Exercise 1.1 - 10/25/13

This exercise is a way for breaking out of the "I can't think of anything" mindset and embrace brainstorming.  It is helpful in thinking about anything and everything in order to get ideas down and out of your head, and it does not matter if you know about it or you just want to know about it.  This will help you find something that interests you or makes you ask questions about it.  These ideas do not have to be censored, nor does it have to make sense to others, as long as you understand it.

For the first step, I will be brainstorming a list of ideas under my choice of four of these specific categories:  places, trends, things, technologies, people, controversies, history, jobs, habitats, and hobbies.  These ideas will come from what I think I know and what I might want to know about the category. 

Step 1:
Places -
Hawaii
Europe
Paris
Italy
Tokyo
Chile
Alaska
Zoo
National Parks
Cruise Ship
Police Station
Fire Station
Australia
New Zealand
Sydney Opera House
Tennessee
Florida
Disneyworld
Disneyland
SeaWorld
Bahamas
Thailand
Dominican Republic
Costa Rica
Africa
Amazon Rainforest
Niagara Falls
Seven Wonders of the World
What country has the prettiest landscape?
What country is the richest?
Which is the poorest?

Trends -
Brands
Clothing
Shoes
Food
Sports/Sport teams
Animals
Family Vacations
What makes something popular?
Why are people obsessed with sports?
Does culture affect trends and popularity?
Music
College
Board Games
iPhones
Celebrities
Wikipedia
Nutrisystem
Energy Drinks
Caffeine
Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Instagram
Sports Cars
Antique Cars
GMO crops
Organic Food
Health Conscious

Jobs -
Veterinarian
Physical Therapist
Neurosurgeon
Doctor
Musician
Rancher
Zoo Keeper
Scientist
Dentist
Garbage man
Police Officer
Interior Decorator
Coach
Athletic Director
Athlete
Congressman
Nurse
Factory Worker
Electrician
Estimator
Ice Fisher
Truck Driver
Postal Worker
Dog Trainer
Park Ranger
Firefighter
Nanny
Baker

Hobbies -
Sports
Photography
Cooking
Scrapbooking
Movies
Friends
Hiking
Sight-seeing
Bird Watching
Star-gazing
Gardening
Art
Why do people have hobbies?
Do people only have hobbies because they like them?
Are hobbies coping mechanisms?
Travelling
Collecting Items
Reading
Music
What makes people like doing these things?
What is classified as a hobby?

For step 2, I am choosing a topic that interests me the most out of the four lists I have previously brainstormed.

Step 2:
Animals

For step 3, I am generating a list of questions that I want to explore about this topic.

Step 3:
What training do drug dogs go through?
Why are animals becoming endangered so fast?
What factors cause animals to become extinct?
How can animals tell emotions in humans?
Why do people abuse animals?
Do different breeds of animals have specific problems or benefits?
Why are horses my favorite animal?
How do I train a dog?
How can I train a horse?
Can animals understand words?
Do animals have their own languages?
Can different types of animals understand each other?
Why do celebrities keep exotic animals as pets?
Why do people smuggle exotic animals?
How did animals evolve on Galapagos Island?
Are all animals colorblind?