Design of Design: 19-20

pg 232: Great designs do not come from traditional product processes
pg 233: Product processes encourage conservative implementations and predictability; both are enemies of design
pg 234: Product processes are veto-oriented;  Much of the designers time is taken up by blocking bad ideas and catching oversights rather than fostering creativity.
pg 235: "The trick is to hold [product] "process"off long enough for design to occur, so that lesser issues can be debated once the great design is on the table."
pg 236: product processes are properly designed for follow on products, not for innovation
pg 237: Process is important to design, but it would be advantageous to insulate the design team from them
pg 238: Talented designers need to be fostered.
pg 239: To maintain conceptual integrity, assign design to a chief designer
pg244: What ids the best way to develop great designers.
pg 245:  Traditional education with the addition of critique is important to design brilliance development.
pg 246: Fostering design creativity must be done purposefully and planned for.
pg 247: Compensate designers appropriately and plan for furthering education.
pg 248: Give designers varied work environments.
pg 249: The John Cocke-Ralph Gomopry Story.
pg 250: Protect the designers from distractions of the traditional business process.
pg 251: Protect the designers from managers and keep them out of managing positions to foster creativity
pg 252: to grow yourself as a designer, sketch your designs constantly and get critiques of them.
pg 253 Study the designers  and exemplars that came before you.
pg 254: The Self education project:  design a 1000 sqaure foot house.

People I might hire

The following are links to resumes of individuals I may hire if I had a business:

http://www.ruscelli.com/resume_computer_science.htm

http://ocweekly.backpage.com/JobWanted/recent-it-graduate-pc-technician-help-desk/21674558

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic16511-68-1.aspx#bm80382

Jane is a well rounded Computer Science major with a lot of experience in customer support.  She is a good candidate because customer support is a necessary skill in any position.  Her experience in support also makes he a good candidate for a technical writing position.

The second candidate, no name provided, would have a similar skill set to Jane.

Michael has extensive experience in programming.  This would be useful to any project as he is versatile and can be trusted to be able to contribute to any project my imaginary company would be working on.  In addition, he has several years of military service indicating that he is most likely competent at working in a team.  This would make him a  good leader and would lend well to a software development environment.  This also means he would meet deadlines.

Design of Design: 17-18

pg 204: A vision of a user interface for a design system
pg 205:  Progressive truthfulness is the method of starting with an earlier conceived model and then to refine the model into the new design.
pg 206:  The model library contains all the objects and their properties.  Instances of the objects are named by knowledge of their exemplars.
pg 207: There is the hazard of restricting creativity through expansion of the model library too much and restricting the user to only exemplars within their knowledge base
pg 208: the noun and verb rhythm in the english language can be used as a model for computer human interaction
pg 209: Specifying verbs, commands, can be done through traditional computer input methods but is most easily facilitated by voice command.
pg 210: Specifying nouns, object representations, can be done through traditional methods of naming them, or a selection though pointing to a representation of the object.
pg 211: Other methods for specifying objects are by sketching them or a combination of pointing to them and sketching them
pg 212: Text specification will be through keyboard input because it is fastest.  Adverbs, descriptions of the commands given, will be quantitative.
pg 213:  The eyeball is a mouse-like input device that allows the navigation of the architectural design.
pg 214: Description of the eyeball device.
pg 215: description of the toothpick device for exterior viewpoints of the architectural design.
pg 220: Visual displays for the system will be multiple and concurrent.
pg 221: The 2-d context view will be one of the concurrent views.
pg 222: The 3-d view will be the next concurrent view, followed by the exterior views.
pg 223: The workbook view will hold the designers notes and ideas and will be the next concurrent view
pg 224: The specification view will hold all textual descriptions of the structure that is designed.
pg 225:  Although this system is an architectural design system, adding an audio interface/display is important for the selling of the design.
pg 226: The Dream system now can conceivably be built.

