Orange & Blue magazine - The Technology Issue - Fall 2015

OB &

FALL 2015 ISSUE

NAIL POLISH That Could Save Your Life

OUR TOP APPS

CUSTOMER SERVICE

FINDING LOVE

To Streamline Is Technology One Swipe Your Life Phasing It Out? At A Time

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BOOKS WORTH UNPLUGGING FOR RIGHT NOW

& OB

Orange & Blue Magazine

The Technology Issue Fall 2015 STAFF Editor-in-Chief Christina Hunt

Art Director and Photo Editor Robin Andrews Senior Editors Bryan Faux Shayna Tanen Social Media Manager Lawrence Laguna Blog Editor Scott St. Lifer Adviser Nicole Irving

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR & PHOTO EDITOR

Technology is anything that helps better the quality of life or increases efficiency. In the 21st century, technology influences every aspect of our lives—from the pots and pans we cook with to how we meet the man or woman of our dreams.

Within these pages you will find everything from advancements born and bred in Gainesville to those that impact the entire world.

SENIOR EDITORS

Despite our frequent and ironic hiccups with technology (mostly Google Drive eating our stories), this tiny staff of six pulled together 24 stories in just 12 short weeks that show the extent to which advancements of all kinds are influencing our lives.

Next time you get your food truck fix at Off The GriDdle, send your 5-year-old to school with an iPad or answer a text message from your watch, I encourage you to take a step back and marvel at all of the opportunities that technology makes possible.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

BLOG EDITOR

THANK YOU to our wonderful adviser Nicole Irving, Ted Spiker, Diane McFarlin, Spiro Kiousis, Helga Williams, Matt Sheehan, Hal Herman, Mike Foley, Rob Witzel, Miguel Maya, Catherine Goodwin and Zayne Stephens, our cover cutie.

Orange & Blue is published semiannually by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications students enrolled in Applied Magazines. This issue was printed by Trend Offset Printing. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without written permission.

Christina Hunt Editor-in-Chief

ADVISER

Orange & Blue is protected through trademark registration in the United States. Send letters to Box 118400 College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

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31

22

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Culture

FASHION THEATER ART WATCHES ETSY BOOKS MUSIC

Food

COOKING AQUAPONICS TECH RECIPES ORDERING ONLINE

Communication GENERATION GAP KIDS & TECH EDUCATION

RELATIONSHIPS

Innovation

APPS NAIL POLISH 3-D PRINTING FRACTURE SOLAR CARS

Health

HELMETS FITNESS CYBERKNIFE

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6 10 11 14 15 20 22 28 30 31 34 38 39 40 42 46 48 49 50 52 54 58 60 61

CULTURE

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10 6 OFF THE RUNWAY AND ONLINE Robin Andrews

PROJECTING A NEW ERA OF THEATRICAL MAGIC Bryan Faux

14 11 TECHNOLOGY CREATES ENDLESS ARTISTIC AVENUES Shayna Tanen

WATCHES: TIMELESS TECHNOLOGY Scott St. Lifer

15 ETSY: TECHNOLOGY ENABLES GLOBAL BUSINESS ON A HANDCRAFTED SCALE Robin Andrews

UNPLUG AND GET BETWEEN THE COVERS Christina Hunt

22 PART NATIVE: GAINESVILLE DUO ASPIRES TO BE THE NEXT EDM CHARTTOPPERS Lawrence Laguna

OFF THE RUNWAY AND ONLINE Story and photos by Robin Andrews Fashion by Baylor Cherry Trends tread the globe and spread in a matter of moments.

As fall fashion shows set the stage for spring and summer’s hottest styles, four fashion capitals of the world sent their best looks onto the runway in September and October.

With authority, Paris, New York, London and Milan exposed the world to what tomorrow’s closets should hold. And social media ensured that the entire fashion world would have access to what will soon be “in.”

PARIS

When: Sept. 29 - Oct. 6 Where: Approx. 4,500 miles from Gainesville Trends: Bringing back the 90s with big sleeves and hard pleats, followed by a bit of rocker chic, a lot of white, and Hawaiian print with bows Dress: TJ Maxx Model: Brandi Travis

NEW YORK

When: Sept. 10-17 Where: Approx.

900 miles from Gainesville Trends: Pajama-style pieces with vertical stripes, fringed hems, and blue hues with ruffles on a reworked classic Top: Forever 21 Skirt: Marshalls Model: Baylor Cherry

Technology mobilizes every moment so that it stays isolated for seconds, and a model’s first strut can globalize a style instantly.

That’s why we’ve pulled together a spread to illustrate how looks inspired by fashion’s top cities can be found in Gainesville—from fashion weeks posted online to social media content informing the local fashionista, the digital world has a front-row seat.

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LONDON Approx. 4,300 miles from Gainesville When: Sept. 18-22 Old-school, bold-print knits, netting, chokers and waist ties complement contrasting, chunky patterns.

MILAN Approx. 4,900 miles from Gainesville When: Sept. 23-29 Ruffles and silk lend an ultra feminine vibe with a lot of moss green, embellishments, broad stripes and less contrast in black and white pieces.

Dress: Blue Spero // Jumpsuit: Forever 21

Shorts: Target // Top: Free People Pants: Love Tree // Top: PacSun

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PROJECTING A NEW ERA OF THEATRICAL MAGIC Story and photo by Bryan Faux

Dan Christophy sits at a table covered in hand-drawn blueprints. He stops every few minutes to rethink some measurements before resuming his work. These blueprints are plans for one of the most ambitious sets Christophy will ever build.

In late September, pre-production was underway for the run of “Mary Poppins” at the Gainesville Community Playhouse (GCP).

Christophy is the technical director for the theater, one of only two paid positions in the volunteer organization.

Christophy, who has held the technical director position for a year, is responsible for all technical aspects of the theater, including setting up sound, positioning lights and constructing sets.

His principle responsibility is to ensure that the designer’s vision is brought to life on stage. Sometimes, as is the case with “Mary Poppins,” Christophy is that designer.

In the summer of 2015, GCP acquired a brand new short throw projector. The new technology cost roughly $8,000 with installation. Christophy believes this upgrade will be invaluable to the theater’s future.

Before GCP purchased the projectors, walls were built and painted to serve as backdrops and to signify different settings. The projector allows the

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theater to spend less money on materials for large physical sets, Christophy said.

Instead, projections are used alongside smaller set pieces. The projector can display vibrant, colorful scenic backdrops designed by an artist, allowing for instant scene changes.

Christophy has seen many advances in technology during the 15 years he has volunteered at GCP. In 2006, the organization opened doors to a new $2 million facility, which houses a fly system. Fly systems allow scenery to “fly” onstage and offstage using a pulley system. Many community theaters don’t have the luxury of a fly system, Christophy said.

The new facility has allowed the theater to tackle more ambitious and technically advanced shows over the past decade.

In addition to the new facility, fly system and projector, the theater has invested in better microphones and a sound system, something the original GCP didn’t have. Christophy said this is a huge benefit to the audience who can see and hear inside the theater better than ever.

"Every audience member has the opportunity to enjoy the show the

same,” he said. “They can all have the same experience."

Christophy hopes future directors and designers will learn to utilize the new technology, but if they prefer an oldfashioned approach, he has no problem with it.

Despite its name, The Primitive Studio is experimenting with adding newer technology to live theater productions.

Technology Creates Endless Artistic Avenues Story by Shayna Tanen Photos by Robin Andrews

University of Florida student Sam Richardson wanted his own space to create fresh theater, so he started The Primitive Studio. It is a multimedia production facility and performance space located in downtown Gainesville.

The space—surrounded by white walls —is small, intimate and the perfect blank canvas to create a world meant to transport audiences somewhere different.

A bad audition experience prompted Richardson to start something new. He wanted to build a working environment that is open and welcoming with The Primitive Studio, he said.

For the theater’s inaugural production, Richardson incorporated projections into Eugene O’ Neill’s “The Hairy Ape,” a classic play written long before projections in lieu of scenery became the norm.

While he believes good acting performances are imperative to a show’s success, he is not against experimenting with technology in live theater.

Richardson said The Primitive Studio adopted a technique called projection mapping, where high-resolution images can be put into a program and manipulated or animated to achieve something unexpected.

In “The Hairy Ape,” Richardson used projection mapping to create expressionistic sequences that fit the world of the play. To use Richardson’s example, they could “Picasso” an actor’s face or place an ape face on an actor using this technology.

H

er mother bought her a computer for Christmas when she was about 14.

Adreenah Wynn cried.

Access to a laptop in a low-income area was something to be cherished. It also meant Wynn could paint whenever she wanted.

As ambitious as some of his ideas are, Richardson concedes that the technology is not applicable to every show. Some shows should remain pure.

Wynn was born with Sickle Cell Disease. Her red blood cells are shaped like sickles, causing them to become stuck in her joints and cause intense pain. She spent her childhood in and out of the hospital. Wynn knew she was sick with something, but she didn’t know what was really wrong with her.

"If someone is going to put on, you know, the grittiest, most true 'Hamlet' you’ve ever seen, obviously we’re not thinking projections,” he said.

As she grew older, she began to understand a few of the physical limitations that her doctors and family repeated to her:

Stay hydrated. Don’t play outside too long. Take care of yourself.

Wynn used art as her emotional outlet.

With a select choice of art supplies in the hospital, computer-generated art granted Wynn more creative options.

She began playing around with Microsoft Paint in the hospital. By high school, she was making designs for her personal Myspace and Neopets pages and was able to get a trial version of Photoshop. Wynn is now a fourth-year student pursuing a double major in Art + Technology and Graphic Design at the University of Florida.

Technology allows artists like Wynn to express themselves, while digital mediums allow them artistic opportunities not possible through conventional mediums.

The Art + Technology program at UF is designed to teach students how to be artists while executing their ideas through new technologies, said Katerie Gladdys, an associate professor of Art + Technology at UF. Students have access to computer labs, many programs and a sound booth, Gladdys said.

Gladys mentioned one lab, which is a professional production studio with high-end video and audio stations, with software like Nuke, MARI, and MODO for 3-D modeling, animation and painting effects. The major offers courses in coding and programming, video editing, animation, electronics, digital cinema and more as part of the Bachelors of Fine Arts program, she said.

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& OB Her students use programs like Final Cut Pro for video editing; Pro Tools for audio projects; MARI for 3-D painting and texturing; MODO for modeling and animation; Dreamweaver for online coding; and more.

CULTURE looking at contemporary issues in today’s world, she said.

“We want our students to be the ones coming up with the ideas, not just executing the ideas,” she said.

“One thing I like about Adreenah’s artwork is it’s not necessarily beautiful, but it’s art that makes us think differently about the world that we live in. About her world."

Gladdys said the major has been around since the late 90s, though under different names until it was dubbed Art + Technology just a few years ago.

“We realize that technology is everywhere,” Gladdys said. “It’s transforming the world that we live in, in terms of social interaction, and how we live, how we perceive ourselves in the environment. And as artists we want to respond to these changes by integrating language and methods of science into art.”

The major is intended to teach students how to hone their ideas into conceptual art. Technology provides a lens for

Art + Technology students are taught to use art to start a dialogue. A lot of art has to do with injustices in the world, or how things can be done differently, Gladdys said.

“One thing I like about Adreenah’s artwork is it’s not necessarily beautiful,” Gladdys said, “but it’s art that makes us think differently about the world that we live in. About her world. About worlds that touch each other.”

Wynn likes to experiment with ideas concerning her identity, which comprises of being African American, female and having Sickle Cell Disease.

A short film she made last year shows Wynn having an intense conversation with herself in the mirror. Someone gave her a backhanded compliment about her hair being pretty—for “a colored girl.” It shows two sides to her—one is level headed; the other is angry and feels culturally attacked.

Neither side knows the answer, and it is up to the audience to decide for itself.

“A lot of times you think you know a person,” Wynn said, “but when you find out where they come from, it’s striking. But it’s beautiful.”

Some of her other works include a 3-D printed “Ourglass” about making sure our limited time is used purposefully; an “I am bLACK” book; and “Don’t You Get Weary,” a video and performance piece about the continuing stand for black civil rights justice.

Wynn is proud of her background and her identity, she said. Out of 55 graduating high school seniors, Wynn was the only black girl, and she was salutatorian. She only took one art class in high school and applied to UF with very little foundational experience, she said.

But she’s made it into her fourth year at UF. Her two most challenging courses

Wynn used paint and a blacklight to create a glowing effect to speak about identity in this video, titled "Blacklight," which is paused on her face. She said she likes to use her art to tell her story. Photo by Shayna Tanen

are Workshop for Art Research and Practice, and 2-D Mixed Media; they are now her favorite, she said.

Wynn said she doesn’t know how long she will live because of Sickle Cell Disease. The average American with Sickle Cell Disease lives about 40 to 60 years, and the severity of the disease varies from person to person, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

This only motivates her to try and try and try. She wants to become a graphic designer and an art therapist with a focus in digital design.

“Even for the future, I’m going to try.

If I fail or not is irrelevant.”

Digital technology creates endless possibilities for artists like Wynn. Just how Wynn started making digital art because Microsoft Paint was more accessible than actual paint, local artist Tim Treadwell began making art on his iPad out of convenience.

At 56, with years of fine arts training and graphic design jobs behind him, Treadwell is turning to his iPad to quickly express his ideas on an app called ArtStudio.

Treadwell graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota in 1987.

It was a traditional drawing and painting program, and he said he

wasn’t really using computers for art at the time.

Unlike Wynn, who experienced art and technology at an early age, Treadwell was introduced to computer-generated graphic design after college.

“Everybody at that time was transitioning to computers, and printers were investing in new technologies,” he said. “It was a huge paradigm shift, and I just so happened to be there in that time.

The computer and my artistic development were kind of evolving at the same time.”

Treadwell moved to Asheville, North Carolina and began making graphic designs for T-shirts. After a few years, he started his own T-shirt company, BirdSong Enterprises. Around 1995 to 1996, Treadwell began creating Web designs.

After more graphics jobs and working for other people, he branched off and ventured into landscape painting.

Treadwell painted pictures about the North Carolina ecosystem and did some galleries. Then he moved to Gainesville with his wife, a professor at UF, and his then 2-year-old son.

Today, Treadwell’s main priority is not art. It is his son, who is now 12 and has Cerebral Palsy. He takes care of his son full-time. When Treadwell

isn’t doing that, he is moving away from painting landscapes on canvas and is painting on his iPad, which can take him anywhere between a few hours to a few days to create.

“It’s a fast medium,” he said. “I can get a lot of detail. It’s portable. It works really well for me.”

