Download - Faculty of Engineering - University of Alberta

Just some of the gadgets featured on
DVICE. Previous page: 1) Vuzix video
eyewear; 2) Steampunk Cylon contest
character. This page: 3) quirky
concept bus for London; 4) the DVICE
website; 5) the Robotrac multipurpose
robotic farmhand; 6) TeleNav fullfeatured
GPS navigation system for
Android: 7) the Noah personal vehicle.
What unique professional challenges do
you face daily, and how do you measure
success?
The most challenging thing is continually finding
ways for DVICE to stand out among tech
blogs, and as a brand of NBC Universal. We try
not to give predictable stuff, but it’s challenging;
the blogosphere is very oversaturated now.
iPhone or BlackBerry?
iPhone all the way, baby! The apps are so
much fun!
PC or Mac?
Mac, definitely. Better in every way, unless
you’re a gamer.
What’s the next big thing?
Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) TVs are
going to take off in the next couple of years.
What’s your proudest achievement,
personally, professionally or socially?
Moving to New York with little money and
no real job prospects, and finding myself with
a job and a place to live just a few weeks
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All gadget images courtesy DVICE
later. It’s been quite an adventure. I just wish
that first job was as good as editing DVICE.
Editing a blog is so much fun—you never
know what cool tech stories will come up on
any particular day.
What fosters pride for you as an alumnus?
Seeing the campus when I come back to the
city, hearing about the Bears and Pandas
when they win championships, and reading
the Gateway online.
What emotional/sentimental/
intellectual/professional connections do
you have with the Faculty of Engineering
and the U of A?
I’ll always remember Fred Vermuelen as one of
the best teachers I ever had at any level. And
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my engineering education has certainly made
me look at the world differently every day.
When parking on an icy incline, for example,
I’ll wonder what the coefficient of friction is
for the ice and how much my car weighs,
thinking about whether or not it’ll slip. It’s not
like it helps me predict whether my car is actually
going to start sliding around, but at least I
know how to express what’s going on in practical,
problem-solving terms.
What messages do you have for
potential students, undergraduates,
and young professionals who are just
starting their careers?
Don’t be afraid to take control of your career
path. When they’re just starting out, I think a
lot of new grads think they have to take whatever
comes their way, especially in this economy.
Don’t just take or do whatever’s in front of
you. Often, decisions that you intend to be
“temporary” end up lasting a lot longer than
you ever imagined. Consider things carefully
and take the route that feels right to you. Of
course, be realistic, but don’t settle for something
that isn’t really what you want to do. You
probably have more options than you think.
Spring 2009 U of A Engineer 27