powers of ten

In class on Tuesday (1/19/10) we viewed Eames' film Powers of 10 which explored the universe as we know it, from the tiny protons and neutrons to the vast emptiness of space. What I took from Eames' film was the more obvious "there are bigger things out there" but also how miraculous we as a species came to be. The universe is harsh and it just so happened that our little rocky planet was just close enough to our little sun to allow life to flourish. Nature was not in mankind's favor. We are built by microscopic atoms, and thus far, have managed to survive and thrive on Earth. Going along with that is the other message from the film, the bigger issues. Our species has been at war constantly, either with nature or each other. Our problems today, such as global climate change, energy shortages, recession, and war are really insignificant when one looks at the universe. We are insignificant to the universe; so small and vulnerable. I think Eames' was trying to point that out, that are problems are nothing compared to the rest of the universe. Yet I also think that in showing us our insignificance, Eames' hopes to show humanity that we are all together in the universe. Instead of fighting against, we should work with one another to better our small world.

On another topic, we were asked to ponder the definition of "design thinking." To me, design thinking is the process of thought that is used to fix or better or even figure out something. That something could be an actual design, such as for a new cell phone or a house, but also for everyday life, i.e. how to get to class on time or as we experienced on Tuesday, finding an empty classroom to hold class. I truly think we use "design thinking" everyday, and I guess some may even go as far as calling it "problem solving," but I like "design thinking" better.

As for my picture, I chose Leonardo Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man." I think Da Vinci was using "design thinking" when he sketched this, and it also shows the amazing design of our species.

http://hilarygardner.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/man-leonardo-da-vinci1.jpg