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[[Image:Nuvola apps important.png|25px|left]] 5/24/2010 Personal Update from Freshmen Spring Semester at MIT
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[[Image:Nuvola apps important.png|25px|left]] 9/10/2010 Personal Update Back from Germany
 
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I made it!  I passed all my freshman year classes at MIT! I was really busy again this semester.  When I look back, I don’t understand how I was so busy.  However, during the semester I was always optimizing every minute.  I am trying to understand why I felt so busy.  Part of it was that I learned the material.  When I look back on a P-Set, I wonder why it took me so long to complete the first time.  Of course this is normal and to be expected. Also, MIT provides an almost infinite array of options to spend every extra minute that you want to spend.  Despite being over my head last semester, I took on new responsibilities this semester.  I also let other activities fall to the wayside, and it felt like I spent more time on school work this semester.
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My summer working at [[Deutsche Bahn]], the state railway of Germany, is over. I worked on the PPX/[http://touchandtravel.de Touch&Travel] team.  I worked on the design for the new smartphone version of T&T and I prototyped out a map/GIS platform.  Hopefully they will like what I built and what I helped develop will be seen by millions of people.  Working at Deutsche Bahn was real a change of pace from MIT; I did not even have access to my DB email outside the office.  It was challenging to work in German and I learned a lot about what it is like to work in a big company.  Hopefully I brought some American-style thinking to the team to help create the next version of Touch&Travel and improve people’s trip planning.
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During the summer, I had a great time going on trips to [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624337767853/ Berlin], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624536810381/ Venice], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624661594536/ Verona], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624462473322/ Nuremberg], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624634370747/ London], and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624763951287/ Hamburg].  I also went to smaller day trips to [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624337555079/ Mainz], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624267199490/ Geysir Andernach], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624660398400/ Wiesbaden], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624535775913/ the Rhine], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624660756198/ the Opel Factory], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624536236147/ Holiday Park], and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624536236147/ Worms], plus plenty of [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624267121744/ random photos].  I also took lots of photos of [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157624267144712/ trains and transit systems]
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This trip help boost my flickr count to over 50,000 items! Almost all of the photos are [[geotagged]]. Over the summer I bought a new geologger, the [[I-Blue Tripmate 850 GPS Logger]].  This new logger is a lot more sensitive and accurate than my old [[AMOD 8050 GPS Logger]].  In addition it has a screen and a Bluetooth connection so you can see live data as it is recording. I’ve included a geotrack of my time in Venice, to demonstrate how good this logger is.  [http://geoov.com Geoov] should be up and running again with my latest photos.  I built it last summer so I and others could see where I have been by displaying all of my geotagged photos on one map. I love seeing more and more areas being filled in!
  
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It seemed like I took a lot of humanities classes this semester, and I think my writing skills have improved significantly.  I took [[21W.732]] (Science Writing) which was the first time I had received detailed comments on my writing.  In high school, I would receive a marked-up paper back from the teacher.  However, in this class, I also received a page reflecting on the higher level problems of my writing.  This was very helpful to me because I struggled with organization and focus.  I tend to stuff too many details in, causing the reader to lose sight of the big picture.  I tend to be comprehensive in my communications, whereas cutting stuff out would make the message clearer.  I also need to work on how to organize large blocks of prose.  In addition, I still have to work on mechanics.  This semester, I wrote about [[Learning_to_Learn_at_MIT|Learning to Learn at MIT]] where I talk about how I finally learned how to study material during the first semester finals.  I [[:File:THOMAS_Redesign_Proposal.doc|propose changes to THOMAS]], Congress’s database to make it easier to use.  I wrote [[:File:SixthSense_Article.doc|an article on the Sixed Sense]] project out of the [[Media Lab]], and [[:File:Long_Tail_Book_Review.docx|a review of Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail]].
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[[File:Venice Wandering.png|800px]]  
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I also built out my wiki with some new features and content.  I extended the [[FlickrSet Extension]] to help meet some of my needs.  I also built a [[Delicious Extension]] from scratch.  In both cases I want to display more of my content from other sites directly on the relevant page on my wiki.  I have not made much use of the extensions, but I am now able to pull flickr items and items tagged on delicious straight into certain wiki pages.  I also wrote some new content about the [[Laptops]], [[Cameras]], [[GPS Loggers]], [[MP3 Players]], and [[Cell Phones]] devices I have owned.
  
