Lunaria Annua

I designed and produced an illuminating object

It’s called Lunaria Annua after mystical silver dollar plant seed pods. I envision it as a wall sconce, mounted next to a mirror in a swanky hotel bathroom or speakeasy powder room, casting soft light on the user while she reapplies her lipstick.

It’s made from 1/4″ brass tubing brazed to a 1/2″ main tube, 54 super-bright LEDs and 5 layers of acrylic for each petal. The petals are wrapped in rice paper. It mounts flush with the wall and wires through the back to either a touch sensor or a metal touch sensor that allows the user to dim the light by touching the lamp’s main stem.

Product Design

Craftsmen Era Style Pen

I designed and built this pen in the style of one my favorite architects from the Craftsmen Era, Carlo Scarpa. I machined the brass inner section and the small indicator cube on the mill and 3D printed the body and painted it to look like a dark stained walnut.

Product Design

Whipt

Sensitive Systems for an Era of Mobility and Connectivity

need	We were tasked with conducting ethnography, understanding the mobile lives of undergrads through their emotions, predicaments, mental models and latent needs to find solutions to bring them more seamlessness and emotional well-being. We found that overcommitted undergraduates frequently switch modes throughout the day and cut out relaxing activities when stressed. They lack the tools needed to understand and better manage their days in order to find time for important relationships, activities, and self reflection.
when	November, 2012
where	Stanford University
partner	Heather Kerrick
insights	Many undergraduates do not think about how they spend their time until directly prompted. Relaxation can take on many forms and taking a break from work to do a relaxing activity can lead to higher productivity.
POV	Busy undergraduates need a tool to increase their awareness of how they spend their day in order to reduce wasting time and maximize time spent on important work and relaxing activities.
concept	Whipt is a smart wristband that detects location, motion, biometrics and nearby devices to determine what the wearer is doing and displays a corresponding color. The band flashes to a new color to alert the user of a change of activity or transition. The wristband information is synced with an application that generates a color coded time archive so the user can reflect on the day and set goals to minimize the number of daily transitions to an optimal number in the future.
value	By increasing undergraduates’ awareness of how they spend their time, Whipt enables students to be proactive about what they accomplish each day and encourages users to pursue a balanced lifestyle that emphasizes the benefits of relaxation through efficient scheduling and personal awareness.

“2 hours is not enough time to get any work done so when I have a break I just waste my time on pinterest, facebook and television”
- Christina, Stanford 2014

“Whenever I check my email I get sucked in”
- Charles, Stanford 2013

“I like working around people but when someone stops to say hello it takes me a long time to get back in the zone”
- Sarah, Stanford 2013

Product Design

Tamper Resistant

Tamper Resistant is a brass and aluminum espresso tamper that indicates to the user when they’ve tamped to 30 pounds of pressure. This is important in making espresso because a correct tamp produces a better infusion. I machined the parts using a lathe, mill and other metal working tools. The bases are swappable and magnetic so that the tamper can be used with different kind of machines and portafilters with flat or convex infusers.

Product Design

Water Tree

The Last Mile of Water: Catchment and Storage

need	Rural Orissa women are responsible for collecting water for their families. A family of five requires 100 liters of water per day. Collecting this volume of water takes hours because the source is six to ten kilometers away. The whole family lives on four dollars per day.
when	October, 2012
where	Stanford University
partner	Gabrielle Guthrie
insights	There is a huge gap between income ($4 / day) and common entry points into water catchment (around $80). A lot of water is lost during the wet season. Current water collection practices are time consuming and have a high risk of contamination. Because water sources are so far from the home, women must bring children with them to collect water.
POV	There should be an affordable, simple way to collect and store a days worth of water near the home, enabling women to spend less time collecting water each day.
concept	Water Tree is an extremly affordable water catchement and storage system made from PVC pipe and vinyl impregnated canvas. It is easy to use, easy to repair, and fits into the current cultural landscape. Water Tree is easily hackable. For example, users can drape a sari over it to filter water from a well or position it to catch water runoff from their roofs. Users can also repair it easily by using tarp to patch holes and replacing PVC supports with bamboo and other locally sourced materials.
value	Water Tree offers a simple, affordable water catchment and storage solution. Time is saved and the risk of contamination is decreased by placing the water source so close to home, enabling women to maintain healthly, efficient water practices.

