Saturday, February 27, 2010

Put your best foot forward









You know if you to claim that you smart: be smart. Don’t pretend like you like are. I’m not an avid shoe person, but I’m a sneaker monger. I have love of shoes; on the down low; but shoes need to be simple to attract my wondering fashionable eye. Specific small details on a shoe make it what it is. Here is what you can go for, if you want to score big time; anywhere & with any one.

Brands are not an issue, style is. Make sure the heel is not too thick & massive, because today’s trends don’t allow them anymore. Its not me; its minimalism at its best. If you think it only happens in houses & apartments; well you got another thing coming. It’s slim & close to the body. Well, I wish I could find awesome shoe brands in SA; because they’re hiding somewhere I can’t find them.



I finally taught a certain youth to pick up a book & read! It worked, because after a hard 2 week struggle of opening one book & finish it than getting bored after two pages, he finally finished. I’m really proud, even if it was just a 64 page read (very small book indeed), he conquered his reading phobia.

I gave him a book called I’m light skinned, but don’t call me a kwerekwere( foreigner) by Farai Tandy. He’s a local poet & he has graced the TSJS twice already. Brilliant, young poet. I never thought that my love for poetry would be satisfied so much that I read it twice. There are a few favourites in there, but they are too many to mention. Its a great book & advise that you guys get it quick, its very satisfying, guaranteed... You can join his group; Fara-zie publishing on Facebook.

Get it at the THESIS CONCEPT STORE, my home & your home...

Friday, February 26, 2010

University OA Policy JISC Report

Report title: ‘Modelling scholarly communication options: costs and benefits for universities’

JISC have just released a commissioned report looking at how to build a business case for an Open Access policy within universities. The report, authored by Alma Swan, ‘is based on different types of university. It shows how universities might reduce costs, how they can calculate these savings and their greater contribution to society by following an Open Access route.’

'Neil Jacobs, programme manager at JISC said, “This is the first time that universities will have a method and practical examples from which to build a business case for Open Access and to calculate the cost to them of the scholarly communications process.” '

The report is available to download from the JISC repository at http://ie-repository.jisc.ac.uk/442.

Other useful resources from JISC for those institutions who are considering the options of OA publishing and an OA publishing policy are:

(Information from: O’Brien, R. (2010). News Release: How to build a business case for an Open Access policy. Message posted to JISC-ANNOUNCE electronic mailing list, archived at
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=ind1002&L=JISC-ANNOUNCE&T=0&F=&S=&P=7380 )

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New WRN Learning Objects

The WRN are pleased to announce the launch of their first learning objects focussing on metadata and repositories, given a sneak preview at last Friday’s UKCoRR Meeting:

We are aiming to create a suite of learning objects looking at metadata use with different repository item types so look out for announcements of further resources available soon.

Already available via the WRN website is the first of the WRN learning objects:

‘Multimedia Deposits: Complications and Considerations with Intellectual Property Rights.’

We are looking for feedback on these learning objects to aid us with the design and content of future resources. An online survey has been created for the evaluation of each of the learning objects above, the link to which can be found within the last page of the object itself.

UKCoRR Meeting- 19th February 2010

Venue: University of Leicester

On Friday 19th I attended the UKCoRR Meeting hosted by the University of Leicester at their VERY impressive David Wilson Library (a clear picture of what can be done if you have £32 million available!). I had been invited by the UKCoRR Committee to speak about the work of the WRN and more specifically about the tools we have created (learning objects) and the services we are looking to offer (NLW e-theses harvesting; events). A copy of the presentation is available from CADAIR.

The meeting itself boasted a full day of presentations from members and also offered a great opportunity for networking with others in the repository community- especially those with hands-on, practical experience of repository issues.


The day opened with a Welcome address from Louise Jones, Director of Library Services who provided highlights of the achievements and future plans for the repository at Leicester:

  • mandates for both e-theses and all academic research outputs;
  • Research Information Management System bid in conjunction with the University’s Research Office;
  • hiring of a Bibliometrician to aid with REF/ research reporting;
  • plans for an Open Educational Resources repository- named OTA I think (?).

