Tiny Iron Fists

Hello Kitty in Space

Michelle shared this "Hello Kitty In Space" video with me knowing our family would enjoy the video tremendously (we did). While it's near identical to last year's "A Toy Train In Space" video, it's just as fascinating to see an every day object in near space propelled by a child's imagination and doing.

Lauren Rojas, a 13-year-old Californian sent Hello Kitty up into the atmosphere to test the effects of altitude on air pressure and temperature for her school's science fair. More about the video:

Cornerstone Christian school 7th grade science project.
The effects of Altitude on air pressure and temperature.
Cameras: GoPro Hero2 video footage.
Edited By: Eddie Lacayo elacayo212@gmail.com
Flight gear: High Altitude Science.
Flight computer / Data acquisition: High Altitude Science.
Tree Climber: Woodpecker Arborist.

Reach for the Stars! Thank You, Astronaut Olivas!

Look what Lulu got!

I'm incredibly excited that Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, a real live spacewalker, took the time to write a few inspirational words for my little Princess Scientist!

Dr. Olivas is a retired American astronaut who spent 27 days, 17 hours, and 5 minutes in space. He was selected by NASA in 1998 and served on two  missions. On spaceflight STS-117, the 118th Shuttle mission, Dr. Olivas accumulated 14 hours and 13 minutes of extra-vehicular activity experience (the first on-orbit EVA repair to Space Shuttle Atlantis). On spaceflight STS-128, the 128th Shuttle mission, Astronaut Olivas accumulated 20 hours and 15 mins of EVA experience. The mission included three spacewalks!

Dr. Olivas also gave Lulu a patch and sticker; insignias for his two missions!

These incredible gifts would not have been possible without the help of Lulu's tatie Monica, who listened to us everytime we talked about space and astronauts. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, Monica!!!!

NASA's Curiosity and the Princess Scientist

Lulu is very interested in space. She calls herself a Princess Scientist and loves to talk about other planets and outerspace. I let her stay up way past her bedtime to watch NASA's Curiosity rover land on Mars. She saw people who were excited by science and although she didn't quite understand what was going on, she was thrilled to watch.

Lulu's generation may be the first to visit Mars. What an exciting day for our planet!

Lulu: They will find aliens?
Me: Maybe.
Lulu: To eat me?!
Me: I don't think so.
Lulu: Maybe they will play!

Hands On The Future

We met up with Carlyn of Crash Space, Tod of ThingM, and Jean and Shawn of NOTCOT today and this little prototype ended up in Lulu's hand. After we all received a turn with the not-yet-manufactured gadget, Lulu got a chance at figuring out what it was. Not sure what to make of it, she did what we did -- she turned it around, shook it a little, and tapped on it. I can't say yet what this object's going to be, but I do hope it gets produced so the rest of you can check out how cool it is! As you can see on Lulu's face, it's mesmerizing!

London's iPhone... Guess the Icons

I think this is a great representation of an iPhone on paper. It's interesting what icons a four year old can remember... from Andy Baio:

My 4-year-old nephew likes to draw iPhones from memory -- entire notebooks full of them. See if you can guess the icons before hovering over them.

The drawing's key can be found on Andy's Flickr photo.

Video: LEGO NXTified Friends Robolab (3933)

Anika Vuurzoon of the Netherlands has published a video with encouraging words for those interested in roboticizing their LEGO:

Do you want to have your own Robolab with moving Robots? Then watch my NXTified Friends Robolab. A great combination of Mindstorms and the Friends Olivia's invention workshop set.

Interested to learn more about the Vuurzoon family? Check out their LEGO enthusiast page here. I'll be following Anika and her future work closely. What an inspiration to us all!

Play-experiment with your child today: LEGO Friends Olivia's Inventor's Workshop 3933

[Hat tip to Geek Dad]

Thomas Suarez: iPhone Application Developer

I love that everyone surrounding Thomas Suarez, a smart young man, encouraged him to learn and create. It takes a tribe of believers to turn dreamers into doers. Bravo to Thomas' whole community!

