Microsoft joins the DVD+RW Alliance

[Flying dutchman]

Good luck Jerrold!

[wkulecz]

Yes Jerry, best of luck in your search.

As to advanced degrees, I'd only advise it if you have a real passion for the feild, For every door an advanced degree opens, probably two more close because you are now "over qualified" add in a bit of age discrimination and you need to think things thru very carefully.

A few years ago I got fed up and was thinking of taking a job at about half what I was making, but would have been ten times the fun, ultimately my PhD made this impossible. Fortunately some new projects got funded and things have been going very well for me the past few years, but I never have more than a one year contract -- been here 14 years, 1 year at a time.

--wally.

[Jerry Jones]

Wally, in what area did you earn your doctorate?

I think this is the first time you've ever mentioned that.

I'm curious.

Jerry

[wkulecz]

Chemical Engineering from Rice. My research was in biomedical engineering back in those overly optimistic days when Debakey thought an arificial heart shouldn't be too hard to do. I don't really fit very well into any traditional discipline, most people I work with assume I'm an EE or CS graduate. Video as a data acquisition system has been a significant part of my work in the past, but now the field is mature enough that we're buying systems instead of building them ourselves.

I never had any particular passion for chemical engineering, but Rice's program had no required courses, I just had to know enough Chem E to pass four qualifing exams, then the rest of my academic studies could be whatever I was intrested in. I did well enough that Exxon recruited me, but I declined, instead going to work in the Texas Medical Center and the rest is history. Exxon certainly would have paid better :-)

--wally.

[Jerry Jones]

Cool.

I'm impressed.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Hulk]

Wally,

Wow, that is impressive. My undergrad was Mechanical Engineering, my roommate for 3 years was a Chem E. Believe me when I say we spent MANY a night studying until dawn.

I've since switched careers and I'm going to be teaching high school physics and chemistry. As you can imagine I'm a lot stronger on the physics side. I always have a Chemistry book next to my bed!

-Mark

[Technoid]

When to run for cover:
When the Chemistry teacher starts to mix water and litium

[Hulk]

The obligatory Chemistry demo, a group 1 alkaline metal and water.

Once time I used a little too much potassium and a piece flew up into the ceiling tile with some water still one it. It burned a nice hole in the ceiling. The other Chem teachers said on that day I became a Chemistry teacher!

[Ray Austin]

another good one is to break dry ice into small little pieces and put them in a 2liter pop bottle.

Put the cap on tight and then run!!!

[Flying dutchman]

I personally was most impressed when my chemistry teacher showed us how a simple mixture of aluminium and iron oxide reacted - I believe one could call it a meltdown...

[Hulk]

Yeah, I do that in the first week to get the kids attention. A little heat to get the reactants to the activated complex and "poof!" fuel and air leads to combustion.