tjl87gu-blog

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I was lucky to have experience using Zoom at my workplace before starting my grad program at Georgetown. In my Design Leadership Project, I will be incorporating Zoom into my conceptual solution to deliver childbirth education to expecting families where they are. Some of the best ideas combine two or more other ideas to create that “aha moment”. Zoom is the tool that allows greater connection and access for people in their busy lives.

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I am using the model of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University to inspire my childbirth education project. I wanted to take this opportunity to share some information about FPU for anyone who hasn’t taken the classes or heard of it. The image above shows some basic statistics about debt in the United States. My wife and I took FPU before we were married, and we have been living debt free (other than our mortgage) for probably close to 4 years. We estimate that between both of our undergrad degrees, by amortizing and paying them off early, we were able to save over $50,000 in interest that would have accrued over the life of our loans. And we paid them off when we were both just starting out in our careers and making very little money. Now, we have a plan in place to pay off our home early and project that we will save around $90,000 in interest by the time it is done. The principles require discipline, but they work! Live like nobody else today, so that you can live and give like nobody else tomorrow!

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Designspiration is a website that I like to visit when I’m working on a new project and I’m seeking out new inspiration. You can input any keywords that are relevant to what you’re working on and it will provide you with vibrant imagery that is related to your ideas. 

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Giant Steps. Music by John Coltrane, animation by Michal Levy. 

I came across this animation during my undergrad studies in the mid-aughts. I love music, and often find myself being carried away and daydreaming visualizations during a particular song. This animation is an amazing solution to portraying the music visually and inspiring creativity and wonder to anyone who views it. 

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Applied Ecological Services is a company that applies the best science and technology to ecological solutions. Their practice of responsibility in design leadership revolves around transforming a variety of landscapes to return them to their ecological purpose for the benefit of humans and nature alike. 

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The company Happy Baby Carriers is a great example of responsibility in design leadership. The idea for the company was born out of practicality and necessity. The founder sought to utilize natural materials such as bamboo fabric, and also utilizes stay at home mothers to sew the wraps. The company easily could have done things cheaper or easier, however they've stood by their beliefs and have proven successful because of it!

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Atari tried and failed many times to produce a console that was as big of a success as the iconic 2600. Their stake in the ground was that they believed customers wanted newer consoles with higher processing power, but they didn’t focus on the development of intriguing games to go along with those consoles. Consumers quickly got bored with the games that were offered on the Atari, especially when they didn’t keep up with their competition. 

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Juicero is a failed product that was an overly engineered and expensive machine that squeezed juice packets to generate fresh juice at home. Even after widespread mockery, Chief Executive Jeff Dunn continued to hold his stake in the ground that the company was providing an important product. However, the market voted with their pocketbooks, and the company is now closed.

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Ben & Jerry’s is constantly taking a stand with unique special flavors and marketing campaigns. This particular campaign from a couple years ago aimed to hit consumers in their tastebuds by showing them how their favorite flavors are endangered by climate change. To some people, this may just be the wake up call they need!

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The Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF) is hosted by my hometown of Beloit, WI. The community members who started BIFF set out to not just feature local and regional films, but set it up for success on an international scale. The entire community is involved by way of venues and volunteers, so the town really puts on the festival. The success of the festival is evidenced by the quality of films that are drawn to compete and be shown.

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The more you read about the history of childbirth, how we got to where we are today, and where the “routine practices” come from in our medical care, the more you will become disgusted with the lack of individual care that is paid to each patient. People trust their doctors to provide the best care for them, but they do not question who is actually dictating the procedures, and too often that is driven by hospital policy, which is dictated by liability, insurance, and profitability. The cultural norms in this country surrounding childbirth, that a mother should be drugged up with an epidural and splayed out on her back, are normal because that is what is convenient for doctors. Childbirth is scary, but we are scared by what we don’t understand. That is why childbirth classes are so important for expecting families to attend. We can change the cultural norms in this country by educating ourselves and finding an unbiased provider to truly give us the information we need for informed consent. 

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Recently, researchers from Facebook, Harvard, Princeton, and New York University compiled an algorithm that shows how individual counties around the United States are connected to each other by their Facebook friends. They took the two parameters of geography (by county) and friendship (by Facebook connections) and were able to create some interesting discoveries. They show historic migration patterns, physical geographic boundaries, and locations that are connected through the roles that those communities play, such as a major military base, a popular retirement destination, or even how Washington DC is connected to counties in every state with a major university.

Check out the article and click around on the map to see if you can discover any patterns!

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/19/upshot/facebook-county-friendships.html?smid=tw-upshotnyt&smtyp=cur

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Builders in Canada, and around the world, are beginning to pivot back to a more traditional building material as a sustainable resource. They are utilizing wood, in the form of engineered laminated beams, to create modern high-rise buildings. They’ve expanded the parameters of the traditional wood frame building by engineering the beams to generate stronger load-bearing characteristics and increased fire safety. This particular example is the current tallest wood-frame building in the world, however there are projects in line that could soon overtake them!

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Children are not generally constrained by the inhibitions of societal norms, they’ll just do what they feel is right. This example shows the friendship of two young boys, and how they have designed a bicycle that allows both of them to ride and contribute to the locomotive effort together.

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Zipline is using autonomous drones to deliver blood and other medical supplies to remote locations in Africa! 

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Lifeguards in Australia are implementing a new tool to keep beachgoers safe. The Little Ripper Life Saver drone can spot sharks and rip currents, as well as drop a flotation device over swimmers who are struggling! This is a great new implementation for unmanned aerial vehicles!

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The Hyper Island Toolbox is a collection of team-building, ice-breaking, ideating, and leadership tools that can be utilized in a wide variety of situations. The design leader can reference the tools and sort through them for the most appropriate tool for their group size and objectives. I find these tools incredibly helpful when setting up innovation sessions in my workplace!