Have a seat.

Lately, I've been reading through books on chairs. I love interior design and I wanted to understand the functions behind furniture. By taking advantage of the tools and machines in my sculpture class, I am currently working on a series of chairs.

At this point, I have created two chairs out of stainless steel fencing and unfinished common rebar. I've been investigating what justifies something as a chair. It could be a standard piece with a seat, back, arms and four legs. A chair could be anything from a desk chair to a tree stump. I make a ton of drawings in my sketchbook, with measurements and basic ideas from my head.

Next, I look at the material and play with its characteristics. Since rebar and steel appear rough, it gives the chairs a construction site feel. When you look and sit in the chairs, you wonder if it will offer enough support. So far, I have received great feedback from classmates who have seen me weld, bend, grind, slice and melt steel. I chose steel because it is a medium I have never worked with. I hope with time that I can move onto other materials like plastic and wood.

















I also purchased three books on the subject through Amazon.com including:

• Chairs: A History (Hardcover) by Florence de Dampierre (Author)
• 1000 Chairs (Taschen 25) (Paperback) by Charlotte Fiell (Author), Peter Fiell (Author)
• New Chairs: Innovations in Design, Technology, and Materials (Paperback) by Mel Byars (Author)

These books are spectacular because of the vivid images of each chair design as well as information about the artistic process. I'm hoping to display a chair in an upcoming gallery show the week after spring break, which is March 19th-23rd. More details will be coming soon but everyone should try and see what the AVT Honors students have been working on!

It's oh so divine.

There is no doubt that Oprah Winfrey is a powerhouse bringing a million big ideas to millions of viewers or capable of bringing down the author of A Million Little Pieces.

She is a rich woman, with a passionate heart for the world and a cool billion in her wallet. Recently, Winfrey unveiled her new school in Africa called, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. The school was a part of the ChristmasKindness project where children were given uniforms, shoes, dolls and soccer balls. There are plans for future schools in Africa to open for boys as well.

Besides her own work with the Oprah Angel Network, Winfrey has worked with U2's Bono to bring awareness to the Product (RED) campaign. Proceeds from items purchased go back to Africa to fight against AIDS. The campaign has teamed up with Apple's special edition red ipod, Giorgio Armani's clothing and sunglasses, Motorola's MOTORAZR and MOTOSLVR, GAP apparel and accessories, and Converse shoes to provide products that help victims.

Winfrey's team raised Hurricane Katrina and tsunami aid in order to build homes for families. International news reports are given by Lisa Ling and Anderson Cooper about the current conditions in our prison systems as well as overseas with children and poverty.

After 20 years of shows, The Oprah Winfrey Show 20th Anniversary DVD was released to provide aid to women and children all over the world. It was a huge success because it also gave viewers a scrapbook DVD complete with heartwarming memories sure to make you cry. Other DVDs are available such as the Leadership Academy DVD which can be currently pre-ordered or the trip Oprah took with Elie Wiesel at a concentration camp in Auschwitz.

Winfrey has made news with her Oprah’s Book Club, which reaches an audience over the Internet and into homes. One of Winfrey's picks, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, went immediately to a best-seller. However, Winfrey learned that the memoirs were not factual and demanded an apology from Frey from betraying the public. The next day, the Oprah Book Club stickers were removed from the copies of Frey's book.

It was like experiencing a dream episode. It still was an interesting read. Too bad it wasn't real.

Additionally, Winfrey has collected a group of friends in different areas of expertise to form: Oprah & Friends Radio, which features:

• Bob Greene, exercise physiologist
• Dr. Maya Angelou, best-selling author
• Gayle King, TV personality and Oprah’s best friend
• Dr. Mehmet Oz, heart surgeon
• Jean Chatzky, financial expert
• Dr. Robin Smith, psychologist
• Nate Berkus, interior designer
• Marianne Williamson, best-selling author for personal and spiritual issues

It seems like anyone that appears on the show will be even more successful afterwards. Here a couple of people that have gladly received the Midas touch.

• Rachel Ray, TV chef on Food Network and the Rachel Ray show
  
• Dr. Phil McGraw, clinical psychologist, The Dr. Phil Show

And of course, in case anyone misses anything on TV, radio or on the Internet, there is always O magazine and O at Home. For years, people have wanted her to run for president but I'm sure Oprah Winfrey has her hands full saving the world.

Click, click, news.

In class, we have learned so much about online media communications such as using programs like Audacity (not to be confused with Audacity.com janitorial services) and GarageBand to record podcasts for RSS feeds. It’s amazing to see how technology can create and edit news with the click of a mouse or iPod. With some work, we could collaborate those ideas with Flickr and upload cool features to our Mason “tilda” accounts.

Rob Curley, who calls himself an Internet punk, spoke about the importance of local news and the evolution of traditional media. Curley may be flying high off of Mountain Dew, but has a point when it comes down to breaking news and the audience. The New York Times called the Lawrence Journal-World, “the newspaper of the future.”

Not too shabby for the little newspaper that could.

The majority of us gather our news for free from the Internet. Unless you have the time to enjoy the print edition, there is no need to grab the soggy newspaper from the driveway every morning. A team constantly updates online newspaper editions with specific details and extra information.

It’s that extra information that gets to people. Maybe we feel bombarded with unnecessary details or want to protect our privacy. I wonder what privacy means anymore. Just go Google yourself, you may be surprised at what you find. It’s also interesting when you find another person with your exact name on the other side of the globe. Either way, something that may be unnecessary to you, may be fascinating news to someone else.

According to Helen Thomas, “every [blogger] with a laptop thinks they’re a journalist.” I do agree with that but there are pros and cons to every situation. At the moment, I feel like everyone with a cell phone camera thinks they’re a member of the paparazzi. Watch out, now.

Photos courtesy of Naplesnews.com, Google.com and the iDevil Skin for iPod Nano (also available at Five Below for well, five bucks).