Raymond

Pencilcase Blog Post

June 1, 2023 / Raymond / 0 Comments

First design:

The end result of my product was derived from a series of ideas that led to my final design. The first prototype I chose to create began with me contemplating what type of product I would require the most, which I was also missing during that time. I decided that a ruler would be my top choice. I decided it would be around 15 centimeters long, with many decorations and patterns on it to make it look better. However, soon after designing this, I realized that a ruler would be too unchallenging and undemanding to create. Hence, I decided to change my design by redesigning my pencil case. Although I was not missing one at a time, I felt like I could make another higher-quality one that would also look better.

Second design:

The second design is the first version of my pencil case. I decided on similar dimensions to the one I was currently using, around 16 centimeters in length, 4 centimeters in width, and 3 centimeters tall. On the exterior, I decided on a clean look, without many decorations. For the interior, I decided to create 3 compartments. the first, or the biggest, would contain the pens and pencils. The second, a smaller one, would hold the erasers. The last one would be the smallest, long and skinny, holding a ruler. I then moved on to the mechanics – how the case would open/close, how would the closed case stick together, etc. I decided to make the top of the case possess a longer width. This way, I could preserve the clean look, while giving it an easy way to open and close it. I decided on hinges that would connect the top and the backside. The hinges would also be small, also in the goal of preserving the clean feeling of the case. Lastly, I settled on magnets that would be stuck on the interior of the top of the case and the bottom. This way, the magnets would hold the box together when closed, and prevent it from spilling its contents if it was accidentally opened.

third design:

However, soon after I made the isometric view, I realized that it looked too clean – bland and mundane. This caused the case to enter its next design stage. I decided to counter the product’s blandness with multiple decorations. I decide on geometric patterns, which after I drew on the model, found that it suited the case very well. I would preserve the other features of the case, such as the stain, the compartments, the magnets, etc.

Final design:

I decided to stick to this version to create my first paper prototype of it. It came together nicely, however, I realized that the case would be far too small to be efficient and effective at carrying my supplies. So, I decided to enlarge my case with a scale factor of around 1.2. This decision would bring me to my final design. After expanding the dimensions of the box, I created it inside Fusion and printed it. After I assembled each of the parts, I found no errors with the design, only small ones such as mistakes I made while creating the individual parts in Fusion. After fixing it, I printed it in wood, stained it, and assembled it.

Summary:

Overall, I would rate my final product 9/10. It solved almost all my issues with carrying pencils and other tools, and the exterior including the interior looks great. However, the reason why I removed the final point is due to errors I made while assembly. Many of the wood pieces, after laser cutting bent, which is still apparent in my case if you look hard enough. Another is the inconsistency in the staining process. Many parts are lighter than others. It also caused the case to become sticky, which less than before, can still be felt on the texture of the case. Lastly, I rushed the assembly of the individual parts, which led to many errors, such as the nails, which broke some small parts of the surface of the top cover off, along with me using hot glue for magnets, which caused a big glob in the place where the magnets currently rest.

What skills did I grow during the process of designing and creating?

I grew and developed many skills during the process of designing the pencil case. The biggest skill that I grew is definitely my ability to plan products in stages, or my problem-solving skills. My plan required multiple design stages, which taught me how much design stages impact the final look and feel of the product. However, there were also many challenges and obstacles among the way, which made me think about them and solve them. The second skill I grew was learning new software. In this case, fusion. I learned many different ways of creating different shapes and adjusting them, which allowed me to create my pencilcase. The tools involved with creating those shapes will be no doubt very useful for me in the future. The final skill I grew was assembly and staining. This project was the first time I had ever done both, meaning that it was an entirely new experience for me to learn from. I used to think that assembly would be the easiest part of all of them, however, I quickly learned the hard way that it would be one of the hardest. In the planning and design stages, if something went wrong such as a measurement or angle, you could adjust it back. However, there would be no room for adjusting a mistake in assembly and staining, as they are permanent. Nonetheless, I have learned from this process, and now I understand it well enough to make fewer inaccuracies while designing and assembling a product.

Reflection on my product:

What tips and tricks will I give to the upcoming PD students next year?

There are many tips I would want to give the upcoming PD students next year. The first would be to plan ahead. Planning ahead is an extremely important step in designing a good product. It allows you to see what you want to create before you even start, allowing you to make the process of designing and creating a lot smoother whilst making your product higher quality. Planning ahead also allows you to see future obstacles that may get in the way of creating your product, which makes it easier to find solutions to them. Another tip that I would give is to contemplate whether or not your design will be good for long-term use. If the design of the product is based on something which you may lose interest in, you may dislike the product and ultimately stop using it. A way around this is to contemplate the most essential tools you have used almost every day for the past few years, (for me, a pencilcase) and think how you can redesign it to better suit your needs.

What would I do differently if I was given the chance to restart from scratch?

If I were to restart from scratch, the first thing I would do is to correct the unseen mistakes that I made while designing my pencilcase. For example, I would rather have sanded the wood before I stained it, as it would make the wood much smoother and more appealing. I would also correct some design mistakes that I made on Fusion. For example, I did not consider the corners of the case when I applied the fingers, leading them to create a small empty space.

