We used the free class period today to work separately in order to help us be better prepared for our TED Talk. Each of us worked alone, memorizing our parts so that we could finish our filming in an efficient and timely matter. We would rather have worked together on the project today and film it, but travel plans had other ideas, as Abbie and I had flights yesterday and this morning respectively. However, we have worked together diligently in order to create the most coherent, cogent argument that presents a new and visionary idea.

Upon deciding on our idea we each brainstormed for ideas. Each of us then determined an argument in which we had a particular passion; more importantly though, we each found an argument that we truly believed. Despite the fact that we were told that we did not need to find an argument that we agreed with, I believe it is essential to do so. Naturally, an argument that you support will inherently make you more passionate and will give you the drive to find support. These elements combined ultimately helped to create not only the most passionate argument, but also the most logical one.

I truly believe that an assignment of this nature is very beneficial. We are constantly being pushed to think critically and creatively, or else our project would fail. In addition, this project in comparison to the first is more engaging and much more enjoyable in my opinion. This project has forced us to do more, but this is not just busy work, it is work that we will only benefit from in the long run. In the business world we will be challenged to defend our ideas, something that we are doing right now for this group project. As engineers people often complain that we cannot effectively communicate our ideas or work in groups. It is imperative that we develop these skills and this project will help to foster those skills.

To this point, our project has gone well. We have worked together as a group to not just develop our argument. We have brainstormed to find the best idea and support possible. All four of us have brought ideas and hard work to our group. In addition, in our practices Abbie, Christine, Kelsea, and I all came ready to practice as if we were about to film our final project. It is this chemistry that we have as a group that has helped us to be so successful as our group. Once we return from Thanksgiving we will return, excited and ready to work.

After reading Pink’s thoughts on empathy, I was very intrigued by the idea of determining fake and genuine smiles. Later that day I even put my new-found knowledge to the test; I observed people both around me and passing me by and attempted to determine if their smiles were genuine or not. However, like most people I wanted a quantitative measure of my ability, which unfortunately is impossible to determine in everyday life. Thus, the exercise Pink provided, Spot the Fake Smile, immediately caught my attention.

I took the test, confident in my abilities to determine the shallow nature of humans. I keyed in on the eyes, as Pink had told us about in this section of his book. Pink’s arguement made it seem that the information he provided is axiomatic, but alas like most supposed rules of thumb, the rule was not always perfect. I scored a fifteen out of twenty, a 75%. My score was average by my account, though by the standards of most people it was deciding exceptional, without the knowledge of the eyes. In my opinion, the eyes are a dead giveaway in most instances, but I also saw that for certain cases it was not so obvious.

Despite the fact that I enjoyed this test, I do not necessarily see the benefit of this exercise. I did not become more empathetic or did it even teach me anything about empathy. If anything this exercise helped me to become more pessimistic. Now I am able to spot superficial people all around me, I know the tricks to determine if someone is genuine or not. Certainly I will use this newly acquired information, as I will know if I the people I surround myself with are being true to me or not.

I believe that for some people the knowledge of the ability to spot sincerity may be detrimental. As individuals we all have needs and we all want to feel secure. With the ability to determine if people all around you are genuine or not, some people may become paranoid or worse they may become so pessimistic that it will be detrimental to be around them. Empathy is the ability to understand and feel the pain or joy of others around you, but what did this exercise teach? Should I empathise with people who lack the ability to hide their insincerity?

With all pessimism aside, I felt a personal connection to this test. As I have grown up I have reverted from my early childhood demeanor of an always happy and smiling child to a reserved adult. Not to say that I am not happy, I am, but I certainly do not walk around all the time with a smile. I find it very difficult to smile without it being genuine, when taking pictures I am constantly reminded to smile. Whilst working on my groups project, Kelsea commented that I needed to smile; it is not an adversity to happiness, rather it is an inability to smile without being genuine. Hopefully, with this new information, I will now at least be able to fake my smiles better.

Picture Courtesy of: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index_22.shtml?gender=&age=&occupation=&country=&education=&outlook=2&confidence=5&programme=&Q01=genuine&Q02=fake&Q03=genuine&Q04=fake&Q04=genuine&Q06=genuine&Q07=genuine&Q08=fake&Q09=genuine&Q10=genuine&Q11=genuine&Q12=fake&Q13=fake&Q14=fake&Q15=genuine&Q16=genuine&Q17=fake&Q18=fake&Q19=genuine&Q20=fake&part=eyes

Daniel Pink delves into the idea of story telling and its benefits for members of society. As learners we better through stories rather than rote memorization. He asserts that we use stories in everyday life and therefore it is the best manner in which to learn and remember everything.

