cumquat

Kellogg is in battle creek, about 20 miles east of me. we have 3 colleges, WMU, kalamazoo valley community college and kalamazoo college. i have though many times about going to KVCC then transferring to western for mechanical and electrical engineering. however some past life choices make that tricky to accomplish. not impossible, just tricky. as far as bachelor's degrees go, those are the 2 to have. having both can easily get me a 6 figure job as too few people have both and many jobs in one field benefit from the other.

rc55

If you can afford to be out of the workplace long enough get a bsme and an bsee go for it. I've never heard of that. Lots of people I know would get an eet degree for example, and their company would eventually sponser their bachelors, and somehow the eet bridges to a bsee. the bsme's I know seem okay with their choice, some get caught up in company politics. I know one bsme that quit their job working for nasa at of all places at 30 years old, and doesn't work any longer. Him/her is into astrology now and is going to write a book ?? Not to discourage you, just saying what I know.

SyCo_VeNoM

Well nuclear anything in the US is a big nono as people are terrified of the word nuclear as it means something bad as portrayed on the news.. err propaganda shows lightly based on reality which the masses of sheeple watch. Its like why electric costs alot here where the US could easily build clean, and safe nuclear power plants, but instead prefer to burn coal which causes lung cancer, and damages the environment when extracting(and is a hazard to extract) cause they base the dangers of nuke plants on the power plants like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island(and massively inflate it in 3 miles case).


cumquat I'd go mechanical engineering personally if you have to choose one

rc55 BSEET's bridge to BSEE last I looked it was 6-7 courses(looked 12 years ago) as the majority of the base classes are the same.
I'll sound very jaded as I graduated during a terrible time with a EET, but in all honesty depending where you live trades might be the best way to go. Wish I didn't waste the pile of cash I did on a degree as all it has done for me was give me something to hang on the wall, and a mountain of crushing debt I basically work to pay off. I kept in contact with 20 or so people for a few years after I graduated, and 1 had a job in electronics(he had the job prior to enrolling even so that don't count IMO ). I still remember our deans encouraging words on the day of graduation "I was praying the market would get better, but you guys look like your screwed. I just hope it works out for you guys as you were all great students.". 5 years ago I ran into one guy who was working as a waiter. Another was working as a call center guy for redbox(who last I talked to last year was unemployed for 2 years), another was a teller for a bank... pile of people I saw at a wedding 7 years ago were unemployed, or under employed doing anything to scrape by.
Not sure if its just the job market by me though.
On the other hand guy I know who dropped out after 1 semester, and went and got some networking certs before racking up the huge debts is making 6 figs with no education.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

If you (had) lived in Fukushima, you'd be terrified of anything nuclear too. Remember Chernobyl? California doesn't want any of that, and rightly so.
And there is a company from Texas who make portable, scalable, solar powered desalinization systems. Not big giant 10,000KW plants, but de-centralized systems that could be set up in many places near the coast, supplying water to many communities. There is even another company who makes a machine that can make water out of thin air! THAT is the technology we need and want.

cumquat

mechanical would be my primary course set. i just like the idea of making my own electronic components. i have a mind for basic circuitry, but quite complex mechanical contraptions. then again, i've always done better with a torch than a pencil. great, now you guys have me wanting to look into college again... or a blue star on a particular radio controlled rock navigating website...


on the topic of nuclear, we have had 4 in the lower peninsula of Michigan. one near the northern tip which was decommissioned in 1997, 2 on the southern Lake Michigan coast and one near detroit. the one near detroit had a partial meltdown back in the '66, then started again in '70 only to be closed permanently in '72. a brand new reactor began producing power in '88 and has been since.

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

Oh yes. Nuclear power. We have a nuclear power plant near us (called Browns Ferry) and they have failed multiple safety checks many times, yet they are still here. During the April 27th storms down here a few years ago, they had to send in parts from Japan to make it run safely again, so we were without power for nearly 1 1/2 weeks. Totally sucked.

SyCo_VeNoM

Well as for how many people died due to that reactor meltdown (0*) vs the 191 that died mining coal from 07 to 13**, and the many others the 13000 people that die each year due to exposure to coal pollution** I think I'll take my chances with a fukashima reactor which performed admirably for its age(as it was slated to be decommissioned a year or so later anyways) and sustained way more damage then it was designed for.
Now imagine how safe a modern reactor built with modern technology would be.

Chernobyl from what I read was caused by gross violations of rules, and regulations. From what I read they were conducting some test, and disabled a pile of safety measures, and it went kaboom. Basically idiots did something stupid. Deaths due to cancer that they think was caused by it around the world range in the 27,000 range.where coal is blamed for a lil less then 400k deaths a year around the world(mining lung cancer, etc).