What do I want to change or add to the course that would make it better?
More time would be much better, especially in the final few classes. I think we could spend less time studying creating the isometric view and the paper prototype, as although they were useful things to learn, they took a lot of time and classes that I think would be more beneficial for fleshing out the final product.

A young Cuban child holds his Fathers hand as he walks down the busy streets of Havana. Completely mesmorized by the people and sounds. Little did he know, that the events that would happen later this very day on this very street, would ignite a fiery flame in Cuba from within, catipulting him down a cliff of revolution and revenge that would forever change the history of Cuba.

The Cuban revolution was a period of bloody conflicts between the people of Cuba and the government which took place in the 1950s. Although many see revolutions as a whole as unneccesary, bloody, and pointless battles that only lead to more deaths, the Cuban revolution actually led to several significent and good changes in Cuba such as politics, economics, which still impact Cuba today. The Cuban revolution started on March 10th, 1952, where the former president of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista, led the Cuban Constitutional Army into staging a Coup d’etat, killing many in the process as well as overthrowing the government and becoming dictator of Cuba. What followed next was 7 long years of corruption and the brutal oppression of the lower class, where almost 20,000 Cubans were killed by the hands of Batista. However, these 7, long years also ignited the flame of revolution inside Cuba. Following Batista’s escape to the US and the Rebel victory in Havana, a man named Fidel Castro was installed into power. Unlike Batista, Fidel Castro instead used his power to try and rebuild Cuba from the ashes of what Batista has left it as. He began turning Cuba into a socialist state, starting with the redistributed land to the peasants, then reformed Cuban healthcare and education systems, emphasized womans rights, promoted gender equality, etc. However, although he made several great reforms, he also soured relations with many countries, such as the USA, which led to an invasion in which Fidel Castro quickly repelled. Although he made several mistakes which threatened Cubas into war with the USA, many of the reforms that he made are still exists Cuba today, showing us just how significent those reforms are.

Cuba: The revolution on the brink of global nuclear war

March 12, 2023 / Raymond / 0 Comments

“Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right- not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this Hemisphere, and, we hope, around the world.” -John F. Kennedy

This quote was made by John F. Kennedy on October 22nd, 1962, addressing the USA, and the world, of Soviet nuclear missiles located in Cuba. Although this may not seem such a big deal initially, this discovery catapulted the world into the darkest 13 days in history. Teetering at the edge of global nuclear war, this was the Cuban Missile Crisis.

However, what exactly was it? What caused it? And what happened after it? The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the many events and byproducts of the Cuban Revolution. The Cuban revolution started with a corrupt government, a man named Fidel Castro and his bloody struggle for freedom, then a scramble for the Island made by the two biggest superpowers in the world. Of course, it wasn’t just these four factors that were involved in the Cuban Revolution. The video below shows us how complicated the revolution actually was, ranging from small skirmishes to massive government-funded invasions, from a failed assault on some barracks to the battle of Cuba’s capital city, and from how a simple rebel became president. This is the Cuban revolution in plain English.

Photo Citation:
Karlsson, Håkan. “Cuban Experiences: The U.S. Cuba policy since the 1959 revolution from a Cuban perspective”. University of Gothenburg, unknown editor, unknown publisher, 2022, p. 1

Analyzing key parts of the book “Shackles of the Deep”

January 21, 2023 / Raymond / 0 Comments

Above are the notes that I have taken about central ideas and themes in the book Shackles of the Deep. The book Shackles of the Deep revolves around the rediscovery of the slave ship The Henrietta Marie, and follows the research of this particular ship as well as the transatlantic slave trade itself done by the main character, a black scuba diver. The main character travels to many different places to research this ship, and ultimatly uncovers many different secrets and hidden legacies about the Henrietta Marie – as well as the Transatlanic slave trade itself. Although the book was very informational and taught me many things that I have previously not known; it was structured in a way where it felt repetitve, such as the main characters travels to different locations to research about this ship, which made this book a slightly boring read.

I feel like I did not do as well on my notes as I could have on it. I wrote it sort of in a CER manner, which makes it dull and boring to read. Instead, I could have used the tactics we learnt in class, such as mind maps, charts, etc, and mixed it up with my current notes, which will make it much more interesting, and less “Cramped” to read. By doing that, I could also make it easier to understand what I am thinking, and lessen the amount I have to write, whilst being better.

What is Humanism?

October 20, 2022 / Raymond / 0 Comments

My infographic shows the key elements of Humanism, an ideology that served as a basis for the Renaissance. My infographic starts with an introduction of the basics of the Renaissance, then tells you about what Humanism is. This allows the reader to gain a basic understanding of why Humanism is important, as well to learn the basics of the Renaissance. Near the end of the infographic, I asked what Humanism is, and although the instructions did not ask for why it was successful, I put it there as a conclusion to the key points of Humanism that we just discussed above. This allows the infographic to feel more “Connected” as a whole.

The reason why I choose those 5 key points is that I believe that these are all the basic elements of Humanism. However, if I were to improve upon it even more, I would rewrite either choice or freedom, as both are almost the same thing. I would also add more images, as the images right now looks like decoration and not to help the reader understand better.

In my last paragraph, “Am I a Renaissance Humanist,” I wrote that I did not agree with removing religon as a whole. Why? Although religon might have been corrupt before in the middle ages, it is still a wrong thing to do. Adding or allowing religon to continue existing can add more types of people, which mean more diversity. Furthermore, religon can also create more choice among the people, as they can believe in what they want to believe in. However, religon should also have its limits. We learnt that as religon gets more influential and powerful, it also becomes more corrupt, as the leaders of the religon are swayed by the power and wealth it offered. This is why we should keep religon as a simple belief, but not a governing system on its own.

“The Lamb leg Murder”

September 9, 2022 / Raymond / 0 Comments

My found poem was written on page 4, paragraph 38-51 in the story: “Lamb To the Slaughter”, written by Ronald Dahl in 1953.

My found poem contains internal conflict. Internal conflict is when a character is forced to decides between two things, often the same, and forced to choose between one. My found poem starts when the main character gets supper, and finds a frozen leg of lamp. She brings it upstairs and instead of cooking it, she uses it as a weapon to kill her husband. This is where the conflict starts. Her husband was one of the only people she ever loved, “… she would glance up at the clock, but without anxiety, merely to please herself with the thought that each minute gone by made it nearer the time when [her husband] would come.” (Dahl, 4). Without him, she did not want to continue on living. She fully knew the consequences of her actions, and was going to accept the punishment for it by turning herself in: “she knew quite well what the penalty would be. That was fine. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief” (Dahl, 4). However, she is pregnant, and she does not want her baby to suffer the consequences of her very own actions. This ultimately leads up to the conflict, where she wants to accept the consequences of her actions, but at the same time, does not want her baby to suffer along with her. Eventually, she decides that her baby is more important, as she asks herself “Did they kill them both — mother and child? Or did the wait until the tenth month? What did they do? Mary Maloney didn’t know. And she certainly wasn’t prepared to take a chance.” (Dahl, 4). After she makes the decision, she creates an elaborate plot to fool the police into thinking that she is innocent.

The image I used for my found poem is a rose, with a dark background. Although it might seem at first like a simple background, it actually has many meanings. One of these meanings is her loneliness after her husband left her. The empty void-like background of the picture shows that she has nothing else, except for herself, which is represented by a singular rose in the background. Another one of these meanings is cruelty and violence of this story. The rose, which is the color of blood, shows cruelty and blood from her killing her husband in the story. Furthermore, The darkness of the background shows that she is along after her husbands death. The last meaning shows us the love and affection in this story. Although hard to spot, it is there. Roses symbolize love, which is what the main character gives towards her baby. This love is further deepened by her decision of choosing her baby over her decision to turn herself in.

This is a beautiful that story contains both violence, cruelty, bloodshed, but also contains the exact opposite, love and affection, all in a single page. It shows her trauma from one of the only person she ever loved leaving her, to her choosing her child over her other decisions. This short story is remarkable feat that contains many different elements, which is not easily achieved by many writers.

(Sorry, I thought the picture was a rose when I printed it, and I can’t find the link to the image.)

Full story can be found here

Bluetooth speaker summative blog post

January 18, 2022 / Raymond / 0 Comments

Hi, can you please see the email I sent you of the pictures? I cannot post my pictures into the blog post so I sent an email.

Overall, I think my speaker is a success. Why? Because it looks almost that exact same as the picture I head in my head from the start of this project. I wanted a stained speaker that would make it seem more modern and expensive, and a cover to make it look better and even more modern. The thing that was most importent to my speaker design was the cover. It made my speaker more unique as well as make it look better. My cover is also the thing that was hardest to make during this project. I had to stain very tiny parts and glue them together, and it was very hard to try not to let the glue show. After I made the cover, I had to put it on the speaker. That was the part where I screwed up on. I accidentally put the cover too much on one side, which made it have a huge part sticking out in one corner. If I had the chance to redo my speaker, I would put it on more carefully. Some skills that I have learnt during this unit is making things fit with each other as well as how to make things unique from the other.

January 18, 2022 / Raymond / 0 Comments

Bluetooth speaker turn in

January 14, 2022 / Raymond / 0 Comments

Bluetooth speaker design

My Design

October 22, 2021 / Raymond / 0 Comments

The hardest part in the design was probably finding the lengths I needed to stick the two parts together, (the cone and the cylinder) and the spinning knife inside it. The spinning knife part was hard because I needed to hot glue it, and it was hard for the knife to spin without the two parts sticking together. Some thing that I would like to change is add supports, because it’s very hard to put it on a bottle/cup. I also need to make it look better, because there is basically nothing on it. The cylinder on the top is also slightly larger than the cone, so it makes it look ugly. By creating the project, I have learned several skills like how to ‘Visualize’ things better, so I can see the basic shape or length that I need to cut. Overall, this project feels kind of successful, but there are still several flaws to the design that I need to fix.