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I was also in [[MAS.111]] (Introduction to Doing Research in Media Arts & Sciences), which had several professors who had been around the block a few times sharing their experience on journals, conferences, etc.  It was a nice contrast to 21W.732, which discussed similar topics, but with their personal experiences as opposed to an establishment/party line point of view in 21W.732.
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I also figured out [[Display of OneNote notebooks|a way to once again display OneNote notebooks]].  This new method uses Microsoft Office Online/SkyDrive and it works in all browsers.  However I could not trick it into embedding into my site, so you will have to click to go offsite.  Also, ink will not display.  I’ve uploaded ink notebooks from first semester in the legacy 2007 web export style.  This displays ink, but only works in IE and Opera.  This works out well since I was switching to [[Learning to Learn at MIT|scanned paper anyway]] and [[T4220|my tablet]] broke in March. Some of my notebooks from second semester were all in paper anyway, so I just uploaded a series of PDFs with the pages scanned in.  I know this is lower tech, but in my experience, this is how I learn best. So check out my notes from [[MIT Freshmen|freshmen year]].
  
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I started out taking [[STS.050]] (The History of MIT) as a listener; however, I switched to taking the class for credit.  The class tended to cover the state of technology in the world, and how MIT influenced and was influenced by that.  This reflected the experience and interests of the professors.  For example, [http://web.mit.edu/mindell/www/ Prof. Mindell] talked about the history of the Apollo computer systems, which were invented at MIT.  He even wrote a book on the topic, called [http://web.mit.edu/digitalapollo/ Digital Apollo].  The front cover of the book is an animated scene of what Neal Armstrong would have seen seconds before he touched down on the moon.  Mindell researched the position of every switch and the contents of every display.  The professors did not talk much about the history of MIT as an institution.  Instead, students were assigned to research that.  I wrote about [[:File:History_of_Dining_at_MIT.docx|The History of Dining]] and [[:File:Attendance Despite Income- A History of Scholarships and Financial Aid.docx|Scholarships and Financial Aid]].  We had to use [http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/ Institute Archives] to research for the paper.  It was the first time I did research using actual primary sources.
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I am still covering the latest in tech news on The Weekly Spin podcast. With the start of episode 68, I wanted to redouble my effort I put into the podcast to be better prepared with the issues and stories.  I am very interested in the things I cover and along with some of my classes this year I want to be able to understand the issues better.  Hopefully this extra effort will pay off in the show’s quality.  Being on a better internet connection should help as well.
  
