Something that just crossed my mind -- I think we'll see it more and more as many Americans decide to "downsize" their housing. I'm not talking about houses with retractable roofs here...that seems a little ridiculous. What I'm really after is the idea of having rooms for mixed uses, depending on the occasion...and these rooms can be "converted" for more appropriate purposes in a matter of minutes.
This is a concept which I've played around with ever since my high school days when I moved into my parents' basement. It was a pretty nice-sized space, but I used it for so many different purposes that I always wanted to be able to re-arrange the layout in a short amount of time depending on the occasion. Where is this leading to? Well, instead of using just the basement, why not use the entire house instead?
For example, my house is 1170 square feet with a 790 sqft. basement. It's got 3 bedrooms, and I live there alone. Therefore, I've got unlimited freedom to change things around as I see fit. When I host parties, I certainly want to have the maximum square footage available for my guests. Now with a house this size, it would be somewhat cramped to restrict guests to 1 or 2 rooms, so I need to do something. Quick! And so my ultimate objective is to make all rooms in my house accessible in order to maximize space. Of course the obvious question becomes: what do I do with all my personal stuff? Valuables? Bed and other bulky furniture? I have a few rules...
-First off, most of the bulky, unmovable furniture needs to be eliminated or at least made somewhat mobile. Certain staples such as a living room couch and dining room table can stay, but everything else needs to be dealt with. Beds are probably the biggest challenge. But even these should be able to be collapsed and hidden from view.
-Hidden storage spaces/bonus ares: use them! Efficiently! Get rid of stuff you don't need, or at least find a spot in the garage or you parents' house or something! If all else fails, one of the bedrooms will need to house anything that can't be hidden elsewhere.
-Valuables - what??? What are these? Last time I checked my house was worth quite a bit (albeit not as much as 5 years ago) and we're not hiding that, are we? If you have something of significant value, shouldn't these be displayed, anyway?
-Flooring - If you're really good, you can get some modular parkay flooring or carpet squares.
-Office space - as long as the drawers can be locked, this can make a really nice media room if done right.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Designer
One of my larger objectives of the present and future will be to assume the role of a designer. Since this can mean just about anything, I'll try to narrow it down to a few dozen more specific duties. Here they are...some more obvious than others:
-game designer
-architect/floor plan
-entertainment venue
-life pathing
-future (technological and societal) pathing
-team building and design
-songwriting
-computer systems design
-home theater design
-random invention
The list goes on and on...and most of these I have experienced in one form or another already. Others in fact, I have yet to scratch the surface on, and probably won't for many years, either. But the important part is that I'm throwing around a good number of ideas and I'm sure at least a couple of them will stick.
I listed video game design first since this is very fresh in my mind. I just began reading a book focused on game design and I'm excited to break into it and really get a good insight into the industry itself. Most of the guys I know have programmed games before either in class, on their calculators, or even their own customizations to existing popular games. It's a huge jungle and obviously one that has countless aspiring designers and programmers. So how do I NOT get lost?
For the past month or so, I have casually mentioned my vision to design the "ultimate LAN party game" and actually have several pages of ideas so far. Does that mean anything at all? Yes. Does it mean that I realistically believe that I can pitch the idea to a developer and become rich overnight? Very doubtful, but not entirely impossible. Is it a vital step in the process for my future? Most definitely. I need to begin somewhere, and this is another seed that I have planted, to hopefully one day grow and bear fruit.
-game designer
-architect/floor plan
-entertainment venue
-life pathing
-future (technological and societal) pathing
-team building and design
-songwriting
-computer systems design
-home theater design
-random invention
The list goes on and on...and most of these I have experienced in one form or another already. Others in fact, I have yet to scratch the surface on, and probably won't for many years, either. But the important part is that I'm throwing around a good number of ideas and I'm sure at least a couple of them will stick.
I listed video game design first since this is very fresh in my mind. I just began reading a book focused on game design and I'm excited to break into it and really get a good insight into the industry itself. Most of the guys I know have programmed games before either in class, on their calculators, or even their own customizations to existing popular games. It's a huge jungle and obviously one that has countless aspiring designers and programmers. So how do I NOT get lost?
