Week 4 3/24

I have changed my 20 time project from coffee to making a horror movie or short film. Probably a short film because there won't be enough time to create an entire movie or enough time to view the whole thing in class. If I had to create a whole movie in such short time it would turn out bad. My short film might turn out bad too because I have little experience in film making. This isn't something I can do alone so I'll need people I can rely on throughout this project to help me create and see through to the final product. It'll be a challenge with scheduling because I'm busy with work and my friends who will hopefully be able to help me will be busy with school and work as well. Hopefully I can write out a script with a good story line and plot that actually is the definition of horror. I enjoy scary movies so maybe I will enjoy making one as well.

One Pager 03/03

Coffee is present in our everyday lives. People today tend to believe coffee is too be consumed in the morning to wake one up and keep them alert throughout the day. There are those people who can’t survive without coffee in the morning and then there are those who don’t care for it. Some might believe that coffee is similar to addictive drugs. Those people are either the ones addicted who realized it, or the people who witness the addiction but don’t get into the hype.

Another discussion point is whether or not the caffeine in coffee likely causes insomnia. Insomnia caused by coffee is believed by the general populations because they use the caffeine to wake themselves up in the morning.

In the article “Caffeine Myths and Facts” they start off by saying that caffeine is almost present in everything we consume, but the two main source we get our caffeine from is coffee and tea leaves. When discussing whether caffeine is addictive or not, they confirm that there is some truth in that statement. In their words, “Caffeine is a stimulant to the central nervous system , and regular use of caffeine does cause mild physical dependence,” but they finish their paragraph by saying that caffeine doesn’t threaten our physical, social, or economic health the way addictive drugs do. They say if one were to stop taking caffeine abruptly, one might have symptoms of withdrawal: irritability, depressed mood, and difficulty concentrating. The severity of the withdrawal or harmful drug-seeking behaviors that are a process for street drugs or alcohol is not something that can be caused by caffeine.

The article also labeled caffeine causing insomnia as a myth, as long as the  caffeine isn’t consumed later in the day. It should be should be consumed at least six hours before going to bed, but it depends on metabolism and our metabolism they say. They back those statements up by explaining that caffeine is absorbed in the body quickly. Caffeine is processed through the liver and has a relatively short half-life. This means that after eight to ten hours, 75% of the caffeine is gone.

I would say that I used to believe caffeine is addictive, which it technically is, but not to the degree of drugs or alcohol; which is good. The article supported my idea that consuming caffeine later in the night cause irregular sleep patterns. I know this because I’m the type of person who is more likely to consume caffeine later in the day than in the morning. I believe caffeine helps with my performance at work; it keeps me from getting tired, but when I crash from the caffeine high I’m sluggish and sleepy, sometimes I’ll get headaches. Caffeine can either help or hurt you.

Week 3 02/23

As for progress on my 20 time project I've been able to narrow down what I'm trying to get as an outcome for my project. My goal is more clear thanks to the pitch because I was able to put my ideas into words and paraphrase a plan. I'd like to become a barista of sorts, but my main goal is to see what can be done to create a coffee drink with the utmost quality; starting from how the coffee beans are grown to how the coffee grounds are brewed as an end result.  A difficulty could be that everyone has different tastes. An idea I have is to try taste testing to see if people of different backgrounds or ethnicity have certain tastes they enjoy or dislike more.  There is someone I work with who is a self trained barista and I'm sure from her experience there are things she'll be able to help me with. She's also trained someone who knew nothing about coffee to work in a coffee shop.

Checking in

Julia:

Picking something about which you are passionate is going to serve you well!  There is so much to learn. I am curious to see what you resources end up looking like. Here is my friend, Jarrett's website for Wake Up Iowa. Maybe this will be helpful for learning or reaching out to him or both.

Week 2 2/10

Why is coffee addicting to some people?
What makes up coffee?
When is the best time to have coffee?
Where are coffee beans grown?
How can coffee have the most flavor?
Is coffee good for you?
Who created coffee?

https://authoritynutrition.com/top-13-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee/
http://coffeeandhealth.org/all-about-coffee/nutrition-information/
http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts#1

Week 1 2/2

My proposal for the 20 time project, at this point in time, is learning the ways of the coffee. It's starting point from a bean and what is best way for growth to create the best flavor to the final destination, a steaming cup of coffee in the consumer's hand. I am a person who enjoys coffee and it's caffeinated greatness, that's why I am interested in doing something like this for my 20 time project. I'd like to explore the flavors and makings of coffee drinks; hot vs cold, sweet vs non sweet , and strong vs weak in terms of coffee beans. One of my questions is if the coffee bean one uses can dramatically change the outcome of the drink. There's two ways I could take the project, learning about how coffee becomes coffee, or understanding the flavoring and makings of the drinks.