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I learned how to speak basic German from my mom when I was little.  I never tried to read or write or learned any formal grammar.  I took German 2 as a listener to learn how to read German and have a basic understanding of the grammar.  I succeeded in reaching these goals that I set out, but I did not put the time in beyond that to score highly on writing pieces or exams.  I felt that if I really put the time in, I could learn to speak and write correctly, as opposed to just understandably.  I am unsure if I will study German more in the future.
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It looks like I will be shutting [http://apps.facebook.com/gridview GridView] down at the end of the year.  Facebook recently discontinued the “Boxes” tab and they will completely remove application tabs from your Facebook profiles by the end of the year.  You, and you alone, will still be able to see your GridView on the app’s page.  I don’t think this small bit of functionality will be worth continuing to maintain GridView and keep it alive.  I originally envisioned it as a way to show off your Facebook friends on your Facebook profile.  With this change, Facebook will be prohibiting the purpose of the application.  If you object, and think that being able to see your grid is still useful, please send me your feedback.
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It is also time to look forward to [[:File:MIT Sophomore Fall Schedule Plan.pdf|next year]].  It my first year taking [[Management]] classes, since I got general requirements out of the way my first year.  The department strongly suggests I take [[15.279|15.279 Management Communication for Undergraduates]].  I just did 2 communications classes last semester, so I am grudgingly going along with their recommendation.  I am also doing the requirement [[15.501|15.501 Corporate Financial Accounting] to get it out of the way, and I want to understand all of the financial terms, as well know how to manage the money in my own business.  I am also doing [[14.01|14.01 Principles of Microeconomics].  I believe this is a requirement, and a fairly introductory class.  I took a similar class in high school, but I have heard that the MIT version is very different!  I am also taking a graduate-level management class [[15.567|15.567 The Economics of Information: Strategy, Structure and Pricing] which is about the internet and the sale of information.  At MIT most of the detail classes are grad classes, so I wanted to try one out.  This is my one interesting, somewhat discretionary class this semester.  I have to take another math class [[6.041|6.041 Probabilistic Systems Analysis] for the management degree, so I have to do this one.  I never really learned probability, which seems more interesting to me than Calculus.  At HHS, the probability class was an easy math option, but I have my doubts at MIT.  I also want to get a better understanding of computer science by taking a few classes, although I am not planning on majoring in CS.  So I am taking the first class [[6.01|6.01 Introduction to EECS]] to get a well-rounded introduction to computer science.  This should help improve my programming by giving me a theoretical base to work from.  It will be a fair bit of work, but I hope this will positively shape how I think, like [[8.01]]/[[8.02]] did for me last semester (see [[Learning to Learn at MIT]].  So this is 69 units, which is a lot.  I may drop one of the classes if it becomes too much work.
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This summer I did a bit of work on my UROP at the Media Lab on [[SocialSaver]].  If you are at MIT you can help by [http://mealtime.mit.edu joining the experiment].  I do not plan on continuing to work on that project.  For [[MAS.111]], [[:File:My Experience SocialSaver UROP Compressed.pptx|I presented on my experience]]. I will be continuing as [[VPFS]] at [[Baker House]] and I will be picking up a job working on the [http://baker.mit.edu Baker Website].  I also plan on continuing to work on the [[Athena Committee]] for [[UA CSL]].  MIT has already started implementing some of our recommended changes to upgrade printers and move dorm printers under a full support model.  I also plan on becoming more involved in [[SIPB]], the computing club at MIT.
  
