Quit AeSI revisited

Last year, in answer to a query , I posted a post titled "quit aesi".

You can read it here http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/2009/03/quit-aesi.html

And today i found, there is a thoughtful and positive comment by Mr
Santosh. So this quick post is just to highlight what he has to say...

"My advice to that guy would have been, imagine himself doing
something else than Aesi, and see whether he can do it or not..If yes,
then quit. If no? Well then pick a corner, deploy yourself with every
book you need and decide that you will not quit."

Funny thing is I see many successful AeSIans choose the last
suggestion!!

Read the quit aesi post and do let me know, what do you think?

Link: http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/2009/03/quit-aesi.html

Key Engineering Skills

Here is a small list of Key engineering skills for engineering students.

Aim to improve them, one by one as you journey through AeSI as a
student.

Problem solving
Design thought process
Critical thinking
Teamwork and
Presentation skills

The better you get at thiese skills, the better are your chances to be
a star engineer!!

Learning begins.......

Learning begins at our acceptance of our ignorance!

If you deny that you have made a mistake, don't expect to learn from it.

Unless you accept, you prepared a bad dish, you won't cook a decent
one again.

That's why mistakes exist. To help you learn, to grow and get you from
here to there!!

So learning begins by accepting your mistakes.

After result time is the perfect opportunity to aknowledge your
mistakes and learn from them!!

How Many AeSI Students Graduate Every Year?

A recent post at ouraesi, someone had this question.

Dear Friends,
can any one tell me " how many AeSI students complete their degree
every year?"
thanks

As of today, no one has replied to it. Since AeSI never releases
anything on this, i can only make a guess.

And my guess is 20 to 30 and sometimes it can stretch to 35!!

This guess depends on my experience of the number of people receiving
AeSI degrees in AeSI AGM's!!

AeSI AGM's can give us the correct estimate of the number of students
graduating from aesi every year, so if you are going for the AGM, keep
an eye on the number of certificates the official of AeSI had!!

Does anybody else have any other idea?

By the way, when is the next AeSI AGM?

Read more on AeSI AGM's by following this link http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=aesi+agm&max-results=100

Communication

My last post about communication skills was written as I was sitting
with an interview panel Interviewing potential candidates!!

There were a few candidates and each one had an impressive resume,
rich with experience, skills and good companies, but none got selected.

None had the communication skills, non could express what he had in
his mind. The lift of the resume, soon faded as we saw the person
fumbling over the phone interview. His lack and utter failure in
explaining little that he knew failed him.

And this didn't happen to one candidate, each one of them, though had
expectional skills, failed at communication.

The interviews were failures and now it's certain, the person who will
get selected will not be the one with massive skills, but one who can
express whatever he knows. His height of acheivemnt might not be
impressive but he sure will have the communiction skills!!

That's the importance of communication skills!

Whatever stage you are in now, start cultivating this skill from
today. It will always come in handy!!

Read more about importance and how communication skills will help you
in your career by following this link http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=communication&max-results=100

Whatever be your skills....

Whatever be your skills? Whatever be your qualifications? Whatever be
your acheivements?

The thing that will shine you most will be your communication skills.
Master them and you will never be left behind.

Skills/qualifications/acheivements will open the door, but
communication skills along with other transferable skills are the real
source of success!

Cultivate them from today. Devote some time in cultivation of
transferable skills. This is only way to be good at it.

Cheers

More posts on skills can be Found via this link http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=skills

A quick tip for your upcoming aerospace interview!!

Here's a quick tip for any aerospace interview that you might attend.

Whatever be the job profile, whatever be the company, the following
simple tip will come in handy.

More so if you are going for interview to GE, QuEST, Safran, Infotech,
TCS etc!!

Read the following wikipedia entry before you head for the interview.

http://en.wikipedia.com/wiki/turbofan

Yes just that! Read it, go through it and you have entry level
knowledge needed!!

Almost!!

Don't forget to search this blog for more tips for aerospace interview!!

Http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=aerospace&max-results=100

Two thoughts about making You AeSI experience great

Just read "Five Thoughts about Making College Great" from my one of
fav blogger. Loved the piece so much that I am posting two points from
the same here for everyone here on MyAeSI.

It resonates with the overall philosophy that I have on this blog. I
mention here two points that are bang on what I believe in and advocate.

