RyanHarne.com

I am in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech; it has a fine program for every area, mine being Mechanical. Since we are a school with significant involvement in sports, we have a wealth of charity gifts coming into the university from outlets in that area as well as proud (often sports-loving) alumni who give MILLIONS to the university every single year. Over time, this has had a cyclical effect for the success of the university and the quality of programs has been improved manyfold. Thus, our premiere engineering curriculum is better and better. Freshmen who get into the college have endless resources, to tell you the truth. It’s a blessing, I would say.

But I did make the limitation that the blessing was for those who got into [accepted into] the college. An excellent student won’t get turned away, but there are other reasons why one may not find themselves in upper campus.

I stopped by the Engineering Technology Showcase today. Within minutes, I had received a bit of news that left me stunned. Incoming freshmen for the 2006-07 academic year are required to have Tablet PCs. The PC requirement itself is nothing new; laptops were required some time around 2002. But tablets? I get the sneaking suspicion that something is up.

First, 75% of incoming engineering freshmen have always had Dells. That number has fluctuated but has remained consistent on average. As of the 2006-07 school year, 0% of incoming freshmen will have Dells, since that company does not currently offer a Tablet PC. Ironically enough, at the Showcase today, HP had the largest setup there; and they were conveniently solely promoting their tablets (a few desktops were opened up beside the tablets). The fact that students will now be forced to pay more for a computer architecture likely poorly-suited for their needs is baffling.

Second, the specs that the college requires are ABSURD for Tablet PCs. I did a search on Tablet PCs with 2.00 GHz Pentium M processors and only about a dozen models came up. One was an Acer, the rest were… you guessed it.. HP. Also check out the video card requirement - what current Tablet PC has a video card that size?

Third, this will finally turn the College of Engineering into something that only those with serious cash can get into. A scholarship is up for grabs that asked students to respond to a question as to why engineering undergrad candidates are decreasing. My response was that the college is increasingly isolating itself with the financial requirements to get into the program (and if you’re out of state, Godspeed, comrade) and I also mentioned that the fascinating research programs are hardly marketed. Ignoring my other essay points for the time, a Tablet PC is an expensive piece of technology as it is. Plus, you’re getting less performance per dollar in comparison to regular laptops. A lose/lose situation. The pool of students interested in restrictions like that will now begin to run dry as they look at other schools that don’t require ridiculous requirements as this. Let’s hope this isn’t a significant deterrent.

A friend of mine who recently transferred into our fine Pamplin College of Business was shocked that he was required to have a Windows XP-running laptop. He’s since used his Toshiba zero times in class and prefers his desktop when he’s back at his apartment (he was hoping to get a Mac laptop when transferring here, but Business school people told him it wouldn’t work). He has effectively spent well over one thousand dollars on a piece of machinery that provides him no advantage to other students (also, he has received no software that is Windows-only). The computer labs on this campus are incredible and open 24/7; unless the university is trying to cut back on computer expenses for the general student population by letting us foot the bill, then there is no reason to put STUPID requirements like this on students.

Also, those engineering laptops will be mandatorily used in two classes in the freshmen year, and then will never be brought to class again, since nothing else requires them. This is really bugging me. I was considering sending off a modified and dumbed-down version of this entry to the Collegiate Times (which they likely would print because they enjoy incendiary material) but then I remembered I am still being considered for that scholarship I mentioned earlier. If living in America has taught me anything, sometimes it’s best to live in bitterness beneath your oppressors because, were their inability as great as you hope, they will likely collapse before you do. Actually, I wish the college itself well, but the people making the technology decisions, well, they deserve significantly less than warm fuzzies.

This will be just another area I will have to address as an RA in the fall as freshmen engineers request mental support for “why did I have to spend so much on this piece of crap?”

Edit: I noticed there are more tablets that have 2.00 GHz processors, but still ultimately few.

More Edit: I can’t get this whole situation out of mind. The performance of AutoDesk Inventor is only ample on many of the laptops I’ve seen lately; I can’t begin to imagine the loss incurred by switching to lesser-powered tablets. Only baked goods could squelch this fire in me.

Siemens day number 2 was fantastic. (This occurred yesterday but my studying for a test this morning has delayed me in mentioning it until now). The Senior Director Emeritus Dr. Peter Olfs of Siemens spoke on the industry/engineering perspective of the importance of multi-cultural preparedness. His talk was fantastic and a shade more enthralling, for me, than Nolen’s likely because it was more easily applied in my case.

So, listening to these two guys, hearing two insider’s (and well-experienced) mindsets on the future of business and industry, I am now motivated to do something to prepare myself for the new future. Both Nolen and Olfs mentioned that in the same way that people in their late 40s or 50s today are only able to slowly adopt the instant access to information available (a Google search I could make on “George Nolen” right now would turn up more information in the 0.19 milliseconds it took to index those files than in five months of research in the largest libraries in Virginia during the 1970s), in just a decade or more it will be difficult for up-coming employees to adapt to the truly multi-cultural world unless we immerse ourself in their perspectives and cultures. Trying to summarize a point Olfs made - there are too many talented engineers, so many that they are no longer the desired ones; what is needed are those who can cross cultural boundaries and make effective contact.

