Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Object: Bicycle

Why Bicycles are good:

- They make walking laughable!

- They make my life so much easier.

- Bikes are beautiful

- Learning to ride a bike is a stage in EVERYONES life.

- They can adapt to the environment

- Traffic jams are a doss

- They ALL have names.

- There is a range of styles from BMX's to mountain bikes

- Some of them can fold up to fit under you arm

- You can take them on trains

-It saves me so much time getting anywhere I would usually by foot

- They last ages

- There are so many attachments for bikes

- Gears save your legs going up a hill, gear 1 all the way

- They help me get fit, without realising it

- The more you pedal, the faster you go!

- If you have a pink one, as a kid, you are suddenly 'cool'.

- You don't need a licence to ride one

- There's no speed limit!

- You don't have to stick to a path or road, off road is the way forward

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Facts about Bicycles:

- Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and now number about one billion worldwide, twice as many as automobiles

- They are the principal means of transportation in many regions

- They also provide a popular form of recreation, and have been adapted for such uses as children's toys, adult fitness, military and police applications, courier services andbicycle racing.

- Theres several world wide known races dedicated to them.

- They are used to compete in the olympics

- The first mechanically-propelled 2-wheel vehicle was built by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, in 1839.

- They can be used for work

- They can be used for recreational purposes

- Bicycles can be categorized in different ways: e.g. by function, by number of riders, by general construction, by gearing or by means of propulsion.

- The more common types include utility bicycles, mountain bicycles, racing bicycles, touring bicycles, hybrid bicycles, cruiser bicycles, and BMX Bikes.

- Less common are tandems, lowriders, tall bikes, fixed gear, folding models, amphibious bicycles and recumbents.

- Unicycles, tricycles and quadracycles are not strictly bicycles, as they have respectively one, three and four wheels, but are often referred to informally as "bikes".

- A bicycle stays upright while moving forward by being steered so as to keep its center of gravity over the wheels.

- A human traveling on a bicycle at low to medium speeds of around 10–15 mph (15–25 km/h) uses only the energy required to walk.

- Different gears and ranges of gears are appropriate for different people and styles of cycling.

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Opinions about Bicycles:

- Francies Willard: "I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum."

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Words associated with bicycles:

- Ride
-Bike
- Pedals
- Crank
- Gears
- Helmet
- Frame
- Tyres
- Speed
-Racing
- Track
- Olympics
- D lock
- Spokes

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Images of Bicycles:

A modern, vintage looking bike. With all the necessities to hold baggage.

A tandem, for two riders.

A universal image used on road signs, safety signs etc

Further development from the Penny Farthing, becoming more like todays bike design

Penny Farthing

Electric Bike

Mountain Bike

Folding Bike

The essential Safety equipment is needed when on the roads

The police use bikes too!

The GB team in the latest olympics

Object: buttons

Reason's why I think buttons are good.

- There is a vast array of shapes and sizes

- They can make any outfit

- Super practical, I hate velcro.

- Very easy to replace if lost

- Cardigans wouldn't be the same without them

- It almost feels like you've found a pound when you find one under the sofa

- So useful!

-They can be collected, and make a fine collection at that!

- Can be use in arts and crafts

- Can be used for decoration on clothing rather than practicality

- They never break

- Some can be eaten; chocolate buttons

- They make a nice sound when they hit the floor

- Some can be animal shaped, these are called my favourites.

- Belly buttons!

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Facts about Buttons:

- Buttons are a small fastener in clothing

- They are most likely to be made of plastic

- They can be made from a vast array of materials, including shell

- Buttons made from seashell were used in the Indus Valley Civilization for ornamental purposes by 2000 BCE

- Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.

- Buttons can be individually crafted by artisans, craftspeople or artists from raw materials or found objects (for example fossils), or a combination of both.

- Nowadays, hard plastic, seashell and wood are the most common materials used in button-making.

- Covered buttons are fabric-covered forms with a separate back piece that secures the fabric over the knob.

- Mandarin buttons or Frogs are knobs made of intricately knotted strings. Mandarin buttons are a key element in Mandarin dress (Qi Pao and cheongsam in Chinese), where they are closed with loops. Pairs of mandarin buttons worn as cuff linksare called silk knots.

-Worked or cloth buttons are created by embroidering or crocheting tight stitches (usually with linen thread) over a knob or ring called a form.

- Between about 1840 and 1916, clothing buttons were used in American political campaigns, and still exist in collections today.

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Opinions about buttons

- Ian McNeil (1990) holds that: "The button, in fact, was originally used more as an ornament than as a fastening, the earliest known being found at Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley. It is made of a curved shell and about 5000 years old."

On yahoo answers:

"How many buttons are you supposed to do up on a polo shirt?"

Answers:
- " it depends how high your buttons go up. i usually button up 2 buttons but if that looks too high, then one is ok too. i think all buttoned up looks funny so stick to 1 or 2 "
- " I think 1 is casual, 2 is a little less casual, 3 looks weird and nerdy."

On yahoo answers:
- " Anyone know where I can buy cute buttons that you pin on stuff? Not custom buttons, but ones with cute sayings and stuff. "
Answers:
- " A lot of "kitschy" and cute shops have them, and I even saw some in Wal Mart and Target. Craft Stores have them and Fabric Stores have them. You can also buy the empty ones and then print off your own messages and make your own!!! Good luck!! "
- " check at michaels.com "

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Images of buttons: