ID [PNW]

I think that it's interesting how a third of the presentations and sessions at the IDSA conferences are about sustainability/environmental design. And they all admonish the designers, saying "shame on you for designing so much stuff that's going to be landfill." And we keep inviting these presenters and environmental activists year after year for more condemnation and scolding. It's as if we're coming back to church after a year of sinful product design, pleading, "please forgive us, O Earth, for designing a co-molded vinyl non-recyclable out-gassing product this year! Next year, I promise to do better." In fact that's my idea for next years IDSA conference, to have an environmental confession booth for fallen designers. We can confess all our wrong doings to William McDonough behind the veil, and light a candle at a Victor Papanek shrine. Do the environmentalists leave the IDSA conference thinking that they've done their dut...

In my photoshop class (Etec312) at Western my students have been taking various photos and images and making strange and scary mash-up manipulations. Here are some of them... Eagle woman by Erin Yoakum New Species by Jesse Savage Star Trek rocks out! by Antonio Mendez Bill Stepping Up by Alex McCulloch Baby by Evan McCormack The BILK by Ryan Mahan Paris' big secret by Jannike Lindberg (Not exactly ID, but good practice with Photoshop) bicycle t-shirts, stickers, iPhone cases and other gear.

We've been fortunate to receive some good articles and press about the Hoima bicycle project. Hopefully this draws attention to the needs of Ugandans and the ways that we can help. Here are some links: The Bellingham Herald article http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/229078.html photo gallery http://www.bellinghamherald.com/galleries/gallery/228732.html video on Western ID's youTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk24vjFZB5k Western's Newsletter http://onlinefast.org/v4/index.php?blog=7

The very title "design for the majority" or "design for the bottom of the pyramid" has a condescending, superior implication. That is "we educated, highly creative western designers will design for the poor uneducated, uncreative people of the world." But, to design for a different culture, a different people, entirely foreign to your own is not as easy as one thinks. For one, people are very different all around the world. How they think, how they perceive money, their social structures, their very priorities, are quite different. An American design for an African market will always be more or less off-target. A Japanese design for an Indian market will always be a little inappropriate. From color to form to iconography, we're different. Of course with lots of research and expensive flights we can learn and get closer. Secondly, creativity is not an attribute limited to Europeans and Americans. It just happens that prosperous cultures have their basic...

What is a “Boda-Boda?” A Boda-Boda is a person who gives passengers rides, or delivers goods on his bicycle or motorbike. He is essentially a two wheeled taxi driver. The name may come from the word “border,” as they may take your across a border. Or it may come from the puttering sound of a motorbike. Either way, the Bodas are a prominent form of public transportation in East Africa. They are everywhere, hanging out on street corners, under the shade of trees, sitting on their most valuable possession and their primary source of income. The most common vehicle country-wide is the Hero bicycle. Boda-Bodas start out with a bicycle and deliver passengers or goods for a small fee. A short in-town ride might be 200 to 300 Ush. Bicycle Bodas carry passengers more frequently in the rural areas and small towns. They attach a vinyl-padded cushion on the rear rack and bring children to school or business people to their office. In Kampala, the bicycles are more likely to be beasts of burden, ac...

September 9th, 2007 We are just finishing our packing to head to Kampala. Then tomorrow morning we get on the airplane. We uploaded another video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV0ZKKdu9QI We went to the renewal service at church today and it was raucous! People were singing and dancing, jumping up and down. it was great. We took some video of it. Yesterday the Boda guys gave me a handmade plaque thanking for our work here. It was very moving, they have become good friends. The maintenance workshop went great. Over a hundred young men, we did lots of fixing flats, tightening bolts, adjusting brakes and oiling. It turned from a learning workshop into a free repair clinic. They fixed others bikes while others watched. That's what the Boda's wanted to do, they wanted to be generous to their community with the gifts that we gave them. Amazing. They were the instructors and took charge of thier areas, I didn't have to do much of anything except hand them water bottles and suppo...

September 7th, 2007 We did the safety workshop today and it went really well. We did a little film with the guys here, it's rough but we only had two days. They liked it. We had about 36 at the workshop and many were new. They had lots of questions and suggestions about the bike. In fact the discussion was entirely about the bicycle, they weren't interested in the message about road safety. Of course, I wasn't interested in road safety when I was a bike messenger either. Just how to go faster and make more money. We just bought pre-paid health insurance accounts for the 10 Bodas that we've been working with. They can go to the best medical clinic in town and get treatment or medicine for anyone in their family. They were really excited about that! Most have about 6 children and one has 12! That's were much of that extra money from First Pres Church is going. We're ready to get of of here. three weeks was too long to be away. We're doing good stuff here but i...