Treadwell said he used to carry a sketchbook full of half-baked ideas, but with the 4th generation iPad with retina display, he can create simple paintings quickly and can create multiple versions of them. He uses an app called ArtStudio, where he can be playful with his art and easily switch between colors.

A lot of his landscapes feature tropical beach scenes. Treadwell’s artistic style incorporates bright, fun colors and veers on the tropical side.

He likes monkeys, skulls, water and the sky, among other interests. His art is cheerful. He owns quite a few Hawaiian shirts, he said.

“There are some artists that are very serious, and they have a lot of points they want to make,” Treadwell said.

“I’m not one of them.”

As to what Treadwell will do with his cutting-edge iPad drawings?

For now, he has no plans to sell them.

He makes them for himself and devotes his attention to his family.

A stylus and an iPad are the only tools Treadwell needs to create his works of art.

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Treadwell often uses his 4th-generation iPad to create his art while lounging on his couch at home.

WATCHES: TIMELESS TECHNOLOGY Story and photo by Scott St. Lifer

They come smart, automatic and in quartz, fit on your wrist or in a pocket, and they'll never go out of style.

Smartwatches such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 have a camera for users to express their inner spy.

Smartwatches have risen in popularity because they are more than a traditional time tracker. The watches are able to sync with smartphones and offer an array of applications. Users can identify their heart rates, make phone calls, send text messages and receive notifications.

They also allow wearers to view content when their phones are tucked away in a pocket or not physically with them.

Even with all the additional features on new smartwatches, the new wave of timepieces will not make their oldfashioned counterparts obsolete.

Both Android and iOS users have the capability to connect with a smartwatch.

With the Samsung Gear, Apple Watch or even the Motorola Moto 360, which is compatible with both operating systems, people can remain connected without constantly checking their phone.

Pesso said the traditional watches will never go out of fashion—especially higher-end watches.

Apple launched its first Apple Watch on April 24, 2015, but Samsung led the pack in shaping the market. The first Samsung Galaxy Gear was launched in September 2013, and even though Apple joined the market after Samsung, its watch has dominated the market.

Apple currently shares 20 percent of the smartwatch market while Samsung only has a 3 percent share, according to the International Data Corporation. During the second quarter of 2015, Apple sold 3.6 million units compared to the Samsung Gear’s 600,000 units. Apple’s larger share of the smartwatch market mirrors that of the smartphone market: Apple has a 43 percent share compared to Samsung’s 28 percent.

Apple’s large share in the market has reached people in the Gainesville area, including University of Florida senior Rachel Weinbaum, who never expected to own an Apple Watch but was given one as a gift. Now she always wears the device.

“The Apple Watch makes life easier, but it is not a necessity,” Weinbaum said.

She said the watch makes things more convenient because it has a locator to find the synced cellphone and a passbook to access tickets and payment methods.

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Many millennials choose not to wear watches. A millennial would rather check his or her phone for the time compared to older generations, Macy’s sales associate Sarena Pesso said.

ETSY

“As far as status pieces, they aren’t going anywhere,” she said.

Watch-owning connoisseurs like the aspect of winding their watch rather than charging it like a cellphone.

The Rolexes and Omegas of the world may not go out of style, but Apple caters to high-end spenders as well. Some Apple Watch styles sell for around $10,000.

The number of traditional watch wearers may change with the price of smartwatches starting around $350 for an Apple Watch and $300 for a Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, putting it in the same price range as a Michael Kors watch.

In addition to the products by tech companies such as Samsung, Apple and Motorola, traditional watch companies are rolling out products to compete. Kenneth Cole sells a Connect smartwatch, which syncs a phone to the watch. Other watch companies are beginning to sell smartwatches, too, Pesso said.

Technology keeps advancing in watches, but some people still prefer the traditional gears.

“I still have young people looking for pocket watches,” Pesso said.

As long as people are seeking vintage technology, smartwatches will not rule the market, she inferred.

Carly Mikell sits at her desk in her home office, the hub of Carly's Customs productions.

Technology Enables Global Business On A Handcrafted Scale Story and photos

by Robin Andrews

Nearly 3 million hands move each

month to run small online shops and make products to sell on Etsy. Many of these products are made from home— just how Etsy itself was created.

Rob Kalin and two friends created the original Etsy website in a Brooklyn apartment in 2005. In the past 10 years, technology has allowed the website to create an industry of its own, enabling entrepreneurship globally through technology.

Over the years, Etsy adopted the goal of reimagining commerce.

Technology’s allowance for global communication and ease of entrepreneurship has enabled a business evolution.

“In an age when drones, self-driving cars, and virtual reality headsets are threatening to erase every opportunity to interact with another person, we’re celebrating the personal bonds forged by our community,” Etsy CEO and Chairman Chad Dickerson said in a press release celebrating the company’s 10th anniversary in June.

“Etsy is a collaborative endeavor that is nourished by the connections between

Cooksey puts finishing touches on a "Thankful" burlap banner in her home workshop. The banners are available in a variety of messages in The Bennet House.

everyone in our ecosystem,” he said.

figures have grown in the past year.

The very nature of the Web-based “Etsy Economy” places the company in the center of a technology-ridden world. But it also sustains traditional relationships typically found in small mainstreet shops between shopkeeper and purchaser. Etsy takes technology to a highly personal and potentially prosperous level through its niche communities and geographic groups of merchants and services, which encourage communication for anyone visiting an online shop.

Etsy is designed for entrepreneurs who may not have the means to own a brickand-mortar store or who may not have a business model that would do well confined to one physical location. Etsy offers a low-risk and accessible industry for anyone who wants to sell within the brims of its business market and reach across the globe.

The website itself serves as an access point to millions of individual businesses, each with its own Web page serving as sellers’ virtual store space.

Visitors can buy products directly from the shop’s page. The goods on Etsy can be searched by general categories, specific items, regional locations and shop names.

Carly Mikell slices vinyl to create customized products that are sold to customers as near as Gainesville and as far as countries she didn’t know existed until she wrote them on shipping labels.

The company’s third-quarter financial summary, ending in June, reported its gross merchandise sales totaling more than $1 billion. These revenues were earned by nearly 1.5 million active sellers and contributed to by more than 21 million active buyers. All of these

PURSUING PASSION, MONOGRAMS AFTER THE SCHOOL BELL

Her shop, Carly’s Customs, comes after teaching science and engineering to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students in the third, fourth and fifth grade at Stephen Foster Elementary School.

With personalized items ranging from cups, mason jars, invitations, sand pails and teacher resources, Carly’s Customs provides Mikell with an opportunity to

pursue her passion with a hobby that also creates extra income for her and her husband, Cory.

has enabled the business to grow in nearly two years and is excited for the future.

Her husband, who founded his own company called H20 Mobile Lab, does the “dirty work” for the Etsy shop like running packages to the post office. He encouraged Mikell to open the shop as an outlet for the creative projects she has always loved doing.

After its second birthday celebration coming up in January, Mikell said Carly’s Customs products might hit the shelves of Gainesville shops in addition to their place in cyberspace.

But in the meantime, she will continue satisfying customers because Etsy allows her the flexibility to be a businesswoman after a full day of teaching.

However, if Etsy did not exist to provide a platform and audience for Mikell’s monograms at the time Carly’s Customs opened, Cory said he probably wouldn’t have pushed Mikell to pursue her dream of starting her own business as much as he did.

He said Mikell teaches from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday plus hours of planning, so it’s sometimes hard, especially during busy business seasons, to make time for it all.

“I’m not sure how she exactly does it because sleep doesn’t really factor into the equation,” he said, concluding that her success in balancing her shop and teaching makes her a rockstar.

Mikell said she loves her teaching position because she has the opportunity to come up with creative science lessons, but her Etsy business allows her to be more crafty. That fact puts her with 81 percent of other Etsy sellers, who were driven to open a shop as a creative outlet, according to an Etsy economic impact survey.

“It’s so cool to go on Etsy and purchase things from small-business owners,” she said. “And I find myself—obviously now that I own a shop—any time I’m looking for a gift or anything like that, you know I’m always searching on Etsy because I know people are passionate about their products.”

After working as a teacher for a year and settling down after her wedding, Mikell said Etsy gave her and Cory a real opportunity to act on saying, “Okay, let’s try something different.”

Her life slowing down motivated her timing to open Carly’s Customs, and her location, she said, is key.

“Always having that online storefront I think is what’s so beneficial because you know it’s always going to be there,” she said.

Carly’s Customs aims to provide highly personalized products at an affordable price. Mikell said she’s pleased with the way Etsy

WORKING FOR MORE, RECYCLING TO SAVE LIVES An entrepreneur at heart, in 2003 Peter Alcorn moved from Wild Things, Inc., his international organic, fair-trade chewing gum company, to repurposing retired firefighting bunker gear sold on Etsy in 2014.

His shop, Rescue Threads, aims to fund heroes who risk their lives for others in fires while moving toward eliminating wasting gear in the U.S. And all profits go to buying new gear for under-funded fire stations around the country.

The idea originated at the Gainesville Fire Rescue Station when one firefighter discovered the short lifespan of the expensive gear— typically used for 5 to 7 years at that station—and how the old gear is shredded and sent to a garbage dump.

“Not only is it a big waste problem, but it’s also all those stories."

JoAnne Rice, the Gainesville Fire Rescue interim deputy fire chief, said she knew Alcorn through past partnerships, and their sons went to school together. She said the idea is really neat.

She said of Rescue Threads: “It was birthed here with one of our firefighters that said, ‘Hey, is there a way to make this more sustainable?’”

After Rescue Threads sparked the idea, a movement toward creating sustainable products that fund less privileged fire stations is spreading through the United States.

“I really like that idea and then those melded together to come up with the

One of the Rescue Threads' mediumsized "Quint" Bunker Gear Tote Bags sits after being fashioned out of recycled fire jackets and hoses. Photo courtesy of Rescue Threads

idea of, ‘Hey, let’s reuse this gear to get it out of the waste stream and then repurpose it to help someone else,’” Rice said.

Alcorn said he felt he had to do something about the incredible waste made of and produced by expired bunker gear.

“Not only is it a big waste problem, but it’s also all those stories,” he explained. “If you could imagine the firefighter wears a set of gear for 10 years, every time that bell rings, and they put the gear on to get on the truck, whatever happens is experienced in that gear. And so all those stories and all that history is represented in all the different tears and scuff marks and everything else in that gear.”

With how important firefighters are to culture, Alcorn said, it’s a tragedy to let all of the history be forgotten, “or thrown in the dump, even worse.”

He said he wants his products to embody the memories of heroes and provide a talking point for anyone who carries an item made of the recycled gear.

The target market for the products was originally members of firefighter affinity groups who would understand the heart of the shop. A brick-and-mortar store wouldn’t have made sense to attract such a niche group of people unless it was in a major, metropolitan area, Alcorn said. Etsy made the most sense for his nonprofit shop.

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& OB “At the time, it was pretty obvious that Etsy offered the easiest entry to the most number of options for doing e-commerce at the stage that we found our company.”

Through social media and Internet communications, he’s drawn an international customer base. Etsy also offers the most flexibility for Alcorn’s travel schedule with an interface that’s simple enough to allow anyone in his company to receive and fulfill an order.

He said the perks of running a shop using Etsy are of simplicity: not having to deal with customer credit cards and having instant inventory updates, which all help ease management.

While Etsy offers aid to business owners, Alcorn said his company would have been more challenging but still possible without the platform’s existence.

“When you are inspired, you find a way,” Alcorn said. “But the most immediate alternative would have been to develop our own e-commerce site.”

He said his company relates with communities created by Etsy. While the store has local support from people Monogramed pieces by Carly's Customs sit in Mikell's workspace, before being shipped to customers.

CULTURE who are similarly sympathetic to firefighters and their families’ safety as well as recycling interest groups, he said the same support exists online.

Etsy offers. She said her success is owed to a happy marriage between Etsy’s resources and technology model, and her own hard work.

In his last venture, there wasn’t an online industry to ease in distribution or social media to help in marketing.

The competition is still fierce, Alcorn said, and just because products are on Etsy doesn’t mean they will sell. But it reduces some of the workload while owners figure out success.

“It’s always the case of using what you have,” he said.

There may be a bit of a contrast between the classic, subtle style Cooksey admires in Austen and the global, technological nature of selling her modest designs.

EMPOWERED AND PARTNERING, SIMPLISTIC STEPS In her shop, inspired by "Pride and Prejudice," Marissa Cooksey aims to bring Jane Austen’s characters to life through simple, classic designs of jewelry, children’s accessories and home goods.

“I just feel like, in her books, people just have such heart and take such care of whatever they’re doing,” Cooksey said.

“And so I guess in that respect, I try to take a lot of time and just work really thoroughly through whatever I make.”

With $100 from the money she and her husband, Jennings, got from their wedding, Cooksey began her Etsy shop, The Bennet House.

She didn’t imagine running her own Etsy shop full time at 25. She hoped to be a resident technician at a theater after graduating from Florida State University. But after graduation, she moved to Gainesville so her husband could attend the UF Levin College of Law just three weeks after they married.

At that point, Cooksey said it was time to improvise on ways to make money.

Cooksey fashions wire into the word "believe" as part of one of The Bennet House bracelets.

“I was able to use my skills from art school in a different medium, so that’s how it came to be,” she said.

“I think if you’re going into like a vintage shop or something like that, you get to really touch and feel,” she said.

“And on Etsy you’re looking at pictures, but I think it’s kind of the same in that fact that you still really get to talk to whoever it is you’re buying from.”

Cooksey admitted how global Etsy is, but really, she said, it feels just like talking to friends. The relationships she has found in customers and fellow sellers have helped her learn from others’ failures and triumphs, and she said she values openness in conversations on Etsy.

“I just feel like, in her books, people just have such heart and take such care of whatever they’re doing. And so I guess in that respect, I try to take a lot of time and just work really thoroughly through whatever I make.”

She loves hearing from people who bought her products to celebrate weddings or baby showers, she said. She also knows that some of her products are gifted to loved ones going through a hard time. One story she shared started with one of her “Courage” wire bracelets.

What started as her “next step kind of a thing” three years ago has grown from a website with tea cozies and aprons bought mainly by family members to a thriving business with more than 160 items for sale and growing partnerships.

“One of the people that bought one of them, it was for her aunt who was just diagnosed with cancer,” Cooksey said.

“And she was just talking about how special it was to have that and give it to her aunt and how her aunt looked at it when she was in chemo.”

“It’s really just been a steady, gradual build, which has been nice,” she said.

“It’s given me time to expand and work as my products have started to sell more.”