The Problem with end users: Disclaimers and Warnings

PAHU security is not without hazards.  The device could be misused and could cause harm to the user.  The number one hazard would be using the device without observing local, state and federal laws that controlled when, where, and how a person may be videotaped.  This could result in legal action against the user and possible incarceration.  As with any electrical device, PAHU security poses a risk of electrical shock.

Other Minor hazards include improper use of the system.  These include improper installation and setup, improper analysis of results from the camera, possible wireless frequency interference, and inappropriate use of the system, such as use of the client software while driving.  These minor hazards can be easily avoided by instruction on proper use of the camera through user documentation.

The following are links to possible warning images to use in the instructional booklet:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Warning_for_police_brutality.svg
http://images.cryhavok.org/d/2411-1/Warning+Ubiquitous+Surveillance.jpg
http://jaypgreene.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/shock-warning-logo.jpg?w=450
http://www.diy-alarms.co.uk/catalog/images/haydon_warning_sign.jpg
http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/251239/251239,1235344621,8/stock-vector-caution-high-voltage-25439188.jpg

The following is a disclaimer and warning sheet, which could be useful in manufacturing a disclaimer and warning sheet to package with the PAHU security system, provided by FLIR for one of its cameras:

http://www.che.utah.edu/department_equipment/Projects_Lab/A_IR_Camera/MAN_Important_Information.pdf

The following is a user manual, which also may be useful in compiling a disclaimer and user packet for PAHU, provided with Trailer Eyes, a wireless camera system for use in mobile animal trailers:

http://www.batterybarn.com/te0811%20manual%20s%20.pdf

Possible sample disclaimers for PAHU would look as follows:

Safety Disclaimer

This product should not be used by the driver of a motor vehicle while driving. Always keep your hands free to operate a vehicle while driving. Obey all local laws. Your first consideration while driving should be safety. Follow all instructions provided with the camera system. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, PAHU Security, its subsidiaries and licensors hereby disclaim all liability arising out of any use of this product and its contents.

Safety Warning

·         This product should not be used by the driver of a motor vehicle while driving.

·         Electrical Shock can occur while using this device.  Do not open camera housing or tamper with camera.  Follow instructions provided in section X on powering the camera carefully.

·         Before installation and use ensure all local, state, and federal laws governing the video taping of individuals are understood and followed.  Failure to follow these laws could result in legal action and incarceration.

·         This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause interference to radio communications.

·         Do not disassemble or modify the battery pack or power source on the camera.  This could cause damage to the camera and could result in explosion or exposure to hazardous chemicals.  In the event there is exposure to liquids from the battery pack wash the exposed area thoroughly with water and seek medical attention immediately.

Additional disclaimers:

·         PAHU Security Systems reserves the right to gather anonymous usage statistics to help maintain and improve the quality of our software systems.

Remote user interface updates using difference and motion encoding

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=24&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&p=1&S1=graphic&OS=graphic&RS=graphic

The abstract for US patent 8,127,233, application number 11/860,008, reads:

"Frames of user interface graphical data can be remotely rendered at a client during a remote session with a server by providing graphical data commands to the client. The commands include motion commands derived from objects that change position between a current frame and a new frame and delta commands derived from differences between the frames. The delta commands can be generated from a frame update after applying motion commands or without applying motion commands. A server identifies moving objects having a first position in the current frame and a second position in the new frame, generates motion hints for the moving objects, and reduces the motion hints based on collision detection, motion verification and other factors. Motion commands are generated for the reduced set of motion hints and applied to a copy of the current frame at the server. Differences between the modified current frame and the new frame are then encoded as delta commands. The server then sends the motion commands and delta commands to the client. The client receives and applies the commands to the current frame to render the new frame."

This relates to our senior design project because it uses similar pixel differencing methods that we have envisioned using to determine when activity has taken place in our security videos.

