Final Post

Here's video of the bug in action. It was a long (perhaps too long) road to get to this point, but in the end, I can't say I'm completely disappointed about it. I got the dang thing to work to some degree, and I consider that a triumph. I also figure this blog entry can be my last chance to explain my premise and concept, as it sort of reinvented itself very late in the process, and I feel it could have been stronger if I had thought of it sooner.
Playing off my turmoils a bit, my concept ended up being about low-rent technology, which sort of ties into instant gratification. I bought so many of those bugs, and every one of them has a very short step-by-step process. Open box, turn bug on, watch it go. No need to figure out why it works, or exert much effort to make it work; it just does. The key to making new technology, or adapting the old, in today's society is to not only to simplify, but to make it idiot-proof. Make products that you can utilize even if you've just gotten a lobotomy. So what's left to be said on techno gadgets that are a bit more complicated? A process that you actually have to guess and check at? You have your bug that works automatically, and then this ripped apart and stitched together bug that takes a bit more work. The flashlights are provided, but shining the light doesn't do anything. But if you lift it off the ground and shine the light, the wheels move. Through testing, the subject can find that revving the bug up in the air and letting it down gently will give the bug some momentum to keep going on the ledge and follow the light as you move it forward. This may be the result of my frustration of not getting the bug to move on the ground, but in the end, it sort of worked toward my process.
I did notice how some people shone the light on the bug, looked it over for two seconds, then turned it away. People can't be bothered trying to figure stuff out anymore. I'm speaking generally here, of course. The bug DOES work; it just needs to be looked at from other angles. So I guess the ideal way this incarnation would work would be a race of wits. Two people are positioned with the bug and flashlight and have to cross the finish line. So you'd have to figure out how to make the bug move, and get it down the racetrack. Even once you've figured out how to make it go, you're not out of the woods, since you have to shine the light right on the photocell to keep it going, which requires precise coordination to fix your focus on that point. It's harder than it looks.
In the end, the project could have gone a number of ways, and they all could have been equally successful. Pitting the broken up bug with a functioning one could have had multiple possibilities, but joining the two together was an idea that came up too late in the game. I had a set idea and concept, but technology bucked against it and I had to compromise. I did many tests and tinkerings, and ultimately got the bug to work... kinda, and I can at least be proud of that.