"The biggest value you can get from your classes is transferable
skills. Knowing the ins and outs of organic chemistry might help you
if you happen to wind up in one of those rare jobs that utilizes it.
The skills you've built in the process of actually getting through
organic chemistry - those are ones you'll utilize time and time again.

The value isn't so much in the actual subject you learn in your
classes. The value comes from the ability to absorb lots of
information, to process that information, and to think about that
information. The value of college is in the ability to manage your
time effectively enough so you can do all of that, get strong grades,
hold down a job, build relationships, and grow as a person. The value
of college is learning how to communicate with people from vastly
different backgrounds than you. "

Knowing gas dynamics, NASA 4 digit aerofoil numbering system might not
come to your direct use in your work, but transferable skills like
critical thinking, communication and managing information will always
be needed whatever be your job profile.

"Try things you would have never tried before

College is the best opportunity in your life for trying all of these
things, learning how to do them, and stumbling upon that thing or two
that really, really lights up your passion

The only way to fail at college is to sit around your dorm room a lot
of evenings watching reruns of Bones or taunting someone on Xbox Live.
Do something new, preferably something you would have never done
before (and preferably not anything that has a likelihood of killing
or seriously harming you)."

Being a student is the best time to experiment and more so in section
A. This is why a day off from studies is a good idea. This gives you
time to explore and expand your horizon!!

Please read the full post by following the below mentioned link.

Five Thoughts about Making College Great
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/08/22/five-thoughts-about-making-college-great/

Take a day off - How to study for AeSI?

This took me a long time to understand.

When I was in AeSI, i read many times about benefits of taking a day
off but was never able to get myself to do so.

But in section B, with 5 subjects at one go, I had to take a day off
as all the other days were filled with GIE, and Natrajan Sir!!

This is when my studies and study habits improved a lot.

The result was that I cleared, propulsion 1,2,3, aero 1, and advance
strength of materials in one semester.

Studies is just like being in a gym. If after a heavy exercise, you
don't give your body proper rest, you won't see much of an
improvement. Have rest in your exercise routine and you will see your
body blosom.

Similar thing happens with the brain. Give it a day of rest, it gets
the time to reorganise and regroup.

So my advice to every aesi student is take one day off. Study for 6
days. And on the seventh day give it complete freedom to do whatever
it likes. Do everything but studies!!

Choose whatever day, that's not important. Important is choosing a day
to rest and wonder!

This post is part of the series on how to study for AeSI?

Read more about how to study for AeSI by clicking the following link http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=AeSI

Good luck!!

Muddy cards- an MIT study technique to boost your studies

Recently learnt about a practice that MIT uses to teach the students
in graduate programs

I loved the simple concept and you can use the same to become a better
student!

This is what happens.

Before the start of the class, all students pick a paper that is kept
at the door. At the end of the lecture they write one concept that is
still not clear to them. This is again collected by the professor and
he explains the muddy concepts to everyone.

How can you apply this. Keep your own muddy point folder!! After each
lecture jot down at max 3 points that you don't understand very well.

If there's time ask the lecturer or at your next self study session,
brings out those muddy points and look them in the text book.

The main point is to get those muddy points identifed and clear them
at the first opportunity before you forget and they accumulate.

Try applying this for your studies and let me know how things go.

Subscribe myaesi via email. Use the sidebar box to receive myaesi via
email

Buying shares and what it can teach us!

You won't buys shares with 3 month old information!

Same argument goes for resumes. You don't go out job hunting with a 3
month old CV!! You don't collect one resume from your inbox and send
to the next requirement.

You update it, add/delete projects before sending it!!

In fact each and everyone one of you after you graduate or in the last
semester of AeSI should update your resume every 3 months!!

Yes every 90 days! 90 days are more than sensible to aquire new
experiences, new skills, so update those in your resume. This updates
help you quantify the real progress you are doing in your career!!

So how many of you are updating your resume regularly?

Read more stuff on why resume updating is a good idea!! http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=resume&max-results=100

Something to look forward to..

A sneak peek of something to come for AeSI students...

Stay tuned for more updates




If you are not able to see the image, visit http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/

Why do after result analysis?

I have no idea if the AMAeSI results are out or not. If you know about
it please do let me know.

What should you do after the results are declared?

Analyze it. Do a post mortem and see ascetain why you got the marks
you have got.

This is an important exercise. If done honestly, It can tell you more
on how to study for the next semester than anything.

Results give you hard numbers and your analysis will help you make
sense of those numbers.