Optimization for Engineering Design; Introduction Summarry

Engineers see optimization as an esoteric technique use only in mathematics and research related activities.  An optimization algorithm is a procedure which is executed iteratively by comparing various solutions till the optimum or satisfactory result is found.  There are deterministic and stochastic optimization algorithms. 

Optimization algorithms are used in engineering design activities that emphasize maximizing or minimizing a certain goal.  Only the designer can formulate the optimization problem for the design they are designing. 

The purpose of the formulation procedure is to create a mathematical model of the optimal design problem, which can then be solved using an optimization algorithm.  This formulation begins with identifying design variables.  The speed and efficiency of the optimization algorithm depends on how many design variables are chosen.  The first rule of optimization is to choose as few design variables as possible. Constraints are then chosen.  These identify functional relationships between the design variables.  Constraints can be of an equality type or an inequality type.  Equality constraints should be avoided whenever possible because they are difficult to handle.  The objective function, which defines what should be minimized or maximized, is the next task in the optimization formulation procedure.  The final task is to set the variable bounds, minimum and maximum for each design variable.

After formulation the optimization problem can be written out in nonlinear programming format.

Maker Faire: Inovative designers show their stuff . . .

Strait Power:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ohs1fD-gQ&t=40s

Very cool bio-inspired hydro-electric turbine.  Based on the biology and behavior of the basking shark to put in the river in the Downriver Detroit area and hopefully restore industry in the area.  Anthony Reale, the designer, estimates that there is equivalent energy to a 120 mph wind flowing through the river.

Little Bits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ITIng-ksQg

Fast electronic prototyping parts for school children and non-engineers.  Made to inspire electronic engineering for the lay-person.

Beatjazz Controllers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHMI50ESguQ

Onyx Ashanti designed motion controllers that integrate with a 3-way wireless network to control his musical synthesizers he uses to create his music.  This allows him to control all his instruments through one convenient interface.

Reconfigured Elmo-TMX:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYoVQZXDCw8

Adrianne Wortzel reconfigures Tickle-Me-Elmo-TMX to a swarm-bot configuration.  She uses the robot swarm to reenact historic battles.

Lasersaur:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWTw4B7v9I

Neat open source laser cutter.  For the individuals who just need a laser cutter, but don’t have the money of a large corporation.  Targeted to artists and hobby engineers.

The ACTA dilema

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a European document that attempts to combat the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods and the infringement of intellectual property.  This is causing outrage among European citizens as many of them see it as outlawing certain everyday activities they believe they have the right to engage in.

One of the possible contentions is that the document allows the right holder to hold third party participants in the infringements accountable for the infringement.  These third parties may only be factory workers who did not know they were counterfeiting goods or infringing on intellectual property.  ACTA states, “Such information may include information regarding any person involved in any aspect of the infringement or alleged infringement and regarding the means of production or the channels of distribution of the infringing or allegedly infringing goods or services, including the identification of third persons alleged to be involved in the production and distribution of such goods or services and of their channels of distribution . . . Each Party shall provide that its judicial authorities have the authority to order prompt and effective provisional measures:

                (a) against a party or, where appropriate, a third party over whom the relevant judicial authority exercises jurisdiction, to prevent an infringement of any intellectual property right from   occurring, and in particular, to prevent goods that involve the infringement of an intellectual    property right from entering into the channels of commerce;
                (b) to preserve relevant evidence in regard to the alleged infringement.”

A second objection may be that the provision allows for criminal procedures against those individuals who use a trademark that is similar to an existing trademark.  ACTA states, “Each Party shall provide for criminal procedures and penalties to be applied in cases of wilful importation 10 and domestic use, in the course of trade and on a commercial scale, of labels or packaging: to which a mark has been applied without authorization which is identical to, or cannot be distinguished from, a trademark registered in its territory.”

Third, a taping of a school play that uses similar scene choreography to a copyrighted movie and then is posted on YouTube may create criminal liability under ACTA.  ACTA states, “A Party may provide criminal procedures and penalties in appropriate cases for the unauthorized copying of cinematographic works from a performance in a motion picture exhibition facility generally open to the public.”