This was followed by presentations from Jenny Delasalle, UKCoRR Chair and Dr. Nicky Cashman, UKCoRR Secretary (and AU Repository Advisor). Nicky talked about her experiences as a Repository Advisor so far and highlighted the current ‘Opt-in’ repository deposit aspect of AU’s e-theses submission mandate and how this may conflict with EThOS digitisation requests in the future. This prompted a small discussion about how e-theses mandates had been handled in other institutions. At Leicester, permission has to be sought from past students before a thesis is made available to EThOS for digitisation. This is similar to the situation in Southampton where students have had to be contacted through the Alumni Office before their already digitised theses can be made available via the repository. Another institution uses the Freedom of Information Act to fall back on if a previously embargoed thesis is subsequently requested by EThOS for digitisation.

The next presentation came from Nick Sheppard and Wendy Luker at Leeds Met University about their recently completed Bibliosight project. The project was looking at streamlining the method for populating repositories using metadata from WoK’s WSLite API. The code developed by the project is available as a JAR file. A query to WoK will return an xml page of results which can then by converted to xslt where extra fields can then be added. These results can then be deposited into a repository via SWORD. There are highlighted problems with the API however:

  • only certain fields within the records are returned, abstracts are not included as WoK are not able to grant a license for their transfer;
  • it is not possible to distinguish between the publication type of the items returned;
  • a limit of 100 records return per query. If more records are found a second query specifically requesting records 101-x/200 has to be made.
The attempt at a live demonstration on the day also highlighted that IP authentication may prove a problem when using the API. It was unclear whether this was from WoK’s end or something within the developed code. The mechanisms of how to populate a repository with WoK records has been the focus of the Bibliosight project rather than the management issues surrounding it so the copyright implications related to data re-use have yet to be considered. Please see Nick’s blog post about the meeting and to view his presentation.

Gareth Johnson, our host at the University of Leicester, gave a very entertaining presentation about his experiences as University of Leicester Repository Manager; a copy of his presentation is available from SlideShare. An interesting anecdote he raised in his presentation related to commercial bodies’ use of an institution’s repository and its content for vetting researchers. If a commercial body is looking to approach an academic to collaborate with them in a research project the availability of that academic’s full-text gives them an insight into the quality of research being produced by that individual. A useful element to include in any repository advocacy! Gareth has also created a useful commentary of the meeting as it happened available from the UoL Library Blog.

Another useful presentation came from Jane Smith and Peter Millington from Nottingham looking at the additions that have been made to SHERPA RoMEO and its cross-over with SHERPA JULIET. Jane highlighted that although one of the new additions to RoMEO was an ‘Updated on’ field to records they still did not have the capability to display all past versions of a publisher’s open access policy. They do however, store paper copies of each incarnation of a policy they are aware of and copies can be made available on request to romeo@sherpa.ac.uk.

Hopefully all the presentations from the day will be available via the UKCoRR website.

Please see the UKCoRR membership pages for info on how to join.

New Ladies Range Now In Store!

Ladies Ladies here is some candy for your eyes...!




Ladies T-shirts
Skirts

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Viviene Westwood

Yeah! When you saw the heading you where expecting a fashion inset. No Viviene Westwood has crossed over to interior designing by collaborating with Cole and Son wallpaper manufactures. What is nice is that some of these wallpapers are inspired by some of her fashion garments.

Vivienne Westwood told Vogue, "It is good when my ideas get carried over into other artistic media. This collection is a perfect opportunity to be able to work with a heritage company like Cole & Son and to see my ideas from fashion translated into the world of interiors and wallpaper."

