Travel Log – Las Vegas

In April 2008 I had my first visit to Las Vegas.  This was another business trip regarding a trade show located at one of the convention centers.  We accomplished all the business objectives for this trip, but had some opportunities to walk around and see the sights.  Of course, there are plenty of sites to see in Vegas.  You don’t have to walk too far to see the next over-the-top experience. 

I recall being a bit overwhelmed after a day or so in Vegas.  This was my first visit to Las Vegas so I wanted to see it all – if that is possible.  I have always heard Vegas is fun for around a 3 day visit.  I believe this is a correct assessment after my visit in April 08.  I was there over 3 nights and 4 days.  The trade show took a lot of time out of the agenda (which was to be expected).  But, even a trade show like this had its “Vegas” moments.  The first day of the show started with a grand opening involving an Elvis impersonator singing songs at the ribbon cutting ceremony.  Only in Vegas…as they say.

I’m not a gambler by any stretch of the imagination.  In fact, I think I gambled away maybe $10 the entire visit.  That just does not interest me at all.  But, Vegas has plenty more to offer than just gambling.  The sites walking down the strip were just incredible.  I attempted to capture the highlights in the attached video clip.  I was glad to have the opportunity for this trip.  The trade show was great, but the opportunity to see the Vegas Strip for the first time was a great experience also. 

The clip ends with a segment on the roller coaster at the New York New York casino.  This is a top-quality roller coaster which wraps around the casino.  The heights of the track were quite impressive – especially when you can look out and see all the incredible Vegas Strip sites.  I highly recommend this roller coaster if you have the opportunity to visit Las Vegas.

I would highly recommend a trip to Vegas for anyone at least one time in your life.  I don’t believe it matters in the end if you gamble or not.  Although you will see nothing but bright lights and gambling when you enter any casino.  I think 3 nights in Vegas is plenty to get the grand idea of what it is all about.

Thanks for reading.

Characterization Study on YouTube Video Quality

I have experienced a certain amount of frustration in the last couple of years after uploading a new video to YouTube.  The video quality looks good when viewed on the desktop PC.  But, the video quality seems to degrade a significant amount once uploaded to YouTube.  I decided to conduct my own investigation into this issue with the intent of understanding what factors have the largest effect on video quality. 

This type of study is consistent with my normal job as a process engineer.  The tools used to evaluate quality criteria in the workplace can also be applied to video quality on YouTube.  The intent of a characterization study is to evaluate different variables to determine the impact on quality. 

The methodology used to conduct a study like this must be well defined at the start of the project.  The first consideration is to define the project statement and objectives.   For this project, the objective is to find the best combination of variables which minimize the video quality loss after posting a video to YouTube.  The methodology for conducting the evaluation needs to be structured and well documented.  The tools used in this study were pulled from Six Sigma and Taguchi Robust Engineering disciplines. 

The Six Sigma approach incorporates the DMAIC format for structured problem solving activities.   The attached link contains the DMAIC Excel file for this project.  Each tab of the report contains a different documentation step for the DMAIC format.  The file storage site used in this link is called box.net.  This site allows the user to upload the original file(s) for others to review and/or download.  The folder contained in this link contains the Excel DMAIC file plus the PDF presentation of the final project. 

Box.net Link:     http://www.box.net/shared/2uxryseroz

The final presentation was also posted on a site called slideshare.com.  This is a site for users to browse presentations under nearly any topic.  I consider slideshare the final posting site for the final presentation.  Although the same presentation is also posted in PDF format on the box.net site.

Slideshare Link: 

 

RECOMMEND that you view the Slideshare presentation in full screen mode.  There’s a button on the lower-right corner of the Slideshare box above that allows full-screen viewing. 

The final results of this study indicate that the Mpeg1 video format in conjunction with the 640×480 display size yields the best video quality on YouTube.  This is based on the boundary conditions established in the SIPOC form.  Results may vary based on other boundary conditions.  But, this study represents a structured approach at defining a starting point for the best setup and formatting conditions for a targeted response variable (YouTube video quality).

The methodology and documentation of a project represents an important step in making a statement regarding technical issues.  Recommendations must be based on factual data instead of opinions or speculation.  The process of conducting a DMAIC type of analysis is not fast or easy.  However, the results and recommendations are solidly backed by a thoroughly defined methodology and data.  This is important in building a “body of knowledge” for which others can believe is well founded. 

I believe the “information age” has brought about a “garbage-in / garbage-out” mentality.  You can literally find opinions on virtually every topic with any viewpoint you care to read about.  This is a dangerous development since most people are searching for the truth when they conduct exploratory research on an issue.  Recommendations must be founded in something.  Technical issues and recommendations must be founded in solid methodology and principles which back the final conclusions.

I hope you have enjoyed the blog on this issue.  Please leave a comment if you don’t mind.

Thanks…

President Bush – 9/11 Speeches

The intent of this entry is to document some of the key speeches from President George W. Bush that I recall from the days surrounding the 9/11 attacks.  I went back and watched the speeches again to gain perspective on how everything started out 7.5 years ago.  Perhaps this initiative was due to the transfer of power this week to Barack Obama.  But, I wanted to review some of the key speeches again to relive the perspective from that time.

Obviously, as of January 09, this is still a red hot topic in our country and our world today.  America has been at war for 7.5 years now.  That is the 2nd longest period of war in the nation’s history after Vietnam.  World War II was 3.5 years long (more or less). 

I recall thinking in Sept 2001 that America would never be able to hold back the terrorist from striking again.  I thought we were only seeing the beginning of a much longer campaign of terror on American soil.  I think the feeling of vulnerability was the feeling of the day in Sept 2001. 

We can now say the additional attacks never happened during the remainder of Bush’s presidency.  The terrorist never got another foothold in this country to carry out a mass destruction initiative that we thought was once inevitable.  I think George W. Bush will always go down as one of the most controversial presidents in US history.  Time will tell how serious of a threat additional strikes were on American soil.  We probably will never know for sure.  But, I believe that is the one thing George W. Bush takes with him as he leaves office.  He did not allow for any additional terrorist strikes on American soil.

History can argue the rest of his legacy regarding Iraq, Katrina, Afghanistan, climate change, torture, and the economy.  But, the flashpoint incident in his presidency will always be 9/11. 

Included below are some video clips of speeches from George W. Bush from 9/11 and the days following.

President Bush with firefighters at Ground Zero:

 

President Bush addressing the nation the night of 9/11:

President Bush addressing the Congress on 9/14:

Thanks for reading.

Day of Infamy Speed – FDR

The attached presentation is the speech FDR gave the Congress the day after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941.  I believe this is truly one of the most important speeches in the history of America.  The anxiety across the country had to be extremely high.  The days after 9/11 had to be very similar.  But, the Pearl Harbor attack marked the state of a state-to-state conflict between two of the most developed countries in the world. 

I admire the speech since the listeners of that time had to be shocked and demoralized.  I believe the news at the time was the Pacific fleet was basically destroyed.  This news had to gut wrenching to accept at that point in history. 

The listener today knows the final outcome of the conflict and the level of sacrifice needed to win the war.  The presentation style and strength of leadership FDR illustrates in this speech is incredible.  He is unwavering and convincing that America will not accept defeat.  He successfully awakens the “giant” in America and starts the long process of recover and eventual victory over Japan.

Thanks for reading.

St. Louis Arch – Travel Log

In March 2008, I had a business trip in which I drove from Indianapolis to Camdenton, Missouri.  I passed through St. Louis on the way to Camdenton.  I had made this trip several times over the years.  But, I never stopped at the St. Louis Arch to visit and take in the sites.  I decided to leave a couple of hours early so I could stop at the Arch and just walk around.  I had heard getting tickets to travel up the arch were difficult to find on some days.  So, I did not have high expectations for that experience.

I arrived around lunch time on a rainy day.  I walked straight up to the Arch and just walked around the park surrounding the area.  I quickly learned there was a museum beneath the arch which is out of sight from the highway.  So, the museum became the next destination.  I was shocked at the size and scale of the museum.  I had no idea this large complex was beneath the ground.  The architects who designed the Arch and the entire complex did a fantastic job.  The site would not look the same if the museum was above ground.  The park surrounding the physical Arch is a great complement to the size and meaning of the Arch.

