text:
I haven't heard too much I'd consider "original" or "definitive" in what seems to be a very long time now.-40hz (March 19, 2012, 10:44 AM)
The 90's for me.Nice jobs, excellent coworkers, good money, PSX gaming with friends while having "added some extra dimensions" that were way better than the 3D from the theaters/TV's now, still having family.-Shades (March 19, 2012, 11:45 AM)
Just as a follow on: the best thing about that era was (for me) The Whole Earth Catalog. Almost like Tom Swift and American Boy Magazine got together with Scientific American's The Amateur Scientist column. Suddenly people stopped talking about doing things and just went out and did them. Farming experiments. Communal living attempts. Self-publishing (all pre-DTP too!), community organizing, art & crafts, independent radio broadcasting and film making, adventuring, lost arts like building a stone wall or building a waterwheel driven saw mill, geodesic domes, arcologies, street theater, beekeeping....it was awesome! It gave people inspiration - and some sort of permission to go around the way things were, and start doing their own thing instead.And also asking questions...Much of the entrepreneurial spirit of the 80s came directly out of the philosophy preached by Kevin Kelly and the Whole Earth crew. And by the "can do" attitude and skills learned by those who learned and were inspired by it.What's really interesting was that this mentality or attitude was nothing new. It was the way most of America used to think before the stock market crash back in 1929.Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose... -40hz (March 19, 2012, 12:02 PM)
The 90s were a lot of fun because I was doing mostly university work research. But for sheer fun, it was the 60s as a kid. The music was great, college was a special experience, most everything was cheap, and I didn't grow up being told everything from riding a bike to shooting a gun was insanely dangerous. The older I got, the less fun I had and the more I saw life as a need to avoid the easy but often life-changing mistakes that would cripple my chances in certain professions. Thus I'd choose the 60s every time.-zridling (March 19, 2012, 01:32 PM)
What about all the draft stuff we hear about in history? How did that feel?-superboyac (March 19, 2012, 02:52 PM)
What about all the draft stuff we hear about in history? How did that feel?-superboyac (March 19, 2012, 02:52 PM)It sucked royally. And it was scary. You could watch the war on the news and get updated casualty figures twice (6pm and 11pm) almost every night. (That was before the era of embedding news reporters and sanitizing the news stories.) And you could also talk to the people that made it back. I never met anybody, including my conservative pro-American relatives who served over there, who ever had anything much good to say about that war. Or their own involvement in it. My cousin (USMC) summed it up in a letter to his folks by saying, "It's going to be ok. We don't kid ourselves over here. We aren't fighting for Uncle Sam, or Van Thieu. We're fighting for each other. At least until the big guys back home figure out what they want us to do. When they do, it gets pretty busy for us. But most days, we just do what we can to keep each other alive long enough for them to send us back home."I kept a copy of that letter in my wallet and used to read it to people when they said that "at least the people brave enough to serve" believed in what we were doing over there. (I still have it too!)Somewhere around 58,000 didn't make it back. And well over 300,000 came home wounded. Many never got the medical or other benefits they had been promised. That's because superpower America had effectively lost its war against an army composed of farmers and other rural types. And we were embarrassed by it. So when it was over, the country mostly wanted to forget as quickly as possible that there ever was a place called Viet Nam.And it never seemed a noble or inspirational war either. The news footage that came back was gritty and disturbing. Nothing like the glorious and grand thing we had been brought up to see war as when we were kids. In fact, it all looked rather ugly. Especially when the footage showed uprooted villagers and wounded civilians.Then there was that problem of exactly what we were doing there. None of us (including half the people in government) seemed to have any idea why we were fighting. There were the usual "fighting communism" and "protecting freedom" arguments. But they had an oddly hollow ring to them compared to WWII, where it was painfully clear to everyone why we not only had to fight, but also win that war. (It took the Pentagon Papers leak to get to the real story behind our involvement.)I was lucky. I was young enough to get a draft card (1A status) very shortly before they finally suspended the draft. Two years later, almost to the day, President Gerald Ford announced the US was officially out of Viet Nam. My cousin's outfit was among the last Marine units to leave in late April 975. We didn't find out that he made it out alive and unhurt until almost a week later...That's my memory of Viet Nam and the draft. -40hz (March 19, 2012, 03:57 PM)
What about all the draft stuff we hear about in history? How did that feel?-superboyac (March 19, 2012, 02:52 PM)
I wonder what citizens of the world would have felt about all those past wars had they had access to video and information the way we do now. It's easy to stir up feelings of pride and patriotism when you can't see or know what's actually happening.-superboyac (March 19, 2012, 04:09 PM)
But please let's not have that discussion here. It will only start one of those no-win never-ending arguments. -40hz (March 19, 2012, 04:46 PM)
Definitely the 60's for me - I was 20 in 1969 but an early starter and growing up in Souf London : soul music, bluebeat, Mods, the Who, the Stones... In fact I was in school with David Bowie (but not in the same year) and Peter Frampton.On the beaches in the early 60's with the Mods, going to Stones' concerts in 1965 ...I could write a whole list of the groups I saw live during the 60's and early 70's, the big and small free festivals (I can proudly say that I was at the first Glastonbury festival (actually strictly speaking the second really as the first doesn't really count)), hanging out in the clubs, in Soho...Lots of drugs, the International Times, Oz, the Whole Earth Catalog. I know this sounds like clichés but things were great then - people were much happier then than now, more carefree, more idealistic, more fraternal ... but it was all over by the middle 70's : hard drugs (the Devil's Spawn), hate, greed and glamour.-joiwind (March 19, 2012, 05:44 PM)
This sickening photo was one of the most famous taken during the war. WARNING: it's still a very upsetting image. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.) -40hz (March 19, 2012, 03:57 PM)
Page created in 0.032 seconds with 71 queries.


text:
Works presented by Birch Contemporary and Galerie Antoine Ertaskiran, Oct 28 -31st, Toronto Convention Center
RBC prize-winning alumni will be featured in a map of the fair. Look for the RBC wall stickers at the booths.
birchcontemporary.com, galerieantoineertaskiran.com
Intercambiador Acart artist residency, Madrid, Spain. June-July 2016
I'm working on large scale collage works on paper during my Madrid residency. It'll culminate in a group show at Quinta Del Sordo, where I'll exhibit a installation piece responding to the passageway of the converted garage exhibition space with an interventional work which will form a confrontational lintel.
Papier 15 Art Fair, Montreal, QC - April 24- 26, 2015
A selection of Golland's mylar works will be on display at Papier 15 Art Fair at the Birch Contemporary booth. For more details about the Fair and to
advance purchase VIP tickets please follow this link:
Upcoming Group Exhibition: Human Nature - Curated by Corinna Ghaznavi - April 27 to August 23, 2015
New works by Martin Golland will on view in the upcoming group exhibition Human Nature curated by Corinna Ghaznavi at the Carleton University
Art Gallery (CUAG), Ottawa, ON.
Please visit back closer April 27th for more details regarding date and time of CUAG opening. Artists featured: Mary Anne Barkhouse (Minden),
Panya Clark Espinal (Toronto), John Dickson (Toronto), Soheila Esfahani (Waterloo), FASTWÜRMS(Creemore), Martin Golland (Ottawa), Sherri Hay
(Toronto), Kelly Jazvac (London), Gareth Lichty (Kitchener), Gavin Lynch (Ottawa), Lisa Myers (Port Severn), David Ruben Piqtoukun (Sutton West),
Su Rynard (Toronto), TH&B (Hamilton)
Human Nature presents fourteen contemporary Ontario artists whose works look at the state of the natural world and our impact on it. Playing on
the idea of human nature as a force that exploits and innovates, creates and destroys, the artists explore a range of such critical issues as food
production, habitat loss, post-industrialization, and natural disaster. Taken together, the works of these artists reflect on human constructions and
the complex interconnections between nature, culture, and technology. Human Nature is presented in collaboration with the National Arts Centre's
Ontario Scene.
Upcoming Solo Exhibition: Galerie Antoine Ertaskiran, Montreal, QC - July/August, 2015
New works will be on view in upcoming solo exhibition at Montreal's Galerie Antoine Ertaskiran. This exhibition is slated for summer 2015. Please
visit back for more details.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Slotting into the 'all-mountain' end of the market, the 5.5in travel Cascade is the result of two years' of development and certainly looks impressive on paper.
The black and lime green Cascade 1.0 comes with a RockShox Recon 335 Solo Air fork, providing 130mm of travel, and a Fox Float R rear shock. It has Shimano SLX gearing and a Hollowtech II chainset. Wheels are a combination of Shimano disc hubs and WTB Speed Disc rims. RRP on the 1.0 is £1,399.99.
Upgrades on the £1,799.99 Cascade 2.0 model include a Fox Float RP2 rear shock and RockShox Revelation Dual Air fork. A mix of Shimano XT and SLX take care of the shifting.
Pinnacle's new long-travel hardtail design is dubbed the Coldharbour. Frame geometry has been tweaked to accept 130-140mm forks, with the Coldharbour 1.0 rolling with a RockShox Tora 302 Solo Air fork and the 2.0 boasting a Revelation Dual Air. The £899.99 Coldharbour 1.0 has a mix of SRAM X5 and X9, while the 2.0 has Shimano's SLX shifting kit.
Pinnacle have added an entry level cyclo-cross bike to their '09 range and the £749.99 eXpede 0.0 is not for fans of stealth bikes. In tangerine orange, this thing will stand out from the crowd at the local race or the commute to work. It's got good mud clearance, rack and mudguard fittings, and we can see it being a popular all-rounder bike.


