INDEX:Design Has Unveiled 61 Finalists for INDEX:Award 2011 0

The world’s largest design award, INDEX:Award has unveiled its 61 finalists. The Danish non-profit organization processed almost 1,000 design submissions from 78 countries around the world where this year theme is about creating product with the ability to improve the lives of people all over the world. Currently the International INDEX: Jury are trying to find the best 5 submissions as the five winners of INDEX:Award 2011. So, are you among these 61 finalists? Check it here :
http://designtoimprovelife.dk/index.php?option=com_content_custom&view=category&id=32%3Afinalists-2011&Itemid=302&layout=default

Here are the top 10 of our favorite designs:

1. Embrace Infant Warmer by Linus Liang (United States of America), Naganand Murty (India), Rahul Panicker (India) and Jane Chen (United States of America)

Each year, there are around 20 million babies born prematurely, and 4 million of them die. Babies’ lives can be used by providing them with thermal regulation from incubators. However, traditional incubators are expensive and required electricity which usually not available in urban/rural areas. Embrace infant warmer is a smart and cost-effective technology that provides heat to an infant at a constant temperature to fulfill a condition for survival. It’s been carefully engineered to maintain baby’s temperature at consistent 37 degrees for around 4-6 hours even without electricity.

2. PURE by Timothy Whitehead (United Kingdom)
PURE is the answer of how to get clean drinking water in the most hostile of conditions. After traveling to Zambia, Timothy realized that how difficult to get the clean water there, mostly children die each year due to contaminated drinking water. Timothy has designed a device that can provide clean drinking water in just under 2 minutes by taking advantage of ultra violet light to sterilize the water without any weird taste. We have featured this design here : PURE by Timothy Whitehead.

3. X-Halo by Stefano Marzano and Design Team (the Netherlands)
Based on research, there’s a correlation between the onset of asthmatic episodes and a rise in exhaled breath temperature. X-Halo provides information for its user to predict the asthma attack before it happens. This device measures the temperature of exhaled air in an easy, simple and user-friendly way.

4. The Dream Ball Project by Kyungchan Hwang, Songkyou Jin, Haksu Lee, Minhyun Han and Jin Jun (Republic of Korea)

The main objective of The Dream Ball Project is to help children in disaster zones to recover from trauma by encouraging their physical and emotional development. Football sport is not just a game, it promotes team effort, a positive lifestyle, a healthy activity. The Dream Ball Project provides these children with footballs made of recycled famine relief packaging. The design team has redesigned relief packaging in a way that it serves its primary purpose, different types of balls depending on the size of the boxes.

5. Netra by Vitor Pamplona (Brazil), Ramesh Raskar (India), David Schafran (United States of America) and Manuel Oliveira (Brazil)

An eye test can be done through your mobile phone. Netra has been designed for smart phones where user can attach to the phone quickly and securely. This device can be used to instantly detect refractive conditions and provide recommendations for correction. Eye diagnostics don’t have to be so expensive. If this device goes into production, millions of people around the world who previously couldn’t afford the test; could have access to it.

6. Anti Sleep Pilot by Thomas Gregers and Troels Palshof (Denmark)
Anti Sleep Pilot (ASP) is not designed to wake you up once you have fallen asleep. This device helps you to avoid dangerous situation caused by driver fatigue. It will automatically register the level of tiredness, maintain your alertness through simple tasks while driving. It recommends a preventive break before your tiredness level becomes dangerous.

7. Biolite Home Stove by Jonathan Cedar and Alec Drummond (United States of America)
Half people in this planet still cook on indoor open wood fires which result in toxic smoke that kills million people every year. BioLite Home Stove reduces the time they need to gather the wood or other solid fuels. It uses only half the wood required for an open fire, it can save tons of firewood each year. This stove is capable of reducing indoor smoke, more over the efficient combustion can reduce deforestation in developing regions.

8. JANMA – The Clean Birth Kit by Zubaida Bai (India)
Women who give birth in developing countries usually get no help or when they do, it’s from untrained attendant and mostly in an un-sterile rural clinic. They risk contracting an infection which responsible for nearly 1 in 5 maternal deaths. JANMA is an affordable clean birth kit to provide clean and sterile conditions for giving birth. With the ambition of “No women should die giving life”, AYZH, a social venture makes this clean delivery kits available through government health clinics, markets, private pharmacies, and other commercial channels.

9. The Copenhagen Wheel by Christine Outram (Australia), Carlo Ratti (Italy), Assaf Biderman (Israel), Vincenzo Manzoni (Italy), Xiaoji Chen (China), Roon E. Kang (United States of America), Mark Yen (United States of America), Jennifer Dunnam (United States of America), Myshkin Ingawale (India), Ari Kardasis (United States of America) and Andrea Cassi (Italy)
This wheel generates and store energy while you are cycling and braking. It’s perfect for everyone, individuals, the elderly people, or physically impaired. It’s equipped with sensors inside the wheel that gathers information to help you pick less polluted bike routes, achieve your goals, or challenge others to ride more. The wheel provides information related to topography, distance, any other data related to city infrastructure.

10. Bware Water Meter by Ariel Drach and Alex Sudak (Israel)
This planet slowly but surely will face global water crisis. It’s important to educate people in order to use water more wisely. Bware water meter is a small device that informs the consumer the amount of water consumed while it’s running. The water flows passing through an internal generator that powers the LED to display the amount of water consumed. Bware has been made of bio plastics and all of its components are recyclable and eco friendly. By displaying the number of liters the user consumed in real-time, hopefully it can raise the awareness of water waste.

FitBots Robotic Mannequins Revolutionize New Way in Buying Clothes Online 0

FitBots – The robotic mannequins are all set to reform buying clothes over the internet. Shoppers have an exclusive option of trying out garments prior to buying using the measurements entered by them. A special device has been designed purely to mimic the measurements entered and change shape, allowing customers to opt for a perfect one. FitBots were available only for men’s styles earlier. Now that the robot mannequins is set to unveil at British Heikki Haldre as well as Curtis, swear to take the speculation out ofshopping online. With an option of being able shift between several shapes and sizes, ranging from small to large, it gives many opportunities for females shoppers. The female FitBot certainly took a longer time toperfect in comparison to male model. Perhaps, Fits.me assures they can contort in order to match 85% of women shoppers online. Customers can envisage as to how various sizes of clothing compliment their unique shape, which appears to be an excellent idea.

From : Fits.me

Dog Psychology and Cesar Millan 0

Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, has made popular the term dog psychology, dog behavior modification, and dog behaviorist.

Since then, many dog trainers have relabeled themselves as dog psychologists or dog behaviorists.

What does dog psychology or dog behavior modification mean and how are they different from dog training?

Dog Psychology vs. Dog Training?

What is Dog Psychology?

Dog Psychology - How Dogs Think and Learn

Dog psychology tries to understand bad dog behavior from a canine perspective rather than from a human perspective.

Because dogs are such close companions to us, it is easy to humanize them. Many dog movies and television shows includingLassie, 101 Dalmations, Lady and the Tramp, Bolt, and others have encouraged this view.

However, dogs are not humans, and humans are not dogs.

Humanizing a dog causes miscommunication between human and canine, which can result in a variety of dog behavioral issues.

For example, many dog owners attribute their dog pooping on their favorite carpet, when they are not home, as an act of vengeance. In actuality, it is just a symptom of stress from having an unexpected change in their routine (separation anxiety).

According to Cesar Millan, he uses dog psychology, and other trainers use food, do obedience training and teach dog tricks.
Cesar Millan prefers to use the term dog behaviorist to describe someone like himself, who does dog psychology and behavior modification. In contrast, he usesdog trainer to describe someone who uses food to teach dogs obedience commands.
According to Millan, a dog who has undergone obedience training may understand training commands such as Sit, Down, and Heel, but may still engage in destructive and aggressive behaviors, such as chewing your designer shoes, or digging up your prize roses.
Frankly, this separation of terms is unnecessary and just complicates matters.
Dog behavior modification, dog training, and dog tricks are ALL based onoperant conditioning.
Operant conditioning forms a big part of what we understand of dog psychology and animal psychology. Therefore, dog behavior modification, dog training, and dog tricks are ALL based on dog psychology.
Operant conditioning consists of aversive methods and reward methods. Both aversive and reward methods, can be used to alter dog behavior, train a dog to follow commands, and teach a dog tricks.

