Hasta La Ideas

pa href=”http://www.handeyesupply.com”img alt=”hand-eye supply inventory pic” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/inventory.jpg” width=”468″ height=”570″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //a/p

div style=”text-align: center;”strongCore77’s Hand-Eye Supply/strongbrA Vocational Haberdashery and
Supply Store for Creative Activities

pa href=”http://www.handeyesupply.com”www.handeyesupply.com/abr /
Open 24 Hours-a-Day Online!br /
Open 12-6 pm, Monday – Saturday atbr /
23 NW 4th Avenuebr /
Portland, Ore./p

pbigstrongFeaturing/strong/bigbr /
Studio Shop Suppliesbr /
Implements Materialsbr /
Occupational Accoutrementsbr /
Old School and Nu-Style Workwear br /
Gifts for Creative Typesbr /
Brands both Domestic and Foreignbr /
Open to the Public/p

pbigstrongbr /
Our Debut Inventory Roster/strong/bigbr /
stronga href=”http://www.handeyesupply.com/collections/workwear”Workwear/a/strongbr /
Utility-specific workwear is a focus of our clothing inventory – not the kind of workwear that you get to wear out on the town, although we’ve got some cool pants that have some flair (not flare!). We have 9 types of shop aprons, over a dozen different coveralls and overalls./p

pstronga href=”http://www.handeyesupply.com/collections/tools”Shop Tools/a/strongbr /
A good dose of fastening implements – staplers and rivet gun – and a great selection of retro safety glasses (styles from the 50’s through 80’s), but the anchor is a selection of high quality German hand tools: wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, etc. Stuff that will last a lifetime, for real./p

pstronga href=”http://www.handeyesupply.com/collections/design-supplies”Design Supplies/a/strongbr /
A tightly edited selection of paper, pads, pencils, pens, markers and cutting tools. Highlights include a range of foam-cutting devices and a large line of Japanese markers./p

pstronga href=”http://www.handeyesupply.com/collections/objects”Objects (of Curiosity)/a/strongbr /
A collection of some of our favorite books about “doing design” is paired with a gift section featuring posters, badges, USB sticks and assorted tchotchkes for the studio./p

pYou can read more about the store a href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/news/announcing_the_core77_flagship_retail_store_in_portland_oregon_17072.asp”here/a! br /
Come visit us now a href=”http://www.handeyesupply.com”www.handeyesupply.com/a/p

/diva href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/news/the_core77_store_hand-eye_supply_is_now_open_online__17086.asp”(more…)/a
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pimg alt=”mitigating-monkeys.jpg” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/mitigating-monkeys.jpg” width=”468″ height=”312″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

pemSee no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Photo: a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/orvalrochefort/4087141180/”orvalrochefort/a./em/p

pIn his recent book, a href=”http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html”emOutliers/em/a, Malcolm Gladwell introduced me to the idea of a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitigated_Speech”Mitigated Speech/a a linguistic term describing deferential or indirect speech inherent in communication between individuals with a perceived High Power Distance. Gladwell defines mitigated speech as “any attempt to downplay or sugarcoat the meaning of what is being said.” The greater the perceived difference in social status between individuals (Power Distance), the more difficult it becomes for an individual of lower status to communicate in direct terms with the superior. /p

pThere are 6 degrees of mitigation with which we make suggestions to authority:/p

blockquoteul
liCommand: “Strategy X is going to be implemented.”br/li
liTeam Obligation Statement: “We need to try strategy X.”br/li
liTeam Suggestion: “Why don’t we try strategy X?”br/li
liQuery: “Do you think strategy X would help us in this situation?”br/li
liPreference: “Perhaps we should take a look at one of these Y alternatives.”br/li
liHint: “I wonder if we could run into any roadblocks on our current course.”/li
/ul/blockquote