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I took [[8.02]] (Physics Electricity and Magnetism) and [[18.02]] (Mutli-Variable Calculus) which both felt like a lot of work because they had lengthy P-Sets and exams which I spent a lot of time studying for.  Both of the classes are GIRs, or requirements for all students.  I barely squeezed by in 18.02.  I just did not like it.  It just seemed like weird symbols that seemed meaningless.  I only understood several important concepts when I found some nice 3D visualizations online while studying for the final.  The class could be far better taught for visual learners, especially compared to 8.02.  I am a big fan of the [http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/projects/icampus/projects/teal.html TEAL] system of learning.  In Physics, I felt like I understood the material better than I did first semester, but I ended up with almost the same grade.  This was disappointing.
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So that is all for now, with classes starting up at MIT, that will be taking up my time.  I still have to update my bio to cover the full scope of the things I am interested in.  --[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 01:15, 10 September 2010 (EDT)
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I declared Course 15: Management Science.  As I detailed before, I struggled to find a major that fit what I wanted to do.  I was very interested in Media Lab human-computer interaction style work, as somewhat interested in STS/policy/law style issues.  However, neither the Media Lab nor STS offered a major.  I actually was a 17: Political Science major for 2 weeks.  When I talked to the undergraduate administrator, she implied that I would be happier elsewhere.  I did not want to do Course 6 (Computer Science) because I am not interested in inventing the next ZIP compression algorithm.  I quickly considered Course 4 (Architecture) and 1 (Civil Engineering), but I just have minor interests in those fields.  Many people urged me to major in an engineering major.  I considered this, but I decided that I would rather do something that I was interested in and relevant to what I want to do.  I may double major in Course 6, but I may not complete the full program.  I would rather stay busy with classes around the Institute that I am interested and have time for UROPs or other experiences than just get a second line on my degree.
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Next semester, I plan on taking [[6.01]] (Introduction to EECS 1) and [[14.01]] (Principles of Microeconomics).  The department strongly recommends that I take [[15.279]] (Management Communication) next semester, so I will likely do that despite being humanities heavy this semester.  I also want to take an actual management class, either 15.567 (Economics of Information: Strategy, Structure, and Pricing) or 15.501 (Corporate Financial Accounting).  I will also take a math class, either [[6.041]] (Probabilistic Systems Analysis) or [[18.06]] (Linear Algebra).  [[:File:MIT Sophomore Fall Schedule Plan.pdf|More info]]
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I was elected the [[VPFS]] (Vice President of Facilities and Services) at Baker House.  That put me in charge of the printers and the rooms in the basement.  In conjunction with my [[RCC]] job, I supervised the trial of the [http://pharos.com/ Pharos] hold and release printing system on our printer “bricks.”  I also did the [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157623442461422/ Baker House Signage Project] where I replaced the [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/4359921933/in/set-72157623442461422/ visual clutter of the front door] with a [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/4629686592/in/set-72157623442461422/ single nice sign], as well as installing signs in other parts of Baker.  In addition, I participated in one of the most successful Exec’s in history.  With about 25 active members, which was about 10% of the dorm, we threw a large rooftop party during [[CPW]].  The line to get in to the party stretched down 7 floors from the roof to the ground and we signed in almost 500 people.  I never thought I would learn how to run a party at MIT.  This year’s Exec also kept the Baker House Piano Drop traditional alive.  Check out [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpTImsD-H1g my video of the drop from the roof on YouTube].
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I also became a member of the [[UA]] [[CSL]] (Committee on Student Life).  I am the primary person working on changes to Athena (computer labs) and student printing.  I am also on the Institute’s committee that is working on changes.  Although we were convened to save money, we are also working at reimagining what computer labs at MIT should look like in the future.  The UA wrote a lengthy 22-page recommendation, but we decided not to release it, since the committee and the UA were on the same page.  The committee is close to (or done?) a short-term recommendation, which will be coming out any day now.
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I broke my old tablet computer, the [[T4220]].  After much research, I decided to get a [http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-2963-47U-13-3-Inch-Laptop/dp/B002PK154S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274681950&sr=8-2 Lenovo U350] (Model 2963-47U).  I picked one up on Amazon for $500; it’s actually more expensive today.  I wanted to get a really light 13” machine after seeing my advisor tote his MacBook Air around China.  I can’t even feel the U350 in my backpack and it is very thin.  It is 1/3 the price of a MacBook Air.  The machine turns right on when you open the lid and goes to sleep when you close the lid.  The processor is labeled as a “Pentium” but that is only Intel’s marketing efforts.  It only feels slow when I have 6-7 things open at once.  I am not planning on doing much gaming or video encoding on the laptop, so it is perfect for me.  I would highly recommend it for students.
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I worked as a UROP on the [[SocialSaver]] project at the [[Media Lab]], but I spent very little time on it.  I continued to make mock-ups and icons for the project.  I do not plan on continuing to work in this UROP.  I may find a new UROP next semester, or I may focus on schoolwork.
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I also want to do more to upgrade my website.  I want to figure out how to communicate my interests beyond tech.  I want the website to populate more stuff automatically.  For example, delicious items should be listed on my site and when you search for something.  I also need to figure out how to display OneNote Notebooks.  Once I do that, more from my first year at MIT will be uploaded.  MIT already proves many courses online at http://ocw.mit.edu.
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I now have 41,000 photos on [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/ flickr].  I uploaded many photos from the [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157623891453050/ Spring Semester of MIT].  If you have not yet gotten a chance, check out [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/collections/72157623172613691/ my pictures from China].
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I will be working in Germany this summer for [[Deutsche Bahn]], the state-owned railway company.  I will be working on the [http:// touchandtravel.com Touch&Travel team].  I am excited to work on computer development at a transport company.  I also am looking forward to working with RFID/NFC and mobile phone development.  It will be my first time working for a big company and it will be extra challenging because of the language and cultural differences.  I will be staying with relatives and commuting every day to work an hour each way.  I don’t think I bring my desktop with me on my trip which will be a bummer for developing.  I leave later this week.
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That’s all for now.  I will be back with a new update after the summer.  --[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 14:47, 24 May 2010 (EDT)
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Revision as of 05:16, 10 September 2010

