Sometimes, I am amazed at the amount of energy I have. Take yesterday for example, instead of taking a nap after spending 9 hours sitting through a series of class presentations, I decided to swim at the Z-center. My PDD team was supposed to get together for dinner to celebrate our successful product completion later that night, but nobody called. I think everyone was just beat or probably overslept from his nap. Still feeling energetic, I went to the nerdiest event that I have ever gone to - the Time Traveler Convention. This ragtag event has garnered attention from the media like Slashdot, NPR, and New York Times in recent weeks. Indeed, the event was even mentioned on Weekend Update in Saturday Night Live last night. To paraphrase the news announcers on Saturday Night Live:

Students at MIT organized the first time traveler convention earlier tonight. Unfortunately, they have not reported any time travelers visiting from the future because the people in the future heard that the party sucks.

I really enjoyed the event, which featured three professors Farhi, Guth, and Demanine, superstars in Theoretical Physics at MIT. In particular, Professor Edward Farhi's talk was delivered like a comedian giving a live stand-up comedy performance on Einstein's relativity and time traveling. I was literally in tears listening to Farhi's hilarious talk.

I left the convention early to meet up with Blanche and her 3 girlfriends at Cuchi-Cuchi for some Mojitos. I ended the night at Grafton Street Bar to meet with Michelle, Brian, Eimear, Roberto, and Angela. For the first time, I thought that Grafton Street Bar isn't as pretentious as I had previously thought. It is a good place to hang out on Saturday.

5/8/2005 7:50:39 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [9]

School

My team made our final presentation and demonstration of our product (still no public disclosure as we are still in the process of applying for a patent) in our PDD class. For a change, the joined RSID/MIT faculty had decided that the final presentation should be held at Brown University in Providence, RI to accommodate the Providence-based RISD students who has been attending the semester-long course at MIT.

The presentations in general were much better than I had anticipated. Many teams incorporated films into their presentation to market their products or demonstrate their product development process. Some of the films like the James Bond film for the virtual office briefcase and the one-handed nailing product played to the tune of MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" were notably hilarious. In general, I felt that the presentations from the 1 pm section were better delivered and more creative than the ones from the 4:30 pm section. I also have to respectfully disagree with Robbie on the presentation format. It may be hard to decide how a team should pitch their completed product. Should one present the completed project as a product or as a new business? Our team initially structured our presentation to venture capitalists but went against it later because the class is, after all, about product development, not creating a new enterprise. The presentation, therefore, should be structured to market our product, illustrate the product development process, and describe any future product development.

Kudos goes out to Christian, our presenter, who effectively incorporated humor to our team's presentation. We got the crowd clapping and screaming, "Demo! Demo!" before we had barely even finished our presentation. In closing, it has been a PLEASURE working with you guys - Christian, Dave, Eugene, Matt, Spiros, and Eugene. Great work, team 12 and thank you.

5/8/2005 7:12:34 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [16]

School

For three weeks in a row, we have been having rain and abnormal cold temperature on the weekends. This has really ruined the weekend for me.

5/8/2005 6:01:55 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [15]

Rants

Yesterday was Susan Hockfield's inauguration as MIT's 16th president. After Technology Strategy class, the SDM Muddy Charles crowd went straight to Killian Court where the inauguration was held. Unfortunately, the inauguration was over by the time we got there. Nevertheless, there were plenty of catered Hors D'oeuvres to go around. I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the food was. After spending 15 minutes at Killian Court, I departed from the group to meet up with my $50k team at the Muddy. At the end of the day, I went to the Z-center to swim but the entire athletic center was closed to students for the inauguration dinner. Bummer...

5/7/2005 1:23:31 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [16]

School

I am so glad that my Technology Strategy class is finally over. I was literally counting down the last few minutes of the class earlier today. Don't get me wrong, I really love the subject but I thought that the delivery of the class was poor. The class has become very repetitive in the last 3 weeks. Every week, each team of two analyzes and writes two case studies before discussing them in class on Friday. During class, the professor never really lectures on the subject. To be fair, this class is actually labeled as a seminar, so a discussion-based class model is perhaps more appropriate than a lecture-based one. Even so, I don't think the professor has really done an effective job on engaging the students or stimulating their thoughts. As Matt said earlier today, this class definitely has the potential to beyond the limited 3 strategy frameworks that we learned from this class. Nonetheless, I got a good breath of understanding in business strategy, which should come in handy in my future management endeavors.

5/7/2005 12:36:17 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [17]

School

After 2 weeks of suspense, the finalists for the MIT $50k Competition were finally announced on Wednesday night. Sigh... Sorry to say, my team didn't make it to the finals. I was disappointed but the competition was a great learning experience for me and it certainly kindled the entrepreneurial spirit within me.

