Sorry for the inconvienence. If by some crazy chance you have a copy of my missing blogs (like an RSS feed) please send me a copy so I can reupload it. I would be very appreciative. Thanks
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The holiday break
My blog got the flu and about 10 posts were lost.
Sorry for the inconvienence. If by some crazy chance you have a copy of my missing blogs (like an RSS feed) please send me a copy so I can reupload it. I would be very appreciative. Thanks
Sorry for the inconvienence. If by some crazy chance you have a copy of my missing blogs (like an RSS feed) please send me a copy so I can reupload it. I would be very appreciative. Thanks
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Big Time Snow Time
My blog got the flu and about 10 posts were lost.
Sorry for the inconvienence. If by some crazy chance you have a copy of my missing blogs (like an RSS feed) please send me a copy so I can reupload it. I would be very appreciative. Thanks
Sorry for the inconvienence. If by some crazy chance you have a copy of my missing blogs (like an RSS feed) please send me a copy so I can reupload it. I would be very appreciative. Thanks
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Woo Woo!
Finals are done! Of course, they were actually done on Tuesday but I have been a busy boy since then. Someone threw a monkey wrench into out Domestic Plant Trek (of which I am co-chair) and that has consumed a ton of my time this week. Anywho, school is out until February 2nd. No, that is not a typo. My MIT schedule finished on December 16th and I do not have another class until February 2nd 2009. There are 47.708333 days between when my final exam finished and when my first class begins. All I can say is that MIT love they vacation.
I want to reflect back on my classes this semester but before I begin, I have to discuss grades at the graduate level at MIT. For both my Sloan and Engineering classes it seems that almost everyone gets an A or a B. Some of the Sloan professors said the policy was 40% A's, 50% B's, and 10% C's. This may be a policy but I have never seen it written. From my limited experience, there seems to be similar policy in the engineering college. I already know what you are going to say...grade inflation. Having lived it, I have to pleasantly disagree. When I look back at the workload requirements and the effort that everyone puts in, you can't say that anyone did not work for their grade. Generally speaking, no one skips deliverable assignments...though people tend to not read all assigned readings. And on top of that, everyone seems to be performing at such a high level, it would seem odd to assign someone a C or a D because they were excellent but not exquisite. For the few people who skip assignments or do not attend class, they do give out C's and you must maintain a B average, so you can't take that approach for more than half of your classes. It is not like undergrad where people are just going through the motions of college. Everyone here typically wants to learn the material and has taken out large loans to pay for their education. So, on to the classes:
10.25 Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Process Pathways
This was one of my chemical engineering classes and I must say that it was enjoyable. Half of the time I had no idea what was going on, but the professor was so much fun that it was worth it. In the end, this class was everything I expected out of MIT engineering. The professor was quirky, funny, and brilliant...and the exams were insane (average for the first exam was in the 30s or 40s out of 100). Luckily for me on this one, everyone pretty much gets an A or a B. As far as the actual content goes, it was hard to be very interested in the material because I don't think I will ever be designing an industrial chemical reaction or calculating rate information for reactor design...but I did get an appreciation for the extent of uncertainty that goes into new industrial reactions and the plants required to attempt these reactions. Seems to be a risky endevour that is hard to scale up...sort of a learn as you go mentality...but with million dollar plants.
10.579 Application of Technology in Energy and the Environment
This class was also fun to attend. There were two lecturers for this class with very different personalities. One was outgoing and humorous and the other was very dry. I really liked the material and wish everyone could learn the material that we covered. We took an honest look at different forms of energy/technology (wind, thermal, coal, gas, nuclear, etc.) and analyzed the positives, negatives, challenges of using, etc. of using that technology. I think some people take a very "hippy" view of how we can fix the energy situation and do not admit the major challenges we would face if we actually implemented policies that are being proposed. That does not mean this class did not advocate change...but the professors were very honest and sensible about what effects these changes would encounter and how they could be overcome.
15.010 Economic Analysis for Business Decisions
This was your basic economics course. I took an economics course in undergrad so there was nothing significantly new or mind blowing for me, but all in all a good class. Useful material. The professor was a little disappointing, but he was very young and eager to improve. He requested feedback nearly every week and made an honest effort to implement suggestions.
