The puppet's world can only work with strings.

From my book "The Big Defreeze of the Universe - Analogies and Thought Experiments"

As explained earlier, we proposed that the second version is not within the space-time of our multiverse, we proposed as well that the constituents of the second version do not always have quantum mechanical behavior. It seems that the main role of the second version is to observe the first version, not for surveillance purposes but to enable the first version to carry out her/his own observation and measurement without interference or control as explained earlier. It is a sort of mandatory requirement to have a non-quantum mechanical observer to close a potential quantum mechanical endless loop of observers. This observer is proposed to be the second version of you in the two worlds interpretation.

In a sense, the second version of you in the second world would be like a puppeteer holding the strings for you but not controlling you. You would be giving him the directions on how to move the strings. (By you, I mean the first version of you in our world). The reason that the second version of you is required to hold the strings and vibrate them as per your instructions is that the puppet's world can only work with strings.

This madness has to stop #RussiaUkraineWar

This madness has to stop.The sustainable solution is an immediate peace treaty with a decisive&clear #NeutralUkraine & a #NeutralZone of potentially seven states #Finland #Estonia #Latvia #Ukraine #Georgia #Azerbaijan & yes #Belarus.Peace is worth comprising for.#RussiaUkraineWar

Neither #Nato nor #Russia can use the lands of the #Neutralzone to attack each other or for any warfare #NeutralUkraine #Itisnevertoolateforpeace #Peaceisworthcompromisingfor #WeStandWithUkraine #Westandwithpeace #RussiaUkraineWar

Psychology & Design – Asking the wrong questions

 

Written by: Hasan Algarhy

There has been a significantly rising interest in the topic of psychology and design, mainly to answer the question: How can we design better mental health in our cities, homes, and buildings. An increasing number of research and studies are being published, and new experimentation methods and research approaches are being developed and introduced.

Yet, a fairly significant differentiation should be highlighted when approaching the topic. Three main categories should be well understood and acknowledged.

·         Urban design for mental health (Sometimes referred to as Urban Psychology)

·         Architecture & psychology.

·         Interior design & psychology.

While there is a common ground between the three categories, there are fundamental differences between them and respectively in terms of the design elements and in our approach to design for better mental health and wellbeing. Apparently, there are differences between designing for mental health in an interior space and designing for mental health on an urban scale. Architecture is a third category, where the differentiation could be less obvious. Yet, there are different parameters to consider when approaching each of these categories.  

A good example of that would be the connection to nature and biophilic design, which could be considered a common ground between the three categories. Yet the design elements would be different; for example, interior designs would focus on the indoor plants and relevant accessories. On an architecture scale, it would be more towards green walls, green roofs, and nature integration in courtyards, including greeneries and water features. On an urban scale, the designers would design green landscapes, parks, urban trees, fountains, water features, etc.   

Another example would be art, where the design elements on an interior design scale would be artworks, wall art, accessories, and even artistic furniture. On an architecture scale, the design of the building and its form could aim at creating an artistic and iconic design. Another example would be the features and design elements on the façades. A huge variety of possibilities is available on an urban scale, starting from street arts like graffiti to designing dedicated zones for artists and musicians, designing artistic outdoor furniture, pocket parks, linear parks, etc. It is worth mentioning that artistic design elements for mental health and wellbeing are not necessarily costly. There are many examples of simple yet very aesthetic design elements achieving the goal. Recycled, recyclable, and sustainable material is a good and effective approach.

Thoroughly understanding the common ground and differentiation between these three categories would help better design for mental health and wellbeing. Given that these are three different specialties, we do not expect an interior designer to go for an architecture or an urban design job and vice versa, especially when dealing with designs for wellbeing and mental health.   

Positive Psychological Impact Design Elements 

The psychology of making enemies - Evolutionarily speaking

The evolution of emotions is something that Charles Darwin himself explored”. Darwin is seen as the founder of the evolutionary approach to emotions. He said that emotions were evolutionarily evolved and that they were here to serve an important survival purpose. He actually argued that emotions have evolved via natural selection and serve this purpose for humans’ survival and helping aid in communications and bonds with others. For Darwin, emotion had an evolutionary history that could be traced across cultures and species.

Unfortunately, the mechanism of the “psychological natural selection” has sort of a glitch. Unlike biological natural selection, some of the psychological traits that served an important survival purpose thousands or even hundreds of years are not required anymore and could be very harmful. While having an extra ear muscle or a legacy of a tail does not really hurt or does not usually cause harm, having an ugly psychological legacy like a mentality of creating enemies does cause a lot of harm.

