think carrie, think!

I had started a post about charisma, and how we should design for people who want to possess more of it. But I didn’t quite have my thoughts together yet. So instead, this.

I stumbled upon this site again after a long time of not seeing it or remembering it. It’s a beautiful site. Giant smiles always cross my face when I meet people who can share random, honest stories. People who can share quirks, dreams, and the past in a way that makes you want to hear more. Or share your own stories.

That’s part of what real connections and relationships are to me. There’s always talk of designing things to make relationships more real, but in reality, how far have we come with that?

Mark Podlaseck lent me his copy of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, as a way to inspire me on different notation techniques for my work (and it’s just a great book in general). I’ve skimmed a bit of it and already can’t put it down. There are some interesting things I can take away from it in regards to my own work, particularly about how comics handle the sequence of time. How can we use 2D space to successfully simulate moments and time slots when we’re trying to explain a story (or in my case, a service engagement)? Also interesting and somewhat relevant to my upcoming thesis: how can emotions and senses be represented in a single image?

Another book to add to my Amazon.com wishlist.

Wait, didn’t I just write a post telling myself I need to learn how to focus?

*EDIT: a friend had just reminded me that Scott McCloud came to speak at CMU last year. And, as I told him, they really need to educate the first years with some sort of reading list before they get to CMU. That way those of us new to the field are at least somewhat in the know before we get to school. hmm.

I generally don’t mind finding my way around without a map. I’m just not very good at it. At all. So when I left my place late this morning, and didn’t want to fork over a $20+ cab fare to get from the train station to work, I knew I was going to be in for a mini-adventure. Luckily, people are nice, and directed me to the right bus to take. Sitting on the bus through Westchester for 20 minutes, I began to realize how beautiful of a place upper NY really is (and by upper NY, I mean 40 minutes north of Manhattan, which if you live in Manhattan, feels like upper NY). Peaceful, quaint, clean, fresh, and full of trees. Pretty much the exact opposite of Manhattan. So on this bus ride, I wanted nothing more than to lie down on a green grassy lawn, looking up at an incredibly blue sky (we’ve been having really great weather lately), and sleepily thinking my own happy thoughts. Totally cheesy, I know, but after a very full (and touristy) weekend in the city with my sister, I feel in need of a retreat. No such luck though, as I have a paper to write. Nearing the end of my bus ride, the bus driver was very kind and told me where to get off. A complete journey from A to B without any glitches.

This marks, I believe, the first time since I’ve been here that I’ve gotten to a destination without ever walking one foot in the opposite direction. Go me. Maybe I’m not in need of wearable maps as much as I thought.