Fourth, sharing content that includes a trademark, copyrighted material, or reproduction of intellectual property on a social media site by a private individual may create criminal liability.  ACTA states, “Further to paragraph 1, each Party’s enforcement procedures shall apply to infringement of copyright or related rights over digital networks, which may include the unlawful use of means of widespread distribution for infringing purposes.”

Finnally, ACTA imposes its regulation on those who are not party to the agreement making it applicable to those countries who reject the agreement.  ACTA states, “Each Party shall endeavour to work closely with other Parties and, where appropriate, non-Parties to this Agreement for the purpose of implementing the provisions of paragraph 1,” however, those not party to the agreement will not have representation in the ACTA Committee, “The Parties hereby establish the ACTA Committee. Each Party shall be represented on the Committee.”  This makes individuals in non-party nations unwittingly subject to ACTA.

Anderson Center

The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation works with the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee to encourage entrepreneurship and technological innovation in the nearby regions by working with college students about to enter the workforce.  They sponsor VolCourt which is a workshop and competition for business planning and design.  The following is from the College of Business Administration website:

“The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will offer the chance for students, faculty and the community to learn from entrepreneurs and business experts about the essentials of getting a company off the ground.

The Vol Court spring 2012 session begins Jan. 31 and runs through March 13. Workshop presenters are from various organizations throughout Tennessee, and all have experience with entrepreneurial companies.

The seven-part series will be held Tuesdays at 5:15 p.m. in Room 701 of the Stokely Management Center.”

The Anderson Center also hosts an undergraduate business plan competition.

The VolCourt prize for the “Pitch Competition” is $1000 for first place and $500 for second.  The prize for the business plan competition is up to $20,000 that may be distributed to one or many of the winning pitches depending on 3 criteria; need for capital, viability of the business concept, and growth potential.

The most recent winners of the VolCourt pitch competition were Cedric Brown and Jake Rheude for their pitch on a new supermarket item, Buffalo Chicken Dip, which is non-existent in Knoxville supermarkets.  The winner of the inaugural VolCourt competition, in the spring of 2010, was Danny Smith who won for pitching a product to protect rock climbing shoes and extend the life of the shoe.  Other winning pitches included an online community that allows students to leave feedback on host families, residence halls, apartments and other living arrangements during the school year, and a collapsible water bottle.

Amazing Technologies

SH Coatings:

SHC produces super hydrophilic coatings to protect power lines form inclement weather:

http://energy.gov/americas-next-top-energy-innovator/sh-coatings-lp

TrakLok:

TrakLok makes security devices that track the location of cargo and other shipments.  It also allows the user to set ‘fences’ that prevent the courier from opening shipments and cargo containers outside of the specified locations:

http://www.traklok.com/products/geolok

NELL:

The Never Ending Language Learning Project is a semantic language learning machine developed at Carnegie Mellon supported by grants from DARPA, Google and the NSF.  Its goal is to be able to answer questions posed in a natural language.  T achieve this goal NELL sifts through web pages attempting to create semantic relationships between data found on the web:

http://rtw.ml.cmu.edu/rtw/

Ampakines:

A class of compounds that show promise in enhancing attention span, learning, and memory without great adverse side effects:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampakine

Google Driverless Car:

A car that operates without a human driver and won 2 competitions posed by DARPA; The 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge and the DARPA Grand Urban Challenge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car

ABET Definition of Design, and the Design Challenges

The ABET definition of design is as follows:

Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic science and mathematics and engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective. Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing and evaluation. The engineering design component of a curriculum must include most of the following features: development of student creativity, use of open-ended problems, development and use of modern design theory and methodology, formulation of design problem statements and specification, consideration of alternative solutions, feasibility considerations, production processes, concurrent engineering design, and detailed system description. Further it is essential to include a variety of realistic constraints, such as economic factors, safety, reliability, aesthetics, ethics and social impact." Elsewhere in the ABET criteria for accreditation; they stress the use of teams in solving problems and performing designs.

