Disruptive technologies / Daily crono / Linus on being a leader / Strange things in…

Disruptive technologies

Our team (Per Morten, Trond, Eivind, and me) presented our research results in the Disruptive technologies-class today. Per Morten was nice and brave enough to give the whole presentation, and he did so well: it is easy to believe that he is a senior manager (and chairman of the board of a large telecom) back in Norway. Really professional, calm, fluent presentation - actually, I have seen no other student presenter being as good. I think the material was good enough, but professor Utterback did tell us that we should have been even bolder. It is not that often I have been told, that I am too conservative - one nice thing in MIT, too. I am just happier every day just being able to be here. Why did I not come here earlier? Stupid me!
The other presentation in class was about fuel cells. It was presented by 3 Chinese engineers from Arvin Meritor. It is strange, how peculiar the Chinese way of speaking English is: they tend not to pronounce the latter half of longer words. I remember, that it was hard for me to comprehend what my Chinese colleagues were speaking when I moved to China in 2003 (it feels like a century - I was so depressed back then. Working in large companies makes me depressed - never again). The presentation itself was quite OK, but they could have used more the conceptual frameworks we have been discussing in the class. It seems to be hard for some engineers to step out of their comfort zones, and faces the outside world. (as it is hard to me study fluid dynamics etc).

Daily crono

Hackng and using durgs until 2 am causes some difficulties in getting up, and working before noon. But I was able to take T (I was delighted to meet the old saxophonist in the Copley station - I always give him money and was worried what has happened to him) to MIT before 11am. The Norwegians cancelled our meeting, so I had enough time to read the manuscript of "Project Apollo: the though decisions" by Bob Seamans. It is a good book, and everyone interested in managing real-life large projects would do well to read. It will be published by NASA in few months. Then, the disruptive-class, after which working on the Apollo-paper: first with Bill and Spencer, then alone at home. I have now some 18 pages, so I consider my part ready. ( I have to confess that I could not write without getting my 2-liter Dr Pepper first - I just cannot write without this mild drug).

Linus on being a leader

Read what Linus Torvalds has to say how to be a leader. . He has a simple manner of leading, and I definitely wish I had known all this 5 years ago. It would have helped me in Nokia. Now, it will help me in MIT. Maybe it could help you too!

Strange things in USA, part 10

65. Measuring people by how much they are worth. I do not know how they do the measurement, since I personally consider myself priceless. I cannot be bought or sold, and when I die, there is no way to replace me. So, I am worth infinitely more than e.g. Bill Gates. Poor guy. 66. (at least in elevators in MIT): having the alarm-button between the button "1" and the the "close doors"-button. I quite often press the alarm-button when trying to get the doors to close faster. Then I have to find the "cancel alarm"-button, which is far up (1.5 feet from the alarm). Poor design. 67. Having a programmed "change limit" in cashier machines. Today, the machine told the sales person, that my $100-bill was not valid tender. Strange, and always to funny. Soon, I will do as Bill proposed: sprinkle some white powder on the bills. Would make the experiments funnier still. 68. The casual way of patting each other here. It is strange for a Finn, but I do like it a lot. I still cannot bring myself to pat others as fluently as they pat me, but I am getting better.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs from May to June 2005".