Misunderstanding of Dog Psychology

• The claim that dog obedience training, and dog tricks are somehow not based on dog psychology isfalse.
• The claim that food only works for obedience training and dog tricks isfalse.
• The claim that using food in dog training is bribery, and somehow ineffective is false.
• The claim that using food is humanizing the dog and therefore inappropriate isfalse.
• The claim that reward dog training is only based on food is false.
• The claim that aversive dog training, particularly physical force training is more effective at behavior modification than reward training is false.
• The claim that physical force is required to modify dog behavior is false.
• The claim that physical force is an integral part of dog psychology is false.

Both aversive and reward techniques, can be used to “train” your dog to sit on command, to sit instead of dig on command, to drop whatever he is chewing, to chew his toy instead of your shoes, and to dig in the sand pit instead of in your rose-bed.
The divide between dog behavior modification and dog training simply does not exist.
Many of the techniques that Cesar Millan uses including leash jerks, alpha rolls, and finger pokes, are aversive conditioning techniques. Cesar Millan also uses some reward conditioning techniques including body blocks, and no-talk,no-touch,no-eye-contact.

Dog Psychology - The divide between dog behavior modification and dog training simply does not exist. It is ALL about training behaviors through behavioral conditioning methods.

Dog Psychology and Dominance/Pack Theory

Dog Psychology and Dominance/Pack Theory.

Dog Psychology - The top dog is not always the alpha dog.

Dog Psychology - Alpha dogs rule through the control of resources rather than through physical force.

Some have tried to argue that dog psychology is based on dominance or pack theory.
Dominance theory is based on the observation that wolf packs and wild dog packs are ruled by an alpha male and an alpha female. This alpha pair controls all of the pack’s resources and sets all of the pack rules. There are also rituals that pack members must follow including letting the alpha pair have access to the best food,best sleeping area, and best resources.
The theory is that when dogs come to live with us, we become part of their pack and must assume the alpha male and alpha female positions. Part of assuming this position, is to follow similar pack rituals including eating before your followers, not letting your followers have access to beds and couches, always walking in front of your followers, and using physical force to establish and maintain your pack leadership position.
However, recent studies have shown that wolf packs and also wild dog packs are a lot more complex than this simple alpha-pair model. Leadership tends to be more dynamic in nature, and the alpha dogs rule through the control of resources rather than through physical force.
Therefore, even dominance theory cannot be used to support the false claim that physical force is a necessary or even an effective part of dog behavior modification.

Dog Psychology - Even dominance theory cannot be used to support the false claim that physical force is a necessary or even effective part of dog behavior modification.

While dominance theory and dog pack dynamics are interesting areas of study, the argument of whether they apply to us and our domesticated dogs, is actually a moot point.
Just as dogs are not humans, humans are not dogs.
Contrary to common belief, dogs know that they are dogs and not human. They also know that we are human and not dogs. It is us humans who frequently get confused on these matters.
Since we are human, we are not expected by our dogs to act like dogs. We must communicate with them in a way that they can understand, but that does not mean that we should try to act like them. Not only would we be poor imitators, but however well we pretend, we would still be human, and our dogs will always know what we are.
Because our dogs live in our very complex human world, it is necessary for us to assume leadership and teach them our rules. We must provide for them not just in terms of food and shelter, but also in terms of their health and safety.
To properly manage the safety of your dog (to himself, to other dogs, and to the people around him) it is necessary to institute certain human rules, and to train him to follow those rules. Training of these rules can be achieved through aversive methods or reward methods.
It is as simple as that. No dominance theory required.