For a successful semester, the logic is simple, repeat the things that
were successful and eliminate the once that might have cost you marks.

And analysis of results helps you figure out these things.

Good luck and be a star!!

You can find more on amaesi results by following this link. http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=amaesi+results&max-results=100

Remove the decision engine- How to study for AeSI

As discussed in my last post, if I knew before hand what I wanted to
study, I was preety sure to do that. But on days when this decison was
lacking I procrastinated. I delayed and by the time I came to senses
the day was almost over.

So the lesson to learn is make a routine or plan of study and stick to
it.

Eliminate the day to day decision engines. Create a plan and then
carry on based on it.

No getting up in the morning and thinking, what should i study? Which
chapter etc.

Eliminate this decision process and you will gain immensely and have a
productive studying.

This post is part of the series on how to study for AeSI!!

How are you faring in your study? Do tell me in comments?

You can find another series on myaesi by following this link. http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=series&max-results=100

Design competition for students

This is something i wanted to do in my AeSI day, so posting it here for you all.

i think i might be too late in posting this, but then keep an eye on this page and maybe next time you can participate...

do let me know if you take part!!!

The National Design and Research Forum (NDRF) promotes Design and Research in various branches of engineering. NDRF conducts annually national level design competition for students.

The competition is intended to give students an opportunity to exhibit their individual engineering skills and talents and earn recognition, while promoting engineering design and research.

The competition is open to students studying in final/pre-final year leading to BE / B.Tech / ME / MTech /MS or equivalent courses  in engineering. 

For more information, contact

National Design and Research Forum,
The Institution of Engineers (India),

# 3, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Veedhi, Bangalore – 560 001.
Ph: 080–22264336; 080-22352193 (Fax);

E-mail: ndrf@vsnl.net

or Visit
http://ndrfindia.org/default.htm


hurry last date approaching soon...

First thing first. - How to study for AeSI?

There are some days when Posting ideas come to me effortlessly, while
some other days they kill me.

Same thing happened in AeSI, although more frequently, that some days
I had a good day at studying and other days I had no worthwhile study!!

What was the difference in both this days?
What I did on the successful day that was missed on a failure day.

The answer was simple. On a successful day, I did first thing first. I
knew I have to study thermodynamics or fluids, and I just started my
day with that.

Now this is same with posting, I know I have to post, so the first
thing I do is get my iPhone and type in the post.

The takeaway of the post is, if you really want to have a good day,
utilize the first hour of your day to the maximum, rest of the day
will automatically blossom!!

This post is part of the series on how to study for AeSI? More will
follow, stay tune.

What are your comments, I am all ears!!

You can find another series named "booming aerospace" on myaesi by
following this link. http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=series&max-results=100

Knowledge is like compound interest

Yes, knowledge is lot like compund interest.

I don't know the rate. But take two people with equal ability and knowledge and let one person add a few hour of study on his schedule. By the end of a certain among of time, the person who put in the hour will have substantial amount of knowledge than the person who never did any.


Same goes for learning any software tool. People don't learn in one burst. Learning doesn't happen in one day, one week, one month or even a one year. Mastery of a tool comes over the years with daily consistent effort.

Knowledge is cummulative. Just like
Compound interest, it adds up and over a period of time it shines through.

So keep this in mind when studying.

From this day on start building a little of extra knowledge and in time you will see your knowledge compunding !!

Read more about learning different software tools by clicking this link http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=tools&max-results=100

How to study for AeSI - Series introduction!!

With AMAeSI results just coming out, it's the time when every aesi
student is setting himself up for the next session.

Whatever be the results, whatever be the outcome, studying for the
next semester gets more serious, so this week I am beginging a short
series on how to study for AeSI?

This will be collection of techniques I used and some are the once
used by my friends!!

I hope this series will help you and make you a better student!!

So stay tuned!!

You can find other series on myaesi by following this link. http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=series&max-results=100

Teaching vba

A couple of years back, a friend of mine was learning vba. He had a
project in his office for which he needed vba.

So he came to me for help. I already had past experiences on vba and I
was confident that I can get him rolling.

So we sat and for a week we continued one and two hour long sessions.
And a surprising fact that came out of this was I learnt more about
vba in that week than I knew before.

Of cource my friend gained, but I learnt a lot more by teaching. The
things that previously i just used, I gained new insights. Topics that
were vague in concept, emmerged out of the fog. And I had a better
view of the language I taught.