Again I'd gladly replace every single power plant with a nuclear plant as the safety issues, and health issues are VASTLY blown out of proportion due to studies(and politicians) funded, and pushed by the coal companies.

As for California not wanting any of that... seriously California is the most idiotic state in the entire country(not the citizens the people in charge) as EVERY damn thing now has stickers saying it causes cancer in california so they don't want anything. Hell I bought a bottle of oxygen for a torch, and the thing had a damn sticker on it that had Contents are known to cause cancer in the state of California plastered on it... Hell I'm shocked door makers aren't required to put a sticker on every door saying USE OF THIS ITEM, AND GOING OUTSIDE IS KNOWN TO CAUSE CANCER IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

*former Fukushima supervisor of damage control died from esophageal cancer in July 2013 which there is dispute if it was from the event, or other things.

**http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/the-coal-hard-facts interesting site with a lot of coal facts like how the US's coal burning is 30% of our CO2, and where I got the death counts due to coal

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

WOW, has THIS gotten off-topic!! Apologies to the OP.
Syco, you are obviously an intelligent man. An I don't want to get into a pissing match with a guy I consider a good bloke. (Tho LORD I wish you would use punctuation!) I totally agree coal mining and coal-fired power plants account for a huge loss of life. It's one of the dirtiest fuels we have. ("Clean Coal" my harry white ass!) And to be fair, the two multi- reactor sites in Japan had indeed been operating just fine....until the earthquake & tsunami. The tsunami doing the real damage. But why the hell did they build it next to the bleeding ocean??? See, it's THAT kind of human error in judgment we always seem to look back on and go, "OH, maybe we shouldn't have done that." And then there's the spent fuel that has to be buried somewhere for eons. And what if that stuff leaks into the ground water, or is exposed by another earthquake?

But I am afraid you are right, in this Corporatocracy, the few who have all the money/power (Oil, Coal) will not let any new technology ruin their Kingdoms of Power by letting solar, wind, and wave technologies get into the game. And due to the sheer size of this country, interior states would probably still need Power Station Generation. At least until Fusion becomes feasible.

Yeah, we're all used to "those crazy Californians" jokes. That Prop 65 Cancer Labeling thing is a prime example. The Initiative Process that allows measures to be put on the Ballot by collecting enough signatures was a good idea, but it's kinda gotten outta hand IMO. They're usually poorly written, get challenged in Court, or otherwise cause unnecessary wastes of time, so I usually vote NO on any Initiatives anymore. But if you came to California and saw the immense beauty and the diversity of its nature and wildlife, its landscapes and coastlines and fertile valleys (that supply a great deal of the fresh veggies the rest of the county consumes)(picked by Mexican migrant farmworkers. Screw you Mr Trump) you'd understand why as a native Californian, I get pretty upset when I see the environment getting polluted. (My head just about explodes when they talk about Fracking in California, the most earthquake-prone state in the lower 48, and in a severe drought!!) Yeah, I get pretty upset. I have to take freaking medication to keep my head exploding from watching the 5 o'clock news!

But, we are WAY WAY off topic my friend. I think we've both made our points. Let's call it a draw. Peace?
I come here to forget all the crap going on elsewhere.

SyCo_VeNoM

Well I won't lie I wish I had any kind of scenery outside concrete, and asphalt
Hell even the night sky due to the insane levels of light pollution where I am all you can make out is 5-6 starts total(on good days otherwise its pitch black), and according to a light pollution chart the closest place I could get a decent view is near the Iowa border...

Bah not like much is going on anyways but going offtopic

Iccobella

Found this RC cars collection.--> http://goo.gl/iZrYlG
What is your favorite car?

cumquat

wind and solar are picking up here. there are a few turbines around town and it's not entirely uncommon to see a roof of solar panels. we have just about the perfect weather for it too. if it aint sunny, chances are it's windy. often it'll be both. free electric to charge our batteries. there, i kept on topic. we have quite the diverse landscape too. steep hills, dunes. wetlands, farmland and forestland galore. no matter what aspect of rc you enjoy, there is public space to do so. gotta be careful though, coyotes are everywhere and wolves have been spotted in the LP. not to mention black bears and mosquitoes...

rsd53

I remember in the mid 60's in so cal when rc was in its infancy. People spent hundreds of dollars on an emerging technology few could understand. I was flying a string controlled PT-17 when I saw my first RC airplane. The PT-17 I was flying was equipped with a .049 engine. It was held together with rubber bands so it would survive a crash without damage. My how time has changed... Try to imagine what it will be like in another 10 years or so.

cumquat

looking back a decade tells me...nothing good. back in '05 brushless and lipo were emerging techs.while they are mainstream now, it took 7 year for them to gain real momentum and fully replace brushed and nickel cells. the future outlook is grim to me because there is no new tech that really stands a chance of flourishing. smaller gas engines will need to be adopted in the power tool industry before they truly become viable widely. i just dont think that will happen because brushless and lithium have taken over that field in most circumstances. the only gas powered tools i know of are engine drills such as this http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-21-2...-210/100666171 and while i can see a few uses for such a machine, i dont see the usefulness of a .12ci dremel outside of cool factor.

side note about that gas drill, if you read the product overview it says it can be used for pest control. the mental images that gives me are both humorous and disturbing.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

PEST CONTROL??! Holy CRAP! What kind of pests are we talkin' about here? Giant Zombie Rats? LOL!!

