Discarded to Precious – Floppy-disk/Jeans Bag

Challenge:

- Design a product that is only constructed out of discarded materials.

Creative Solution:  Floppy-disk/Jeans bag

How it was made:

I have a tendency to not throw away anything because I always think that “Oh I may need it for a future project or craft.” In this case my mild hoarding came in handy. I looked through a lot of the random materials that I had at hand to see if I could create something new out of any of it. I stuck with using theses three items: floppy disks, an old pair of jeans, and some suspenders.

I first drilled holes into the floppy disks and then looped them together with jump rings until I had a sheet of 1×3 and two sheets of 2×3.

I then cut the jeans right above where it splits into two legs. Then turned them inside out so that the pockets will be on the inside of the bag.

I then sewed a bottom to the jeans.

Then sides and a second bottom layer.

Then sewed on the floppy disk sheets to the front and back. I also added a flap on the top where the 1×3 sheet is sown to. The suspenders are then just attached to both sides of the bag to be the straps.

And there you have it a recycled bag made from old floppy-disks, an old pair of jeans and old suspenders.

- K

3 Favorite Apps to Help You be More Productive

With all of the papers, exams, and projects bearing down on me I have come down with a bug. Yes I have come down with the academic disease most like to call, procrastination. Similar to a cold it shows up seasonally, normally around midterms or finals week. It bogs you down preventing you from working, with symptoms that range from zoning out to Internet distractions. To help make sure you don’t get the procrastination bug, I have here a list of free preventative medicine to keep academically healthy:

3. Tackle those emails with Mozilla Thunderbird

            If you are anything like me, you are probably drowning in quite the sea of emails and having multiple email accounts is not helping this issue. For a very long time I checked every account individually for new emails. But then I discovered Mozilla Thunderbird! It is a handy dandy piece of software that collects all of your emails from all accounts so you can read them in one place, and you don’t even have to open a browser to do so.


Download Thunderbird here in any language for Mac, Windows or Linux

2. Organize Your Tasks with iProcrastinate

            Although the name would suggest otherwise this application is actually a really helpful task manager. It’s very easy to use and has a very attractive interface. You can organize your tasks in categories/subjects and priority. You can also view your tasks in groups such as “upcoming” or “due tomorrow”. This app also allows you to break up tasks into smaller steps and star important ones. Have an event that happens every week? This app can do that too! It can even sync from your Mac to your Iphone or though the Internet through Dropbox. You can also view your tasks in a calendar form if you are more of a visual thinker like me. Overall, great app with a great look and makes organizing tasks not get in the way of actually doing my tasks.

Download Iprocrastinate here from the Apple App Store for free for the Mac and $0.99 for Iphone

1. Remember Everything with Evernote

            This is by far my favorite application of the three. This is a very versatile program that lets you practically capture everything. It is basically a note-taking app, but you can do so much with it. It documents and saves all of your ‘notes’ into ‘notebooks’ and allows you to search them later. It can be used to save recipes, make lists, save ideas; the possibilities are endless. You can also import Word files, Power Point documents, PDFs, images and audio recordings. You create a free account with the website and you can access your notes from anywhere including your phone, tablet, or Ipad. I personally use it to type up notes, record lectures and pretty much save all of the digital documents that I receive. It is a real lifesaver at times and keeps all of my information very organized. Truly you have to check out Evernote for yourself and see how it can really improve how you organize your digital information.


Download Evernote here for Mac or Windows


- K

Good Design Is...

We designers, we don’t work in a vacuum. We need business people. We are not the fine artists we are often confused with. Today you find few companies that take design seriously, as I see it.”

— Dieter Rams

- K