She said personal stories of how her products affect people make her feel like what she’s doing is worthwhile and special.

After she established herself with sales of “big” and “little” sorority bracelets, her shop became her full-time job, and she began using all of the resources

When it comes to the technology constituting her craft, she utilizes her sewing machines and the Internet.

“The Internet is really all you need, which is wonderful,” Cooksey said.

Flexibility to consumers that isn’t possible with a physical storefront, for geographical or timing reasons, align with benefits to storeowners who can conduct business in the time they have to do so.

House on Instagram.

“I would say 80 percent of what I sell goes to people in other states,” she said, “so that’s always wonderful, being able to share your stuff with people all over.”

“That’s how a lot of people do their business,” Dedrickson said. “That’s how I found a lot of other people I partner with if they’re not local, and even if they’re local, I wouldn’t know they’re local if it wasn’t for the Internet; if I didn’t find their shop or they find me through my blog on the internet.”

Cooksey said the Internet expands her customers’ access to her shop, which has no set hours of operation, so people can browse The Bennet House anytime after work or early in the morning.

One of her goals with The Bennet House is to work with moms. She said she wants to empower them because she was raised by a stay-at-home mom and has a soft spot for women who don’t want to give up everything but still want to be professionals.

“When I decided to open the shop, I really liked the idea of working with women, especially moms who want to be able to provide for their families but might not have time for a standard 9-to-5 job.”

She said she really loves the community of women supporting other women, and since joining Instagram, she’s seen babies growing up in the accessories she makes. She’s also found great moms to collaborate with in business.

Most recently, Cooksey partnered with Fatima Dedrickson.

“She’s all about fitness and staying home with her kids and, you know, having a happy, healthy marriage,” Cooksey said. “She’s wonderful, and it’s been great to work with her so far.”

On her blog, Dedrickson writes about fitness, fashion, photography and family, so the partnership was natural.

Cooksey contacted her about partnering after they connected on Instagram.

Dedrickson said she found all of the things she wanted on The Bennet House, and she loved the simple design of the rings and bows she received.

She said that everything from Cooksey’s kindness and quick shipping to her cute packaging, which was very personal, was great.

The one-time paid endorsement Dedrickson posted on her blog, StyleFitFatty, and Instagram account was the beginning of an ongoing partnership. When she or her two children, Noah and Olivia, wear any products from the shop in their daily lives, Dedrickson tags The Bennet

The partnership modeled how the Internet and Etsy easily enable businesspeople to reach customers as well as partners across the country.

Dedrickson said that Cooksey’s desire to reach out and provide opportunities through partnership is great, and she said she couldn’t wait to do it again.

“It’s a great way to help other women,” Dedrickson said, “and I think it’s a great way to show other people that have other talents that they can do it, too.”

Cooksey plans to continue partnering until her shop can grow to fit four more women in its capacity. But for now, a brick-and-mortar store still isn’t feasible, neither financially nor location-wise.

“I think that’s the great thing about Etsy. It’s kind of a good practice run to see if you have what it takes to open a shop,” she said. “And also, it gives you time to build capital without, you know, having to pay for rent and insurance and all of that in a store.”

Mikell, holding a vinyl-print wood block, sits in front of some of her product supplies. Similar products are available in her Etsy shop.

So someday, maybe Cooksey will have The Bennet House settled on a street somewhere, but she will wait to see when her husband graduates.

“In the meantime, it’s a really great thing that I can take to wherever we move as well.”

GROWING, ALWAYS After 10 years, Etsy experienced its initial public offering as well as expansion of facilities and employees from its birth in a Brooklyn apartment.

But international empowerment and technological innovation are only part of the platform’s success.

The heart and hands of shop owners around the world, all hosting their businesses on Etsy, also help the site grow each day. And with nearly 1.5 million active sellers and counting, technology leaves nothing but room to grow.

Cooksey works with one of her sewing machines in her home studio. She said she loves making all of the products available in her shop, but sewing is one of her favoite things to do.

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UNPLUG AND GET BETWEEN THE COVERS

Scott St. Lifer, Blog Editor Favorite format: E-Book Favorite Books: 1. The Wolf Of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort 2. People's History of the United States

by Howard Zinn 3.To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Favorite place to read them: In his hammock

Lawrence Laguna, Social Media Manager

Tall or short. Thick or thin. Hardcover, paperback or...digital? Our favorite books come in all shapes, sizes and forms. The Fall 2015 O&B staff shares what they reach for when it’s time to unplug (or plug in), unwind and cuddle up with their most loved stories.

Favorite format: Paperback Favorite Books: 1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 2. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner 3. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Story by Christina Hunt and photos by Staff

Favorite place to read them: Any quiet room in his house

Robin Andrews, Art Director and Photo Editor Favorite format: Paperback

Bryan Faux, Senior Editor

Favorite Books: 1. Love Does by Bob Goff 2. The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst 3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Favorite format: Paperback Favorite Books: 1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3. The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Sepinwall

Favorite place to read them: Next to her fiance, only finding down time for leisurely reading when he visits

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Favorite place to read them: Anywhere outside

Christina Hunt, Editor-in-Chief

Shayna Tanen, Senior Editor

Favorite format: Paperback

Favorite format: Paperback

Favorite Books: 1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 2. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth 3. Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Favorite Books: 1. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb 2. Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen 3. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Favorite place to read them: Curled up with lots of pillows and blankets

Favorite place to read them: Cozied up in her bed with tea, a candle, and best case-scenario with a cat

21

Gainesville Duo Aspires To Be The Next EDM Chart-Toppers Story by Lawrence Laguna Photos by Robin Andrews

I

t was a normal day for high school teens David Hall and Tripp Churchill.

While some students unwind from the stresses of the day at the park or under the covers napping at home, Hall and Churchill are drawn to music. To them, making music with a laptop and their creative spirit in Hall’s room was all they needed to end the day.

All they wanted to do was create music.

Hall’s music producing skills and Churchill’s disk jockey mixing talents came together, and they planned how they could become one sound while fusing their passions for electronic dance music. The young duo is currently working to establish themselves in Gainesville’s EDM community.

Hall got an early start working on what he believes will be his career. He aspires to become the next big name in the EDM world. At just 16, Hall was invested in producing music, but he struggled balancing his academics at Buchholz High School. He was more passionate about music production than studying and doing homework.

PART NATIVE

“Eventually I thought of the word nativity.

We both have Cherokee lineage."

Hall, now 18, walked at his graduation ceremony in May, but he is still working on completing one more high school credit. He decided to take a break between high school and college to focus on music, and he is enrolled at Santa Fe College for the spring 2016 semester.

to 2014, he said his songs were used in a variety of videos across the Web, from skydiving experiences to a tribute video of Paul Walker’s passing. Hall said his dubstep songs were becoming more popular on the Internet.

Though Hall was advancing with his music online, he wanted to improve his workflow.

He needed to be able to put his ideas onto the screen and learn the essentials as quickly as possible. So he decided to make the challenging switch from a PC to a MacBook, where software and hardware differed.

But because he wanted to progress as an artist, he knew the challenge would pay off. Hall said MacBooks have a higher processing speed, which allowed him to generate and compile music demos. The MacBook advanced his ability to work with computers.

Even with these technological advances, Hall envisioned his music career becoming bigger than just having people on the Internet use his songs in videos. Remixing a song with his school friend Churchill was the first step in their natural partnership as a musical duo.

Churchill,18, was inspired by dubstep music in eighth grade and began creating music using beat-making software for rappers. He liked what hip-hop had to offer musically, and that influenced him to create instrumentals.

Hall and Churchill aspire to be the next superstars of the EDM community under the name Part Native. It took the relatively inexperienced artists months to figure out a duo name that truly represented both members' identities.

“Eventually I thought of the word nativity,” Hall said. “We both have Cherokee lineage.”

Churchill added, “Then I figured, ‘Hey let’s just be Part Native because you’re (Hall) part Native (American).”’

In the meantime, Hall started producing original work under online creative common licensing, which enables people to use his songs as long as they credit him for his work.

Creating new beats together came naturally to Hall and Churchill. They have been friends since 2013 and meshing their sounds together was easy. Every now and then they log in to YouTube and search for their inspiration in the music scene: Zeds Dead, an EDM duo.

Hall explained that he was successful under the artist name Jallacy. From 2013

One video the two often watch is Zeds Dead’s 2014 multi-city New Year’s Eve tour.

23

“First I thought FL Studio was the way because I was so good at it, but then once I got Ableton, I already had the basics down of producing, and it just kicked up from there,” Churchill said.

Hall added, “The most beneficial combination of us starting to work together is that, since I had started producing a lot earlier and was on Ableton, what brought us to finally collab together was me finally convincing him to switch to Ableton.”

The duo has already invested about $5,500 in music equipment that has advanced its quality of music.

After solving the music software problem, Part Native upgraded significantly to Churchill’s laptop for mixing music and small M-Audio BX5a speakers. Part Native’s pristine sound comes from the unique technology at its hands. Hall and Churchill use a MacBook Pro to create their music with Ableton Live, while hooked to KRK VST8 speakers that render a highquality sound.

The duo uses a Serato Pioneer DDJSX DJ controller, which helps the two perfect their music mixes. Hall and Churchill use this alongside a new trending Saffire Pro 24 interface, which ensures pristine audio quality. Add to this equipment an MXL Genesis II microphone for vocalists.

Part Native’s most useful tool to date has been the Internet. Using its SoundCloud account, which has around 4,000 followers, Part Native is able to update its fans with its latest EDM tracks and also become discoverable to labels.

Focusing on dubstep and trap genres, a Part Native song is a mix of different sounds. Songs like “Condor” and “Venture” have a melodic sound with some aggressive trap. The duo considers their tracks like “Crusade” and “Till I’m Drunk” hype, party songs with a cinematic vibe.

This has given Hall and Churchill enough exposure that minor record labels have offered them a contract, but they respectfully denied. They don’t want to be limited and controlled about how to create their music and don’t want a label to change their musicmaking habits. They will wait until the right label comes around—one with a higher reputation or respect for the artist’s direction in producing an original track.

Just when Part Native began to reveal itself to Gainesville’s EDM community,

it was contacted by a Gainesville native who could give it an opportunity for more exposure in the near future.

Les Voss, the co-founder of Over Easy Creative, invited Part Native to play at the Over Easy Festival at The Jam in October. Hall and Churchill staged their own set that lasted about 50 minutes. The lineup included other artists from highly respected record labels.

This breakthrough opened the doors in the EDM community for Part Native.

The Over Easy Festival was Hall and Churchill’s first time playing in front of a large crowd on a stage bursting with colorful lights.

“They just have a very unique sound, and they’re young,” Voss said. “They just graduated high school, and they’ve got a very good ear and taste. I think that’s going to carry them far with a little bit of experience and getting accustomed to things.”

Arthur Leforestier, the other cofounder of Over Easy Creative, said he and Voss began hosting shows because they were tired of the same old scene at clubs for DJs. They wanted to highlight artists in a distinctive fashion that heightened the fan experience at an event, rather than the norm of standing in a corner of a nightclub scene.

“People weren’t happy with what they

were getting,” Voss said. “When people are exposed to our event and in our festival in particularly, it’s hard to walk in and not be blown away by the lights, sounds, smells.”

“Definitely the fact we played music we loved and had people dancing to it felt great and very inspiring,” Hall said.

Part Native still aspires to play like Zeds Dead, who creates a hyped environment where crowds get rowdy and form mosh pits.

“We’re still trying to find our signature sound. We’re just experimenting with different stuff,” Churchill said.

Hall added, “(Fans) just being able to enjoy and getting the chills, like having the time of their life to something I made myself is just an unbelievable feeling I want to feel.”

Part Native has a fully equipped studio in Hall’s small, room. His room has the traditional setup: a desk, bed and closet.

But his office desk is covered in music equipment. It looks as if you are in a typical college kid’s room, but there is a complete studio in the right corner.

It enables guests to sit down and play the keyboard, or sing their favorite song into the old, red Genesis mic.

Hall and Churchill said this video of Zeds Dead rocking the stage and touring the country is a constant reminder of what they aspire to be.

The only places they have played at as a duo are house parties, and the sound quality wasn’t pristine due to the lessthan-ideal technology they own.

The duo scoped out Gainesville for any venue that it could play music at. But like any new artist trying to get a foot in the door, they spent a lot of time selfpromoting and finding local gigs.

But everyone has to start somewhere.

Churchill started producing music on his laptop, using the computer’s speakers and beginner software called FL Studio.

Part Native makes original songs in the realm of dubstep—a genre with heavy rhythms in basslines—and trap—a genre characterized by aggressive sound from 808 kick drums and triple-time tempos.

FL Studio is software for beginners, while Ableton Live software is a music sequencer and digital audio workstation for experienced producers. It’s used as an instrument for live performances but is also a tool for composing.

24

“It’s (the equipment) definitely a huge benefit, and it’s to our advantage, but say if we didn’t have those things, we could still be on the track we are right now."

But the equipment is not what makes the music better; it’s the talent that comes from the artist.

“It’s (the equipment) definitely a huge benefit, and it’s to our advantage, but say if we didn’t have those things, we could still be on the track we are right now,” Hall said.

(Top left) Churchill uses Part Native's Serato Pioneer controller to compose and perform while connected to the Ableton Live software on Hall's MacBook Pro. (Bottom left) Part Native produces all of its tracks from Hall's studio room, where feature vocalists can use the duo's MXL Genisis II Microphone.

(Above) Hall demonstrates mixing on his controller.

25

FOOD

28 GAINESVILLE CHEFS EMBRACE SIMPLER COOKWARE Shayna Tanen

30 FROM FARM TO FOOD TRUCK Shayna Tanen

31 TRANSFORMED BY TECHNOLOGY: A THREE-COURSE MEAL Robin Andrews

34 APPS ACCELERATE FAST FOOD AND BOOST GROCERY STORE CUSTOMER SERVICE Christina Hunt

Gainesville Chefs Embrace Simpler Cookware Story and photos by Shayna Tanen

& OB A good chef really only needs three knives, too, she said. Her Henckels knives—a chef ’s knife with a chipped tip, a bread knife missing a ridge, and an oversized paring knife—have already received 30 years of her doting love and attention.

But there is one item that’s not on its way to antiquity in her kitchen: Carlisi’s immersion blender. She said that unlike her other cookwares, these handheld blenders don’t last forever. But the whole kitchen staff loves the machine, so whenever one breaks, another replaces it.

Wilson’s “Consider the Fork” states that, “The earliest grinding implements go back around 20,000 years.” Today’s blenders are the result of thousands of years of perfecting the act of grinding food.