“People would rather drink from the stream than to pay for water. But there is a williness to pay for water infrastructure.“
“Fecal matter percentage goes way up from the source to the home with each botttle or vessel.”
- Melissa Rhode, HCD Connect

“Everyone stores water, but usually not for more than 24 hours.”
“Adults are used to getting sick, they’ve built up resistance. They don’t think it’s actually a problem because they’re so used to it.”
- Valerie Bauza, Water, Health, & Development, Stanford

Product Design

Grandfather’s Coat

This is a project I did for a readymade art studio class. It reflects my Grandfather’s immense generosity and my feeling as a child that he always seemed to be able to give me whatever I needed. It also subtly identifies funny things I remember doing with him, like going to Costco and finding the best samples.

I found the jacket at a good will, laser cut pockets and sewed them in. I also vinyl cut text and heat pressed it into the inside of the jacket. It is a phrase my Grandmother often says, “Shoulda Coulda Woulda”.

Art

FoodWise

Connecting Excess Food with Meal Providers

need	Help create a better San Francisco by designing a food storage or preparation solution for the residents of the Central Market/Tenderloin neighborhood. More info here.
when	06.2012 – 07.2012
where	San Francisco, CA
partner	Sam Alcabes
prize	Honorable Mention out of 109 Submissions
function	Restaurants, supermarkets, and individuals with extra food can log into a mobile app or website and select food items they wish to donate. They can indicate whether they would like to have the food picked up or if they are able to drop it off. They can indicate what time works best for the transaction and if they would like to be reminded an hour before. Donors will receive the recipient’s Tax-ID number after the transaction and can list the donation as a deduction on Schedule A of their tax returns. Providers can log into the same application or website and see a list of available food items for pick-up and drop-off. They can sort them based on a number of criteria and claim them through the application. All information needed to receive the items or pick them up will be available after they are claimed. Providers can then send out a blast with their menus and serving times to people that have signed up to receive updates via Text Message. Their menus can also be downloaded by SRO administrators and posted in lobbies and in other community areas like convenience stores and libraries.

Product Design

Karaoke Mob

Karaoke. Anytime. Anywhere.

with	Harris Cohn & Sam Alcabes
what	bring the party with you wherever you go, mobile karaoke
when	10.2011 – 12.2011
where	San Francisco, CA
why	My friends and I are always trying to meet new people and have real interactions without the aid of online communities. Karaoke brings people together and is a great way to make strangers more comfortable with each other and facilitate real, human interaction.
function	In practice, Karaoke Mob functioned well in crowded areas. Instead of projecting lyrics on the “screen” we would project them on the sidewalk or wall and people would gather around and sing along.
next	Package Karaoke Mob to sell as an all-in-one mobile karaoke product and iPhone add-on.

Product Design

Ice Breaker

Making Social Interaction Real

with	Harris Cohn, Nicolas Baum, Jonathan Pines
what	re-tooling social interaction
when	9.2011 – 3.2012
where	San Francisco, CA
why	A friend and I were at a concert and someone stuck a note on me that said, “The way you dance makes me smile.” We thought, this is great, passed it on and met someone new. We wanted a way to track these interactions to maintain those fleeting connections.
next	The online timeline of messages will be viewable by everyone. Users can claim messages and certify that it’s them via a text code. Then if the two people involved in a conversation want, they can certify their messages and show their numbers to each other or connect via facebook.

Product Design

RSFP Photos

Rome Sustainable Food Project

Working with food and learning to present it inspired me to photograph our ingredients and creations. These are a few I think really exemplify the beauty of the food we cooked and our process. My photos of soups and ingredients appear in Chef Mona Talbott’s book, Zuppe.

Photo

Thanksgiving with the RSFP

What it’s like in the kitchen

who	Rome Sustainable Food Project
what	17-minute documentary about the week-long preparation of a Thanksgiving dinner for 100+ people.
when	11.2010 – 12.2010
where	Rome, Italy
why	One of the most important meals of the year for the American Academy in Rome is Thanksgiving. Residents are away from the United States for a year and miss many of the holidays. The RSFP makes sure they don’t miss Thanksgiving. It takes about a week to prepare everything and serve a full Thanksgiving feast to 120 hungry Americans. While documenting, I also worked regular shifts but always had a camera in my pocket. I edited the short in Rome using Final Cut Pro.

Video

Gabri-A-Day

Social Photo Site

who	davidbordow.com/gabri
what	a socially enabled photo fan site
when	11.2010 – 6.2011
where	Rome, Italy
why	While working with the Rome Sustainable Food Project, I launched an online, social photo project to showcase a photo a day of our extremely photogenic and amicable bartender, Gabri.
photos	I photographed Gabri myself and posted the photos (top row and right) but also set up the site so that anyone from the community could upload their own photos or drawings of him (bottom row) with captions.