I quickly walked through the museum complex to get an idea of the exhibits on display.  I did not have a great deal of time.  So, I glanced at most of the exhibits.  I did enjoy the exhibits related to the building of the Arch.  The engineering effort behind the design and building of such a unique structure is incredible.  The museum is focused on the Westward expansion of the United States.  Most of the exhibits documented the people, tools, and scenes that were commonplace in the 1800′s.  In my opinion, most of the exhibits appeared to appeal more to elementary aged kids.  I did not see a lot of historical items that may be of interest to olds folks like myself.

The museum area is also where you purchase tickets for the elevator ride up the arch.  On this day, there was not a problem in getting tickets to go up the elevator.  In fact, I believe I only waited around 15 min or so for my spot in the elevator.  I believe the wait for the ride up is usually much longer.  This probably depends on the day of the visit and the time of  year.

The elevator ride up the Arch is definitely unique.  The “ratcheting” system of twisting and moving up is definitely interesting.  I’m not a big “fan” of heights and that sort of thing.  I didn’t find the ride too difficult, but it was something I was ready to get through after just a couple minutes.  The “pods” or cars that are used are very small.  I was pushed into a car with a family of 4.  I found it uncomfortable since I had to stoop over a bit to match the contour of the wall.

Once on top, the view is fantastic.  Definitely worth the effort to get up to the top.  You can see all of downtown St. Louis including the new Busch Stadium.  You can also see down the Mississippi River although this is not the most scenic of views. 

I stayed up in the Arch observation deck for around 10 minutes.  I enjoyed the view but was ready to get out of there after that amount of time.  Once again, being that high up in such a small structure starts to work on me after a while.  Once I took in all the views, I was definitely ready to take the ride back down.

The attached video clip shows some of the footage I took during this visit.

Thanks for reading.

Hungary – Travel Log

I had a business trip to Hungary in February 2002.  During this trip, I had the opportunity to spend a Saturday driving around the countryside and seeing some of the sites.  I also drove to Vienna that same day (see separate posting for this adventure).  I also had an opportunity to see a Hungarian professional basketball game as well during this trip.

The first travel experience was actually the basketball game.  The home team was the Szombathely Falcos.  Szombathely is also the town I was visiting for work.  So, the arena was just down the street from the hotel.  I went to the game with a Hungarian co-working who was being a good host.  The arena was nice and mostly full for this game.

The game had a sense of more of a college basketball game played in the USA.  The stands were nearly full for this game.  There was a dedicated section for the most devoted and wild fans.  This is what was similar to a US college game with the student body section.  These fans in Hungary were every bit as rowdy and vocal.  They all wore the same shirts and had the favorite chants through the game.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game and the unique atmosphere of both the fans and the gameplay.  I have seen 100′s of games in  my life from high school, college, and professional ranks.  But, this game was unique for the reasons mentioned. 

 

 

The 2nd travel experience in Hungary was the car ride from the little town of Szombathely through the historical city of Sopron and then onto Vienna.  Driving across the countryside in such a unique place as Hungary is an excellent experience.  The driving is straight-forward and the roads are in excellent condition.  The attached clip is an attempt to show some of the Hungarian countryside and the little towns that I passed along the way.  I really didn’t know how to edit this clip…so I just lumped it together and just sped it up!!!  I like the effect of showing more footage in a short period of time.  Hopefully, some of the detail of the countryside and small towns along the way still show up in this clip.

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Remembering the “Quality Gap”

I’ve worked in automotive manufacturing industry for 18 years.  I recall the intense discussion in early 90′s about the significant quality gap between the US automakers and the Japanese rivals.  Actually, this discussion started in the 70′s during during energy crisis back then.  The Japanese got a foothold in the US auto market by importing fuel efficient cars.  The quality of these cars was also perceived to be higher from American consumers.  Energy prices subsided in the 80′s but the perception of a quality gap remained.  But, I never really became “engaged” in this initiative to improve quality until I graduated college and entered the workforce in the automotive industry.