So, I’ve decided to learn German. Considering what I am adamant about getting into with a career, it would be best to seek a learning outlet to benefit that aim. I’ll look into books around here and also online, but, as Olfs reiterated, it will ultimately be best for me to just spend time there.

I’ve posted the two lectures for anyone to download. The Nolen one is a mediocre recording and sometimes partially audible. The Olfs one is a much better recording, but his presentation style was to sometimes let the slides speak for himself; so at times, people may laugh or he may indirectly address a point he had listed on a slide. The last line of his presentation was not spoken and it is, “You might spill your drink.” You’ll understand it when you hear it. Enjoy.

George Nolen - One Step Ahead

Peter Olfs - Making A Fast Career In Industry

This afternoon I staked out a chair in Torg 1100 for the Wachovia Distinguished Speakers Series, sponsored by the Pamplin College of Business. I’m not business or finance guru, but I guess it’s better to start somewhere. The speaker was Siemens Co. President and CEO, George Nolen. Entering the room with my iPod and Griffin iTalk, ready for recording, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In hindsight, attending the brief lecture was one of my best, recent decisions.

Put bluntly, George Nolen has more common sense, discernment, and global intuition than anyone I know. He spoke for a meager 35 minutes, and he even spoken on a basic uneloquent fashion, but I got the feeling everyone in the room was overwhelmed by his subject matter. Let’s put his points bluntly: America is going to be overtaken by far more competitive countries within the next two decades and we must be ready for a new level of competition where American English is not the standard language, where we can’t abuse resources as we are currently, and where the average American student will soon be the one working for $3.00 an hour if they don’t get their act together.

I felt bad for those students afterwards that were brazen enough to ask questions like, “So, really, how do I succeed?” or “What can I do to reach a managerial position in my field?” One guy asked a question, saying he was in engineering, regarding how he could succeed as a business-focused engineer. Nolen paused for only a partial second, “So, what are you interested in?” The student paused too, but his reply wasn’t as bold, “I don’t know.” I DON’T KNOW. That is basically admitting you’re nearsighted, without ocular correction, during an interview for a prestigeous firing squad. It’s your own execution you’re committed to.

That analogy worked, right? Yes. Of course.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the talk. If anyone wants a mediocre recording of it (I was sitting several rows back) then I’d be glad to pass along the MP3. Just send me an email.

While at work this evening, I discovered that Erin hurt herself (dislocated shoulder) while at work Friday night. Once my shift ended, I took a bus and then transferred to Main Street North to go visit her. I hear about her dislocation experience in more detail and then we caught up, since our paths haven’t crossed lately as much as should be desired or demanded. I left her place around 12:15 am, I suppose it was.

Starting my walk back to campus, easily a 20-minute expedition, I began building a midnight craving for ice cream. Our conversation, too, had inspired the sympathetic urges common to appear when you’re discussing the many questions that plague you day in and day out. So ice cream seemed appropriate. I started towards Wendy’s. When I arrived, the lobby area was locked but the drive-thru was still available. I walked up to it and waited for a car to get through. I read a sign at the menu area saying if you are unable to use the communicator then please go directly to the window. Thus, I waited for 4 cars for a total of about 8 minutes. When I got to the window I said I just wanted to order a Frosty. The guy said he couldn’t accept walk throughs (walk thru’s?). I then mentioned the sign on the menu board. He said it didn’t exist. I shrugged and walked off. Service these days.

I then went towards Taco Bell because I recall seeing commercials while in the gym that highlighted how late Taco Bell was open. Well, both their lobby and drive-thru were closed. Figures. They can have their microwaved menu, for all I care (which is very little, might I add).

At this point, there wasn’t much option left. But I saw a McDonald’s sign nearby. I’ve never eaten there, but my steps were pointed in the general direction of a red-yellow glow emanating from behind a few trees oh-so-many yards off. Frankly, apart from a few Subway stops and one Taco Bell visit eons ago, I’ve not stopped for fast food while in Blacksburg. But I wanted ice cream. So, there I went, towards the golden arches.

I was about to walk around their drive-thru when I randomly decided to take a shot at their doors. And, what luck!, they were unlocked and open. As I turned the corner to the counter, the manager was there and appeared somewhat shocked to see me; in-house customers must be rare in the wee hours of a fledgling Monday morning. His surprise weened quickly, however, and turned into a smile and greeting. I expected to grab something and go, heading back to that shell of a dorm room. I ordered two apple pies.