text:
real world took over most of my attention! In March, my parents came to visit for two weeks. Great fun, since we don't see each other that often. At about the same time we sold our flat in Mallorca, which generated a lot of preparations. For Easter we went there to finalise the signing and moving out of the flat. It was sad in a way, but we will come back to Mallorca. It is a lovely place!
Our plan was to buy another flat in Sweden. I knew already where and had seen the flat in a viewing some years ago. We settled down to wait for the relevant flat to come on the market, expecting to wait even a year or two. You can imagine the surprise when it came on the market this April! We went to Sweden for a day to have a look. I already knew I loved the flat, having seen it before, but the good thing was that my mister also loved it! We gave an offer and got it.
So you see I have been busy with contracts (boring but necessary) and all the administration around buying and selling. I have hardly had time, or could concentrate, to read, and only finished a few books. Now when everything is 'up and running' I will have time to concentrate on my blog again!
|The five books I bought!
|These I bought to use for junk journaling!
|For journaling and scrap booking
|...and these as well
|This I bought for my son who is studying Geology
50 Minerals, the history that changed the world
|...and this for my husband!
I am presently reading a historical fiction by Lauren Willig The Secret History of the Pink Carnation which is about a history student obsessed with the Scarlet Pimpernell and his accomplices, and are looking into a still undisclosed spy from that time. This is one of the books I picked up from the book market!


text:
Emma is the INFANT Centre's Biobank Manager in University College Cork. She has had responsibility for the biobank repository since the inception of the SCOPE pregnancy study in Cork University Maternity Hospital in 2008.
Emma's expertise lies in managing the lifecycle of precious clinical assets to better enable advancements in translational research, working to currently accepted best practices: ISBER, OECD and MMI guidelines. She specialises in the creation of customised work flows for biobanks that are split across continents in multi-centred studies.
Emma's passion for long term cold storage of biological samples has seen her consult with emerging and established biobanks both in Ireland and internationally, particularly in the perinatal area. Her particular areas of interest are the sustainability of biobanks and the creation of global standards in the biobanking field. Emma is the national academic representative for ISO TC 276 for WG2 Biobanking and Bioresources and a member of the Education and Training Committee of ESBB. She is eager to share experiences and values a cohesive grassroots approach to the challenges involved in biostorage. Emma has an MSc. in Biotechnology and has experience of working in academic, semi-state and industrial environments.


text:
PRINCETON, N.J., June 17 (UPI) -- Americans most trust their doctors over the other players in the debate on U.S. healthcare reform, a Gallup Poll indicated Wednesday.
When asked whom they trust to recommend the right thing over reforming the country's health system, 73 percent said they trusted doctors. Sixty-two percent also said they trusted university professors or researchers who study healthcare policy while 61 percent indicated they trusted hospitals to recommend the right reform choices.
U.S. President Barack Obama had the trust of 58 percent of the poll respondents, faring better than Democratic congressional leaders (42 percent) and Republican leaders (34 percent). Some 40 percent of Americans say they trust pharmaceutical companies to have the right healthcare prescription, while 35 percent said they trusted health insurance companies.
The Gallup pollsters said the results suggest doctors, hospitals and university researchers are well-positioned to have bipartisan clout with the public in the healthcare reform debate even though they are not seen as having wide political clout.
The survey included interviews with 1,009 adults last Saturday and Sunday. It carried a maximum margin of error of 3 percentage points.


text:
The Secret of my Manifestations, One Pot of Gold at a Time
If the idea of the law of attraction is new to you, you may be making lists of all the things in the world you are longing for. Maybe you've watched the movie The Secret and are madly visualizing everything under the sun. The law of attraction guarantees everything on your list will start heading your way. The law of attraction isn't daunted, even if you do want everything under the sun. It doesn't have a choice. The problem is going to be with you. Can you keep your thoughts on all those things long enough and pure enough for the law of attraction to kick in to high gear? If you're Jesus maybe. If not, you will increase your chances and shorten your waiting time by "focus."
There are two goals when focusing;
1. Narrowing your field.
2. Keeping it there.
Let's examine both of them.
When Narrow Mindedness Is Good
First, narrow your field. For quicker manifesting results, put your focus on just a couple of your desires. Let the thoughts about these wants attract more like thoughts. words and even action. Source energy will put its focus there too. If you think of a hundred things you want they will also start heading your way, but at a slower pace. If you want faster results reel in one or two fish at a time, not a whole net full.
Hold It Steady
Secondly, try to keep your thoughts where you want them. In any given day we send the the universe thousands of mixed messages of what we want. Often giving the most attention to things we don't want at all. The universe doesn't know the difference it only knows focus. You may give 3 seconds focus to a beautiful shiny convertible you'd like to own followed by 30 minutes of ranting about how awful traffic is and how much you hate your commute and how thoughtless other drivers are. Guess what the universe is gonna send you more of. Yep, more bad traffic. Its obviously important to you or you wouldn't have spent so many precious thoughts on it. Right?
Control Your Thoughts
The solution is to discipline your thoughts. Tall order, but worth its weight in, well gold if that's what you want. Your emotions are your warning system. They will let you know when you have lost focus, or if your focus has drifted to dangerous terrain. When negative emotions grip you, stop quickly analyze what thoughts brought you there and start unraveling them. So lets use the driving analogy. Your fists are tight on the wheel and you cuss the guy if front of you. Your warning bell should go off. You are sending the wrong message to the universe. I'm feeling negative emotions right now because I'm thinking about how bad traffic is. I need to change my thought pattern.
Try thinking:
"If my 90 year old Grandpa was driving like that I'd probably just be chuckling to myself. Hope I can still drive when I'm 90. I'm glad we can drive at all. Thanks Henry Ford. If I had to ride a horse to work it would take all day. I'm really lucky we all have cars these days. Pretty amazing we can all go this fast and not hit each other. I'm thankful I have such good reflexes. I bet that shiny convertible handles great in traffic. I'd look good in that car."
There, you can feel your happiness level increasing and you've change your focus back to something you really want.
Abraham - Hicks
If you're not selfish enough to want to feel good, then you can't connect with the energy that is your Source which does always feel good.
Excerpted from a workshop in Lincroft, NJ on Tuesday, October 15th, 1996
Positively Happy
The bonus to walking around happy and positive is that you will attract more happy and positive things to you by default. It is difficult to purposefully attract with every thought. But a generally good attitude will yield us generally good results. Like attracts like. Unfortunately, the same goes for negative thoughts as well. So when the negative ones pop up, do like the song says, "Don't worry be happy"
Other Hubs In This Series
- #1 The Secret of My Manifestations, Getting What You Want
As I write I will use the term God, Universe, Source Energy and others. It doesn't matter what we call "All That Is." If one of these labels feels better to you, use that. Whatever name you give it, just know that you come from something bigger than
- #2 The Secret of my Manifestations, Roadblocks and Beliefs
This is the second article in a series on manifestation tips and tricks. Many of you watched The Secret movie or have read books on manifesting, only to be disappointed when you couldn't attract what you...
- #3 The Secret of My Manifestations, Getting Faster Results
So, you wish you could manifest things instantly do you? Think six course meal and there it is. Think pile of loot and it appears. Accidentally think about a tiger for a millisecond and you're toast. ...
- #4 The Secret of my Manifestations, Get Happy to Be Happy
No one can make you feel guilty, make you angry, or make you cry. Only you can make yourself feel anything, so if its bad, stop! Let it roll off you, like water off a duck's back. Say to yourself, "That is their reality not mine."
- #5 The Secret of my Manifestations, One Pot of Gold at a Time
Can you keep your thoughts on all those things long enough and pure enough for the law of attraction to kick in to high gear? If you're Jesus maybe. If not, you will increase your chances and shorten your waiting time by "focus."
- #7 The Secret of My Manifestations, Fun with Day Dreaming
Visualizing isn't for everyone and visualizing with feeling can feel very awkward. You may have trouble producing mind pictures, or you may just feel plain silly. But, visualization is a powerful tool that you want in your manifestation arsenal. So h
WOW, you are a superb writer, thankyou! I keep manifesting what I *don't* want - thanks to you, I now see why. This series was so helpful - please keep writing! :)
I'm putting a link in my hub, "Why the Law of Attraction Hasn't Work for Me," to this hub to build up some "hubkarma." Plus, it provides excellent advice that I need to hear right now :-).
greetings....the law of attraction has drawn me to you...good job. Keep writing.
Nice hub.
"Gold dust at my feet; On the sunny side of the street." You're a cheering presence on an autumn day!
Thanks for the hub, Patricia. I've been slacking off in the Laws of Attraction department. Thanks for the kick in the butt.
Thanks Patricia for sharing your secret. I have been practicing and getting better at this law of attraction. Thanks to people like you who write on this subject so I can learn.


