Sketchup quality graphics

The new free version of Sketchup, V7, is out now and there have been some tweaks here and there but nothing much changed. There are however some extremely good pre made styles you can apply to models.
For those new to styles, these are one click settings that can give you sketchy lines, pastel colours and special backgrounds. there are plenty built into Sketchup but now there are some great ones for presentation that should make pupils work that little bit special.

The one above has had the edge faded in a separate program after being output from Sketchup, but it shows you what you can do with styles, and carefully applied textures.

You can do that with Butter!

I have a friend who works in particle physics, x rays and all kinds of stuff. I was chatting to him about an idea I had to teach young people about the consequences of misusing digital information. This became about because I was asked by a client if I could come up with an idea to dissuade young people from giving songs and videos to each other free that someone somewhere had originally pirated. I started researching ways of mechanically recording sound and did some experiments with needles and paper. Haven't cracked it yet but i think i will when I get the recording strip right!
So i am in the pub talking to my scientist friend about this and he says 'you can record sound with a needle on butter'. Its three weeks later and he still has not been able to show me where this has been done!
My recording prototype doesn't use butter, it uses aluminium but I am trying different materials till I get something that is not only workable, but also easily reproducible. I am sure that one off, for one time only, using very careful temperature control techniques someone did manage to record sound onto butter... it seems to me quite feasible, but education needs solutions that work in the real world at room temperature and can be reproduced by others without huge technical skills and budgets!
A good project needs proof and a manual, A rumour is untested!

One of my projects at the moment is trying to work out how to use a laser cutter to seal together sheets of material, and cheap ways of laser etching onto metals. I have also recently seen a nutter, HERE, laser etch his fingernails by disabling the safety catches on a laser (note the burned and scarred edges of his fingers before you think this is a good idea!). these are all interesting but sometimes it is the super simple that has the most chance to educate if the learnign goes beyond just the skills to make it.
This keyring design below is a straight forward laser project cut in 3mm acrylic with a 2mm ball bearing inside. It is very cheap and quick to make, can be prototyped in cheaper materials and produces a high quality finished product that would be easily saleable. Provided you go beyond merely designing around a standard pattern, and ensure there is work and progression onto mazes themselves, industrial standard material sizes, opportunities to try multi level mazes (3 stacked on top of each other?) etc.. then this would be a good project.
IF you find yourself knocking out the same old size keyrings and ideas, each barely discernible from the rest, and a good way to tell is whether students need to put their name on them to know which is which, then contact me for some tips!

If nature can do it, why can't I?

I have in front of me three prototypes for artificial sycamore seeds. Each one is better than the last, but I suspect it will take me about 12 versions to get it right! This is something I have been pondering on recently, which is, just because you know something can be dome, it does not mean it is easy to do..

Example. I have shown Sketchup to anyone who stands still long enough for me to focus on them over the past five years, but still the take up in schools is woefully low. It is a relatively easy piece of software to learn, but still people need help. I am currently running Sketchup trainmg sessions for three clients, including teachers, and it is clear that once people get the basics, they are fine with the rest...

To this end I have developed a set of 10 beginners and 10 advanced Sketchup e-Learning training films for sale. Each has a single task illustrating a particular skill and is carried out on a Sketchup file like the one below. There is a recording sheet to map progress and they are carefully graded. I ran this with 16 teachers in a Twilight Inset in July and it worked extremely well with all levels of staff being able to use the e-Learning films to work at their own pace.

The advanced set are optional and cover shadows, lighting, camera movement and other skills people may need to get the quality output they require.

If you are interested in training, or purchasing a license for a set of films than contact me!

New Ideas

I am developing some ideas for various clients, and this includes some super simple ones for education where people want a fun activity quick without having to spend ages buying all the equipment and learnign loads of new skills.

one of these is BOUNCE

A simple idea where marbles are bounced along a series of drums with rubber stretched over the top. Like so many things, it really needs a lot of background development to get it working. this came from an idea I saw when I was a child in a friends house. I quickly found that getting the right rubber membrane and holder was essential if you were going to make a reproducible set-up. I solved it by using widely available specialist parts and if the client decides to fund it, I will post a link to the scheme of work some time in 2009 here.

Ballcoaster project

Something I have been working on for a while and has recently had its pilot session has been the BallCoaster. This is a kit of parts from which a roller coaster can be constructed.

