The Collaborative Workstation

The personal computer is a small microprocessor that is relatively cheap, and only getting cheaper, such that more and more households can afford to own one. This microprocessor is only one of many different forms of computing power than man has specially designed for a specific use; other types of computers include supercomputers, webservers, and workstations – each one of these is specially designed, though using the same parts, to meet a specific purpose, that is to say to enhance user experience on it.

Traditionally, the computer is only operated by one person at a time; there is only one monitor and one keyboard and one mouse, which can only accept one input at a time. If you were to push two buttons on the keyboard at the same time, say, the “a” and the “b” key at almost the same time, the computer would process that one input was received after the other, and when running text editing software such as the software currently being used to write this blog post, “ab” or “ba” would be interpreted. “a” after “b” or “b” after “a.” The computer does not recognize “a” and “b” at the same time.

Even with remote controlled computers where a technical expert on another computer connects with a microprocessor that a person is currently using to assist them in some form, only one user may control the computer at a time; i.e. the person using remote access overrides commands given by the person at the physical computer.

An alternate use of the traditional microprocessor operated by one person may be that it becomes a live and responsive interface which may be used by several people at a time during a group collaboration process. This computer may process several inputs at the same time, and display results to all individuals, run versatile graphics, word processing, and slideshow applications that facilitate the smoother development and communication of ideas in a project.

A new class of computers where more than one user can operate the computer and utilize the computer’s processing power is already being foreshadowed in the computer market. Apple’s flagship music player and entertainment device, the iTouch, has demonstrated that two people can operate the same device through several game Apps, where users can take advantage of the multi-touch touch screen and play competitive games against one another on the same device and at the same time. Several apps have since also been created for the iPhone and iPad.

Though Apple does not produce desktop machines with touch interfaces, PC giants HP and Dell have begun producing low-end all-in-one microprocessors with a multi-touch interface. This could herald future high-end workstations, with large multi-touch interfaces which would greatly enhance boardroom meetings on technical projects, bringing the power of computer technology to yet another corner of the world’s workspace. This would, once the cost of this technology falls sufficiently low, forever banish the bane that we know as chalk and the blackboard. All it has to do is be programmed right.

If I were to be programming for a multi-user oriented workstation, I would focus on the user interface, and try to make it as intuitive as possible – to replicate the feeling of pen and paper as much as possible, as in the early stages, the main focus of new technology should be to win over the masses, and make them feel comfortable adapting to new technology.

Carbonated Coffee

I hope you like my hat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XebQw6qInBk

"So, tell me about yourself"

I sat down for lunch with a person who I had met whilst studying at Grainger Library a while ago. Then, we had shared a few jokes between working, so agreed to meet again for some general conversation. This opportunity to get to know him better doubled as an opportunity for practicing empathetic listening. For politeness, I will not disclose his identity.

In breaking down empathetic listening to its base definition, I set myself an underlying tenure to figure out where he was coming from; not just hearing the words he was saying, interpreting meaning, and extracting information, but trying to understand why he would choose what he shared with me and why he chose to communicate it the way he did. In other words, I was trying to anticipate what he wanted me to think of him; what was the type of personality he was trying to project onto me?

Such listening consumed most of my brain’s processing power, and it was difficult for me to respond with anything beyond generic affirmations and grunts, but I argue that this type of response is a respectable form of response in its own right, and can count as a technique I used in that without these grunts and affirmations, it would seem to him that I was not paying attention. My silence, without explanation, has the same values as a statement of boredom. Thus, though the affirmations were hollow, they still had meaning as it was my only means of communicating continued and unflagging interest in what he was saying. I actively asked him to continue his story.

Asking open questions and building on what he had already said, asking questions to further probe an area that I thought he would like to share in greater expanse or more meticulous detail were both techniques that I also used in order to try to understand him. Formulating these questions were natural as I developed a genuine curiosity for his opinion in the topics we discussed.

I did try to paraphrase some of the things he said, but for a lack of expertise in certain areas of his interest on my part, I failed to correctly acknowledge his story, which cut short conversation on that part. Unfortunately, we did not make much progress with respect to World of Warcraft and Star Wars, which I actually should know more about.

From our lunch, I learned a lot about him, where he was from, what he likes doing, and what type of person he is. When I left I felt like I had a strong understanding of his approach to life. I think I’d have a fair chance at correctly guessing his response to some scenarios.

I also learned that part of listening is also speaking, because when a conversation becomes too lop-sided, where one party does all the talking whilst the other does all the listening (as did happen in our conversation), it becomes onerous for both the speaker and the listener to continue, simply as a result of fatigue. To speak as well as to listen is crucial to the balance of good conversation.

