the two main characters Dani and Claire
-How literary techniques like symbolism and dichotomy represent the issues discussed/mentioned in the book (ex. racism, sexual assault, speaking up, women rights)
-keywords: Immigrant, identity, power, wealth, privilege, family dynamics, friendship, courage, communication, compassion, empathy
-how minor characters (ex. Claire’s mom) impact the character
#2
Title: Steelheart
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Page #: ~185 pages
Reflection: As I read, I have noticed some literary techniques I could use in the essay. Symbolism was the most interesting technique for me; I wondered about what the name, color, ability, and weaknesses of the epics represented when they appeared one by one while reading the book.
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