Creative Columns #10: Why?
why? because it’s one of the most profound questions in our lives, asking for a reason to the circumstances of a specific event. we have been using it ever since we learned to speak the word, driving our parents mad looking for answers to life, the universe and the kind of weird magic which makes the refrigerator light switch on…
it’s certainly not the best question in the world, but an important one nonetheless. it opens doors to new possibilities, shines light on situations unknown and creates room for creativity.
now i could go on explaining everything there is to know to the question ‘why?’, but that will most likely make you fall asleep faster than you can say our wonderful word of the day: ‘pnuemonoultramicroscopicsylicavolcaniconiosis’ [which is the name of a lung disease caused by microscopic silica dust inhaled into the lungs, which has absolutely nothing to do with this months column in any way possible, but i needed a long word, so there you have it].
instead of doing some boring monologue i am going to tell you about one of my newly acquired skills; the talent of having an answer to any question dealing with ‘why’. and not only that, the answer will also entertain and satisfy you. don’t believe me? i’ll prove it! just click the link below to find out how…
the goal of this column is to challenge you, the reader, into posting a ‘why-question’ in the comments section below. after which i will try to answer every question as soon as humanly possible, providing you with a satisfactory answer, as promised.
so go on! try me! let us get pro-active for a change…
jan van der asdonk is a contributor to studio469 in the shape of his creative spamming, manifesting itself in his somewhat distorted views and theories of the world around him. feedback, topic requests and fan mail are all very welcome at jan@studio469.com
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June 5th, 2007 at 23:16
Well here is the first why question for you to answer Jan:
Why do designers often wear black, have funny glasses and a addiction to coffee?
June 5th, 2007 at 23:17
“Why do designers often wear black, have funny glasses and a addiction to coffee?”
good question. well the black clothing is rather obvious. it would be natural to assume every designer would wear white clothing, especially cupertino white. however, due to some religious sect already patenting cupertino white as their dress code [much to the disliking of some man wearing black turtlenecks in cupertino], this is not an option anymore. so they had to settle for the other non-color: black [black is also easier to match to shoes and ties and doesn't get dirty that easy].
the funny glasses are a different story. this is more of a subjective thing though, but i’ll try to give you a satisfactory universal answer. for one, designers are usually seen as weirdo’s. they wander places, stare into nothingness and create funny looking things. to counter this thought by mr. and mrs. regular they added glasses to their outfit. and as we all know: glasses make you look more sophisticated. the “funny” part of this is that we, as designers, again need to distinguish ourselves from mr. and mrs. regular [who also want to look sophisticated] by wearing weird and funny looking glasses.
the coffee thing is a religious thing. designers are actually part of a secret religious gathering who, besides having to buy everything from apple inc. who do you think funds a religion of that size?] have to drink a lot of coffee and pretend we are addicted to it.
so there you have it.
NEXT!
June 6th, 2007 at 0:57
Hmm..
why did we ever invent buttons?
why are we still stuck with keyboards and mice?
why do we need to wait for the iphone in europe?
why can’t i come with any interesting why questions?
June 6th, 2007 at 0:58
“why did we ever invent buttons? why are we still stuck with keyboards and mice? why do we need to wait for the iphone in europe? why can’t i come with any interesting why questions?”
we invented buttons because we needed to push things and did not have the technology to measure movement or thoughts, for that matter. we do now, but its not commercial yet…also, some kind of effect seems to take place in another dimension when you push a button; like the collapse of a planet. but to this day this has only been a theory…
and we are still stuck with keyboards and mice because people like artemy lebedev took took much time developing something new and ask way too much money for it…no, just kidding. the problem with those input devices is that researchers created them. instead, we should have left real industrial designers handle this, then we would not have rsi, food-remains below our keys and not functioning scrollwheels…
ahh, the iphone, a much debated item. well, apple inc. doesn’t want to stress the more sophisticated european people with a product that might not meet their high standards. therefor he’s testing it before launching it in this continent. in fact, although i am not supposed to say this, the iphone is a small brainwash device. it has still not been proven phones have an effect on our brains. they do in fact, and the iphone will exploit this human flaw. therefor i would advice you not to buy the iphone…instead donate it to studio469, we will take care of your problem…
an answer to why you can’t come up with any interesting questions is not easy to find. who decides the interest-factor to your questions? my answer is simple, actually; you can’t because you’re trying too hard…or not trying at all.