I think that I really did well in probing out some of my friend’s interests, and getting him to tell me more about them. However, I think that my approach for an hour long lunch should have been different; given the relatively short time we had to speak in contrast to the length of time we could have talked about all of our mutual interests, it would have been better to focus on one or two areas of special interest, instead of diverging and skimming such a wide variety of topics.

In future, I would try to better prime some of the thoughts of whoever I’m talking to, as I noted during the talk that I had a solid grip on what he was talking about at the present moment, but found it difficult to predict what he was about to say and things that he perhaps wanted to communicate, but did not want to outright say.

It was an interesting lunch, and it carried on until I was a little late for class. Luckily my next class was a lecture in a big hall, so I don’t think that the professor noticed. Talking with someone with the tools for crucial conversations in mind definitely felt different from other general conversations I have had; it was a lot more directed from the start, and there was always something else I had wanted to say. There was never a moment where I was at a loss for words. I’ll try to keep these thoughts in mind for the future…

Some pictures

Cheers!

Modifying the Steam Powered Car

Problem: Steam powered car runs well below its potential.

Claim: Significant reduction of unnecessary metal weight in the chassis will greatly improve the acceleration and speed of the steam powered car built in the lab section of ENG 198.

Grounds: The steam powered car has a lot of excess metal whichi s non-vital to its functionality.

Warrant: The power for the propulsion of the steam powered car comes entirely from pressure build up in the boiler caused by the burner, and is not enhanced by the metal surrounding the car.

Backing: Newton's Second Law, F = ma. As the force from the boiler is unchanging between controlled and comparable experiments, the acceleration becomes inversely proportional to the mass of the car. As the mass of the car increases, the acceleration and thus maximum velocity decreases.

Qualifier: Near certain, provided the reduction of chassis does not compromise the structural integrity of the steam powered car.

Email to ELA Jeremy Kaiser

I wrote this email not merely for the sake of ENG 198, but it was a legitimate question to which I needed answers. I always try to communicate clearly, and as Voltaire apologized: "forgive me for writing such a long letter; I had not the time to write a short one."

Charlie Yu  to kaiser6

show details Sep 19 (3 days ago)

Hi Jeremy,

I have a few questions about the status report that we're writing for our Steam Car Project:
- What format should it take?
- How long should it be?
- To what depth of detail should I go?
Thanks,
-- 
Haichuan (Charlie) Yu

College of Engineering | Electrical Engineering

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign '14

Taking Initiative in NOBE

Two days ago, I decided to take the initiative of attending the first general meeting of the National Organization of Business and Engineering (NOBE) at the University of Illinois. I had see them around on Quad day, though I did not sign up for their mailing list nor do I really have any interest in business and engineering. I'm quite sure (for now at least) that after my senior year I'd want to go on to do research at a graduate school, so in terms of the essence of NOBE, there is not a lot of relevance for me at this stage. NOBE, more than anything, provides the bridge between student and big corporations - they help you find jobs and internships.

So why did I go?

A common proverb in the English language is "it's never too late to do _____." Personally, I think that this phrase overused, and find that the alternative "it's never too early to do ______" is a much better as well as much healthier attitude. One day, inevitably, I will have to find a job. I might as well start preparing today. But more than anything, I believe that NOBE is the key to a vast network of not only prestigious multi-national corporations, but also a highly-motivated, ambitious and foresighted group of individuals who have also taken the initiative of joining NOBE with the aim of improving their prospects of a successful career. Surely this is a network I would like to be part of, and more importantly, contribute to.

The first general meeting was simultaneously a presentation/workshop entitled "The Ins-and-Outs of Internship." Here, several seniors and graduate students shared their experiences of internship, the stories, the challenges, as well as sound advice on how to do well. I personally found the stories very amusing in addition to informative. However, this small entertainment was trumped by the greatest delight of the night; instead of the standard delivery pizza (which I have begun to grow ridiculously sick of), fried chicken was served! Over a piece of chicken and French dressing, I briefly conversed with some of the other people who turned up, and some of the guest speakers. I then approached one of the officers of the group, Kevin Daley, and I inquired into the specifics of the events that NOBE was hosting.

At that time, several disjointed strands of information tied together; NOBE would be hosting a “Casino Night” with several big-name corporations, but space was limited and priority would be given to paid members of NOBE. Annual membership fees were 15$. Perks of membership include discounts at eateries (of special interest to me were 10% off at IHOP and Mandarin Wok), but I would find a night gambling and a dollar discount on one of the few occasions that I do eat off campus difficult to justify the 15$ payment. However, at the start of the meeting, the president had announced that they were still looking for junior officers and that the application deadline was that same evening. To be appointed a junior officer, one had to first be a paid member. Possibility knocked on the door.