text:
2001 W Willow Knolls Rd
Come join us for our Grand Opening Open House
|Posted on May 15, 2018 at 5:00 PM
What would your esthetician tell you if you asked for her top tips on skincare? We've compiled a few of our most important top tips for you, so take your pick (or try them all).
1. Get your veggies! If you can, invest in a good quality juicer and drink your fill of green veggie juice every day. Swap your afternoon coffee or morning latte for a green juice and watch it transform your skin completely. Green juices help to stimulate lymphatic drainage and oxygenate your skin. Add some avocado if you really want to power up your juice – it gives your skin nutrition from inside and has great hydrating properties.
2. Always, always take off your make up before you go to bed. Sleeping in your make up is not only bad for your pillow cases, it's terrible for your skin as the chemicals in modern make up stay in your pores overnight if you don't remove them properly. Blocked pores lead to breakouts and for the sake of a few minutes before bed, it's just not worth it.
3. Don't worry about putting a face on for the gym – always work out makeup free. Mixing sweat with your cosmetics creates a lovely sheen of bacteria and chemicals that won't do the condition of your skin any good, so avoid any makeup at all, yes, even tinted moisturizer!
4. Take a probiotic. Your skin always looks best when your digestive system is working as it should do, so along with a good quality probiotic try to include papaya and pineapple for their digestive enzymes and avoid inflammatory foods like sugar and gluten.
5. Sleep. Go for 8, 9 or even 10 hours whenever you can, because sleep is when your body repairs itself, and it can't do it in too little snooze time. Missing out on quality sleep will show itself up in your skin, especially around your eyes.
6. Use a toner – yes, really. Just make sure it's a gentle one. People who don't tone after they've cleansed are prone to larger pores and more congested skin.
7. Make a serum part of your beauty routine. A serum containing antioxidants is the best option for most people. It's the finishing touch that can really make all the difference to the condition of your skin. We love our CE-20 serum because it can change skin pretty darn fast.
8. Exfoliate regularly. Look for a product that contains glycolic or lactic, and use it 2-4 times per week, depending on how sensitive your skin is. Removing dull, dead skin regularly will give it the extra brightness that just cleansing won't.
9. Use sun protection every single day. No excuses. Make sure that your moisturizer contains an SPF, and you'll prevent skin cancer, sun damage and the signs of aging we all try to cover up.
|Posted on June 26, 2017 at 6:05 PM
I often hear from our clients that they are not sure what treatment they need to schedule with us. This recently happened again as I had a client who scheduled an acne treatment & consultation when all she really needed was a Deep Pore Cleansing Facial. Well, I didn't have that treatment as an option on our menu. Even though an acne treatment is pretty much a deep pore cleansing facial to begin with.
So, I decided to add a new facial to our menu. It's a little different from our Acne Treatment because the needs are a little different. With a deep pore cleansing facial, we do a lot more facial massage to loosen up the skin and we've also added in a second mask.
I thought it would be a good idea to shed some light on what this facial actually is so if you, or someone you know, is looking for a facial to eliminate a bunch of blackheads and whiteheads, then please read on......
What is all involved with a Deep Pore Cleansing Facial?
First of all, there are just some things you can't do at home yourself or with the aide of topical creams & serums. The main purpose of this facial is to physically remove debris from the skin. Yup, we will unclog your pores for you. In order for this to happen with as little discomfort as possible, we begin by cleansing your skin. We will most likely use a gentle and hydrating enzyme cleanser. This begins the process of loosening up and removing of the outermost layer of dead skin cells. We then apply an enzyme to the skin. We massage it while it's on the face for about 10-15 minutes while you have steam. The steam keeps the skin soft and plumps it up. Trust us when we say this is essential for extractions.
After the steam & enzyme we perform extractions. This isn't the best part of the facial but is tolerable. As estheticians, we kind of get our kicks with extractions. We see immediate results and that's a great day at the office for us. Sorry, I degress here. Let's move on.
We perfrom as many extractions as we can do with the time alloted. Sometimes we'll spend more time on extractions or we'll spend more time on the next step which is the application of our Bamboo & Charcoal detox mask. This mask is the bomb! This helps to tighten up the pores and draws out more impurities from the skin. Even though we've done that with the extractions, there are smaller pores that are starting the build up of debris that we can't see. Therfore, we don't perform extractions of what we can't see.
One more thing about extractions and then I'll move on. We don't recommend doing extractions at home because the chance of mild infections and scarring can occur. Yeah, both are bad and you don't want either. Please let a professional handle this for you.
Who performs the Facial?
A professional, lol! Ok, seriously, one of our licensed estheticians performs the facial for you.
What is so special about a Deep Pore Cleansing Facial at Vanilla Sugar Face & Body?
Our Estheticans have about two decades worth of experience extracting clogged pores. We are very good at what we do.
Can anyone receive this facial?
This facial can be performed on all types of skin (oily, dry, combination, sensitive).
How long is the treatment?
The treatment lasts one full amazing hour hour.
Want to read more, pricing or reserve an appointment?
You can go to our Facial Treatment page to find out all the details.
Liz Steffen
Content Copyright © 2016, Vanilla Sugar Face & Body
PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph, including a link to www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com
"Information is courtesy of www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com, a website with skin care tips, products & services based on nine skin types and advice from skin care expert and licensed esthetician, Liz Steffen."
|Posted on October 17, 2016 at 10:15 AM
Winter is approaching quickly and this is a tough time of year for many of us when it comes to skincare. The dry cooler air can cause major havoc in your skin. I'd like to address some things you can do to really reach a balance in your skin over this winter.
1. Cleanse for your skin type.
While the cardinal rule of cleansing is to use something that goes with your skin type, a lot of times in fall/winter you notice your skin becoming more dry/flakey. I find that in the winter months especially, finding a great cleanser that has some exfoliation benefits such as one containing an AHA or BHA renews skin. Since we aren't out in the sun as much during these months this is a great time to renew your skin! Exfoliating cleansers will still remove dirt/impurities but also has the ability to tone, smooth, and invigorate your skin giving off a beautiful glow.
2. Experience the PEEL.
Again, this is the time for skin renewal! Book a peel with us and we can work on some skin concerns you might be having such as acne, hyperpigmentation, and even fine lines. We customize your peel to what your skin needs most. Our peels are wonderful and even after just one you will notice a change in your skin! On your first peel we send you home with post care products that are gentle and are meant to soothe. You will use this as long as you peel and once you are done you can go back to your normal regimen.
3. Using masks to replenish moisture.
I don't use at home masks that often, but when I do it is during the winter months. For those of us especially who are outside at any capacity during the cold winter months, masks will really keep your skin in check. When you are feeling like your skin is tight or dry find a mask that will moisturize, soothe, and calm the skin. You can do an in home mask once a week. This will really balance out the dryness we tend to get.
4. Change up your moisturizer.
Many of us cleanse and moisturize for our skin type. Sometimes these will change with the weather changing. Again with winter you can dry out much easier and find that you get flakey or dull the colder and drier the season gets. You can always change your moisturizer for the season and get something that will replenish lost moisture. You can even use something that has an exfoliation benefit to it. Exfoliating in multiple steps of your skin regimen is great for skin renewal. If you find that using these products causes redness or peeling that is normal due to the active ingredients in the products and you can just back off for a week on those products and come back to them later! Always have more gentle products on hand when you are taking breaks from your exfoliation products.
5. Last but definitely NOT LEAST! SUNSCREEN!
So many of us pack away the sunscreen once we are wearing mostly sweaters and boots. We ALWAYS need to be using sunscreen even in the winter. The sun still shines bright no matter how many layers you have on. I always keep a light facial sunscreen nearby and apply every day! Especially when we are using these exfoliating products or getting chemical peels our skin is more sensitized to sun exposure. Sunscreen is imperative to maintain your skin and your treatment results.
Content Copyright © 2016, Vanilla Sugar Face & Body
PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph, including a link to www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com
"Information is courtesy of www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com, a website with skin care tips, products & services based on nine skin types and advice from skin care expert and licensed esthetician, Liz Steffen."
|Posted on August 1, 2016 at 2:55 PM
Have you ever looked at your face and seen those small peach fuzzy hairs and wanted to get rid of them? Have you considered getting a full face wax or even had one done to remove them? Well, we have a great pain free solution for this! It is called Dermaplaning!
Dermaplaning is an exfoliation treatment of the epidermis involving a small scalpel like blade your experienced Esthetician will use to take the peach fuzz away! This is done in small stroke like motions over the entire face. This treatment only takes 15-20 minutes by itself! Not only does annoying peach fuzz go away; it also removes dulling dead skin cells, congestion in the pores, and any traces of products or makeup that might be left on the skin. This is a great way to get glowing skin without the pain of waxing your face. As an added bonus your makeup applications look AMAZING after one treatment.
Common FAQ about Dermaplaning:
1. Will my hair grow back thick and dark after I have this done? A: No! It will not cause your hair to come back darker and thicker. After a Dermaplane service your hair will grow back at the same rate and texture it did before.
2. Is it dangerous to use a blade like that on my delicate facial skin? A: No! The blade we use is sharp enough to get the hairs on your face, but with proper and experienced technique there is no need to worry. Our blades that we use here at Vanilla Sugar Face and Body also have a guard on them that protects the skin.
3. Will Dermaplaning cause me to break out or be irritated? A: Generally, clients will experience a little sensitivity to sun exposure after a Dermaplane treatment. If you plan to be out in the sun for more than 20 minutes, definitely put on some sunscreen. After any exfoliation treatment your skin is more open to sun rays and that can cause pigmentation if not protected. As far as break outs, we do use oil as a barrier between your skin and the blade during the treatment. However, we do cleanse before and after the treatment to make sure there isn't anything clogging your pores.
We offer a few different options for Dermaplaning! Just the Dermaplaning service alone lasts about 30 min. If you are looking for a little more relaxation and pampering, feel free to add a Dermaplane service to our luxurious Royal Hawaiian Facial. Want a deeper exfoliation and some serious skin renewal? Try our Dermaplane with Glycolic Peel service. This is a great option for those who want to take their anti-aging routine to the next level. The dermaplane with glycolic peel is also a great service for brides before the wedding day.
For more information and pricing visit our website at http://www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com/
|Posted on March 31, 2016 at 12:55 AM
Summer is fun! You see bathing suits everywhere! Ladies in bikinis and bare chested hunks sporting swim trunks. What could be better? It's the most awaited season of every party goer. Believe it or not, the reason is to get the perfect tan under the sun!
There are three ways to get the tan you desire. You may get it naturally from sunlight, tanning beds or the best and much safer way by spray tanning.
If you are looking to get a nice tan, then you should seriously consider using spray tans instead tanning beds. Spending time in a tanning bed is the same as being exposed to natural sunlight or even in some cases more harmful, due to intense and direct exposure to the UVA/UVB rays. This can greatly increase the risk of skin cancer and cause premature aging such as wrinkles and pigmentation.
Tanning beds can age you more quickly, and have a genuine risk of causing melanoma. People tend to have many treatments over the course of a year, and this again increases their risk, especially if they are tanning before they go on holiday somewhere that would see them exposed to a lot of sunlight. Taking care of your skin and avoiding tanning beds is great when you are serious about protecting your health and looking good well into old age. A short term tan is not worth the risks. I've been a licensed Esthetician since 2006 and I can't even count how many times I've had clients come in for a treatment and have spotted skin cancer on them. When asked about their sun exposure over their lifetime, most have admitted to tanning beds or baking in the sun as a teenager with baby oil smeared all over them.
Spray tans have the same cosmetic effect, but without the risk of skin cancer or signs of premature aging. When you receive a spray tan, you are simply 'painting' the skin. Not only are you getting a glowing tan but you also are moisturizing your skin at the same time depending on the type of tanning agent you use (ours is formulated with Aloe). Another advantage of spray tans is that they will give you a quick and beautiful tan within 24 hours. The variety in color is vast and entirely up to how tan you would like to be! Mostly spray tans will last anywhere from 7-10 days and will fade away within that time period. Moisturizing often can extend the life of your spray tan.
In short, sprays tans are highly recommended to maintain the health of the largest organ on your body! Spray tans are available in a lot tanning salons but sets us apart is our training & award winning experience. We've sprayed 1st place finishers in Bodybuilding competitions AND for a pilot in a reality TV show. If you are reading this blog, it's the right time to look into spray tanning. You know the pros and cons of tanning beds.
Vanilla Sugar Face & Body are the only experts available in the area that offers you an amazing and non-orange based spray tan. We spray you by hand and create a customized look based on your needs ( for example: upper body already tanned, we can go darker on your lower body to make you match a little better). You can visit our salon for the best spray tan ever! Not only do we use an organic spray tanning solution, but an appointment with us usually only takes about 15 minutes versus 30 minutes in most other places! Our spray tans generally cost $35.00, we are running a spring special through the end of May 2016 for $5.00 off! Call or Text us anytime to get an appointment with one of our tanning experts!
Vanilla Sugar Face & Body
2001 W. Willow Knolls Rd
Suite 201
Peoria, IL 61614
|Posted on March 30, 2016 at 9:55 AM
As we age, cellular turnover slows down and your skin can start to look dull and dry. Buffing away dead skin cells weekly improves the skin cellular turnover, which is beneficial for skin renewal, which in turn keeps skin radiant and fresh looking. Exfoliation also helps clear clogged pores of oil and debris, reducing the potential of future break outs.
Did you know by exfoliating your face just once a week you can help your skin care products penetrate 20 percent better? You don't want to be wasting your money on corrective serums if you're not exfoliating weekly. This will help your moisturizers and anti-aging treatments be more effective and provide a smoother surface for your foundation to glide evenly over your face. You'll be saving money in the long run as you're using less foundation for better coverage.
Benefits of Exfoliating:
• Cleanses the skin, removing the build-up from the pores and helping to get rid of whiteheads and blackheads.
• Smoothens and improves the skin's texture to give your face skin soft and flawless look.
• Stimulates blood flow to your face to give the appearance of youthful glow.
• Reinforces the dermis making it thicker, firmer and stronger which means your skin becomes more resilient from losing tone, and lines and wrinkles are minimized.
Please, throw out your St.Ives Apricot & Walnut Scrub! By aggressively scrubbing your face, it can cause tiny tears in the surface of your skin making it prone to infection and inflammation. You don't want to disrupt the skin's delicate acid mantle, which is there to keep in lipid moisture and keep out pathogens. Plus there are actual pore clogging ingredients in this product.
If you are not using a daily exfoliating product in the form of a cleanser or serum then this question is for you: How often should you exfoliate?
• Thin or sensitive skin – exfoliate once a week.
• Normal skin – exfoliate twice a week.
• Thick or dull skin – exfoliate three times a week.
Our favorite product for exfoliation is the Glo Therapeutics Daily Polishing Cleanser, which is our number 1 selling item in our spa.
Our favorite treatments for exfoliation are the Microdermabrasion Facial or a Chemical Peel. Both are excellent for renewing the skin, making it brighter and firmer. The Peels also offer an opportunity for a more milky complexion.
Content Copyright © 2016, Vanilla Sugar Face & Body
PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph, including a link to www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com
"Information is courtesy of www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com, a website with skin care tips, products & services based on nine skin types and advice from skin care expert and licensed esthetician, Liz Steffen."
|Posted on March 21, 2016 at 2:30 PM
Women of today want to try all trends when it comes to their looks and physical aspects. They choose to look different in style to express their moods, drama and personality. Every single day, they keep on trying and testing unusual products to make them beautiful like make-ups, beauty regiments, hair strengthening and of course, applying false eyelashes. As a result, there are too many beauty treatments and alternatives that are being out on the market. And that is why eyelash extensions are very popular nowadays.
Eyelash extensions are a way to add thickness and volume to your eyelashes. They can make your eyelashes look lush, dark and long as you want them to be. This is why celebrities and popular figures around the world use eyelash extensions. The method is not that popular with the average woman out there because eyelash extensions are quite expensive. Although you may find cheap lashes on the market, they are not top-notch. This is why it is important that you go for a high-quality product.
Eyelash extensions come in three basic types such as mink, silk and synthetic. The size availability will range from 6mm to 17mm. The extensions should be applied one at a time. Semi-permanent glue is used for this purpose. IT doesn't irritate the eye or damage the existing eyelashes. The process is performed by a professional beautician. Since allergies can occur, there are different types of glue used according to the sensitivity of the recipient's skin. The whole process of applying a full set of eyelashes takes about two to three hours and can be maintained by touch ups for every 3-4weeks.
A full set of 60-80 eyelashes will cost you around $300-$500 depending on the brand of the product. Some may differ at price as well, depending on how many eyelashes it will consume after application. There are premium lashes that cost very expensive, which are made up of mink. It comes delicate and naturally to look at, beside of being light weighted. So no wonder why it becomes as a best-seller choice as of its "real lash look".
If you are tempted to have the eyelash extensions, therefore, looking for a reputable salon and professional are highly recommended and make sure you do a depth research before going.
Here at Vanilla Sugar, we offer eyelash extensions at stake with reasonable price! We let our experts do the process and they are well-trained professionals. You may visit our https://web.facebook.com/vanillasugarfaceandbody/" target="_blank">Facebook Page to check our reviews or find us Vanilla Sugar Face and Body Peoria, IL. For more details, call us Phone: 309-219-1140.
|Posted on March 15, 2016 at 10:45 AM
As a spa owner, I am always doing a lot of research and trying to figure out what is the best hair removal method to use. To continuously serve our clients needs, this is often the challenge we are faced within such a competitive industry. No matter the method we still get asked this question:
The best method used today for temporary hair removal is waxing, which is what we concentrate at our spa in Peoria, IL. Waxing removes the hair from the root and its results are last much longer than shaving (we recommend about 4 weeks between treatments). If you don't mind a little stinging pain, waxing is a great alternative to shaving. When you use wax, you will find the hair will take longer to grow back but you will notice that the hair grow becomes finer and grows in sparser when you do it regularly. Why? When removing the hair from the root, it causes a little damage to the cells of the follicle, therefore inhibiting future growth of the hair. This doesn't happen immediately to every hair but over time, more "damage" will occur and the amount of hair you grow will be reduce.
Considering that waxing is a safe way to remove hair, you do have to keep up this schedule on a consistent basis and be committed to completing the process to see good results. Over time, you may not need as many regular waxing's and your hair can actually grow pretty long, but will barely be noticeable to other people.
At Vanilla Sugar, we are experts at waxing and are available to answer your questions, whether it's before, during or after a treatment with us. Feel free to give us a call, text (309-291-1140) or fill out the contact form on our home page.
|Posted on February 16, 2016 at 5:05 PM
I've got a hot date this Friday night with my man and I'm rockin' a 70's bush. What's a girl to do?Hmmm…How about I book a Brazilian Wax with my Esthetician at Vanilla Sugar Face and Body?
Have you ever had a Brazilian Wax before? Here are our top 10 tips that our expert Estheticians in Peoria share with you for the best results.
1. Nudity – Check your modesty at the door! You will be naked from the waist down. Yes, you may feel REALLY awkward having someone wax your lady bits. It's OK, our super cool Estheticians are highly skilled at this intimate service.
2. Hair Length – General rule of thumb is that hair needs to be 1/4 inch (about the length of a grain of rice) ½ inch is fine too. Ideally if you've been shaving you want to stop 3 weeks before hand. Don't freak out by letting your hair grow that long, it'll be worth it!
3. Shower before your appointment – You want to be clean to minimize the risk of an infection post wax. Make sure you lightly exfoliate and do not apply any lotions or oils on the skin.
4. Clothing – Avoid tight fitted clothing. You want your skin to breathe and be restricted (no leggings). Not only can tight clothes irritate freshly waxed areas, you may unknowingly cause ingrown hairs.
5. Avoid Stimulants – Caffeine and alcohol can make the skin more sensitive.
6. Pain Management – Remember, your ripping hair out – it's going to hurt! Taking a Tylenol 30 minutes before your appointment will help to ease the pain. (Aspirin and Ibuprofen may not be the best choices as they both are known to thin blood.)
7. Practice your Yoga – Starting position is the laying down on your back in a butterfly pose and practice your breathing, this will help you to relax. This makes it easy for your Esthetician to get the job done. Afterwards, your knees are hiked up towards my chest so she can do my bunny tail too, this is seriously a lot gal's favorite part to be gone!
8. Post Wax Lotion or Oils – The area waxed is red and bumpy. A post wax treatment is applied to calm and soothe the skin. It's a good idea to pick up the post wax treatment your esthetician recommends for you and use it every couple days to prevent ingrown.
9. Put on a fresh pair of Underwear – WHY? Since the pores are open it is wise to bring along a clean pair of loose cotton underwear to change into. Bacteria and dead skin cells can collect in clothes even after a shower.
10. Take a Benadryl – A select few people are prone to little white bumps, this is called a Histamine Reaction. Your body just went thru a traumatic experience having hair ripped out and it thinks it's under attack so the antibodies have been released to repair the superficial injury. Now don't you feel like you're ready to buy that sexy red dress for that date your about to have?
Content Copyright © 2016, Vanilla Sugar Face & Body PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph, including a link to www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com.
"Information is courtesy of www.vanillasugarfaceandbody.com, a website with skin care tips, products, treatments and advice from skin care expert and medical esthetician, Liz Steffen."
|Posted on January 23, 2016 at 12:45 AM
Why It's Important to Choose Wisely for Your Lash Extensions......
Lash Extensions are all the rage and more technicians are popping up in the industry performing these services. Many times people choose their first experience based on the lowest possible price (because let's face it, it can be expensive for a full set) or they choose it because they already get a service done at a place that offers it. Most of us love a good deal but when it comes to lash services, you need to be very picky about who you go to because most people performing the services are not qualified or even trained. It takes months of practice (on models) before a lash artist is ready to offer these services on paying clients.
Poor lash work is detrimental to your natural lashes. Lashes are clumped together and will often point in all kinds of directions. When clumped together they are adhering to more than one natural lash and pull on many of them resulting in the premature loss of your natural lashes.
Here is what you can do to make sure you'll receive an amazing lash set before you actually dish out your hard earned cash.
Visit the company's website and Facebook page. Look for photos of their work. If you don't see any, you can ask for them. If they don't have any (that are clearly visible) then I would move on to another place. This is often a clear indication that they don't have quality work. A major part of a thriving lash artists practice, is the showcase of their work.
Properly educating our clients at Vanilla Sugar Face & Body is top priority while performing any service and this especially true with lash extensions. We offer complimentary consultations and are available to answer questions before booking any service with us.
Vanilla Sugar Face and Body
2001 W Willow Knolls Suite 201
Peoria, IL 61614


