December 1984...a date with a relative degree of infamy...for me anyway...
The University of Maryland...(check out the cool "Deep Impact" program)
or more specifically the School of Architecture...
grabbed my degree and off I went...
and here I am...20 down, 19 to go...I want to retire early...I don't want to, it's just that it feels better thinking I'm more than halfway thru
So how is everybody doing?...I guess I should have gone to the re-union...
I seem to remember all of the day-to-day stuff, like staying employed, getting in the way, but I probably should have made the time
I still have such vivid memories from my time there...the people, the efforts, the struggles...the experience was the beginning of defining myself as a person (that sound's a bit much, doesn't it?)...if you where there maybe you know what I mean...
Hey, some of you are still there...Raplh, Karl, Frank, Cindy...
Others appear to be out of academia, practicing in the industry...Steve, the Arnolds...locally (New Jersy local...) the Westfields...
I hope this finds you all well, happy, and healthy...
Well, I gotta go crank out another 20...
more to come...
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
How To Be Creative...
from H Macleod's blog
to quote Karl DuPuy, "some good, some bad, some ugly..."
but it is still an enjoyable read...
to quote Karl DuPuy, "some good, some bad, some ugly..."
but it is still an enjoyable read...
Saturday, July 09, 2005
If it was Important...
you would already be doing it...
If you're not already doing it, you don't feel that strongly about it...
If it was Important, it would already be done...
If it's not already done, you don't feel that strongly about it...
This seems to fly in the face of the Continuous Improvement theory.
Maybe you don't need a rationale...
Maybe if you think it's important just START doing it.
If you're not already doing it, you don't feel that strongly about it...
If it was Important, it would already be done...
If it's not already done, you don't feel that strongly about it...
This seems to fly in the face of the Continuous Improvement theory.
Maybe you don't need a rationale...
Maybe if you think it's important just START doing it.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Engineer Interview Triage?
A neat post about interviewing engineers (software types) and pertinent questions for talent-spotting...
link from Bnoopy Blog
What questions would you ask your Architect?
link from Bnoopy Blog
What questions would you ask your Architect?
Friday, June 24, 2005
The pace of change...
from a previous post over at philly pharm bio
What we do is different from manufacturing a product. We deliver a service, and we like to think that “Service” is higher up the “Value Added” chain than a “Product” and maybe it is.
I was in the check-out line at the local food store the other day... they sell digital cameras in line at the food store!!! This was a cool new technology just short time ago...now it's a commodity on display along with the skittles
It made me glad that I'm not designing electronics and fighting the back side of the technology curve...or trying to invent the next item on the "bleeding edge"...
There's been a lot of talk about the out-sourcing of the service industry...and yeah, there is a lot of pressure on the commodity services...
I still see the need for high-end service...the Client's need it...if you're good at it...you'll get paid
unless, of course, I see "How to Be an Architect" book/ software on sale at the Thriftway...
What we do is different from manufacturing a product. We deliver a service, and we like to think that “Service” is higher up the “Value Added” chain than a “Product” and maybe it is.
I was in the check-out line at the local food store the other day... they sell digital cameras in line at the food store!!! This was a cool new technology just short time ago...now it's a commodity on display along with the skittles
It made me glad that I'm not designing electronics and fighting the back side of the technology curve...or trying to invent the next item on the "bleeding edge"...
There's been a lot of talk about the out-sourcing of the service industry...and yeah, there is a lot of pressure on the commodity services...
I still see the need for high-end service...the Client's need it...if you're good at it...you'll get paid
unless, of course, I see "How to Be an Architect" book/ software on sale at the Thriftway...
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Like-minded-ness...not getting it done...
(is that even a word?...)
I had heard a story when I was in school that one of the partners from SOM made a statement along the lines of "if we all agree with each other, we don't need three partners..."
If you are surrounded people that agree with you, how are you going to get anything done? The discussions that accompany different viewpoints are where all (most...some...) of the good ideas come from...
I heard that someone from Washington, DC was presenting their ideas to a group of people... who already happen to agree... How does that change anything? or move anything forward?
These aren't the people who need to be convinced...
these aren't the people you could learn from...
Not too unexpectedly, this is a deadlocked situation with litle to no possibility of progress...