More from TEDxMB:

Thomas Suarez is a 6th grade student at a middle school in the South Bay of Los Angeles. When Apple released the Software Development Kit (SDK), he began to create and sell his own applications. "My parents, my friends and even the people at the Apple store all supported me," he says, "and Steve Jobs inspired me". Thomas points out that it's hard to learn how to make an app. "For soccer you could go to a soccer team ... but what if you want to make an app?" He's started a club for fellow students at school, where he shares his knowledge of programming. Thomas articulates his vision that students are a valuable new technology resource to teachers, and should be empowered to offer assistance in developing the technology curriculum and also assist in delivering the lessons.

Thomas has been fascinated by computers and technology since before kindergarten. Recently, he's been focused on the development of applications for the iPhone, and has established his own company, CarrotCorp http://www.carrotcorp.com/. His most successful application is one he terms "an anti-Justin-Bieber game" called "Bustin Jieber". "It's is a variation on the Whac-a-Mole theme," he explains. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bustin-jieber/id404956571?mt=8

More information about TEDxManhattanBeach can be found at http://tedxmanhattanbeach.com/. Follow us on Twitter @TEDxMB

(Science) Fair Ladies!

"First-Place Sweep by American Girls at First Google Science Fair" Wow, did that New York Times headline catch my eye! Immediately after reading the inspiring article, I congratulated the girls on their achievements aloud... in my home office.

Why? Because:

1.    I’m a woman with a science degree.

2.    I have worked in the tech-industry and am often mistaken for the assistant in the many male-dominated meetings I’ve attended.

3.    And, I have a two-year-old daughter.

So when I see headlines like this, I celebrate them.

When asked about the girls dominating all three categories, the 17-year-old first place winner, Shree Bose stated, "Personally I think that’s amazing, because throughout my entire life, I’ve heard science is a field where men go into... It just starts to show you that women are stepping up in science, and I’m excited that I was able to represent maybe just a little bit of that."

And while I think it's awesome that it was an all-girl sweep for the top three spots, it's a bummer that in 2011, young smart girls still make these kinds of statements.

With over 10,000 students from 91 countries entering the Google Science Fair, Bose’s winning cancer cell research won her props, future college funds, a trip to the Galapagos Islands and a visit to CERN (I've been and it’s amazing) in Switzerland.

Girl power is the expected battle cry for all women in the field upon reading something so exciting, but the truth is, I'm really rooting for full-potential-power for all children across gender, race, socio-economic divisions, and much more.

The article’s take-away for me was Google's chief Internet evangelist and judge, Vint Cerf’s observation that, "a common thread among the finalists was that they had explored science enthusiastically for years with the encouragement of their parents."

I hope all the trips to the ocean and beach and community garden are helping Lulu enjoy the life sciences, naturally. In the meantime, hell, fucking yeah, I’m proud of our winning Science Fair ladies!

Unplggd's Behind The Blog: Souris Hong-Porretta of Hustler of Culture

If you ever wondered where I worked in my boxer shorts, here you go. Hustler of Culture is my other (more well known blog about art and culture). [Thanks to Gregory and the Apartment Therapy crew for the love!]

Der Kleine Maulwurf Und Die Schwalbe

With Lulu nearly turning two years old, I'm researching short programming for her to watch in the near future (an in-depth post about Lulu's restricted moving-media consumption coming soon). At this time, we are a screentime-conservative family and don't allow her to watch television or play with smartphones or handheld game consoles (FYI, this is not unusual for parents like us, who work in media). We have however, just started letting her watch a video clip here or there on YouTube... so far a few Sesame Street classics.

During an online conversation with parents, my friend Stephanie who lives in Germany suggested the cartoon above, Der Kleine Maulwurf, with the following description, "It's very old school and out from behind the old iron curtain (Czech) but at that age L always loved der kleine Maulwurf (the Little Mole). There is almost no language and each one is 5-7 min long."

I clicked on the link to the Little Mole example she gave and instantly fell in love with the content. The character is adorable, the music is something I could listen to a thousand times over and the story is simple and sweet.

I've already done an Amazon and "German books and DVDs for children" search and called the German delis in town looking to see if I could find books and movies for Little Mole. So far, no luck. But I'll keep trying and of course, will reach out to our German family and friends for help if I can't do it on my own. Anyone stateside know where Little Mole media can be purchased?