text:
Brent yesterday declared his neutrality in the brewing revolution called the Echo Project which is working to displace RSS and the Meta-Weblog API (among others) as the blogging wire formats of choice. Good call, Brent. As a civilian observer and consumer of these formats, I'm going to have to go a little further. This is one of the stupider things I've ever seen, from a technology AND business strategy perspective.
Is there anything wrong with the technology that we have right now? No. Meta-Weblog works, though it needs wider implementation, as an API to allow multiple tools to work with multiple different kinds of blogs. RSS works, and if it doesn't do what you need it to do you can expand it with namespaces. I understand the frustration of underspecified formats, but let's get it straight: every groundbreaking 1.0 project is underspecified. And adoption happens anyway.
Furthermore, this couldn't come at a worse time. Blogs are finally getting respect. RSS is gaining widespread adoption by BigCo publishers like the New York Times, the BBC, and Microsoft (I can't imagine that MSDN's RSS feeds will be the last, and more importantly both programmers and execs are blogging). The market has converged on a standard, and now it's not about tech any more. It's about implementation.
But all this is happening because RSS is essentially baked. If you re-open the debate with a project like Echo, you're sending a strong signal that RSS isn't ready for prime time—either the technology, or the community around it. And, more importantly, you're also granting license to other people to do the same thing. One of the beautiful things about RSS is that it can be adopted without question, largely because it just works. What's to stop some smart guy in a large software company from saying, "there's no consensus out there, so I'm just going to build my own format." And if the software company is large enough, lock in happens around that format instead and we're right back where we started.
Update: Adam Curry and Don Park on the topic.
Update #2: Dave accuses me of eloquence and sums it up in a phrase: "anyone who uses weblogs and aggregators should be angry as hell when developers try to rip up the pavement, break everything and start over."


