Re: I suck

Well I got my test back today from Production Management and I was pleasantly surprised I got an 88% on it. Plus he liked my essays I did on them too. Sometimes I doubt my own abilities. Today we watched "Executive Suite" which I found very interesting. I wrote some quick notes about it which I'll probably share here at some point. I'm glad I bought the movie off of Amazon. Since I've got to write a paper about it it'll be easier to review rather than try and remember it. The grade I got was a good ego booster.

Salient

Now that I've been back to school I've forgotten how interesting(or not) that teachers can be. My teacher for one of my courses for instances loves the salient. As in "I will go over the salient points of the chapter". This word I'd have to admit is probably not one used in normal conversation(at least not in my small circle). I kind of got the meaning of the word by the context in how he used it. Just for the heck of it I decided to check out the true meaning of it. Here's what I came up with:

Click here for link to page.

sa·li·ent /ˈseɪliənt, ˈseɪlyənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sey-lee-uhnt, seyl-yuhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. prominent or conspicuous: salient traits.
2. projecting or pointing outward: a salient angle.
3. leaping or jumping: a salient animal.
4. Heraldry. (of a beast) represented as leaping: a lion salient.
–noun
5. a salient angle or part, as the central outward-projecting angle of a bastion or an outward projection in a battle line.
6. Physical Geography. a landform that extends out beyond its surroundings, as a spur projecting from the side of a mountain. Compare reentrant (def. 4).
[Origin: 1555–65; < L salient- (s. of saliéns, prp. of salīre to spring, jump), equiv. to sali- verb s. + -ent- -ent]

—Related forms
sa·li·ent·ly, adverb

—Synonyms 1. important; striking, remarkable.
—Antonyms 1. inconspicuous, unimportant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

The way the teacher was using is the first definition. Pretty close to what I thought it was or at least in the ballpark. As we used to say in high school "Oooh SAT word" .

I suck

Had my first test in Production Management yesterday. The questions part wasn't so bad but the two essay question I totally BSed my way through. I think I probably will pass the test but not as well as I'd like. Obviously I've got to redouble my efforts in this class. At least that's the way I felt about it. Can't win them all I guess.

On writing by Stephen King

One of my favorite authors is Stephen King. He has been since I can remember. Carrie was probably the first one I read. I'm probably more of a fan of his earlier work until probably the mid eighties. Since then not a lot of what he has written has captured me much. The last one I got (From a Buick 8) a few years back and I still haven't finished it.I did pick up his book "On Writing" from the local library recently. It has been an interesting book so far and I'm about halfway through it. The first section of the book is more of a personal memoir from his early childhood to when he broke into the big time with Carrie. Which I found interesting and humorous at times. The later half so far on how he writes. Now I certainly don't fancy myself a writer but this is also interesting. The book has kept my attention and interest and I'll probably end up purchasing this one to keep.

This week

Not a lot to note this week. Lean Manufacturing class still is the more interesting of the two classes this semester. This week it was on the use of flow charts and such. Basically on how to map out a process and learn where all the waste is and how it could be improved. It's more interesting because it has more immediate implications at our work.

Ironically I'm still trying to figure out what exactly my Production Management class is all about even after three weeks. The teacher is OK but a bit on the boring side. We have our first test this coming week so I'll be studying this weekend for it.

Now for the lighter side of life. A scene from one of favorite movies growing up "Fast Time at Ridgemont High". Please enjoy....

Lean Thinking

I'd have to think that my Lean Manufacturing class is the more interesting of the two I'm taking this semester. I even picked out some extra reading from the library. "Lean Thinking"(Womack & Jones) tells some interesting stories of companies using older methods of production. Some well known companies are included like Pratt & Whitney and Porsche(yes the car company). Well at least I've found them interesting. I messed up though and forgot to do my 5S assignment last week for class. I must do that this weekend.

Additional reading stuff I've picked up this week were "In the pursuit of Happyness" by Chris Gardner(library book), "On writing" by Stephen King(library book), "World According to Garp" by John Irving(yet another library book) and "First things First" by Stephen Covey(Amazon). The good thing about library books is that you've got somewhat of a time limit to do your reading. It sort of keeps you from just getting the book and forgetting about it.

What's on your bookshelf?

Just recently I've wanted to start cataloging my books. I started a spreadsheet but it was a bit tedious plus with a touch of procrastination it hasn't gotten very far. I came across LibraryThing.com which catalogs your book collection. All you do is enter the ISBN number on your book and it does the rest. You can even enter one manually if it's not found in the database. I cataloged 33 books in a short amount of time. I only did the ones around my desk I haven't even touched the ones on the other bookshelves. I found it to be a cool way to keep track of your books. Give it a try. My list can be found here. A special thanks to one of my favorite blogs Geeks are sexy for finding this one.

Lean Manufacturing: 5s

This week in class we learned about 5S. Many of the 5S items may seem like a no brainer and may even be in place at your work or home. The probability that all are in place at once is probably slim one. What was interesting to me is that it not only at work these items can work in the home too. I immediately saw how I could apply many of these tools to my garage, basement and even around the home. What are the 5S's? They are Sort,Set in order,Shine,Standardize, and Sustain. Like I said it's an interesting concept. I believe I'm going to do our basement and or garage as a project. I'll post here along when I do. It should be interesting.