As with each section of right brain thinking he discusses, Pink provided a set of exercises at the end of the chapter. The exercise that I decided to perform was Whip Out the Tape Recorder. I approached a brother at the fraternity that I am pledging, who I talked to before and knew had an interesting life story. Lacking a tape recorder, I decided to interview him and instead to take notes and simply listen to his story.

Rohan Hebbar, is a third year ISYE major who is originally from Mumbai, India. However, he has lived all across Asia and can naturally provide copious amounts of stories that are fascinating. Originally I planned to take notes, but I quickly became enthralled in his life story; I was transfixed, I could only listen. I listened as he told stories from his childhood, how it was like to visit the street markets, how it was like to move to a new country, and how it was like to attend an international school, where he could not interact with people from his home land.

I was particularly fascinated by his story of coming to America and the radical changes he encountered. The culture, people, speed of life, and food all presented a new challenge. As I listened I quickly realized how lucky I was to never have to encounter such radical changes. However, I felt a bit of disappointment, as I have never been able to experience living in a new country or the exciting opportunities it could bring.

Previously I had never thought of the ability to tell a story as a benefit in today’s society. Aside from being able to captivate people in a group setting or at a party, I believed that storytelling provided little purpose. Obviously, it was a necessary skill for writers, comedians, and speakers, but besides that what was the necessity? Pink’s rhetoric forced me to realize how integral of skill storytelling is for those who would like to succeed in today’s competitive world.

The most interesting part of the chapter I found was the discussion of Joseph Campbell’s A Hero With A Thousand Faces. My 12th grade english class was centered around Campbell and his philosophy, which I found to be quite interesting. I always knew that Campbell’s theory could be applied to nearly every story, especially those involving a heroic character. However, I was shocked by the statement Pink made, in which he said that Campbell’s theory could be applied to his own book, one that is very similar to a textbook. It is easier to consider that a novel would have this trait, yet an non-fictional persuasive essay I would have never considered.

Joseph Campbell picture: http://confessionsqueen.blogspot.com/2011/04/mythology-and-religion.html

Hero Journey Picture: http://wiki.phalkefactory.net/index.php?title=Hero%E2%80%99s_Journey

As I attempted to come up with some sort of assignment, I decided to do some research on what I wanted to do. However, there is such a myriad of possible products and paths that I could take, so essentially I decided to focus on a passion of mine, running. The running world is experiencing a new and revolutionary type of shoe, the FiveFingers shoe.

This shoe is completely different from those currently on the market; it fits like a glove to your foot. Like the waffle shoe did decades earlier, this shoe is lighter weight and is considered to be better for you. For years runners have lauded the benefits of barefoot running, but it is impractical, unless running on a track. The FiveFingers is a molded shoe that fits to your foot, providing all the benefits of barefoot running with an added barrier.

To be successful in today’s society you cannot simply imitate another company’s product, so I have come up with some solutions. In my research I found that FiveFingers do not cater to customers with webbed toes. In addition, these shoes do not mold exactly to your feet; they merely provide a pliable sole that can gradually adapt. I however have a solution.

Both of the problems I believe can be solved with a single change. There is a sandal on the market made by the company Montrail, which I happen to own, that is molded to the owners feet by placing the shoes in an oven. The material can be used for the sole where it would make contact with foot as well as the top of the shoe. It would not be placed on the bottom of the shoe since it would not be strong or durable enough to endure the wear and tear. My design creates a shoe that is form fit to the each individual’s foot. In addition, this design would allow for consumers with webbed feet, since like every other contour on the foot, their webbed toes would fit to the free forming material.

Like every product, this is just an idea. The practicality is unknown and the exact specifications are still to be determined. I have also attached a rough sketch and as you may have learned from some of my previous posts, I am not a strong artist.

I found the majority of my information on these websites. Check them out if you are interested

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/4BiomechanicsofFootStrike.html

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Sprint-Mens.htm

http://pamela99.hubpages.com/hub/Barefoot-Running-VS-New-Shoe-Technology

FiveFingers Picture: http://barefootrunningshoes.org/vibram-fivefingers/men/kso-men/

Barefoot Running Picture: http://pamela99.hubpages.com/hub/Barefoot-Running-VS-New-Shoe-Technology

Montrail Picture: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jB29RZDZ1Bk/Tdgsfd39O1I/AAAAAAAAASs/ztl4fXjVBD0/s320/montrail%2Bsandal.jpg

As of now, I know what job I would like to have, but it being so specific I have found it difficult to find members of the Georgia Tech faculty involved in it. In addition, the lone major sporting goods company in Atlanta, Russell Athletic, would not provide any information on its website about its employees or even if any thing involved with my future job was actually performed there. Despite these speed bumps in my research I found three people involved in Georgia Tech to interview, with more hopefully coming in the future.

