Pages
Links
-
Recent Posts
Enterprise Posts-
Archives
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
Learning the library and research facilities
There I was wandering around campus with a map in my hand so I wouldn’t get lost. Sure, I scoped things out earlier this summer, I knew where some things were…but not exactly. Eerily, it was like a dream I’d had about going back to school…
With only an hour before the first orientation session was to begin I found a parking spot in a garage and went looking for the parking and transportation office to purchase a student parking permit. After consulting my map I found the office and yes, got in line. And it wasn’t moving very fast. I told myself that if I wasn’t helped by a certain time I would come back another day…which is what has to happen. I’m planning on going there early tomorrow morning. Nobody is in a hurry behind those glass windows.
Off I went, headed for my first session on using the library resources and databases etc. Sure, I knew where the library was but finding the training room took a little wandering around. Nothing too bad. The resources are quite impressive…though I was left wondering how and/or when I would have to take the actual plunge and find something for a paper or such. Won’t be long I bet.
A very diverse bunch of people in this program from all over the world. Only chatted with two people, neither of which are in the same specialization as me. In fact, there didn’t seem to be that many in my specialization…but it is too early to say that. One person was from Missouri…had recently driven across Michigan to get to the school. Didn’t get much background as another training session was poised to begin. Did learn that he was a history major for his undergrad work and that he is 9 years younger than me. I felt like an old geezer…an interesting change of pace. It was fun.
The other person I met was during the bus ride back to central campus from north campus. Seems she said that she was from northern Virginia. After getting an undergrad degree she took a job with National Geographic in their records archiving. After four years this wasn’t cutting it so she decided to continue her education. She hasn’t experienced a Michigan winter yet. I suggested she get a nice pair of boots and a warm coat with good gloves, a hat and a scarf.
Nice to meet you both.
Orientation sessions are this week
As a moonlighting student, I’m not much of one…yet. While I am registered and such for classes, they haven’t actually started. Classes start the week after this one.
This coming week I’ll be attending a number of orientation sessions designed to ease us into the academia of the program. I look forward to the exposure…it’s been awhile since I’ve been in a classroom.
It’s rainy out this morning. Another couple we know is visiting a hospital near us. Their young daughter (3 years old I think) was born with heart issues and had surgery at a very young age. There have been issues as of late and tests are needed to determine the best course of action. We’ll probably go visit with them today.
The true “terror” in terrorism
If you have never heard of Bruce Schneier that’s okay. Many haven’t. He is a known for his genius and piercing insights into cryptology, it’s use and the entire subject of security and what it means technically and socially. At a security conference I attended (through my real job) I got to hear Mr. Schneier talk for about a half hour. They introduced him, said he would talk for about 10 minutes then take questions from the crowd. It was pointed out before he spoke that he is at his best taking questions and talking with the audience and that he’s not much of a “speech giver”. This was so true. It was very nice to meet you Mr. Schneier.
He has been very vocal about the absurdity of the “theatre” going on in the airline industry regarding security. That subject aside, he pierced to the heart of what is going on with respect to the scaring of the people:
Thank you very Mr. Schneier for stating so simply that which “terrorists” are trying to achieve:
“I’d like everyone to take a deep breath and listen for a minute.
The point of terrorism is to cause terror, sometimes to further a political goal and sometimes out of sheer hatred. The people terrorists kill are not the targets; they are collateral damage. And blowing up planes, trains, markets or buses is not the goal; those are just tactics. The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the killing. The real point of terrorism is not the act itself, but our reaction to the act.”
Analyzing the blog logs…
Setup awstats to crunch on the logs.
Atlas shrugs off the Field’s Medal
The Researcher read yesterday that a Russian man in Spain solved some Serious Math involving spacial understanding and was offered the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel prize, the Field’s Medal. With little fanfare the man refused and won’t talk to the media. Hard not to sound dramatic, but it’s probably not. Even still, the Scientist finds this man very interesting.
Here I am blogging about things happening all over the world thanks to electricity. I was watching a documentary the other night on the 1906 earthquake that hit San Francisco. An array of various specialists were researching what has been discovered to be a huge cover-up campaign aimed at minimizing the true devastation. What struck me were comments about that time in our history and the manner in which news and information spread. Communication was limited to word-of-mouth and the telegraph. It was a full day before newspapers all over the U.S. were able to communicate the event. Access to news and information sure is changing. How about those italics on full day? Someone in fifty years might blog, “it was almost 5 seconds before news spread…”.
Watching local news a earlier whilst drinking coffee and chatting with the Wife I saw a segment “selling” a cell phone for kids that can only call 4 numbers and has GPS in it. You have your child carry it and you follow their whereabouts with a computer. It’s for their “safety”. Maybe it is…
Pondering the recent furvor over the alleged discovery of a perpetual motion machine, I thought of “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. An ambitious, industrious, brilliant but naive character is exploring an abandoned engine plant comes across what she realizes is a decaying engine that generated electricity from thin air, “Galt’s Motor”. At the time in the book the most advanced means of travel and such were cars and trains. Electricity was generated from coal and oil pretty much like today…except without nuclear energy. So the idea of finding a device that creates free electricity that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world, rotting in the basement of an abandoned building alludes to some serious and interesting contradictions.
With all the brilliant people in the world today, surely the math genius above and a few other geniuses could solve the materialistic problem of cheap and easy energy generation. Is it collective Greed that prevents such things?