Welcome to ThePlaz.com

the site for all things Michael Plasmeier (ThePlaz)

This site is a wiki. That means that anybody (including YOU) can edit and change the information found here. (Editing help)

My site contains mostly my homework and projects as well as various stuff from my life. (Site Mission Statement)

Leave Plaz a (public) message File icon.gif or send me a (private) e-mail.Mail icon.gif

Nuvola apps important.png
9/10/2010 Personal Update Back from Germany

My summer working at Deutsche Bahn, the state railway of Germany, is over. I worked on the PPX/Touch&Travel team. I worked on the design for the new smartphone version of T&T and I prototyped out a map/GIS platform. Hopefully they will like what I built and what I helped develop will be seen by millions of people. Working at Deutsche Bahn was real a change of pace from MIT; I did not even have access to my DB email outside the office. It was challenging to work in German and I learned a lot about what it is like to work in a big company. Hopefully I brought some American-style thinking to the team to help create the next version of Touch&Travel and improve people’s trip planning.

During the summer, I had a great time going on trips to Berlin, Venice, Verona, Nuremberg, London, and Hamburg. I also went to smaller day trips to Mainz, Geysir Andernach, Wiesbaden, the Rhine, the Opel Factory, Holiday Park, and Worms, plus plenty of random photos. I also took lots of photos of trains and transit systems This trip help boost my flickr count to over 50,000 items! Almost all of the photos are geotagged. Over the summer I bought a new geologger, the I-Blue Tripmate 850 GPS Logger. This new logger is a lot more sensitive and accurate than my old AMOD 8050 GPS Logger. In addition it has a screen and a Bluetooth connection so you can see live data as it is recording. I’ve included a geotrack of my time in Venice, to demonstrate how good this logger is. Geoov should be up and running again with my latest photos. I built it last summer so I and others could see where I have been by displaying all of my geotagged photos on one map. I love seeing more and more areas being filled in!

Venice Wandering.png

I also built out my wiki with some new features and content. I extended the FlickrSet Extension to help meet some of my needs. I also built a Delicious Extension from scratch. In both cases I want to display more of my content from other sites directly on the relevant page on my wiki. I have not made much use of the extensions, but I am now able to pull flickr items and items tagged on delicious straight into certain wiki pages. I also wrote some new content about the Laptops, Cameras, GPS Loggers, MP3 Players, and Cell Phones devices I have owned.

I also figured out a way to once again display OneNote notebooks. This new method uses Microsoft Office Online/SkyDrive and it works in all browsers. However I could not trick it into embedding into my site, so you will have to click to go offsite. Also, ink will not display. I’ve uploaded ink notebooks from first semester in the legacy 2007 web export style. This displays ink, but only works in IE and Opera. This works out well since I was switching to scanned paper anyway and my tablet broke in March. Some of my notebooks from second semester were all in paper anyway, so I just uploaded a series of PDFs with the pages scanned in. I know this is lower tech, but in my experience, this is how I learn best. So check out my notes from freshmen year.

I am still covering the latest in tech news on The Weekly Spin podcast. With the start of episode 68, I wanted to redouble my effort I put into the podcast to be better prepared with the issues and stories. I am very interested in the things I cover and along with some of my classes this year I want to be able to understand the issues better. Hopefully this extra effort will pay off in the show’s quality. Being on a better internet connection should help as well.