Lesson Learned: Don't surround yourself with people with agree you...especially if you want to get something done.
I had heard a story when I was in school that one of the partners from SOM made a statement along the lines of "if we all agree with each other, we don't need three partners..."
If you are surrounded people that agree with you, how are you going to get anything done? The discussions that accompany different viewpoints are where all (most...some...) of the good ideas come from...
I heard that someone from Washington, DC was presenting their ideas to a group of people... who already happen to agree... How does that change anything? or move anything forward?
These aren't the people who need to be convinced...
these aren't the people you could learn from...
Not too unexpectedly, this is a deadlocked situation with litle to no possibility of progress...
Lesson Learned: Don't surround yourself with people with agree you...especially if you want to get something done.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
"Research and Development"
We use this phrase all the time...it's part of typical project scope...it's something we provide a facility for other people to do.
However, to what extent do we think about this phrase in terms of ourselves?
Research...what have we tried to discover lately? something really different...
Development...what have we learned lately? what skill have we picked up lately?
More importantly, is this part of a specifc plan? with a budget? a schedule?
Big Pharma companies have entire portions of their companies dedicated to this issue...with the biggest budgets, best facilties, etc...they know how important R+D is to their future...
more on this topic is available from tompeters.com, specifcally the re-imagine book
However, to what extent do we think about this phrase in terms of ourselves?
Research...what have we tried to discover lately? something really different...
Development...what have we learned lately? what skill have we picked up lately?
More importantly, is this part of a specifc plan? with a budget? a schedule?
Big Pharma companies have entire portions of their companies dedicated to this issue...with the biggest budgets, best facilties, etc...they know how important R+D is to their future...
more on this topic is available from tompeters.com, specifcally the re-imagine book
Friday, May 06, 2005
Eats, Shoots & Leaves...
I have just finished reading "Eats, Shoots & Leaves"...
My daughter was reading this book for her English Literature class, and I picked it up...I try to read something out of most of the books the kids are using for school...No one in their class wanted to read "Withering-ly Dull Heights" or something along those lines.
What a great book!!!... I found it really funny, which is a bit peculiar considering it is a book about punctuation. It is very well written and the author has a great sense of humor. It is also very comprehensive...more than I thought I ever needed to know, but it is a fun read which move along at a good pace.
The main site for the book is here Feel free to stop by and test your puncutation skills...
On the serious side, a lot of our work consists of writing, which does not always come so easily for a lot of us...even if you strugle with the content, at least get the puncuation right!!!
I found out I use too many ellipses...which, by the way, are the 3 dot things I'm always sticking at the end of each thought...forgive me, Lynne Truss...I'm also a firm believer in the Oxford comma...boy, the stuff you didn't know!
In case you missed it, the punch line for the book is on the back of the dust jacket...it's about a panda...think about it, you'll get it...
My daughter was reading this book for her English Literature class, and I picked it up...I try to read something out of most of the books the kids are using for school...No one in their class wanted to read "Withering-ly Dull Heights" or something along those lines.
What a great book!!!... I found it really funny, which is a bit peculiar considering it is a book about punctuation. It is very well written and the author has a great sense of humor. It is also very comprehensive...more than I thought I ever needed to know, but it is a fun read which move along at a good pace.
The main site for the book is here Feel free to stop by and test your puncutation skills...
On the serious side, a lot of our work consists of writing, which does not always come so easily for a lot of us...even if you strugle with the content, at least get the puncuation right!!!
I found out I use too many ellipses...which, by the way, are the 3 dot things I'm always sticking at the end of each thought...forgive me, Lynne Truss...I'm also a firm believer in the Oxford comma...boy, the stuff you didn't know!
In case you missed it, the punch line for the book is on the back of the dust jacket...it's about a panda...think about it, you'll get it...
The God Particle...
I have just finished reading "The God Particle"
What a great book!!! It is by Leon Lederman who is a very witty physicist...more about Mr. Lederman can be found here in a wikipedia and here
The sub-title is "If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?" just in case you want something to think about late at night.
I have always been interested in physics...and in particular (great pun, huh?) quantum mechanics/ particle physics...hey, we all need a hobby, right?
Anyway, this is a very well-written, well-presented history of the evolution of our knowledge of the really small particles and such that make up our world...I found this portion of the book fascinating from both a scientific and historical viewpoint ...on top of that, it's funny!
I am actually re-reading the entire book to re-visit the portions that are not as accessible as others...after all, it's about particle physics...
The disappointment of the next big Supercollider project being cancelled leaves the book end on a down note...
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it if this field (another good one...) interests you.
What a great book!!! It is by Leon Lederman who is a very witty physicist...more about Mr. Lederman can be found here in a wikipedia and here
The sub-title is "If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?" just in case you want something to think about late at night.
I have always been interested in physics...and in particular (great pun, huh?) quantum mechanics/ particle physics...hey, we all need a hobby, right?
Anyway, this is a very well-written, well-presented history of the evolution of our knowledge of the really small particles and such that make up our world...I found this portion of the book fascinating from both a scientific and historical viewpoint ...on top of that, it's funny!
I am actually re-reading the entire book to re-visit the portions that are not as accessible as others...after all, it's about particle physics...
The disappointment of the next big Supercollider project being cancelled leaves the book end on a down note...
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it if this field (another good one...) interests you.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Saturday, April 23, 2005
I've started another Career!!!...
Ghostwriting!!!...
so far it doesn't pay that well...if you were interested...
Jorge Ferreira was tapped to do a presentation to the first-ever joint meeting of the New England Chapter of the PDA and the Boston Chapter of the ASQ...
The title of the talk was "The Extra Work that goes into a Facility when it is FDA Regulated..." or something like that...
Jorge has been very busy at work on an aseptic filling facility (his specialty, of course...) and didn't think he had time to fully prepare a presentation...and as usual, I'm always up for something different to do...
So I became Jorge's speechwriter...
I didn't make the presentation, but I hear it went very well...He's been invited to make another presentation on a different topic...
Maybe I can get a fee this time!!!...
so far it doesn't pay that well...if you were interested...
Jorge Ferreira was tapped to do a presentation to the first-ever joint meeting of the New England Chapter of the PDA and the Boston Chapter of the ASQ...
The title of the talk was "The Extra Work that goes into a Facility when it is FDA Regulated..." or something like that...
Jorge has been very busy at work on an aseptic filling facility (his specialty, of course...) and didn't think he had time to fully prepare a presentation...and as usual, I'm always up for something different to do...
So I became Jorge's speechwriter...
I didn't make the presentation, but I hear it went very well...He's been invited to make another presentation on a different topic...
Maybe I can get a fee this time!!!...
Monday, April 18, 2005
Static versus Dynamic a la Tom Peters
I'm a big Tom Peters fan...started with "A Passion for Excellence..." a long time ago...recently read "Re-imagine..."
I'm a regular visitor to his site and, although I'm starting to have some concerns with the content and focus, read most of his stuff...
I have never personally seen Tom speak, but I do look at his event slides...
Eye-catching- if you think ugly is eye-catching...(I guess I'm trying to be polite...but let's try to focus (for once...) on content rather than format...) click thru some of the presentations and see what I mean...
Anywho...he has a slide about Static versus Dynamic...the implication is that, in Tom's world, Static is Bad,...and Dynamic is Good...which initially, I had no problem with...who wants to be considered "static" anyway...
Then I started looking at the qualities he had listed under each category...All of the stuff under Dynamic sounds great...no problem with any of that...see below
Dynamic/ Different
Dramatic Difference
Disruptive
Insanely Great (Quality++++)
Life- (Industry-) Changing Event
Game-changing
WOW!
Surprise
Delight
Breathtaking
Punctuated Equilibrium
Market Creation
We should all be striving every day to achieve every item listed under Static...the supposedly "Bad" category...see below
Static/ Imitative
Integrity
Quality
Excellence
Continuous Improvement
Superior Service (exceeds expectations)
Completely Satisfactory Transaction
Smooth Evolution
Market Share
If that is what it means to be "Static"...sign me up!!!
I'm a regular visitor to his site and, although I'm starting to have some concerns with the content and focus, read most of his stuff...
I have never personally seen Tom speak, but I do look at his event slides...
Eye-catching- if you think ugly is eye-catching...(I guess I'm trying to be polite...but let's try to focus (for once...) on content rather than format...) click thru some of the presentations and see what I mean...
