The End

I just submitted the link to this blog as my submission of my CJP. When I clicked submit I was really struck by how fast this semester has flown by. It's almost over. Three weeks and it's Christmas break. I can't believe it. When I think back to the first day of this class I remember the awkward pauses and embarrassed students getting called up to the stage. I had no idea what I was in for. Dr. V kept making us repeat one phrase. "This class is for ME!" It seemed goofy at the time, but now having completed the semester I can see the truth in this phrase. This class is for us. With few rules and guidelines we have the freedom to morph the class to best suit ourselves and let our creativity run wild. Talking with friends in class, I didn't find anyone with a similar personal branding profile or soft innovation ideas. We were free to customize assignments and I really appreciated this independence. Most of my classes now require homework assignments submitted in a specific manor, really limiting our creative thinking. This class was a great break from that mold, a chance to grow and explore new thoughts and ideas. With registration up and coming I have already recommended this class to many of my friends. It was a really great experience, something I rarely comment on in other classes.

As far as attendance, I attended every lecture but the Humor lecture. I was unable to attend this class because of a summer internship interview. Further down in my blog, I recorded this as a separate entry, however I thought I would mention it again as this is most likely the first entry you will read.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my CJP, a random assemblage of my own creative mind : )

Oddly Specific

Brought to you by OddlySpecific.com:

Popular Science

The latest issue of Popular Science Magazine featured a section entitled "Best of What's New 2009 - Best Innovations of the Year". Intrigued, I flipped through and found some truly remarkable innovations. Cameras, phones, cars, gadgets, the article covered everything. As a civil engineering student, however one innovation caught my eye. An inflatable bridge. Yes you read that right, and inflatable bridge.

Polymer tubes are inflated and positioned over the valley or river then concrete is poured into the tubes to strengthen the infrastructure. Once this concrete has hardened more concrete is poured between the tubes to create the flat bridge platform. The article stated that the entire process can be done in 11 working days compared to the several months it takes to build a conventional bridge. Other positive aspects of these inflatable bridges is the added strength. The polymer reinforcements add stability if the concrete inside were to crumble, avoiding potential bridge collapse disasters. Also, the lifespan of these bridges is said to be over 100 years. Although new to the market and still under much testing, if these bridges catch on they could be the solution to America's current infrastructure needs. With the recent bridge collapse in Minnesota, the government is taking many precautions to prevent future collapses, including replacing and reinforcing many deteriorating pieces of infrastructure. These inflatable bridges could provide a cheap, fast alternative to current building practices and really make an impact.

Twisted Nursery Rhymes

Although these may seem a little vulgar, I can really see their creativity. Finding ways to twist around common nursery rhymes and give them a whole new meaning. Here are some of my favorites:

Mary had a little "pig"

Mary had a little pig,

She kept it fat and plastered;

And when the price of pork went up,

She shot the little bastard

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To have a little fun.

Stupid Jill forgot the pill

And now they have a son.

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses,

And all the king's men,

Had scrambled eggs

For breakfast again.

Georgie Porgy

Georgie Porgy pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry.

And when the boys came out to play,

He kissed them too 'cause he was gay.

Starting your own business...

So the guest speaker in class last week was talking about entrepreneurship and being able to market yourself as a product. I thought this was a really interesting take on the subject. He compared education to product improvement, a resume as your technical specifications. It really made me realize that although entrepreneurship seems like a far away concept, as a college student I am already a personal entrepreneur.

Along these same lines, I visited a new ice cream shop this past weekend called Spoons. I later read up on it in the Battalion and it was actually an entrepreneurship project from students in the Maye's Business School. I was astounded at the great service and the innovative process their business employs. Instead of a regular ice cream shop where you place your order at a counter, Spoons implements a fully user friendly self serve and top process, where the final product is weighed to determine the price. It was a great idea and it really worked out well. I was really impressed, almost jealous that I hadn't come up with it myself!

I Can Has Cheezburger?

As a cat owner, I am always entertained by her crazy shenanigans. I can has cheezburger is a website that allows users to upload their own images with humorous captions. Here's a little taste of the LOL cat revolution:

Transatlantic Tunnel

Call me a nerd, but last night I turned on Net-Flix and watched an episode of Extreme Engineering. The topic they were covering was the possibility of building a transatlantic tunnel, connecting New York and London. The proposed tunnel would cut travel time down from ten hours by plane to one hour by train. Although this idea may seem outlandish, the show established the credibility of such a feat.

The suggested tunnel would be an innovative "floating tunnel", attached to the sea floor with huge cables but kept afloat with a buoyancy system. This "floating tunnel" idea has yet to be implemented in other parts of the world, but it is in the design process for construction in Norway.

The extreme cost and time associated with such a project makes it seem almost impossible, however, if this Transatlantic tunnel is ever built, it will certainly be an engineering marvel. With creative processes and innovative technology it just might happen.

Wall-E

If you haven't seen the movie Wall-E yet, GO! I saw it in theaters when it came out, but last week in class Dr. V was talking about ways we can save the world and it made me think of this movie. Not only was the hero Wall-E adorable, but the theme and basis of the movie really makes you think about the future. Granted, I doubt the state of our planet will get to the shape it was in in the movie, but there is a truth to be seen. If we don't start making improvements and changing our ways of life, that degradation could be in store. There is a strong movement towards green energy and renewable resources, but with the growing population and growing need for these resources, how can we keep up?

I read an article in Popular Science last year about saving the planet, and they had a two-page spread depicting the perfect future city. This metropolis was equipped with wave energy generators, skyline metro rails, energy capturing sidewalks, and an inner city produce farm. This is where the future lies, finding ways to efficiently use the resources we have to keep up with and possibly surpass their current need. If we don't start finding innovative solutions, we just might end up floating in space like Wall-E.

People of Walmart

Just a taste of some humorous pictures I found courtesy of peopleofwalmart.com

Attendance Update

Howdy! Unfortunately I was unable to attend class today. This was my first missed class of the semester. I had an interview with Kimley Horn this morning and the only available time slot was during this class. I found the powerpoint online tho and I was really bummed that I missed class. It was the humor and creativity lecture which I think would actually be really interesting. On a different note, my interview went really well! It was with a large civil engineering company with offices throughout Texas and the United States. This is my second of three interviews this semester already so I have my fingers crossed I end up with a summer internship!

Post Rapture Pet Care?

Here's a link to a website that provides post rapture pet care. What exactly is post rapture pet care? It's a service that promises to care for your pets, once Jesus descends from Heaven and takes you back with him. You wouldn't want your pets to be left alone would you? Well these atheist entrepreneurs (who will be left behind after Jesus comes) promise to care for your beloved pets for a small donation of 69.99 pounds. True or not it certainly is a creative business model!

http://www.postrapturepetcare.com/

Attendance

So one part of this assignment requires us to keep track of our class attendance. In regards to this policy, I will be posting a final attendance post as my last entry. However, I have been keeping track of my attendance in my day planner and currently have been to every lecture. I plan on posting notes on missed lecture days to document attendance, but also be expecting a final attendance post in December!

Thanks and gig em! : )

Fail Blog

Some more humorous photos courtesy of failblog.org

Dollar Menus

On my way home today I drove through Mc Donalds and ordered a 99c cheeseburger and as I was munching down on this combination of greasy ground beef and pasteurized cheese instead of being disgusted by the lack of nutrition, I was more inspired by the fact that it was a mere 99c. How can they possibly make money off a 99c burger? They have to pay for the meat, the bun, the cheese, the condiments, the store, the staff, the list is endless. That's a lot for a 99c burger to handle. I guess in the end it boils down to quantity, when you buy 100,000 meat patties they can't be more than 5c each, but it's still amazing that they can produce food at such low prices. And Mc Donalds isn't the first one doing it. You can get nachos at Taco Bell for less than a dollar, a frosty at Wendys, fast food joints everywhere are catching onto the "value menu" marketing strategy. So next time you drive through one of these chains and pick up that 99c burger, think about all that went into it, it's really impressive.

Dr. V has said that humor is closely related to creativity...

well these made me laugh

I Still Like Bologna

Alan Jackson is a country legend and his latest single "I Still Like Bologna" is nothing less than expected. Not only are the kids in the music video absolutely adorable but the lyrics really ring true. The basic idea is that even though our world and technology is changing, he still appreciates the simple things of the past. I saw this video for the first time earlier this week and it really made me think about how true this is. Granted, I haven't been around as long as Alan Jackson, but even in my meager 19 years, its astounding how much things have changed. Thinking of cell phones, my first cell phone was about 5 inches long, an inch thick, and only displayed black and white text. Now (6 years later) I own a super slim, portable internet and gaming device, that oh yea is also a phone. This rapid change in technology is just unbelievable.

Like Alan says, "this digital world is okay, it makes life better in a lot of ways" but we need to be careful not to become carried away and take for granted all the little things. I've noticed this idea a lot recently, of people getting tied up in technology and forgetting to stop and smell the roses per say. Little kids are now raised with Nintendo D.S.'s glued to their hands, and parents likewise have bluetooth headsets permanently attached to their ears. As a society, we need to remember to step back from all the draws of technology and remember all the wonderful things that don't require a power cord. My dad is always the first one to tell me this and it almost kills me to say it now, but its true. Gone are the days when kids play hop-scotch in the streets, replaced with virtual tennis on Wii. Gone are the days of walking over to a friends house, replaced with a quick text message to see what's going on. Yes, technology is good we just need to be sure we use it in moderation.

Watch Alan Jackson's new music video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pktt-FQmnu4

Pictures of the Troops

Just some humorous pictures of our troops that my grandma sent me.

It's good to know that through everything they still maintain a sense of humor!

"A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles." Mignon McLaughlin

And so it begins...

"You write your first draft with your heart and you re-write with your head. The first key to writing is to write, not to think." - Sean Connery

So one of my professors is requiring us to keep a creativity journal throughout the semester and I chose a blog as my means of expressing myself. I will say that I'm a little apprehensive about the idea of keeping a journal of sorts.. Even as a kid I never kept a journal for longer than a week, but I'm hoping the idea that this one is graded will help keep me focused. Because this is a creativity journal my plan is to post interesting links, articles, etc that I find intriguing or just random thoughts that I come across. My professor calls it "flow" when there's a spark that triggers creativity, so that's what this is all about. Sparks of creativity. Hopefully I can keep the flame burning!