AP Biology Petey
DeJoy
Current Event Review 11/24/12
Prototype;
Customized Skis, Tailored by Science
Laporte, Nicole. "PROTOTYPE; Customized Skis, Tailored
by Science." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2012.
Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/technology/customized-skis-tailored-by-science.html?ref=science>.
This
article discusses a relatively new technology that allows the producer, Wagner
Skis, to produce a personalized ski. Pete Wagner founded the company in 1998
after he had an experience in which he realized he had been skiing on a ski
that did not suit him for a long time, and felt that something needed to be
done to prevent this from happening to other ski-enthusiasts. A self-proclaimed
“science-nerd”, Wagner has a degree in mechanical engineering, and put it to
use to begin his company. He invented an algorithm that, by synthesizing many
different facts about a skier, including but not limited to height, weight,
preferred terrain, previous ski, and ability, can produce a ski that is perfect
for the customer. However, this complicated process comes with a cost. The skis
go for an average of $1750. Regardless of the pricy nature of these handcrafted
masterpieces, many are willing to pay. In 2011, 1000 people bought Wagner skis.
It is interesting that this new process has been founded, and may point to a
brighter future for skiers everywhere as all skis begin to be personalized.
This
article has a special pertinence to me; I spend a ton of time skiing. I think
this new process is very interesting, and I would like to try these skis. I
often find that a ski does not suit me; it is either too stiff or too dramatically
shaped. This new process seems like a solution to my problem. Furthermore, this
article drew my attention because I have been to the manufacturing headquarters
of these skis before in Colorado, and have taken a good look at them firsthand.
They seem like very nice pieces of work. The process in general combines an
old-fashioned handcrafted touch with an exploitation of technological advances
in its algorithm. It has the potential to help skiers of all levels be better
off.
Although
this article was written well, I have a few critiques. It was written well, but
I would like to know a little more about Wagner’s process and how he goes about
crafting the skis. I would also like to know about how he advertises; he does
not get much business, so I have to assume he advertises somehow, as to get
more customers. However, other than these, I think the article is written
nicely.
I greatly enjoyed reading Petey’s review on the article “Prototype; Customized Skis, Tailored by Science.” He did a nice job on summing up how Pete Wagner first became interested in making this new type of ski, as well as including his mechanical engineering background, so that the reader can follow Wagner’s process. Also, I liked how Petey related this article back to himself, and how he is a skier and would be interested in this new ski. This shows Petey’s interest in the article, which speaks to the reader. Lastly, I appreciated how pointed out, when criticizing the article, how it did not go further into depth on how Wagner was able to make this algorithm that customizes skis for people. When reading the review, this thought accord to me as well, since I am curious about the engineering of the new skis.
ReplyDeletePetey could have improved the review in two areas. I wish he included if this new technology has any global effect, through maybe affecting the global ski market itself, or through having skis now be more customized in most ski companies. Also, he could have included any time frame on how long Wagner was working on the new skis for and when they first started being sold.
I was impressed to learn about this new technology and how it is based around an algorithm of a person’s traits. Not only is it astonishing that essentially the perfect skis for a person can be determined through punching in numbers, but also that this is a good representation on how engineering itself can be remarkable. Although this device is not curing a disease or helping people in need, it is still a great piece of technology that should be taken note of.
The article Petey chose to review, first off, is an interesting article, that caught my attention. Petey did a nice job of including the background information pertaining to Pete Wagner, the founder of Wagner Skis. This article, specifically, is sort of a tell-tale, regarding Mr. Wagner’s entrepreneurship, and his ability to develop a business that works to produce customized skis, using scientific methods/ new technologies. Petey also did a nice job of describing the main focus of the article, as well as including specific details, such as the price of the skis, and the algorithm Mr. Wagner invented. An aspect of the review that was very well presented, was Petey’s personal connection to the article. The fact that Petey has actually been to the manufacturing headquarters of these skis in Colorado, is an extremely relevant connection, and further enhances Petey’s review.
ReplyDeleteAn aspect of the review that could have been made even better, would possibly be the details themselves, regarding the logistics of the production of the skis. Details pertaining to how the skis are produced, or the a scientific method of fitting people,” based on collecting data about other skis they have used, as well as personal information like height and weight,” described in the article, would enhance Petey’s review; by simply providing the reader with a better understanding of the science behind producing the skis. Another aspect of the review that may have been made better, could be an increase of information regarding the business of the skis itself. If Petey added more information relating to Wagner’s business, such as the amount of skis sold in Mr. Wagner’s first year in business (200 pairs of skis were sold), and perhaps how an increase of sales is currently occurring, due to “word of mouth, and the internet” therefore accounting for 90 percent of his sales; the reader would be provided with more insight on the business itself, and the article review would be enriched.
I found this article to be very interesting and I really enjoyed reading the article, as well as the review. What sparked my interest pertaining to this article, was the reason being this article not only related to science, but also a personal story/ small biography regarding both Pete Wagner, and his company was included. Likewise, I find it fascinating that we have come to the point in this country, that personalized skis are being produced. This is a perfect example of how developing science is relating to, sort of, everyday life, or at least for some people an everyday activity. It was encouraging to learn about Mr. Wagner’s company, not particularly due to the customized skis being produced, because I don’t often ski, but I enjoyed learning about his developing idea and the science/technology Mr. Wagner is using to make his idea come to life and generate some business.
Timmy Donohue
ReplyDeletePetey’s review of the article, “Prototype: Custom Ski’s, Tailored By Science,” was very well done. There were many aspects of the review that he did very well. For example, I thought that he did a very good job of presenting some background on Pete Wagner himself. Also, Petey did a very good job of presenting some crucial facts including one that said in 2011 around 1,000 skis were sold. This was vital to the readers understanding that the company was not huge yet, but it has a lot of potential to grow. The third aspect that I really enjoyed was how Petey introduced his personal background on skiing. I felt this really allowed the reader to connect with him, which is very good.
There were a few things that I would have changed however. For example I would have like to see a few sentences on the process of how the ski is made. This would have helped the reader getting a better understanding at how important and innovative this process is. Also, I would have like a few facts on where his market is concentrated. This would have helped me to get a better understanding of the impact of his business.
While there were many points that I found to be very interesting, there was one in particular that intrigued me. The idea that he could implement algorithms into skiing is really interesting because it is so innovative and brilliant. It just goes to show that you can combine what you learned in school to what you love to do. In this case, Wagner combined mathematics and engineering to his favorite pastime, skiing.