For old time sake, John, our team leader, organized a get together over a few pints of IPA beer at the Muddy Charles in the afternoon today. It was consolatory to note that none of us was dwelling on not making to the finals. We identified possible weaknesses in our business plan and outlined a 6-month plan for our venture. In hindsight, we were probably a little optimistic with the revenue streams in our business plan, as well as being 6 months too early in making a pitch to venture capitalists with our business. Nevertheless, everyone in the team still believes that the business and technology of our venture is viable. We'll see where this venture takes us.

5/6/2005 11:46:06 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [22]

Entrepreneurship

I am going to start today's blog with a rant. I have been a faithful user of TaxCut since 1997; but I have been having sore experience with their rebate system. I have not received my well-deserved rebate from H&R Block, the makers of TaxCut, in the last 3 years because somehow, in the eyes of H&R Block, I managed to screw up my rebate application every time.

What a contradiction, when it comes to advertising their mail-in rebate, H&R Block didn't hesitate a bit to print the words, "Mail-in Rebate" in large boldface to entice your attention to buy the most expensive version of their software. However, when it comes to the rebate filing process, that's a whole different story. Not only was the rebate coupon buried in a stack of other similar sized coupons, the printed instructions for filing the rebate were vague and in fine print. Worse, I have just received a letter from H&R Block informing me that I didn't follow the instructions and so my rebate application was disqualified. Well, they say "three times a charm" or "three strikes and you out". Based on this, TaxCut is certainly out. I am switching over to TurboTax when I do my tax return next year.

In closing, let me offer a food for thought. If a company is serious about passing the savings to its customers, why not offer us an instant rebate?

5/5/2005 11:47:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [19]

Rants

I was talking with Eimear at an Analog Devices function when Ray Stata, the founder of Analog Devices and the one who was honored in the naming of the Stata Building (Bldg 32) at MIT, walked passed us. Being partly goofy, I reached out to Ray to offer my hand for a hand shake. Surprisingly, he obliged and we started chatting. I have a lot of respect for Ray for cultivating a culture at Analog Devices that strived for innovation and learning during his watch as CEO. I was indeed an honor to meet him in person.

5/4/2005 10:17:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Personal

I should not have swum those extra laps today. I am so tired from swimming that I don't have the energy to finish the assignments that are due tomorrow. I am going to take a power nap to see if it helps. This also explains today's short blog.

5/3/2005 9:38:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [17]

Sports

Earlier tonight, John, my $50k team leader, asked me to go to a IDG Ventures sponsored networking reception that is organized specifically for selected few second year MBA students and some $50k participants. Being more serious about embarking on the entrepreneurial career path, I decided that it is time for me to learn the art of schmoozing.

I am a good communicator and I hold up on my own pretty well, but I think I am still a little light on the game of schmoozing. In a VC sponsored event, the person on the top of the food chain has to be the venture capitalist himself. There is a tendency that everyone at the event, me included, wants to reach out to this person. There's a saying: "It's not what you know, it's who you know." I could vouch for this adage from my observation earlier tonight. I discovered that if one's conversation involves someone that the VC knows, the conversation is usually going somewhere. Eventually, this person gets a business card from the VC. Conversely, a good sense of humor is good, but sometimes my dry and self-deprecating jokes maybe too much for some people in such setting to bear. Oh well... it's just another networking event. Never get too serious about it.

The whole schmoozing thing in business school is fascinating. My friend, Siobhan, once reflected her experience in recruitment events sponsored by investment firms at NYU Business School. She said that going to a recruitment event is like going to the bar. You need to play game and schmooze with the recruiters. If they like you, you get a business card from them or they will ask you for your business card. A day later, you email them telling them that how great it was great to meet them. If you are still in good standing, you get your first interview (or the first date). The whole experience relates very much to dating.

5/2/2005 9:30:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [21]

School

I was going to end being one of the losers who stayed at home on Saturday night if it wasn't for Blanche who accompanied me to watch the movie, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. I have the opportunity to watch other movies, including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but I chose to watch this movie. I guess it is because I perceive this movie as a big case study on management, so I was intrigued by it.

Contrary to what you might think, this movie isn't a political documentary like Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. It is simply an investigative documentary on white-collar crime. I find the 110 minutes running time for the movie excessive long. Nonetheless, I still find the movie enlightening. Therefore, my verdict for the movie is, watch it if you have an appreciation for management or are curious to find out what actually happen in Enron. Prior to the movie, I always had the impression that Enron is just another good company gone bad. However, the executives were con men right from the beginning. It was amazing how they were able to get away with their accounting practices. One tactic that they use was called Mark-to-Market, an accounting practice that the SEC had approved at that time. Using Mark-to-Market, it means that if Enron starts a venture that generates $100 million years from now, they can claim that $100 million as income now. Enron executives used this trick to conjure up numerous phantom ventures that reported extravagant amount of revenues on their financials. I was even more shocked to find that Balance Sheet and Cash Flows are not required by the SEC for a company's earning report at that time. Do you also know that the cause of the California energy crisis in 2001 can be traced back to Enron? There are strong evidences that showed Enron power stations in California deliberately withheld power back so that Enron energy traders can overcharge California by selling electricity back to the state. At the end, it is heart wrenching to see that the innocent employees of Enron were left a worthless pension and without a job. In closing, I am going to quote Roger Ebert on his conclusion for the movie.