15.277 Leadership and Personal Effectiveness Coaching
The title is deceiving. This was the lab course for communications class. Overall we tried to put into practice the tools we learned in communications class. Mostly we got to practice presenting on the fly (called impromptus) with other themes (different each week) mixed in. Basically, we would be given a prompt and have to stand up and immediately deliver a speech on that topic. This is a good opportunity to practice your presentation skills and then work on the "theme" of the week. For example, we had to give our group members critical feedback, negotiate with another party, outline a vision, etc. The lab takes place with your 6-7 person core team and a Teaching Assistant (2nd year Sloanie TA). I was extremely lucky with the quality of my group's TA. She picked up on so many subtle things during our discussions and I was very impressed by her intelligence (and I was not surprised to hear that she got a job with Apple). I have heard some horror stories from other people, but my TA offered insightful feedback and I found the lab useful (I think I am in the minority here among other LFMers I talked to, but again it comes down to the TA).
15.280 Communication for Managers
Overall we just reviewed a number of forms of communication and talked about the different aspects of them. I definitely learned some new things...and at other times was incredibly bored. I don't blame them for covering some of the material that bored me though. For some of the foreign people on my core team who had never worked in America before, it was certainly necessary. And I had to fight tooth and nail to keep everyone on my core team from overloading our slides with text. When you are presenting, you are the focus of a presentation...not your slides! The slides should add to what your saying, not contain every word you will say. /Rant. Communication is one my biggest weaknesses (one of the reasons I blog) so I will be taking the second part of this class (Advanced Communications) next semester. That class is with the same communications professor, who is an excellent teacher.
15.311Organization Process
This class was the surprise of the semester for me. I actually enjoyed what I would call "fluff" material. We basically covered all of the people aspects of an organization. It helped that the professor was...eccentric? He was from New York (the state, not the city) and embodied some of the typical stereotypes of a New Yorker. He certainly had a fun time (and he reminded of this constantly) of getting us to hotly debate controversial topics. I definitely have a new outlook on motivation and interacting with people. This class also included a project where our core team selected a company, analyzed a change in their organization using the tools we learned in OP, and then presented to that company our findings and recommendations. The project was moderately enjoyable and I honestly believe that we helped the company that we worked with. We were able to analyze an issue they did not have time to address and offer a good solution. At the same time, we were basically consultants and this project reconfirmed my distaste for consulting. In the end, we delivered a "package" of what the organization can do to fix their problems...and though we gave very specific actions..in the end, we did not DO anything. It was all talk. It is up to someone else to actually do the work. That is why I am in LFM. I want to be that person that DOES something. To me, consulting is dumping and running. No matter how nice of a "package" you deliver, in the end you are still taking a crap.
15.401 Finance 1
What can I say, this was your basic finance class. While it is not required at MIT for the MBA program, it should be. Every MBA should know the material that we covered. As for the class, the lectures were so boring. I probably fell asleep in every single class. It did not help that the professor had a monotone voice and dimmed the lights so we could see the power point slides. When you asked the professor a question or when the class was discussing issues as a group, it was easy to see how brilliant the professor was...but when it came to lectures, he was not the best. Still, a useful class and it was interesting to be in the class during this credit crisis...it led to some very revealing conversations.
15.515 Financial Accounting
Brace yourself. Accounting was the best class I have taken at Sloan and I don't think it will be topped. Really, it all came down to the professor. This guy was so good at lecturing, that he made accounting fun. We gave him a standing ovation on the last class...and he deserved it. He was engaging with all of the students, bluntly told you when you asked a ridiculous question that was beyond the scope of the class and did not waste time on it, and made you laugh in every single class. He was so good at stressing what part of accounting we would actually use when we left Sloan, and made sure to cut out the useless stuff. He would just say, let your accountant worry about the details, all you need to understand as a manager is the implications your decisions have on the business. I'm sorry to say, for you incoming students, that he is going on sabbatical for the next 2 years so the next Sloan class that can have him is the class of 2013.