The Vitamix, consistently top-rated on Amazon, is a super powered blender, and it is one of Chef Jason Martin’s favorite tools to use at Cymply Fresh.

That may not be saying much, though, because Martin doesn’t use many tools. Martin calls his kitchen the “Cutthroat Kitchen” after the Food Network program where chefs are forced to cook with unusual items or obstacles, like cooking on top of a balance beam.

I

f fast food is the pinnacle of technology’s impact on restaurant cooking, then slow food is Gainesville’s protest against high-tech cooking.

Some Gainesville cafes, restaurants and mobile eateries are embracing simpler, less mechanically complicated forms of cookware in their kitchens.

This translates to the types of foods they are cooking, too: responsibly sourced, simply prepared, sustainable ingredients.

Cooking with heat dates back to 400,000 B.C., when man used fire to cook meat, according to “The Food Chronology,” written by the late encyclopedist James Trager. By 25,000 B.C., homo sapiens were using hot

28

embers to cook, and 13,000 years later potters in Japan began making clay cooking pots and storage vessels.

Since then, humans have continued to make cooking easier by harnessing metals and engineering products that streamline the cooking process.

While local chefs may not be wearing animal hides, cooking hunks of meat over an open fire with spears over their shoulders, or documenting their lives on the Lascaux caves in France—they are certainly embracing an innate connection to nature and less complicated cooking tools.

In “Consider the Fork,” by Bee Wilson, the author writes that technology

depends on usage for its validity.

“When equipment falls out of use, it expires… The most versatile technologies are often the most basic.”

Chef Sandra Carlisi of East End Eatery can attest to this.

“Most of what we cook with is old as heck,” she said, grinning.

Carlisi said you really only need three pans: a saute pan, a stock pot and a sauce pot. Some of her pots and pans have followed her through 25 years of life, with the missing handles and permanently charred bottoms to prove it.

Martin has limited space in the Cymply Fresh kitchen, and he doesn’t have a grill or stove, so pots and pans are nearly obsolete. His essentials? A refrigerator and freezer, two panini presses, a small oven, the beloved Vitamix, a few portable gas stoves, and an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven.

From South Florida to Gainesville to Kentucky then back to Gainesville, this kitchen is the most resourceful Jason Martin has ever worked in.

The lack of cookware, though, helps Martin be more creative with his recipes and cooking technique, he said.

“Some things are intangible and romantic, and people can taste that."

Chef Tyler Black, of Ameraucana Wood Fire, needs only one item to cook his food—and it is affixed to his mobile pizza restaurant.

Black might be the closest in habit to our early ancestors, using just wood, fire and a Forno Bravo brand oven to cook his Neapolitan-inspired pizzas.

At 16, Black fell in love with pizza.

He moved to New York to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and after graduating, he worked in Philadelphia for a wealthy crowd. He became bored of cooking delicate food for the finest of Philadelphia’s customers, he said, so Black moved back home to Gainesville. In late 2013, he opened his pizza truck.

Everything that Black cooks is rooted in tradition. Wood-fired ovens date back to ancient Greece, and his wild-yeast sourdough (before the 20th century all bread was sourdough) is prepared by hand.

Black said that using a stand mixer with a dough hook, though it may make kneading easier, doesn’t give the dough the super-hydrated texture he wants.

“Just because a technology is there,” Wilson wrote in “Consider the Fork”, “doesn’t mean we have to use it.”

Mixing the dough by hand, Black said, is “kind of like getting personal with it.”

Martin does admit that if he could spare more money, he’d stock up on a few items.

“If you look at things based on just materials and heat transfer, then you’re missing a lot about cooking,” Black said. “Some things are intangible and romantic, and people can taste that.”

“It’s always nice to have fun toys and things that make your life easier,” he said.

He added, “Cooking can be beyond science’s cold reach. Cooking is too romantic for science.”

Apparently good things come in threes.

29

FROM FARM TO FOOD TRUCK

“It potentially can be a very sustainable system because you’re not discharging much,” he said. “So you’re saving money on fertilizer, and you’re also not growing in a situation where the fertilizer you are using is leaching into the ground.”

Instead, a typical homefront is all that meets the eye. On a warm mid-October day, tricycles and toys lay dormant in the front yard—evidence that a family lives there. The “beware of dog” sign is completely inaccurate, as the 8-yearold dog, Mystic, wags his tail to greet visitors.

But, literally, behind the facade of this all-American family home is a small and efficient farming operation that is almost entirely self-sustaining.

Musoke is a first generation aquaponics farmer. Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics, a system where plants are grown in water, and aquaculture, which is the commercial farming of fish. Combined, Musoke runs a closed aquaponics farm, where water recirculates through pipes from the fish tanks, to the plants, back to the fish, and so on.

“Since we’re a closed system,” he said, “we retain all our nutrients.”

Vital nutrients, like nitrogen from the fish waste, provides the plants with chemicals and compounds they would ordinarily get from costly commercial fertilizers.

Aquaponics, though a newer practice in modern agriculture, has been around for centuries. Research suggests that ancient civilizations in central Mexico and Southeast Asia used aquaponics systems to yield better crops. Today, farmers are using the same ideas but with newer technologies, Musoke said.

He graduated from the University of Florida in 2005 with a major in business

30

and a minor in horticulture. Musoke said he grew up in the kitchen and worked in restaurants throughout high school and college. Musoke opened his farm, named “Aquaorganics” in 2006, and it has grown slowly ever since.

After college, Musoke started farming fish. Next, he added hydroponic vegetables. Pigs, chickens, a few ducks, two goats and two boisterous children followed.

Musoke farms tilapia, Australian redclaw crayfish, koi and other ornamental fishes, which occupy 34 tanks in a covered enclosure. The water that the fish live in flows away from the tanks toward the vegetable garden via gravity to a filtration system. The first filter, called a clarifier, separates the solids (aka fish poop) from the water, and they move to a retention pond.

The clarifying process, Musoke said, is “like flushing your toilet.”

The clarifier then feeds the water into a finer filtration system. This, Musoke said, is where beneficial bacteria convert ammonia from the fish waste to good nutrients for the plants. The water then flows into giant pools (picture skinny lap pools) where vegetables sit on floating rafts and absorb the nutrients and water. Musoke and his wife, Miriam, grow different lettuce varieties, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, beets, arugula and more.

The floating raft system Musoke uses is modeled after the Rakocy system, said Richard Tyson, a UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences local food systems extension agent. Tyson has been researching aquaponics since 2000 and said the Rakocy system is probably the most efficient and well-studied aquaponics system.

ed

Because Musoke’s system is closed, and the water recirculates indefinitely, he said he uses only 2 to 5 percent of water for the farm from outside sources —usually to make up for water lost due to splashing and evaporation. Musoke’s farm is also equipped with 36 solar panels. They provide about 80 percent of all the energy he uses.

Story and photo by Shayna Tanen

When pulling up to Michael Musoke’s farm in Polk City, one might expect to actually see the farm.

T r a form n s

Tyson said the most sustainable—and most difficult to manage—aquaponics system is one that recirculates, like Musoke’s.

Musoke puts his veggies and animals to good use, all while cutting his food costs on his food truck, Off The GriDdle.

After college, his interests steered more toward farming than cooking, but in 2010 Musoke had an idea. He opened a food truck where he could feature his fish and veggies on the menu, such as the blackened tilapia tacos.

A

“One day it just kind of clicked,” he said about opening the truck. “It’s a farm to table kind of thing.”

Now Musoke is in Gainesville Thursdays through Saturdays serving food from his truck and selling vegetables and eggs at farmers markets.

The commute to Gainesville from his farm is about a two hour drive; most of it through small towns and farmland.

“I think ag(riculture) as a whole is going to be shifting to local, small-scale farming.”

Musoke believes that like him, other farmers are noticing the benefits of alternative farming techniques. He said that he has noticed more aquaponics systems emerging in the last five years.

“I think ag(riculture) as a whole is going to be shifting to local, small-scale farming,” he said.

Musoke is the kind of guy who loves to explore new ideas. Sometimes too many, he said. For now, Musoke, his wife and an older gentleman are the only farmhands he’s got. But Musoke still has plans to buy another food truck and expand his operation for as long as he can.

By

Th

re e

Story and photos by Robin Andrews

J

ust about every food item sold and consumed today is touched by technology.

This could be taken to extreme measures, like genetic modification or chemical sprays applied in the fields. Or it could be basic transportation technology used to import food from far-away places that would be nearly impossible to reach by foot.

Today, you can buy items such as powdered cheese, canned bread, freeze-dried ice cream, canned meat and dough vacuumed into a tube. These goods are found in supermarkets across the country. Each has been transformed from its basic ingredient using technology that extends shelf-life, makes them more engaging, and pushes the boundaries on food preparation.

Take cheese, for example. The dairy product has been spray-dried and packaged to mix smoothly into a meal of macaroni for a quick dinner fix. Before his dusty dairy byproduct, James L. Kraft (yes, founder of Kraft Food, Inc., and creator of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese) received his patent of the company’s cheese-altering processes in 1919, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

U.S. Patent No. 1,323,869 describes Kraft’s process for treating cheese. As its final cheddar cheese product, the basic ingredient is “changed from its true cheese character” by heating it to a critical temperature and mixing repeatedly until it reaches different stages. The result is a “plastic, uniformly blended consistency, and subsequently

Te c h n o l o

reforming the mass into suitable shapes of the desired size.”

After Kraft introduced its boxed dinner more than 75 years ago, the orange dust became a staple in many American homes.

Canned bread is also a part of history that can be traced back to around the time of the American Revolution. When wheat flour was an uncommon good, it was mixed—typically in thirds with cornmeal and rye flour—and steamed over a fire. This wholesome grain, which is commonly bought in sliced loaves, can now be purchased in a tin can: dense, moist and untouched after it has been steamed and sealed. The bread is often shipped from New England, where it was first manufactured in the 1800s.

In other parts of the U.S., the delicacy is called “brown bread.” The bread is often sweetened with molasses and raisins but can also be served plain with baked beans—a Boston tradition.

Freeze-dried ice cream served NASA astronauts during just one space mission.

After that, the airy, crumbly and roomtemperature treat could be found in space museum gift shops. We’ve even used it to make a rich, chocolaty sauce. (See our delicious Cherry Compote and Chocolate Ganache Tart on the next page.) According to NASA and the International Business Times, “Astronaut Ice Cream,” developed by Whirlpool Corp. in contract with the space administration, only made it to space with

: y g

- Co u rs e M e al the Apollo 7 in 1968. The version currently consumed is made with technology inspired by the original NASA process, which uses three steps: first freezing, then low-heat vacuuming, finalized by sublimation.

A similar vacuum concept is used with chicken breast, which can be found far from the freezer section and at home among the canned goods. The fully-cooked, shredded white meat can simply be opened and eaten right out of its innovative tin container.

Nicolas Appert developed the first method of keeping food in airtight cans, according to U.S. Patent No. 5,457,939, and it spread to the U.S. by way of England around 1818.

The method was perfected when Louis Pasteur’s pasteurization technique was applied in 1895.

The canning process requires that all oxygen be removed from the container. This is achieved by covering the food with a liquid then heating the container until steam displaces the air in order to be sealed. The can, or “rigid container” made of plastic or glass, is then heated even more to sterilize the “foodstuffs.” Ever wonder why green beans or other vibrant foods look slightly pale or taste and smell a little off ? The liquid can also react to the food it’s preserving.

As you see, these ingredients are—from form to packaging, prep and plate—totally tech-ed out, and they’re found in these handcrafted, technologically gourmet recipes for any occasion.

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FOOD

Bundled Bruschetta These savory, flaky pastries are filled with surprisingly fresh tomoto bruschetta. With a burst of basil and garlic, these bundles make for a perfect beginning.

1 1 2 1 2 2 6

can Pillsbury crescent dough can whole tomatoes tablespoons olive oil teaspoon balsamic vinegar cloves garlic, chopped tablespoon dried basil fresh basil leaves Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Open the tube of crescent dough.

Roll it out, and cut it into six rectangles.

Place the dough onto a baking sheet. Drizzle dough with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle on 1 tablespoon dried basil.

Drain and dice whole tomatoes into small pieces. Combine the garlic, balsamic vinegar, dried basil and remaining oil in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place a spoonful of the bruschetta on half of each rectangle. Then fold the dough over. Seal the edges with a fork, brush remaining olive oil on top of the sealed squares, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Arrange toasted bruschetta bundles on a plate, and garnish each piece with a basil leaf.

Four-Cheese Conchiglie with Chicken Creamy, cheesy shell pasta is topped with sauteed, peppered chicken with a garlicky rich flavor.

6 1 ¼ 2 3 ½ ½ 1 16 1 6 2

cups water packet cheese powder cup Velveeta cheese slices Kraft American Singles tablespoons olive oil tablespoon dried parsley tablespoon dried oregano can chicken breast ounces Conchiglie (shell) pasta cup frozen peas sprigs fresh parsley cloves garlic, chopped

Bring water to a boil, and cook the pasta for approximately 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and toss with oil, dried parsley and oregano.

Drain the chicken, and saute with oil, peas and garlic on medium heat.

Cut Kraft slices into 1-centimeter strips, and toss the three cheeses with the sauteed chicken.

Mix all ingredients together in a large pan and simmer on low until ready to serve.

To serve, garnish with fresh parsley.

Cherry Compote and Chocolate Ganache Tart This mouth-watering, tangy, spiced cherry compote is complemented and sweetened by a rich chocolate ganache over a crisp and spongy tart, made toasty and topped with wholesome pecans.

Ganache: 12 ounces Astronaut, freeze-dried chocolate ice cream ¼ cup condensed milk ½ cup chocolate chips Compote: 12 ounces canned cherries 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans Tart: 1 can bread 2 tablespoons butter ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup finely chopped pecans ½ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Open the can of bread, and slice it into 1-inch tarts. Top with butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar before placing tarts on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, remove them from the oven, and let them cool.

Cook cherries in a saucepan on high heat until bubbling. Mix in sugar, cinnamon and pecans on medium heat, stirring for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove compote from heat, and set it aside.

Remove the ice cream from its packaging, crush it into small pieces and set it aside. Bring half the condensed milk to a boil, and slowly mix in the ice cream on medium heat, until smooth. Add the chocolate chips until melted, and add milk as needed for a thick, sauce-like consistency.

Top the baked tarts with compote, and drizzle them with the ganache and powdered sugar. Garnish with pecans.

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Apps Accelerate Fast Food And Boost Grocery Store Customer Service Story by Christina Hunt Photos by Robin Andrews

The new addition to Wehbe’s lineup of pizza restaurants features an “app-thru” rather than a traditional drive-thru; indoor and outdoor outlets for device charging at every seat; a tablet that takes orders from customers who have not pre-ordered on their own device; and televisions viewable from every seat.

“When we were designing this store we did a lot of focus groups to learn about what our customers want,” Wehbe said.

Fifty percent of Domino’s sales nationwide are made through digital orders, according to the company's website. In Gainesville, that number jumps up to 70 percent, with about 85 percent of all delivery orders coming in digitally, Wehbe reported, which is why Domino’s decided to test this completely digital prototype concept.

“It’s the future,” he said. “Very few customers order digital the first time and come back and want to order the traditional way.”

Wehbe said he believes that the future is all digital, and Domino’s’ dedication to technology is what differentiates the pizza restaurant from other QSRs (quick service restaurants) in the market.

“We have more IT folks working for us than non-IT folks,” he said. “That’s kind of amazing in a way. I think we’re an IT company that happens to sell pizzas and chicken and sandwiches.

I’m glad as a franchisee that my corporation took that lead and found the right folks to design the technology to be user-friendly.”

Chili’s Grill & Bar patrons are used to technology permeating the dining experience. According to The Washington Post, the fast casual restaurant installed 45,000 tablets at more than 800 company-owned locations during the first half of 2014.

O nline ordering, apps and electronic devices are dominating the food industry as convenience and speed become more and more important to this generation of consumers.

According to The Huffington Post, “In just five years, the number of online orders has skyrocketed, doubling from around 403 million in 2010 to 904 million by May 2015.”

This phenomenon is propelled by the exponential growth of food-delivery services, causing online food ordering to overtake traditional telephone orders for the first time. But as human

34

interaction is removed from the experience of eating out and grocery shopping, is customer service taking a hit?

Veteran franchisee Freddie Wehbe opened the world’s first completely digital Domino’s Pizza Theater on Oct. 5, expanding the breadth of technology that locals are using to order food.

“There are plenty of Domino’s Pizza Theaters out there,” Wehbe said. “The difference with this is you have to order with a digital device, whether it’s dinein or drive-thru.”

Christina Holder, 22, has been working as a hostess at the Chili’s on Archer Road since April 2015. She said that the tablets, called Ziosks, “allow customers to view and order certain items, such as alcoholic beverages and desserts, as well as play games, redeem points and pay their bills.”

Holder said she thinks that customers feel more connected with technology because it allows them to customize their dining experience.

“A lot of times, customers will come in and assume that they can order their meals on the Ziosks, but that would

eliminate the need for servers, putting a lot of people out of jobs,” Holder said.

“However, I think that people really like being waited on and they like the personal touch, so I don’t think that servers will become obsolete.”

Her favorite part about working at Chili’s is making people smile and feel special when they walk into the warm atmosphere of the restaurant —something customers would lose if technology completely took over the dining-out experience.

The loaded baked potato soup and friendly service is what draws 21-yearold University of Florida biology senior Kevin Molina into Chili’s.

Molina’s first impression of the Ziosk was that it was a cool addition to the tables. He has used the device to pay his check and look at drink specials and thought it was easy to navigate.

“I liked how it could automatically calculate the tip for you based on a percentage, so I don’t have to pull out my phone,” Molina said. “I also liked how the waiter or waitress could separate the check, and each of my friends could pay for their share without having the waiter or waitress do a big hassle of bringing five or more checks to the table.”

In August 2012, Publix Super Markets introduced the concept of online deli ordering to its customers. By October of that year, the Publix Deli Online Easy Ordering service was offered in 50 of the supermarket chain’s locations.

Aimee Guralnick, a University of Florida biology senior who has worked for Publix for seven and a half years, said that online ordering expanded to the Hunters Crossing Publix on 43rd Street around January 2014.

“Publix decided to implement online ordering in the deli because slicing meats and cheeses, and making subs is time consuming,” Guralnick said.

“When you’re going grocery shopping, there always tends to be a line in the deli, and it’s not fun waiting for your number to be called then feel rushed to have your meats and cheeses sliced because of the line behind you.”

wait—or the customer who wants to grab their custom meats and cheeses and then go on with their shopping,” Guralnick said.

Publix’s slogan is “where shopping is a pleasure,” and Guralnick, who works at the customer service desk at the front of the store, said online ordering has impacted the customer service experience at Publix in a positive way.

“I used to hear many complaints of the long wait times for the deli,” she said.

“Digital is cool, you know?” Wehbe said. “The best part of digital to me, as a franchise owner, is the feedback.”

Wehbe reports that he now receives 150 to 200 customer comments a week. He believes this is better than the occasional face-to-face comment.

“To be able to listen, to respond and fix things if it’s wrong or acknowledge that we’re doing a great job is a great thing to get,” Wehbe said. “I think that’s one of the components within the digital

"It’s that simple. I see it. Restaurants today that are refusing to change and sticking to what it was 20 years ago, I don’t see how they’re going to make it until they change.”

“Now, there are much fewer complaints and the ones we get we can refer them to the online ordering system. A lot of people still don’t know about it, so it’s our way to help them and implement its use for their next shopping trip.”

Rather than taking customer service out of the dining experience, technology is improving it. Chili’s is benefitting from its kiosks through an increase in customer feedback and happiness.

“They definitely improve customer service at Chili’s,” Molina said.

“Paying the check is much quicker, and they also had things like the specials or drinks on there, so you don’t have to ask the server. Since it helps the server out, it can take some stress off their job, and in doing so allow them to bring a better customer service experience to the diner.”

Domino’s is also reaping the benefits of technology in the customer service area.

QSR world that is not really talked about. It’s not a thing.”

Wehbe said that he reads a lot of publications, and he never sees an article on the impact technology has on customer service.

“At the end of the day, today’s consumers, specifically millennials, want it quick, they want it right and they want it value-priced,” Wehbe said. “The top 10 (QSR) companies that are publicly traded all have those three things. They have digital, they are quick, they have an open kitchen, and they are innovative and they adapt.”

He added, “Millennials really control the QSR industry, and if we don’t adapt, we’re going to go away. It’s that simple. I see it. Restaurants today that are refusing to change and sticking to what it was 20 years ago, I don’t see how they’re going to make it until they change.”

Gainesville residents are now able to pre-order subs, sliced meats and cheeses, or party platters on their computers or mobile devices for a pickup time they choose.

“Online ordering makes it so much easier for the customer who wants to have their sub made for them before they get there, so they don’t have to

35

COMMUNICATION

40 KINDERGARTEN WIRED

38 TECHNOLOGY: DEFYING AGE AND SOCIETY Scott St. Lifer

39 IN-APP PURCHASES: A MODERN-DAY PARENTING CHALLENGE Christina Hunt

Robin Andrews

42 TECHNICALLY A FAIRY TALE: SWIPING RIGHT TO "I DO" Scott St. Lifer

TECHNOLOGY: Defying Age And Society Story and photo by Scott St. Lifer

Each day, technology serves as the primary platform of communication, transportation and entertainment.

Many embrace new forms of technology while others try to limit what they use.

Roughly four to five years ago, Reuter decided to deactivate his Facebook because he was curious about what would happen.

Those limits come in a variety of ways. Some people don’t use social media while others try to limit phone usage. Others simply want to enjoy what nature has to offer without the distractions of technology.

He still uses email and text messaging but does not use social media or many apps. Reuter did say he watches Netflix but does not have cable.

University of Florida graduate Jordan Reuter doesn’t completely do away with technology. Instead, he cuts back on what he uses.

Reuter lives a life surrounded by technology. The UF alumnus currently works as an IT director of a startup in Durham, North Carolina, doing computer programming. This forces him to use technology during the day, but when he is outside of the office, he prefers to unplug and stay away from the computer screen.

“Life did not change much,” he said.

Reuter chose to unplug because he would rather be outside than staring at a screen.

“I don’t have a desire to always be with electronics,” Reuter said.

Instead, he runs 5Ks, rock climbs and frequently rides his bike to work.

“When you bike, you enjoy time,” Reuter said.

Reuter’s disconnect from social media is only one step in the direction of where he would ideally see himself.

“It would be a dream to go somewhere and completely turn everything off,” Reuter said. “I don’t think I have the resources yet to do that, but I would of course love to live in a cabin somewhere and camp for a week or two or even longer.”

UF alumni and brothers Greg and Brian Valle championed their rejection of technology while embarking on a six-month hike on the Appalachian Trail that they finished in October.

Some people reject technology while on the hike; some do not. Greg was one of the few that rejected most technology and said it was difficult at times.

“It was annoying that others had phones, and I was always the odd one out,” he said. “I twiddled my thumbs while they were on their phones.”

City of Gainesville/Alachua County Senior Recreation Center attendees Bebe Black (left) and Loelle Shepardson hone their iPhone and iPad skills.

38

The technology he utilized on the trail was the occasional phone call to his parents from Brian’s phone or when

he visited the library off the trail to post a journal entry on Facebook.

“When you’re away for six months, it’s difficult (not having a phone),” Greg Valle said.

On the other side of the spectrum, some people want to use as much new technology as possible.

Sam Ulbing teaches a class at the City of Gainesville/Alachua County Senior Recreation Center on iPad and iPhone use. The course is an overview on basic technology skills. Topics discussed include the settings, Siri, Wi-Fi, iCloud, maps, iBooks and iOS 9.

IN-APP PURCHASES: A Modern-Day Parenting Challenge Story by Christina Hunt Photo by Robin Andrews

Attendees take the class because they want to learn more about their devices or want to get rid of their frustrations.

Others take the class because it’s an opportunity to learn about the technology that their children gave them in order to communicate.

As a parent, there are certain topics you eventually have to address with your children:

“(I take the class because of) frustration with navigating the iPad,” Loell Shepardson said. “I don’t know how to get from here to there.”

“Don’t Do Drugs”

She was not the only one who struggled adapting to the technology in the course. Some experienced difficulty in the new operating system while others experienced problems sending emails.

Ulbing teaches the course because he likes computers and the advances made since he started using them in 1964. By teaching the course, he helps members of the senior center discover how useful the devices are.

Both generations have people on all sides of the technology spectrum.

Some millennials want to minimize technology while some seniors want to take in as much as they can.

Ironically, those who try to reject technology completely, still find a way to use cutting-edge devices.

“The Birds and the Bees” “Stranger Danger”

The 21st century and the advent of apps created a new conversation: “Don’t Make In-App Purchases.” Minors across the globe are charging millions of dollars to their parents’ accounts while playing game apps, creating a new issue for modern parents to deal with.

In January 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Apple Inc. would be required to provide full consumer refunds of at least $32.5 million to settle an FTC complaint that the company charged for minors’ in-app purchases without parental consent.

The settlement also required Apple “to change its billing practices to ensure that it has obtained express, informed consent from consumers before charging them for items sold in mobile apps.”

Google Inc. followed Apple’s path in September 2014 when it agreed to pay at least $19 million “to settle federal allegations that the Internet giant improperly billed parents for unauthorized purchases by their children while using mobile apps,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Like Apple, the company said it would change billing practices for in-app purchases to follow the same requirements that Apple agreed to.

As of December 2014, the FTC was moving forward with an identical lawsuit against Amazon.com, Inc., according to The Washington Post. Amazon attempted to have the case dismissed by arguing that it warns customers when an app contains in-app purchases and that the FTC could not prove that charges by children were not authorized by their parents. However, a federal judge refused to dismiss the case.

Gainesville publisher and mother of three, Nicole Irving, is all too familiar with this parenting challenge. Her sons, ages 7, 10 and 11, have made hundreds of in-app purchases without her consent, and she estimates that they’ve charged at least $600 to her Apple account. Irving contacted Apple each time to see if it would remove the unauthorized charges.

“At first, I would say my son did this accidentally, and they completely understood,” Irving said.

The fourth time Irving called to have charges removed, Apple only refunded three fourths of the bill and made sure she knew how to put restrictions on her devices.

“They said that would be the last time they could refund me because at this point I should understand how to prevent it,” she said. “Which is completely valid. I should. But, you know, little hands will get into phones, and so now I have to be very, very careful to keep it locked.”

To prevent her sons from making more purchases, Irving changed her restriction

code and also changed the password to get into her phone to something her children wouldn’t guess.

“I even had one smart son that put his fingerprint in to access my phone,” she said. “So I had to reset my phone.

At this point, they’ve all gotten their devices taken away, unfortunately.

They only have access to my phone when I want them to, but now I have restrictions on it.”

As a parent of young children, Irving said she wants her sons to have access to technology, have fun and learn responsibility by having their own devices.

“But in the end, they’re still children,” she said. “They still don’t understand fully the concepts of right and wrong, and they don’t understand the financial repercussions of hitting these things.”

Irving said she thinks this is a very difficult issue to deal with now, as technology is growing in the school systems and devices like iPads and iPods are great for educating children.

“My son learned how to play chess on the iPad. One learned all his ABCs on certain devices,” she said.

“But what happens is that if you give them an inch, they take a mile kind of thing because they don’t know the repercussions. I think it’s something as parents we’re just going to have to keep battling.”

39 40

& OB she said. She knew this notion from the Book of Esther in the Bible.

“I felt like God had given me those words over and over in my head,” she said.

Knowing she stood at great risk of losing her job by standing up to authority—a role she said she had never taken—Bowles made her refusal and posted a letter on Facebook to her students’ parents explaining why she felt she had to do it in September 2014.

KINDERGARTEN WIRED Story and photo by Robin Andrews

S

usan Bowles was sleepless for nights before she decided to stand up against a computer-based state test.

The Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School kindergarten teacher gained national recognition last year when she refused to administer the standardized Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) test to her students.

Knowing she was at risk of being fired after 26 years of teaching, she said she took a stand that she couldn’t believe no one else was taking.

The test took approximately double the amount of time projected by the state, eating away 35 to 60 minutes of class time per student, Bowles said.

Also, both students and teachers were intended to wear headphones during the test, leaving the rest of the classroom

40

full of students in need of supervision.

Further, Bowles said that it was developmentally inappropriate because her kindergarten students didn’t fully understand the technology used. Some students would double- and tripleclick, she said, passing screens and skipping questions about phonics and comprehension without a chance to answer them correctly.

The test was, in Bowles’ words, absolutely ridiculous. It used time that was necessary for building classroom community in the new school year.

She was deprived of the full chance to get to know her students and “orient them to school and all of the things we do in kindergarten because of some crazy requirement by the state with a test that was developed by somebody who evidently did not understand how 5-year-olds work and operate,” she said.

Bowles said the test covered benchmarks that all kindergarten teachers already know how to assess, such as sounds, sight words and number recognition, regardless of what new requirements the state sets. She said she just couldn’t administer the computeradaptive test.

"Perhaps you were made for such a time as this."

Restless with uncertainty days before testing began, she still tried to comply and give the FAIR Test. But the moment she knew she had to stand up against the test was when she couldn’t shake the recurring words, “Perhaps you were made for such a time as this,”

After shaking up the school system, she was awarded the 2015 Alachua County teacher of the year in February. She said this is most likely because of her bold move. The 60-year-old returned for her 27th year of teaching in August and continues to value her kindergarten students.

And while she tends to gravitate toward less technology because she said she doesn’t like kids in front of screens too much, her curriculum does require the use of iMacs and iPads, which are used to master objectives like tracing letters.

Bowles acknowledges that technology has an unshakable place in the innovation of curriculums and daily

Bowles often uses “old-school” technology like overhead projectors to teach her lessons. She said she also finds the Internet helpful in discovering videos, pictures and songs to engage students in new subjects or reinforce information learned through classical means of teaching.

“Technology is only going to get better and better,” she said. “I would like to see there be less and less in elementary school and more in middle school and high school.”

Valarie Freeman, principal of Lawton Chiles Elementary, said she supports the same concerns as Bowles, who has taught at Chiles since it opened in 1999. Technology isn’t intended to substitute the humanistic trait of teaching, which is irreplaceable, she said. But Freeman said technology is just supposed to add another level of harmony for students.

She said the possibility of using technology to expand a child’s view of the world without leaving a school building is a wonderful benefit of plugged-in classrooms.

The way technology helps make abstract concepts concrete to students by showing them sights they’d never

“If you watch the students, their experience is enriched so ten-fold with learning with technology,” she said.

Agreeably, Bowles doesn’t ignore or separate herself from the societal trend toward technology and its widely beneficial effects, but she said she suspects that technology will engage young children too much.

“With little children, they need to have that personal relationship,” Bowles said. “They need to know how to interact with other people and just kind of get along in the world as a human being.”

She said she fears that the generations with increasing technological possibilities will lose touch with organic human emotions, which will become overshadowed by machinery.

Beyond children’s need to interact with each other, she pointed out that adults are increasingly plugging children in and tuning them out.

All children really want is to be heard.

And she means really heard.

“They just want you to look at them and listen to what they have to say and really listen—not just like I said, half an ear—but really listen and kind

“Even though you may not think you’re teaching a lesson, anything you do with a child is just a moment—just a moment where they are soaking it up, for the good or the bad... So you want to make sure that it’s the best that you can give them. classroom lessons. Conversely, she says that some technology is testing the threshold of how much of a good thing is too much.

While she fears children may begin missing out on life experiences because they’re plugged into technology, she said that technology can be largely beneficial in the classroom, just as long as children can engage in creative activities like playing with blocks and fine motor skills like holding a pencil are learned.

“We need to make sure kids have good experiences all the way around,” she said, “and it’s not just focused on technology, but we’re looking at all of the other components for learning, too.”

be able to see without technology in the classroom is one of its biggest perks, Freeman said.

of understand their world and who they are and really just think they’re wonderful for who they are.”

“It helps them see that the world is not just their world entirely,” she said.

More than listening to what children say and communicating through conversation, adults and peers set examples in ways that machines can’t.

Beyond the ability to broaden perspective and understanding, Freeman said Alachua County’s goal for using technology in class curriculums is to ignite the same excitement and engage students “to capture the same sort of attention games and technology get at home.”

Lawton Chiles Elementary is expanding to open four technology labs available to students in addition to what is already available in each classroom.

“I think you’re teaching them by what you put in front of them,” Bowles said.

“Even though you may not think you’re teaching a lesson, anything you do with a child is just a moment—just a moment where they are soaking it up, for the good or the bad. And whatever moment you give to them, it’s the only moment at that time that they have. So you want to make sure that it’s the best that you can give them.”

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TECHNICALLY A FAIRY TALE:

Swiping right to "i do"

By Scott St. Lifer

A

& OB and began to talk more seriously. Then Hunt’s sorority had its semi-formal.

She originally asked a friend to go to the function, but one of her sorority sisters took her phone and sent Lynch a message asking him to go. After he agreed, Hunt set up her friend with another sorority sister and took Lynch as her date.

The day before the event, the two met for the first time at Panera Bread to avoid an awkward first encounter at semi-formal, and they hit it off.

“We met for around two hours (at Panera),” Lynch said.

Following the first encounter and the semi-formal together, the two knew they meshed.

“Our personalities matched,” Lynch said. “We are both quiet and reserved

but were very comfortable with each other.”

“They think it is neat but don’t really understand,” Hunt said.

Hunt said the couple may be perceived as odd by society because their relationship is the result of a Tinder match. Some people use Tinder as a “hookup” app, others as a dating app and some use it just to talk to people.

But there is a cultural assumption that it’s there for people to hook-up, Hunt said.

Lynch explained that Tinder is similar to Match.com or eHarmony, which are known to cater toward matching users through more detailed profiles for lifelong relationships. In total, approximately 50 million people have tried online dating in the United States.

“Our generation is so anti-serious relationships now, and Tinder kind of perpetuates that,” she said.

This can make it uncomfortable for Lynch and Hunt when they tell others how they met because hooking up is not their style. However, meeting on a dating app was fun to explain to the grandparents.

According to a 2012 survey conducted

by Harris Interactive for eHarmony, an average of 438 people marry daily in the U.S. as an outcome of matching on the website.

Lynch and Hunt’s Tinder story continued in the spring of 2014 when Hunt knew she could see a future in the relationship.

Her instinct was correct and the couple became engaged on New Year’s Eve of that year. They plan to tie the knot on Jan. 2, 2016.

man and a woman lay eyes on each other for the first time. They feel a spark between them. One they’ve never felt before.

Then one says the first words to the other—in an app message.

University of Florida students Sean Lynch and Christina Hunt met through the dating and relationship app Tinder, fell in love, and are now engaged.

“pull quote .pull quote .pull quote .pull quote .pull quote ."

Online dating websites and apps allow a person to meet his or her potential significant other. On Tinder, profiles are created by linking the app through Facebook. Users may add a brief bio and choose photos for their profile in an effort to match with others.

Users swipe “yes” or “no,” right or left, respectively, on a potential match. If both users swipe “yes,” then they match and are allowed to message one another. This happened with Lynch and Hunt in September 2013.

After a few weeks of messaging each other on the app, the two swapped phone numbers

42

Hunt and Lynch stand at Lake Alice on the University of Florida campus just after Hunt said "yes" to Lynch's marriage proposal in December 2014. Photo courtesy of Kirk Tapley

INNOVATION

46

49

EVERY STEP IN APPS Bryan Faux & Robin Andrews

48 PROGRESSIVE POLISH: NAILS GET TECHY Christina Hunt

3D PRINTING: STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY PROGRESSES LESSON PLANS Scott St. Lifer

52 50 REFLECTING LIFE ONE FRACTURE AT A TIME Bryan Faux

SOLAR ENERGY INCENTIVES MAKING HEADWAY IN FLORIDA Shayna Tanen

54 GETTING TECH-SAVVY BEHIND THE WHEEL Christina Hunt

EVERY STEP IN APPS Story by Bryan Faux and Robin Andrews

RISE & SHINE 7 a.m.

7:15 a.m.

Wave Alarm Simply wave a hand over your phone to make the alarm snooze or sleep.

7:2O a.m.

MyRadar

8:22 a.m.

Waze

Pandora

7:50 a.m.

Check the day’s weather, and plan attire accordingly.

-

ROCK & ROLL

DRIVE 8:20 a.m.

Google Keep Create lists, reminders and notes and color code them to stay organized.

WORK IT OUT

FORECAST

TO-DO

MyFitnessPal Arrive at the gym.

Log exercise and track calories and progress. .

FUEL UP 8:25 a.m.

Starbucks

SHARE 9:30 a.m.

PowerPoint

Find great tunes to pump up the morning commute.

12:30 p.m.

ORDER SOME GRUB

STAY UP TO DATE

MEET & GREET 1:30 p.m.

Domino’s

Skype

2:15 p.m.

Gather everyone online for an afternoon meeting.

$

$

$ $

$

$

5:45 p.m.

TRASH THE TUBE

CHECK & BALANCE Wells Fargo Check accounts and complete mobile bank deposits.

8 p.m.

Hulu Plus Catch up on the hottest new shows or binge-watch old favorites.

Z

11:30 p.m.

z

Z

z

Flipboard Check the day’s biggest headlines and trending stories.

HUNT & GATHER 5 p.m.

Yelp Explore options, read reviews and choose the perfect place for a great dinner.

CALL IT A NIGHT SleepyTime Calculate the best time to wake up or go to sleep to feel rested for another appguided day.

UPDATE. CHARGE. REPEAT.

PROGRESSIVE POLISH: NAILS GET TECHY

10 fingers + 10 toes = 20 canvases for expression Nails are one of the many places on the body where people express their individuality, and as technology is advancing, so are the polishes we put on them.

Story by Christina Hunt and photo by Robin Andrews

3-D PRINTING STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY PROGRESSES LESSON PLANS

DATE-RAPE SENSING POLISH According to a 2014 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 19.3 percent of women have been raped in the United States. Four engineering students at North Carolina State University used their senior design project as a means to combat this problem.

Their idea was to develop a clear fingernail polish that will change color when put in contact with a date rape drug, North Carolina State’s engineering magazine reported. “A woman at a party could simply stir her drink with her finger to check that it hasn’t been altered.”

That senior project turned into a company called Undercover Colors with seven full-time employees. Although it has not released a working polish yet, the group wrote on its Facebook page that its “goal is to invent technologies that empower people to protect themselves from this heinous and quietly pervasive crime.”

Undercover Colors’ mission is to “make potential perpetrators afraid to spike a drink because there’s now a risk that they can get caught. In effect, we want to shift the fear from the victims to the perpetrators.”

COLOR-CHANGING POLISH If you find yourself bored of your nail color after a few days, Del Sol offers a variety of polishes that change color with sunlight. Step outside and go from Silvery White to Reckless Pink, Powder Blue to Kiwi, or Orange Glitter to Black Glitter.

According to Del Sol’s website, “Spectrachrome Crystals reveal hidden colors when exposed to ultraviolet waves; i.e., sunlight.” The dye does not actually change color. An energy-shift occurs, causing the color of the dye to become visible to the human eye.

SPRAY-ON POLISH Award-winning British brand Nails inc released spray-on nail polish in November 2015, according to MTV.com. The product, dubbed “the world’s fastest manicure” is expected to revolutionize nail art.

“It works by only adhering to your base coat, and not your skin.

After the polish dries, you can simply wash your hands and the extra polish will just rinse off your hands like magic,” Seventeen magazine reported.

Voila! A 20-second manicure.

Although our friends across the pond are already enjoying this new phenomenon, Americans will have to wait until spring 2016 to purchase it in the U.S.

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Story and photo by Scott St. Lifer

Imagine physically seeing horse teeth or the organs of a frog without the actual animals present. This was not possible until 2009, when the first commercial 3-D printers went on sale to the public. With the inception of 3-D printing, students and businesses are able to replicate practical objects into plastic models from a computer.

Three-dimensional printers use rolls of polylactic acid plastic, which is a thermoplastic that molds when heated to create physical objects.

The plastic is packaged in what looks like rolls of string that go through the machine like a thread. The thread will eventually mold into a work of art. These creations range from bones and organs to gears of a machine. Creation of these products can be made on a computer program like Cubify, which starts at $50.

The Makerbot Replicator 2 is sold for approximately $2,000. This model has a build volume of 11.2 inches by 6 inches by 6.1 inches in comparison to the Fusion F306’s 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches volume. These printers are available for the public to purchase at retailers like Wal-Wart, Best Buy and Amazon.

The larger model, the Fusion F306 3-D printer, costs about $4,000.

To make this technology accessible to everyone in Gainesville, 3-D printers are available for use by the general public at the University of Florida.

According to Rachael Elrod, the head of the Education Library at the University of Florida, the university has three libraries—Marston Science Library, Education Library and Health Science Center Library—that have 3-D printers. Even though the general public has access to the printers, class assignments take priority on the machines and cost

15 cents per gram or a minimum of $3 to print. The university has a Makerbot Replicator 2, Makerbot Replicator 2X and a Fusion F306 3-D printer at the aforementioned libraries.

In the Education Library, the Makerbot Replicator 2 is located behind the help desk near the entrance. From a computer it is utilized to create educational devices.

Artifacts like teeth or bones are created on this device and can be replicated digitally on a computer program and saved as an STL file, which is the file used to support 3-D systems. Once saved in the file, the printer will create a physical version of the digital blueprint.

gears and brackets for conveyor belts but does not design them.

Walker acquired his 3-D printer from his father, who had an extra one. The work Walker makes on the printer is used to create gears and brackets to help the business of conveyor belts, he said.

Adam Miller, a fourth-year engineering student at UF, also uses 3-D printers. He said he created models with them and first used them while interning at UPnRIDE Robotics LTD. “The firm prints individual parts to create a visual and to see how feasible it works,” he said.

“It is nice to see the actual size without ruining the artifact,” Elrod said.

He also used 3-D printing in a solidworks course at UF, where he designed a gear train.

This allows students to study organisms visually. In addition to bones and teeth, organs have been 3-D printed. One such 3-D printed animal is a frog and its organs. This gives a visual representation of the size of the organs and how different they are in size in relation to other organisms.

Whether it’s creating a model of an organ, or another body part or creating a component of a machine, 3-D printing has changed how concepts are presented in education and machinery.

Another use for 3-D printing in the classroom is recreating viruses.

The Base-Ten Conversions program through the university allows K-12 students to view different specimens at various sizes. One such specimen is the cold virus. This model allows students to see the virus and its makeup. In the program, the models show the virus 10 times larger, 100 times larger and even greater than those of its actual size, Elrod said.

Three-dimensional printers have other uses as well. Tom Walker, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student at UF, owns a personal 3-D printer. He said he uses it to create

This life-size frog was printed for educational purposes and shows where in its body the vital organs are located. It's currently on display at the UF Education Library.

INNOVATION

“I hesitate to say we’re a success.

We have a long way to go.”

Theodore had little experience in printing before developing the company, but he did have a passion for photography. When you are first learning something there is an openness to finding new ways to approach it, he said. This means there are no assumptions, and people are more inclined to break convention, he said.

Eventually he landed on the idea of printing photos directly on glass. An original technique for creating Fractures was developed.

Reflecting Life One Fracture At A Time Story by Bryan Faux and photos by Robin Andrews

P

hotography dates back to the 1800s and has steadily evolved, reaching the quality and convenience offered by 21st century digital technology. Capturing the moment is easier now than at any point since photography began. With the prevalence of smartphones, most people carry high-quality cameras in their pockets at all times. Apps like Instagram can make any person with a smartphone seem like a world-class photographer with its special filters and settings.

Since photography has changed so much—even in the last decade—should the way photographs are displayed also evolve? The founders of Fracture think so.

Fracture, a company based in Gainesville, prints photos directly on

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glass. It even offers square-shaped glass prints, perfect for displaying your favorite Instagram photos on the wall at home. The concept is simple: customers can upload a picture and place an order online, and the product is shipped to their homes in just a few days.

What makes Fracture different from other photo framing businesses is a unique energy and a fresh approach.

There is no frame involved. This is something that was important to cofounder Alex Theodore.

The Fracture office is sleek and contemporary. Examples of the product are proudly displayed on the walls, showcasing a variety of sizes and colors. Natural light shines in from the windows, illuminating the entire office.

A friendly labrador named Rajah moves between the desks.

Aesthetically and practically, frames don’t work, he said, so he began experimenting with matting and framing with the goal of minimizing the frame for a cleaner look.

The employees are relaxed and casual, most of them tucked comfortably behind computer screens. When the company first launched, it had just more than a dozen employees. Now it has 40.

He simply doesn’t like frames.

"It’s a unique way of celebrating moments in your life."

It begins with raw materials such as glass and foam board, Theodore said. Machines cut the glass and foam board to size, and a special ink that adheres to glass is used to print the image. No paper is involved in making the product—a deliberate choice by the company to remain eco-friendly.

“We believe in treading lightly on our planet,” said Herb Jones, chief marketing officer of Fracture.

Being earth-friendly is an important part of the culture of Fracture, he said. The company recently achieved carbon neutral certification.

All leftover glass is recycled, and excess foam board is repurposed for environmentally friendly packaging used to ship the product.

Jones joined Fracture two years ago and offered his expertise in digital marketing to expand the company’s reach to customers.

Fractures are marketed, sold and manufactured right here in Gainesville, Jones said. To spread the word nationwide about the unique properties of Fracture, the company began sponsoring podcasts and has also broadcast some TV commercials.

The best way to visually illustrate the product to customers is through video, Jones said.

Jones joined the company because he was impressed with the product.

“Fracture was a great product,” Jones said. “It’s a unique way of celebrating moments in your life.”

Jones joked that the popular majority of printed moments at Fracture consist of dogs and babies. And landscape scenes are some of the most breathtaking, he said, explaining that the photo customers want to print often impresses him.

The images are so vibrant it looks almost like a retina display hanging on a wall.

Before Fracture, people were framing photos in a traditional way, Jones said. Canvas was popular for displaying photos and prints.

The glass used at Fracture is the same thickness as standard framing glass: only 2 millimeters thick. The software to turn the glass into a Fracture was built from the ground up, Jones said.

Every Fracture is checked for quality before being shipped, Theodore said.

But he said there can be a lot of challenges when creating a Fracture.

Occasionally customers are unhappy with the colors once they receive the product. It’s very difficult to get accurate color on glass, he said, and different computer monitors might display colors differently. He added that sometimes the glass breaks during shipping, and products have to be remade.

Currently, anywhere from 275 to 300 Fractures are made each day, and customer orders are usually completed within 24 to 48 hours.

“We are very proud of our customer service,” Jones said.

Despite all of the unique technology used at Fracture, customers will always reach an actual person on the phone, which takes some customers by surprise, Jones said.

Theodore is still wrapping his head around the fact that people have bought the product, and he is humbled that people want to work for Fracture. He feels like they can take the company even further.

“I hesitate to say we’re a success,” he said. “We have a long way to go.”

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SOLAR ENERGY INCENTIVES MAKING HEADWAY IN FLORIDA Story and photos by Shayna Tanen

On Thursday, Oct. 22, the Florida Supreme Court cleared the way for a proposed amendment to appear on the November 2016 ballot. The ballot summary states that the amendment “Limits or prevents government and electric utility imposed barriers to supplying local solar electricity.”

It is promoted by a group called Floridians for Solar Choice, a grassroots collection of organizations and citizens dedicated to allowing more homes and businesses to install solar power, according to its website.

The amendment would allow thirdparty and non-utility businesses to sell solar energy. Current law dictates that consumers must buy energy from utilities and power companies in their respective territories.

The constitutional amendment form was approved in December 2014, and in April 2015, the Attorney General of Florida petitioned the Florida Supreme Court as to the validity of the proposed amendment. The Supreme Court found that the amendment met both requirements to legally be placed on the ballot; the proposed amendment stuck to one subject matter, and the ballot summary was clear and unambiguous.

The petition must reach 683,149 signatures by February 1 to be placed on the 2016 ballot, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

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The amendment is all about incentives that will spur people to bite the bullet with upfront costs for solar power installation and invest in renewable energy.

from 30 percent to 10 percent in 2016.

Gonos said that the ITC spurred over $66 billion in private investment and that the ITC has provided 170,000 jobs in the U.S.

The Solar Energy Industries Association is an advocacy and education organization that promotes solar power. It also conducts research about the solar industry. On its website it states that Florida ranks third in the nation for rooftop solar potential, but is 14th in total solar capacity.

Even though Gainesville was the first city to implement a feed-in-tariff (FIT) program, where Gainesville Regional Utilities pays solar system owners for solar-generated electricity, there are still barriers to utilizing the technology, Gonos said, especially because the FIT program has ended.

Over the years, the SEIA shows that the cost of panels has reduced by 76 percent since the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was implemented in 2006. But the residential tax credit is about to expire, said Jason Gonos, the director and co-founder of Power Production Management in Gainesville.

If the solar amendment passes, Gonos said, it wouldn’t deregulate the utilities, but it would allow him to sell power to his neighbors and tenants.

PPM is a contracting firm that installs solar panels, and Gonos has been working in the solar industry since 2007. He said that the ITC allows people who install solar panels to claim 30 percent of the cost of the solar system as a residential tax credit for the year it was placed in service.

Gonos believes that the amount of solar investment will increase in 2016 because it is the last year that people can still get the full 30 percent federal tax credit. Additionally, the commercial tax credit will be reduced

He added that solar energy doesn’t just benefit the owner of the panels.

He said that the social implications for installing solar panels are very powerful because neighbors use any excess energy that a solar system feeds into the grid. When solar-generated electricity is connected to the electric grid, it typically travels to the homes or businesses nearest its origin.

“Anybody putting solar on the grid is actually doing everyone a favor,” he said.

The main material technology that solar panels use is silicon, Gonos said, and he believes this technology will be around for a while. These panels

INNOVATION range from efficiency rates of 14 to 23 percent, depending on the structure and quality of the materials, he said.

Gonos believes that GRU is progressive in its solar policies because the City of Gainesville is progressive. Rachel Meek, the GRU business efficiency program coordinator, said that the utilities company has had a net metering system in place since 2002.

In this system, excess solar energy goes back to the grid, and the owner receives a monthly credit for the energy difference of what he or she produced and what he or she used. The goal of the Net Energy for Solar PV Systems, Meek said, is to incentivise people to produce enough energy just to netzero on their utilities—not to start a business and earn money for the power.

She also said GRU credits the energy at a wholesale rate. In late October, there were 213 participants in the net metering system.

GRU also used the Solar Feed-in-tariff (FIT) program beginning in 2009. In this program, all of a person’s solar power goes directly to the grid, and GRU has a 20-year contract with the person to pay him or her at an agreedupon rate. The program is no longer accepting applications or adding capacity and is suspended, according to GRU’s website.

Tom Fox, a resident of the Porters Community neighborhood and proud owner of a shipping container home, has one of those 20-year contracts with GRU under the FIT program. He owns 36 solar panels and said that GRU pays him 32 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy he produces. He said of the program:“In a sense it did a good thing.

It got people like me to buy it.”

The three-story house is unassuming.

The blue front gate (lined with red flames) and giant pecan tree are comforting touches to this extremely efficient home. Inside, it looks just like a regular home: wood floors, some artwork on the walls, couches. People are often surprised by how normal the house looks on the inside, Fox said.

At first, Fox just wanted an affordable home. But after he saw the devastating

“A regular house is a 100 herz rating.

An energy star house is a 75. An LEED platinum house is at least a 50. And my house is a negative 3,” Fox said.

Fox obtained this rating not from owning solar panels, but from owning solar panels alongside other efficient appliances and home design strategies.

“I believe in science, and I’m aware of what’s going on. I was raised well, and I care about the planet. There’s no reason to abuse the planet or to ruin it. It’s just personal responsibility.” effects of Hurricane Andrew, Fox wanted a strong home as well. He also wanted to be green and self-sufficient.

“I believe in science, and I’m aware of what’s going on,” Fox said. “I was raised well, and I care about the planet. There’s no reason to abuse the planet or to ruin it. It’s just personal responsibility. It just comes down to that.”

Fox said his home is carbon negative and that he makes more energy than he uses. In fact, Mary Alford, an engineer and the principal of the Sustainable Design Group in Gainesville, helped Fox obtain LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, certification. She said that she tests and documents all the features of a home and makes sure that the house is as green as it’s chalked up to be. Alford

Fox’s home is the epitome of a green home, and then some. The solar panels are only one aspect of an entire home that is pushing the boundaries of negative energy consumption. While the proposed solar amendment aims to incentivise solar production, Fox has already met and exceeded that renewable energy technology.

To start, Fox has an efficient washer and dryer, low-flow toilets, an energy efficient dishwasher, a gas stove and excellent insulation. He also has a ductless mini-split air conditioner, which only costs $200 a year to cool his home, he said. And one can’t forget to mention that the structural component of Fox’s home consists almost entirely of recycled shipping containers.

said she determined that Fox’s house had an LEED herz rating of negative 3.

Tom Fox often has guests over at his effecient yet functional home. The third-floor roof is complete with Christmas lights and solar panels, making it a popular rooftop party deck.

Alford said, “incentives for solar are great,” but she added that “you don’t want to invest in solar for an inefficient house. There’s an environmental footprint to the solar panels too.”

Alford said the last step a green-home owner should take is to install solar panels. Efficient air conditioning units and good insulation will help boost the efficiency of solar panels because less energy will be wasted from leaking air ducts and oversized air conditioners, Alford used as an example.

“I think the biggest thing that frustrates me is that people want to blame the high cost of energy on the utility company when there really are very significant things you can do to fix it yourself.”

Alford said, “And it doesn’t have to be solar panels.”

GETTING TECH SAVVY BEHIND THE WHEEL

4G LTE Connectivity In 2015, General Motors began offering a high-speed 4G LTE wireless connection on a range of models, including five Chevrolets, four Buicks, two GMCs and one Cadillac, according to Autotrader.

The connection works through GM’s OnStar telematics system and allows passengers to connect smartphones, tablets or laptops to the Internet through a built-in wireless hotspot.

“More new cars and trucks are offering in-vehicle Wi-Fi hot spots to keep drivers and passengers connected, but the technology has been largely limited to luxury brands. GM is changing that with available 4G LTE connections for a wide range of models,” Autotrader reported.

By Christina Hunt

"Back to the Future" movies may have been a little off when they predicted flying cars by 2015, but not by much. Every year, advances in technology are bringing us closer to that reality. Here are just a few of the upgrades car buyers will hear about when they step onto the dealer’s lot.

In January 2015, Subaru announced a partnership with Sirius XM Connected Vehicle Services and AT&T “to add 4G LTE connectivity to the Starlink in-vehicle connectivity system that Subaru introduced” in 2014, Car and Driver reported. The car manufacturer will begin offering this feature in 2016.

UConnect

Rearview Cameras

In 2003, Chrysler became the first North American automaker to offer Bluetooth in its line of vehicles. This UConnect system is now in its third generation and offers a wide range of features on top of its original Bluetooth capabilities.

In 2014 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) passed a law requiring rearview cameras in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018. According to NHTSA, “there are 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries per year caused by backover crashes.” NHTSA is also reporting that children under the age of 5 are victims of 31 percent of backover fatalities each year, and adults over 70 are victims of 26 percent of these accidents.

Gainesville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram sales representative Bob Hendrickson is the local expert on Chrysler technology and said that even in its most basic form, UConnect gives you all of your call controls, settings for the car, comfort settings, radio and more.

“Many people will choose the navigation option when they go to our larger 8.4-inch screen,” Hendrickson said. “So many people use their smartphones; smartphones are great but this is a lot safer.

You don’t have to fumble with the phone. You can more or less look straight ahead at the road and still see the directions.”

According to Car and Driver, more than half of all 2014 model-year cars are already equipped with this safety feature.

Sales and leasing consultant at Honda of Gainesville, Kim Kidney, sat down and explained how the car maker has already complied with the law.

“In 2012, rearview cameras started becoming available in most models—standard,” Kidney said.

Although all of Honda's cars have cameras, the type of system differs between various makes and models. For example, most LX and Sport models will have a dynamic backup camera, which features guidelines on the screen that move as you turn your wheel to show the car’s projected path, but LX Civics won’t, Kidney said. The camera level will depend on the screen that the car comes with.

NHTSA projects that the addition of cameras will cost car manufacturers up to $45 in cars already equipped with video displays and up to $142 in cars without screens.

According to CNN, Toyota unveiled the first selfparking car in Japan in September 2003. Lexus joined the self-parking car market in 2007 with the introduction of the feature in its LS 460 model.

Since then, Ford, Lincoln, BMW, Audi, MercedesBenz, Bosch, Jeep and Chrysler have added automatic parking to various vehicles in each of their respective line-ups.

Kidney said she agrees that this is a very important safety feature that all cars should have because it allows you to see all of the action going on behind you as you back up.

In 2014, BMW revealed the i3, a car that finds parking spots on its own and picks its owner up when summoned with a vocal prompt on a smartwatch app, according to Newsweek. This year Bosch announced that it plans to release a fully automated parking system that allows the driver to be outside of the car and activate autonomous parking from a smartphone.

“If you’re in a crowded parking lot like anywhere in Butler Plaza, it’s really important to be able to see grocery carts, pedestrians, other people backing up,” Kidney said. “Also, if you have a lot of stuff in your car like if you’ve just gone on this huge shopping spree and you can’t see out the back windshield, the backup camera lets you do that.”