During the two challenges in class we followed various parts of this definition.  Both design challenges included creativity, use of open-ended problems, consideration of alternative solutions, feasibility considerations, productions processes, and concurrent engineering design.

For the marshmallow challenge we were tasked to design a system that met the need of holding a marshmallow aloft at the greatest height.  It included an iterative decision making processes in order to perfect the design that was optimal.  Evaluation of the design was simply to see if the structure would hold the marshmallow and which design was the tallest.

The paperclip challenge included designing a system or component to meet desired needs; however, those needs were abstractly defined.  The design only needed to “do something useful.”  The definition of useful was left up to the design team.  It included iterative decision making and creative process through the requirement that the request for design be given with no direction on the process of production, thus creating 3-4 separate designs that fulfilled the desired result.  The metrics for evaluation of success were much more complicated than the marshmallow challenge and included testing of several designs by one design team rather than one design by each design team.

Setback Requirements in Knoxville, TN

The setback requirements for a residential house in Knoxville TN require that the house be positioned a minimum distance from the street on all sides.  The various minimum distances are as follows:

Front Yard – 35 feet, no addition to the house can extend into this area
Side Yard – 8 feet for single story homes, 12 feet for two story homes, and additions may not extend into the minimum 8 feet from the street.
Rear Yard – 10 feet for main buildings and unattached accessory buildings may not be closer than 5 feet from the street.

Who is Min Kao?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Min_Kao

Min Kao is one of the co-founders of Garmin.  He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Tennessee.  The Min Kao building that recently opened on the UT campus is named for him due to the $17.5 million transformational gift by Min Kao to the University as thanks for his education.

New Technologies

Memristors:

A circuit that can remember electrical states even when turned off in developement by HP:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memristor


Quantum Dots:

Tiny semiconductors under investigation for many purposes, notably quantum computing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_dot


Magnetic Soap:

Magnatized soap that could easily be collected after used to clean up hazardous spills:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/25/2731244/magnetic-soap-oil-cleanups-bristol-university


Spintronics:

A solid state technology that exploits the spin of the electron and it's magnetic moment.  Applications are various:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spintronics

High-temperature superconductivity:

Useful in creating no loss conductors, frictionless bearings, magnetic levitation, and various other applications.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_superconductivity

H.R. 2930

House Resolution 2930, named the "Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act," is a federal bill currently under review that would affect crowdfunded businesses and projects.  It allows an exemption for registration with the SEC as long as these projects meet certain requirements based on the projects income and the amount of ‘equity’ sold within a 12-month period.  The resolution also sets up requirements for intermediaries to crowdfunding, such as websites or applications, which include warnings, actions to reduce fraud, production of information, background checks on entities using the intermediary, and access to the intermediary by the SEC.  The requirements for projects not using an intermediary for crowdfunding are similar to those requirements placed on intermediaries.  Information and access to information must be provided in all situations.

Using Social Media for Raising Funds

An excellent article describing how social media can be used to raise funds can be found here:

Using Social Media for Raising Funds

This includes many sites and tools to help someone get started on raising funds.  My favorite sites/tools, in no particular order, are:

1. Kickstarter
2. Chipin
3. Razoo
4. Artez
5. Care2
6. Convio
7. Piryx
8. Profounder
9. IndieGoGo
10. AppBackr

More information on crowdfunding can be found on Wikipedia here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowd_funding

Another top ten list for crowdfunding can be found here:

http://cashtostart.com/10-crowdfunding-websites-entrepreneurs/

What is a Corporation? What is Equity?

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation) defines a corporation as:


"A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members.^[1] There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter (i.e. by an ad hoc act passed by a parliament or legislature). Most jurisdictions now allow the creation of new corporations through registration.
An important (but not universal) contemporary feature of a corporation is limited liability. If a corporation fails, shareholders may lose their investments, and employees may lose their jobs, but neither will be liable for debts to the corporation's creditors.
Despite not being natural persons, corporations are recognized by the law to have rights and responsibilities like natural persons ("people"). Corporations can exercise human rights against real individuals and the state,^[2] and they can themselves be responsible for human rights violations.^[3] Corporations are conceptually immortal but they can "die" when they are "dissolved" either by statutory operation, order of court, or voluntary action on the part of shareholders. Insolvency may result in a form of corporate 'death', when creditors force the liquidation and dissolution of the corporation under court order,^[4] but it most often results in a restructuring of corporate holdings. Corporations can even be convicted of criminal offenses, such as fraud and manslaughter. However corporations are not living entities in the way that humans are. ^[5]
Although corporate law varies in different jurisdictions, there are four characteristics of the business corporation"


And equity  as:


"In accounting and finance, equity is the residual claim or interest of the most junior class of investors in assets, after all liabilities are paid. If liability exceeds assets, negative equity exists. In an accounting context, Shareholders' equity (or stockholders' equity, shareholders' funds, shareholders' capital or similar terms) represents the remaining interest in assets of a company, spread among individual shareholders of common or preferred stock.
At the start of a business, owners put some funding into the business to finance operations. This creates a liability on the business in the shape of capital as the business is a separate entity from its owners. Businesses can be considered, for accounting purposes, sums of liabilities and assets; this is the accounting equation. After liabilities have been accounted for the positive remainder is deemed the owner's interest in the business.
This definition is helpful in understanding the liquidation process in case of bankruptcy. At first, all the secured creditors are paid against proceeds from assets. Afterward, a series of creditors, ranked in priority sequence, have the next claim/right on the residual proceeds. Ownership equity is the last or residual claim against assets, paid only after all other creditors are paid. In such cases where even creditors could not get enough money to pay their bills, nothing is left over to reimburse owners' equity. Thus owners' equity is reduced to zero. Ownership equity is also known as risk capital or liable capital."


In order to create a Corporation or a Limited Liability Company, one must follow the State laws that dictate how to form one of these entities.  The method for setting up either is similar with the only difference being the paperwork that must be submitted for approval.  The steps are as follows:

1. Determing that the name for your Corporation or LLC is available and in accordance with the laws requiring "Corporation," "Incorporated," or "LLC" to be a part of it.
2. File the "Articles of Incorporation" to create a corporate entity or "Articles of Organization" to create and LLC.
3. Hold the "Organizational Meeting" and adopt bylaws for a corporation or operating agreements for an LLC.
4. Obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number and open a bank account for the company.
5. Get a local business license from the city or county where the company will be located.

          http://www.mynewcompany.com/incorporate_tennessee.htm


There are 3 options for dissolving a corporation in Tennessee; voluntarily (described in Tennessee code sections 48-24-101 through 48-24-108), administratively (described in Tennessee code sections 48-24-201 through 48-24-25), and judicially (described in Tennessee code sections 48-24-301 through 48-24-304).  For voluntary dissolution all that is necessary is to file the proper paperwork and then proceed to the "winding up" process.  The winding up process includes the following steps:

1. Collecting corporate assets.
2. Disposing of property that will not be distributed to shareholders.
3. Paying off or making provisions to pay off corporate liabilities.
4. Distributing assets to shareholders.
5. Doing any other act necessary to wind up corporate affairs.

        http://corporations.uslegal.com/corporate-dissolution/tennessee-corporate-dissolution-law/

The steps for dissolving an LLC in Tennessee are similar to dissolving a corporation, again, only differing in the required paperwork.

The cost of creating a corporation or LLC in Tennessee is minimal and should only be about $200, not including any proprietary licenses necessary to the running of a specifice business (i.e. a tobacco license or an alcohol license ).

