Although I redesigned the whole application, I’m focusing on the recording matrix, a grid of all the response videos for a study. It’s a focal point of the MindSwarms experience, because it’s the most unique, and because it’s the primary deliverable for our paying clients. I believed the matrix was overwhelming, and I’d heard feedback from researchers that it was hard to use.

I made major design changes as part of the overall redesign, but I kept iterating on it afterwards, to make it even easier to use. You can see the final, much improved design in my newest portfolio piece!

But, she couldn’t keep it a secret, so she told me she was simply going to buy it for me for my birthday, and we could plan a party to have my friends over and build it.

Then I ran across the fact that LEGO Stores can host Birthday Parties, and I decided to throw a surprise party for her. This was the end of May, so I started emailing her friends, trying to find a date that would work for everyone.

Yesterday, I got Jo to come with me to the closest LEGO Store by telling her we needed to pick up my Shuttle Kit. Four of her friends meet us at the store and surprised her, and she was totally floored! She picked out the Emerald Night Train Kit, which I bought (and she bought me the Shuttle Kit).

We then drove to our apartment, while her friends stopped at a Sushi restaurant to grab dinner and brought it over. Three more friends of hers met us at our apartment. We surprised Jo again, with a cake she’d told me she would love if we did birthday cake, and then we ate dinner and started building the train kit.

We had a blast, didn’t finish, and were able to leave the pieces scattered on our living room floor. (There are some advantages to not having a dog!)

It was a good day.

I’ve also been adding more photos, and put up a new theme, too! Fun fun fun (’till my daddy takes my t-bird away)…

Here’s the whole album In memoriam of Scout. There’s also a really fun video of Dad and Scout playing tug-of-war.

I got to play with another Black Lab this weekend; he reminded me of Scout a lot, but had his own quirks and differences. Throwing a ball for him, and petting him, made me smile.

Design and Manufacturing
Prototype development techniques as an intrinsic part of the design process. Machining, welding, and casting. Manufacturing processes. Design aspects developed in an individual term project chosen, designed, and fabricated by students. Labs, field trips.

My project is an indoor waterfall with two goals. First and foremost, it should sound like a large waterfall, even though its size should be small. In other words, rather than a gentle “tinkle tinkle” sound, it should make a more Niagra Falls-esque WSSSSSHH sound. Second, it should not splash water everywhere.

If I can nail the sound, then I can worry about controlling the splashing. With that in mind, my prototype focused on creating the sound I’m looking for.

I assumed that the most important factor in the sound would be a combination of water pressure and the height the water fell from (in fact, I think they might be interchangeable). The second most important factor might, I thought, be what the water fell into (in terms of both diameter and water depth). So I began experimenting. I poured water into a medium size vessel (cookware I had in my dorm room) from different heights, and with two different pressures. Pressure didn’t have any effect (probably because I couldn’t control it very well), but height didn’t seem to make nearly as much a difference as I thought it would.

I went on to larger containers, eventually finishing with the largest vessel I could find: a spare trashcan I have. Still, the sound just wasn’t right. I realized that it sounded like turning a faucet on, rather than a waterfall. What do waterfalls have that faucets don’t?

Multiple streams!

So I tried two streams at once, and it worked! I experimented a bit with altering the height, and that did add a bit of volume. But switching between one and two streams, there’s just no comparison: faucet or waterfall.

My next prototype will focus on refining my understanding of why multiple streams makes it sound so much better, and trying to optimize the sound even further. (Are three streams better? Four? Five?)