Lyrics are Poetry

Life's a Journey

A Winding Road

Full of paths to choose 

and places to be

Time Flies 

and so do people

who forget to eat 

or forget to sleep

all to gain an extra

hour

in their day

When it's all gone what will

Really matter

are the faces you miss

the first steps,

the last breaths

Not the Job,

Not the Money,

Not the places you've been

And certainly not the 

House you live in

It's the love for your work

the food on the table

the place you first fell in love 

and the family that fills the house

Because without the people

you've got a pointless job

a pointless table

a worthless trip 

and an empty house

Life's a journey

a winding road

full of paths to choose

and places to be...

Where will you be?

 

My Assembly line experiment

The assembly line was created to help improve production rates and lower cost, so that items can be mass-produced and more easily accessible. I used this concept to compare the rate of production between a team of experienced workers, and a group of inexperienced workers to show that experience dramatically increases production.

Before actually starting the assembly line, I took some time to calculate how much time was invested in each step of the assembly process. I first started by having each of my 4 friends that I used in the previous experiment glue together five sets of Popsicle sticks each, and timed how long it took them, individually. I clocked each cross to be glued together in an average of seven seconds for all four people. I also had each of them weave together 2 eyes of god from the popsicle sticks that they had glued together just seconds ago. I clocked the average time for the weaving of the eye of god to take an average of 9 and half minutes for all four individuals.

I then took a new group of four new friends, and once again timed them in each step of production. Due to their lack of experience in creating the product, their rate of production was slightly lower than that of my experienced friends who worked in the previous experiment. The average time to glue together the popsicle sticks was 7 seconds, but the average time to weave the yarn together was a whole minute and half slower per person, at right around 11 minutes. It was clear that the increase in time came from the inexperience they had with the production.

Now, applying these times to the assembly line, I was able to inherently show that experience alone allowed for a much higher rate of production, compared to the inexperienced workers. I decided to, once again, have one person who would glue together the popsicle sticks for each team, and the other three would be responsible for weaving the yarn onto the crosses. I set the clock for 12 minutes, and they began to work.

From the start, it is clear that the experienced team is working much more efficiently. They have sticks glued together in 7 seconds and out to each person within 30 seconds. Now, knowing that it was very unlikely that a person could finish more than 2 eyes of gods in the 12 minutes, the person gluing together the sticks for the experienced team, glued two crosses for each person, including himself, and then switched over to weaving.

The team of inexperienced workers had a similar start, shelling out sticks about every 8 seconds, but failed to account for the large time-investment that came when weaving together the eye of god. This resulted in the over-production of crosses, leading to an under-production in eyes of god, because the first person took too much time gluing together sticks that could have been spent weaving. They eventually caught on and had it quickly resolved.

By the end of the twelve minutes,  3 of the 4 members of experienced workers were finishing up on their second eye of god each, while the team of inexperienced workers only had one person who had completed two whole projects. I judged each incomplete eye of god on level of completion based on the amount of progress in comparison to a fully completed product. In the group of experience workers, they were able to complete 7.75 products, compared to only 5.50 completed products. With production rate about 30% higher, the experienced team’s efficiency came from their experience with creating the product, thus knowing methods of cutting down production time, and creating more product.

Andrew Pouppirt, The Starving Artist

For my own creative work, I used many of the techniques that Jackson Pollock made popular, as well as some methods that I developed on my own. Using the same colors I used in my previous painting, I believe that I created something different.

My Modest Attempt at Contributing to Surrealism Art...

Imitating Martin Parr

My own work

Creative Tattoo

When creating my own creative work I used the most important technic that a tattoo artist needs and that is be able to draw. Now I have to say I'am not the best artist but this is one of the technics that I will be using. I will be creating a piece of art work that I will be showing in the images below.

I first started with an outline on one piece of paper and then took another piece of paper and finished it by filling in the inside. 

This is just a rough sketch so it's not that detailed and not complete, also not colored. 

This is a picture of a Dragon Koi fish and what I free handed. 