It looks like I will be shutting GridView down at the end of the year. Facebook recently discontinued the “Boxes” tab and they will completely remove application tabs from your Facebook profiles by the end of the year. You, and you alone, will still be able to see your GridView on the app’s page. I don’t think this small bit of functionality will be worth continuing to maintain GridView and keep it alive. I originally envisioned it as a way to show off your Facebook friends on your Facebook profile. With this change, Facebook will be prohibiting the purpose of the application. If you object, and think that being able to see your grid is still useful, please send me your feedback.

It is also time to look forward to next year. It my first year taking Management classes, since I got general requirements out of the way my first year. The department strongly suggests I take 15.279 Management Communication for Undergraduates. I just did 2 communications classes last semester, so I am grudgingly going along with their recommendation. I am also doing the requirement [[15.501|15.501 Corporate Financial Accounting] to get it out of the way, and I want to understand all of the financial terms, as well know how to manage the money in my own business. I am also doing [[14.01|14.01 Principles of Microeconomics]. I believe this is a requirement, and a fairly introductory class. I took a similar class in high school, but I have heard that the MIT version is very different! I am also taking a graduate-level management class [[15.567|15.567 The Economics of Information: Strategy, Structure and Pricing] which is about the internet and the sale of information. At MIT most of the detail classes are grad classes, so I wanted to try one out. This is my one interesting, somewhat discretionary class this semester. I have to take another math class [[6.041|6.041 Probabilistic Systems Analysis] for the management degree, so I have to do this one. I never really learned probability, which seems more interesting to me than Calculus. At HHS, the probability class was an easy math option, but I have my doubts at MIT. I also want to get a better understanding of computer science by taking a few classes, although I am not planning on majoring in CS. So I am taking the first class 6.01 Introduction to EECS to get a well-rounded introduction to computer science. This should help improve my programming by giving me a theoretical base to work from. It will be a fair bit of work, but I hope this will positively shape how I think, like 8.01/8.02 did for me last semester (see Learning to Learn at MIT. So this is 69 units, which is a lot. I may drop one of the classes if it becomes too much work.

This summer I did a bit of work on my UROP at the Media Lab on SocialSaver. If you are at MIT you can help by joining the experiment. I do not plan on continuing to work on that project. For MAS.111, I presented on my experience. I will be continuing as VPFS at Baker House and I will be picking up a job working on the Baker Website. I also plan on continuing to work on the Athena Committee for UA CSL. MIT has already started implementing some of our recommended changes to upgrade printers and move dorm printers under a full support model. I also plan on becoming more involved in SIPB, the computing club at MIT.

So that is all for now, with classes starting up at MIT, that will be taking up my time. I still have to update my bio to cover the full scope of the things I am interested in. --ThePlaz 01:15, 10 September 2010 (EDT)

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MIT Freshman edit

Fall

  • 8.01 Physics: Mechanics - Prof. Greytak
  • 3.091 Intro to Solid State Chemistry - Prof. Sadoway
  • 18.01 Single Variable Calculus - Prof. Brubaker
  • MAS.110 Fundamentals of Computational Media Design - Prof. Bove
  • 6.A53 Entrepreneurship and China Advising Seminar - Dr. Eng
  • SocialSaver UROP at the MIT Media Lab
  • Learning to Learn at MIT - My "near fail" experience that caused me to pull it together

Spring

Other Stuff

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30px-OneNote.png Open OneNote Notebook

Note: Works only in Internet Explorer and Opera. Firefox refuses to support MHT. More info

Nuvola USA flag.png AP US Government (History)

30px-OneNote.png Open OneNote Notebook

Note: Works only in Internet Explorer and Opera. Firefox refuses to support MHT. More info

Nuvola apps package wordprocessing.png English 12 (English)

Nuvola apps kbrunch.png Calculus (Math)

30px-OneNote.png Open OneNote Notebook

Note: Works only in Internet Explorer and Opera. Firefox refuses to support MHT. More info

Nuvola apps edu languages.png AP Psychology (Psychology)

Nuvola apps package editors.png AP Micro Econ (Economics)

Nuvola apps bug.png Biology (Science)

Nuvola apps kmplot.png PreCalc (Math)

Nuvola USA flag.png American Studies (History)

