Archive of the '2010 All Things IEEE' Category

This place is so big. You really need to be organized in your approach to seeing it (forget about seeing it all). Unfortunately, I am not organized. So, I am still wandering and finding new exhibitors. Gosh, how can I miss some of these booths - they are so flashy, or big, or noise, or …

That is what makes this so great. Here I have been walking miles each day and I’m still finding new stuff. Well, that is why we come here.

Satish Ranade (vice chair of the T&D Committee) told me New Mexico State won the contest for the most students. He said Mississippi came close with 15, but NMSU’s 18 carried the day. I really think everyone was the winner. The students had a great opportunity. They saw so much here. Way to go professors - thanks for getting those kids out here!!

PES had a great idea that I appreciated today. Lunch was brought in. They had a ton of food including chocolate chip cookies. I must say I never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn’t like. But getting back to the great idea, time is so precious. The floor is so demanding that it is really nice to be able to grab some food and keep on trucking.

This place is crowded! Everywhere I go I see lots and lots of people visiting the booths. The flow of information is amazing. I have also seen young engineers all over the place. The ones I have talked to are blown away by the size of the exhibit hall. They wonder how they are going to see it all in just 3 days!

Pat Ryan and Tommy Mayne gave me a quick overview of the Expo. They have been living with it since the close of the last Expo in Chicago. They are also planning the 2012 Expo in Orlando. I don’t see how they keep it all straight, but they do. Like I have said before, we attendees just don’t think about all the work needed to put this on.

I ran into a new friend of mine, Bob Gonzales. He is Tommy Mayne’s right hand man. He had a load of bags and boxes, which got my attention. Bob told me on Thursday there is going to be a big raffle taking place at the party.

Everyone will drop their ID badge into a bucket. During the festivities, they will start drawing names. The prizes - a Mac Pro computer, 4 iPads, and 4 Kindles! Wow, that is a raffle. Make sure you stick around for the party.

Today New Orleans had its Iron Man celebration. I didn’t think the movie came out until next month. Just kidding. The streets were blocked. it was safe to jaywalk - actually encouraged. It was more like a party than a grueling physical event where people push themselves to the brink of endurance. But the local committee (Crescent City Currents) told me the Big Easy makes everything a party. I believe them now. I can’t wait to see what goes on at the conference. I know it will be good!!!

For the past couple of nights, we have gone the traditional path of going to restaurants. We went to the Court of the 2 Sisters and it was fantastic. We also went to K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, again fantastic. I can highly recommend either of these fine establishments. You can’t go wrong, but do get reservations. There will be an Information booth on the floor at the Expo. Stop there and talk to the volunteers. They are locals and have a great sense of where to go if you tell them what you like.

We tried another method today - the progressive dinner. We hit the French Quarter and wandered amongst the stores, stalls, and restaurants. We found a great little place for sea food gumbo. They had a plate of lightly toasted French bread to go with it. Next, we found a place with alligator kabobs. They also had snapping turtle, but I really wanted the gator. I haven’t had that in a long time. Twenty paces later, I found alligator on a stick, but passed it by in search of other taste treats. We found frogs legs too with a spicy sauce on them - great, great, great! To wrap it up, there was a place with homemade bread pudding. Mine had white chocolate sauce. Pam’s had rum. When you are looking for something to eat at the Expo take advantage of the area. Cajun cooking is great. There is just about anything else you could want too.

Remember when Mom told you to eat your salad? No desert until you finish your dinner… etc, ect, etc. She had tons of dietary rules you had to follow or else! Well Mom’s spirit is pretty upset with me right now. In a place like Nawlins that could be dangerous. The spirits are strong here. Yesterday I told you all about beignets, but I didn’t say that was lunch. Today I have sweet tater pie for lunch at the plantation (sorry no picture - there was a hungry wolf feeding frenzy). On yes, pecan pralines (pure sugar) and a chocolate pecan turtle too. Pam is trying to keep me on the right path, but I bought her off. I gave her half of the chocolate turtle.

Pam and I decided to come to New Orleans a couple of days early to sample what the host city has to offer and is is always enjoyable. We do this a lot with PES conferences. The conference committee spends a lot of time in the selection process to find places that add to our experiences. It’s kind of like those enrichment classes we all took in college. Many students took advantage many did not.

I am a certified nerd engineer, but I found out a long time ago life is more than work. You have to recharge those internal batteries. So, the next couple of days are going to be blogs about the fun side of the conference. We will get back to the education and work on Monday!!