For the past month or so, I have casually mentioned my vision to design the "ultimate LAN party game" and actually have several pages of ideas so far. Does that mean anything at all? Yes. Does it mean that I realistically believe that I can pitch the idea to a developer and become rich overnight? Very doubtful, but not entirely impossible. Is it a vital step in the process for my future? Most definitely. I need to begin somewhere, and this is another seed that I have planted, to hopefully one day grow and bear fruit.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
First Post, Goals and Objectives
Yes, I'm ready to get this party started. And we'll probably start out slow and steady and maybe, just maybe -- something awesome will come out of the woodwork. I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't have high goals in mind. But I've got a lifetime to work on this, so as long as I practice patience and diligence, progress will surely be made.
Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Chris, I'm a 28-year-old male born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. I currently work as a computer/technology expert at the NASA Glenn Research Center (henceforth known as GRC) in Cleveland. And although this position may help me gain a small portion of credibility, it is not my intention to write many specifics about my 9-5. Not only am I concerned with privacy issues, but the fact of the matter is that my scope of writing and commentary are far broader than anything I do at work. So even though my work experiences are quite relevant and satisfying, the specifics are largely irrelevant to my writing.
The title of this blog is called "The Future is Ours". I chose this title because my primary intent is to write about all the possibilities we have in store for the future. And since my (our) generation is on the leading edge, I've found it to be my calling to be a steward down the path of the future. OK, so that's a pretty tall task, but it's really not. I don't intend on doing anything superhuman either...simply using my powers of observation and common sense will be a basis for probably 90% of my analysis. Personal intuition, random thoughts, outside bias and environmental chaos will make up for the balance.
Like so many of my generation, I've always been a huge fanatic of computers and technology. Computer games have been at the center of my life since age 4, and there's no denying the fact that they will continue to grab my fancy far down the road as well. There have been several points in my life which I had desires to create my own "ultimate" computer games, and I still believe this dream may become a reality one day. In addition to creating games, I'm beginning to wonder how may other wild and crazy inventions I'll conjure up. Right now I'm only beginning to make a concerted effort to realize my potential. Ultimately however, it is my goal to utilize my skills to help make a better society, in one shape or form.
For the next few weeks I will continue to introduce certain areas of specific interest, and will build on those as time goes on. As always, I concurrently write a personal blog found at http://zacircus.blogspot.com I hope you will find interest in my future work!
Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Chris, I'm a 28-year-old male born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. I currently work as a computer/technology expert at the NASA Glenn Research Center (henceforth known as GRC) in Cleveland. And although this position may help me gain a small portion of credibility, it is not my intention to write many specifics about my 9-5. Not only am I concerned with privacy issues, but the fact of the matter is that my scope of writing and commentary are far broader than anything I do at work. So even though my work experiences are quite relevant and satisfying, the specifics are largely irrelevant to my writing.
The title of this blog is called "The Future is Ours". I chose this title because my primary intent is to write about all the possibilities we have in store for the future. And since my (our) generation is on the leading edge, I've found it to be my calling to be a steward down the path of the future. OK, so that's a pretty tall task, but it's really not. I don't intend on doing anything superhuman either...simply using my powers of observation and common sense will be a basis for probably 90% of my analysis. Personal intuition, random thoughts, outside bias and environmental chaos will make up for the balance.
Like so many of my generation, I've always been a huge fanatic of computers and technology. Computer games have been at the center of my life since age 4, and there's no denying the fact that they will continue to grab my fancy far down the road as well. There have been several points in my life which I had desires to create my own "ultimate" computer games, and I still believe this dream may become a reality one day. In addition to creating games, I'm beginning to wonder how may other wild and crazy inventions I'll conjure up. Right now I'm only beginning to make a concerted effort to realize my potential. Ultimately however, it is my goal to utilize my skills to help make a better society, in one shape or form.
For the next few weeks I will continue to introduce certain areas of specific interest, and will build on those as time goes on. As always, I concurrently write a personal blog found at http://zacircus.blogspot.com I hope you will find interest in my future work!
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