pThe term Power Distance was coined by Dutch organizational sociologist a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Hofstede”Geert Hofstede/a who defined it as: “the extent to which a society accepts hierarchical differences.” Power Distance is determined by measuring people’s attitudes in a series of questionnaires, and, not surprisingly, it turns out that different cultures have different levels of Power Distance. Some cultures have small Power Distance (e.g. Australia, Austria, Denmark). In these cultures, people tend to relate to each other more as equals, and subordinates are more comfortable challenging those in positions of power. In cultures with large Power Distance (e.g. Malaysia and Slovakia), people expect relationships to be more autocratic. Subordinates accept the power of their superiors based on their hierarchical positions. In cultures with High Power Distance it is much more difficult for subordinates to communicate in direct terms than in cultures with Low Power Distance. This can raise significant cross-cultural issues. /p

div class=”article_quote”So, what does any of this have to do with design? If Mitigated Speech can bring down an airplane, surely it can bring down a product development program. /div

pGladwell illustrates the degree to which mitigated speech can be detrimental in high risk situations which require clear communication–including a number of commercial airline crashes in the late ’90’s. He offers an example of an airline crash investigation that showed how, because of mitigated speech, the control tower was unaware of an emergency onboard an incoming aircraft. The aircraft’s co-pilot [subordinate] who was communicating with a control tower (superior) hinted at a serious problem (“we’re running low on fuel”) rather than being clear and direct (“We have an emergency. You need to bring us in NOW”)./pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/mitigating_mitigation_hierarchy_communication_and_success_by_fernd_van_engelen__17076.asp”(more…)/a
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pa href=”http://www.core77.com/gallery/maker-faire-detroit-2010/”img alt=”makerfaire.jpg” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/makerfaire.jpg” width=”500″ height=”631″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //a/p

pThis past weekend, the Maker Faire came to Detroit for the first time! Mike Doyle brings us the best of Motor City’s fabulous creations in this gallery, including the Life-size Mousetrap, hot-rodded Power Wheel racing, and lots and lots of robots. /p

p a href=”http://www.core77.com/gallery/maker-faire-detroit-2010/”view gallery/a/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/core77_gallery_maker_faire_detroit_17084.asp”(more…)/a
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Following up on a story from late last week, apparently starchitect Frank Gehry did have something to say about a developer working to demolish his grandmother’s house in Toronto and build a new residential tower where it once stood. While in talking to the Globe and Mail, he told the paper he doesn’t care at all if his old house was torn down, but what he didn’t like were the looks of the building going up in its place. “I hope they don’t put a plaque in the the lobby that says I lived there,” he told the paper; continuing, “Who wants a plaque with your name on it in some shitty-looking lobby?” The paper later reached out to the Tyler Hershbert, a principal at BSaR, the developer of the new building, and learned that Gehry had later apologized for his remarks:

The Globe and Mail: What’s it like to be called out by the man some people believe to be the world’s greatest living architect?

Hershberg: Actually, Gehry sent an unsolicited letter today to the building’s architects (Core Architects) apologizing for what he said and explaining that he hadn’t seen the building, just an early artist concept.

Globe: Does Frank Gehry have questionable taste in condos?

Hershberg: We’re talking about art. It’s people’s taste.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/2010/08/0picycle003.jpg” width=”468″ height=”312″ alt=”0picycle003.jpg”//div

pI’m not crazy about their product photographer, but I like the ballsy form factor of the A HREF=”http://pimobility.com/picycle/” PiCycle/A electric-hybrid bike. You could say the zero-emission cycle, which runs from three to five grand, has 20/20 vision: It’ll hit 20 m.p.h. and has a range of 20 miles. /p

div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/2010/08/0picycle004.jpg” width=”468″ height=”469″ alt=”0picycle004.jpg”//div

pCompany founder Marcus Hays breaks down the philosophy of the Pi:/p

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pvia A HREF=”http://www.monkeedesign.com/industrial-design-blog/2010/8/4/philosophy-behind-pis-electric-bike-design.html?utm_source=twitterfeedutm_medium=twitter” monkee design/A/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/a_look_at_the_rainbow-shaped_picycle_hybrid_bike_17085.asp”(more…)/a
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