I remember being told a little while ago that Brad Pitts brother Doug got a bit of a raw deal in comparison to the swoon-worthy heart break kid of cinematic fame.
First of all. Doug. Ahahah. Doug Pitt. That is such a sour way to be given unto the world – with a name that mocks itself. But that’s not the half of it. He’s looking like a cartoon character in comparison to his brother and he’s struggling to make a name for himself. Have you ever heard of him, for example?!
Have a look!
The Pitts!!
There’s an assumption in the world that women drivers are worse than men. This is more of a joke than it is a genuine suggestion – you’ll find that a decent majority of women would take offense at this notion, a high percentage of which would give most men a run for the their money.
We’re in an age now where there can’t be any distinctions made between sexes when it comes to anything every-day. I think there’s something to be said for the difference in physicality between sexes (there are definitely anomolies) but driving is not something that requires the capability of lifting several hundred pounds in a squat rack to be good at. In terms of intelligence, reaction and common sense, there are no differences that can be fairly drawn.
The line is blurred over many different plains, one of the pillars of which is aesthetics. Women like pretty, men like useful, right? Wrong. There are millions upon millions of artists and varying versions of professions/hobbies that would lead us to believe that men are just as prone to making something aesthetically pleasing as women. ‘Pink and fluffy’ is fast becoming a thing of the past as fashion and artistic tastes between the sexes cross boundaries.
Why then, when you’re writing a post about innovation and design, would you replace research and common belief with presumption and discrimination? “A Rebranding Concept That Could Make Ladies Love Car Accessories” is the name of a post published by fastcodedesign.com in which the writer reviews various bottles of oil and other bits of chaff that take a step away from those normally “geared towards men”. After all, how many women can pick up a bottle if it’s got squared off corners?!
This quote (yes, I’m aware of it’s sarcastic nature) should give you an idea of just what kind of post we’re dealing with:
Which should make sense to precisely no one. Women drive. Some even (gasp!) know how to change their oil. Shouldn’t motor oil — and all auto accessories for that matter — appeal to the fairer sex?
The answer I humbly offer to this writer is: no. No they should not. There is about as much need in the motoring world to make an oil can, that most utalitarian of objects, more aesthetically pleasing as their is to give housebricks protective clothing.
I’m sorry, but there is no more appeal to a box of spanners based on a re-design of it’s packaging. Sorry, that’s ridiculous – of course there is more appeal – the function of packaging design is a multi-billion pound industry, it’d be ignorant of me to dismiss it, but there’s something to be said for the fact that if a woman is going out to buy something for her car, she will be doing so. Putting googley eyes on a screw-driver isn’t going to make anyone more likely to buy it if they weren’t looking for a screwdriver in the first place, regardless of sex!
This Ezine article from late last year shows you just how much women are over-running the driving scene. Insurance is cheaper because they’re expected to be safer [note: better] drivers. Another article makes note of the influx in female van drivers that are hitting the roads. There is no longer a need for driving derision towards females, and there is certainly no need to make things that are DESIGNED FOR EASE OF USE ALONE more aesthetically pleasing. I think I’ll go and engrave some words of encouragement on my saw to make a point. “Keep going sweetheart, you can do it!”.
If you’d like to see the original story, it’s here.
A most amazing advancement in stem-cell-research has been made recently, according to the National Geographic. Before we get started I’d like to mention that a lot of people have discredited this story based on it’s lack of evidence and the strange way in which the “facts” are portrayed. Whether or not this concept is actually as powerful as it makes out remains a mystery for the time being, but as you’ll know if you spend any time on this site; it’s more about the concept than the final product.
Dr. Jorg Gerlah appears in a video featured on the National Geographic website which rivals some of the more outlandish science fiction scripts. The suggestion is that a scientific spray gun which is designed to dispatch stem cells controlled by processors and computer chips has been conceived. The particular purpose of this spray is to heal. It’s made up of cells which are taken from the patient and made into a cocktail that allows it to be applied directly onto the skin – encouraging regeneration. This is tissue engineering in it’s most accessible form - supposedly allowing anyone who has suffered damage to their skin to regrow an exact replica of the previous form.
The video in question shows a policeman who has been accidentally burned during a party – although it’s exactly the sort of thing anyone in the emergency service could do with after suffering accidents at work. There are a few vague suggestions as to “what he looked like” and some footage of his perfectly cured skin. Watch the video here – aside from the questionable examples it’s definitely interesting!
Stem cell research has always been an area of great concern for many people around the world – it is easy to question the ethics behind “playing God” and giving authorities the power to rebuild human forms as they see fit. Certainly the methodologies at the moment require extreme testing (like the famous ear-backed-mouse) and it could spell a dangerous step into a world of acute egotism for the human race at large. There are, of course, examples in nature already:
Sally, an axolotl salamander is beginning to form a blastema, a cluster of stem cells, on her left arm. Salamanders are one of the few species that can regrow their limbs. Scientists are trying to unlock the genetic rules that govern salamander limb regeneration in the hopes of rewriting human genetic code to tip the balance away from scar tissue formation and in favor of regeneration.
But then; I’m not sure how often Salamanders let world domination and evangelism go to their heads. One way or another, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this to see how it ends up going!