I recall even in college the discussion of this quality gap and how American automotive companies MUST close the gap in order to stay alive.  I believe it was the term “Quality is Free” that was the rallying cry back then.  I certainly agree the quality gap had to be bridged.  This was a significant motivating factor for American industry as a whole – and intensely important in the Automotive sector.  But, in a somewhat cruel irony, the productivity improvements of yesterday have resulted in reduced capacity forecasts and market saturation today.

Make no mistake, making productivity improvements in the form of improved product quality and overall reliability is a fundamental component of capitalism.  Every company must have an aggressive pursuit of cost, quality, performance, and delivery improvements in order to differentiate their products from the competition.  This is the nature of the beast (capitalism) and those who do not find their market niche or area of differentiation will simply become extinct. 

Since the late 90′s, the talk of a “quality gap” with the Japanese automakers subsided quite a bit.  I think the public perceived the gap to still be in place since then.  But, the original quality gap defined in  the 70′s and 80′s was finally bridged.  American cars weren’t perfect, but generally were perceived to be significantly improved for various quality concerns.  I have not heard as much talk within the industry on the need to bridge the quality gap.  The efforts to improve overall quality were apparently successful on many fronts.

For example, I recall as a kid in the 70′s that you just could not trust a car that is close to 100,000 miles.  The owner had to expect significant breakdowns after that milestone.  I believe this was just an accepted truth on the life expectancy of a car.  The US automakes owned a vast majority of the US market share (80-90%).  The Big 3 had defined the market conditions and ultimately the consumer expectations for the vehicles.  I suppose one could argue this is a scenario for complacency.   The “unwritten” agreement between the Big 3 allowed these companies to enjoy market dominance with enough profit for everyone to satisfy their shareholders.

The Japanese automakers simply came in and redefined those expectations.  They shifted the consumer expectations and ultimately raised the bar for consumer demands for product performance and quality.  This is a great example of how capitalism should work – the consumers should win in the end!! 

Today, it is not unusual for vehicles to routinely hit 200,000 miles in their lifetime.  The US consumers have benefited from the quality gap and the reaction by the automakes to meet this challenge.  Can you imagine if cars ONLY lasted 100,000 miles today before major problems happened?  There would be a public outrage.  Actually, we usually hear about major quality issues in the form of recalls or public floggings for any automotive company who introduced a sub-par vehicle to the marketplace.  In this example, the consumers have won in the end.  Capitalism and free markets have redefined the performance levels. 

The current situation within the automotive industry in January 2009 brings to light a number of issues.  First, what is the role of American automotive OEM’s in the future?  What role should the US government play in assisting the ‘natural selection’ process in the marketplace?  I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers to those questions.  But, as I watched the Senate hearings in Washington with the Big 3 CEO’s, I was struck by the cruel irony that has resulted from the significant quality improvement over the last 20 years. 

The Economist at the first Senate hearings, Dr. Peter Morichi, provided a bare bones assessement of the auto industry.  He highlights many issues and problems with the American Big 3 companies.  The most interesting point that Dr. Morichi makes regards the indirect impact of the significant quality improvements for all the automakers. 

The improved quality has effectively increased the supply of vehicles since the cars last longer and meet customer expectations.  The demand of new vehicles may increase slightly over the years OR actually reduce during periods of economic downturn.  Customers do not have to trade in vehicles as fast since they are not breaking down or wearing out as fast.

So, fastforward to November 2008, the US economy has taken a nosedive and official enters a recession.  The car sales across America drop 30-50% depending on car maker.  Vehicle owners are deciding to “keep” their  vehicles to avoid the purchase price of a new vehicle.  This is an option now available to car owners as a result of the quality and reliability improvements over the years.

The cruel irony of closing the quality gap over the last 20 years has resulted in significantly improved quality and reliability performance of vehicles.  These improvements have allowed consumers to extend the life of the product based on the economic climate and personal financial position.  The supply of vehicles during an economic downturn increases and places pressure on the carmakers to reduce production.