The first person I found to interview was Kristi Mehaffey, the academic advisor for Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Mehaffey is a good resource not only because she spent over a decade in industrial design and manufacturing, but also because she is a graduate of Georgia Tech and combined with her current position would have great knowledge on how to enter my field. She stands as an invaluable resource for me as I strive to achieve my goals.

John G. Papastavridis, is an associate professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Having been an associate professor at Georgia Tech for over 30 years, Papastavridis’ research focus is in analytical and structural dynamics. His research has centered around the mechanics of motion and its stability and instability.

After speaking with a 4th year biomedical engineering student at Georgia Tech, he convinced me that I would need to have knowledge in the biomedical field in order to understand the forces acting upon the human body. His arguments convinced me that a minor in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech would be a good idea. This student also turned me onto another 4th year bme student at Georgia Tech who has worked in my area of work, Kanav Jain. Jain, also the founder of the Biomedical Research opportunities Society, provides a wealth of knowledge as well as an aid in finding different resources in the area to jumpstart my search for a job.

By interviewing these three members of Georgia Tech, I hope to be able to gain greater insight into my future job. I will continue to seek out resources amongst the Georgia Tech and Atlanta communities. I welcome any suggestions that you have about people who I should interview.

Potential Interview Questions:

What is the job market like for those attempting to enter the field of athletic equipment design?

What classes or majors would you consider to best suit me for the field that I am attempting to enter?

Are there any opportunities at Tech that you know of that would help me to advance into this particular field upon graduation?

Is there research currently being done at Tech in this field or similar fields?

Do you know of any students attempting to enter into the same field or already have? If so what did they do to make themselves successful?

As previously stated, my dream job will be to work for an athletics company in designing new cutting-edge sports equipment. For the most part the actual engineers who create these products are not well known, rather the companies who create these products receive the notoriety. The most well known pioneer in this field is Bill Bowerman, a legendary track coach who revolutionized the industry for running shoes.

A track coach at Oregon, the premier track and field school, Bowerman experimented with a way to create a lighter and faster running shoe.  He placed rubber into a waffle iron and compressed it. This discovery created the shoe that forever changed the running world, the waffle running shoe is the shoe style still used today. Bowerman’s shoe was found to fit more comfortably for the athletes, reduce blisters, and provide a lighter weight shoe without compromising durability. With this new found shoe, Bowerman looked for a way to spread it to the world, his position as a track coach gave Bowerman many opportunities to promote his new running shoe. However, looking for a larger outlet he approached a former runner that he coached who was starting an athletic shoe company, named Philip Knight.

Together Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman founded a company called Nike that would revolutionize the world and the world of athletics. Knight used this groundbreaking achievement and a groundbreaking marketing strategy to create one of today’s most powerful brands. With the trademark Nike Swoosh, Knight and his co-founder watched as their brain-child quickly became the premiere athletic brand. Today, Nike has created some of the most innovative products. These products include the Mercurial Vapor the first ultra-lightweight soccer cleat, the Air Jordan which have become an iconic shoe, and Nike+ a computer chip that can track your speed, time, and distance as you run. These products have taken Nike to the forefront of athletics. More recently, Nike’s close ties with the University of Oregon led to the creation of the bright, gaudy football jerseys that have swept the country.

A company that has come to prominence despite only coming into existence in 1996, Under Armour changed the way in which athletic t-shirts were made. Kevin Plank, a former football player for the University of Maryland, wanted a way to keep his cotton shirts dry in the same way the spandex compression shorts he wore did.  Using synthetic materials Plank created a new form-fitting material that was able to use moisture-wicking material to keep clothes and athletes dry.

Finally, Speedo founded by Alexander Macrae, has been on the cusp of the cutting edge of swimwear. The LZR Racer, now illegal by most swimming governing bodies, was so revolutionary that it was considered too much of a competitive advantage. These suits were found to reduce times by nearly 3%, astounding to think that a swimsuit could simply be that advantageous.

