The Heads on Fire Community

     We are currently in the midst of creating a structure that will provide a disabled individual access to basic functions of a celluar phone. At the moment, we have created a base, upon which the cell phone will rest, and a curved structure, as to provide support to the base. Tabs upon the bottom and sides of the structure create a barrier, as to insure that her phone is unable to accidentally dislodge itself from its base.

Here's an update on the stucture team's shadow sculpture. The piece represents a communion of cultures that can be found within our community:

Here are a few pics from the nearly completed structure project:

This stucture represents the energy in a community, both figuratively and literally. It harnesses solar power to light up the flames that surround the structure's center.

Well, I've developed a plan of action on how to repair the three-dimensional printer. It is as follows:

1: Contact Kenji and obtain an estimate on a new Xylotex board.

2: Send for a new one.

3: Program Xylotex board with 4-axis program.

4: Replace board with new one.

The structure team's public installation piece is nearing completion. At the moment, we are installing th LEDs and the last of the wooden pieces. The plan is to add a panel that would activate in response to human touch, thus causing the lights in the structure to activate, as well as adding a solar panel to one of the flame pieces, as to have a constant supply of energy.

Over the course of the past eight weeks, I have worked as a paid intern at the San Diego Heads on Fire Fab Lab where I have learned many skills that can be applied both personally and professionaly, such as soldering electrical components, GPS mapping and the creation of three-dimensional architectual sketches. My experience here has also given me a perspective of others' lives and their benefits from and to technology.

Today, I assisted Jake with his public installation piece that involves lights that are activated by the passing of day. He is planning on using rocks that utilize sensors that respond to darkness. At the moment, we are attempting to create structures to house these rocks, as to prevent vandalism. The problem we are facing, however, is that there is a limited amount of space to place this structure. Thus, we are attemting to visualize a structure that would direct the light at a certain angle while still allotting enough room for the light sensor.

Last Tuesday, the interns at the San Diego Fab Lab ventured out to the Mission Trails Regional Park to log GPS data of the trails. We spent approximately six hours hiking the trails and recording waypoints that would show prominent landmarks and various trailheads. The interns split up into two separate groups, one focusing on collecting detailed data of a specific region, and the other focusing on collecting data spread across the majority of the trails. The areas covered by our team primarily consisted of the Grassland Triangle and the San Diego River Dam.

Over the course of the past week, the electronic's team has been working to create a DRAWDIO circuit. The DRAWDIO circuit is linked to a pencil and uses graphite as a conductor to create enough current to produce sound, depending on the pressure applied and direction of the pencil itself. This has proved useful as an introduction to soldering and basic electronics to the new interns. Today, we'll be creating circuits for members of the structure team, who are working towards creating a public installation that incorporates shadows and the time of day.

The summer program at the San Diego Heads On Fire Fab Lab has  just begun. So far, we have all been required to create a personal project relating to you, a sort of "roadmap of your life", if you will. Many students here have created something artistic, such as a drawing representing their skills and interests or family portraits with descriptions of their roles in their life. Today, we will begin inserting electronics into clothing to create an LED artpiece.