Dog Behaviorist vs. Dog Trainer

By using operant conditioning techniques, you can shape behavior to prepare your dog for obedience trials, or agility competitions. You can also shape behavior to make your dog into a good citizen at home.
A good dog trainer or dog behaviorist is someone who understands classical and operant conditioning theories; has good technique (i.e. good timing, execution, redirection); can quickly and accurately read a dog’s body language; and is a good and patient teacher.
There are dog trainers, like Cesar Millan, who mostly use aversive training. There are dog trainers, like Victoria Stillwell, who mostly use reward training. And there are dog trainers who use both.
Reward dog training and aversive dog training have their own advantages and disadvantages, so make sure to pick a dog trainer that uses the style of training or behavior modification that you feel is most appropriate for you and your dog.
The Association of Pet Dog Trainers is a great resource for finding professional dog training help in your area.

Dog Psychology - Pick a dog trainer that uses the style of training or behavior modification that you feel is most appropriate for you and your dog.

Which is Better, Which is Right, and Which is Dog Psychology?

Many arguments arise in the dog behavior modification or dog training arena because many want to claim that their way is better or that their way is right.
To do this, they must first differentiate their way from all other ways. That is why there are so many terms, including dog psychology, dog behavior modification, dog training, dog tricks, and many more, describing essentially the same thing.

Moral judgements such as dog cruelty,dog bribery, evilness and goodness get thrown into the same pot and what results is a whole lot of smoke and not much else.
When you boil dog training or dog behavior modification down to its basics you are always left with conditioning. And all of us use either aversive operant conditioning methods or reward operant conditioning methods to shape our dog’s behavior.
Both are dog psychology. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages.
I cannot say that one is absolutely better than the other, or that one is absolutely right. I can only say that I personally use reward dog training because it is more effective and less risky than the aversive methods I have tried.

Dog Psychology - I can only say that I personally use reward dog training because it is more effective and less risky than the aversive methods I have tried.

Face reading(part ll) 0

Face Reading - Part II

Besides his handsome good looks, there are other signs in Russell Crowe’s face that could have predicted his success. As we divide his face into the Three Stages, we see his high board forehead as an indication of a good childhood. His forehead is long & wide which indicates intelligence & a good imagination. A shiny forehead tells us he is destined for success & recognition. The eyebrows, which represent siblings, are straight & orderly and this says that his relationship with them is good. However, his brows are set quite close to his eyes, which reveal his impatience for others, even for the slightest offense.
The First Gate, the area between his brows, is auspiciously wide but is marred by a mole. This could indicate some difficulties in life, especially around the age of 41. His attractively fleshy, plump nose tip gives him a warm & friendly spirit.
Russell’s long chin means a good life in his old age, but the slight dimple may indicate a strained close relationship later in life. His ears are close to his head and are positioned above his eyebrows. This is a favorable position for the ears, for he will be well respected and have a high social status early in his life. Russell’s eyes are elliptical and the upper eyelid is angled down towards the outer corner of his eyes. This eye shape indicates charm & jealousy and a craving for affection and attention that makes it difficult for friends, lovers and spouses to satisfy.
His low, round cheekbones suggest that he is neither highly competitive nor overly aggressive, especially since moles mar them. In spite of his reputation for bar-brawling and being hot tempered, I see instead a man who has the capacity for endurance and quiet resistance, who can wear down his strongest adversary with subtle tactics. Russell’s bow shaped lips, created by the low dipping “point of refinement”on the upper lip, indicates an imaginative, caring & sensitive lover. But, outside the bedroom he may be timid and touchy. Also, this rose bud shape in the middle of the upper lip often means that should he marry he’ll have a deep love for his spouse.