think about that, but not too much…
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June 6th, 2007 at 13:03
- Why do I keep forgetting things the minute I think of them?
e.g. One minute I’m thinking of something, I open my browser to find the answer, next moment I can’t remember what I was going to look for on the internet.
- Why don’t people come up with something that could solve this problem?
And now because you expect me to come up with a difficult mathematical question, and I am wondering how the h.ll you are going to give me a satisfying answer to these questions:
- Why is the use of a Makeham distribution not suitable for forecasting the force of mortality?
- Why did Italian insurers in the late 1970’s introduce the use of participating policies?
- Why is the area of a circle calculated with A=pi*r^2 and the circumference with C=2*pi*r?
June 6th, 2007 at 13:04
“Why do I keep forgetting things the minute I think of them? e.g. One minute I’m thinking of something, I open my browser to find the answer, next moment I can’t remember what I was going to look for on the internet”
this has to do with having too many stimuli on the cerebral cortex. 80% of all influences onto your self-being are caused by your environment [which could mean anything from car, to cat, to caterpillar]. in order to block these signal one must wear a custom hat made of foil. the instructiions for this can be found by searching google for its most popular name: “aluminum foil deflector beanie”.
“Why don’t people come up with something that could solve this problem?”
they already did, weren’t you paying attention? another thing you can do is trace back your steps. similar to dropping bread crumbs, just re-live your life in reverse up to the moment where you still knew the thing you are trying to remember. or maybe you just forgot to remember…
“And now because you expect me to come up with a difficult mathematical question, and I am wondering how the h.ll you are going to give me a satisfying answer to these questions: Why is the use of a Makeham distribution not suitable for forecasting the force of mortality?”
why would you want to forecast the force of mortality? and do you mean the gompertz-makeham law or simply the makeham part of it? i think a correct answer to both versions is the absence of a flawless failure law which would account for the fact it being a reliable theory.
“Why did Italian insurers in the late 1970’s introduce the use of participating policies?”
easy, long term interest rates where way too high in the 70’s and 80’s, and the problem of accurately identifying, separating and estimating all the components
characterizing the guarantees and the participation mechanism has attracted an increasing
interest both of researchers and practitioners from a risk management and option pricing
point of view.
“Why is the area of a circle calculated with A=pi*r^2 and the circumference with C=2*pi*r”
that’s a bit of a weird question. but you are not truly seeking the answer to why they are the way they are. instead you are seeking an answer to the question: “why do ben and locke want to stay on the island?”
i do know the answer, but that’s called a spoiler, and i do not want to ruin the coming 3 years of exiting television entertainment.
it’s not that i don’t have the answer, i just choose not to hand it over…
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June 6th, 2007 at 13:05
Why oh Why is it so difficult to play a 3/4 measure with your left hand and a 4/4 measure with your right?
Why bother with the Why when the How is much more fun? (quoted from Spawn)
June 6th, 2007 at 13:06
“Why oh Why is it so difficult to play a 3/4 measure with your left hand and a 4/4 measure with your right?”
well, it has to do with a small part in your brain, called the Stria of Gennari. ever since the industrial era this part had a small short-circuit so to say, making it very hard to play those kind of different measures. this was mostly caused by some kind of stimuli into working harder… before this problem occurred we had no difficulty at all playing a 3/4 on left and a 4/4 on right, this was so natural, even a new born baby could do it.
unfortunately we have yet to rehabilitate from this malfunction. recent attempts include specially modified mobile phones with hello kitty outfits, earphones with extra bass and some kind of thing your parents put on your head while you sleep.