Strange, that there has not been more anger over the Enron scandals. The cost was incalculable, not only in lives lost during the power crisis, but in treasure: The state of California is suing for $6 billion in refunds for energy overcharges collected during the phony crisis. If the crisis had been created by Al Qaeda, if terrorists had shut down half of California's power plants, consider how we would regard these same events. Yet the crisis, made possible because of deregulation engineered by Enron's lobbyists, is still being blamed on "too much regulation." If there was ever a corporation that needed more regulation, that corporation was Enron.

5/1/2005 1:59:08 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [11]

Business

I stumbled upon an event that commemorates the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War at the Kresge auditorium after leaving the Z-center yesterday morning. Even before coming to MIT, I have heard about Professor Noam Chomsky as an outspoken and controversial anti-war figure. Being curious about what he has to say, I went into the auditorium. Professor Chomsky talked about the history of atrocities committed by American soldiers and the failed American foreign policy at that time. With Vietnam War as a component of the lexicon of the Iraq War, the talk slowly shifted to the Iraq War. Prof. Chomsky thinks that the U.S. presence in Iraq, just like the Vietnam War, would not be reduced any time soon. In fact, the U.S. military presence would probably be extended because of Iraq's oil resources and its close proximity to Syria and Iran. Overall, I don't find his talk all that controversial as I had previously thought but there are some parts which I think are certainly partial to some extent.

After the talk, I roamed around the lobby of Kresge auditorium. Maggie, one of the bystander at the lobby, approached me and started preaching to me about the Socialists movement. She then changed the subject and charged the U.S. of imperialism because the Bush administration demanded that the Chinese stop pegging the Yuan on the Dollar. I am not a big fan of the Bush administration, but I decided to play the antagonist just to debate with her. I argued that the U.S. trade deficit is likely to be reduced and the price level improved if the Chinese were to allow the Chinese Yuan to float on the open market instead of being pegged on the Dollar. Furthermore, the Chinese economic is mature enough that floating its currency would not destabilize the country's economy. She then argued that capitalism is inherently evil and that it should be eradicated. That really struck a nerve with me and I proceeded to argue that no ideology is perfect; all forms of governance and market model have its own flaws and advantages. We need to understand that the stability of a country or society lies in the existence of the middle class. To achieve that, I still believe that uncorrupted democracy along with fair and accountable capitalism still offer the best chance of building a stable and viable society. Whether we have achieved this goal, that's another question.

5/1/2005 2:15:04 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [13]

School

Pop quiz: Where can you find 4 generations of student/teachers in a class? Apparently, in the Engineering Apollo class that some of my classmates are taking now. One of the professors, Prof. Young, invited his student, his professor, and his professor's professor to speak at his class. The relevance that these gentlemen brought to the class is their experience in the Apollo project some 30-40 years ago. This gets better, if you do the math, at least one of the 4 persons has to be about 70 years old. True enough, accordingly to Matti, Charlie Duke, the youngest of the bunch is 60+ years old. Read Robbie's blog for more information. Amazing!!!

4/30/2005 2:26:40 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [20]

School

I discovered 2 new cool places at MIT in the last 2 days - the MIT hobby shop and the Kresge auditorium. I spent some time at the MIT hobby shop with Matt and Dave to finish up the final prototype for our Product Design & Development (PDD) class. Both Matt and I decided to forgo our usual social and drinking activity at the Muddy Charles and finished fabricating the remaining pieces for our prototype. The next task on tap is the painting of the beast, which Spiros and Christian will do later this weekend. I hope that they add some serious "blink" to the beast to raise its cool factor up for next week's final presentation. So far, everyone in the team took initiative and volunteered for the work assignments. Thankfully, our team has not encountered the same team rants and horror stories that I heard from other teams. Anyway, enough discourse on team dynamics and PDD. The hobby shop is well equipped with woodwork and metalwork equipment, and has staff that readily provides advice and help to students. I totally felt like a geek hacking away with the saw and drill in the hobby shop today. But you can't spell MIT without the words, "hack" and "geek".

I went to the MIT Wind Ensemble concert in the Kresge auditorium with Eimear later that evening. The concert was fun and it was like going to a typical school or college sports event or art performance. I even thought that I have seen a few of the performers at the Z-center or along the Infinite Corridor before. The first repertoire was a little rough but the performers settled down and gave a fairly good performance the rest of the concert.

4/29/2005 11:45:58 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [13]

School

Here is an interesting article on the relationship between your political affiliation and the type of car you drive. So Camille, are you displaying repressed Republican inclination with the red Cherokee of yours? Thanks to Siobhan for the clipping.

4/28/2005 10:32:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [13]

News