Design snobs

As the holidays approaching, I'm sure we are all spending our -10 seconds of free time trying to think of gifts for our loved ones. Let's turn this around for a second and think about what our loved ones can get US! I think it's probably safe to say that we are all at least parially design snobs, and I found this interesting article with gift ideas for this creative, amazing bunch. It's not too obvious if I also send this link to my family, is it? I'm not ashamed to say, my house is cold, and I WANT that space heater!!!!

Craziness

As I have researched info for my storm chasers article, I realized that it was selfish of me to not share these ridiculous/amazing videos that I have come across. Seriously. These storms are NUTS. Personally, I think these people are nuts too but that's a story for another day. Below is just a brief little clip of a bunch of different tornadoes. It's amazing to think that these aren't special effects, these things actually happened. Not sure this was the best topic for me. I was already terribly afraid of storms. Pretty sure I'm deathly afraid of them now! Enjoy!

Storm Chasers

I still have some work to do on my article. There are a couple of bolded sentences that I need to work on and I'm going to add some info but if anyone has a chance to read, I'd love some more feedback!

hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!!

The sky is darkening.  A whooshing roar, similar to a freight train passing by, is deafening. The trees start to quiver until a violent jolt breaks them in half and their massive trunks become part of the debris dancing in the wind. A roof flies off a house.

No one wants to witness this scene. This is a scene government official’s mandate residents evacuate from. And then there are those people driving towards the storm that everyone else is trying to escape. Most of us know them as storm chasers; some of them like to call themselves “extreme meteorologists.” Regardless of what you call this intriguing group, they are all hunting the most violent prey: nature.

Chasing storms has been around since the 1950s, but became mainstream in 1996 with the movie Twister, and then skyrocketed in 2007 when the Discovery Channel documented it in a widely popular series “Storm Chasers.” Storm chasing is a career for few, and a hobby for most. A storm chaser is a person who pursues imminent or existing severe thunderstorms. Storm chasers stem from all walks of life but most have a formal education or extensive knowledge of meteorology.

Chasing a storm is dangerous on its own, but the real threat comes when the chaser isn’t familiar with weather and storms in general. Professional or seasoned storm chasers know how to track storms and have the proper equipment to help them. These chasers know to look for satellite images that show bright white, high cloud tops that indicate budding storms. They know how to read the radar and track watches and warnings, the latest forecast discussions, and recent surface maps that show change in temperature, dewpoint, wind direction, cold front, or low-pressure system that can set off a storm. Cold air at high altitudes along with warm air close to the ground is favorable for a tornado. Winds at different altitudes blowing in different directions can also signify an impending tornado. It also requires patience. Some storm chasers will drive for 12 hours and not see the storm they were chasing. Ideally, a storm chaser will set up on a hill about three miles away to get the best view. In general, a chaser will ensure they can move perpendicular to a tornado’s path so they can escape if necessary. The same methodology isn’t exactly necessary to find a hurricane. When a hurricane is imminent, you know where to find it.

            Chasing storms is not an activity to be taken lightly, even so, its popularity is staggering. There are estimated to be thousands of storm chasers, and professional tours offer storm chasing experiences for the curious individual. For some, chasing storms is research, for others, it’s educational, but for all, it’s exhilarating. What’s often left un-chased, however, are the psychological aspects of such a dangerous “sport,” and the potential immorality of chasing something that kills people and destroys their homes.

            Psychological profiles of people based on “sensation-seeking” behavior that might identify motivations for chasing storms were created based on a study done by University of Missouri’s School of Natural Resources. The study surveyed people who signed up for a tornado chasing tour and used similar psychological tools that had been used to evaluate people who participate in other high-risk recreations (mountaineering, sky diving, etc).  While mountain climbers and stunt fliers displayed high levels of sensation seeking across all dimensions, recreational storm chasers scored very moderately in regard to sensation-seeking behavior. The researchers hypothesized that this difference in sensation seeking is because recreational storm chasers are drawn to new experiences, rather than the risks involved. 