“Why bother with the Why when the How is much more fun? (quoted from Spawn)”
first of all, spawn does not have the imdb rating to allow for quoting. second, the how is never important, since re-creating a certain process can always be done by the person who the “how” is aimed at. instead of “how”, say: “do it again” [with later additions to that replacement being: …”but a little more like this”, “…with the use of this” and “…or find yourself another job”
that should do the trick.
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June 6th, 2007 at 16:12
Why do you sense pleasure in answering these why questions?
June 6th, 2007 at 16:13
“Why do you sense pleasure in answering these why questions?”
who said anything about me experiencing pleasure while answering these questions? the main reason i do this is because i feel all my readers, and the readers of all the other items on this blog, are not really participating. we, the members of studio469, believe people need to become more assertive in order for us to grow. we hope people find the time to comment some more in the future, share visions, ideas, and other things they want to get off their chests.
so there is no pleasure for me, only the satisfaction of seeing more pro-active readers. my pleasures are kept for other activities. no further comment.
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June 7th, 2007 at 14:00
I have one (or two..) for ya:
Why do some people believe in God?
And if there is a God, why is he here (and why doesn’t he save us from damnation)?
And if he is here for a reason, why don’t we know that reason?
And why if you get into a discussion about this with someone you can never stop talking? (maybe because there is no answer?…)
I sense a challenge for you
June 7th, 2007 at 14:01
“Why do some people believe in God?”
believing in god provides them with something to turn to when they feel the need for some support and guidance. and since god cannot be questioned, he or she is always right. it’s like the sims believing there’s a higher being up there, which is you, the player, the almighty [already see where i am going with this?].
“And if there is a God, why is he here (and why doesn’t he save us from damnation)?”
because god is toying with us. he will most likely cause the damnation himself…compare it to a game of the sims, wasn’t it fun conjuring earthquakes, tornado’s and giant robots to destroy the lives of these people? now compare that to god and you got the point.
“And if he is here for a reason, why don’t we know that reason?”
who said anything about needing a reason to be here? maybe he just has to do his homework, but he doesn’t want to, so he starts to play a little game called “universe”, where we happen to be a small part of. sometimes you don’t need reasons to do something.
“And why if you get into a discussion about this with someone you can never stop talking? (maybe because there is no answer?…)”
just tell them what i just typed you. if they still have a hard time believing that stuff, just show them one of the rocks out there which have the game’s version number printed beneath it [they are out there, you just need to find one....]
that’ll do it.
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June 7th, 2007 at 15:08
Why do we design?!
Why do we always have to give good arguments for the things we do/design?!
Why can’t we define the word ‘good’ in one sentence?!
June 7th, 2007 at 15:09
“Why do we design?!”
we design because if we didn’t, the world would be a worse and more boring place to live. just imagine a world without cupertino white, products with useless led’s and good-looking visuals. that would totally suck.
“Why do we always have to give good arguments for the things we do/design?!”
because the people we work for or are interested in such things do not understand the reasons for our choices. another addition to this is the fact our teachers are more interested in the process than the end result. luckily, when you finally are done studying and have your own job as a designer, you only have to answer to the boss or yourself, you can leave clients in the unknown, because you decide what to show them, and what not [most teachers will disagree with this, but we obviously don't care...]
“Why can’t we define the word ‘good’ in one sentence?!”
because it’s something so subjective, something which depends upon people’s moods, it’s just something which is really hard to universally define in simple terms. however, since this is not a satisfactory answer, i will provide you with one [or more...]:
good [good], bet·ter, best, noun, interjection, adverb–adjective
1. not bad
2. better than “okay”
3. worse than “super”
4. - ∞ uninteresting definitions….
that should be satisfactory enough for now…
NEXT!