text: Pinch to zoom I'm in! Quartz Row Pendant by Red Ruby Rouge £49$87.52€56.75$66.42 This item is no longer available free gift wrap Favourite Favourite Ask Seller View your favourites we're sorry we're sorry, This item is no longer available buy a gift card PRODUCT DETAILS free gift wrap Smoky quartz row pendant from Nugaard Designs' Angra Collection. Smoky quartz beads, 14K gold plated chain. Chain length 45cm, quartz row detail measures 5cm in length. Handmade in USA. Nugaard Designs is the passion of Erica and Alessandra. Friends first, business partners second, the Brazilian girls have been turning heads everywhere they go with their creative jewellery designs, innovative materials, and a dynamic entrepreneurial style. By combining their talent for creating gorgeous jewelry, working with colours and exquisite textures, a solid business background and a lifelong passion for fashion they have created the coolest jewellery around. Most of all, the Nugaard girls bring to the fashion industry a breath of fresh air with a jewellery line that is stylish, fun, and original. product code: 102613 see more see less DELIVERY This product is dispatched to you by Red Ruby Rouge. RETURNS You have 28 days, from receipt of cancellable goods, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item. Please note: goods that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements, perishable products and personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken are non-refundable, unless faulty. Read more about our returns policy.Should you choose to return or exchange your order you will need to deliver the item(s) to the UK, where this seller is based.


text:
With Love by Ros Crouch
With Love by Ros Crouch
This entry was posted on Saturday, July 25th, 2009 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Ros Crouch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.


text:
To discuss innovation, the CEO of Dyson Ltd. — the U.K. technology company famous for vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and more — wants to demonstrate it.
Max Conze picks up a cordless vacuum. At 6-foot-2, he towers over the glass conference table in the company's North American headquarters in Chicago.
It's a Friday afternoon, he's been traveling, and he's fighting jet lag. But he's jazzed about the innovative spirit that 1,500 engineers can bring a company in the invention space.
In his hands is one of their latest innovations: A cordless combination wet-vac/dry-vac called the Dyson Hard. To call Dyson innovative is like asserting Gwendolyn Brooks could turn a phrase. A third of Dyson's 4,500 employees are engineers. Since 1979, the company says, Dyson has obtained more than 2,300 patents from 4,000 applications and 1,200 registered designs from 1,300 applications. The payoff for that innovative drive is that Dyson is the top-selling upright-vacuum brand in the U.S. Dyson has made nearly 50 machines and is aggressively building more.
On the glass table: A vacuum motor the size of a paperweight, a prototype of Dyson's next hand drier that mounts on faucets, and a trail of Fruity Pebbles solemnly poured from a baggie by Dyson communications specialist Cassandra Bowman.
Conze demonstrates the vacuum. Someone sets off the hand dryer's motion sensors. A shrieking breeze like a wind tunnel blasts across the table, and breakfast cereal showers into my lap.
It wasn't Conze's plan. But it illustrates a prime lesson that Conze, Dyson and others have to teach about innovation:
Don't be afraid to get dirty.
Dyson is expanding in the United States, building service centers where consumers can ask questions or get vacuums fixed. The company opened a new call center in Aurora. "We take very seriously if you buy a Dyson machine, there's real people you can talk to," he said. "Those people are in America, they know our machines, and they're trained to diagnose over the phone, and help you solve the problem, which is pretty awesome."
Conze's contribution to innovation of late has been to meld with James Dyson, the company's charismatic founder and inventor of the dual cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, based on technology that prevents clogging. Conze shares with the founder a love of gadgetry and youthful imagination. He develops the products and markets the novelties that spring from their plant in Malmesbury, England.
"If you want to invent, you have to live through failure," he says. "How many failures does it take before success? ... On the wall behind you, that's a visual representation of the 5,127 prototypes that (James Dyson) went through until he had a machine that worked. It's a very true story. He almost went broke along the way. It's a real inventor story. I think that's the spirit that we're instilling in young engineers: You've got to go after ideas, stay with them, failure is good. For every great machine that we can come up with, there's hundreds of prototypes that we have discarded and thrown away along the way."
We sat down Conze, a former German paratrooper, a former marketing expert at Procter & Gamble, a former head of Dyson's North American business, during his recent visit here. Here's an edited transcript of the rest of our conversation.
Q: You like to hire young. What kind of investment in your corporate culture does that entail, and what does that do for your corporate culture to do that?
A: We have a big belief that if you bring people young if you give them responsibility, and you want to recruit for aptitude, intelligence, as opposed to experience, you will be continuously amazed by what young people can do. We find that in engineering, where people who are only with us two, three, four years come up with great product ideas. And maybe sometimes because they are curious and there's a certain naivete still in how they look at the world. But we find it the same in the marketing, finance, commercial teams that we recruit.
Q: Innovation is invention, improvement. You and James Dyson live out the dichotomy. He invents, you do marketing and make sure it gets to market. How do you divide out what you do as invention? How much energy do you devote to getting this product to market?
A: Our approach is best described as problem solving. We get our engineers to look at what are problems, preferably problems where others seem to ignore them, where the solutions available are pretty frustrating. Hand dryers are a fantastic example (gestures to one). Most other hand driers are one of the most frustrating experiences you could think of. They blow warm air and then after 20 seconds, you give up and you do this (dries hands on pants). Right? It's having people that (look into) how could one come up with a very different way of solving that problem? No? That's what we do.
We do that predominantly in engineering. But then also as we look at how can we expand, if you want, it's the same problem-solving mentality. How could we excite people in China about our technology, and how could we take an approach that is different from what everybody else has done?
James loves spending his time with the engineers and loves focusing all his energy on how to solve problems. My role, then, is to take care of the rest and to help make sure that we bring in the engineers we need and we give them the environment within which they need to create the best ideas.
Q: How do you create the environment?
A: A lot of it is physical environment. If you were in Malmesbury, where we do all of our inventing, it's very hands-on, physical space. It's all open space. It's laboratories. It's prototyping. James and everyone is a big believer in, you pose a problem, you think about possible solutions, and you prototype that solution, and then you iterate, you iterate, you iterate.
So often the first time that the engineers think about a solution, it may literally be as crude as taking some paper and some tape and just building something and saying if it looked like this and did this, wouldn't that be great? And then we'll take it into 3D printing, and we iterate and iterate, we iterate. It's tangible. There's a physicality about it. It's about product, and trying and building and destroying and building again.
Q: How do you discipline innovation? How do you decide what to do and what not to do?
A: Inventing, for it to work, is actually quite a disciplined process. Set a problem, solve a problem, you iterate across a lot of prototypes. It's not just people sitting around a table, and kind of throwing up ideas. We are very demanding in the specifications we set for our products. We have a big name; we could abuse that name. But what is very important for us is that when you touch a Dyson product, you go "Wow, that is a much more satisfying, better, different way of solving that problem." So setting that bar high and not deviating from that bar is, I think, our most important way of disciplining and making sure that what sees the light of day really lives up to all of our aspirations.
There is a well-publicized story that we were very close to launching a Dyson robotic vacuum cleaner 10 years ago. A machine called DC06, it was already announced. There's pictures on the Internet. We then pulled it because it did not live up to our expectations. So everybody all the time asked us, then when will you launch it? The answer was, when it satisfies all of our requirements, which is to have a machine that really works as a vacuum cleaner, has intelligent navigation, all those kind of things. And that moment hasn't yet come, no?
It's very hard to discipline, because you have to be willing for the quality of product to override possibly short-term commercial interests. Maybe it gives you short-term gain, but it's not what we do.
Q: How do you go from taking a one-product, vacuum, company to a multi-product company, motors, heating, cooling — from one thing well to many things well?
A: It's a good mix of deliberate intent to send teams to solve problems that we're excited about and circumstance of inventing, which is really important. Airblade, the original hand drier where you put your hands in, of which this is the next generation, where you put your hands under ... water comes out here and you put your hands under these wings here ... (A deafening noise and breeze like a wind tunnel blasts across the glass table top.)
Q: Powerful.
A: It's very powerful. Most companies would get to that place by strategy first, right, let's enter that market, then coming up with technology and so forth. Well, we came to it entirely by accident because our engineers were working on a very different product within which they were experimenting — what happens when you compress air through very, very narrow apertures? And then they discovered air when compressed in a certain way is very effective, like a windshield wiper, in scraping water off of hands. So one of the engineers then said, well, aren't all these hand driers rather frustrating, and couldn't this be a better way to dry your hands?
We then went off, developed the technology, developed the product, and only once all that had occurred did the organization go and think about, "Well, how do you sell that and who do you sell that to," and all those kinds of things. Which I think is unusual, but suits us well. If we have a technology and a product that really interests people, then there will be a market and ultimately a commercial success. And, of course, yes we also look at things — is this a place where we have something to offer?
Q: A lot of the people reading this will be looking for inspiration.
A: To do it the way Dyson does it is more difficult, and I think it really requires discipline of staying the course and not taking shortcuts. And that's a hard discipline, of not taking shortcuts. On products, on problem solving, on trusting young engineers. But I think you enter in a better place and you can inspire people along the way. I can show you. You'll have fun. Sometimes when you talk about engineers, it's all very abstract, because you're sitting in an office. We have something called Challenge Dyson. Come up with machines that can be airborne.
He shows this:
Q: What's your favorite part of working at Dyson?
A: This video is a great illustration of what I like the most. When you see 300 or 400 young engineers and you see the inventiveness, the breadth of ideas, the things they can come up with, then you're really excited. I feel often, if I can help them just realize all those ideas, just be an enabler, well, that's very satisfying to me.