It was a pilot on the 22nd of September at the Engineering Centre in Top valley, Nottingham. Ballcoaster is funded by and owned by Nottingham Science City and has proved a tough task now solved.

The parts seem simple, a set of foam brackets holding a hosepipe but there has been some serious engineering and research to get it to work. The hose is a special type which is extremely flexible but still retains its round section when bent otherwise it would slip out of the foam brackets grip. The brackets are a 'standard' industrial foam cut by waterjets by a specialist company. The resulting kit works extremely well but DOES NOT make it overly easy for the students. They have to work together to get it working. My favourite parts are the weights for the adjustable brackets, made of socks filled with gravel, and the adjustable height levellers for the track which are 300 x 200 x 100mm cardboard standard boxes. Both items are extremely cheap and demonstrate that sometimes things can be simple, and seriously effective!

There is a complete blog with downloadable manual and videos I have written HERE, email me what you think and contact Science City Nottingham, Ian Tringali, if you want to buy kits or get some training yourselves.

Hello after a long gap

It has been many months since the last post. Ironically Ihave been contributing to many blogs, and even built a couple of new ones for clients, but rigth now I intend to jeep this weekly at least!
watch this space!

Childrens services

Spent the day on Saturday last in Yorkshire. Part of it at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. There were 5 children in our party but woefully little to do there apart from look. The place is amazing, but with what appeared to be only visual treats on offer, the children soon got bored. EVERYTHING was off limits and not to be touched, climbed on or experienced beyond visually...

I had taken along some prototype planes to do when the children got bored, but as we flew them outside, away from the sculptures, we were instructed not to do so anywhere in the (enormous) grounds or buildings as games were not allowed in any part...

To me this typifies much of our reaction to children and creativity. they must observe it, parrot it, possibly even take part in it, but on the terms of the providers. Given the clearly multi multi million pound cost of the park and buildings, some little could and should have been set aside for a games area, or a playground, or an activity. The park announces on its website that it is fully booked for school parties this year, There were lots of children on Saturday... and nothing for them to do and little reason to stay or come again.

The YSP is not alone in this. Often children's activities are relegated behind everything else that an organisation does. And when they do put on activities, they rarely attract those who need convincing. For, to use the popular vernacular, It was a 'chav' free zone.... and maybe it was the poorer for that!

Fantastic Card Gliders

Another new product available at my AJ Box website is Pop-Glider.
This is a class set of 35 glider kits in a tough card box. This is not available at present to buy direct, but I am seeking partnerships with various educational suppliers to stock it. Minimum order is a 4 cases, each containing 20 class sets. I have free samples I can send out so contact me if you are interested.

The gliders are extremely tough and very easy to assemble, but have all the adjustable bits you find on a plane, and can be further enhanced using just paper and glue to fly even better.

They are made in a special heavy duty corrugated card which has been die-cut (No scissors, parts just pop-out, and are glued with paper glue and slot together) with a safety edge on critical parts. The glider is white and can be coloured with normal pens / pencils and paints. The gliders are hand or rubber band launched and fly extremely well as standard, before you even start making them better with little tweaks and adjustments.


Full instructions, films, suggested lesson activities and a brilliant list of other websites with companion activities is on the AJ Box website.

New Products and Website lauched

Bit if a long time since the last Blog... Been rather busy! Will be blogging more often now!

Have now set up a new companion website and company called AJ Box ltd. This website lists all the products I can now sell which I have developed.

The first three products are :
Think-Scuttle A kit with tools and all parts to run a project building clockwork creatures
Think-Light A kit with tools and all parts to investigate different light sources and design new uses for them
Think-SumoBox A kit with all tools and parts to run a project building and battling motorised 'bots'

All three projects are available as 6 user packs, and soon in 36 user packs. they have enough parts, tools and materials for the users to make a number of projects each, and can easily be shared between young people. For example, a team of 3 producing a 'SumoBox' bot so a 6 user kit would work with up to 18 people to deliver 5-6 hours of focussed activity. All kits come with a comprehensive set of resources on CD-ROM including training films, presentations, blank worksheets and photos and video of exemplars.

All three of these are available NOW from the University if the First Age
They are also taking bookings for a series of training events which I am running, giving direct instruction in how to run the above courses, complete with an in-depth course tutors manual which I have written.