In a recent woman’s magazine, I read that Angelina Jolie’s full-pouting lips are the most requested shape of mouth that women are asking their plastic surgeons to give them. And, no wonder, for thick lips express honesty, loyalty and friendliness. People with thick lips enjoy delicious food, but may have poor “taste” in general. Other inauspicious qualities are, surrendering too much to their emotions and excessive sexual indulgences (but, that may be the reason we find thick lips sexy, yes?).
Angelina’s mouth tells me she is very demanding of the affections from others. Her sexual appetite is also very strong. However, the top lip is shorter than the bottom, which says that she can reach sexual satisfaction before her partner. On the positive side, her lips indicate good health, intelligence, lasting friendships and a rewarding life in her old age.
I’ve noticed that Angelina’s eyebrows are not asymmetrical (eyebrow pencil aside). Since the eyebrows represent siblings it may mean she has stepsiblings (half brothers/sisters). Eyebrows that don’t match often suggest one’s parents are separated or there’s a fluctuation in the family life. Personality wise, it can also indicate moodiness. Her eyebrows are arched high above her eyes which makes her very tolerant of others, as well as, patient & easy going. She makes friends easily & keeps them forever.
And then there are those high cheekbones and large eyes, which from an Asian point of view indicate a strong desire to compete while large eyes make her extroverted and outspoken. A woman’s nose is called the “Husband’s Star” (for a man it is the 5th House of Wealth). Her nose has a round nose tip & a straight bridge that is not too high which traditionally secures a loving husband. But, her visible nostrils say that she is a not good with money.
Face reading can be quite challenging and insightful. It can help you to better understand the people around you. First impressions will have a new meaning to you when you find yourself accurately predicting personalities, future events or possible health problems.

Face reading 0

Face Reading

"Your face, my thane, is as a book where
Men may read strange matters."
--William Shakespeare“Macbeth”

Human beings possess three bodies. First, there is the physical body, which you can see and is tangible. It is solid and has a shape, a color and a texture. The second and third bodies are the mental and the spiritual which are intangible and merge with the physical body. Our true nature begins to take on a physical form in our face. It is where our emotions and our state of health are first revealed. And, as Shakespeare pointed out in his play Macbeth: “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” For the face is truly an opened book.

For thousands of years, the ancient sages wondered if our facial features could determine our fate or personality. They began to compile individual studies, one feature at a time, to see if there was a direct correlation between facial features and specific fates. In ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote extensively on physiognomy categorizing his findings into six chapters that included physical characteristics of face, body & voice. The Classical scholars, such as Homer and Hippocrates, wrote of face reading as an ancient method of practical philosophy. In the Middle Ages physiognomy was combined with astrology and became part of the divination arts. By the 18th & 19th century it was used in Europe as a separate study of criminology where facial features were used to identify potential criminals. In the 20th century it was lost to folklore and superstition. But, face reading has reemerged in the 21st century as a guide in psychoanalysis or, as a tool for a competitive edge in the executive boardrooms of corporate America. It is no longer a parlor game. The continuos interest in face reading has given credence to an art that the Chinese have always known has been an important guide in human understanding.

In China, the father of face reading is often credited to the philosopher Gui-Gu Tze, who lived during the Warring State Period (481-221 BC). His book Xiang Bian Wei Mang is still in print to this very day and is studied by serious students of physiognomy.

The Chinese art of face reading is a very involved system that classifies facial features individually by judging the color, shape and disfigurements of specific areas of the face. Basically, the face is partitioned into 108 areas. Each area is a specific age & life situation and by observing the Five Elements of the productive/destructive cycle and the Taoist theories of yang & yin, it may be possible to predict events, diagnosis illnesses or to understand a person’s personality.

Figure #1

To become proficient in face reading it is important to memorize the bagua and to understand what each trigram represents. The bagua becomes an important tool in dividing the face into seasons, body sites and specific life situations. If you look at figure #1 you can see that when you place it over a person’s face the trigrams fall into their appropriate locations. Li, the South, is at the forehead; it is Fame & represents fire. We can be assured that if the forehead is auspicious recognition will come our way. The center of the face is the Tai Chi. A black mole on the bridge of the nose spells disaster since water (black) weakens the Earth. The chin is Kan, which is water on the bagua and if the color red (fire) appears here an illness to our urinary tract or related organs may occur. A blemish in schun could mean a chronic illness that reoccurs in late spring or that a financial problem might be burdening you. A scar at the right temple (Kun) may indicate that a close relationship has suffered.