Can You Hear Me Now?!

Freeze frame! I took this photo of RAD and Lulu knowing that in 16 years I'll take another photo that may look near identical. I mean, surely the devices will change and they'll be teenagers but I'm certain they'll still be yammering away on some device of some sort then. I'm saving this one for the memory bank.

Outfit: Lulu wears Litte Marc Jacobs tee, The Children's Place knit denim leggings, and Matoki girl's shoes.

Fun And Games

I know this video is old (in internet-time), but it reminded me of how there are some really ingenious ideas floating around out there to motivate people to move a bit more. Having spent nearly two years creating and analyzing health and fitness initiatives for America's youth (for a $4 billion health company), I'm wondering why creative ideas like this, aren't implemented all over the world?

I applaud Volkswagen, an automobile company, for supporting a program "dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better." For big smiles, check out The Fun Theory for more inspirational ways to make positive change, fun! 

Once Upon A Time... The Technology Of The Past.

About 15 years ago, a young cousin ran into our room and described how he had seen a television where you had to get up and turn a knob to turn the channel. He was freaking out describing the old monster. And I felt old. Then.

Watching the video above, I feel ancient. And why shouldn't I? At 39, nearly 40, when I was the age of the kids in the video, I thought 40 was old!

Technology moves fast, however coupled with being a new parent, everything now seems to move at warp speed! With a husband who works in video games, a career in new media, and a community rooted in technology across all formats, it's going to be funny to see what Lulu thinks of our relics in  the years to come (as of course, everything tech will probably be implanted on her person in the future)!

I want to do this experiment with all the kids I know today. It would be great to show them copies of Star Wars on Betamax, VHS, Super VHS, and Laserdisc too (we have them all, somewhere)! Anyone local want to help me update this experiment?!

Want: Panasonic DMC-GF1

When I see other friend's photos of Lulu, I get camera envy. How are they getting such incredible shots of my little girl?! And how the hell did my pal Craig shoot this photo with such a tiny camera?! I thought you needed an SLR to capture this kind of image! Ooh, I want it! So now of course, I'm online researching Craig's camera, the Panasonic DMC-GF1. His review of the mighty little point-and-shoot is informative, in depth, and easy to understand. 

Having cycled through three Canon S70s over the past five years, they have all seen better days. Each has been rehabilitated at least twice, and the technology's moved far enough forward that it's time for me to upgrade the hardware. Before I pull the trigger, anyone else have a fairly new camera that can take the abuse of me shooting approximately 15,000 photos a year (I turn on and off the camera a lot too)? More importantly, it's got to be a solid and sturdy camera. It must also be able to withstand being tossed around in a bag at all times.

I keep saying that I'll buy a better camera before the years fly by and it's too late but as with all new tech, I'm so slow to pull the trigger. Help me make a decision!

Outfit: Old Navy long-sleeved shirt.

The Future

I often think about this slide Matt Cottam shot last November at the Nordic Service Design Conference. I pray I give Lulu a fair chance at childhood. Now where in the world are we going to find her friends who are allowed to roam the streets with her?!

Hello!

Welcome to Tiny Iron Fists. My name is Souris. I love my family, food, art, travel, technology, and community. Prior to this little corner of the internet, I was Vice President of Interactive Media for an LA-based strategic consulting agency. I've been blogging about art and culture at Hustler of Culture since 2003. 

Tiny Iron Fists is a journal about life with our first benevolent dictator, Lulu. It's meant to be a resource for pregnant friends and (new) parents. I hope you'll enjoy the tips, interviews, anecdotes, and product reviews I write about. 

My posse nicknamed me "Tiny Iron Fists" because I once ruled our scene. Then I had a kid and now someone tinier than me, rules my world! How about that?! 

Thanks for dropping by, I can also be found on Twitter. Feel free to email me at tinyironfists [at] gmail.com. 

Lastly, I know you are probably wondering, who made my ridiculously cute banner? Why, my good, funny, and single friend, Slabco Steve did! You can find him online here, here, and here.