My ID110 notebook

Okay... I admit it. I had a notebook and that too a 200 pages unruled one for ID110. (FYI this is a course I had in First Semester titled Concepts in Engineering Design. A weird course, with professors changing every week or so, this is the kind of course for which people count their attendance very carefully to just make it across the 75% barrier. Of course, I don't belong to that type. I attend classes regularly.) :)

A couple of days back I found this book in my shelf. At first glance, I was amazed at the amount of notes written. You will be amazed too. Twenty pages back and front! Now that is serious news. It even had one of those "topics covered" zones. I wondered if this was really my own book. I got freaked when I saw that I had even used a black pen to underline the subtopics. Whoa! The book was totally crammed with graphs and figures and technical terms. After all, the professors were only trying to make engineering design as theoretical as possible but it is a totally different issue that they ended up making it as boring as possible.

Flipping through the pages ( twenty pages back and front, remember!) , still flipping... Yawn.. nothing much for some nine pages; just plain boring notes until a blank page! Now that was slaisha surprising. A blank page! I guess I was absent for a lecture and left a blank page to write down what was taught in that class. Oh yes! now I remember... I asked so many people for that day's notes but sadly (?) that page is still blank. Wow I have changed so much since first semester. Not a single book is as well maintained as this unique ID110 book.

Even more surprises in store for me! Last month of semester one. I guess I was no longer the same person who joined IITM or may be I felt like going back to school days. Either way, what the book had in store was that the notes written on that day were not like the ones written usually.The topic was Philosophy of engineering design. The professor put a lot of emphasis on the aesthetics aspect of design and was trying to make the class interesting. This is how it begins.
"Should've sat in the last benches! "
"Nice time to realize that! At the end of the course."
Aristotle supposedly put forward a theory named,"Theory of Causation":-
"Phew! Optimism: At least Aristotle didn't teach us ID110!"
Observation: The professor chooses one particular arbitrary word and uses that in all his sentences till it gets monotonic. First word of the day was "aesthetic" and the second one was "potential".
'Aesthetic expression and quest for perfection.', 'Intellectual and aesthetic needs.', 'What do we do in design? (er.. design??!!) Technology and aesthetics' (lol)
"Whats up with th prof,da? Babbling on and on with the aesthetics funda."
It was a part of that Aristotle's theory. Potentiality and Actuality. Whatever! :-
"How pessimistic! Don't remind me of potential! PH101 Argh!"

That brings us to the last written page of the book. Ciao!

15 comments:

  1. No wonder you put 9 point something last sem..... :P

    There is still PH102 this sem and...
    BT 101 and ID 120 nxt sem... :D

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  2. lolz.. guess so!
    and HS too!!

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  3. what a pity so good insight into enginnering thats y i didnt opt it good post

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  4. @protegoflife
    Engineering is not at all like what has been portrayed in this post. In fact it is really interesting and breathtaking to say the least. There are however some courses like these that give the impression that we are in a pathetic state of affairs.

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  5. interested and breathtaking????
    who are you kidding!!!

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  6. @anon
    It is! but only when you realize that there are many intersting topics in your branch of engineering. You will feel that the sheer magnificence of the subject takes your breath away!
    btw who is this?

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  7. HEY!! AWESOME BLOG!! u rock at writin stuff outta class!! btw, jus outta curiosity, WHO is this?? ur blog title is really interestin too!! hmmm.. and a 9. someone in first sem!! sure deal!!
    DEAN:- one insti prodigy to sharav pl!!!
    GOD:- Comin right up!! take a smilee!!


    lolz.. :P

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  8. thanks fr th cloud 9 level compliments!!

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  9. well...this one went a lil above ma head...dint grasp much of it...

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  10. oh... sure.. dats fine.. will add u in as a link from mine.. i mean as it is, we both are quite explicit on the same topics.. basically criticism of class.. so, ciao for now then.. and all the best for the rest of the end sems..

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  11. hmm thats about it as far as the criticism of class type of posts are concerned.. i have three more posts in mind that are not at all related to acads. i really want to publish them but am trying to be less addicted n mug for a change! :D

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  12. AH!! cool! do dat!! will try to put in some witty posts to it too.. lolzzzz... :P newaz, name doesnt really strike me... [sorry bout dat... :( ] . we'll continue postin newaz.. ciao then.. keep posted!!

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  13. wonderful observational skills... ID110 could have been better explained though... but i like the way its put

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  14. thanks!
    will make a note of tht.

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