We now measure the face into the Three Stages of the Chinese trinity of Heaven, Man and Earth. The First Stage, which is Heaven, starts at the hairline down to the eyebrows. This represents our childhood. The Second Stage, which is traditionally known as Man, starts at the brow and ends at the area just below the nose tip. This is our middle years. From the nose tip to the bottom of the chin is our old age or the Third Stage and it is called Earth. It is important that the distance between each Stage is even in length. If one Stage is 1/3 less in size then life could be difficult at that particular period of life. A short, narrow forehead may indicate an unhappy childhood. A large forehead may tell us this person will come into society early. The Second Stage announces: “This is my life!” If it is open or has a happy feeling then this person may have, thus far, a good life. But, a short Third Stage may reveal a short life contrary to a long chin, which indicates a long life.

There are Four Turning Points of Life on the face. They are called Gates. The first Gate is between the eyebrows or the Third Eye and it is the age 41. The second Gate is located just under the tip of the nose and it is the age 51. The third Gate is right under the lower lip and it is the age 61. And, the last Gate is at the bottom of the chin and it is the age 71. These Gates are considered a “critical age” and that any scars, lines, inauspicious moles or blemishes here may predict difficulties around that age.

The Chinese also use the shapes and characteristics of the Five Elements to further describe a personality. A Fire face will be pointy like a triangle. For example, high, prominent cheekbones. They could be quick-tempered. A Wood face is long, rectangular in shape. They could be stubborn. A Water face is soft & round and may posses a long jawline. They can be flexible. Whereas, an Earth face is thick and they may be generous. And, a Metal face is square, especially the jaw & forehead. They can be self-indulgent.

The ancient Chinese also made a distinction between what was considered fortunate or unfortunate for either a female or a male. In order to keep harmony in a marriage what may be desirable on a man was not desired on a woman. For example, high prominent cheekbones and a very high forehead on a woman would not make a desirable mate. That’s because high cheekbones indicate aggression & competitiveness and a very high forehead is power. The ancient sages felt it was best that only the man wore the pants in a household. But, a look through any fashion magazine can tell you that in modern times high cheekbones are considered attractive, as well as, a prerequisite for any aspiring fashion model or actress. But, if you think about it you’d have to be aggressive and competitive in a profession like that.

In Chinese face reading, we also have The Twelve Houses. These are 12 points on the face representing various life situations from the First House of Fate, positioned between the eyebrows, to the Second House of Siblings (eyebrows) to the 4th House of Children (under the eyes) and so on.

Below is a brief summation of auspicious and
inauspicious qualities of some facial features:

A summary of the ears:

Auspicious: Above the eyebrow level;
long earlobes; flat against head; wide door.Inauspicious: Small earlobes;
leaning forward; narrow door.

A summary of the eyebrows:

Auspicious: Dark, thick, long; 
smooth and orderly; high above eyes.
Inauspicious: Sparse, thin, pale, 
short; chaotic; close to eyes.

A summary of the nose:
Auspicious: High, straight bridge; big, round
tip; full, fleshy wings; invisible nostrils.Inauspicious: Low, crooked, hooked or bumpy bridge;
pointed or upturned tip; thin wings; visible nostrils.

A summary of the mouth:

Auspicious: Rosy colored; thick, broad squared
shape; symmetrically balanced; lips closed.Inauspicious: White, dark colored; thin; a small
shape; symmetrically unbalanced; lips opened.

A summary of the chin:

Auspicious: Full, fleshy, broad & long.
Inauspicious: Thin, short, pointed or
receded, dimpled or broken.

A summary of the eyes:

Auspicious: Large size; wide-set;
dark pupils with silvery whites.Inauspicious: Small; close-set;
small pupils and discolored whites.

Face reading is a subjective art and therefore it is as reliable as the person who is doing the interpretation. But that is what makes art an art. Now that we have a basic feel for physiognomy we can look at some famous faces & see if we can get to know them better.