  • Projects
  • Notes from Out of Many Textbook
  • FTCE test : FTCE test failure reveals how to rip through the FTCE test.
developed Headline Notetaking Format

Nuvola USA flag pen.png English 11 (English)

Nuvola apps edu mathematics.png IAG 4H (Math)

Nuvola apps edu science.png Chemistry (Science)

Nuvola apps package network.png World Cultures (History)

Nuvola apps korganizer.png AP Macro Economics (Economics)

Nuvola apps file-manager.png English 10 (English)

Nuvola apps kig.png IAG 3H (Math)

Nuvola apps bookcase.png English 9 (English)

Nuvola apps kverbos.png Western Civ (History)

Projects
Outlines
Maps and Creative
French Revolution Napoleon-peque.jpg
Essays and Reports

Nuvola apps edu phi.png IPS (Science)

Nuvola apps kcalc.png IAG 2H and IAG 1H (Math)

Nuvola apps kate.png Latin

Latin 3

Projects
Notes
Journals

Double Entry Journals have 2 components: What I Learned (a summery), and Personal Response (a reflection)

Latin 2

Projects
  1. Roman Travel Project
  2. Sejanus
  3. Echo and Narcissus Myth
  4. The Journey of the Hero
Journals

Latin 1

Money-256x256.png Entrepreneurship (Business)

30px-OneNote.png Open OneNote Notebook

Note: Works only in Internet Explorer and Opera. Firefox refuses to support MHT. More info

Nuvola apps personal.png Business Law (Business)

30px-OneNote.png Open OneNote Notebook

Note: Works only in Internet Explorer and Opera. Firefox refuses to support MHT. More info

Nuvola apps amarok.png Pop Music (Music)

Nuvola filesystems folder blue open.png Other edit

Nuvola apps kuser.png About Me edit

UNIQ242b80f97ac2b4e6-html-00000002-QINU

Michael Plasmeier Spring 2009 Narrow.JPG

UNIQ242b80f97ac2b4e6-html-00000003-QINU

Michael Plasmeier Spring 2009 Narrow.JPG
Michael Plasmeier
"ThePlaz"
Yahoo APM: Membership and Geo Platforms

My name is Michael Plasmeier, but almost everyone calls me Plaz. I am a Associate Product Manager at Yahoo - working on the Membership and Geo-related platforms teams. I graduated from MIT in 2013 in Computer Science and Management. I am halfway between the tech and the business world, doing both web development and product development. My interest in doing both started while I was working on GridView, an app I built after 10th Grade that reached 1.3 million users on Facebook.

Internships

Last IAP, I was a Software Development Extern doing testing in Ruby on the back end at CardSpring. Last summer, I was Product Manager at Disney Parks and Resorts Online where I worked on a project for Disney Cruise Line. Last January, I worked in management/strategy consulting at Altman Vilandrie & Company. The previous summer, I was a web developer at NextJump, an online affiliate advertising firm in New York. Prior to that, I was an extern in the Office of the Chief Scientist at State Street. My freshman summer I worked at Deutsche Bahn, the German national railroad, where I designed the smartphone version Touch&Travel, an app that lets you pay for the train with your phone.

MIT

At MIT I was heavily involved in classes, usually taking 7 classes a term, while being involved in student government. (I wrote about how I do it in Working out a System.) senior was dedicated to wrapping up requirements. Junior year at MIT I focused on EECS classes, as well as being elected president of Baker House. My second year at MIT focused on management classes. I was also involved in the vendor selection and implementation of the new dining plan. Freshman year, I took core classes and served on the Athena and Printing Committee. (I wrote about just hanging on freshmen year in Learning to Learn.)

Websites

I built a lot of web projects in high school. My most popular project, was GridView [1], an app for Facebook which lets you add the profile pics of all of you're friends to your Facebook profile. GridView had over 1.3 million users and made me some money.

I hosted and produced the video podcast Tecker 911 [2] along with some of my friends. Tecker 911 was a series of 100 5-15 minute shows each which covers a technology topic in a way which is relevant for ordinary people, with a focus towards students and our community. Tecker 911 was also shown on our local public access channel Channel 11.

