Damn that Murphy's law!

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”

When I first heard about “Murphy’s law” from the class, I was expecting some kind of designing law in technical drawing, turns out it was the above statement!! Hahaha!! Indeed it’s been a common experience among us. Wwhen we are about to face something, be it a presentation or submission, we cant help but think of the worst and surely, the worst will happen afterwards.

The term was mentioned by Edward Murphy in 1949, there were several arguments on how the term was coined and what it actually meant when Mr. Murphy mentioned it but generally, we know it as Murphy’s law now.

As a design student, I’ll share some Murphy’s laws from websites and some of my own Murphy’s law experiences:

1. If you have two versions of a photo, you will send the wrong one to the printer.
2. Speed. Quality. Affordability. Pick two.
3. If three designs are shown to a lecturer/client, your least favourite will be chosen
4. No matter how detailed the tech support FAQ is, nobody has ever heard of your problem
5. If you went for printing and it turns out bad/not what you expected, it’s never the shop/printer’s fault (A line I always use for this situation with friends, “Magenta tinggi (Too much Magenta)”)
6. Only after printing, do you realize you have done some mistakes on your work
7. Whenever you burn a video to a CD, the playback will have problems playing the video
8. You have finished doing work after weeks and then your computer get infected by a virus and it wipes out everything in your computer, including your work.
9. Whenever you bring your work to print, the shop computer cant read your specialized fonts
10. When you are prepared for an outdoor photo shoot, bad weather will come
11. When you are ready to propose your grand idea that you’ve been coming up with for days (or weks), the person right before you has proposed the very same idea
12. You have done some small mistakes on your work and hope that the lecturer wont notice it, but it will be the first thing the lecturer points out when you show your work
13. When you are going to do a presentation, the computer doesn’t read your ‘.pptx’ format OR the speakers/screen/microphone doesn’t work and your time limit is running…
14. When you are about to perform in a drama, the lines you have rehearsed for so long suddenly slips your mind
15. When you have just passed a written assignment to the lecturer, you just realized you spelled something important wrong (your name or student ID or subject code or even worse, the lecturer’s name!)

There are countless Murphy’s law experiences that I have gone through, be it in terms of being a design student or in life generally. This is why planning ahead is a very important thing! Foreseeing any possibilities of failure/problems and expecting it with a backup plan is always good practice for everyone, especially in the volatile world of designing where clients/printers/shops/CDs are ready to screw you up at the last moment. Double checking your work before printing (double check as in triple, quadruple and above check with a zoom in on every detail) and always back up your work (save them in more than 1 place: external hard disc, pen drive, CD, online). Also, set some realistic expectations on the outcome of your work, anything printed will be a bit more saturated/darker than what you have originally done. The scale will also be a bit smaller because printing includes a thin border that scales down your work to fit on the paper. Finally, always have a plan B, C and who knows, a D too!

And when all else fails, then oh well, learn from your mistakes!

Container as content

During the lecture about containers and contents, I don’t quite understand it and honestly till now, I still cannot grasp the concept of those 2 things. I’ve searched online about content and containers and found a few interesting articles telling that content is becoming more important than the container but not the way a container can be content.

Here is my understanding.

Container is the media: TV, newspaper and the internet (Web 2.0).

Content is the message: news, entertainment, stories, blog posts, videos etc.

What content does is it represents the producer of the content, the voice. It shows the identity and personality of the producer. An example can be newspapers. Every publishing firm has their own identity and personality. The way they write their news and what news they choose to publish as the headline is different from one another (except any worldwide sensations) To quote Tom Curley, CEO of the Associated Press, “The franchise is not the newspaper; it’s not the broadcast; it’s not even the Web site. The franchise is the content itself.”

That is the context of media, how about in environmental design?? I’ll use an exhibition design as an analogy to make things simple. The container would be the exhibition area/booth/building while the content would be the message the exhibition aims to send through the visitors (people who go to the exhibition). So how can the exhibition itself be the message? The only sensible way I can come up with is through the design of the exhibition area.

How so? Let’s say the message is “I want to bring you on an adventure to outer space.” I guess the exhibition area should have a space theme to it. Maybe space rocket or UFO looking booths with the staff dressed up as astronauts and aliens? We can add in some cool laser effect lighting and instead of using LCD display screens, how about some hologram projectors? When someone see all this ‘paranormal activity’ (pun intended!) from afar, they would naturally think of outer space. Then doesn’t this mean that the message has been successfully conveyed to the audience without them having to step into the exhibition area and read/ask what the exhibition is about.

An exhibition with a message/idea (content) to the public is more attractive than an exhibition that doesn’t have one. The basic goal IS to attract people’s attention so they visit the area. So, designers can use the approach of using the container as content when designing for an exhibition space.

