Life with Bags: Panniers

It's funny how purchases can reflect your virtuous aspirations. That or how marketing has implanted a way of thinking and habit perfectly tailored to your life so you always want something else.  In my own personal case, it's a little bit of both.

Moving forward, bags are useful things. Around in some way shape or form since humans have been around. Our interactions with them are not something of a usual topic but they can make for a good or bad day. The subtle differences between types of bags is funny to me. Pack to panniers, this is a commuters story.

I recently transitioned from a rugged pack to a set of Ortlieb panniers. Reason behind the change is that I found it difficult at times to lug around my pack on a daily basis which usually tips the scales at 30 lbs. on a good day. Time to save some back and switch into something a bit more integrated to my bike. Let my bike carry the load and I'll do the rest, I thought. 

Arriving to the Bart station the large fare machine for over sized objects and people with bicycles was closed. I had to squeeze myself into the smaller ones because the bike was an extra 10 pounds. Next, I usually take the stairs... Screw it, I used the escalator. So far it has been interesting navigating the urban landscape as I commute to San Jose. 

Conclusion thus far, they're a clean set of bags. One of the bags is already surviving commute life well. For example, I accidentally spilled some of my water as I gulped some down only to find it land on the bag. Slight panic for half a second and then I notice the water bead in small pools on the top side of the pack

Hell yes, it's waterproof.

German made, cool, sustainable, sick, life proof. I am still getting used to them but I am look forward to using them more frequently. It is funny to me that I now begin to notice more people using bike with packs rather than panniers. Why would that be? For starters, if you want to agile on your bike as you weave through traffic; go the pack route. You are just not as limber when you ride with panniers. One might even think panniers might associate with older riders who just can't smash down straightaways, blowing through intersections. So be it, for the time being I can dig it. Its a load off my back. 

Music

What is music and its association with people?

A question not quite yet answered to own self so that presented an opportunity to learn by assessing my own experiences and of others.

It is a flow of human spirit, rooted deeply for as long as humans have been around. It is truly a marvel at seeing how music can transform people. The melodies, rhythms, and tempos stay with us throughout our years as place holders for reminders of who we are. Music defines whole generations and holds the ideals of the people who it comes from. There is something here that is unlike any other humanly made thing and it should be embraced in a manner that can be absorbed in many different moods.

Some of the best times are those accompanied by music and when I get to nervous to get on the dance floor and shake a tail feather with my lady, I’ll remember this.

Now go and listen to your favorite jam.

The Space Between

I had a strange coincidence occur last night that I thought would be worth sharing. I recently had the opportunity to listen to Branko Lukic give a private talk to us junior and senior designers in the ID program. Up to the point, I had no idea who he was or what he had done. A quick scroll through his website and I got a sense of what impressive work he had done. Those cool UE cylinder and disc shaped speakers, yea those came out of his firm. What took me back however was not his body of work but that man himself. He was one of those individuals that upon speaking with, you get a sense of how grounded they really are. In my time there have only been a few people that I have encountered that have a way about themselves in which they display these characteristics. They are aware of who they are inside and out. 

This guy understood 'it' very well. 

To keep it brief, I bought his book and I received it last night. I was anxious as I pulled it out of its bubble wrap. The book gleamed in the light across a aluminum colored cover. The words NONOBJECT are placed carefully in the center in bold white type. As I began to turn through the pages and read the introduction I began to notice something. "The Space Between" was spelled out across different pages. What a strange coincidence. Turns out "the space between" is a way Lukic himself explains design. At least from what I've briefly read, its his ethos. I'll find out in the summer.

For the record I chose the title for this blog way before I had met this guy or bought his book. It came to me in a short burst of inspiration. At the time it just made sense to name it this. This blog is a way of recording my observations in design and discovering someone who uses the same phrase to explain his ethos makes me believe that I am on the right path to somewhere.

Just a thought.

Fred

Core Design

To start off this blog, I wanted to state my current design values. This has been an ongoing thing that will likely change as I gain more experience over time. For now, here is what I have to say.

C.O.R.E 

The best of things are an acronym. 

CORE, at first thought it was the idea of my fundamentals. What are they and how can I encompass them in a short and meaningful manner so when presented with the opportunity to share them, so they can be easily understood and retained. 

Creative, its a phenomenon produced by humans from which our innovations lie. It has been our key to our success in the food chain and has helped us rise to the top of the natural world. We are here because we are and have been creative. Creativity in its application for what I do is used in a way of developing humble methods to solving problems  both big and small. Innovation is a branch of creativity; its definition is different solutions to a problem.

Organic, when encompassing the entire world, not just the human world; the majority of things are organic. We as humans are organic beings composed of organic organisms who are tirelessly working inside and outside of us. If we all could stop and observe, we would see and feel that we are not alone. Creating for us and our world is a fundamental point in which needs to be taken into consideration when creating something new. 

Resourceful, the human world is built upon the ashes of our natural world. We tend to build and create but only for ourselves. There are efforts however in curving our way life in such a way that we come to realize and respect the resources the world has so graciously given us. We must take only what we need and nothing more and nothing less. 

Exploration, is the act of exploring which is to carefully study and analyze something. In my line of work it means developing solutions to a problem in many and different ways. While the other points already expressed remind me of the fundamental corner stones of my ideals, exploration is the actual act of applying them. What good are ideals when you don't act to implement them?