Website Design

boxedLA

Healthy Lunch Catering

who	boxedLA
what	healthy comfort food catering and lunch deliver service
when	02.2010 – 09.2010
where	Los Angeles
why	I co-founded boxedLA to supply West LA’s food deserts with healthy, fresh lunches.
result	By the time that I left the business to begin my internship in Rome we were receiving sufficient orders to sustain costs and become profitable. Launching my own business was an extrememly valuable experience and it allowed me to see all sides of the food service industry from procurment to presentation.

Business Development

Milennial Generation

Research Supporting Mobile

who	Hewlett-Packard Innovation Program Office
what	research to support Personal Systems Group’s always connected initiative
when	06.2008 – 09.2008
where	Cupertino, CA
why	I conducted research among select 18 to 25-year-olds to discern how that generation used and felt about mobility and mobile devices.
process	Develop a research method that would lead to meaningful data and conlusions. Interview a select group of 18 to 25-year-olds about mobile use. Evaluate responses and identify trends. Present data to managers and co-workers for collaborative review. Write follow up questions for follow-up interviews. Compile a final report and make recommendatios based on trends for future product direction, features and mobile applications. Present my observations and recommendations to the Innovation Program Office and suggest integration with current and future products.
opportunities	Make Availability a Choice – Let us choose when we can be contacted, how we can be contacted, and by whom. There is a low enough price. Cached Content Allows Perceived Efficiency – A mobile device that intelligently caches typically viewed content would eliminate wasted time in areas with no service. A Laptop in the Palm of your Hand – A “light” version of a laptop with similar functionality and connectivity in the form of a small mobile device has the potential to replace the laptop. Organized Separation – Organizing everything into easily navigable categories reduces time spent searching and condenses information for easy perusal.

Research

Last Minute Card Kit

Assorted Boxed Cards for Any Occasion

who	Palm Press
what	product line appealing to college age, busy students
when	05.2007 – 09.2008
where	Berkeley CA
why	With Palm Press, I identified the need for a multi-purpose box of cards that would contain greeting cards for various occasions and marketed to college students and young adults.
process	Our original product name was My Emergency Card Kit. The original banner and logo are above.
	We felt Last Minute Card Kit fit the product better. Our first 4 kits included a Kit for Him, a Kit for Her, a Kooky Kit and a Politikit. I designed simple logos for each and built a site to show them: www.lastminuteardkit.com.
	We scrapped the Politikit because it was too dated and biased.
	Cards included in the kits were chosen after polling my college age peers to see which cards they would want to send and receive. A selection of cards from the current Humor kit is shown below.
result	The line now featuers 10 kits, all of which are sold on the palmpressinc.com website in boxed assorted cards. The kits sell well and are a direct source of full-priced revenues. One of the Birthday Boxed Assortments is shown to the right.

Business Development

A Time For Burning

Editing and Audio Commentary

who	Quest Productions
what	Documentary and Academy Award Nominated Film
when	06.2005 – 09.2005
where	Berkeley, CA
why	While working with Bill Jersey of Quest Productions (producers of the 2011 Charles and Ray Eames documentary, Eames) I recorded, edited and added an audio commentary track to the upcoming DVD re-release of the documentary. Additionally, I compiled 7 hours of recent interview footage and edited it into a twenty minute short entitled, Update: Ernie Chambers 40 Years Later, that is included in the DVD’s special features.

Video

Improved Information at Rail Grade Crossings

Why do cars get hit by trains

who	UC Berkeley Vision Science Laboratory
what	research funded by the Transportation Research Board and Caltrans
when	Published July, 2004
where	Berkeley, CA
why	Along with other engineers in the lab, we conducted research to study how accidents occur between trains and cars at rail grade crossings.
process	Define Objective: reduce accidents between trains and cars by studying train crossing signaling at gateless grade crossings. Devise research method leading to usable and meaningful data. Install cameras and recording system on Amtrac Trains to monitor near-miss collisions. Monitor data transfer from train to on-site data storage unit to confirm successful video recording. Collaborate with computer science grad students to create software to automatically detect near-miss activity in video recordings. Error check software to ensure it is correctly identifying presence or absence of activity. Compile report on success of research method and present results to Caltrans and Transportation Research Board.
about	The UCB Vision Science Laboratory studies how drivers and pedestrians react to various types of signaling and lighting technologies including trafic lights, signage and caution indicators.

Research