15.792 Proseminar in Manufacturing
This is an LFM class where companies (not necessarily partner companies) come into present to the LFM group on a range of topics. The people and topics are organized by the current LFM class so ti comes as no surprise that they were all engaging and interesting. Sometimes they were general topics and sometimes they were company overviews with extensive Q&A sessions. Either way, they were always interesting. I would like to take this opportunity to express my disappointment with some of my fellow LFM members. Toward the end of the semester, our attendance was down to about 30-35 out of 48 and this is just insulting to the companies that come to present to us. I believe that we have addressed the issue as a class and I think we will show improvement in the future, but it is disappointing nonetheless.
15.972 Leadership and Ethics
This is another LFM exclusive class. Before class begins you meet with Bill Hanson to discuss leadership and a number of other career devlopment and personal issues. I found this conversation to be extremely useful for finding my direction at Sloan and after Sloan. After that comes the class discussions with Don Davis. The class is led by Don Davis, former 20 year CEO of Stanley Works (they make tools) and I must say the class was a joy to attend. Where else can you get the opportunity to openly talk to someone who has run a large public company about the issues of leading? The experience was invaluable. To be fair, the class started out sort of slow. The first two or three classes Don read us some of his opinions on business (his mantras) and while I appreciate the learnings, they comes off as generalities without actual context. The invaluable part of the class was when Don got into discussing challenges he faced, how he handled them, and his reflections on his decisions. And this was not a one way conversation, we were free to interject, disagree, or probe all of the topics and stories. Like I said, invaluable. Unfortunately Don is getting up there in age (though you would not have guessed that from the way he partied with us after the last class) and will not be able to support the class as much as he used to in the past. A driven and motivated person such as Don can't stay away completely, but at his age there are physical limitations. I hope I can be as active as Don when I reach his age, and the idea of teaching (he basically teaches for free) during retirement is awesome.
All in all, the fall core semester was an enjoyable expereince. It is exicting and sad to think that my fellow LFMers and I are half way done the classwork part of the program.
I want to reflect back on my classes this semester but before I begin, I have to discuss grades at the graduate level at MIT. For both my Sloan and Engineering classes it seems that almost everyone gets an A or a B. Some of the Sloan professors said the policy was 40% A's, 50% B's, and 10% C's. This may be a policy but I have never seen it written. From my limited experience, there seems to be similar policy in the engineering college. I already know what you are going to say...grade inflation. Having lived it, I have to pleasantly disagree. When I look back at the workload requirements and the effort that everyone puts in, you can't say that anyone did not work for their grade. Generally speaking, no one skips deliverable assignments...though people tend to not read all assigned readings. And on top of that, everyone seems to be performing at such a high level, it would seem odd to assign someone a C or a D because they were excellent but not exquisite. For the few people who skip assignments or do not attend class, they do give out C's and you must maintain a B average, so you can't take that approach for more than half of your classes. It is not like undergrad where people are just going through the motions of college. Everyone here typically wants to learn the material and has taken out large loans to pay for their education. So, on to the classes:
10.25 Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Process Pathways
This was one of my chemical engineering classes and I must say that it was enjoyable. Half of the time I had no idea what was going on, but the professor was so much fun that it was worth it. In the end, this class was everything I expected out of MIT engineering. The professor was quirky, funny, and brilliant...and the exams were insane (average for the first exam was in the 30s or 40s out of 100). Luckily for me on this one, everyone pretty much gets an A or a B. As far as the actual content goes, it was hard to be very interested in the material because I don't think I will ever be designing an industrial chemical reaction or calculating rate information for reactor design...but I did get an appreciation for the extent of uncertainty that goes into new industrial reactions and the plants required to attempt these reactions. Seems to be a risky endevour that is hard to scale up...sort of a learn as you go mentality...but with million dollar plants.
10.579 Application of Technology in Energy and the Environment
This class was also fun to attend. There were two lecturers for this class with very different personalities. One was outgoing and humorous and the other was very dry. I really liked the material and wish everyone could learn the material that we covered. We took an honest look at different forms of energy/technology (wind, thermal, coal, gas, nuclear, etc.) and analyzed the positives, negatives, challenges of using, etc. of using that technology. I think some people take a very "hippy" view of how we can fix the energy situation and do not admit the major challenges we would face if we actually implemented policies that are being proposed. That does not mean this class did not advocate change...but the professors were very honest and sensible about what effects these changes would encounter and how they could be overcome.
15.010 Economic Analysis for Business Decisions
This was your basic economics course. I took an economics course in undergrad so there was nothing significantly new or mind blowing for me, but all in all a good class. Useful material. The professor was a little disappointing, but he was very young and eager to improve. He requested feedback nearly every week and made an honest effort to implement suggestions.
15.277 Leadership and Personal Effectiveness Coaching
The title is deceiving. This was the lab course for communications class. Overall we tried to put into practice the tools we learned in communications class. Mostly we got to practice presenting on the fly (called impromptus) with other themes (different each week) mixed in. Basically, we would be given a prompt and have to stand up and immediately deliver a speech on that topic. This is a good opportunity to practice your presentation skills and then work on the "theme" of the week. For example, we had to give our group members critical feedback, negotiate with another party, outline a vision, etc. The lab takes place with your 6-7 person core team and a Teaching Assistant (2nd year Sloanie TA). I was extremely lucky with the quality of my group's TA. She picked up on so many subtle things during our discussions and I was very impressed by her intelligence (and I was not surprised to hear that she got a job with Apple). I have heard some horror stories from other people, but my TA offered insightful feedback and I found the lab useful (I think I am in the minority here among other LFMers I talked to, but again it comes down to the TA).
15.280 Communication for Managers
Overall we just reviewed a number of forms of communication and talked about the different aspects of them. I definitely learned some new things...and at other times was incredibly bored. I don't blame them for covering some of the material that bored me though. For some of the foreign people on my core team who had never worked in America before, it was certainly necessary. And I had to fight tooth and nail to keep everyone on my core team from overloading our slides with text. When you are presenting, you are the focus of a presentation...not your slides! The slides should add to what your saying, not contain every word you will say. /Rant. Communication is one my biggest weaknesses (one of the reasons I blog) so I will be taking the second part of this class (Advanced Communications) next semester. That class is with the same communications professor, who is an excellent teacher.
15.311Organization Process
This class was the surprise of the semester for me. I actually enjoyed what I would call "fluff" material. We basically covered all of the people aspects of an organization. It helped that the professor was...eccentric? He was from New York (the state, not the city) and embodied some of the typical stereotypes of a New Yorker. He certainly had a fun time (and he reminded of this constantly) of getting us to hotly debate controversial topics. I definitely have a new outlook on motivation and interacting with people. This class also included a project where our core team selected a company, analyzed a change in their organization using the tools we learned in OP, and then presented to that company our findings and recommendations. The project was moderately enjoyable and I honestly believe that we helped the company that we worked with. We were able to analyze an issue they did not have time to address and offer a good solution. At the same time, we were basically consultants and this project reconfirmed my distaste for consulting. In the end, we delivered a "package" of what the organization can do to fix their problems...and though we gave very specific actions..in the end, we did not DO anything. It was all talk. It is up to someone else to actually do the work. That is why I am in LFM. I want to be that person that DOES something. To me, consulting is dumping and running. No matter how nice of a "package" you deliver, in the end you are still taking a crap.
15.401 Finance 1
What can I say, this was your basic finance class. While it is not required at MIT for the MBA program, it should be. Every MBA should know the material that we covered. As for the class, the lectures were so boring. I probably fell asleep in every single class. It did not help that the professor had a monotone voice and dimmed the lights so we could see the power point slides. When you asked the professor a question or when the class was discussing issues as a group, it was easy to see how brilliant the professor was...but when it came to lectures, he was not the best. Still, a useful class and it was interesting to be in the class during this credit crisis...it led to some very revealing conversations.
15.515 Financial Accounting
Brace yourself. Accounting was the best class I have taken at Sloan and I don't think it will be topped. Really, it all came down to the professor. This guy was so good at lecturing, that he made accounting fun. We gave him a standing ovation on the last class...and he deserved it. He was engaging with all of the students, bluntly told you when you asked a ridiculous question that was beyond the scope of the class and did not waste time on it, and made you laugh in every single class. He was so good at stressing what part of accounting we would actually use when we left Sloan, and made sure to cut out the useless stuff. He would just say, let your accountant worry about the details, all you need to understand as a manager is the implications your decisions have on the business. I'm sorry to say, for you incoming students, that he is going on sabbatical for the next 2 years so the next Sloan class that can have him is the class of 2013.
15.792 Proseminar in Manufacturing
This is an LFM class where companies (not necessarily partner companies) come into present to the LFM group on a range of topics. The people and topics are organized by the current LFM class so ti comes as no surprise that they were all engaging and interesting. Sometimes they were general topics and sometimes they were company overviews with extensive Q&A sessions. Either way, they were always interesting. I would like to take this opportunity to express my disappointment with some of my fellow LFM members. Toward the end of the semester, our attendance was down to about 30-35 out of 48 and this is just insulting to the companies that come to present to us. I believe that we have addressed the issue as a class and I think we will show improvement in the future, but it is disappointing nonetheless.
15.972 Leadership and Ethics
This is another LFM exclusive class. Before class begins you meet with Bill Hanson to discuss leadership and a number of other career devlopment and personal issues. I found this conversation to be extremely useful for finding my direction at Sloan and after Sloan. After that comes the class discussions with Don Davis. The class is led by Don Davis, former 20 year CEO of Stanley Works (they make tools) and I must say the class was a joy to attend. Where else can you get the opportunity to openly talk to someone who has run a large public company about the issues of leading? The experience was invaluable. To be fair, the class started out sort of slow. The first two or three classes Don read us some of his opinions on business (his mantras) and while I appreciate the learnings, they comes off as generalities without actual context. The invaluable part of the class was when Don got into discussing challenges he faced, how he handled them, and his reflections on his decisions. And this was not a one way conversation, we were free to interject, disagree, or probe all of the topics and stories. Like I said, invaluable. Unfortunately Don is getting up there in age (though you would not have guessed that from the way he partied with us after the last class) and will not be able to support the class as much as he used to in the past. A driven and motivated person such as Don can't stay away completely, but at his age there are physical limitations. I hope I can be as active as Don when I reach his age, and the idea of teaching (he basically teaches for free) during retirement is awesome.
All in all, the fall core semester was an enjoyable expereince. It is exicting and sad to think that my fellow LFMers and I are half way done the classwork part of the program.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I'm lovin' it
I love stupid and brazen gestures like this: The executives from the big three automakers drove from Detroit to Washington to again address congress about possible bailout funds. The financial situation of the big 3 US automakers is further discussed in the following two articles, Article 1 and Article 2. Why did these executives drive instead of fly? Some senators thought it would be cute (and it certainly got television coverage) to ask the auto executives why they needed to take private jets to fly from Detroit to Washington on the executive's first trip to Washington for bailout discussions.
I'm not here to defend the private jets the automakers took because I don't know the details the situation. The jets may or may not have been merited. When you think about it, executives are not that different from any other employee. They only have a limited amount of time to dedicate to work and the private flight may have actually made financial sense when you consider what their time costs the company and what else they need to accomplish that week. This may lead you to say that their salaries are too high, but really that is a separate issue. Of course with high profile events like this its not about what makes sense, its about how things look.
My big complaint with this whole scenario is the glariing hypocracy. I'm willing to bet that every senator sitting on that committee has flown on a private jet at some point in recent history (on the taxpayers dime). Sadly, our government doesnt have to worry about their budget like GM does, they just spend, and spend, and then spend more. When you think about it, our government shows Americans the solution to managing finances. Just don't manage them.
Which brings me back to these executives driving from Detroit to Washington. Kudos on a clever response to a stupid issues that is distracting everyone from the actual issue at hand (the whole "is the bailout in the best interest of America" thing).
I'm not here to defend the private jets the automakers took because I don't know the details the situation. The jets may or may not have been merited. When you think about it, executives are not that different from any other employee. They only have a limited amount of time to dedicate to work and the private flight may have actually made financial sense when you consider what their time costs the company and what else they need to accomplish that week. This may lead you to say that their salaries are too high, but really that is a separate issue. Of course with high profile events like this its not about what makes sense, its about how things look.
My big complaint with this whole scenario is the glariing hypocracy. I'm willing to bet that every senator sitting on that committee has flown on a private jet at some point in recent history (on the taxpayers dime). Sadly, our government doesnt have to worry about their budget like GM does, they just spend, and spend, and then spend more. When you think about it, our government shows Americans the solution to managing finances. Just don't manage them.