The result of this cycle of events is over-capacity of the auto industry during an economic downturn.  At this point, it’s the survival-of-the-fittest regarding which companies survive and fail.  This is the current state of affairs of the auto industry in my opinion.

I don’t see any alternative to improving the quality of vehicles and closing the quality gap between American and Japanese carmakers.  I believe this cycle of improvement / customer empowerment / increased supply / over capacity / industry contraction is a business cycle that must be carried out in order for the entire industry to rebound when economic times are better.

I don’t know who will be the ultimate winners and losers in the automotive industry.  But, the current supply base and capacity for producing vehicles is not allowing for a healthy balance for supply and demand.

The attached link shows the webpage and video link (upper right) for Dr. Morichi’s testimony. 

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=40801510193&h=osN7m&u=Rt2iA

Regards…

What’s up with this Blog?

It’s been a few months since I last made an entry to this blog.  At this point, I’m trying to figure out the useful purpose of this blog and how I can generate benefits from continuing to add entries.  The purpose right now is to figure out how to best use this tool and identify possibly uses in the future.

The following is a list of potential categories that will be covered in this blog:

1.  Travel Entries – This is a good option for documenting travel experiences.   The potential format is to write down some of the experiences and observations from various trips.  I will also attempt to tie this into video clips taken at the same destination and posted on YouTube.

2.  Historical – This is a area that is of special interest to me.  I would like to summarize historical topics such as famous speeches, historical locations, and significant historical events. 

3.  Internet – This is an area to document continuous learning efforts in the area social networking, technology, and video sharing sites.  The purpose here is to document some of the learning through reading or special projects.

4.  Energy – This is a topic of interest that should involve entries regarding alternative energy sources and related topics.

5.  Automotive – This is a topic regarding the automotive industry and current trends.

6.  Topical – This is a general area for topical interests.  The intent here is to document items of interest that are general in nature.  This posting is an example of a topical entry.

This blog may expand into other categories as well.  But, this sets the foundation of the categories I am targeting for coverage. 

The purpose of this blog is to capture some of the learning obtained from various projects , experiences, and readings from the Internet.  The intent of this information is to help document learning and to develop a personal knowledge database that can be shared with others as well.

So, we will see how this format works for future entries.

Regards…

American Ingenuity – Oak Ridge, Tennessee

So why can’t America develop an energy alternative solution to eliminate dependency on foreign oil?  Why are we hitting a wall when it comes to developing a real energy policy for this country?  The dependency on foreign oil is like a festering wound.  But, we really are not seeing any major changes in our society to resolve this issue.

 

The economic and political issues due to this shortfall are obvious and well documented.  I’m extremely disappointed at this point in time on the lack of a new vision….of leadership in our country…and the overall confidence in our industrial sector to develop some alternatives to resolve this issue.  The free world is crying out for someone to find some solutions.  Where is America in this process?  Why do we get a sense that we are somewhat helpless in finding a solution?  The political talk focuses on drilling for more oil….not finding energy alternatives for our cars!!!

 

America has a proud tradition of innovation and visionary leadership.  The Apollo program, D-Day, military-industrial complex are some of the well known examples.  I recently was reading up on the Manhattan Project.  This is certainly a controversial topic in the world today.  But, the level of commitment and sacrifice of America during WWII to complete this development was incredible.  I don’t think this accomplishment gets its just due today.

 

Attached are a couple links I found on the topic.  We usually hear about the atomic testing grounds out West when we think of the Manhattan Project.  But, the process of enriching uranium for the bomb is a fascinating story.  This work was completed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during WWII.  I am fascinated at this accomplishment because it all happened in such a short time period and the level of complexity was incredible.

 

This story demonstrates American ingenuity, visionary leadership, and a commitment to success.  Can you imagine if America approached the development of alternative energy sources with the same intensity?  I just do not believe our country is even close today to this level of commitment.

In any case, the attached links provides some information on the events at Oak Ridge, TN and the Manhattan Project.

The first is how Einstein was involved at “kicking off” the Manhattan Project.

 

http://www.slideshare.net/MrG/manhattan-project-powerpoint

 

The second is a wiki site about the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site that enriched uranium.  At the time, they did not have any known method to enrich enough uranium to actually make a bomb. 

