Teaching

Curiosity is on it’s way this morning to Mars for the next eight months. Launched this morning atop an Atlas V vehicle, Curiosity is the size of a small car, several times the weight, and carries many times the scientific instruments of its predecessor rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.

I just love engineers.

Omens

1. Badge lady in sour mood
2. No paperwork for Visitor badge
3. No cell phone number for company contact
4. Equipment still in receiving two miles away
5. Class arrives 30 minutes early
6. Half of class does not have prerequisites
7. Two people missing, two substitutes take seats and books, original people then arrive
8. Equipment arrives six hours late
9. Equipment freezes, no error message
10. People responsible for equipment in earlier time zone already gone for the day
11. Hotel happy hour cancelled

That’s the goal.

But, like many who teach these real short, intense seminars, we both have really big egos - what, who me? - and we both also love to be the unquestioned center of attention.

Midday yesterday, the twelve senior engineers flipped from skepticism to “how do I …?”

The Cloud seems like a good idea. You put pictures and files into the cloud and others can get them back out no matter where they are: New York, Scottsdale, at a McDonalds in Illinois or the Starbucks in Bucharest.

I’m teaching a “remote” class today. I’m in Phoenix Arizona, they’re in White Plains New York.