Planning a Lesson
The time has come for me to create my last project for WS 320. The goal of the project is to create a teaching module on a subject of my choosing. I need to keep the subject simple, as I only have 2 weeks to complete the project, but I also want it to be something I’m interested in. Here’s a brainstorm of potential ideas:
- How to make a PCB (Prefabricated Circuit Board)
- How to use a rock climbing belay device
- How to fix a bicycle derailer (not derailleur)
- How to use a SCUBA BC (buoyancy compensator)
Looking at these ideas, I think I like the derailer repair the best. My last project really re-sparked my interest in bicycle touring, and going over some basic bicycle mechanics will be good research. I’ll need to look into the various tools needed to repair a derailer. as well as the mechanism itself. I will probably make my module using Microsoft Power Point, and then convert the pages into a pdf. I’ve added some links to this weblog that relate to derailer repair.
Finance Project : Dreams
Well, I think I covered some of these in a previous post, but I’ll go through them again for clarity. This is a list of things I’m interested in doing sometime in the next 5 years.
- Scuba diving trip (about 1 week) in Canada.
- Cycling trip in Europe (Eastern Europe? England?)
- Backpacking in Japan (1 month)
With college graduation looming ahead, the responsibilities of managing a career aren’t far behind. How hard would it be to finance one of these adventures before I commit to 20 years at a desk? Out of the 3, the one that most interest me is a cycling trip in Europe, let’s say around Britain’s coast. I know from experience that the cost of living (and travelling) is higher in England than in the rest of Europe, so if I plan a budget there, that same budget should also cover a trip around France or Spain instead. I’ll need to research/decide:
- Plane tickets
- Length of the trip
- Whether I want to go with a touring group or solo,
- Cost of equipment (different for touring group vs. solo)
- Training schedule (only tangentially related to finances, but important for a trip like this)
- Day to day expenses
One Project down, three to go!
Well, researching and writing about Dr. Been-Jon Woo and semiconductor technology was a lot of fun. Optimizing images wasn’t as tedious as I thought it would be, and I think it’s a useful tool to have.
For the financial project, I have a few ideas:
- A trip to Japan: This is something I’ve always wanted to do. With graduation around the corner, my wife and I have become very focused on post college careers and paying off student loans. In between settling in to a life raising a family, is there room for more traveling?
- A SCUBA trip in Canada: The biggest secret in SCUBA diving is Canada. I’ve always wanted to dive there, but just like Japan, how do I find time and money with all these other responsibilities?
- Starting a start-up: My senior design project was a success at the design expo, but there doesn’t seem to be a demand for it in the current market place. What would it take to create awareness of a product from the ground up?
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