'Insects' inspired by Elizabeth I's wardrobe



'Shirting' is a design where Westwood references traditional city gent shirt stripes

'Cut-out Lace' from the S/S 07 'I am Expensiv' collection

Haldane Martin

Visit Haldane Martin at the Design Indaba Expo stand B9a


Here is some of his beautiful work:


Shelving System



Weightless Server

Monday, February 22, 2010

Couch Surfing

/>


You tired of your hectic life? Want take a breather and you don’t have enough money for accommodation? I know I sound like some ad that sells stuff that you don’t even need. Well, here is something a lot of people are engaging in all over the world. Couch surfing. No, it’s not taking your couch out to the sea & get on it like a surf board. It’s actually a new way of accommodation. It’s hosting people on your couch. Especially; backpackers who seek accommodation at a very minimum cost. This not so new accommodation style of staying with a local as a guest in their home is being experienced by about 1.25million people, to date. Apparently 1.5 million new friendships have been formed through CS. Members have reported 3.2 million positive experiences. So, believe me its ideal & I’m thinking of trying it out my self. You can apply & be a member for accommodation or to accommodate (that is if you have a couch).
Visit them on couchsurfing.com. Now you don’t have an excuse of not travelling. Maybe you should sit down on your couch & think about it... It also gives more people the chance to become travelers, because 'surfing' lowers the financial cost of exploration.

Friday, February 19, 2010

HORTICULTURALISMO.. presentation!

i've been doing design/art school for the last 9 years and have come to perfectly understand that there is no way for me to not slave over it( don't get me wrong, i enjoy every minute of creating) since DAY 1 and be working until the morning OF with NO SLEEP... i know, its something i need to work on, but believe me---- I try really hard to be REALISTIC AND SIMPLIFY!

nonetheless.take a look at what the "final" presentation looked like.i say "final" because this is only what I PRINTED; add to it all the flat/technical drawings, the swatches(which make the book THICK AND EXCITING.

as i said on the first "topic-related post" i was not happy with the overall presentation of it and neither was Mrs. Field. she argued some of the pages were too much, backdrops and borders were NOT NECESSARY OR FLATERING AT ALL...and just in general that the presentation did not "add" to the designs. I was very dissapointed with this ed of semester just because I wasn't entirely HAPPY with any of my projects(and i didnt even get to FINISH all of them). I THINK they were GREAT IDEAS WITH LOADS OF POTENTIAL but for one or too many reasons(MILAN SUCKS being A MAIN ONE -more on that later-) they didnt make it to the finish line with my approval. in the end the most important thing- was to finish- and have something to show- even if that meant COMPROMISING.

maybe compromising since the beggining is the answer... but someone once told me that one of the most beautifull things about my way of thinking is " that i believe NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE"...
i'll figure it out... sooner rather than later I HOPE!

xxx enjoy!



cover

theme page/direction


keywords
colors
method
group 1group 2
group 3
synthesis

my owncomments:
-i like the INDIVIDUAL PIECES I DESIGNED, but they ooked a bit "forced into being together as color/texture groups".
-i wish my drawing was more "fluid" and clean.- not to have it look like a sticker or a marker illustration, but to be more precise/accurate, yet loose!
more to come... PLEASE COMMENT

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

patterns...

I'm not a big fan of prints and patterns but I guess they are a big part of knitwear.

When i sketch i dont necessarily think of colors and even less of overall patterns, i focus on the drawing, on how it moves around the body and how it flatters or alters its natural shape... and i love the lines, their thickness, their lightness...
anyhow. BACK TO PRINTS: i had to force myself a bit, i think i'm not very aware of how they repeat, modules, scales, jacquards... ecc... bUT I TRY!






and then... put together for the presentation/book


METHOD

our fashion art professor: Helen Fields UTILIZES the METHOD system:

it consists on gathering 12 images that serve as inspiration(a very "focused" one)for your collection.
1 x DIRECTION
2 x COLOR: 8 - 10 colors
2 x FABRIC: pattern (jacquards+intarsia+ prints/any other technique) or stitches/texture
2 x BORDERS: how does a garment END?
2 x DETAILS:
2 x VOLUME: shapes/
1 x LOCATION

keywords


and... WITHOUT looing back at my infopage... i photoshopped and blurbed and came up with this:

R.I.P Lee




I fell in love with Alexander Mc Queen because he and I have the same dreams and nightmares. We both know this frightening and yet insanely beautiful world exists, but we can't put a finger on it. A world where creatives escape to.
He could put his dreams and his fears into a collection.
After the launch of his Spring/Summer 2010 collection range through his website (which later crashed due to traffic) I couldn't wait to see his next collection.
He has left me with the notion that I'm not alone in this frightful yet beautiful world and it does exist! So from now on, I wont be afraid to put my fantasies and illusions into my work!
Rest In Peace Mc Queen.

Not digging dirty nails... YUCK!


DISPLAYING DIRTY FINGERNAILS
Why It's Not So Cool: Why bother hitting the gym and dressing for success when a speck of crud hiding under the tip of your pinkie screams "Mama never taught me how to wash myself!"
The Health Risk: A study showed that 24 percent of men harbor germs under their nails that could cause gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and the intestines, with vomiting and diarrhea, usually as a result of bacterial or viral infection). This is because the space under your nails is a prime breeding ground for a veritable cornucopia of viruses. Lucky for guys, short nails are easier to keep clean than the talons some ladies sport—and let's just hope she's washing well before making you a cheeseburger.Lets hope you wash your hands before you touch your lady!

Heading in the right direction - new statistics now in!

I have finished processing the latest batch of statistics from our project partners and I am happy to report we have seen an improvement in the total growth rates for our repositories for the three months October through to December 2009.

Growth rate Jul - Sep 2009 = 12.47%
Growth rate Oct - Dec 2009 = 13.84%

The figure we use to calculate these rates is the total number of items appearing in each of the Welsh repositories. Detailed figures are as follows:



Keep up the good work everyone!

Monday, February 15, 2010

BIOMES... the EDEN PROJECT!

direction --> biomes









Last year when in FLORENCE, I got into the habit of just collecting magazine tears of anything that seemed interesting and started accumullating information- that to be honest- I didnt know i had....

Anyhow, ARRIVE IN MILAN-NEW PROJECTS ARE ASSIGNED AND IN SEARCH OF INSPIRATION i was... so I began to rumage through my personal "library" and found an architecture report with images of the EDENPROJECT in cornwall, england along with other simmilar structures.





i kept my eyes open for other directions, but instead i grew curious about what was behind these... and i IMMERSED MYSELF andbegan to study/research/google/skim...



AMAZINGNESS. sheer amazingness...

the EDENPROJECT in Cornwall, ENGLAND





apart from collecting hundreds of other directional images and ending up in a somewhat unexpected mixmatch...

HERE IS SOME... brainstorm/infogathering/ideawork:



  • science and art combine to result in functional beauty.celebrate the manmade, not as a competitor to nature but as its progression
  • When most designers were running back to their archives to recreate past hits, Alexander McQueen defiantly sent out a collection which could be called anything but safe. Never one to compromise his bold, lavish and rebellious vision, his collections epitomise fashion as we all love it. With vivid colour, uncompromising shapes and inventive catwalk shows, his often risqué collections are a celebration of contrasting elements: romance and horror, fragility and strength, and craftsmanship and technology. EMBRACE the attitude of boldness, the undeniable urge to push fashion into a new realm.

  • simpleapproach: experiment, improvise, innovate. Fashion is taught not as a solitary field but as a melting pot of diverse artistic and philosophical subjects.


  • to study/sounds interesting: Ecoshack is an experimental design lab that started its days in Joshua Tree, California. With the design studio’s main base now in LA, founder Stephanie Smith believes the Ecoshack concept is “inspired by the ad hoc, indigenous and archetypal typologies typically found at the fringes of society”.

Smith explores new ideas of culture and launched the Wanna Start a Commune? initiative, with the ethos: “Let’s take an old idea and give it a new attitude. Becoming more collective is the goal.”

Communes, or communities that share resources, are a business model worth adapting, as traditional notions of ownership disintegrate, and the ideas of sharing and collaborating are embraced.