Ford Motor Company introduced Active Park Assist in its Lincoln models in 2009. The feature guides drivers in and out of parallel and perpendicular parking spaces with ease, said Cory Thornell, Parks of Gainesville: Ford, Lincoln & Hyundai consulting manager.

Once this new law is officially enacted and rearview cameras grace the back bumper of new every car in America, the NHTSA projects that 58 to 69 lives will be saved each year.

“This is an important feature for those that want the comfort and the ease of finding parallel or perpendicular parking spots as well as the function of park out assist, leaving that spot after you have found a spot,” he said. “If you find that it is something that you have slight difficulty with or you

“All of Honda’s 2015 models and above have rearview cameras, and it hasn’t affected the pricing,” she said.

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Automatic Parking just like the technological advantage of having it, I can definitely see it being a very important feature.”

Sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle detect spaces that the vehicle knows it will fit into, Thornell said. If it doesn’t think it will fit via the Active Park Assist feature, it will not ask you to try to park in that spot.

“When it has detected a spot that it will fit in, it’ll then let you know to put it into reverse,” he said. “At that point, you take your hands off the wheel, and you are responsible for the break and the gas. As you start to reverse with the gas pedal, the wheel actually starts turning by itself, parking you into that spot. It will let you know when it is done parking. At that time, you put it into the park position, and you can exit the vehicle.”

Thornell said he believes that the Ford system, which is also found in Lincoln cars, is very easy to use.

“A novice can use it on the first try and usually it’ll work out 100 percent perfectly,” he said.

“It’s a little bit shocking when it first starts turning the wheel for you, but as you use it a couple times it becomes second-nature.”

In some of its vehicles, Chrysler offers a digital screen in the dashboard next to the speedometer where directions are displayed so that drivers are not forced to turn their head and look away from the road when using the navigation system.

“You can give verbal commands for the navigation, so you’re not taking your eyes off the road,” Hendrickson said. “You can verbally tell it what station you like. You can even verbally control the climate settings. In some models there’s dual temperature control so you can set the driver’s temperature to 66 and the passenger to 73, for example.”

Chrysler also offers the UConnect Emergency Service and Remote Service Assistance options. The Emergency Service is activated by pressing a big red 911 button.

“No matter where you go in the country, you don’t need a cellphone in the car,” Hendrickson said. “There’s an embedded cellphone mechanism in the vehicle no matter where you are, as long as you have cellular coverage, which is just about anywhere these days. You press that button, and you will get a local 911.”

The Remote Service Assistance is a concierge system that will connect you to a live person to address various needs.

“If you needed service they’ll send out a tow truck for you,” Hendrickson said. “If you run out of fuel, they’ll send you five gallons of gas. When you have that service, you can also download an app for your phone, so you can prestart your car as well.”

Emergency Service is always free; however, Remote Service Assistance is a subscription feature. UConnect is available in all Chrysler vehicles, but the particular make and model will determine the breadth of features it provides.

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HEALTH

58 RIDDELL HELMETS HELP MONITOR IMPACT TO PROTECT PLAYERS Lawrence Laguna

60 THE FUTURE OF FITNESS Bryan Faux

61 CYBERKNIFE: NORTH FLORIDA MEDICAL CENTER'S PREMIER TECHNOLOGY Lawrence Laguna

Boys and Girls Club Junior Varsity team, Gainesville Knights players (left to right) Jake Benton, Georgi ElSemarani, Monte Gonzalez and Nathan Wozniak wear their Riddell SpeedFlex Helmets before practice in October.

& OB “There’s greater adoption and investment, which speaks volumes to the commitment athletic programs are making to protect their players.”

Griffin added that Riddell wholeheartedly expects that in the next three to five years, technology like InSite will become standard in every helmet on the market.

In April, head coach of the Knights, Jason Wozniak, received Riddell helmets for his team, but he didn’t get them easily. Each helmet costs approximately $450, so Catholic Youth Sports, a nonprofit organization, financed the helmets.

Since the Knights have been equipped with InSite, Wozniak believes the technology has assisted the amount of multitasking a coach has to do.

“It’s proven very invaluable as a coach because it’ll give me peace of mind that if I have my back turned or if I’m coaching a play with another player, if something happens away from me the sensors are going to go off,” Wozniak said. “If there’s an alert, we can bring trainers in. It’s really helped from that perspective.”

RIDDELL HELMETS HELP MONITOR IMPACT TO PROTECT PLAYERS Story by Lawrence Laguna and photos by Robin Andrews

C

heryl Coleman finished her day of teaching at Queen of Peace Catholic Academy during the fall semester. Her fourth-graders are being picked up to go home, and Coleman gets her 10-yearold son, Carter—who attends Queen of Peace—ready to head home.

At home, Carter changes out of his school uniform and packs up his gear.

Coleman drives him to the Boys and Girls Club of Alachua County and drops him off to practice one of the most violent sports today—American football.

But Coleman doesn’t have to worry anymore about Carter being hit by a bigger kid head-to-head and getting injured. That is because the Gainesville Knights football team, part of the Boys and Girls Club, is the only middle school team in the junior varsity league in Florida that uses concussionmonitoring helmets.

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With the increasing awareness of concussions in contact sports, Coleman is one of a dozen parents in Gainesville that has reassurance of her child’s health and safety.

“With some parents, they may not let their child play if they didn’t have this type of information and technology,” Coleman said. “He (Carter) never got hit that I had to be concerned. I guess if he ever did, it’ll be like more reassuring knowing that he’s wearing his helmet. They can monitor how hard he’s hit.”

The helmets are made by Riddell, a company that specializes in equipment for football. The SpeedFlex helmet with an InSite response system monitors how hard kids are getting hit on the field.

Before Carter puts his Riddell SpeedFlex helmet on and runs onto

the field, he reaches inside the helmet and turns on its motion sensors. His helmet is equipped with sensor pads that capture the force of impact when struck. The sensors locate the hit and measure the duration of the impact.

When traditional football helmets collided, the force of the impact would travel linear to the skull, but with SpeedFlex, the impact is forced to rotate around the head to avoid a direct hit to Carter’s head.

InSite analyzes the impact, and if it exceeds a predetermined threshold, the information is sent via Bluetooth to an alert monitor that will notify a coach or trainer on the sidelines. Through registered data, the monitor indicates the child by name and jersey number who received a high-level hit, and the child will be taken off the field to be checked with a concussion test. If the child passes the test, he or she may return to play.

That’s where Riddell wants to see its product succeed: to make sure the child can return to the field safely and bring awareness to proper football technique so it won’t happen again. Since it launched in 2013, Riddell has over 350 programs in the U.S. running with the response system and about 10,500 players that are using InSite—the Gainesville Knights are some of them.

Back on the football field, as Wozniak prepares a practice drill for his team, he sets Carter and teammate Michael Henderson up face-to-face in a squat formation. Carter charges up to Michael on the one-on-one drill, and as the two approach each other, they ram helmets before making hand contact with each other to finish the play.

Both players are OK, and so is Michael’s father, Harvey Byrd, who is sitting on a bench on the sidelines with other parents.

Byrd recalls when he used to play football and how different the process was. If a player was hit hard, that player would be taken to the sideline

“There’s greater adoption and investment, which speaks volumes to the commitment athletic programs are making to protect their players.”

“There’s more interest in InSite, there’s greater awareness about this product,” said Erin Griffin, director of corporate communications at Riddell.

and asked if he was fine. If the player said “yes,” then the person would return immediately to the next play. There was no test to evaluate anyone’s physical condition.

Now, with the concussion helmets, Byrd is impressed and assured of his son’s safety. According to Riddell, not only are the helmets beneficial for youth across the nation, but tackle football is evolving because of the increased safety and decreased injuries of its players. Griffin, of Riddell’s corporate communications, said other teams throughout the nation in youth, high school and college levels are moving in directions to adopt the new technology.

As Coleman and Byrd watch their sons finish practice, they are more at ease seeing the children play in the Riddell helmets. Both parents believe that tackle football for the youth has taken a step in the right direction with this technology.

“For a lot of parents it’s the first time their child is playing football,” Byrd said. “I think it gives them a level of comfort knowing injuries are put as a top priority.”

THE FUTURE OF FITNESS Story and photo by Bryan Faux Some people have a strong resistance to working out and feel intimidated by the task of becoming fit.

But new fitness technology offers a 21st century approach to exercise. Wrist monitors, health apps and new developments in workout gear make it easier and more enjoyable to exercise than ever.

Julianne Raymond, 23, said her fitness regimen benefits greatly from using the popular fitness monitor Fitbit. She works out five days a week, usually visiting the gym three days and running on the other two. Raymond uses Fitbit to track her pace while running trails and stadiums.

When Raymond was working as a server, her Fitbit would track her steps. Some days she would log 6 miles just racing through the restaurant, she said.

Raymond has epilepsy, and there is another important feature offered by Fitbit that is valuable to her: It tracks sleeping habits.

When Raymond was younger, she would have seizures in her sleep. She said she needs more rest to stay healthy. The Fitbit can monitor sleep and lets the user know if and when they woke up and for how long.

Fitness monitors like Fitbit are linked to mobile apps for more detailed health reports. Raymond said she has used several different health-related apps from MyFitnessPal (see page 46) to healthy recipe apps to Nike + Running.

Raymond originally started working out to boost her confidence.

“Honestly it was to have better self esteem,” she said. “Now I just really care about staying healthy.”

Raymond said health apps and devices are a great way to stay motivated and not become discouraged, especially for people working to lose weight.

Advances in technology have transformed the way people approach working out. The goal is to enhance consumers’ workout experience.

This summer, the music-streaming app Spotify launched a new running feature, which detects the pace of a user’s run and selects music to match the rhythm of the workout. The feature requires an Internet connection to work, and currently,

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detection while running is not available on Android devices, but users can set their own pace, and the music will match it.

The feature also includes “Running Originals,” music developed exclusively for Spotify Running. Users can choose a variety of different genres for their run, including music with a beat or epic orchestral music to boost motivation, according to Spotify.

In addition to apps and gadgets, smart clothing is emerging in the evolving world of fitness gear. New technology embedded into clothing brands such as Ralph Lauren will collect biometric data and send it to a user’s mobile device.

PoloTech shirts track the user’s heart rate, calories burned and steps taken, according to the Ralph Lauren product website.

Workout reports can be accessed on an exclusive app designed to work with the shirt. Ralph Lauren has priced these shirts at $295.

CYBERKNIFe: north florida mediCal

Eric Gibbs, a personal trainer at Gainesville Health & Fitness, said he doesn’t use fitness wrist monitors and neither do his clients. Gibbs said he condones the use of heart monitors although he doesn't advocate specific brands to his clients. Data regarding a person’s heart rate is imperative to determining the effectiveness of a workout, he said.

center's premier technology

Gibbs said fitness technology has its benefits, such as motivating people to work harder.

Story and photo by Lawrence Laguna

“To a certain extent I think it’s a great tool,” he said. “It stimulates people to be active.”

Gibbs said devices like Fitbit are a great way to get people into working out and great for documenting someone’s exercise, but it’s up to the individual to get results.

“You have to do what you don’t want to do,” Gibbs said.

“You just have to push through.”

Technology continues to infiltrate every facet of human life, and fitness is no exception. It can even make working out more bearable for some who don’t already include it as part of their daily routine. As technology continues to evolve, only one thing is certain: Exercise will never be the same.

T

he treatment of tumors and lesions can be excruciating for a patient, and procedures can last weeks after a person lies down for the first treatment. But the Cancer Center of North Florida Regional Healthcare (NFRH) is the first and only hospital in North Florida offering painless procedures in one visit.

CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery is a revolutionary treatment that outperforms conventional radiation machinery, with a precise and painless approach, according to NFRH. With the correct dose of radiation, the CyberKnife is capable of shooting radiation beams so exact that it has the ability to expose only the tumor that it is targeting, while leaving surrounding tissue completely unharmed.

This technology is treating tumors and lesions that would otherwise be considered inoperable or untreatable. It is also used on patients who may not be candidates for surgery, or who can no longer continue chemotherapy. The procedures take place in an outpatient center and require no incisions, anesthesia or recovery time, according to NFRH’s website.

One oncologist at the NFRH cancer center has seen the CyberKnife come to life. Dr. Allison Grow, a radiation oncologist, worked alongside CyberKnife inventor John Adler at Stanford University, learning everything about the machine before it was approved and installed in healthcare centers.

“We’re doing an entire course of radiation—enough to kill a tumor in three to five days and sometimes even one day,” Grow said. “The targeting mechanisms and the motion tracking, and the compensation for movements that happen during treatment are so important.”

One of the most crucial things that Grow believes differentiates the CyberKnife from a conventional machine is its ability to track respiratory motion. Typically, a machine can only stay in one spot when it is operating, but the CyberKnife is capable of reacting to a person’s respiratory movements while it is working on a tumor.

If a patient is moving, breathing or reacting too much during a treatment, the CyberKnife can adapt to the movement and work around it.

According to NFRH, the CyberKnife is composed of a multijointed robotic arm that is mounted on a base. At the front, the

arm is attached to a linear accelerator that can move in six pivotal positions controlled by a remote. Depending on the procedure, doctors can attach a cylindrical collimator, which will narrow or widen the radiation beam when it comes out of the opening, or the iris. The CyberKnife is capable of delivering 50 to 250 beams of radiation per treatment.

This tool can “operate” on brain, lung, pancreas, pelvic and spinal tumors, and even some tumors that were treated in the past, according to NFRH. Grow said unlike other CyberKnife centers, like the ones in Orlando and Jacksonville that shut down due to medical groups breaking up, NFRH has been operating its CyberKnife since 2006 and has treated up to 1,800 patients.

Cherylle Hayes, the medical director at the NFRH cancer center, has been working at the hospital for 20 years and has seen how beneficial the CyberKnife has been since its arrival.

“The technology is before its time,” Hayes said. “Being able to offer somebody short course treatment, less travel time, less side effects or morbidity from the treatment itself, and less doses to critical structure; you’ve opened up a new window.”

Hayes added that the cancer center was able to cure people who had otherwise been deemed incurable with metastatic disease.

What the CyberKnife has done for thousands of patients is incredible to the staff at NFRH. Hayes said people are being treated rapidly, and it decreases the need for invasive and painful surgeries. And by allowing oncologists to reach tumors in areas that were once inaccessible, people who otherwise would not have been able to be treated are getting the medical attention they need.

“We can help people feel better who have stage four cancer and aren’t going to live forever,” Grow said. “But they want to enjoy every bit of time they have left, so they come for a few days instead of a few weeks, which I think is a beautiful thing.”

That is what the cancer center at NFRH is able to provide to the community and people around the state—results that are not possible with traditional therapies.

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