South Korea... Social-networking??? Yeah... They Got That

South Korea is a nation of 48 million people.

33 million of those people use the Internet.

In America Facebook seems to be the social network giant. In South Korea they use a site called Cyworld. Over 18 million of those 33 million Internet users have an account on this website.

The site was created in 1999. It is network/blog/online community website that actually could be considered as one of the first social network websites, because many of the sites found worldwide, including facebook, have similar elements to this website.

Facebook has had somewhat of a problem with the South Korean people. Facebook goes against South Korea's privacy laws, because Facebook does ask for consent before getting the users personal data. These strict laws are one of the reason's Cyworld has been able to dominate the social network industry in the country.

In a recent study given by Ipsos on Internet usage, they found that South Korea uses social networking more in a month then any other country in the world.

Social networking sites have shown to be growing more and more in usage around the world, and South Korea is no exception to that growth... They quite possibly could be the creators and chief users of this new technological tool.

Photos one and two came from www.wikipedia.org
Photo three came from www.ipsos.com

How UNCG Uses Design Techniques (Blog Post Three)

Walking around the campus of UNCG one can see many uses of architectural techniques and how used properly, can give off a true sense collectively of having space, power, experience, principles, precedent, site, order, scale, technology, and surface.

I feel space is best defined as an area that is open. It has a sense of allowing many to join and gather as a collective group. I see an area like this is best found in front of the EUC building and the Dinning Hall. Both of these locations are right outside of  major hub areas for the campus. Most all of the campus restaurants and shopping areas are located within these buildings.

The open areas in front of these buildings use space to allow for a very similar use in how early cultures used outdoor market spaces and town squares.

Power is an idea that I think is best created when it is shown through something to have strength and and an advantage over the rest. To have a strong sense of control and wisdom. This is best shown through the use of the Minerva statue outside of the EUC.

Just like the Greeks and the Romans used statues to pay tribute to their gods and goddesses for protection. UNCG uses the statue to say, we have the power and wisdom of Minerva. We use her powers through this campus to promote you to be the best student possible.

Experience is having many years of work to show for all the trails and tribulations of life,  letting all on comers know that you have weathered many things to get to this point, and you conquered them all. Experience and prestige are best shown with the Foust Building. It is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It has many aesthetically pleasing elements, such as the "towers" that give it a very castle like appearance and is personally the most attractive building on campus.

When you have a set standard on what you accept and tolerate, you are considered in society to have principles. UNCG has a strong sense in providing the best education possible for it's students, and stands by those principles. The building that I feel the best show this through is Jackson Library.

This is by far the tallest building on campus. I feel by it's true size, and the inside consisting of books and knowledge, it is UNCG showing that they care for the addition of knowledge and resources to their students needs.

Precedent isn't quite the easiest word for me to define. In my best belief and understanding precedent is to pay homage to things that came before. To let a former thing stand as a standard or guide. The building best showing this is the Alumni House. It is a true tribute to all the former graduates and the things they paid to make themselves UNCG graduates.

 The site and location of UNCG is pretty confined and limited just due to the fact that UNCG is centered now, right in the middle of Greensboro. As many know, UNCG has become some what of a controversial place to many of the neighboring areas due to it's future expansion ideas.

 I feel that UNCG best displays order on it's campus, by the way the buildings are used to house certain departments. It keeps most students and their classes together. It creates an environment of closeness among common majors and the students that are in them.

UNCG has created a very functional world within it's campus where it can function on a very similar way the city of Greensboro functions. Their are dorm buildings, which are like neighborhoods, restaurants, shops, and outdoor gathering areas. It is more or less, a small scale functioning city.

Technology is a very important principal to UNCG. From the state of the art computer labs, to the internet based blackboard systems that we use for classes, technology can be found everywhere. The Gatewood building and the New Science building are both new advanced buildings.

Surface can best be seen I believe with the Eberhart Building. The multi-levels that come out of the buildings gives it a very unique look and creates many different surfaces on the side of the building. It also gives it a very grand and almost ultra urban modern look.

All of these elements collectively gives UNCG a very unique and wide range of building techniques and styles. These elements are greatly needed when one wants to create a unique and lasting building, no matter what period of time, or culture, or even society that we live. All of these design princples help give it a widely diverse and extremly beautiful campus overall.

All photos from www.uncg.edu

light box

when i first approached the box, i looked at it like the creation of an ecosystem. i thought about how light affects all living things and how the develop, from bacteria to people to trees. the light holes i made were like microscopic creatures and amoebas. my initial thought was light and bacteria lead to the bigger living things of the planet, so they should come through the box first.

With the next step, bamboo skewers were added. I thought of those like trees. In one corner, the light seemed the brightest and most harsh. I placed the skewers to look like daggers coming from the sky. I wanted that to symbolize more harsh living areas on the planet.

i thought of this being a large space, such as a foyer of a building or perhaps a train station.

depending on where i held the light it cast more large spaces of light or more spotted light within darkness. I never could quiet figure which element i liked better.

i also couldn't find a use for the bristol paper. it just felt wrong anyway i used it. i hate i wasn't able to use that resource. i just felt there was so many skewers, it would have been to much with the paper as well.

i feel this project gave me a mini idea of building a larger space, and how light can affect the feel of the interior. light really can be a valuable to in making a space special and impacting on the human spirit.

Ancient Architecture at UNCG (Blog Post Two)

All photos found at www.uncg.edu
EUC Drawing by Cory Odell

Uruk: Center of Civilization... Present Day Battlefield (Reading Response One)

When looking at research of the city of Uruk I have began to see many things that I hadn't before known of my very limited knowledge of the Mesopotamia. Other then knowing the story of Gilgamesh and knowing it's nickname for a high school history test was the cradle of civilization.

Uruk is the the city where the great Gilgamesh hailed from. Uruk was one of the first cities to ever present itself on the face of the world. It is said that most all near eastern architecture follows many of Uruks foundations.

 Photo from www.egyptorigins.org

I find it very interesting that in the modern world, the location of the founding city of all cities is at the center of war. Between U.S. troops in Iraq to nuclear war scares from Iran. It seems very ironic that the land possibly responsible for creating society is now in the center of global conflict.

 

Photo from www.livius.org

Design Visualization 112

I go round and round just like a circle
I can see a clearer picture
When I touch the ground I come full circle
To my place and I am home
I am home. - Madonna, lyrics from the song Easy Ride

When I examine myself and how I feel about me as a designer I think about a lot of things throughout the entire span of my life time.

When I was a child, I loved building things. Legos to Lincoln Logs, I had them all. I use to go through phases where I wanted to change the colors in my room, and I would make my mother buy me different bedspreads and curtains, even a couple times we repainted.

When I became a teenager I started reading about cultures from all over the world, and created my room to look like a mix match of all kinds of global places. I wanted to learn more about the art of design but my high school didn't offer a lot, and the passion went to a mild hobby a best.


I entered college as a Theatre student. I wasn't certain if this was the field for me. It was the only thing I got into while in high school, so I figured this was the best route for me. I hated it.


While the two years I did study I began to take interest in costume and stage design, but they never really grabbed my attention fully. After I started my junior year in college I became very bitter towards education and still not being sure of my path, so I withdrew from college. I told myself I would take a semester off... it ended up being a little over a calender year.


I came back to UNCG as a Hospitality major. I planned on running a hotel or a restaurant manager. What a horrible idea that was, but it wasn't in vain. I began to think about the coolest thing would be to design the interiors of places like hotels and restaurants. I began doing research and found out UNCG had it's very own program in this field. I began to look more into IARC.

I began to think, you never got the high school chance to learn this, why not take the college chance, and I made the jump. I must say, I have never had to work so much for something, but every hard asignment that leaves me working until 4 am has been worth it. I am happy. I feel like I have found where I need to be. I have come full circle.

This is why I chose this symbol for my header. It may be simple, but it means a lot to me. It means I have finally started living my life in the direction I want it to go in. I know there is a much longer road to travel, but it is exactly where I want to be.