Week 4 [27.10-2.11.2014] Penthouse

PENTHOUSE - architecture/design

I think that interior design has been changing a lot.

The latest trends, materials, technologies and devices are now more and more accessible in Poland.

Designers have more possibilities to create something extraordinary. 

At the beginning of the 90s  it was too expensive for ordinary people; only the richest could afford it.  

Nowadays many people want  to use space in their apartments in the best possible ; that’s why they are going to an architect to take advice.

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This is one of the most amazing apartments I have ever seen, wouldn't you agree? Although I'm not quite sure if these are real photos or a fantastic 3D render... But who cares when it looks this good? The apartment is real enough anyway, with its soaring windows and open sea views.

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I like the radiator covers painted in matte gray, at the same time hiding the ugly standard radiators and adding character to the rooms. The house was built in 1912, so they fit very well with its original style. This unique 159 sqm penthouse was designed by Koncept Stockholm.

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See more here.

Still, we are far from Western Europe where the use of  interior designer services is common. Among clients are young people who have achieved professional success. A well-designed interior is the confirmation of their social status.

Unfortunately, the Polish reality lacks that sort of relationship: between a client / investor and an interior designer.

What do you think about this penthouse? Do you like this design? 

Do you have your favorite apartment? Present its photos please.

Maybe you would like to show your apartment/room or flat.

Week 4 (27 October - 02 November): Children who fulfill their parents’ dreams

 Children who fulfill their parents’ dreams

Not long time ago, on the 6th of May, Sia had premiered a music video for her song called Chandelier. The whole world spoke about talented Maddie Ziegler. Of course combined with such an amazing young and skilled dancer  as well as such a strong voice, the video was nominated to the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards for the 'Video of the Year' and the 'Best Choreography' awards. Everyone was asking about Maddie and her dance skills but was it her decision or she was just fulfilling her mother’s dreams?

Dance Moms

All of those kids started their dance journey early in their life at the age of 5 or 6. They spend most of their time at the dance studio. They were trained by Abby Lee a cofounder of the studio. It is not an easy job. Most of the hours they spend stretching and doing exercises. In fact some of the moms need to quit their job to spend  more time with their kids in the studio. The life of a little dancer is full of rejection. Maddie’s parents are divorced, allegedly because dance got in the way of their marriage. Holly previously had worked as a school principal. When she completed her doctorate in education she left her job to support her daughter at dance. It is not only a hard decision for the moms but for the kids too. Some of the moms decided to have their children homeschooled so that they can have  more time for dance. The most pressure put on those children started with the show “ Dance Moms “ which focused the most   not on the dance, but mothers’ drama. With this TV show a lot of questions were raised about the dreams of the kids. Is this what they really wanted to do or it was their crazy moms’ idea.

Everyone is replaceable

The most shocking thing in this show was how they treat children. They have a lot of pressure to cope with because the main trainer tells them without hesitation that they can be replaced at any time. Of course  she also said  good things but the worst thing is what she thinks of them . The main trainer invented a pyramid system where the best dancer is always at the top and the worst at the bottom. Of course only one of her favorite dancers is at the top and the others are always criticized. In 2014 two of the dancers abandoned the show because their mom fought with the trainer and because of bad psychical condition of her children.

This is not the only show

In fact there are more TV shows about kids who want to fulfill their parents’ dreams. The next one of the most controversial show is  “Toddlers & Tiaras “. In this show mothers prepare their little kids for beauty contests around the States. Of course they want their child to win to satisfy their unfilled dreams.  Most of children do that to please their parents and others to get the title of the most beautiful girl in the world and win the prize. Only a few do that just for fun. Most of the parents treats this pageant competition as a part of their jobs. What happens next when their children grow up ? Really hard to say about them but some of them continue a pageant journey with their own children.

Question:

1. What do you think about kids on TV?
2. Are there similar competitions in Poland?

Sources:

http://nymag.com/thecut/2012/11/child-pageant-star.html

http://www.backstage.com/news/real-dance-moms-respond-to-dance-moms-controversy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sue-scheff/grownup-bullying-and-mons_b_5060283.html

Week 4 (27 October - 02 November): Video games: future of sports ?

Video games: future of sports ?

More and more young people are interested in the industry of video  games and they want to be very famous. They want to be idolized by millions of teenagers and be the best in the world at their favorite video game.  All of them are fighting at the arena in a virtual world to win an exclusive price which can be even millions of dollars. Can e-sport replace physical sports?

How did it start ?

The history of e-sport started in 1997 when was the first professional tournament  -  Red Annihilation. In the contest 2000 players competed with each other and the price was Ferrari 328 GTS gifted by the creator of the tournament game John Carmack. The best players were invited to E3 for the finals. 

A few weeks later it turned into being the first e-sport league - CPL –The Cyberathlete Professional League. At the beginning the main price was 15 000 $. The CPL focused on games such as arcade or sports. All these games focused on superhuman reflexes. When Starcraft arrived at the virtual stage it was a breakthrough for its times. It was the first game which dominates the e-sport arena up to this day. In 2000 one of the next biggest leagues in the world was founded   - ESL – Electronic Sports League. The biggest one because people from 30 countries in the world had their own big event and finals. One of the biggest events was held in Poland in 2013 in Katowice. It was one of the most exacting tournaments in the history of video games. Besides ESL there are other events like e-sport league WCG – World Cyber Games. The first final was held in Korea with the cooperation of Samsung Company. More and more players are taking part in such events. In 2008 to Germany came about 800 gamers from around the world to compete  with each other, to win prices and the title of the best player.

Hard way to be pro

E-sport is not as easy as we think. It is full commitment at the price of one’s private life .
A professional player spends most of his free time playing one games with a special trainer and far away from home at the team’s house, 3 to 5 hours per day with teammates but it can be even more when it comes to training before the finals. . And don’t forget pro gamers need to give a lot of attention to their fans. It is very important to have a good relationship with your fans because pro gamers often earn additional money from streaming. Speaking of devoting time, we need to focus on the health aspect of playing games. Even a little hand injury can dramatically change the pro players career. In addition spending a lot of time in front of computer and eating fast food can bring us problems with obesity. 

Future of the video games sport

E-sport becomes more and more popular. Some stations on Polish TV decided to show some of the most popular finals. Even in China and Korea people try to introduce a new subject in schools called “e-sport”. Moreover today  people want to learn in schools how to play e-sport games. However, can virtual sports replace traditional ones? 

Biography: 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/10132883/Video-games-the-sport-of-the-future.html

http://polygamia.pl/Polygamia/1,114468,9670204,e_sport__Jak_zostac_zawodowym_graczem_.html?bo=1

http://www.gosugamers.net/starcraft2/news/2843-the-future-of-e-sport.html

Week 3 (20-26 October): HOW TO LIVE PASSIONATELY – NO MATTER YOUR AGE

I would like you to read/watch  the presentation HOW TO LIVE PASSIONATELY – NO MATTER YOUR AGE published at  http://konwersatorium1-ms-pjwstk.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-to-live-passionately-no-matter-your.html and comment on/discuss  it here.

Week 3 (20-26 October): THE HUMAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

I would like you to read/watch  the presentation THE HUMAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE published at  http://konwersatorium1-ms-pjwstk.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-human-artificial-intelligence_22.html and comment on/discuss  it here.