Week 4 Reading Reflection

Week 4 Reading: Chapter 5

1) What stood out to me the most was the table of "The Most Common Idea Killers".  Reading through each of the comments listed brought me back to when I heard these used.  Negative comments can affect the openness of people.  If a person were to say "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." (pg.157), the recipient of the comment would most likely shutdown and not share as many ideas freely. Words can have a major impact on the idea making process.

2) There was really only one part that confused me for a moment.  It was the list of misconceptions.  At first I thought that he was listing his thoughts on innovation but after reading the last sentence of the intro to the section it made since.

3) Would you consider yourself to be left or right brained?  Is there a trend when it comes to being left or right brained (gender, culture, environment, race, upbringing)?

4) There really wasn't anything that I didn't understand or that I disagreed with him about.  Many of his ideas and explanations in this chapter were clear and I agreed with.

Customer Interviews No. 1

For those that struggle with Cooking....
I admit it.... I am a terrible cook, I try my best but I just don't have that culinary gene!  Even though I am awful I still cook dinner and prepare my lunch every day except Thursdays (lab days I deserve a treat)  

 It is easier to just buy your lunch or dinner on campus with all the fast-food restaurants around.  But that's not the healthiest option and after a while your test-buds are tired of having the same old chicken fingers or sub for dinner.  There has to be a way to teach us poor amateur cooks how to a make a decent meal that's not burnt, tasteless, and looks good.

Opportunity:  A class or club that meets a couple times a month and teaches students how to make a home cooked meal on a college kid's budget.

My Mission: Interview  students and found out if they can cook and whether or not if they got help it would encourage them to make their own meals.

1. Do you buy or cook your meals?
2. Do you enjoy cooking?
3. If there was a class or a club that meets a few times a month (interactive) would you join? 

Who I Interviewed: I was turned down for an interview twice.  I learned that it is best to ask a group of friends than one person.  When they were by themselves they really did not want to be bothered (except the man in the first video), but when they were with a group of people they felt comfortable doing an interview.

Interview Process: When I came up to people I walked up with a smile and politely asked them if I could interview them and if it's fine that I record it (I received their consent to post the videos).  The interviews were relaxed and when asking them the questions I made sure to make eye contact and add commentary.

Below are my interviews, sorry about the video I tried to get everyone in frame. 

 

 

For the second video I did a group interview of four people waiting for Krishna.

Perfect for an interview about food!

What I Learned: When talking with customers it is important that you are patient and understanding.  When the first customer I interviewed said he would not be interested in a Cooking Club or class I almost blanked out.  I never thought what I would ask if they gave a negative response or did not agree with my solution.  If they did disagree I'd ask them why, and if there would be a better option.  From this exercise I have found that I need to be more confident and not repeat their response, instead come up with new commentary.
Based on the results, I believe that my idea of a Food Club will not work.  Even though the group interview collectively said they would join I'm not very confident in their responses.  My first interview brought up a great point that it's best to have a website or perhaps a Youtube account.  A quick five minute video that's to the point would allow me to reach more students including those outside of UF.  

Rank-Ordering the World's Biggest Problems

Top 5 World Problems

P R O B L E M S

The Treatment of Animals

One year ago I watched a video that o this day makes my blood boil and my skin hurt.  In Eastern Asia a slaughter house was skinning Raccoon Dogs alive.  In the video you can see them hanging on a hook, swinging back and forth, then a person began skinning them.  The screams of pain were haunting and sickening. This is inhumane and a sin.  I have never been so disgusted in my entire life.  This happens throughout the world, improper methods of slaughtering animals.  A life is a life and should be treated as such. 

The Treatment of Women

I’d like to start off with a powerful and impactful quote said by Taina Bien-Aime…

“There is not one single country where women can feel absolutely safe” 

Women in many countries including our own are not treated as equal to men.  We are seen as objects or property, not as a Life and of intelligence.  We face incredible barriers, and those in less developed countries face far worse challenges.  Nightmares for us is a reality for them.  Imagine you live in the fields of Africa and you must go collect water for your family.  As you forage you must constantly be aware of your surrounding because at any moment you could be spotted.  Not by a lion but by dangerous men who seek to rape women. Can you imagine living day to day knowing that at any moment you could face such physical and mental violence just because you are a woman?

Women unfortunately do not always have the ability to take charge of their own destinies.  This is the problem.  Women are forced to rely 100% on their husband.  Some are even forced into marriages early on in life (in Afghanistan many girls are under 16 years old).  They are unable to receive an education or their families do not of sending their daughters out of fear and concern for her well-being.

People Living in Locations that can not Support a Population

Hunger is a terrible thing, I could not imagine living and not knowing when I would have my next meal or a sip of water.  I understand that moving a community from one location to another is not feasible.  Therefor the only way you can survive in a harsh environments is to adapt.  I believe that technology and innovative products can help solve this problem.  If we are unable to move a community to a more suitable location then we must develop a new way of life to help them survive.  For instance in Africa they created a portable irrigation system that allows farmers to grow produce in any season.  This will increase food productivity and supplies along with take away the stress for farmers dealing with the unpredictable weather.  This solution alone has helped over 660,000 people out of poverty.

The Growing Population

 As of 2014 The population of the world is 7.2 Billion people with 4.4 billion from Asia, 740.7 million from Europe, 618.1 million from Latin America/Caribbean,  353.4 million from North America, 38.6 million from Oceania, and 1.1 billion from Africa.  In 2050 the population is predicted to reach 9.7 billion!

Waste

For lunch you ate a peanut butter sandwich minus the crust, a fruit cup, and a bag of chips.  You then throw away the remains before heading to class. A plastic baggy, a bag for your chips, a spoon, a plastic cup, and the slices of crust you didn't eat.  When you look at it this way you realize just how much waste a normal lunch produces.   According to WasteFreeLunches.org an average child can "generate 67 pounds of waste per school year".

Reasoning for the List

I would love to see a difference in the treatment of animals, the video I watched of animals being skinned alive has scarred me for life.  I can still hear their screams and the look of panic on their faces.  What those people did was cruel and inhumane.  It was difficult to decide between the treatment of animals and women.  In the end the reason why I chose animals is because of the video. Both need to be stopped but it came down to which one resonates with me the most. 
I then listed "People Living in Locations that can not Support a Population" third because I cannot imagine going to bed hungry or worrying about people or myself possibly dying from disease or malnutrition.  The last two problems relate to one another.  I listed population first because if we are unable to figure out a way to control or support our population, we are going to have to worry about the waste we produce and its affect on the environment.

S O L U T I O N S

People Living in Locations that can not Support a Population

I believe that technology and innovative products can help solve this problem.  If we are unable to move a community to a more suitable location then we must develop a new way of life to help them survive. 

Waste

Companies could find a way to make more efficient products when it comes to packaging materials. I believe that if people used reusable packaging items then this will help decrease the amount of waste we send to landfills.

The Growing Population

How are we going to support the ever increasing population?  I believe it all comes down to sex education and understanding the effects of their decisions. Along with this, minds need to come together to develop innovative products to support our future generations.

Website to check out!

http://www.prb.org/wpds/2014/

The Treatment of Women

Though there has been improvement in women’s rights we still have a long way to go.  We must have cultural awareness in order to improve.  If anything I would have local ambassadors who understand the communities and encourage change of mindset through education and involvement.

The Treatment of Animals

There needs to be stricter slaughter house regulations/inspections and those that are performing inhumane methods should be shut down and charged immediately.  

Reasoning for the List

I believe that we have the resources and the ability to figure out which agricultural methods are best suited for the environment and produce innovative products that can assist communities in poor locations.  My mind is already filling with ideas, and surprisingly this solution has me the most excited.  The solution for waste is also possible, just figuring out new ways for efficient packaging, but I feel that it would bump up the price for products.  The last three would involve a social and cultural movement in order to solve the problem.  I do not believe that this will be possible to implement.