text:
KELLY HR Services – a comprehensive HR resource for employers and HR managers.
KELLY appreciates the challenges faced by employers, from analysis of benefits, to cost containment and regulatory issues. We're fully committed to helping you save time, control cost, and maximize value through KELLY's quality people, efficient processes and effective tools. KELLY HR Services provides you with HR solutions you can use to protect and grow your business.
KELLY HR offers three levels of service to accommodate your precise needs.
Welcome to KELLY web access.
Are you a HR User, or Individual/Cobra Subscriber?
Are you a KELLY Broker?


text:
Product was successfully added to your shopping cart.
Our Skincare is 100% Organic using all Organic and natural ingredients
There are no legal standards in place to claim whether your organic skin care product is truly organic. In fact did you know that as long as you have even just 1% of organic ingredients in your skin care or beauty product that you can call it organic? So make sure you read the ingredients.
In 1999 Made for Life Organics (then known as Spiezia Organics) was the first UK company to achieve 100% organic certification across the entire collection from the Soil Association & has worked closely with them ever since help them create and enforce Accreditation for beauty product.
Organic means that your products won't include parabens (which are linked to cancer), formaldehyde, petroleum waxes or any of the other toxic harmful products that are completely unnecessary and damaging to your skin.
Thousands of harmful toxic chemicals make their way daily from our sinks, showers and toilets into the sewage system, which are designed to strip the sewage effluent of harmful pathogens. They are not set up to treat or remove many of these chemicals, which subsequently end up in our water-courses and marine environment. At Made for Life Organics, we use absolutely no synthetic chemicals at all!
Most of the worst chemical offenders derive from the run off cosmetics, shower and skincare products. These chemicals are absorbed by the body both in standard use or coming into contact with the run off that is released into our water systems. The high levels of toxicity created can have serious effects to the immune and reproductive systems along with increasing the risk for many diseases.
Organic is about maintaining a clean & sustainable environment, both in our own bodies and the world in which we live by restriction of the use of artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The organic farms where our ingredients are grown provide havens for wildlife like bees, birds and butterflies. New research shows significant differences in anti-oxidant levels between organic and non-organic crops.
We work hard to ensure that our Made for Life Organics are not only clean and pure, but they are authentically organic to the highest possible degree. We track the provenance of the crops that we use and hand blend every product in Cornwall so that every product is as exceptional as the last.


text:
Don't shoot They're Just Folks
President Bush must stop referring to terrorists as "Folks" OK I know this must be an old topic, but for God sakes he just did it again! Look boy George, If you really want to be taken seriously them please stop using weasel words black is black and white is white. Look I do not want you to act like Jack Baur but use a little common sense, Where are not talking about the Klan here, them ol boys are folks.


text:
Most of us are like that.
I recommend that you read about Jesus Christ in the Bible today. Jesus said, "The one who asks will always receive; the one who is searching will always find, and the door is opened to the man who knocks." (Matt 7:8)
"Spiritual warfare is learning to recognize the strategies, refusing to cooperate with them, and aggressively cutting off the schemes of the devil in Jesus' name." Dean Sherman
"those who protest that God cannot exist because there is too much evil evident in life… Evil exists; therefore, the Creator does not. That is categorically stated… If evil exists, one must assume that good exists in order to know the difference. If good exists, one must assume that a moral law exists by which to measure good and evil. But if a moral law exists, must not one posit an ultimate source of moral law, or at least an objective basis for a moral law? By an objective basis, I mean something that is transcendingly true at all times, regardless of whether I believed it or not." Ravi Zacharias
"But the Devil is no big threat to God's purposes; he is not even remotely comparable in power. He has been given a limited time before his final judgment to try to prove his case, just as all other moral beings who have chosen to live in rebellion against heaven." W.A. Pratney


text:
The Fulton Fishing Pier
Circle W RV Ranch in Rockport, Texas offers so much. In addition to the dances, parties, suppers and celebrations for every occasion that are held there, Circle W is close to the Fulton Pier. Some say, this is the best pier in the area as well as the best fishing spot.
The Pier
The Fulton Fishing Pier is situated near The Paws & Taws Convention Center and is open year-round.
The fee is just $4.00 per pole fee. Not to worry if you forgot your pole because rentals are available as are snacks, bait, tackle and cold drinks.
It's a bit of a hike to the end of the pier making a wagon or wheeled cooler a good idea to store your gear in for hauling. The bathrooms are located next to the pier and are clean for park bathrooms.
The Fish
Many people do night fishing using Gulf shrimp, small silver spoons and spec rigs for speckled trout, an easy catch. You will also catch your share of gafftop or hardheads.
Peak times for the big black drums are roughly from are 11 pm to 2 am. A good pole with a 50+ lb. test line, crab bait and a drop net are required gear. You may not be able to keep the fish or even want to because of parasites or because they are not within the legal limit. They are fun to catch though!
About Circle W RV Ranch
Circle W RV Ranch is a gated community located in Rockport, Texas, near the Arkansas border and is a great place to stay for any length of time. You can join in on the many park activities, night fish and visit the fabulous South Gulf Coast while you are here. Reserve an RV space now at: www.circlewrvranch.com


text: Committees provide a knowledge base and a source of learning for the Eastern Ontario Forest Model Forest, its partners and members. Committees may serve in an advisory role, and they may also serve as an extension of the staff team, providing hands-on support for program activities. Nested within these committees are various ad-hoc working groups focused on more specific tasks. The committee and working group structure is somewhat ephemeral in nature, allowing for new entities to be created in response to evolving program needs.