Anywho...he has a slide about Static versus Dynamic...the implication is that, in Tom's world, Static is Bad,...and Dynamic is Good...which initially, I had no problem with...who wants to be considered "static" anyway...
Then I started looking at the qualities he had listed under each category...All of the stuff under Dynamic sounds great...no problem with any of that...see below
Dynamic/ Different
Dramatic Difference
Disruptive
Insanely Great (Quality++++)
Life- (Industry-) Changing Event
Game-changing
WOW!
Surprise
Delight
Breathtaking
Punctuated Equilibrium
Market Creation
We should all be striving every day to achieve every item listed under Static...the supposedly "Bad" category...see below
Static/ Imitative
Integrity
Quality
Excellence
Continuous Improvement
Superior Service (exceeds expectations)
Completely Satisfactory Transaction
Smooth Evolution
Market Share
If that is what it means to be "Static"...sign me up!!!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
The "Integrated Design Solution"
I was preparing my remarks for a Client presentation the other day and found myself considering talking about "delivering an Integrated Design Solution..."
luckily I decided to go with a joke instead...
I know what I mean when I use this phrase...at least I think I do...
but...I don't think it communicates that well to others...
So...a few words about...
the "Integrated Design Solution"...insert blare of trumpets here...
more to come
luckily I decided to go with a joke instead...
I know what I mean when I use this phrase...at least I think I do...
but...I don't think it communicates that well to others...
So...a few words about...
the "Integrated Design Solution"...insert blare of trumpets here...
more to come
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Been Traveling...
I was out of town this week...
went to College Park to look at the University and take a tour...
we also went to Washington for a rather soggy visit to the Mall and the Air and Space Museum...
I'll try to get some pictures posted...
It was a dark and dreary night, I mean, day...
went to College Park to look at the University and take a tour...
we also went to Washington for a rather soggy visit to the Mall and the Air and Space Museum...
I'll try to get some pictures posted...
It was a dark and dreary night, I mean, day...
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Changing Jobs...again...
I am pleased to be re-joining WGI in Princeton...
At least my list of places I've worked didn't get any longer...it's been a very unstable time for all of us...
While I don't enjoy changing jobs as often as I find myself doing it ( I find it stressful...), there are also some benefits...
It is good to get a different perspective, and see how other people do things...I find this leads to new ideas...it also keeps you informed about what the competition is doing...
As always, it never hurts to widen the network...
At least my list of places I've worked didn't get any longer...it's been a very unstable time for all of us...
While I don't enjoy changing jobs as often as I find myself doing it ( I find it stressful...), there are also some benefits...
It is good to get a different perspective, and see how other people do things...I find this leads to new ideas...it also keeps you informed about what the competition is doing...
As always, it never hurts to widen the network...
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Living History...and Stage Set Design...
This is "Living History" week at Strawbridge School...
This years topic is Immigration...Eileen's classroom was to cover the Trans-Atlantic journey on the steamships of the day...
How do you turn a classroom into the "experience" of boarding a steamship for the journey to the New World...well it takes a gangplank, some cardboard, some paint, and last but not least, some duct tape, as usual...the kids will provide the imagination!!!
The "stage set" aspect of it is fun...create an image, suspend disbelief for a second...what does the mind need to complete the image? I enjoyed the freedom and relaxed approach...It was still challenging...
I stuck to the stage design and production(Facility Design)...I'll chicken out and let the Mom's cover the acting part of the presentation (Operations)...
Isn't that how it always is?...
This years topic is Immigration...Eileen's classroom was to cover the Trans-Atlantic journey on the steamships of the day...
How do you turn a classroom into the "experience" of boarding a steamship for the journey to the New World...well it takes a gangplank, some cardboard, some paint, and last but not least, some duct tape, as usual...the kids will provide the imagination!!!
The "stage set" aspect of it is fun...create an image, suspend disbelief for a second...what does the mind need to complete the image? I enjoyed the freedom and relaxed approach...It was still challenging...
I stuck to the stage design and production(Facility Design)...I'll chicken out and let the Mom's cover the acting part of the presentation (Operations)...
Isn't that how it always is?...
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