The name of this fish is called the Dragon Koi, the "Dragon Koi tattoos symbolize overcoming obstacles because this type of koi fish swims up the Yellow River and then is said to transform into a dragon. Overcoming adversity is represented in this tattoo by the strong river and the fish moving to fulfill its destiny and reach its goal, a common message in koi tattoos". (Koi fish meaning)



URL 

http://www.newhealthguide.org/Koi-Fish-Tattoo-Meaning.html

The Snowy Owl

A common problem in the field of blogging is that blogs are usually not viewed as credible sources of information. Unlike newspaper articles or journal articles, blogs are not always written by professionals in their field, and they can be written by anyone who wants to share their opinion with the world. Blogs are also seen as non-credible sources of information because many times the bloggers don't site their sources or they use unreliable sources. Blogs are also opinionated, which is another reason they are looked down upon. For this blog post I am going to write a blog in which I site credible sources and use reliable information in hope of giving blogs a better reputation and make a change in the domain of blogging.

The Snowy Owl

Anyone who has every seen the Harry Potter movies knows that Harry has a snowy owl named Hedwig that delivers his mail. However, I'm assuming that for most of you that is the depth of your knowledge on the snowy owl. If that is the case don't fear, this blog will inform you all about these magnificent creatures.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (the study of birds) the snowy owl is a two foot tall, four pound owl, that lives mostly in the northern regions of Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska and Canada (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Just a side note, I would say that Hogwarts is probably a good climate for the snowy owl to live in. However, the snowy owl is known to travel as far south as central California, Texas and Florida, due to disruptions in weather patterns or the changes in the life cycle of lemmings, the snowy owl's main prey (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Snowy owls typically live for about 9.5 years and they lay anywhere from 3 to 11 eggs a year (National Geographic). They also have a carnivorous diet that consists mainly of lemmings (which they eat 1,600 of per year), rabbits, rodents, birds and fish (National Geographic).

Now that you know the basic facts about the snowy owl (more than that they deliver mail to wizards), I am going to talk a little about some of the issues that are related to this species. The snowy owl is not on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's list of endangered species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). However, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (National Wildlife Refuge Association). Although they are under this protection, there are many Alaskan residents that shoot these owls for food and clothing, which is where a lot of the controversy come in ( National Wildlife Refuge Association). Like I mentioned earlier snowy owls can have a large territory in which they live, which has caused problems as of late. According to a News Hound article, people are killing snowy owls because they have been abundant in areas where they usually do not live (News Hound). There is an abundance of snowy owls in the world, but the killing of them is a sign that their populations could drop if they are not closely monitored, and if stricter restrictions are not put on the hunting of the snowy owl.

This is just a little bit of the vast amounts of information about the Snowy Owl, and there is a lot more out there to learn. For now i hope this was enough to interest you and possibly inspire you to learn more about this beautiful and amazing bird.

Works Cited:

All About Birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Web. 27 April 2014.

National Geographic: Survey Owl. National Geographic. Web. 27 April 2014.

National Wildlife Refuge Association: Snowy Owl. National Wildlife Refuge Association. Web. 27 April 2014.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Endangered Species. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Web. 27 April 2014.

Ellen, P. "Hannity 'Celebrates' Earth Day By Attacking Climate Science With His Know-Nothing Pal, Mark Steyn." News Hound. 23 April 2014. Web. 27 April 2014.

Kevin Friend: Us

Green Day: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Dreams & Goals: Instrumental and Song

My brother Leon, my cousin Jowell and I grew up in a family that loves music and we all came to the conclusion that we wanted to make beats together. A few of our beats were basic, but some beats we actually spent time on and they turned out pretty well. "LMSIC Productions" is the group name that we came up with. "LMSIC" stands for "Lets Make Some Ill Classics," and my cousin came up with the name around the time that we started to get serious about making beats.

The beat that I will be playing for you today was given to one of my close friends Keymani (aka Mani Tha Monster) so that he could record a song that he named "Dreams & Goals," which is the EP for his new mixtape named "Dreams & Goals" that will be released sometime this year. Mani has performed here in Lawrence a couple of times and I feel that he has the potential to be an amazing artist.

https://soundcloud.com/leondre-edwards/blog-post-4-english-project

My creative contribution (post 4)

Origami is a very cool art form that people tend to like but not all that many try. To be honest I had never even thought about trying it until this project came up. Do people not do origami because it is too difficult or just not interesting enough to keep their attention and entertained. For me it was really the fact that it is a challenge, also I'm not the most artistic person out there. This question interested me enough to do some questioning and ask around.
For my first person I decided to ask my friend who lives next door to me. When I asked if he was interested in origami he said he thought it looked cool, but he went on to say he had also never considered trying it for himself. When I asked why that was he said he didn't really know where to begin. when I asked what he meant by that he explained that certain types of art are easier for him to jump into. For example, Luke said picking up a pencil and drawing something on a sheet of paper seemed easier since origami requires proper folds and planned out ideas. Also, drawing seemed to come naturally to him as it does to a lot of people. But he thought origami was more of a specific talent that not a ton of people excel at.
For my next person I wanted to ask this simple question to a relative to see if they had the same opinion as myself. This wouldn't necessarily mean it was genetic by any means but maybe I had formed my opinion because of it being the opinion of someone I admire and care for. I decided to ask my father the question because I found it to be more likely for this question to be true for males in more cases. When I asked why he had never tried origami his answer was pretty simple, it seemed to require a lot of talent in the field of art. When I explained the instructional step by step videos that can be found online he came to the conclusion that origami is less difficult to learn then he and many others think.
By the end of the few interviews I did on the subject I came to the solution that origami is misunderstood and portrayed as being very difficult. The reason I say it is misunderstood is because people just assume it is hard without even looking into the matter. After doing my imitation for the blog post 3 I would agree that origami is hard at first, but after some practice it becomes easier and is very fulfilling. Drawing something cool is a good feeling, but making something with your own two hands has me feeling some type of way. By the end of my interviews I think I had gotten a really good understanding of males perspective on origami, how they feel about it, and the reasons they had never tried it themselves.     

My Photography

My style of photography is inspired by color, light, and distance. I love to take pictures of buildings and large cities because it's easy to capture a great shot. I have taken these photos in Chicago.

I always wait patiently until I have every detail that I want in my shot. I didn't realize at first how creative photography was until I understood that it truly is an art. Photography, true photography, does require a certain amount of passion for moments because that's exactly what photographers think of pictures a; frozen moments.

My Own Diary

April 23, 2014

Dear Diary,    

What a great day today has been. The sun was shining and it was nice enough to wear shorts and short sleeves. The school day was long but getting through it brightened my day. It started out with learning new accounting and getting through it with the help of one of the teacher assistants. When that was done the day became much easier to me. I finished a group project that is due on Friday without much trouble and it looks like it will turn out fairly well. After that the day has been a breeze. I was able to go to the gym work out. I think of the gym as my stress reliever because I don't think about anything while I am working out. This really helps me give my mind a little rest from all the school work, while still keeping in shape. After I got to just hang out in the dorms and not think about school for a little while. Even though school is still a couple weeks away from being done, the motivation I have with schoolwork right now is tremendous. Finally, I got to finish my day with a little bible study, which makes me continue growing in my faith and making me feel good about myself and my life. It is a way to think about things and reflect on what has been going on in my life. That is definitely the way I wanted to end my day, and look forward to the next day.

Jason Whipple

April 26, 2014

Dear Diary,

Finally it has hit the weekend. It was a comfortable eighty degrees today, with the sun shining through the clouds. Although today wasn't the most fun filled day, it was definitely a relaxing day. I was able to FaceTime one of my best friends from home and got to catch up with him. It is always good to catch up with friends being so far away from home. While that was early in the morning, that was probably my biggest highlight of the day. After that the afternoon went by quickly with a nap built into that. The week has just gotten to me that I needed an extra time slot to take a nap and that was the perfect time to, so I took advantage of it. After the afternoon passed a couple friends and myself went out to eat and explored some stores while there was nothing else going on. That took longer than expected but it wasn't a bad expedition that could have wasted the day. The rest of the night consisted of one thing that I love to do; watching sports. Although to some people that may sound boring, I thought that it was a nice relaxing day and a great day to say the least. I'm looking forward to what the next day has in store for me.

Jason Whipple

April 27, 2014

Dear Diary,

Today happened to be Sunday, supposedly one of the most relaxing days of the week. Unfortunately for me that wasn't the case. It started bright and early, well with the help of me not being able to sleep in. I had a retreat all day for my job on campus. While that wouldn't appeal to most people, it was actually a good time. The whole group got to listen to a guest speaker and hear his story on how much our job can affect if people come here to the KU campus and how they can have a great experience here. After we took a charter bus down to Kansas City for a day full of activities. We got to eat at our boss' house and play some games at her house. After we went down to the plaza and got to check it out during the afternoon. Even though the weather wasn't the best, it was still fun just to be out of Lawrence for a while and explore new things. The last thing we got to do together was bowling, which is always a blast, before we made our way back to Lawrence. The idea of getting away for a little bit made me excited and I was glad I attended it. As for the rest of the night, it consisted of homework and more homework. Although it isn't fun, it makes it that much closer for it to being summer. I was definitely thankful for the day God has given me and am excited for what the rest of the week entails.

Jason Whipple

Partner in Crime

There once was a little boy named Jimmy. Jimmy was 5 years old, and had a dog named Fido. Fido was a very bad dog. He would piss and poop all over the house. He also would tear up pillows and couches around the house and make a huge mess. Jimmy's mom told Jimmy that they had to get rid of Fido. Jimmy didn't understand why. To Jimmy, Fido was the greatest dog in the world. They would play outside all day long and go on wild adventures to places that they had never seen before. They were partners in crime, always fighting off dragons, aliens, zombies, and saving the day. When Fido was leaving, Jimmy gave him the biggest and strongest hug he had ever given in his entire life. He also put Fido's favorite collar on him: a blue collar with spaceships all over it. Jimmy never got another dog. He never wanted one because he knew that Fido was the only dog for him.

Background of Photography

Everyone has a desire to express themselves.  There are many ways to express yourself one technique is through photography.  Photography has been around since the creation of the Pinhole camera in the 5th and 4th Centuries BCE by the Chinese. Prominent artists known for being photographers are Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Annie Leibovitz.  Each of these artist have provided new looks at viewing the world around them. 

Ansel Adams, February 20, 1902 - April 22, 1984, an American photographer known for capturing stunning images of the American West primarily Yosemite National Park.  Adams helped bring black and white photography to national galleries through the documentation of amazing landscapes.  Adams also pioneered the photography technique called Zone photography.  Zone photography is a technique for determining the ideal exposer time.  Adams described the Zone System as "[...] not an invention of mine; it is a codification of the principles of sensitometry, worked out by Fred Archer and myself at the Art Center School in Los Angeles, around 1939-40.”  With the help of Fred Archer Adams was able to pioneer this technique with of capturing the darkest blacks and whitest whites you can possibly get.  This is especially useful with shooting in Black and white.  Henri Cartier-Bresson, August 22, 1908 - August 3, 2004, a popular photojournalist known for mastering candid photography.  Cartier-Bresson delved the style known as The decisive Moment Cartier-Bresson would take photos several times just to get the perfect shot yet it appears that the image was a candid shot.  Annie Leibovitz, born October 2, 1949, is an American portrait photographer.  Leibovitz is known for taking the portraits of John Lennon and Yoko Ono for the cover of Rolling Stone.  Leibovitz was the last professional to photograph Lennon before his assassination five hours late.  She has also worked on projects of bringing fairy tails to life by capturing actors and other celebrities in these scenes.  

I am looking forward to experimenting with photography to gel experiment with expressing my creativity.

Taking a stab at abstract art... sort of.

My creative field of study is American Modernism, which basically does not mean that the artist has to draw portraits or something so technical and by the book some would say. It is about self-exploration and being abstract and original, doing something no one has ever thought of doing before. Now although I didn’t do something that had never been done before because for most people that is a daunting task. I chose to just literally drive to a craft store, pick up supplies, and drew whatever first came to my mind. I have always had this obsession with hay fields, coming from a small town it is not a very uncommon sight to see, and especially around harvest when they make the hay bales it is so fun to watch the machine go to work and make them happen. The first time I went home from college I actually drove out to one with a especially good friend of mine and we sat on one for hours catching up about me being away and him being still here, and how things really had not changed between our friendship. That memory is one that is special to me, and it all came down to a hay bale field and a sunset, so that is what I decided to draw. 

I did not look off of any picture; I just literally put my paintbrush to the canvas and went for it. It was actually kind of relaxing and I realized that I had flow. I just kept going and then it was magically three hours later. I have never been one to really paint, but merely just doodles in class. It was quite the experience to make something just with my hand only making strokes with a brush and some paint. Now I do not think I would ever really pursue this as a career or anything, but it definitely would be a fun hobby to take up if I could find some free time to make it happen.  

Imitation: Albert Hurter "Disney Sketch Artist"

Albert Hurter was a sketch artist for Disney, which was an inspiration for everyone since he was the oldest artist that worked for Disney. Some of his sketches come from a morbid sense of humor in which no one understands his work. Even though his work is for Disney cartoons, there is some sort of dark look or background for each character. I attempted to imitate one of his sketches that I do think is the character Sleepy of the seven dwarfs.

Imitation Sketch

                                

 
 
 Original