Looking grim, cumquat? No new stuff? What about small-displacement GAS engines for RC? Got 'em! Don't need expensive nitro fuel. How about AVC? That's a pretty cool technology. (Traxxas is even coming out with their version of it.) Speaking of Traxxas, they've got their Funny Car dragsters, with starting lights and speed/timing traps. You gotta admit that's cool. I hear RC tractor pulling is getting pretty popular. No, I think RC is doing just fine. While some petrol-heads might see the proliferation of electric vehicles as something apocalyptic, I think it's just that more people are embracing electric-power RC precisely because the current technologies (brushless and lipo) have made incredible power (once the domain of nitro only) incredibly easy, AND they don't annoy the neighbors.

cumquat

i covered small gas engines in my previous post. AVC is not a good thing, it's a very bad thing in my book. rather than learning how to control power, the radio does it for you. driver skill will be a thing of the past if it becomes widespread. they released the funny car like 4 years ago. rj speed had been making them for a few years before that. still dont have rc drag racing locally and we have a drag strip that hosts IHRA events as well as midnight races because kids were street racing. i imagine tractor pulling has gotten a bit more mainstream since rc4wd now makes pulling tires in 3 different sizes but that's still about as niche as rc gets. i'd be willing to bet that rc trucking and construction equipment are more popular.

SyCo_VeNoM

Kinda agree with this


as for the small gas engines sad thing is they haven't really done anything with them. If they could make a conversion kit to convert a nitro model over then that might be something, but as of now they are in like 3 or so models only(and no I don't feel like looking to be exact before anyone quotes me on this), and the units themselves from the pics I saw seemed a little large.
Which is the exact opposite of what they did with brushless, and lipo they kept pushing the 2 till they became the defacto.

cetme308

I started with a nitro stadium truck in 2005 as electric was a joke, to me. I had a lot of great times and then some frustrating times learning nitro engines. I didn't mind the smell or the noise and the cost was minor really. At the end of that experience I said either I should try electric or get a larger nitro engine. In 2010 I tried lipo's as they were priced ok and I wasn't totally freaked out about the fire thing. In retrospect, I went too small with the E-Revo VXL 1/16. I needed something that could do grass and offroad and well, that baby was super fast but couldn't do what I wanted.

I put my RC hobby on hold until this past spring when I finally got the funds and desire again to try a big nitro monster truck, 1/8. While I don't regret going nitro vs electric, more on that later, its been one heck of a summer. First we were getting rain nearly every day and a lot of rain at that. Any day that it didn't rain still sucked as everything was flooded or pure mud. That was weeks and weeks. Then the humidity and life got in the way yada yada. Finally the weather is at times better and life has slowed down again.

To me having nitro fuel in the house is less dangerous then lipos. Fuel isn't going to suddenly start burning. If you keep it in the bottle and practice safe handling then I don't see an issue. LIpos need constant care as in keeping them in a lipo bag and a fireproof container and if they do burn well, you got one hell of a story to tell the fire dept. Plus the whole keeping a certain charge and yada yada. Besides safety stuff, I simply like the fact that I can go bash with a nitro right now but with a lipo I have to charge. Various setups can help lower that wait time but eh, I rather go anytime instead of having to plan out my charging. I keep my trucks on the lower level with the wife less then 15ft away. Trust me, if she detected any smell or annoyance, I'd have moved them that first day. But like any hobby, you are going to need a area for it. Trains, planes, or automobiles.. it don't matter what it is, if you have no space then don't QQ that you can't have bloody nitro. My little revo got filthy and would spill little rocks all over the dang place.

Personally I'd love to see a time when a battery with the power of a lipo but the safety of a AA that can be charged in 10 minutes and lasts an hour is a reality but I don't see that happening any time soon. Alright, thats probably enough.

DieHarder

I screwed the AVC in my new Proboat and am now using a FlySky. The AVC was really weird, it made me a better driver than I was when I did my first test run and I really noticed it. After doing more advanced maneuvers, I found it limiting. Much happier with the direct and real feel setup now through the FlySky.