It is fascinating to think of how much a shoe, shirt, or swimsuit can help an athlete in competition. It is that reason that I have been drawn to this field of study.

Bill Bowerman Picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bowerman

Soccer Cleat Picture: http://www.kramponum.com/nike-mercurial-vapor-r9-ii-210.html

Under Armour Picture: http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/What_We_Have_Noticed_Cerevellum_Tifosi_UA…_924.html

Swimsuit Picture: https://favoniangamers.wordpress.com/tag/michael-phelps/

 

Throughout high school I was always asked where I wanted to study, what I wanted to study, and what kind of job I wanted. I always had an answer for these questions. But, now that I have begun my college career new challenges await me and new questions about my future hang over my head like a dark cloud. As a student I know what I want to study, though more importantly I do not know what I want to do with my life yet.

I know for one that over the course of the next 25 years I would like to be married and have a family. However, I do not know how that will come to fruition. Have I met my future wife? Do we share a class together? Is it the girl who just passed me as I am writing this down? I do not know which is probably the most daunting part; I do not know how anything will turn out in the future. I can only plan, but a plan will only take you so far, as former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson said on a boxing match, “Everyone has a great plan until they get punched in the mouth.” We can plan and plan and plan that however does not mean it will turn out that way. Despite my uncertainties about other aspects of my future I am certain on one aspect. I know I want to work for a sporting goods company such as Nike, Adidas, or Asics as a project engineer. This dream of mine came to me my junior year of high school and still remains for the time being as my dream job.

As a child I was constantly surrounded by sports, I loved playing, watching, talking, and thinking about them. Naturally, I wanted to find someone for my job to remain centered around my passion. You may ask why I would pick this particular avenue to stay involved, for one I am a realist I could never play professionally, I lacked to motivation to be a coach, and I do not enjoy writing enough to be a sports reporter.

After spending a decade and a half playing different sports, I feel I bring empirical knowledge that can change the industry and the world for the better. From nagging knee injuries and shin splints from track to the chronic foot injuries in soccer caused by the weakness of today’s soccer cleats, I have seen and experienced it all. This knowledge, coupled with not only a great education and mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech, but also great experiences and opportunities, I know that I have what it takes to be able to change the world. I have been told countless times that if you find something you love you will never work a day in your life; that statement is completely untrue. There will be difficult times no matter what I choose, but just maybe if I can do something I love all of tough times will be worth it.

Right now I stand at a crossroads, a beginning of a new chapter in my life. Over the next four years the life that I will lead will be molded. It is a scary time for me as I do not know what I will do, who I will be, and where I will go. Even with all of these questions set before me it is an exciting time and a journey that I plan on living to the fullest.

Soccer Picture: Photo courtesy of myself

Track Picture: Photo courtesy of myself

Marty Mcfly Picture: http://www.digitaltrends.com/lifestyle/great-scott-nike-hints-at-marty-mcfly-self-lacing-shoe-release/

As anyone who has turned on the news or looked at Facebook knows, Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. Jobs is undeniably one of the greatest innovators not only of this generation, but also of all time. Despite my personal preference to personal computers and non-Apple products, I can only mourn with everyone else over the loss of one of the greatest businessmen and entrepreneurs. Although I would rather Jobs had shared his discoveries on how to create a computer with the world, much like Jonas Salk did with the Polio vaccine, I can understand his desires as a businessman.

To the point though, there is a great problem going unnoticed that will begin to creep up in the future. Yes, yesterday a great man was lost yesterday, but for every American that hopes to stay ahead of the world in globalization the greatest asset that America had is now gone. I know, it is shameful to even think about this immediately following Jobs’ death, however it must be addressed in the immediate future.

On a more upbeat note, after watching a video of Jobs speaking at Stanford’s commencement ceremony 2005, I was inspired. His poise and sangfroid as he imparted his words of wisdom were magnificent. He spoke of connecting the dots, using past experiences and knowledge in our current endeavors. Everything we do has a rationale and it was a process, the dots will always be connected, but they must be done by looking into the past. The message that stands out most is that in his final words; the farewell of Whole Earth Catalog and its poignant final message, “Stay hungry, stay foolish” rings in my ears and will serve as a mantra for me throughout my studies and all of my future endeavors. Yesterday an inventor, innovator, and businessman was lost, but he was more than just that, he was a great man, and that is what we should mourn for.

If you have not seen this speech I highly encourage you to. http://www.danpink.com/archives/2011/10/2-ways-to-honor-steve-jobs?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter