MY 200th post!!!

This is the 200th post on A bad case of wanderlust (I just mistyped it as wanderslut.. heh heh), seems like a lot. I still look through the book that Joanne made for me last year and am considering making volume II. I already have so many great memories recorded here and am looking forward to many more....

In one of my classes this quarter we get to take weekly field trips to various manufacturers to familiarize ourselves with various manufacturing techniques. It has so far proven to be a very effective way to learn. The trips remind me a lot of the show "How it's made" on the Discovery Channel, especially last week's trip. We visited the Fluke injection molding facility where some of the plastic parts used to make Fluke multimeters are manufactured. My favorite machine was the one that makes the red and black test leads you see on all Fluke multimeters. It has 14 stations and is entirely automated, manned by only one employee. It was designed and built in house and is really, really cool.... kind of like a giant Rube Goldberg device. This video is of the station that wraps the test leads and drops them on the conveyor...

What is Industrial Design?

Inevitably when I meet new people they ask "What do you do?" I respond and inevitably they ask "What is industrial design?" as they have images of me wearing a hard hat, onsite at some industrial complex with a rolled up set of blue prints tucked under my arm. Then I have to make sure to say "Not industrial engineering" Because I know that is what they are thinking. I have not yet thought of a short, thorough answer to this question but found a few long, complicated answers I like:

• Industrial design (ID) is the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer.  (FROM IDSA)
• Industrial Design is concerned with all the human aspects of machine-made products and their relationship to people and the environment. The designer is responsible for these products and their impact on society and nature. The designer accounts for the product's human factors engineering, safety, form, color, maintenance and cost. Industrial design deals with consumer products as well as industrial products. In order to achieve these ends, designers must be involved in four major design and research activities: human behavior, the human-machine interface, the environment, and the product itself. Areas of design investigation include furniture, housewares, appliances, transportation, tools, farm equipment, medical/electronic instruments, human interface, and recreational support equipment.
  
• Industrial design is an applied art whereby the aesthetics and usability of mass-produced products may be improved for marketability and production. The role of an Industrial Designer is to create and execute design solutions towards problems of form, usability, user ergonomics, engineering, marketing, brand development and sales.
  

Weddings

I've been so busy since the Rome trip. I have been to two weddings, Rebecca and Eric got married at the Olympic Sculpture Park here in Seattle on October 4th. Chris and Lara's wedding was in Omaha, Nebraska on October 10th. Both were very beautiful and fun and just packed with people I love. The wedding in Omaha, aside from being a beautiful celebration of Chris and Lara's love, was like a really great high school reunion, except it was only the people I really liked and the booze was free (thanks Chris and Lara!). I saw some faces there that I haven't seen in years. This is the year of the wedding among my friends, EVERYBODY'S DOING IT!











Keep in mind....none of my friends have really gotten married since high school, check out our upcoming year:

Jeff and Halli Roberts -- September 13th, 2008
Jim and Kelly Heavican -- September 20th, 2008
Rebecca Staffel and Eric -- October 4th, 2008
Chris and Lara Hanlon -- October 10th, 2008
Katie Peterson and Aaron -- November 7th, 2008
Brian Glowen and Andy -- January 2009
Sean Person and Darcy -- March 2009
Sam Snyder and Melissa -- May 22nd, 2009
Me and my saucy wench(Arrgh) -- July 18th, 2009
Sara Leapaldt and J Holby -- September 18th, 2009
Katie Kassebaum and Kyle G -- September 19th, 2009

Wow, can you believe it?!? It's gonna be a busy year.

Click on the pictures below to go to my photo albums of the weddings...that is, if you're into that kinda thing......or if you're stalking me.......or Rachel....

CLICK THESE!