Megan MacMurray
BioBronc
Biodiesel and a Ford Bronco: how we can retrofit this classic truck without breaking the bank, wasting our time and losing the Bronc.
http://www.biobronc.com
My best friend has a 1994 Full Size Ford Bronco. We began asking how we could retrofit this truck to be environmentally responsible in emissions and efficiency. The answer lies in biodiesel, but proves not to be an easy choice.
The classic car is a staple of American culture. From classic movies to Beach Boys songs, we have incorporated the automobile deeply into the thread of our society. This sentiment cannot be overlooked when examining the movement towards more efficient car technology and alternative fuels. Even with personal attachment aside, we must honestly examine the number of cars on the road and how they can be retrofitted. We have the potential to create great waste by junking older automobiles for the latest technology, or we can take the opportunity to improve the current fleet of cars and trucks on the road.
The BioBronc Project is also an exploration of research documentation in a society oversaturated with media and information. The BioBronc Project combines open source, online documenting tools, which enable video to be watched while further information is revealed in time-based comments. Various media styles are explored to make information accessible and entertaining while encouraging viewer contribution for transparency and varied levels of information depending on a viewer's interests.
Within the online structure, the BioBronc Project will bring together amateurs and experts, breaking down the time, money and knowledge needed to complete the conversion to biodiesel. Being that the Bronco has a gasoline engine, the job requires replacing the entire engine and suspension, making for a very involved job.
Integrating content and an entertainment is key in gaining and keeping the interest of participants. Citing the use of research sites like delicious and the success of media sites like youtube, there is a place for the two to come together to expand project documentation.
Those who are interested in positively effecting their environment, but may not have the time to or know where to start. Also, and perhaps more importantly, those that can feel so overwhelmed with the amount of information pertaining to such a global issue as alternative fuel. By making the project physical and tangible, the audience can began to feel it is accessible.
The user in this case starts out as a viewer of video on biobronc.com. Either the subject of the Bronco, an interest in biodiesel or the entertainment brings them to the site. As they view, information becomes available beyond what is contained in the video. They are engaged either by other viewer comments or time-based links and information available as they watch. The community and the availability to dig deeper into a topic creates a greater investment that can carry on to their daily, informed choices. Ideally, the open source platform will be adopted by users to document their own projects.
The BioBronc Project is centered on the conversion of the Bronco to biodiesel. A large mechanical job, I will be approaching potential sponsors for funding. There is a great potential within the narrative of the struggles to retrofit the classic truck, to draw attention to alternative fuels.
The documentation of the project is just as important as the project itself. Using open source software and code, the site will integrate media and project research in a manner, which can be easily adapted by others.
With all the hopes placed on alternative fuels, there is no easy answer. We need to pay attention to our individual needs, resources and location to make educated choices.
Using entertainment as a tool for the distribution of, rather than a distraction from, available information can only increase with the availability of open source software and the ease of user interaction that the web allows.
The classic car is a staple of American culture. From classic movies to Beach Boys songs, we have incorporated the automobile deeply into the thread of our society. This sentiment cannot be overlooked when examining the movement towards more efficient car technology and alternative fuels. Even with personal attachment aside, we must honestly examine the number of cars on the road and how they can be retrofitted. We have the potential to create great waste by junking older automobiles for the latest technology, or we can take the opportunity to improve the current fleet of cars and trucks on the road.
The BioBronc Project is also an exploration of research documentation in a society oversaturated with media and information. The BioBronc Project combines open source, online documenting tools, which enable video to be watched while further information is revealed in time-based comments. Various media styles are explored to make information accessible and entertaining while encouraging viewer contribution for transparency and varied levels of information depending on a viewer's interests.
Within the online structure, the BioBronc Project will bring together amateurs and experts, breaking down the time, money and knowledge needed to complete the conversion to biodiesel. Being that the Bronco has a gasoline engine, the job requires replacing the entire engine and suspension, making for a very involved job.
Integrating content and an entertainment is key in gaining and keeping the interest of participants. Citing the use of research sites like delicious and the success of media sites like youtube, there is a place for the two to come together to expand project documentation.
Those who are interested in positively effecting their environment, but may not have the time to or know where to start. Also, and perhaps more importantly, those that can feel so overwhelmed with the amount of information pertaining to such a global issue as alternative fuel. By making the project physical and tangible, the audience can began to feel it is accessible.
The user in this case starts out as a viewer of video on biobronc.com. Either the subject of the Bronco, an interest in biodiesel or the entertainment brings them to the site. As they view, information becomes available beyond what is contained in the video. They are engaged either by other viewer comments or time-based links and information available as they watch. The community and the availability to dig deeper into a topic creates a greater investment that can carry on to their daily, informed choices. Ideally, the open source platform will be adopted by users to document their own projects.
The BioBronc Project is centered on the conversion of the Bronco to biodiesel. A large mechanical job, I will be approaching potential sponsors for funding. There is a great potential within the narrative of the struggles to retrofit the classic truck, to draw attention to alternative fuels.
The documentation of the project is just as important as the project itself. Using open source software and code, the site will integrate media and project research in a manner, which can be easily adapted by others.
With all the hopes placed on alternative fuels, there is no easy answer. We need to pay attention to our individual needs, resources and location to make educated choices.
Using entertainment as a tool for the distribution of, rather than a distraction from, available information can only increase with the availability of open source software and the ease of user interaction that the web allows.