While removing a wisdom tooth can cause you some pain for a few days, getting rid of an evolved psychological trait is not that easy, and lots of harm could be caused in the process. The need for creating enemies had been required to serve a survival purpose while our ancestors were in the savannas. This trait is, by default, violence generating and, respectively, war generating. And if you are lucky enough, this trait would be tuned down to creating sort of social enemies, enemies at your work or business, for example, or even within your family, which is pretty sad, to say the least. The relatively good news, though, is that we do have some sort of control over changing this trait and evolving beyond it. It is not a walk in the park, and we do need a more systematic approach to change the negative and harmful psychological legacies of our evolution.

More about the topic and evolution of emotions in my book: Quantizing Emotions (The basic mathematics of psychology)

Designing walkable cities in hot & arid climates

 Designing walkable cities in hot & arid climates like the GCC region could be very challenging. Through this workshop, I recommended five solutions:

1. Studying the aerodynamics of the city or district and accordingly using design techniques to achieve better      ventilation as building orientations, cross ventilation, open courtyards, wind catchers, etc.

2. Urban trees & plantation as a very effective tool.

3. Using shade structures with the proper specifications and design.

4. Using outdoor air ventilation systems when applicable.

5. Working on reducing the heat island effect starting from the design stage and selecting material with high solar reflectance.

I would love to hear other suggestions from urban designers and architects for designing walkable cities in hot and arid climates.

Designing a psychologically healthy outdoor environment

 The outdoor environment has an essential role in promoting a psychologically healthy lifestyle.

Designing and executing outdoor spaces that promote an active lifestyle, inclusivity, aesthetics & sustainability is one of our primary duties as architects and designers.

Every design target of these probably requires an entire course. For some quick tips:

Inclusivity: Ensuring that the design accommodates all ages, genders, and abilities, especially considering the requirements of people with special needs (Beautifully called in UAE people of determination). 

Active lifestyle & aesthetics: The design should promote activities like cycling, jogging, and exercising towards walkability & bikeability of cities, where cities should be designed for humans, not cars. The designers should develop their skills to design aesthetically, incorporating natural elements like plants, water features, etc., with other design elements.

Sustainability: Simply applying the “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle” concept. Not just in encouraging the users of the space to apply it. But to consider it in every single aspect of the design, specifically in the used material. There are tons of recycled outdoor materials which could be specified and incorporated into the designs.

Alwasl dome - Join the making of a new world

 

Alwasl dome of #Expo2020 Dubai is not less iconic than the statue of liberty or the Eiffel tower. The Eiffel Tower was designed and built to celebrate the centenary of the French revolution representing great values like liberty, equality, and fraternity. Alwasl dome represents great values of connecting minds creating the future, and joining the making of a new world through innovation and technology with a human-centric approach.

Dubai is hosting a legendary Expo, and its legacy will remain for centuries. It is definitely worth visiting and enjoying the Expo-experience.   

iDeezign Meme

 

Celebrating the World Architecture Day.

Celebrating the World Architecture Day.

For all you architects and designers out there, you deserve to celebrate your day.

Here are some famous architectural quotes.

Architecture should speak of its time & place but yearn for timelessness.

Frank Gehry

Good architecture lets nature in

Mario Pei

We shape our buildings thereafter; they shape us

Winston Churchill

Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light.

Le Corbusier

Architecture is the triumph of human imagination over materials, methods, and men, to put man into possession of his own earth.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Beauty perishes in life but is immortal in art.

Leonardo da Vinci

As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past for a future which is essentially unknown.

Norman Foster

I call architecture frozen music. 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architect's task, therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise.

Adolf loos

An idea is salvation by imagination

Frank Lloyd Wright

Good architecture creates resonance and harmony through shapes.

Mohammad Hasan Algarhy :)

Solutions to the major environmental problem - Scrap tyres

 

According to the World Economic Forum, scrap tyres represent a major environmental problem, and when dumped, they become a serious fire hazard.

During the past few years, we have assisted in recycling & reusing circa 5 million scrap tyres, mainly from UAE & Europe, by installing hundreds of thousands of square meters of recycled rubber tiles, rubberized jogging tracks & rubberized safety flooring for play areas.

We encourage designers and consultants to increasingly specify recycled material & products from scrap tyres in their projects to help resolve such a serious environmental problem.