Which brings me back to these executives driving from Detroit to Washington. Kudos on a clever response to a stupid issues that is distracting everyone from the actual issue at hand (the whole "is the bailout in the best interest of America" thing).
Booyeah!
It is fair to say that when someone is addressing a class of MIT Sloan students and refers to that school down the river, there are more than a few boos in the crowd. I have no problem admitting, some of this animosity is due to jealousy. Harvard is an impressive school with an incredible history. With Harvard located so close (2 t-stops away), I've been on their campus a few times and I even went to this year's Harvard/Yale football game (Harvard won 10-0, but I must say...coming from Florida and the glory of SEC football, I felt like I was watching a high school game). On top of being a great school, walking around Harvard's campus is much more ascetically pleasing than walking around MIT the campus.
So while it is depressing to see how poorly our economy is doing, some part of me enjoys seeing how much money Harvard's endowments lost in the first four months of their fiscal year. While the linked article goes into further detail, all you really need to know is that their endowment lost 8 billion dollars between the end of June and the end of October. Please take a moment to let that sink in. It is tragic really. My best guess is that they are going to have to tighten their belts and only line this year's yearbook with gold, instead of platinum.
So while it is depressing to see how poorly our economy is doing, some part of me enjoys seeing how much money Harvard's endowments lost in the first four months of their fiscal year. While the linked article goes into further detail, all you really need to know is that their endowment lost 8 billion dollars between the end of June and the end of October. Please take a moment to let that sink in. It is tragic really. My best guess is that they are going to have to tighten their belts and only line this year's yearbook with gold, instead of platinum.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Blood Pumping Awesomeness!!!
Nothing...absolutely nothing else in the world...gets my blood pumping like Rocky IV. Somehow that movie captured the entire range of human emotion while singlehandedly winning the cold war against the USSR. Every time Rocky Balboa landed a body blow on Captain Ivan Drago...somehow...somewhere...a brick fell from the Berlin wall. After grossing $127.8 million in the United States and $175 million outside of the US (thank YOU NATO countries) it is no wonder the Berlin Wall came down. The timeliness is just too convenient. The movie released on November 27th 1985 and by November 9th 1989, (after dominating the theaters and following that with an amazing VHS release)...obviously, the wall was structurally unsound. All of the the scenes that you may have seen on TV of the wall being torn down were probably staged by the US government to hide the true power of the Rocky Franchise and Hollywood. Reagan (being an actor, he understood the power of American movies) even staged his famous speech where he challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall". Now I love Reagan as much as any other American, but lets be honest...it was easy for Reagan to make such bold claims considering the damage the Italian Stallion had caused.
Sadly the history books won't properly document how the cold war was really won (though, the Versus channel does its best to show Rocky I - IV at least once a week) and America will continue to believe that we won the war through diplomatic, military, and economic pressure on the Soviet Union...luckily some of us still remember what Stallone did for this country (not to mention his contributions as Rambo rescuing POWs in Vietnam). I leave you with a picture of Rocky draped in an American flag and the chorus to Hearts on Fire (the song that plays during the classic Rocky workout and mountain climbing montage).
hearts on fire
strong desire
rages deep within
hearts on fire
fever's rising high
the moment of truth draws near
Note: This post is what happens when I start homework at 1 AM (having successfully put it off all day) that I don't want to do...I should be writing an Executive Summary for my Applications of Technology class and instead I'm blogging until 2 AM...which means I'll be up doing homework until 3 AM.
Sadly the history books won't properly document how the cold war was really won (though, the Versus channel does its best to show Rocky I - IV at least once a week) and America will continue to believe that we won the war through diplomatic, military, and economic pressure on the Soviet Union...luckily some of us still remember what Stallone did for this country (not to mention his contributions as Rambo rescuing POWs in Vietnam). I leave you with a picture of Rocky draped in an American flag and the chorus to Hearts on Fire (the song that plays during the classic Rocky workout and mountain climbing montage).
hearts on fire
strong desire
rages deep within
hearts on fire
fever's rising high
the moment of truth draws near
Note: This post is what happens when I start homework at 1 AM (having successfully put it off all day) that I don't want to do...I should be writing an Executive Summary for my Applications of Technology class and instead I'm blogging until 2 AM...which means I'll be up doing homework until 3 AM.
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