This event and there after many others solidified my belief that
teaching is the best form of learning.

If you want to truly learn something, begin teaching it. Start sharing
the knowledge you already have with those who want to aquire it. The
act of teaching and passing on your knowledge forces you to see the
whole topic in different light.

So try it!!

Have you noticed the new facebook integration of myaesi. The like
button gives you the ability to share any content of myaesi with your
facebook friends!!

Check it at http://my-aesi.blogspot.com

AeSI is like.......

AeSI is like riding an untamed horse which has no saddle. You just sit
on it's back and hold on tight and hope that you won't fall down from
it. The direction it takes are govenned by your reactions to it's
movement.

This is how a friend of mine described his AeSI experience.

How do you describe your days in AeSI?

How will you complete the sentence

AeSI is like.......

On a side note, anyone aware when the results are out for June 2010
AMAeSI exams?

Post in your comments!!

Open Letter to College Students from NASA

Dr. Robert Braun is the NASA Chief Technologist and he also serves as the David and Andrew Lewis Professor of Space Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Here's an open letter he addressed to the college graduates.

Most of the material is about NASA and geared towards the US students. But there is hope and this letter gives you the glimpse of opportunities that lie ahead of you as you embark upon your aerospace career.

So read on and be inspired.

Don't just read it, adopt one thing from this letter and consistently apply it to your life for a period of time and you are on the path to  become a star!!


Open Letter to College Students Dr. Bobby Braun


Nearly fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy spoke to a large college audience and asked them to join him on a grand challenge, one that was chosen not for its simplicity, but for its audacity, because the challenge at hand would "serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills." In the following seven years, those college students, and thousands of young professionals from around the nation, responded to the President's call. They built rockets that towered 36 stories, engines that are still the most powerful ever made, and sent heroes on a journey farther than any human had taken before or has taken since. By fusing the imagination of their generation into the technologies necessary for an entire species to take "one giant leap," they created and defined what we now call rocket science. In doing so, these young engineers and scientists demonstrated the technological leadership, commitment and skill of the American people, leaving a lasting imprint on the national security, economic prosperity, and global leadership landscape of the time.

In April 2010, President Obama spoke to America about our space program. He issued a new set of challenges that will once again measure our nation's collective energy and skill. NASA is now tasked with extending human presence beyond the Earth system, into deep space. This approach includes preparing new rockets and space vehicles for flight in the early part of the next decade, human exploration of an asteroid by 2025, and sending humans to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s, with Mars surface landings to follow. To attack these daring and difficult challenges, NASA must once again reach out and build our nation's technological capacity, creating an industrial capability to explore the solar system. But, in this speech given at the Kennedy Space Center, who was the President really challenging?

At 44, I'm one of the youngest leaders at NASA. In 2035, when humans first orbit Mars, today's college sophomores will be my age; perhaps one will even be in my job. Ten years prior, humans will explore an asteroid, venturing into deep space for the first time in human history. Today's same college sophomores will be 34 at that time, about a third of the way into their professional careers. For the engineering and science students in our nation's universities today, these are not distant timelines; instead, cutting-edge technologies and innovations developed by this generation in the early phases of their careers will form the foundation for humanity's next great leap.

I've recently returned to NASA from academia to develop and manage NASA's new Space Technology Program, an endeavour that seeks to create the technological knowledge and capability needed to enable a new generation of NASA aeronautics, science and exploration missions. My office sponsors foundational research, laboratory and ground-based testing, and flight-testing to mature critical space system technologies and infuse these cutting-edge advances into NASA's future operational missions. By taking informed risks and focusing on high-payoff technologies, the Space Technology Program will provide the answers to the Agency's future technological needs. Clearly, these developments require the best of academia, industry, and our government labs. To advance these transformational technologies, this program is being established with a test early, test often mantra, and will provide a steady cadence of flight opportunities on a variety of flight test platforms, including aircraft, suborbital vehicles, sounding rockets, balloons, and spacecraft. While maturing the necessary technology for our future missions, these frequent flight opportunities also provide ideal training for young engineers and scientists in the rigors of space flight. A grand challenge can be the spark, but a carefully crafted series of steps in one's own professional development is critical to future success in a technology-oriented world. Fortunately, there are opportunities in the Space Technology Program for your participation, starting in 2011.

