Classes and stuff

[hkellick]

I've had three (possibly all three... need to go to the EngiNet people tommorow since they haven't emailed yet) of my classes so far. I know you're all desperately curious (... not), so I'll tell you about them.
on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have two classes: Groundwater and Design.
The groundwater class, so far, is exactly what I expected. At the moment, it's boring as it's all repeated stuff I've seen many times before. I hope it to get more interesting in a month or so, once we start modeling actual sites. (which is the reason I'm sitting in on this class)
The design class... well, where to start.
The design class is trying to learn from the mistakes that the practicum made last semester (that was the class from hell that seemed to take all my time). Dr. Rabideau is trying something radically different (but it looks better) from the practicum.
The design class will be working (this year) with Letchworth State Park (and the state parks commission). The problem is this: Letchworth State Park is a camping ground for a few thousand (up to, I think, 10,000 or so people during events) people each year. Their water source comes from seven collectors around the park. These collectors collect (just under the surface) groundwater, given them only basic treatment and serve to the different watering station (and a few cabins) around the park.
Now it has come to light that the groundwater may be being aversely affected by fertilization of the ground in Letchworth. (quick explanation: fertilizator contains phosphorus. Phosphorus makes algae grow and grow. Algae grows, dies and becomes organic waste which consumes oxygen and drives the quality of the water down. This is part of why Lake Erie used to be so godawful nasty in the 70s). So the following questions need to be answered: Is the groundwater under the influence of the surface water. And (assuming it is), what do we do to take care of the problem? (treatment system design, maybe... not sure yet)
On Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays I have GIS applications. This course really excites me. I took a course in GIS a while back, but to be honest, it wasn't very useful to me. It was basic stuff for geographers and planning people, but no really ENGINEERING applications were discussed. In this class, we'll get into real engineering applications of GIS including spatial analyst, 3d analysis and scripting languages to make a front end for C++ or Fortran programs. I have to do a project for this class and I'm thinking I'll make a visual frontend to POM to display the interesting features (velocity, temperature, concentration. Whatever I like.). Like I said, I'm really excited :)

Had lunch with Dave today (did I mention he's going to UB now?) we ate at the commons and had Chinese. Yum :) He was telling me of his new addition (his 2 year old cat he got from the SPCA after Pud died ). Apparently, she's very affectionate. Loves to cuddle up to him. Purrs if you look cross-eyed at her. Yay, affectionate cats! :) I have to meet her :)

Dinner meeting tommorow for AWMA. I'm excited.

This stands as living proof on how stupid we really are. Gods... like trillain just said on Chaotic... you can't force McD and BK to be responsible because we don't eat well. It's a choice on our part. I know *I* was educated (in health) on how to eat properly. It's a choice... we choose to go and get a quick dinner and McD instead of stay home and cook something. This has to be the stupidest argument I've heard in a while...

Anyways, another test (I think it's rigged. It seems like EVERYONE gets Cheer Bear)
See what Care Bear you are.

Comments

Minor objection

[dawnstar.livejournal.com]

I don't think it proves how stupid /we/ are. If we can recognize how stupid it is, I think that makes us the exceptions.

my reaction

[kareila]

it's not stupidity. not exactly.

it's the worst disease of the late-20th-and-now-21st century: lack of responsibility for one's own actions.

first it was parents expecting society to protect their children from everything that might "harm" them... now it's people expecting their government to continue to treat them like children that don't know any better. it's sickening.

that's what I think, anyway.

Re: my reaction

[lite.livejournal.com]

I agree, but disagree slightly. If it's not stupidity that makes us unable (or unwilling) to take responsibilities for our own actions, what is it?
I mean... I could kind of understand why we (America) sued the tobacco companies... tobacco IS addictive and they DID advertise to children.. but at the same time, I was never fully in support of that. Each year, kids still continue to start smoking. It's not that they aren't being educated. They are. It's not that there isn't any anti-smoking advertisements. There are. It's, as far as I can tell, simple stupidity. Call it what you will but smoking is NOT cool and you don't look suave smoking.
But suing corporate America because we've gotten too lazy to cook our own meals anymore and to go to a gym?
That's a new height of pure.. pure.. I don't know what, exactly. I'll stick with stupidity.

Re: my reaction

[kareila]

I just don't like to use "stupidity" because it's such a broad term. like trying to slice a loaf of bread with a bandsaw - it gets the job done, but a more subtle approach would have yielded more desirable results.

yes, I am a vocabulary snob. live with it. :)

Re: my reaction

[lite.livejournal.com]

Alright, Miss Vocabulary Snob. Then you tell me which word best fits.
*waits*

Re: my reaction

[kareila]

I'm not sure. Immaturity, maybe?

Re: my reaction

[angiepenguin.livejournal.com]

Yeah... immaturity. Like a 5 year old. "It's *your* fault!" "I want it, and I want it now!" "But it takes so loooong!" "Mommy, hurry up and *fix* it!"