While storm chasers may be drawn to novelty rather than danger, it is one of the few hobbies that coincide with tragedy, which is the foundation of its controversy. Hoping to catch a glimpse of a series of tornados that swept through Kansas City, Missouri in April, chasers parked side-by-side in the middle of a well-traveled interstate, blocking the exit. Chancy Smith, the director of emergency medical services for Dickinson County, exclaimed that the crowds of chasers who inundated his county to catch these storms were morons for risking their lives and the lives of others by obstructing emergency services. He later clarified that this did not apply to the legitimate chasers who chased for research or science. A few weeks later, the National Weather Service issued an early warning to the public of several tornadoes expected that weekend. An additional alert was sent just to emergency personnel, “expect an influx of people.”

            Storm chasers also tend to be among the first available to help the survivors, arriving before emergency personnel since they are the closest. Seasoned storm chasers argue that the amateurs, like the ones blocking interstates, are giving them a bad name. The safest bet to chase a storm as an amateur is to do so through a storm chasing tour company, which can step you back anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000. Even with the hefty price tag, however, it is a thriving industry.

            Despite the controversy and amateurs giving chasing a bad name, the research we have come across from storm chasing is invaluable.  Meteorologists are able to determine exactly what conditions cause tornados, although it is still unclear exactly when and where a tornado will form. With each tornado is another chase, and another chase is another opportunity for information. In 2007, the Discovery Channel crew was able to record “mini-tornados” that rotated within a main tornado. Later on, a computer model used this information to develop a more accurate representation of tornado formation and life cycle.

Extreme Meteorologists

I think I'm going to pursue the stormchaser idea as my hobby project. Even the preliminary research I've done just fascinates me. Part of that is probably because I'm terrified of storms and can't fathom why anyone would "chase" storms for a living, but that's what makes it interesting! From what I gather, these people are mostly trained meteorologists, which makes sense. I'd love to find one and pick their brain. Reed Timmer, CEO of Weather Fusion, LLC and Extreme Tornado Tours, LLC, which offer forensic meteorology and consulting services, extreme weather media, and storm chasing tours, seems to be the big kahuna of storm chasers. He has done a lot of cool stuff and created a lot of crazy accessories. This article that I read about him rubbed me the wrong way, though. The article refers to Timmer as "obsessed" more than once. I understand that this is a unique interest and obviously it's his career and his passion, but the word "obsess" just doesn't sit well with me. Just my opinion.

Also, here is a crazy looking picture. Ask me about this again in 2 weeks and I'm sure I can tell you a lot more about it! This is all I know for now: it is a striated mesocyclone in the Texas panhandle "with a nice cloud-to-ground strike."

Nice is not the word I would use.

Packaging

As I've been working on our product repackaging assignment, I find myself really paying attention to the products around me and how they are packaged. I came across an interesting web site that has a ton of pictures of "beautiful and inspirational packaging for inspiration." There are some I really like, but others that I just don't "get". My favorites are below, you can see more here.

Visuals

I personally hate numbers. I hate math. I hate figuring out percentages when I'm buying something on sale (my, probably 5th grade, way to do this is finding 10% which is obviously just the first number roughly and multiplying it by whatever percentage it is = this jacket on sale is $60, 40% off, 10% of 60 is 6, 6X4 is 24, 60 minus 24 is 36! And yes, I used a calculator for that subtraction). Anyway! I digress. I came across a blog on the NYT web site that has very simple visuals to represent numbers. Besides making me hungry (I'm pretty sure they used m&m's without the m on it), I thought this was a clean, nice way to visually depict something. Remember those counting beans we used in 3rd grade to learn math? I remember a classmate having to go to the nurse because he got one stuck up his nose. Obviously. Enjoy!

When a hobby becomes something else...

I have a feeling that many of our classmates will have an idea for their next project that has to do with a hobby becoming something else - a career, a sickness, an obsession, etc. I was exploring this aspect when I came across this article in Forbes. This article is really interesting, but I do have to admit that I was most shocked to read that genealogy now ranks only behind gardening as America's favorite pastime. To be honest, I don't know if I would have considered genealogy a hobby before reading this. An interest, maybe. What is the difference between an interest and a hobby anyway? Hm, that's an idea. Anyway, this guy, who was always interested in genealogy, was laid off from one too many jobs before he decided to make his "hobby" his "career" - he is now one of the premier genealogists in the field. He was smart and innovative, making his presence known on social networks, which is what really set off his business. Social networks, the free marketing of the future! Clearly, it works, but it takes work to be successful and having a passion for something is not a bad place to start!