Top Ten Ideas of '04: "Content Will be More Important than its Container"

Content and containers

Our friend/enemy: Procrastination

One day I woke up around 1pm after the annoying alarm rang 5 times. Then I went and got myself ready for the day and was deciding what to eat for lunch. Hmm...cereal? I had it for the past 2 days, I should save it for tomorrow where there's class in the morning. Ok, I'll go out to eat, but I will be losing 1 hour because that's the average time spent when eating out anyway. Ok then, I'll be back by 3pm. So I am back 2.55pm, ah some time to spare on Facebook! Click click click.....Ooo, a new video from a friend! *Clicks the link to Youtube* Recommended videos: bla bla bla.....OK, seems interesting! *Continues to click other random videos* Uh oh, it's about 4.30pm already.... I know I dont do work after 5pm and there's no point doing work for only 30 minutes and stop, so I guess I'll leave doing the work the next day lah! :)

It's a very very very common thing for students to procrastinate. It has grown in us this delaying habit since we were kids. I'm not quite sure how we developed this habit, even without external influences but it's just like trying to find out how a person becomes lazy or how a person learns how to get angry, it's just natural and causeless!

We always say we'd kick the habit of procrastination (or any bad habit) on big day occassions like New year or a birthday, but we always procrastinate the wish anyway. It's really becoming a bad habit so I actually searched for "How to overcome procrastination in college" in Google (which is pointless but I still try) And this is what

How To Overcome Procrastination In College

Tip 1 - Sort Out Your Play From Work

When you are in college you are at that point in your life when you are meeting new friends, partying and going out to have fun. I've seen many college kids out doing this and I know I have done it many times when I was in college but you have to separate your social life from your studies.

If you have a big assignment in for next week Monday and you haven't even started it yet the most sensible thing to do would be to go out during the weekdays and finish it last minute over the weekend right? Wrong! If you have an assignment in for next week you need to sit yourself down, turn off your phone, the T.V and start writing it. Using this method you will find that when you finish your assignment you will still have some time to go out with your friends.
This is better than rushing the assignment on the weekend over night as well which can cause mistake and also make you sick.

If you have an assignment that doesn't have to be handed in for a while then still make a start on it. Choose specific days to work on it and STICK TO THEM. The other days you are free to go out and if you think about it by completing your assignment early you have a lot more time to go out with your friends instead of rushing it a week before the deadline.

*Remark from me: I actually do turn everything (my web browser and messenger) when I need to concentrate on doing an assignment. I dont know if any right minded college student would even take the advice of starting on an assignment when it is due in a few weeks. Work ideas always come out of desperation I say! :) I have had submitted an assignment that was done 10 minutes before printing. The ones that I have been working on for hours were not as good as the one done last minute. So I guess brilliance strikes out of desperation and the last minute!*

Tip 2 - Treat Yourself

A really good motivator is to treat yourself when you do a bit of work. Motivation is a great way to be procrastination and I think this is a really good method especially for college kids.

If you procrastinate persuade yourself that you will go out and do something fun, buy yourself some chocolates or whatever you like when you finish your work. This will motivate yourself to complete the first bit of your work and by making yourself do this over and over again you can get a lot of work done.

There are a lot of things you can treat yourself to like:
- Going to a party
- New clothes
- Food
- Seeing some friends
- Going gym

You don't have to stop with small motivators. A method I used to do was that if I exercised for a month I would buy myself some running gear and workout gear. I put a picture up of the shoes I wanted and every-time I got de-motivated I looked at my tatty running shoes and the picture and was motivated enough to run. What I'm trying to say is that you can reward yourself with something bigger when you complete the whole assignment not just a section. Try it out.

*Remark from me: Yupp, I guess rewarding yourself after you have done the WHOLE assignment is a good idea but isnt that what we usually do too when we are done with an assignment? Great minds need some rest! I think this is a habitual thing to do after doing major work but not a way to curb procrastination*

Tip 3 - Consequences

This tip ties into the previous tip I gave you.

Think of the consequences, what would happen if you didn't do work today and delayed it till later on in the evening or until tomorrow even?

If you delayed till the evening you may feel that you are too tired to work and not do your assignment which now means you are one day behind. The same for if you miss a day. You know have more work to do tomorrow or on the next day you planned to work. If you keep letting yourself do this you are just piling up your work and this will intefere with your social life and of course you will not get your treat as often.

Always think of your motivator and the consequences that will occur if you get demotivated. By thinking of the two you should feel more motivated to complete your work.

*Remark from me: Now this IS the ultimate way to curb procrastination, just the mere thought of the consequences of being behind schedule can get one going or at least start a little on their work. It works for me! However, if it was up to a laid back person, this method wouldnt be so effective.*

I think we can classify procrastination with addiction. It really takes will power to get your lazy bum off to starting work. I dont think there are any devices or counseling/tips good enough for people to completely curb procrastination. It's just good old fashion will power and knowing to learn from your mistakes when you have once experienced the consequences of procrastinating.

Helping hands at the dinner table

What do the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans have in common other than yellow skin? We all use chopsticks!!

Perhaps nothing is more symbolic of Asian culture than a humble pair of chopsticks. In mandarin, they are known as ‘kuai zi’ (筷子) – ‘quick little ones’ but in English, they are known as chopsticks. How did that ‘chop’ come about? According to Oxford dictionary, the word ‘chopsticks’ first appeared in the late 17^th century. ‘Cop’ is pidgin English for quick, as in ‘chop chop!’ which means hurry up/quickly.