 

The government hand-picked a remote site in Tennessee and basically made a city in complete secrecy.  The area went from a couple thousand people to over 75,000 in a short period – mostly women.  The workers had no idea what they were working on and couldn’t tell anyone either.  The building they constructed was the largest building in the world at the time.  I also believe the electrical power needed to run this enrichment plant required 1/7 or 1/8 of ALL the electricity generated in the entire USA.  Incredible.  There was no model on how to build the plant or perform these incredibly complex processes. 

 

You can read the wikipedia link about Oak Ridge before and during WWII to get an idea.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Ridge,_Tennessee

 

The bottom line is these were desperate actions that the country took to achieve a nearly impossible goal.  I think this kind of thinking has been lost today in many respects.  The boldness of the decisions and the leadership needed to pull this off was incredible.  Where is that same spirit today?

 

So, why can’t we make a car that can run with an alternate fuel?  Is that any more difficult than figuring out how to make the first A-bomb?  Are the challenges any more difficult?  Do we have fewer resources than we did in the 40′s?  Of course not….I’m not convinced the country is not as determined or hungry as it was back then. 

 

In any case, I think America has lost a great deal of confidence and desire to innovate.  I’m not sure why that is the case.  Hopefully, that is something that can come back out of necessity.  You can argue the Manhattan Project and the Apollo program were successful out of necessity for national survival (WWII…and Space Race).  Hopefully, the necessity to build a new type of car AND develop a innovative energy policy will be established soon.

regards

Vienna, Austria – Travel Log

Hello all,

I wanted to highlight some experiences from traveling to Vienna, Austria in February 2008. The purpose of the trip was for business purposes. But, I had an opportunity to drive to Vienna since I had a free day over the weekend.

I’ve been to Vienna in past years 2-3 times (same business trip purpose). But, I had not been to Vienna for about 5 years until this past February. I was excited to see the city once again. My expectation was to just walk around the old city part (ring strasse) and just take in the sites. The drive was around 2 hours from where I was staying in Hungary. But, the countryside is beautiful and I certainly did not mind driving (through the Austrian Alps).

The only issue I experienced is parking. I was told by someone I should go park at the airport and just take the train to the downtown area. I decided to just drive it myself since I do not enjoy taking trains in foreign countries. So, I drove the windy path through Vienna by following the signs marked “Zentrum”. I believe this translates to “town center” or something similar. The path is unexpectedly windy and sometimes difficult to follow. The city of Vienna seems comparable to Chicago or some other large American city. You just drive and drive until you get downtown Vienna.

I finally found a parking garage below a large mall. I was somewhat confused on the price per hour and when/if the garage would close at some point that night. But, I parked and started walking. Turned out everything was fine with the garage. The garage was still open 3 hours later and it was something like 12 Euros for 3-4 hours. Not too bad.

My first objective was to walk to St. Stevens Cathedral to attempt to take a tour through the catacombs below the cathedral. I was told by others this tour is incredible. They were correct in that assessment. The tour probably takes 30 min and you walk through some very old chambers.

The old portion looks like something out of Indiana Jones. Very old and spooky. Not to mention that around 10,000 bodies have been buried in these catacombs!! The bones of ALL these people are all right there and you can look at them. They believe some of the chamber rooms were actually old cellers of surrounding houses 100′s of years ago. But, they lost 1000′s during the Black Plague in the 1500′s. The people wanted to be buried close to the church (of course). So, they just dumped the bodies in these catcombs. You look into these chambers today and see a huge pile of human bones. They have been stacked like that for 500 years. The church apparently had to suspend church services back then due to the smell creeping up into the church!!!

I made the final tour that day…and I was glad to be there. After that, I basically just walked around the city area taking in the sites. The following video is what I took during this walk. I did not take any pictures in the catacombs. I don’t know if this was allowed or not. But, it was creepy enough without me taking pictures.

YouTube Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09GwQX5hxsU
I hope you enjoyed the video clip. I highly suggest anyone to take the time to walk through this classic European city. The sites are incredible and it’s easy to walk around.

Enjoy