We started talking more about what the responsibilities of a junior board member would entail, the magnitude of time commitment as well as the qualifications and traits that they were looking for in such an applicant. I found that the description, for the most part, matched my capabilities. Kevin Daley was in charge of the Professional Development committee, and he talked about the details of what junior officers in his committee would be doing, and what he expected from each of them. I was sure that I could handle the responsibilities, though he encouraged me to explore other committees as well. Overall, he seemed like a very agreeable person, and I hope to work with him and learn from him in the future.

I paid the membership fee on the spot, went home and submitted my application, and now I’m just waiting to hear back. In the meantime, I downloaded a free Yahoo! game called “Governor of Poker” to practice my Texas Hold ‘em skills. You may disagree with me, but I call this real initiative.

Cheers,

Reaction to the "Missing Basics" and my plan for developing mine

The "Cold War" was a term that for a long time puzzled me, as in my earliest of youth I could only interpret war as a brutish affair where two parties who had a difference of opinion picked up the tools of destruction and tried to end the existence of the other. The 20th Century has seen hundreds if not thousands of such conflicts, ranging from the epic scale of WWI and WWII to the quiet struggle of Australian aboriginals, but my understanding of the Cold War is different: it was an economic war as much as it was a military stalemate. All sides wanted an end to the standoff, but neither side had the technological superiority to make peace by its own terms.

Notably, it was not a super advanced weapon of mass destruction that brought the Cold War to a close, but a chain of human protests and demonstrations that rose to cause the USSR to implode. It turned out that the priority shouldn't have been focusing on something more devastating than an atomic bomb.

Instead of trying to forge shock-based weapons systems, we should be looking to use technology and engineering to help improve the quality of life of the everyday human. I think what Dr. Goldberg is trying to say is more than anything, today we are not living in a world where the goal is to survive. We are living in an era where we have the ability to thrive.
 
The Missing Basics is perhaps the difference between the mindsets of engineers trying to stay alive and engineers trying to improve life. "Improving life" sounds broad, and indeed it is; therefore we need creativity and diligence, what I interpret as an umbrella for the Missing Basics.

These MB are:

• How to ask questions
• How to label data
• How to model
• How to decompose big problems
• How to measure
• How to communicate

This semester, I hope to develop all of these skills in the ENG 198 Lab section as well as in my PHYS 211 Lab section and whatever other opportunities may find me. However, in particular I hope to focus on the following:

Communication
I know this much about myself: I think faster than I talk, and when I talk, I stop thinking. I often find that people I work with find it hard to understand what I mean, and they ask me what I mean. When I try to explain (talk) I stop thinking and even I sometimes lose track of what I'm trying to explain. This happens the most often in Math discussions.
I'm taking 2 courses that have discussion sections, so this semester I definitely plan to practice talking - a lot.

Asking Questions
I am interested in many areas of technology. One of them is naturally the television. When we still had the bulky cathode ray TVs around, I remember wishing that I could jump into the world on TV. How could I make it feel more real? How could I make TV better? At the time, I could find no answers to such questions (in my defense, I was 10) but of course, great engineers have answered those two questions time and time again, as we have seen with the continuous improvement of televisions, from cathode ray, to plasma, to LCD, and now the newest trend LED. LED TVs are the most energy efficient, brightest, thinnest, lightest, and most pleasant to view televisions to date. Well, I'm quite sure the engineers at Toshiba, Samsung, Sony, etc. didn't just ask "how could this be better?" I'd like to find out what they were asking.
There are no brilliant opportunities for me to get into a team of great engineers at the moment, let alone the thought of just observing them work and think. But, as I proceed with some degree of creativity in making a steam car with my team, I will get lots of practice in asking questions, and practice, eventually, makes perfect.

Breaking down big problems
Especially in the last few years of high school, I have met numerous roadblocks. Several times, I passed these by luck, others, I was stopped dead in my tracks. In retrospect, what did hold me back was trivial - if only I had seen the inner workings of these roadblocks. If I could see the reasons why the roadblock existed in the first place, then essentially I would know what was keeping such roadblocks standing in place. Then, bit by bit, it would be possible to start unscrewing here, cutting the string there,  until eventually the roadblock collapses.
In my extra-curricular activities (yet to be finalized) I expect to meet many such roadblocks. I have found that student organizations tend to encounter the most of these, so my goal is to find my way to a leadership position in an RSO, or at least know what the leaders of the RSO are doing to overcome any obstacles they encounter, thus learning new ways to decompose problems.

Cheers,