So almost all my summer has been taken up with thoughts of my final year project. I happened to come across some products that are hovering around the fine line between genius and insane. Decide for yourself.
1. Viagra Ring. Great name.
2. A personal favourite. Cannot think of a better way to wake up.
3. Everything you could ever need at a festival leaving the other hand free for fist pumping.
4. We all know a couple that would genuinely buy and use these.
5. Every man will need one one day.
6. To avoid the embarrassing "YOU ATE MY SANDWICH" Ross Geller moments.
7. Censorship sunglasses.
I'll update with some more as soon as they are invented.
Right now my Facebook news feed is filled with people complaining and disgracing about the riots taking place all over London and other parts of England. It's now Monday night, rioting has been going on since Saturday and has just spread to Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. So why am I seeing a flood of statuses only just now? Some of which are filled with outrages language both stereotypical, derogatory and extremely racist.
Which makes you think how many of these 'protesters' throughout the country understand the reasons, right or wrong, behind the protests which led to the riots? Could they all tell you who Mark Duggan was? Are these riots being fueled by various messages and pages floating around the internet in a digital game of Chinese Whispers.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world it lasts for 3 weeks over the month of August and this year, 2011, it will run from the 5th to the 29th.The arts covered in the Fringe include cabaret, comedy, dance, music, musicals & opera and theatre. Performances can be found all over the city with nearly 300 venues ranging from the EICC to tiny pubs rearranged into venues for the month.
Now I'm no Fringe veteran but there are a few things I have learned that have helped me cram as much as possible into my visit.
Do Book Early.
Accommodation, flights, train/bus tickets are only going to get more expensive the closer it gets to the festival. The cheapest hotel room in Edinburgh is about £80 this time of year for a B&B or Travelodge. Don't leave it to the last minute in the hope hotels will reduce their prices to fill rooms. This won't happen!
Do Spread The Cost
Say there are a few of you going to see 3-4 shows a day each show being £10 each. Even over 2-3 days it's a lot of money. Try and spread out the costs and book some tickets in advance. Also the 8th & 9th of August are 2 for 1 on selected shows. Tickets can be purchased online for all shows at www.edfringe.com
Don't Over Plan
I highly recommend you book tickets for the acts you really want to see to avoid disappointment but DON'T plan every minute of your trip. The atmosphere in the city especially along the Royal Mile is amazing, there are loads of excellent street performers here all day throughout the festival that you don't want to miss. There's also a fantastic Half Price Hut that is located on Princes street and sells tickets for a selection of shows that day at discounted prices.
Do Talk To People
At this time of year the Royal Mile is the friendliest place on earth. It's full of people dressed up and handing out leaflets for their shows. Have a talk to them, collect as many leaflets as possible you might just see something that you missed online or in the program.
Don't Be Late
Leave yourself plenty of times between shows to get from venue to venue, they might look a lot closer on the map than in reality. If you're late you're not getting in!
Do See As Many Free Shows As Possible
There are loads of free shows that usually take place in the smaller venues. Go and support the acts, you've nothing to lose and you never know they might be the next big thing.
Do Attend Shows With Nameless Acts
Don't be put off by shows that haven't announced any acts. It may just turn out that the headliner is a famous act doing a secret show to attract new followers or try out new material. Don't be disappointed if it's not though.
Do Keep Your Eyes Peeled
A lot of the acts perform once a day at night so you can sometimes see them wandering about the city during the day so keep your eyes open for them.
Most Importantly: Keep Calm
You're going to queue for tickets, queue to access venues, queue to exit venues, queue for the bars and queue for the toilets. Don't get in a rage everyone is in the same position as you. Have fun, talk to everyone and don't let it ruin your trip.
Fringe Comedy Recommendations
Angelos Epithemiou & Friends
If you watched the new series of Shooting Stars you'll know exactly who this guy is. Only playing a few dates from the 16th to the 20th.
Sarah Millican
One of the few funny wee ladies in comedy. Only 4 dates left with tickets so hurry.
Phil Jupitus
The funny chubby man from Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Doing two shows at the fringe one of which is rated PG so should be child friendly but don't take my word for it.
Andrew Lawrence
Ginger with a squeaky voice. An up and coming comedian with loads of audience interaction.
Ed Byrne
One of the bigger comedians at the festival playing in the biggest venue. If you're only visiting for a short time I would spend my time seeing the comedians who tour less regularly and save the bigger acts for their travelling tours.
Craig Campbell
Canadian comedian who toured with Frankie Boyle on his 120 date tour. Also seen on Russell Howard's Good News & Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. Enough name dropping to convince you?
Steve-O
3 nights each performance 3 & 1/2 hours long. Apparently there will be no Jackass stunts but he will talk about his time on the show. A rare event but I'm still not too convinced.
David O'Doherty
Most excited for this funny wee Irish man.Completely clean nonsense jokes with a keyboard. Check him out.
So as you know sleeping is not something that I do well. That is unless I see someone else sleeping.
I find it near impossible to watch Medium, a show about a woman who has premonitions in her dreams, without falling asleep. I struggle to make it to the end of an episode without a yawn or a snooze simply because they look so cosy tucked up in their giant American bed. It is for this same reason my Dad will never see the end of Inception.
I am also the kind of person that can never resist a nap. Collectively we are known as Students. Everything is always better after a nap. Trust me.
I started looking at the different aspects that were involved in a great snooze.
The Shape of a bed.
Round beds annoy me as finding sheets to fit would be such a pain.
The same goes for this one. However, I would love to wake up to that view.
I like this one (even if it is unrealistically placed on a white sand beach) It looks like a wee cosy cocoon you can crawl into without the fear of falling off the edge.
Finally, a no nonsense bed fit for purpose and the best bit; there's no room for the cat.
The Material of a Bed.
More of a day bed than a good night's sleep. Nevertheless the ability to mould the mattress to a personal preference is a genius idea. I must spend half my life arranging and rearranging pillows.
This is a favourite of mine. Everyone enjoys a wee cuddle and what's better than a cuddle while you sleep... from your own bed. I'm not too keen on the vertical part but doesn't it look so comfy?
Okay, so maybe not the most initially appealing of spots for a snooze but can't we all think of at least one time in our lives we accidentally fell asleep on a patch of grass? These stories are usually closely related to stories about sunburn. I slept so well on some London grass one time that I missed the Polish knife fight that was taking place beside me. So from experience I'd give this bed a go.
The Dressing of a Bed.
Pillows none? one? two?
Duvet on? off? one leg out?
Personal preference is key here, I always need two big fluffy pillows but never lie my head on them.
Or a more humorous (tacky) approach.
The Awesome factor of a bed.
Now why would you not want to wake up on a pirate ship, a dinosaurs mouth or a birds nest?
This is by far the best bed I've seen. If you can over look fact that you'd always wake up hungry.
The cheese overcomes the circular sheets problem and the burger bun looks ridiculously comfortable for a good night's sleep.
The Ridiculousness of a Bed.
When awesome over steps the mark.
Chants such as this were heard through the streets of the UK last week in demonstrations called 'Slutwalks' which support the victims of sexual assault reinforcing that there are not the ones to blame. The demonstrations stem from a comment made by a Canadian Policeman who said "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised."
The demonstrations involved women marching through the streets dressed however they want in the attempt to prove that you should be able to dress how you want, go where you want and do whatever you want without the threat of sexual assault.
But is branding yourself a 'slut' the best way to go about it?
There is no situation, environment or culture that should deem rape acceptable. No matter who the victim is, how they are dressed or where they are. It is unacceptable! But it still happens. There are far too many stories in the newspapers about sexual assaults and these are only the ones which have been reported. They happen any time of day, any part of the country on a variety of women young or old, fat or thin, wearing joggies or a mini skirt.
So maybe instead of parading about the streets calling yourself a slut and supporting the victims of rape you could come together to prevent it? Again I reinforce the point that no one deserves to be raped but this doesn't mean that women should walk the streets alone late at night wearing little clothing in the naive hope that the law can protect them. In the same way that a man would feel uneasy in the same situation for fear of being mugged.
I feel that the term 'slut' is a hindrance to the group of protesters. Slut is a derogatory term that was first used in the 13th century which is used usually to describe a female who is known to regularly engage in sexual activity with a number of individuals. Hardly how any woman would want to be perceived.
Instead why not protest for harder sentencing for rapists which is as it stands a minimum of 5 years in custody. There are various degrees of assault that cause the sentencing to vary. Which can result in the rapist to be back on the streets faster than the victim can even begin to recover. Or demonstrate your support in increasing the number of police officers on the street? How about demanding a stronger network for rape victims allowing them the freedom and safety to come forward and report their ordeal?
No matter the circumstances sexual assault will not be tolerated.
Ever since I can remember I've been a terrible sleeper surviving contently on a few hours sleep a night. When I was a young child it always took me forever to get to sleep and I'd lie awake in bed listening to Pink Floyd, Animals on cassette until I finally dozed off.
It got so bad a few years ago that I spent a full Summer sleeping on the sofa because I'd fall asleep in the early hours of the morning watching nothing but rubbish on TV. It all changed when I got sick, just over a year ago now, I came down with tonsillitis which developed into glandular fever. With glandular fever came a whole load of other problems including what was thought to be anaphylactic shock from antibiotics, urinary tract infections and to top it off, what I thought would be the death of me, a fungal skin infection.
Supposed anaphylactic shock.Imagine waking up to this!
With all these problems and medications came the 16 hour sleeps (Which are in no way useful 3 months before exams.) and since then I've slept around 7 hours a night even though I've fully recovered.
I can't really remember my first attack of sleep paralysis but I know it was sometime during my recovery that it struck. Since then I've had it as frequently as every night and sometimes it only happens once every few months.
Sleep paralysis medically is explained as "a period of inability to perform voluntary movements either at sleep onset or upon awakening".
My attacks can happen at anytime, usually in the early hours of the morning, before I wake up or if I'm having a nap. It's difficult to explain what happens and just how terrifying it is without experiencing it first hand however, this isn't something I'd wish on anyone. It usually consists of me waking up, or thinking I've woken up, I'm in the same surroundings I fell asleep in, with the same people, at the same time of day but I'm still asleep. Imagine it like your head has woken up but your body is still asleep. You can't move, speak or shout.
Everyone has had those dreams where you can feel something isn't right but you can't explain it and once you've woken up telling someone else about it doesn't have the same horrifying effect. Well this is what waking up to sleep paralysis is like. There's a strange feeling in the room something that you know is not right one time I could have swore someone walked into my room spoke to me and left. Another time I woke up turned round and started punching a statue of Jesus (that's a different issue all together) even though I was still lying in my bed unable to move.
My most vivid memory of this happening was when I fell asleep watching TV with my boyfriend. I woke up, or at least I though I had, to the same surroundings I'd fell asleep in; my boyfriend lying next to me, Hollyoaks on the TV (again, my boyfriend watching Hollyoaks is another issue for another time) but there was something at the bottom of the bed that I didn't want to look at, it's presence made me uneasy and I began to panic.
I was getting really angry because I couldn't speak, my lips were moving but nothing was coming out. I was mad that my boyfriend hadn't noticed and I needed him to wake me up. In my head I was punching and biting him, doing everything I could to get his attention but in reality I was paralysed and unable to move. All this must have happened within a couple of minutes but to me it felt like hours.
Eventually I snapped out of the paralysis and woke up in horror. I think he felt worse than I did and ever since then he knows when I begin to breathe heavy and fast in my sleep it's just me giving him a sign to wake me up.
I went to the doctor about this issue because it was happening more frequently and I wasn't best pleased with the answer. Basically I was told there is no cure or treatment but if I find one I've to go back and let him know. Oh thanks I'll Google some symptoms and see what Wikipedia says. 7 years of medical school for that.
Turns out I did Google some information into sleep paralysis but ironically I have no recollection of doing it because it happened in my sleep. After waking up from punching a statue of Jesus I went back to sleep but apparently not for long because I woke up the next morning with over 40 tabs open on my computer to do with sleep paralysis.
Now I've just recently went to see the film Insidious so I'm not taking any of this too seriously at the moment.
There is loads of information on the net about people having attacks of sleep paralysis and feeling a weight on their chest which they describe as someone sitting on them. Hence why sleep paralysis is often referred to as Old Hag syndrome.
Now apparently, and I use the term apparently because I'm not even slightly convinced, sleep paralysis can lead to astral projection where the spiritual body leaves the physical body.
I know how this sounds and if I hadn't experiences sleep paralysis I'd have laughed this off as nonsense. I'm being open minded, if Dr "why don't you Google it" doesn't have an answer and the only other medical treatment is a course of antidepressants then I may as well listen to what other people who've experienced this have to say.
Without going into the subject in any great detail I am not in any way even slightly, never have been probably never will be, religious. However I do think having comfort and believing in something so much that you think it can cure cancer, make you live for eternity or just keep you safe is irreplaceable. It is for this reason (and lack of decent sleep) I will keep my mind open to anything, even if it is my new hidden talent to astral project to a parallel universe and return before my body has even woken up.
Here are a few links I found. Some begin to make sense, some are totally ridiculous, some are scams and then there's the medical ones which are totally useless.
Sorry this blog has taken so long to write been so busy with the end of semester and sadly the end of 3rd year.
At the beginning of April a group of 30 odd Product Designers, Product Design Engineers and Sports Engineers descended upon the wonderful Bavarian capital of Munich.
For a week we drank Augustiner beer in the various beer gardens and halls throughout the city including the most famous the Hofbrauhaus House and sat in the English Gardens under the sun.
I also managed to bring home an extra stone in weight. Which I blame solely on the beer hall menu. To put this into context I started on the first night with a quarter chicken and half liter of beer for dinner, by the end of the week I was scoffing half a chicken, a liter of beer and looking for dessert. Let's just say I was embracing the Bavarian culture fully.
We couldn't have had better weather the full week we were there with temperatures around 20 degrees everyday. Allowing us to laze about in the sun at every chance we could.
However, we were there for a reason. It was after all a university organised trip and we had some places to visit; Bulthaup, Bosch/Siemens, BMW and Stefan Diez.
Our first visit was to Bulthaup a kitchen and living space designer located in the Munich countryside. We had a short presentation describing the background of the company, a look around the showroom and a tour of the factory.
I highly recommend you take a look at their website and watch the short video about veneers. I'd watched the video shortly before heading out to Germany and I was really excited to see the technology working. Their attention to detail and the overall finish of their product was nothing less than perfection which was mirrored by their price list. Expensive to say the least but I genuinely feel that if you had the money and the right location a Bulthaup kitchen would be a worthy investment.
Their products weren't designed or marketed as kitchens but architectural advancements and social living spaces. My favorite of their range was without a doubt b3 because it blended the living space and functional kitchen area together seamlessly using floating cabinets and multi function walls.
It's difficult to describe just how flawless the veneers and finishes on every cabinet without seeing them for yourself.
We made a visit to Bosch/ Siemens to discuss with them branding and managing companies that all operate under the same umbrella company. As I was particularly interested in branding I was excited for this visit, only to be disappointed. Simply because they never really gave us any indications of interactions between the companies and how they distinguish themselves from one another within the home appliances market.
The morning was structured with different company representatives giving a short presentation into their company and I was surprised to find that the other company representatives where also hearing a lot of this information for the first time.With one representative in particular joking about applying for a job with Gaggenau after hearing their presentation. Gaggenau are the top innovators within the Bosch/Siemens group and their products are top of the range and top of the price list.
I was under the impression that the companies would work closely together to share resources and, to a certain extent, ideas and products. However, this didn't seem to be the case which would have been more logical for the companies to work together to help distinguish their product from one another and cooperate with ideas that may have been more suitable under different brands than their own.
It felt like quite a competitive atmosphere with an 'every man for themselves' approach which came across as more of a hindrance to all the companies involved. This became evident during the question and answer session where we were informed that if two companies designed products that were too similar only one company could release their version and the other's would be scrapped. In my opinion this seems like a large waste of time, resources and money that could be easily solved with the implementation of better communication techniques throughout the companies earlier in the design process.
Despite this it was interesting to hear some of the presentations and the lunch was free. So a bunch of 30 students were easily pleased.
For anyone visiting Munich I can't compliment enough the free walking tour around the city which we done on our fist full day in the city. It was about an hour and a half with two English speaking tour guides who were excellent. The tour included history, architecture, the war and the beer gardens plus the weather was glorious.
Sorry for such a long blog this time I just have so much to say and yes, a lot of it may be highly opinionated but I'm glad I never had the time to write this as soon as I returned because the beauty of hindsight has allowed me to balance the company visits with reality instead of being caught in the moment and hype.
Here are a few other pictures from the trip some from my camera, some from other students.
![Design - [verb] to form in the mind.](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mzai_ff_4N0/TYqSZs2FDhI/AAAAAAAAASI/mgHmLnYkdMk/s1600/for%2Bblofg.JPG)