The manager asked if I wanted to try an a’la mode apple pie. He provided a brief description of the entree and I smiled at the thought of more sugar and sweets, so I relented and went for that choice. He also asked if I wanted to have it there. I was about to say no, but my determination was fading, as well as my strength both mental and physical, so I relented again. An apple pie a’la mode for me in a McDonald’s.

I sat my bag down on a stool and grabbed some water. A minute later, the manager came out from behind the counter area promenading with a container of true eye candy. Since I am no regular customer to houses of this sort of food goods, I have no idea whether that was the typical portion for the apple pie a’la mode, but let me point out that for $1.67, it was gigantic. He provided a spoon, napkins, and another pleasantry for me to enjoy. I thanked him graciously and sat down with my meal. And I started to think.

Much of my basis for detesting the larger corporations that feed on American ignornace is due to their targetted and over-ambitious desire to tap that very source for all its worth. My loathing is particularly emphasized when that desire to reap great corporate wealth crosses bounds of ethical taste or regulation. So, as a consumer, for what I’m worth, I take action against those companies. Specifically, my aims are Wal-Mart, Starbucks, and McDonald’s. What do I do? Not go there; just plain avoid them as much as I can afford. I have more recent fervor for despising Starbucks since they have begun Wal-Mart-esque practices to tear apart infant unions that threaten to affect some of their corporate-promoting policies. Therefore, I stop feeding the beasts and also encourage others to do the same if they feel the same way that I do.

But as I sat there, I began to contemplate the ramified effects of those practices. To take on a big corporation and win would imply that many people lose their jobs. Those at the top of those companies would leave without too many bruises, but those supporting themself by a few threads at the bottom of that ladder would likely hit bottom for a while. Then, the activist in me points out that though evil is sometimes supported by a buffer of innocence, the core that creates momentum for the entity always rages in the dark interiors - no sugar-coating can truly cover something bitter and brutal.

The experience with my apple pie a’la mode was great, precisely what I needed tonight. But the experience with my apple pie a’la mode in the McDonald’s setting and my racing, thrashing brain full of contradictions was too much. The rest of my walk back was noticeably colder than getting there. Some of that is due to the ice cream, yes; but I’m positive that I was losing a great deal more of my body heat out of the brain cell collisions and garbling that was going on upstairs.

On an unrelated note, when you get a chance, read this. I loved it.

While editing some photos to be printed (thank you, Ritz Camera), I discovered that I am mysteriously missing a few photos. Actually, I’m curiously missing about 90% of my photographs from 2004. Normally, I would instantly freak out, but I am almost positive there is a hard copy of that stuff somewhere at home. I am almost positive.

Ok, so, I would correct to say that my heat is beating faster now that I am not finding these photos after several searches. It would hurt to lose a year of photos. I lost about 10 days of the winter holidays last year when my hard drive died, and that was a tough blow. Now that I think about it, I lost every one of my Christmastime shots. Dang. Opening up old wounds.

Wait. Ok, I found them. I did a Spotlight search for one and then found the rest of them. False alarm.

That pretty much sums up my excitement for the weekend. I’ve had the honor to cozy up with my iPod and a few textbooks all weekend in order to prepare for several examinations of my dynamic brain cell storage and organization. I’m currently on hold for having huge fun while I wait on word from several sources as to what is happening this summer. So, it could be said I’m experiencing a tiered station of excitement as everyday builds up another level of anticipation.

But that makes it sound fun.

I’ve been having serious munchies all week, each occasion happening very late into the night. What’s worse, I actually purchased classic munchy food at Kroger Sunday night when I was there for “milk only.” Luckily, I escaped with only the expected milk and the unexpected celery and peanut butter. And that is lucky because I have been worse.

However, while there are a few celery sticks left, this ’round midnight Friday morning, the peanut butter is almost gone. Why? Was I doing 2 to 1 peanut butter and celery? No. But I gave into the munchies, those cursed fiends of my physical health.

Slowly, the celery dipping turned into celery shoveling. The celery went from the end to the means, the peanut butter a condiment to the satisfaction. It was a sad, sad picture, I must say. Then, once Mr. Spoon got involved, it was all downhill. I can only shake my head in shame for so many evenings.

I should really hire someone to do my grocery shopping for me. Or I can go to the farmer’s market here and just pick up fruits and vegetables as needed. Whatever the fix, I should really stop spending time wandering the aisles of a food superstore. Or I can simply stop eating again.

I mentioned earlier that I was lucky this time. In past semesters, I’ve left grocery stores with far worse foodstuffs. My judgment is usually rather beaten by the time I make it to a grocer, typically very late at night when I am ready to collapse. At that point in the evening, I am often swayed by strange cravings for atypical foods. Like the time I bought two boxes of those gigantic cookies, a variety box to soothe my conscience from cookie prejudice. Or the time I willingly bought baking chocolate, without any true expectation of it ever seeing a baking implement. Oh, gosh; I’ve said too much.