text:
For 5 & 6 HP Units. Piston/Cyl. Kit, everything you need to rebuild pressure. (Includes items 5,7,8,13,14,15). Click Here for info Note: order this item for model CSA1480512.
A piston is a disk or cylindrical part tightly fitting and moving within the cylinder, either to compress or move a fluid or air collected in the cylinder, or to transform energy imparted by a fluid (or air) entering or expanding inside the cylinder, into a rectilinear motion usually transformed into rotary motion by means of a connecting rod.
Buy an extra Piston Kit to have a backup if it breaks in the future now before the manufacturer discontinues this. Not only will you save money on shipping by buying an extra one now, you'll now also receive a special quantity discount.
Buy four or more for a 20% discount!
This item fits the following models:
Nailer Lubricant (8 Oz.)
$5.98 $3.59
25-Ft PVC Air Hose with fittings $5.95
$14.95 $5.95
Siphon Spray Blow Gun
$14.95 $3.95
Master Tool Repair is an authorized re-seller of all products listed throughout our site. Master Tool Repair, is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, any of the original equipment manufacturers whose names, logos, and/or trademarks are displayed on this page. Master Tool Repair provides replacement parts that are OEM or compatible with the original products of these manufacturers.
Master Tool Repair sells replacement parts for Husky and Workforce products that we obtain from third parties, and not from the owner of the Husky and Workforce product lines. Master Tool Repair is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the Husky or Workforce product lines or their owner.


text:
ScheduAll Establishes L.A. Office
ScheduAll, the Hollywood, Fla., scheduling software concern, has opened a new office in Los Angeles to serve the broadcast, production and post-production community on the West Coast.
The company said it also beefed up the staff in sales and service divisions in its Canadian and U.K. offices. Similar expansion is planned for the European and Middle Eastern markets.
Joel Ledlow was named CEO of ScheduAll in January, when the expansion strategy was announced.


text:
I frequently try new ROMs for my Windows Mobile device. On my last ROM I came across an issue that prevented me from storing Email attachments on my 2GB microSD storage card. The Storage error says, "No unlocked storage card detected. Make sure an unlocked storage card is inserted and try again."
The problem occurs when Windows Mobile thinks the extended ROM is your storage card, and the extended ROM is locked (the default behavior).
Notice in the screenshot above that WM6 says I have only 8.52MB free (the extended ROM), not 2GB as it would be if it were looking at the storage card.
The fix is to hide the extended ROM, restart the mobile device and reconfigure email to store attachments on the storage card. You can then re-show the extended ROM if necessary.


text:
If you love Christmas and animals, come check out Josey's Christmas Cookie.
Blurb:In the blink of an eye; Josey lost the most important people in her life, her parents.
Can a hound dog named Cookie, a pair of Mourning Doves and a passionate vet bring the holiday spirit back to Josey's life in time for Christmas?
A glob of drool hit the top of my shoe. He let go of my pant leg and licked the goo off my shoe. I wanted to say, "gross," but instead I said, "thank you."
I was hooked. His fur was a reddish brown and soft as silk. Not caring about drool or dog hair, I sat down on the floor next to Cookie, wrapped my arms around his neck and finally felt at peace.
Contact me at:


text:
You're viewing a comment by Daniel Choi and its responses.
This works, but not on a lot of YouTube pages. I seems like YouTube rejects web requests that go through a proxy server and redirects you to a page not found page. I tried it using EventMachine in Ruby too, and the same result. Any ideas?


text:
share:Remind Me
powered by AFI
It certainly isn't the first film to have been inspired by a hit song but Rock Around the Clock (1956) was the first movie to showcase the new music of the fifties - rock 'n' roll - in a low-budget diversion targeted directly at teenage audiences. Although the song was previously heard over the opening credits to Blackboard Jungle a year earlier, where it caused a sensation, it was this unpretentious feature that really capitalized on the hit record and the musicians behind it, Bill Haley and His Comets. Masterminded by producer Sam Katzman, with Fred F. Sears directing, Rock Around the Clock was responsible for spawning countless imitations including Katzman's sequel Don't Knock the Rock (1956) but the original has a nervous energy and sense of fun that is hard to resist.
Serving as the archetype for the many teen musicals that would follow, Rock Around the Clock presents an obscurity-to-fame scenario where an unknown band comes out of nowhere (in this case a small town called Strawberry Springs) to become the headliners at a New York concert hosted by the country's hippest disc jockey, Alan Freed (playing himself). It all begins when band manager Steve Hollis (Johnny Johnston), bored with his current gig, hits the road, looking for a fresh new sound to revive his career and interest in popular music. As soon as he hears Bill Haley and His Comets' brand of swing, boogie and rhythm and blues, his calling is clear. The fact that he's also extremely attracted to Haley's manager, Lisa Johns (Lisa Gaye), is just icing on the cake. While the plot and the actors are serviceable at best, the real attraction here, of course, is the music which includes six songs by Bill Haley and His Comets including the title song (played twice), "See You Later Alligator," and "Razzle Dazzle." There are also appearances by The Platters performing their hits, "The Great Pretender" and "Only You," Freddie Bell and His Bellboys play "Giddyup Dingdong" and "I'm Gonna Teach You How to Rock," and Tony Martinez and His Band brings a Spanish influence to the mix with renditions of "Mambo Capri," "Sad and Lonely," and "Codfish and Potatoes."
One amusing aspect of Rock Around the Clock is that Bill Haley doesn't fit the stereotype of the typical rock star. Hefty, stiff in manner and well past the age of his screaming fans, he certainly doesn't look hip but his music proves the opposite as his rocking rhythms send the teenagers into a gyrating frenzy. Ironically, Haley and his bandmates did not perform their music live for the movie with the exception of "Rudy's Rock." They lip-synched to the recorded versions of their hits which, in the case of some of the Comets, is odd because they were mimicking songs performed by former musicians no longer in Haley's band. Guitarist Franny Beecher, for example, is "performing" the music that was originally recorded by Danny Cedrone who died long before the movie went into production.
As expected, the older generation did not take kindly to this new music (it would be classified as 'rockabilly' today) and the film began to encounter problems in certain communities where religious and civic leaders urged a boycott of Rock Around the Clock. According to John Swenson in his biography of Bill Haley, "The Rock Around the Clock ban was part of a growing backlash against rock & roll mounted by authorities who were alternately confused, angered and frightened by the phenomenon. The 28th March 1956 edition of The New York Times carried a story from Hartford, Connecticut, headlined 'Rock & Roll Called "Communicable Disease." A psychiatrist named Francis J. Braceland termed it a 'cannibalistic and tribalistic' sort of music. 'It is insecurity and rebellion,' he said, 'that impels teenagers to wear "ducktail" haircuts, wear zoot suits and carry on boisterously at rock & roll affairs." Integrated teenage audiences were also a matter of concern, particularly in the South, in this pre-Civil Rights era where the races rarely if ever mixed socially. The situation became so tense that Haley often found himself serving as the spokesman for this new music. "Rock and roll does help to combat racial discrimination," he said at the time. "We have performed to mixed groups all over the country and have watched the kids sit side by side just enjoying the music while being entertained by white and negro performers sharing the same stage."
Rock Around the Clock encountered further controversy when it was distributed internationally. According to the American Film Institute's research, "Sep 1956 news items noted that in London, teenage audiences became so agitated that the theatre manager had to stop the film and appeal to them to take their seats. Due to the furor the film caused in London, the Rank organization decided to restrict screenings to six days a week. Another Sep 1956 news item noted that the picture was banned in small English towns because of its raucous reception in London. According to an Oct 1956 HR news item, after the film's first showings in Norway, teenagers stormed through the streets of Oslo, shouting "more rock!"
The movie certainly wouldn't cause that reaction today but at the time the music of Bill Haley and His Comets was revolutionary in its impact. Sadly, Haley's reputation as a trailblazer was short-lived as he was soon eclipsed by such monumental innovators as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bo Diddley. Nevertheless, he continued to be a popular attraction at rock 'n' roll revivals in later years and could rightly claim that his signature song became the anthem for all teenagers in the fifties (Haley died in 1981). The film Rock Around the Clock remains a fitting tribute to Haley and an excellent introduction to his style and is also significant as Alan Freed's screen debut; he would go on to play himself in several more films (Rock, Rock, Rock [1956], Go, Johnny, Go [1959], etc.) before his career was significantly stalled by the "Payola" scandal of the late fifties when prominent disc jockeys were accused of accepting bribes from music industry reps in exchange for favorable airplay.
Producer: Sam Katzman
Director: Fred F. Sears
Screenplay: Robert E. Kent
Cinematography: Benjamin H. Kline
Art Direction: Paul Palmentola
Film Editing: Saul A. Goodkind and Jack Ogilvie
Cast: Johnny Johnston (Steve Hollis), Alix Talton (Corinne Talbot), Lisa Gaye (Lisa Johns), John Archer (Mike Dodd), Henry Slate (Corny LaSalle); As themselves - musicians Bill Haley, Rudy Pompilli, Al Rex, Franny Beecher, Johnny Grande, Ralph Jones, Billy Williamson, Tony Williams, Zola Taylor, Herb Reed, David Lynch, Paul Robi.
by Jeff Stafford
Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll by John Swenson


text:
The prefab structure is one of the products of modern housing era and this lovely prefab villa design in Lyon, France is the evidence of how the prefab home design can be such a great design. This stunning prefab villa design is called the Villa B and it is created by Techtoniques Architects. This superb prefab villa design is something different. You know, when most of villa design is created in order to pursue luxury through every details of the structure, this outstanding prefab villa design chooses to be simple and use prefab method in creating the structure. With that kind of uniqueness, this great prefab villa design is indeed something that deserves a lot of credits from all of us.
The designer of this lovely prefab villa design really understands that the things that make a villa beautiful are not only about the architectural design, but also about the place where it build. That is why, instead of focusing on the architectural design, the designer is focusing on the space that will become the place of this awesome prefab villa design. However, it is not like that this vial has a bad architectural design because it is not.
Just like any other prefab structure characteristic, this perfect prefab villa design is using minimalist design in the architectural design. The structure is involving a lot of wooden and steel material. This adorable prefab villa design has minimalist structural design and it is also equipped with a modern minimalist interior design, which looks great in this type of structure.
In short, this gorgeous prefab villa design is something different and it is indeed something that will give you different villa living experience. Lovely prefab villa design like this one is something very rare to find, which is why this nice prefab villa design is indeed deserves a lot of credits from all of us.


