The world looks with some awe upon a man who appears unconcernedly indifferent to home, money, comfort, rank, or even power and fame. The world feels not without a certain apprehension, that here is someone outside its jurisdiction; someone before whom its allurements may be spread in vain; someone strangely enfranchised, untamed, untrammelled by convention, moving independent of the ordinary …
Organic Connections
The Communications of the ACM (Vol. 54, No. 6, June 2011) had a fascinating article entitled, “Biology-Inspired Networking”, wherein the author described how a team at Carnegie Mellon University has developed a new networking algorithm. Their approach is based on the observation that developing neural cells in fruit flies organize not just themselves, but also the cells around them to …
Prejudiced? Me?
I like to think of myself as an equal-opportunity everything. Despite too many experiences to the contrary, I go into every new relationship thinking that I will be accepted for who I am, and that I will extend the same courtesy. Not. I was listening to the radio while making a cup of coffee to support my next task effort …
Married to an Idea: Is it Time for a Divorce?
I’ve been working on an in-house project for a couple of months. It’s one of those things that can (and did) become almost all-consuming, as there were many components, all of which had to fit together into a cohesive unit for optimum effectiveness. I was within days of launching it, when I realized that a major piece of it just …
The Need for Professionalism in Engineering
I came across this today. It resonated with me, so I thought it appropriate to share with you, perhaps to communicate to students, coworkers, and/or anyone who might appreciate the sentiment: “A doctor can kill only one person at a time. An engineer can kill thousands.” Questions: None. Just think about it.