The design of chopsticks haven’t changed since its first design, it is so versatile, we use it to grip, pull, tear apart, whisk, stir and even cut pieces of food. It’s a cooking and eating utensil all together! It is known that the proper use of chopsticks by a person indicates the person is of good breeding.

Chopsticks were developed in China and have been around for 5000 years. With the evolution of time, people starting cutting their food into smaller pieces. Not only could they cook faster, but the use of a knife on the dining table was also not needed anymore. The first mention of chopsticks in recorded history is by historian Sima Qian, who wrote that Zhou, the last king of Shang dynasty (1600BCE – 1100BCE) used ivory chopsticks. However later in Imperial palaces, the material of choice for chopsticks was silver as it can turn black if they came in contact with poisoned food.

As for the common people, chopsticks were made of simple wood or bamboo. They are even some that are lacquer painted. The most favoured material would be bamboo because it is light, easily available and resistant to heat. It also has no perceptible odour or taste, a key trait for keeping the true tastes of dishes and smell intact.

By 500AD, the use of chopsticks spread to japan, Korea and Vietname. Unlike the Chinese, Japanese chopsticks looked like tweezers. They are made from 1 piece of bamboo with the end joined together. Chopsticks there were considered precious and used only in religious ceremonies. It took around 400 years before they split the chopsticks into 2, like the Chinese design.

For every little Chinese kid, the day when they can use chopsticks on their own was considered a stage of life, where the kid can eat on his own without the mother having to feed him. Well, for me that is. I feel a personal pride when I can use chopsticks to hold up a fishball (without having to spear them of course) Ones chopstick skills can be seen when eating at a reunion dinner steamboat (usually the eve of Chinese new year) The competent can peel a prawn with the chopstick and spoon, the average users are able to pick out the food they want from the boiling steamboat just by ‘feeling for the food through the chopsticks’ while the incompetent ones, need to spear through the fishball in order to get it into his mouth. I’m proud to say that I can peel a prawn with the chopsticks but the shell has be hard, not the soft and undercooked ones….

But really, it takes a no brainer to master chopsticks but there is a debate on how to properly hold a pair of chopsticks. The first picture shows the proper way to hold chopsticks while the second picture is how I (and a bunch of my friends) hold chopsticks. But really, whatever way works for you is just fine.

Correct way

Popular but wrong way

Holding methods aside, there are also etiquettes to using chopsticks:

1. Do lay them on chopstick rests or horizontally on your bowl when not in use

2. Don’t stick them into your bowl of food, it resembles incense sticks and symbolizes food for hungry ghosts (Serious pantang!!)

3. Don’t gesture with chopsticks

4. Don’t tap your bowl with chopsticks, it was how beggars ask for food in ancient China

5. Don’t try to move things on the dining table with your chopsticks

6. For those nifty chopsticks that you see in Japanese restaurants that needs you to pull apart for use, pull them from the eating end of the chopstick where it is already split to get an even break.

Like so! Split from the tip

7. For eating from the chopsticks, don’t pull it out from your clenching teeth, you don’t want to scrape the paint off do you?

A wish list of inventions for FCM students

As an FCM student, we constantly face challenges when doing our assignments, especially when it comes to printing the A3s, A2s, 22 by 16 inches and what not. Then there’s the CD burning and mounting board cutting and pasting. So many tasks, so little time and sometimes, so little money!

Here’s a wish list of inventions that would be useful to an FCM:

Commercial A3 printer

Ok, so the A3 printer has already existed but not for commercial use! They are usually for industrial use and it does cost a lot for students to print paper per paper in shops. If there was an A3 sized printer available for commercial use with a size that is able to be fitted on a table top, I guess it would serve great use to FCM students, don’t you think? And it wouldn’t hurt that the printer came with an A3 sized scanner too!

Paper that is ready to stick on

Now this paper would save a lot of work of spray mounting/applying art gum for students. The idea is that these papers come in normal, matte or glossy finishes on 1 side and another sticky side (the stickiness would be like from a spray mount, not a sticker!) All students have to do is print on this type of paper, peel off the other side for the adhesive surface and stick it on the mounting board! Easy peasy! I think it would save the environment of those nasty aerosol spray cans (not to mention our noses and lungs) and prevent a whole lot of mess that comes from the pasting job! Be gone spray mount floor stains and rubber cement dusts!

An application that arranges images for you

Yupp, I’m talking about an application that arranges images for you like how one would simply drag a bunch of images into Mircrosoft Word to print them out for their assignment studies. (Well, that’s how I do it anyway :/ who’s got time to arrange them in Photoshop? ) The catch is that this application will arrange your images in a printer economical way. I realize that Microsoft word likes to space images very far apart. Let’s say you want to save paper and you adjust the border margins to fit as many images in 1 page as possible (minimizing white space that will eventually turn into trash anyway when you cut it out). Then you come across a horizontal format image that’s taking too much space, so you rotate it to make it in vertical format but the image is still taking up as much space as it previously did, and there is no way you can change it. -__- that is the problem with Word, it doesn’t allow you to arrange your images in an economical way and you end up using 3 papers to just print out 9 images. Argh!