#Recycle #Reuse #Environment #Recycling #Globalwarming #Climatechange #Pollution

Poem - The butterfly effect of words

The butterfly effect of words

By: Mohammad Hasan Algarhy

A word of love can go so far,

Plant it on earth & it will shine a star,

A word you say has a branch in the sky,

A tree that will grow even after you die,

Our words & deeds are expanding the universe,

A word of truth in a poem or verse,

Resonating with every word of the same quality,

A universal wave tuned in humanity,

A word of hate has no root,

Wandering around after you shoot,

Shattered in bits swept by a black hole,

A drop of poison polluting a soul,

It can be filtered; the soul can be purified,

A disturbed wave with access denied,

The sky is a book written by our words,

A landscape of possibilities coded on boards,

Our choice of words create reality,

You can consider it a sort of wave duality,

Or a scenario confirmed by an act of measurement,

We have the chance to submit our amendment.

تبارى العالم فى حرم الرياضة - شعر فى أبطال مصر - طوكيو 2020

 

تبارى العالم فى حرم الرياضة

                                                                 َمباراة يطوق لها السابقين                                         

دقت طبول السلام و رفعت

                                                                 َأعلام البلاد خفاقةً طامحين                                         

و اليوم نقول فى أبناء مصر

                                                                 َشعراً و نظماً مبين                                      

قالها شوقى شرفاً نصير

                                                                 َو اليوم نقول فيكم مجددين                                     

يا فريال رفعت الرأس عالياً

                                                                 َلوطن دام مرفوع الجبين                                      

و يا جندي قد أحرجت من

                                                                قال يوماً قبلك مستحيلا                                     

و يا هداية قد أهديت لنا

                                                               نصراً و فرحاً جميلا                                   

و سيف قد أعلنها بقوة

                                                            ليس له عن الفوز بديلا                                     

و يا جيانا الذهب من يستحقك

                                                              و ما حكم الشعب قليلا                                    

و يا إبراهيم رأينا منك عزماً

                                                               ما فى المصارعين له مثيلا                                  

و ما قيمة المعدن إلا رمزاً

                                                            يتوج عملاً و جهداً و صبراً طويلا                                     

فأستحق التاريخ أن يطيب

                                                              بذكركم ذكراً جليلا                                     

و دموع أشرف إذ غدقت بالعرفان أمى

                                                                         فأغدق الخلق لها شاكرين مهنئينَ                                                  

و فاض الفرح أمواجاً بأهلك

                                                                و صداه أسرى لكل بيت رنينَ                                     

فعالياً رفع العلم و ما العلم إلا رمزاً

                                                              يمثل شعباً و خلقاً و ميثاقاً ثمينَ                                             

ميثاق مصر و أهلها بهمة و بعزة

                                                              على قمم العلا عازمينَ                                          

المؤلف : محمد حسن الجارحي

Designing walkable cities for Saudi Arabia

 

Designing walkable & bikeable cities in hot & arid climates is challenging. We can not simply apply the same techniques and codes used in more walkable-friendly environments. Thoroughly understanding the ecosystem of the existing or new cities, the urban patterns, the aerodynamics of the city, and many other aspects could lead to designing enhanced walkable cities in our region, whether we are enhancing an existing city or district or planning a new one.

The way we plan and build cities has significant psychological and physiological impacts on its inhabitants.

Join me in the new workshop about “Designing walkable citiesfor Saudi Arabia” and hot climates in general through iDeezign. I would love to know your questions or topics you would like to know more about.

تصميم مدن قابلة للمشي و إستخدام الدراجات فى البلدان الحارة و الجافة يشكل نوع من التحدى. حيث لا يمكننا أن نطبق الأساليب و الأكواد المستخدمة فى البلدان ذات المناخ المناسب أكثر للمشي. الفهم الدقيق للمحيط الحيوي لمدينة قائمة أو جديدة, أنساق التخطيط العمراني, دراسات حركة الهواء و عوامل أخرى كثيرة سوف يساعدنا على تصميم مدن قابلة للمشي بشكل أفضل فى منطقتنا. سواء كنا نعمل على تحسين مدينة قائمة أو نصمم مدينة جديدة.

للطريقة التى نخطط و نبنى بها مدننا تأثيراً نفسياً و جسدياً كبيراً على ساكنيها.

شاركوني ورشة العمل الخاصة ب" تصميم مدن قابلة للمشي بالسعودية" و بالمناطق الحارة و الجافة بشكل عام.

يسعدني إستقبال أسئلتكم و المواضيع التى تفضلون التركيز عليها خلال ورشة العمل.

Urban Psychology - Mohammad Hasan Algarhy