Good systems engineers are not born; they are created over time. Intellectual curiosity and education are required, but so is experience operating across the boundaries of traditional aerospace disciplines in a hardware or mission development setting. A complete space system engineering perspective requires a hands-on development experience that spans the life cycle of a project, from concept to flight. Landing on Mars will never be a low-risk venture, nor will the development of a telescope capable of detecting Earth-size planets around other stars, or the qualification of a new generation of space exploration vehicles. Members of technology development and small flight project teams learn rapidly about informed risk taking with each development struggle, becoming stronger and wiser, and eventually applying these lessons to future, larger spaceflight projects.

Until recently, NASA was marching toward a single human exploration future that leveraged Apollo, Shuttle, and other relatively mature technologies to return to the Moon. The budget and schedule pressures of this effort; however, left little room for investment in new approaches to this problem. At its core, NASA is an organization capable of working on research, development and operations simultaneously in order to quickly learn and create new capabilities. The space exploration enterprise described by President Obama allows for development of a wide range of new space system solutions as humans venture out into deep space for the first time, including human exploration of near-Earth asteroids and Mars. NASA also envisions robotic explorers travelling throughout the solar system and into interstellar space, identifying life on other planets and Earth-like worlds around other stars, developing Earth observing spacecraft that can accurately forecast major storms and natural disasters, and fostering an emerging commercial spaceflight industry, all while contributing to the solution of society's technological challenges.

An overarching goal of the President's strategy is to reposition NASA on the cutting-edge, pushing the boundaries of the aero sciences with the technical rigor our nation expects of its space program. In creating the NASA Space Technology Program, I'm reminded of two quotes, the first from Robert F. Kennedy who said, "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." Those of you in college today should recognize that this thought is just as applicable to our Nation's 21st century space program as it was to the space program of the 1960s. Achieving greatness is in your hands; follow your dreams; take that chance. New York Times journalist and critic Brooks Atkinson once aptly said, "This nation was built by men who took risks - pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action." These are the attributes that NASA seeks in its future engineers, scientists and leaders.

In the 1960's, a generation of young professionals, fresh out of our Nation's universities and inspired by President Kennedy's grand challenge, conceived, designed and implemented the Apollo program. The future described by President Obama is not Apollo 2.0. Instead, by teaching ourselves new ways of thinking and developing new technological solutions, it is a future in which today's young engineers and scientists have been given the opportunity to once again demonstrate the technological leadership, commitment and skill of the American people. In 1969, the majority of the engineers involved in the Apollo 11 Moon landing were in their late twenties. In 1997, most of the engineers involved in the Mars Pathfinder landing were in their late twenties or early thirties. As our next generation of technologists, scientists and engineers, you are this country's future. I look forward to seeing the great things you will bring to NASA and the Nation as you embark on technology-oriented careers. Join us in this new endeavour. We need your innovative ideas, your passion, your dedicated efforts, and your technological solutions. What future will you create?


Source: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/college_letter_detail.html

Take baby steps into the world of excel - 10 video tutorials

Talking about learning softwares, learning excel is what I recommend
to every AeSI student and graduate.

And today I would like to point you to an excellent excel video
resource.

check out http://chandoo.org/wp/excel-tutorial/ for some awesome excel
tutorials.

This are baby steps to the world of excel.

Thanks to chandoo for the excellent resource!!

Also check out other video tutorial recommendation for catia,
solidworks, ansys via this link http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=video&max-results=100

Springboard.

Yes that's what the training and your first employment in the industry
is. Springboard !!

The power of the springboard is not in the spring. A quality
springboard will be worthless if you don't apply enough pressure on it.

It's useful only when you know how to use it. The higher the pressure
you apply to it, the greater will be it's upward reactions!

So in your training days, don't get slack. Don't make training a
routine, something you have to complete. Push. Push harder. Learn as
much as you can.

Expand your knowledge, learn new things and push toward excellence.

Don't settle. This is place from where you will launch.

Training is part of every aesi student and I have written quite
comprehensively about it here in this blog. Find them all via this link
http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=training&max-results=100

Some job hunting tips

A few days back, Mr Anuj Jha emailed me a list of resume and job search tips that he wanted to share with all of you.

As always they are great and recent AeSI graduates should pay heed to them while doing their job hunting..

So without any delay, the collection of tips follows.

Thanks Anuj!!

Using personal pronouns and articles
A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no mentions of "I" or "me" and a minimal use of articles.

Listing unnecessary information
You should only include your interests and hobbies if they’re related to the job. For example, if you’re applying to become a nurse manager, you can include that you’ve volunteered at hospitals throughout college. More after the break...

Not including a summary
Include a summary of your experiences that demonstrates your skills and achievements directly related to the position you want (This may not be applicable in all cases unless you have extensive work experience).

Font Size
The font size for resume content should be 12 points.

File Type
Your resume should be saved in a plain/rich text format. Do NOT save it as in the form of a PDF file type because it could exceed the maximum file size of 200 kilobytes accepted by many email severs.


Cultural Tips and Tricks

Salary Negotiation
Although negotiating salary, may be common in some places it is not recommended for the UAE market. It may give the potential employer a negative impression about the candidate.

Work Environment
Typically, the work environment follows a fun and laidback attitude. It’s not a typical North American culture where an average individual works five days a week from 9-5pm. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself working overtime without overtime pay.

You can't get a job without at least one interview.

1. Greet your interviewer with a firm handshake and a smile, address your interviewer by name, and make eye contact.

2. Never sit until asked to do so.

3. Ensure you are informed about the position and the organization before your interview. Wherever possible get a job description or review the details of the position. Go to their web site. You should know approximately what the salary range is for the position (particularly if going through an agency). Research the organization and affiliations. Be aware of all products or services.

4. Make sure you are familiar with all dates and information on your resume. Be prepared to go into detail and to give examples of various difficult work situations you have successfully handled.

5. Make sure you know the exact location and how to get there. Get there five to ten minutes early.

6. Dress should be appropriate, businesslike and conservative. Always look successful.

7. You may be asked to talk about yourself, but keep your entire life history for non-business situations! An interviewer is interested in how you and your experience best suit the position and the company. Do not take notes, and do not be concerned if your interviewer takes notes. Never speak negatively about present or previous work situations.

8. At the end of the interview you may have an opportunity to ask questions. Express enthusiasm and interest in the company and the position. Thank the interviewer for their time. You may ask what the next step would be in their hiring process. Do not discuss money/salary during the interview, or ask about benefits and vacation, unless the interviewer brings these subjects up for discussion. End the interview with a handshake.

9. A follow-up note or thank you letter sent after the interview, if you are particularly interested in the position and organization, is a good way to keep your name visible. A follow-up call within a week is a good idea, if you have not been contacted.

10. If an agency arranged the interview for you, call them immediately. It is important for the agency to get your response about the position, before they talk to the employer. A positive response from you can often lead to a positive response from the employer. Keep in touch with your agency.

Where's the initiative?

A couple of weeks back I posted a status message on a popular social
networking site. "start your small projects".

Many people ignored it, many joked about it and some asked me " what
projects to start?"

I don't have an answer to that question. You see opportunities are
abandant but then we pass them because we don't have initiative.

Here are two simple examples of great opportunities that passed under
your nose. All that was lacking was intitiative from our end.

The contest to design Indian rupee symbol and to become part of
history was open to all, but how many of you submited a design or even
thought about it. The guy who won the prize and a place in history
submitted multiple entries.

So the problem was not opportunity but initiative.

Another example, recently google created a contest " day in your
life". In this on 24th july all you had to do was film a typical day
In your life. Then accomplished directors would have chosen your movie
and created a movie with all the user generated content. The prize was
to have a chance to see this movie premeired and have you name
splashed with some of the welknown folks of the industry.

The idea was simple, opportunity was easy to grab but how many of you
took the initiative.

So the point is, you don't need more opportunity you need initiative!!

And you know what's good about initiative?

Unlike opportunity, you create initiative!!

Read more blog entries at http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/

Inertia strikes back

Writing after a break is always difficult. The inertia builds up and
it takes energy to start. You know you have to do it but you aren't
able to take an action.

This is what I was facing a moment ago. The last post I wrote was on
Friday and then I just had this long break. I thought of writing a
post yesterday but wasn't able to get past the first line.

Yesterday I even had an idea for the post. Today it was lot harder as
I didn't know what I was going to write, so I began with what I was
doing.

That little flow, that initial first steps, those first words then
tumbled me down so far. And I have realized that the best way to break
any inertia is to start. Start from where you are. Take a action
however silly, small or unsound it maybe!!

Applies very well to the present situations, when you are just back
from your home town or after the little study break after amaesi exams.

So if you are feeling the inertia and putting things off to tomorrow
for some reason or other, start now. This very moment!!

Yes this moment. I will stop this so you can start now!!

Failures and how to use them as guides!

Learning is a continous process. It doesn't end with your final
result, nor does it end when you get a job. Infact it doesn't end
anytime.

If you want to improve. If you want to succeed, continous learning is
the path that lays ahead of you.

How to make sure you are walking the path?

Making mistakes and failing. If you are failing, that's an indication
that you are following a path of improvement. Failures indicate you
are learning.

What's the point?
The point is your failures in the last week or two will tell your more
honestly about your current state of improvement than anything else.

You may lie to yourself, you may talk yourself that the last tasks you
did were really improving your skills.

But if you haven't failed in the last week. That's an indication that
you are not improving. This means you were just doing the easy stuff.

Failure is the last week is thus a more accurate indication of
progress than anything else.

So track them.

Fortran ebook coming soon!! More informationhttp://my-
aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=fortran&max-results=100

3 ways to beat AeSI's uncertainty!!

As you begin your journey with AeSI for yet another semester, here are
3 things to keep in mind that will help you beat AeSI's uncertainty!!

Do not believe in the previous years question papers, instead use a
syllabus book. Just studying with an eye on the previous years
questions is sure shot way of drowning. Instead use syllabus book to
guide you, what to study. Use the question papers to regularly check
your progress.

Go under the topics. Study with your mind.
Just mugging up all the topics, without understanding anything won't
help you. A all night haul before the exam may cruise you out of that
exam, but in the long run, you will need that knowledge if you want to
be an engineer. So study with your mind. Understand and study.

Be prepared. AeSI's is like a tenis match where they want to exhaust
you. They want you to loose, they want to out play you. Just knowing
this and keeping this in mind while studying and preparing for it can
help you in tackling the odd ball serves, that AeSI dishes out!!

So don't let AeSI to exhaust you, throw you off balnce and score
against you. Beat the odds by preparations!!

Good luck!!

For more techniques on studying for AeSI, please find the previous
posts on this topic via the following link http://my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=passing+aesi&max-results=100

Fancy flying Micro Air Vehicles!!

Fancy building and flying MAV's!! Fancy doing some hands on with all
the theory that you are studying? Then this is the post for you..

There is a 2-day workshop ("Building & Flying MAVs"). First of its
kind in India. Each participant gets an individual kit and "hands-
on" building experience under the tutelage of experts in, Jain
University Campus, Bangalore in the month of September (3rd and 4th
Sep. 2010). The details of the workshop can be found in the attached
documents. If you are interested, please fill the online application
form at www.microvehicles.org.

Please feel free to forward this to others interested people.

Thanks to Mr. Rakesh for the information!!

So go have a blast!!

How many of you be interested in learning fortran?

I have a half finished Ebook on learning fortran lying around in my
laptop. It was the one I wrote a while back to help someone get
started in fortran 90.

It's mostly about how to use fortran 90 and get all small things done
with it.

Some other things came up and the Ebook remained unfinished.

But now I am thinking of finishing it and having it on this blog. But
just wanted to know how many of you will ne interested in learning it.

Fortran is one of the langugae I recommend to an aerospace engineer
and I have talked about it here many times, so just leave a comment if
you want me to post the Ebook online.

Please read more discussions on what programming languages you should
at least know about via visiting the following link. http:///my-aesi.blogspot.com/search?q=programming&max-results=100

Awesome photographer.

There are two steps to become an awesome photographer.

One is to take regular photographs and the other is to have regular
feedback on your creations.

Combine these two steps and you have all the traits to become an
awesome photographer.

This is the thought that is marinating in my mind for somedays.

It applies to everything else in life. Want to be an awesome skilled
person in your choosen domain. Follow the two steps.

Create something on a consistent basis and share it somewhere or with
someone to have real feedback. That's the mill that produces awesome
skills.

In some future posts I will revisit this again.

A sidenote:
One of my fav blogger, Cal Newport, has just released his book. I
havent read the book but am familiar with the philosophy behind the
book. Because of that I know that If I had enough money, I would have
bought a copy of this book to everyone in aesi!!

Cal Newport explores the world of relaxed superstars in his new book.
Please find the review and more info at the following link http://www.amazon.com/How-High-School-Superstar-Revolutionary/dp/0767932587/ref=myaesi