I started SeniorQuoter, [3] an open-source web application for senior quotes collections for high school yearbooks. In 11th Grade, I lead a Dynamic Website Building Instruction and Practical Experience Group Study at my high school. I helped 4 other students learn PHP and MySQL and then I project managed version 2 of SeniorQuoter, the administration interface.

Tecker and Conflicter were question and answer services I built in 10th Grade. They never really caught on, but they were the perfect way to learn PHP. Dictionary Robot is something I tarted last year, but abandoned later. In 10th Grade, I was a member of Team 484 and in 11th Grade I was their webmaster.

In 8th and 9th Grades I wrote bunch of programs for the TI-83+.

Tech

My first two years at MIT, I was a regular on The Weekly Spin, a weekly take on tech stories and tech policy.

On my Tech page I have had a few pages about Devices I own and other small things that I have built. For example, I also made some improvements for MediaWiki, the software that runs ThePlaz.com and Wikipedia. I made a new skin for MediaWiki and a few MediaWiki extensions


Other Accounts

I also tag a lot of stories on Delicious. I also have over 70,000 photos on Flickr. I Tweet kinda regularly. I also post things to YouTube. And of course I have a Facebook. It all comes together on my FriendFeed.

Theweeklyspin.png The Weekly Spin

The Weekly Spin is a weekly rant about technology and tech policy with Michael Gdovin. We often cover the cell phone industry, the FCC, DRM, and Michael likes to throw in some Apple rumors.

Download the latest episodes: TheWeeklySpin.com Audio Podcast

Nuvola apps laptop pcmcia.png Student Tools edit

Nuvola apps knewsticker.png News edit

ThePlaz in often mentioned or interviewed in the news

MIT
MIT Dining
MITx/EdX
Baker Piano Drop
Tecker 911
GridView
ThePlaz.com Praise
  • Sam's Praise about my site
  • Baron Harkonnen's Thanks
  • Thanks for uploading Flickr photos
  • Uses Many ThePlaz.com Wiki features
  • A Drexel professor told me on the first day of class that I take very good notes and I would graduate suma cum laude from Harvard due to the quality of my notes at Gov School
  • Hi I saw your page about that download for the ferris wheel unit for IMP4, I didn't download it but even the info you had on the page helped me out. I have no idea what I'm doing and just started this year- i really get stuck on my homework EVERY night. Right now im working on HW 2 "As the ferris wheel turns" and i have no idea what I'm doing. But i just wanted to say thanks cause I'm gonna download that once I'm farther into the unit!--A Facebook user (J. S.)
  • Just wanted to let you know: I stole your headline method of note taking from your website and it is completely saving my life in American Studies. -Rebecca C.
  • Hey, you do have one of the best designed websites I have seen lately. Good job. A little flashy, but still functional. --Email comment 8/18/2010
Videos

Nuvola apps multimedia.png Video edit

Tecker 911 Logo.png Tecker 911

Nuvola filesystems camera.png Photos edit

Trips/Vacations
Universities
MIT
Haverford High School
Places/Events/Daytrips

(need to update)

Tech/Unboxing/Products
Pictures on the Wikimedia Commons

TI-83--rotated.png TI-83+ Stuff edit

Nuvola apps kcmprocessor.png Tech Stuff edit

I am a lot into technology. Here are links to some of my web sites as well as modifications and how-to articles about other software.

My Websites
Devices
MediaWiki Tweaks
Essays/Thoughts
Other

Nuvola apps gaim.png Miscellaneous edit

Nuvola apps remote.png Site Statistics edit

For up-to-date info see Special:Statistics

There are 6,499 total pages in the database, including 1,578 pages in the main namespace and 5,000 files uploaded. These counts do not include OneNote notebooks on minisites or SkyDrive, and count multi-page files (PDF and Word) as one page.

There have been a total of 5,163,449 page views, and 16,470 page edits since ThePlaz.com was setup. That comes to 2.53 average edits per page, and 313.51 views per edit.


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