The required forms for forming or dissolving a corporation or LLC in Tennessee can be found here:

http://www.tn.gov/sos/bus_svc/forms.htm

Meet and greet:

I am a computer science major.  I chose this major after many years working on an IT support call line while pursuing a finance major.  The opportunity to be a computer science major at UT and have access to the super computers at Oak Ridge National Lab was what helped me decide on switching schools and majors.

On completing my degree, I hope to get a job in software development or seek further education so that I can get a job in cyber security.  To achieve this I plan to finish out my internship with ORNL in good standing so that I will have a noteworthy resume when I graduate.

The employment rate for college graduates is about 60% and they carry a debt of $25,000 on average.  The top employers of college graduates can be found here: http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110509/50-top-employers-for-college-grads/.

Here are the descriptions of a few classmates:

T.P.  COSC major-

Has designed computer games before.
Likes working with and writing compilers.
Interested in possibly writing a tutorial application for this class.
Sleeps 6-8 hours a night.
Is taking 12 credit hours this semester.
Knows C++, HTML,  CSS, C, SQL
Would like to learn PHP.

L.H. ECE: EE major-

Is interested in Software design.
Good at management, was an R.A. for a period of time.
Has done a good amount of fundraising before.
Sleeps 6-8 hours a night.
Is taking 18 credit hours this semester.
Has 5 room mates that are business majors.
Know C++.
Interested in doing a facial recognition system for this class.

M.B. -

Knows Java, Objective C
Interested in doing some sort of application for this class.

K.D. ECE:EE major-

Has worked with power systems, both consumer and industrial applications.
Not very good at programming.
Works in retail sales with computers at the Student Center.
Has mainly built power supplies for past jobs.

What is design:

According to http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/trinity/watdes.html, Design is the following:

The nature of design is equally as complex as that of technology. Archer wrote that:
“Design is that area of human experience, skill and knowledge which is concerned with man’s ability to mould his environment to suit his material and spiritual needs.” 
Design is essentially a rational, logical, sequential process intended to solve problems or, as Jones put it:
“initiate change in man-made things” 
For the term “design process,” we can also read “problem-solving process”, which in all but its abstract forms works by consultation and consensus. The process begins with the identification and analysis of a problem or need and proceeds through a structured sequence in which information is researched and ideas explored and evaluated until the optimum solution to the problem or need is devised.
Yet, design has not always been a rational process; up until the Great War design was often a chaotic affair in that consultation and consensus were barely evident. Design was not a total process. The work of participants in the process was often compartmentalised, each having little if any input in matters which fell outside the boundaries of their specific expertise. Thus, participants explored their ideas unilaterally, with one or another participant, through virtue of their “expertise”, imposing constraints upon all others. In this way, the craftsman has a veto on matters to do with skill or availability of materials, the engineer had a veto on technological considerations, and the patron alone could impose considerations of taste and finance.
During the inter-war years the Bauhaus movement attempted to knit the design process into a coherent whole in that students were encouraged to study design in a way that was both total and detailed. That is, designers were expected to balance all the considerations that came to bear upon the design of particular artifacts, systems and environments. In this way, though, design quickly evolved into a closed activity - an activity in which all but the designers themselves has little if any valid input to make on questions of materials, taste . . . and so on. Designers came to exist within a social bubble, consulting no-one but other designers. The result was that many designs conceived particularly during the immediate post-Second World War period did little to satisfy the needs of users. Such designs were exemplified by the disastrous housing policies adopted by many local authorities in the UK who built residential tower block after residential tower block. These were essentially realizations of dreamy design concepts rather than solutions to the social, cultural and environmental needs of the local populations.
Recent years have marked a sharp reaction against the design movement, which has perhaps been personified by Prince Charles and has crusade against architectural “carbuncles”. Likewise, individuals within society have sought to express their own tastes, their own individuality, personal style and personal self-image through what they use and purchase. Thus it is that design is not an activity solely for engineers and designers but is a shared activity between those who design artefacts, systems and environments, those who make them and those who use them.