a bath weekend

just back from a weekend in bath, well friday to sunday. we camped and met up with family as it was about 3 hours drive away from all of us so a central location within the uk.

spend most of the time dodging the rain, and I spent lots of time sitting/lying down reading, at the campsite.

bath is such a inspiring place it didn't matter that the weather wasn't great.

saturday evening view

it's back to pencils >> davo

as usual it was a chance message that led me to the blogs / website that I am introducing to you through dgthekneelo today. I really never know what I will be writing about form each day to the next. that is what makes stuff so interesting and fresh.

I knew that I was not crazy when I detailed the things like to always have with me in a blog I wrote a while ago 'found a nice pencil'.

troy worman's blog 'orbit now' was the starting place leading me to pencil revolutions and finally on to dave's mechanical pencils.
now this site is a real work of passion I have to say I spent far too long reading it earlier

nothing to do with the blogs mentioned but check out davo, a new concept is instant blogging that I have started, with the idea that snippets or section of conversations that seem interesting. at the moment it is very early and the only person set up to update is me, but if things work out I would like to open it up to anyone. Have a look and leave your thoughts.

writing stuff down

for a long time I considered writing lists was an excuse for not doing it (thinking that the fact you had written it down was sort of doing it) so I never wrote lists.
over time perhaps my thinking changed or my memory has become less good or more likely I have more to remember.
so for the last few years I have written (scribbled) stuff down in my filofax. things that are happening that day or plans for the next day pretty normal way of working really and as close to lists as I have ever got (normally without comment so not really a diary).
I have never succumbed to the to do culture that is too contrived for me.
I tend judge my life by how much scribble there is. as I look back through the scribble of the last few days (first photo). I can see that my week was pretty busy but this weekend (second photo) and the beginning of next week is not, as defined by the lack of scribble (scribble = good) and that makes me worry. I still like to have too much to finish another 80's throw back perhaps. luckily I have the surfing article to get done (third photo). I am sure by tuesday my pages will be full of scribble again.

'the hub' >> a working title

I am rather absorbed in thought at the moment I have been doing a lot of thinking and looking over the last few days. sort of hinted at it in yesterdays blog, but I am try to plan a layout for an educational space that is very different from the usual. I have a whole lot of work to do as I want to be able to present some complex (interesting/exciting) plans for 'the hub'. this is a working title as I would like to treat it as a hub of fact finding, learning and communication.

the main aspect of the design is a central 'hub' of the work space is an interconnected bank of five stations/computers all equipped with, well I will explain that at a later date as I am not sure of the spec yet. all I have is a head full of ideas I can almost see it in there but I need to be able to explain it that needs some more work. all I have so far is the first scribble (left).

I have obviously looked at and visited a whole bunch of places, along with my experience of both working in design studios and in schools and colleges I hope to be able to draw the many different elements together to produce a 'zone' of enjoyment and learning that is a great place to be as well as a great place to learn.

I have added some of the research I have been doing to this blog. looking through other schools with amazing buildings but tending to conform to the use of the inside space as in the picture (left). as you can see the desks and chairs are formally positioned. , chumleigh community college, classroom of the future, chulmleigh, devon. devon property, county hall, exter, devon. riba awards 2005. I want to move away from the formality of rows of tables and chairs.


absolute designs a design company based in falmouth, cornwall, uk have produced some design solutions, showing an inspiring use of interior space. you can see a couple of projects they have worked on. pictures (left) of falmouth college of arts and cornwall centre for professional development (right). for a better view have a look at their website its quite an amalgam of design from interiors to branding, packaging, design for print and more.

I still have plenty of planning and more thinking to do yet but a sensible proposal will hopefully come, whether anything will actioned is another thing completely. as a designer/ideas person you kind of get used to that. whatever happens the creative side of problem solving is often enough to fuel me to move on to the next project.

don't look into the sun >> two busy days ahead

only a short post tonight, seems like a few people today have 'bloggers block'. it is not that I have nothing to say more that I have a whole heap of other stuff to do, I even updated all my other bits and pieces on the web early tonight in order to post a good thoughtful one. sorry but that just didn't happen I just don't have the time well that is my excuse.

I have got two days of teaching enterprise education ahead and am trying to organise some video content for them in an effort to make them even more thoughtful and creative. I enjoy doing them but it is very mind demanding, so is off to read some more of 'sticking widsom', (yes I know its old news but I like the security it builds in my creative thought process and enables me to be silly) and build on my well worn creative skills to try and meet the challenge of 40 students wanting to suck me & mike minds dry of ideas.

the pictures are incidental (or not) I was waiting in the bright spring light this afternoon, and wondered what it would look like if I took a picture of the sun, (I wasn't looking directly at the sun I just pointed the camera to the sky) I think the result is quite nice. remember don't look into the sun!

hours in front of computer screens ends in pictures of fins

strange isn't it I have spent so many hours in front of different screens today. testing software, running and evaluating new applications. looking at endless websites, blogs and virtual spaces and in the end I have to find something real to touch and look at and hold it happens to be a surfboard I mentioned a few posts ago when I was talking about the twin fin, this is a quad fish and it's is mine I love the look of it and setting the fins in a formation such as this really does make the board very fast as there is no central drag. it was made in byron bay, australia by ex-world champion david parkes a master when it comes to making surfboards that work.
so rather than write about stuff I have spent the last 12 or so hours looking at I will list some of the good stuff I have seen today + open office 2.1 + russell davies + lindsay.at + chocolate and vodka + my flickr + ma.gnolia.com + firefox2.com + 1-2know +
I won't go in to the 'educational' stuff that I have been trawling through for work as I want to stay awake a little bit longer. don't worry I will save that for another day.

mind hacks

recently I have returned to reading from paper not just newspapers but books for a change. so much of the reading for the real work I do now teaching (rather than surfing) is web based and loads of .pdf files given to me on geek sticks that I tend to scan rather than read. even the ICT school course work is handed in to a shared area for me to mark, we very rarely print anything at school anymore.
back to the reading I have dug out the O Reilly 'mind hacks' proper book (ISBN 0-596-00779-5). it's great I feel that I am learning stuff rather than absorbing it and enjoying words on paper again.