text:
How Robots in English Class Can Spark Empathy and Improve Writing
Mention robots to many English teachers and they'll immediately point down the hall to the science classroom or to the makerspace, if they have one. At many schools, if there's a robot at all, it's located in a science or math classroom or is being built by an after-school robotics club. It's not usually a fixture in English classrooms. But as teachers continue to work at finding new entry points to old material for their students, robots are proving to be a great interdisciplinary tool that builds collaboration and literacy skills.
"For someone like me who teaches literature by lots of dead white guys, teaching programming adds relevance to my class," said Jessica Herring, a high school English teacher at Benton High School in Arkansas. Herring first experimented using Sphero, essentially a programmable ball, when her American literature class was studying the writing of early settlers. Herring pushed the desks back and drew a maze on the floor with tape representing the journey from Europe to the New World. Her students used class iPads and an introductory manually guided app to steer their Spheros through the maze.
Herring, like many English teachers, was skeptical about how the Sphero robot could be a useful teaching tool in her classroom. She thought that type of technology would distract students from the core skills of reading, writing and analyzing literature. But she decided to try it after hearing about the success of another English teacher across the country.
"The conversation we had afterwards about those explorers coming to the New World was really amazing," Herring said during a presentation on her experiences at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference. Because students had struggled to keep their Spheros in the maze, they understood in a personal way how frustrating it must have been for early settlers who got lost, backtracked and eventually made it to a new land.
Sponsored By
"They went from piloting these robots to talking about these bigger ideas and having this empathy for people in history," Herring said. Students commented that they could understand why the Puritans had to believe in a higher power while making the journey, and expressed respect for their tenacity. Herring began to see how the Spheros could give students a more visceral point of connection to themes in the books they were studying, and began scheming more ways to connect programming to reflection and writing.
After her students had that initial experience exploring with the Spheros, Herring decided to increase the complexity. For the next Spheros project, students chose a character from Mark Twain's classic novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and programmed their Spheros to represent the personality, emotions and journey of that character. To do this, students had to go back to the text and use close-reading strategies to find textual evidence that would back up their interpretation of the setting, motivations and feelings of the character. Then they had to decide how the Spheros, a simple round ball that can light up, could represent those qualities.
For example, one group chose "drunk Pap" as their character. They programmed their Sphero to zigzag across the river (marked out on the floor with tape), stop at the house, and then shake and turn red. As students went through the process they soon realized their graphic organizers of ideas were more like hypotheses; they had to adjust and add detail as they tried things in the programming language.
"The programming process models the writing process," Herring said. Many of her students struggle to see writing as an iterative process -- they prefer to dash something off and never look at it again. But as they collaboratively planned their storylines, tried programming different representations into the Spheros and modified their approaches, they began to see the importance of revision.
"When they could make that connection between writing and programming, it really changed their approach to writing," Herring said. "It made them more open to that process."
In her honors class, Herring used the Spheros for a project on Beowulf. Together the class studied the three different battles between Beowulf and Grendel. Then students split into groups and chose different battles to represent. They had to code their Spheros to not only represent the actions of their character in the battle, but also collaborate with the group representing their opponent so that the interactions in the battle matched up. "The alignment of the two programs was really challenging and they liked it," Herring said.
Herring tried the Spheros activities with both her honors British literature class and an on-level class. The two groups of students reacted differently to the assignment. The honors students were more reluctant to jump into the project, seeing it as "playing around," not serious work. They wanted to continue doing what they were used to -- analyzing text and writing papers.
"When we think about higher-level kids, we think they're really reflective and understand how they're learning," Herring said. "But sometimes they're so overwhelmed by all these highly rigorous courses that demand a lot of them that they don't have time to think." As their teacher, she could see that they were digging into the text, closely reading, listening to one another, articulating their opinions and collaborating, but she had to actively point out these aspects to students.
In contrast, the on-level group was more engaged than Herring had ever seen them. "On-level kids were just so excited that someone let them get out of a desk," Herring said. "They really saw it as impacting their understanding of the text. They saw this deep connection and change in their learning experience."
Many of these students had struggled to care about English class, but when Herring let them show their thoughts in a different way and discuss before writing, their ideas flowed on paper more easily. And Herring is intentional about allowing students to revise work for a new grade to make sure her grading policies for writing mirror the kind of growth mindset she seeded with the Spheros programming.
Herring admits that she likes to keep her assignments fairly open, and that lack of structure can fluster students who have been told exactly how to complete assignments in the past. But Herring tells them she's giving them freedom because she believes in their ability to impress her, that they can come up with far more creative approaches if she doesn't give them a framework.
"It was so incredible to see how that freed them up to see that 'my brain has value. I'm a creative person,' " Herring said. She also found that when students got out of their desks and worked together, different students tended to shine. She saw leadership and innovative ideas out of students who previously seemed checked out.
"I think it changed their perspective of themselves as learners," Herring said. "They felt more confident. They were more willing to take risks." Some of the students in her on-level class are now planning to take honors classes next year.
Throughout the year Herring experimented with different programming apps of various complexity to scaffold her students in their programming skills, as well as their literary analysis. She started them out on the manual app, which isn't really programming, but gave students a chance to play with the technology and get over its novelty. For the next project she asked students to use Sphero Drive N Draw, an app that takes a step toward block-based programming by letting students draw the path the Sphero will follow. Most of Herrings projects used the free app SPRK Lightning Lab, a block-based coding app.
For students who want more control over the code, Sphero Macrolab and orbBasic for Sphero require the user to actually write code. Herring didn't use these two apps because she worried if the coding got too complicated and challenging, it would distract from the literature focus of the project. Herring herself had almost no experience with coding when she launched this project.
"We really didn't go in with me as an expert," she said. "I think that might have ruined it." When she was learning alongside her students it gave them a chance to become the experts, to show her things they had figured out, and to reinforce the playful nature of trying something, improving on the design and working toward an ultimate product that made them all proud.
When Herring introduced the Spheros experiment it was her first year teaching high school after several years at the local middle school. She first learned about Spheros in the classroom from another educator teaching in New York state.
Veteran teacher Richard Perry was frustrated that his upper-level AP English students weren't connecting with the heart of John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath. They weren't having trouble analyzing text, but he could see that they didn't seem to have much empathy for the experiences of the Joad family. He hypothesized that there was too much distance between students' privileged socioeconomic backgrounds and the experience of the Joad family; instead of empathy for the characters, students felt annoyed that so many bad things happened to them throughout the book.
Perry decided to build a mountain and assign student groups a Sphero that represented their family traveling over the mountain. "The whole idea was to make sure the kids understood you can be a good, hard-working person and sometimes the situation is still going to be aligned against you," Perry said.
Perry gave student groups a few class periods to get familiar with the Spheros, then he brought out the mountain he had made out of cardboard and AstroTurf. Students got a few class periods to work on programming their Sphero to get over the mountain and were expected to document their successes and failures. Finally, each group got five minutes to try to navigate their "Joad family" over the mountain. Perry had built in traps and at times the Sphero would cut out, as the Joad family car had done.
"The first year none of the families succeeded," Perry said. But students had gained a lot of empathy for the Joad family, which showed up in their writing. The second year, Perry used the same activity, which was also an inclusion class. Perry said one of the students in that class was blind, and although incredibly bright, struggled with being seen as "disabled" by peers. He explored the mountain by touch and ended up identifying some of the tricks for his group.
"He became the hero for the entire unit," Perry said. His group was the only one to successfully cross the mountain. Students saw the student's blindness as an asset in this situation; he had the tools to understand the world around him in different and necessary ways. "That had an impact on me, too," Perry said. "He beat me at this task because he had this ability that I don't have, and it impressed the hell of me."
Perry took the Spheros activity to the next level when his 10th-grade students were reading Lord of the Flies. In discussions, it was clear that students were having a hard time connecting with the themes of the book. They didn't believe humans would act the way the boys on the island did, and had no perception of what survival would have been like.
Perry designed three challenges to represent surviving on the island: a shelter challenge, fire challenge and a pig hunt. He then assigned each student a character and doled out different abilities and resources depending on the character's personality. For example, the Sphero representing Piggy was programmed to go half as fast as the fastest boy's Sphero, but because he is a resourceful, smart character he had more tools to complete the challenges.
"We gave them the chance to really step into the shoes of those kids," Perry said. And when it came to the pig hunt, a culminating scene in the book, the students "went all Lord of the Flies on each other," ganging up on the weakest among them in order to win.
"We had that moment when the light came on," Perry said. Students had unwittingly acted exactly as the characters did in the book. Suddenly all the theoretical arguments they made before the activity fell flat. To improve the project next year, Perry plans to have students set the parameters for the different characters based on textual analysis.
Sponsored By
Both Herring and Perry are excited at how such a simple robot like the Sphero could activate student thinking, discussion, excitement and empathy in their classrooms. They're thinking about how they might have their classes collaborate and learn from one another, especially because Herring's students are more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse than Perry's.
"I feel like what we're doing is really transformative and can be applied to other classes that are not literacy," Herring said. She sees history as a natural application, but also realizes her students were using geometry and physics, among other disciplines, when programming their Spheros. The interdisciplinary nature of the project is part of its strength in her mind. She hopes more teachers will be open-minded about letting students have a kinesthetic experience that gets them out of their desks to grow into more confident learners.