BP: Space

In my opinion, offices spaces over the years seem to have stayed the same. Some of very fancy and others are the stereotypical plain cubicle spaces. Media portrays office spaces in more of a stereotypical plain cubicle way. I have also noticed in music videos, television shows and movies that office spaces are portrayed as more of a social outing and less stressful place to work, where in reality I know most offices are WORK spaces and everyone is there to do their duties then head home. Sometimes media elaborates offices spaces by making law offices look like the White House and other fancy jobs have top notch work areas.

Office spaces always have a certain design to them. Usually I see office spaces have a very contemporary look to them. They are always very clean, new and bright. 

Gensler describes the office setting having four work modes: focus, collaborate, learn and socialize. The ideal office spaces usually have positive colored walls, usually soft and clean colors like white, light grey, cream and other light shaded colors. Colors like these take the focus away from the workers surroundings so they can focus on their work and be less stressed. The only decor in office spaces are typically pictures of friends or family in nice frames, awards and diplomas and books. There is always a desk, desk chair and phone provided in offices. Some spaces have extra seating in offices spaces for other workers or visitors. There is always office spaces side by side so employees can work together and socialize, giving their minds a break every once in awhile. 

BP: The Media Depot

On January 27, a portion of our class visited the Media Depot in the basement of the library on UK's campus. As I walked into the Media Depot, I was shocked to see how spacious and full of technology it was. As we toured, I learned that systems like Photoshop is something each UK student pays for and is something that can be downloaded to our own computers. We walked past a handful of rooms that were used for recording, with microphones set up, and green screen rooms, used for video taking. One fun fact I learned about green screen rooms was that green is the smallest amount of color found on human skin, therefore; it is good for us to stand before a green screen when recording something.

The Media Depot is definitely an area in the library I will visit more often, especially if I ever need to be recorded for something while I'm in the journalism program!


Image Source:
http://blogs.ket.org/mediaworks/?p=8059

BP: Artifacts presented in class

My artifact was Clinique Chubby Stick Baby Tint Moisturizing Lip Colour! This is a lip color that I use on an every day basis because it moisturizers, while also adding a tint on color. 

This artifact first came into my possession in a very interesting way. Last year, I wrote for Mour Fashion Magazine in Lexington. My topic in the February issue of last year was to write about winter makeup trends. 

I buy all my makeup from Clinique so I knew I could easily ask one of the Clinique workers what trends she sees on an every day basis in the winter time. She pulled out this Chubby Stick Baby Tint Lip Colour and said this was their #1 selling product during the winter. Surprisingly, it is purple. You'd think it would make any girls lips look like they got frostbitten, but it actually does the opposite. It pulls out the nature colors you have in your lips in the winter. The lady at the Clinique counter gave me loads of free samples of this. I used them all up and, because this stick keeps my lips so moisturized, I have purchased it two different times.

When I look at this artifact, a few words stand out to me: beauty, girly, good health, makeup, trend, mature and clean. These are all categories that this lip color would fall into and it tells the story of what this item means to me.

*Image was taken on my iPhone 6*

BP: Object

The American National Character

First artifact: Nike Football Cleats

 

Nike is an American brand and football, of course, is an American sport! This is a great example because one of the words to define the American national character is athletic.

Second artifact: Apple Products

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company. All Americans are crazy about Apple products. These products are something most Americans use on an every day basis! Another word that was used to describe American national character is highly mobile, which is what Apple Inc. provides for America.

Third artifact: Tempurpedic Mattress

When you're looking for the comfiest bed on the PLANET, everyone in America's minds go to Tempurpedic. This American made bed is the definition of comfort seeking, which is an example word of American national character. 

Image sources:

http://www.highsnobiety.com/2014/07/08/nike-vapor-ultimate-football-cleat/

http://theodysseyonline.com/alabama/apple-apple/166041

http://www.tempurpedic.com/TEMPUR-Cloud-Collection/TEMPUR-Cloud-Collection.asp

BP: Water Bottle

January 20th: We examined water bottles in class. I decided to just bring a plastic water bottle from Kroger. Other students brought their reusable, nice water bottles. Never did I ever expect to rethink using the plastic/recycle water bottle. Turns out, 60-80% of these guys don't get recycled properly and end up in land fills. I also found it interesting that about 2/3 of the class brought in their reusable fancy water bottles. For some reason, I always figured more people used plastic recycled water bottles.

While examining my water bottle, a few obvious things stood out to me. Plastic, clear and cylinder were a few words I used to describe my bottle. Those seemed like popular words throughout the class discussion. The actual design of the water bottle is actually quite cool if you look at it closely. When you buy a pack of plastic water bottles, it's interesting to see that they all have the exact size, shape and weight. I wonder if they have the exact same water or if some have very, very minuscule changes? It is astonishing that something can be extremely mass produced like water is. 

Other fun facts that I learned about water bottles was 1) tap water is just as good as purified water and 2) those ridges that you always see on plastic water bottles are there as grippers for consumers, but they also make the water inside the bottle appear more purified and more sparkly than it actually is. 

*Image was taken on my iPhone 6*